Chapter Text
“And yet another universe falls to the might of the Honkai.”
A leaf fell from the hand of a man sitting under a tree of seemingly infinite branches. The red-eyed man paid no attention to the withered piece of foliage that had joined its brethren on the grass. After all, why should he? He had sat here, under this tree, for millennia.
From the day the man had imprisoned himself in this place as an act of redemption, all the way to the present, 500 years later, leaf after leaf had been plucked, examined, and abandoned. And SU knew that as long as the search for a universe where humanity could live triumphant over the Honkai continued, he would sit here and watch.
But for the first time in centuries, something different occurred. As SU watched with a vague sense of alarm, a leaf spiraled down in front of him, plucked all on its own. Upon hitting the ground of the Seed of Sumuru, it quickly disappeared. SU stood up, alarmed because something had occurred for this anomaly to happen. Was it the Honkai, had they sensed his efforts and sought to attack him, or was it…
There was one more possibility that SU could barely give thought to. Had Kevin somehow escaped earlier than what was possible? Even though observing different universes through Project: Valuka had granted him more knowledge about the world and the Honkai than he thought possible, he could have never predicted what happened next. SU could see a sapling of all things poking out from the grass from where the leaf had seemingly disappeared. As it grew and aged before his eyes, he noticed that it seemed to be forming a shape.
Eyes widening, he stood up from his position against the tree, for what was forming in front of him wasn’t another tree like he had suspected at first, but instead an arch of sorts. SU could not help but notice, as the gateway seemed to be finished developing, that even if the leaf from which the structure had sprouted was from the tree, for some reason the gateway seemed to be composed of glowing blue and silver metal.
Then, thunder struck the Seed of Sumeru. SU was blown away with his back against the wood behind him and barely managed to get the Circle of Karma up before he was knocked out by the combination of the impact and the sudden, overbearing presence of the most potent Honkai energy he had ever felt.
“Oh my, I should probably warn the others to watch out for the backlash.”
Making no sign as to indicate his status as he woke up, the youthful sounding voice did not at all match the presence he had felt before being knocked out, a feat that only a few others in his long existence had managed, and he doubted that any in the Current Era would be capable of both that and accessing the Seed of Sumeru without him noticing it. Overseer Otto had never activated the 2nd God Key before 2015, so either someone had figured out how to deceive the Seed of Sumeru, which was impossible, or-
“It’s very fascinating, isn’t it? I imagine that even as I speak, you are arriving at the same conclusion that my team and I reached. Imagine our surprise when we viewed this place. A divergence on a level unseen.”
SU opened his eyes with a hint of caution, but when no attack came forth, felt comfortable in sitting up and finally assessing his mysterious intruder. However, when he finally laid his eyes upon the intruder, he could not help but feel a deep, all-encompassing terror, for he could recall an ancient memory who shared their appearance with the one currently in front of him.
Nonetheless, he laid voice to his thoughts, “I have never seen this before, in all of the hundreds of universes I have laid a glimpse too, and none should have ever made their way to this place before it was needed. Either you are not truly of this place, or you have an unfathomable amount of power. I suspect both, to be frank, considering your appearance.”
The unexpected guest smiled and responded. “You looked terrified upon looking at me, but there was also rage and conviction in your eyes. Yet you do not attack, so either you do not think I wish to harm you, or you have created a failsafe. Of course, in either case, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
They seemed to gaze around the area for a moment, eyes glowing, and suddenly the air felt suffocating. The pressure ceased, the intruder's eyes returned to normal, and then they nodded decisively.
“The Circle of Karma, reflecting and empowering all attacks towards the striker. A fine precaution, but one I do not think is necessary, for I believe that the explanation I have for you should suffice in earning your trust.”
At that, SU could not help but laugh in both hysteria and long-lost memories, for even if millennia had passed since his time in the Previous Era, he would always put one being at the forefront of his conviction against the Honkai. For the young girl that had invaded the Seed of Sumeru with a show of power that far outclassed the 2nd God Key, looked to be none other than the one who had once struck down humanity.
White hair that seemed purple in the right light, glowing orange eyes, the purple dress, combined with the glowing wings and halo made for an image that had seared its way into his mind for the past 50,000 years. The Final and Ultimate Herrscher, the Harbinger of Doom.
SU had gotten an unwanted visitor in the form of the Herrscher of the End.
“I see that you are skeptical. That is understandable, but I also feel that I am missing out on the chance to explain my presence and appearance here. Of course, that is only if you are willing to hear me out.” With a slight frown, the 14th Herrscher addressed him.
