Chapter Text
“In some ways, I’m grateful to the Honkai.”
There were things that the herrscher expected from her companion, but gratitude for something that had surely ruined the world and wrecked her life was not one of them.
Both of them knew that that particular topic was something that normally wouldn’t be brought up in discussion for the different ways it affected them; for Kiana, it caused her to lose a significant portion of her childhood as well as her parents. And for the herrscher… Well, it gave birth to her, a parasitic sentience in another’s body who was capable of willing entire cities to ruin if she wanted to. Hence, ruby eyes traveled to meet cerulean ones, confusion evident in their depths.
Kiana only smiles as she places her hand on top of the herrscher’s, inching her body closer as the two sat near a campfire in yet another abandoned city.
“Colour me surprised, human. That’s rather unexpected, coming from you.” Her tone was gruff as she tore her gaze away, her legs pulled up just so that she could rest her chin on her knees. And yet, she made no move to retrieve her hand from her pale haired companion, whose fingers were curled around her hand.
“I know, I’d be surprised too. It changed a lot of the world we live in, and took so many lives.”
A pang went through the herrscher’s heart, which nearly caused her to falter.
Lives.
She had taken some of them, turned Raiden Mei’s schoolmates into zombies. Initially, she had thought herself of saving her weak host while following the Will of Honkai, but when she looked at it from a different point of view… She was just subjecting the views of another onto them, just like what they had done to her host. In that sense, how was she different from them? The thought that she had made the same mistake that humans did had irked her, clawed at her from within. She was superior to those vermin, there was no way she should have done so!
And yet the presence of Kiana by her side, and her companionship had gradually persuaded her to another point of view. Humans weren’t so bad… If humans consisted of people like her.
“And yet you’re grateful for such a catastrophe.” A disaster to the humans… Like her.
“It was, and still is, a time of change. It united humanity in a way no other force could. Convinced them to work harder, fight harder. My pops used to say, ‘we Kaslanas fight for all the beautiful things in the world’, but I never understood it. Then he disappeared, and I kept wandering around fighting off zombies, saving people… Because it was the ‘right thing to do’.”
Kiana’s sullen gaze went to the fire, hues of vermillion and gold dancing amongst the ruins of smouldering wood and ash.
“But then, I met you.”
“... Huh?”
“Well, think about it. Under normal circumstances, you and I would never meet. I was from Europe, you were from Japan; all that distance separated us. And yet… Here we are sitting in front of the same campfire, holding hands.”
The herrscher was startled by the fond tone that Kiana’s words had taken, and by the gentle squeeze of her hand that followed. Still, her pale haired companion’s gaze was still forward, a silent determination reflected in their cerulean depths.
“There’s still so much I want to do. Spend more time with you, maybe introduce you to my dad. He’ll love you, I know it.”
Almost as much as I already do, were the words whispered so softly that if it weren’t for her being a vessel for the will of Honkai, she would have never caught them. Somehow, one way or another… A feeling of warmth enveloped her from within, her heart fluttered, and she couldn’t help the slightest smile that graced her visage.
“Maybe. Let’s work hard on finding him first, then.”