There was only endless darkness.
A bleached desert stretched as far as the eye could see, illuminated by the pale light of the distant Earth.
She stood upon the barren landscape alongside seven other warriors.
Eight warriors.
Eight people carrying the weight of humanity on their shoulders.
They had one mission.
The last battle of this long war would be fought here.
The outcome would determine the fate of humanity.
Would anyone among them live to see tomorrow?
She had no answer.
The silence was broken by a familiar voice.
Kevin: "Prepare yourself, Hua."
Kevin stood nearby, his eyes fixed upon the distant horizon.
Kevin: "According to MEI's calculations, SHE will be here within an hour."
The girl nodded.
Girl: "Yes."
A long silence followed.
Girl: "…"
She looked toward Kevin.
Girl: "Kevin, I hope humanity will survive this."
Kevin didn't hesitate.
Kevin: "They will."
He turned toward the Earth hanging in the darkness.
Kevin: "Just turn around and look at the Earth to dispel your doubts."
The girl slowly turned around.
There it was.
Earth.
The planet was an azure orb suspended within the great, yawning void.
Its deep blue curves emitted a warm halo that seemed almost capable of repelling the surrounding darkness.
For a moment, the girl simply stared.
Kevin spoke quietly.
Kevin: "Every time I look to the skies, I tremble at the thought of the cold and dark universe."
He paused.
Kevin: "Nevertheless, I believe it still contains traces of warmth…"
His gaze remained fixed upon the planet.
Kevin: "…For Earth gave birth to us and the stars still shine."
Earth.
The girl thought about the humans living there.
Some may have been grieving.
Others may have been taking part in a final celebration, desperately trying to forget that the end of the world was approaching.
But from the moon, everything looked different.
Wars.
Hatred.
Pain.
The memories of the past.
None of them seemed to matter anymore.
Only one thing mattered.
The future.
If humanity survived and eventually repopulated the planet, their pain and conflicts would eventually return.
Yet even then—
The only thing that still mattered was the future.
The girl lowered her gaze.
Girl: "Kevin, I'm sorry about that argument with Dr. MEI… and for what I said to you."
Kevin looked toward her.
There was no anger in his expression.
Kevin: "There's no need for apologies. You are my comrade in arms, and I am yours."
The girl hesitated.
Girl: "Are we? What… what should I say, then?"
Kevin was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
Kevin: "I need you to make me a promise. Those of us who survive this battle shall bear great responsibilities."
The girl's expression became serious.
Kevin: "MEI has prepared many projects. STIGMA, EMBER, ARK…"
Kevin: "Not everyone agrees with these methods, but they are the seeds of humanity's revival."
Kevin: "The survivors must nurture these seeds and avoid our mistakes until civilisation rebuilds itself."
Kevin looked toward Earth again.
Kevin: "Hua, I believe these seeds contain the means by which we can defeat the Honkai for good."
The weight of his words seemed to settle over the barren landscape.
Kevin: "Humanity must make great sacrifices to witness the arrival of that very day."
A brief silence.
Then Kevin spoke with absolute conviction.
Kevin: "…But humanity will never lose hope."
Arc City Outskirts — Present Day
Kiana: "…!"
Kiana suddenly woke.
Her eyes snapped open.
For several seconds, she simply stared into the darkness.
Fu Hua appeared beside her.
Fu Hua: "Kiana?"
Kiana slowly sat upright.
She looked around their hiding place.
They were still in their secluded corner of the outskirts of Arc City.
Kiana: "…Did I fall asleep? I dreamt that I was on the moon right before some big fight."
Kiana rubbed her eyes.
The dream still felt strangely vivid.
Kiana: "And there was this guy who looked familiar… I don't know who he was, but he called me by another name… Hua…"
Fu Hua fell silent.
Her expression became complicated.
Fu Hua: "…Those are my experiences, Kiana."
Kiana stared at her.
Fu Hua looked away.
Fu Hua: "Our individual minds may have intertwined for some reason… but your dreams can help remind me of the past."
She took a slow breath.
