Six years ago, in a small wooden cabin in the far north. Outside, the snow was thick and the cold wind howled. Inside, the fire in the hearth burned brightly, warming the entire cabin.
"Ouch! That Honkai Beast was so fast, it almost cut my leg off," the girl cried out in pain, then asked quizzically, "Why do we have to protect that village! It has nothing to do with us!"
The man, while bandaging the girl's wound, said to her sternly, "Oh? Nothing to do with us? When you saw those people being hurt by the Honkai Beast, didn't you feel the Kaslana blood boiling inside you?"
"Don't be ridiculous! The only time your blood boils is when you see those big sisters at the bar!" the girl mercilessly exposed him. Wiggling her bandaged leg, she asked again, "We're always protecting others, but who's going to protect us...?"
"Of course, Daddy will protect you! My little Kiana~" The man ruffled the girl's hair and said gently but firmly, "If anyone dares to lay a hand on my precious daughter, I'll definitely beat them to a pulp!"
The girl looked at the large hand on her head. It was rough, but very warm. The girl extended her right pinky finger and said, "Then, it's a promise!"
The man also extended his pinky and hooked it around the girl's delicate finger. "Yeah, it's a promise!"
Kiana opened her eyes and held out her right pinky, where the warmth of that man from back then seemed to linger. Kiana felt a heaviness in her heart. *You promised you would protect me, but... why did you disappear without a word?*
"Yo, you're finally awake~ Looks like you're recovering well," a voice suddenly chimed in.
Kiana followed the sound and saw a petite figure in a nun's habit leaning against a two-meter-tall cross. Her right hand was propping up her small head, which rested on the top of the cross, as she looked down at Kiana.
"Hey, kid, where is this place?" Kiana asked, puzzled.
The nun seemed to be angered by the word "kid." Her face darkened as she snapped her fingers. The cross beneath her suddenly shot out four chains tipped with short swords. The chains, as if they had eyes of their own, shot towards the girl on the bed. Unable to dodge in time, the chains wrapped around the girl's limbs several times before embedding themselves in the bed.
The nun leaped from the cross to the bed frame and proudly declared, "Who are you calling a kid, you little brat! My name is Theresa, and I am the one in charge of this Schicksal organization's Far East Branch."
"Not even using a pseudonym, and fearlessly entering a Honkai zone... Are you hoping to get your old man's attention? Siegfried's daughter~" Theresa said with a mocking expression.
"You know my dad?" Kiana immediately became agitated.
"Ah, he's an old acquaintance of mine," Theresa said with a hint of nostalgia, then her tone shifted to one of mystery. "I even know where he is right now~
"Where?" the girl immediately said with excitement. The volume was so loud that even Theresa couldn't help but flinch.
"Such an impatient one... Just like your father," Theresa said, rubbing her ears slowly. "He's in a particularly dangerous place. In your current state, looking for him would be no different from suicide."
"These minor injuries are nothing! Let me go find him!" the girl insisted stubbornly.
"I'm not talking about your injuries," Theresa shook her head and continued in a cool tone. "Your skills are too weak. You struggled against a single Honkai Beast. At this rate, you'll meet God before you meet your old man."
"And another thing, your friend Raiden Mei has something far more dangerous hidden inside her. If that thing emerges again—" Theresa continued to crush her spirits, "do you think you'll have the power to save that girl again?"
Seeing Kiana gritting her teeth in frustration but unable to do anything, Theresa squinted her eyes happily and said, "Well then, I shall now announce a new proposal!"
"And... that... is... to join our St. Freya High School and receive training to become a Valkyrie." Theresa leaned in close to Kiana, staring into the girl's eyes. "I will personally train you to become a warrior who can stand on her own two feet."
"St. Freya High School?" Kiana was confused.
"That's right. It is the only institution in the world that trains warriors who fight against the Honkai, also known as 'Valkyries'," Theresa said proudly, holding up a finger.
"Oh, right! Your two friends, Raiden Mei and Bronya, have already agreed to enroll~ Kiana-chan~" Theresa said affectionately, her eyes squinted.
One day earlier, in the Hyperion's brig, Mei, who had been imprisoned for two days, met the person who would decide her fate.
"Your friends are out of danger," Himeko said to the fragile girl before her. *Is this person the Herrscher from a few days ago?* Himeko thought, looking at the girl who resembled a frightened rabbit and shaking her head internally.
"Is that so? That's great," Mei said softly, her head lowered and one hand placed nervously on her chest. "From now on, you can do whatever you want with me."
"Kill you? That's fine too," Himeko said coldly. "If one less Herrscher exists, the world might be able to escape the prophecy of destruction."
"Is that so... that's good. As long as I'm alive, I'll definitely end up hurting someone..." The girl's heart was at ease as she resigned herself to her fate. "So, as long as I die..."
*Smack.* Himeko suddenly stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap to the girl's face. A bright red handprint immediately appeared on her fair cheek.
"Stop joking around! I am a warrior who fights the Honkai, not an executioner who murders young girls!" Himeko roared at the girl before her. "If you're so quick to give up on your own life, then give it to me! Let me train you into a warrior capable of controlling her own power!"
"What if I can't control it?!" Mei clutched the collar of her shirt, tears welling in her eyes, as she yelled back at the woman. "What if I go berserk again and hurt even more people?!"
Himeko reached out and placed her hand over the girl's heart, declaring, "Then I'll add a failsafe for you! I'll install a small bomb next to your heart. If the Honkai Energy concentration in your body gets too high, the bomb will detonate.
That should put your mind at ease, right?! So now, do your best to live on!"
Mei looked at the unwavering determination in the woman's eyes, finding it hard to believe. Finally, the girl whispered, "Thank you..."
In Kiana's hospital room, Theresa continued her gentle persuasion. "Your two friends have both agreed~ So, do you want to become a world-saving warrior with them?"