Fu Hua: "I didn't tell you many things because they may sound unbelievable. I'm not just a Schicksal Valkyrie…"
Fu Hua's voice became quieter.
Fu Hua: "My life stretches all the way back to the Previous Era. I am a survivor of an ancient time…"
Kiana's eyes widened.
Kiana: "Wha…?! I always felt that you were special, but the things you're saying right now are just… unbelievable…"
Kiana paused.
Then she remembered something.
She had already met someone far stranger than an ancient survivor.
Kouga had crossed dimensions.
He had appeared in worlds that should never have been connected.
Compared to that—
Perhaps Fu Hua's revelation wasn't quite as impossible as it first sounded.
Kiana suddenly remembered the records they had discovered beneath Heliopolis.
Kiana: "So all those records about you that we found in the lab… are they all true?!"
Her expression became increasingly confused.
Kiana: "Then… who's the guy talking to you in the dream?"
Fu Hua's eyes lowered.
Fu Hua: "Kevin Kaslana, the founding father of your House. He's also a Previous Era survivor of the final battle…"
Fu Hua paused.
Fu Hua: "…And the greatest defender of humanity. That was the way it should have been if he were to fall in that battle."
Kiana remained silent.
Fu Hua: "But the final battle ended with such cruelty that it changed both me and Kevin…"
Fu Hua looked down.
Fu Hua: "After the war ended, Kevin created the World Serpent and started carrying out Previous Era projects to revive humanity."
Kiana immediately connected the dots.
Kiana: "World Serpent? Previous Era projects? Do they include Project STIGMA?"
Fu Hua: "Yes. The project may be important, but humanity could ill afford to pay its price."
Fu Hua: "Many Pioneers opposed Kevin's actions and turned against him… then he disappeared from history altogether."
Kiana's eyes widened.
Kiana: "What? What happened?"
Fu Hua shook her head.
Fu Hua: "It's a long story that I'll tell you later. You just need to know that Kevin's disappearance was welcomed by many."
Fu Hua: "The World Serpent collapsed afterwards. I even thought it was vanquished centuries ago."
Fu Hua's expression darkened.
She remembered the records.
The symbol.
The evidence hidden beneath Heliopolis.
Fu Hua: "But the records about me that we found at the Heliopolis underground labs… and that familiar symbol…"
Fu Hua looked directly at Kiana.
Fu Hua: "…World Serpent still lives. They were only hiding in the shadows, waiting for the return of their Sire."
Her voice became urgent.
Fu Hua: "Listen, Kiana. We must leave Arc City."
Kiana frowned.
Fu Hua: "If that man returns, and if all this was part of his plan… the city will no longer be safe."
Fu Hua: "I know him. If he finds you, he will kill you without hesitation."
Fu Hua hesitated.
Fu Hua: "I may have protected you in the past… but things have changed…"
Kiana lowered her head.
Kiana: "…Does that mean I have to run away again like what I've been doing for the last 3 months?"
Her hands clenched.
Kiana: "What's the point? I've been on the run forever! Should I go hide in another corner and hope that no one finds me?"
Kiana looked toward the city.
Her expression hardened.
Kiana: "I won't leave Arc City. I don't want to remember myself as a girl who always runs away from her problems."
Fu Hua said nothing.
Fu Hua: "…"
After a moment, Fu Hua nodded.
Fu Hua: "Since you've made up your mind, I won't get in your way."
Fu Hua looked directly at Kiana.
Fu Hua: "But promise me this, Kiana. If we find evidence that Kevin is in Arc City, you must leave at once."
Kiana was silent for a moment.
Then she nodded.
Kiana: "…Okay. I promise."
Despite Fu Hua's warning, Kiana wasn't quite as frightened as she should have been.
Her hand instinctively touched the fire-colored crystal necklace around her neck.
Kouga had given it to her.
Whatever happened, she knew the necklace would protect her.
At least—
She hoped it would.
Kiana returned her attention to the investigation.
Kiana: "So about STIGMA… the vaccines were shipped to Shenzhou last year. Did the World Serpent start its plans last year as well?"
Fu Hua shook her head.
Fu Hua: "No. Vaccine modification was only part of it. STIGMA activation needs another step known only by key World Serpent personnel."
Kiana thought for a moment.
Kiana: "I guess the World Serpent will be accelerating their plans. We don't have much time left."
Fu Hua looked at her.
Fu Hua: "What do you plan on doing next?"
Kiana stood.
Her exhaustion was still apparent, but her determination had returned.
Kiana: "I'm taking a direct approach: head back to the biomedical park and find the one commanding the zombies."
Kiana: "She looks like a "key World Serpent personnel". She must know something."
Kiana glanced toward the city.
Kiana: "Rita had created a few diversions there before. I think our chances are looking pretty good."
She flexed her fingers.
Kiana: "It's just that… I spent way too much power in that huge fight…"
Fu Hua immediately noticed her exhaustion.
Fu Hua: "Don't push yourself too hard, Kiana. You need rest…"
Kiana shook her head.
Kiana: "I've rested enough. We should move as quickly as possible to give us more time."
Fu Hua looked toward the unconscious figure lying nearby.
Rita was still completely motionless.
Fu Hua: "What should we do with Rita?"
Kiana crouched beside her.
She examined Rita's condition.
After making sure she was still breathing, Kiana stood.
Kiana: "Leave her here for now."
Kiana inspected their surroundings.
She checked the entrances.
She made sure there was nothing obvious that could reveal their location.
Satisfied, she quietly moved toward the door.
Before leaving, she looked back at Rita one last time.
Then she stepped outside.
The door closed.
Kiana disappeared into the darkness.
She never noticed the pair of eyes that opened immediately afterward.
As soon as Kiana left, Rita slowly opened her eyes.
For several seconds, she remained still.
She had carried out countless missions before.
She had faced dangerous enemies.
She had survived situations where death seemed inevitable.
But never had her expectations been subverted so thoroughly.
A Herrscher supposedly driven by an inhuman urge for destruction had been trying to save an entire city from a deadly conspiracy.
Kiana Kaslana was supposed to be Rita's prey.
Yet when Rita herself became incapacitated—
The Herrscher had saved her life.
And there was something else.
Rita remembered Kiana speaking while they were hidden here.
Kiana had been talking to herself.
Or—
Perhaps she had been talking to someone else.
Someone unseen.
Rita slowly sat upright.
Rita: "Who could that person be?"
She thought back to the conversation.
Rita: "If only I could hear those words clearly… but I would have given myself away if I tried to move."
Rita looked toward the closed door.
Her expression became serious.
Rita: "In any case, I can't simply sit out of this."
She reached for her communication device.
Rita: "Go ahead and distract the World Serpent for me, Miss Kaslana. I shall attend to my affairs."
Rita switched on her communication device.
She waited.
Several seconds passed.
Then several more.
Nearly a minute.
No one picked up.
But eventually—
A familiar voice came through.
Alvitr: "Adjutant? We were worried sick about you!"
Rita smiled faintly.
Rita: "Alvitr, it's good to see you again."
Alvitr's voice sounded relieved.
Alvitr: "The Herrscher girl saved us…"
A pause.
Alvitr: "But why would she?"
Rita looked toward the door through which Kiana had disappeared.
Rita: "I wish I knew."
Alvitr's tone suddenly became concerned.
Alvitr: "Adjutant, I'm trying to get in touch with HQ, but our comms are jammed."
Rita immediately returned to business.
Rita: "Look after the squad. I'll join you soon."
She paused.
HQ was not responding.
There was no guarantee that her message would reach anyone.
Rita: "HQ is not responding to my calls. I have no choice but to leave a message."
Rita activated the recording function.
Rita: "Operation Artemis. Recipient: Durandal. Sender: Rita Rossweisse."
The recording began.
It took Rita several minutes to leave her message.
Once it was finished, she closed the communication device.
Rita finally broke the silence.
Rita: "Though I couldn't get in touch with Master Durandal…"
A faint smile crossed her face.
Rita: "Miss Kaslana's friends should be interested in my invitation…"