SU, still trembling from the force of his laughter, now felt slightly disconnected from the entire situation. He, of course, given his own experiences peering into other universes, could guess what she meant by that, but to see the Herrscher of the End so normal, for lack of a better word, in personality and demeanor was distinctly unsettling.
From what he remembered while commanding the Moonlight Throne from the Fire Moth main base while Kevin led the attack on the Moon, the Herrscher was unbelievably arrogant and disdainful, believing the world to be unworthy of her grandeur.
When he spoke again, voice slightly hoarse, it was with a request for her side of the story first, “The whole story, if you will. Now that I have had the time to go over our interactions, I have reason to believe some very big differences happened between our… universes, I believe?” He looked at her for confirmation about his theory.
“Correct. It seems even realities apart you keep your intuition. Naturally, I assume that you were entrusted with Project: Valuka and have been using it ever since?” Looking expectantly at him, the Herrscher was granted a single, dazed affirmation.
Meanwhile, SU’s mind was a whirlwind of theories and questions. How had the Herrscher come to know of the project in the first place? Her statements suggested, at the bare minimum, the presence of mind to think about the few humans that had fought her, which should have been, if not impossible, so unbelievably below her in her arrogance. The implications spoke for themselves, and despite how seemingly casual both sides of the exchange had been, SU was burning with curiosity.
What had gone so wrong, or dare he think it, right, in the Herrscher’s reality?
“Very well, I suppose the time for explanations is at hand. First, an introduction.”
“Of course. I assume that you know this already, but for the sake of formality, you may refer to me as SU, Guardian of the Seed of Sumeru,” he replied.
“Then I suppose there is no point in hesitation.”
Unbelievably, the Herrscher seemed to be nervous. In the privacy of his mind, SU wondered if this was some kind of dream fueled by the toll of watching over the Seed of Sumeru.
“I have several names in reality, but I will go with my original. I am Kahana Kaslana, the Final Herrscher of Salvation, Savior of Humanity, and the new Goddess of the Honkai.”
Jaw dropped, SU could only work on processing the sheer implications present in those sentences. The Kaslana in front of him seemed emboldened by his reaction and continued with more vigor.
“It would probably be easier to understand if I went with the beginning. I suppose…although,” she chuckled.
“For that, I think we need a little history lesson. A lesson about the Honkai and the forces behind it.”
“Honkai energy, as you probably call it, is an extra-dimensional form of matter that comes from the Imaginary Plane, another reality outside of the normal world. However, what most people do not know, or do not think about, is the way it manifests. I will be going with the assumption that you have had the usual Honkai corruption, diseases, the beasts, and the Herrschers, yes?”
Without waiting for a reply, she continued. The man felt a little silly being lectured about history that he had experienced for himself, but he assumed that she was going somewhere with this.
“What most do not know is that the Honkai as a whole can be split into two parts. The Will of Honkai, and the Body of Honkai. The Body of Honkai, in most cases, is fueled and directed into becoming beasts and Herrschers. For you, I suspect that it is most likely a hatred towards human civilization that the Will of Honkai uses. Herrschers often describe the Will of Honkai as an influence that takes the form of a beautiful voice, or something similar to that.”
The revelations about the Honkai left SU dizzy, but he couldn’t help but point something out. “And yet, here you stand in front of me, seemingly friendly.”
“Indeed I do, but understanding the existence of the Will of Honkai is where my story started. After all, if the Will of Honkai is actually that, a being with such conviction against the human civilization that it tried to end it, as well as the control over Honkai energy to achieve it, then it can be replicated. After assuming enough control over the Honkai to be equal to it, then you can attack it. You can fight it. You can even overthrow it.”
Eyes wide, SU voiced what the Herrscher already knew.
“That’s what you did, isn’t it? You rebelled against the Will of Honkai and, and then, became the new one?”
“Yes. After the destruction of the Previous Era by the Will of Honkai, I battled the being and locked both of us away in the Imaginary Plane for over 52,000 years, with only the barest whispers of our struggle leaking out into the real world. My civilization refers to it as the Divine Seal of the Honkai. Of course, the Honkai threat did not end there. I did not gain full dominion over the Body of Honkai, and the echoes of the previous Will of Honkai fulfilled their purpose in providing humanity an adversary to mature against.”
“Amazing...and I suppose the reason I haven’t been able to predict your presence is that our universes diverged long before I found myself here?”
“Right on the dot. Surprisingly, you are taking this better than your counterpart said you would. I wonder what other differences there are.”
Peering at him with uncertainty, she added to her previous statement, “You probably have a thousand questions for me, and I could probably answer them all, but I feel that any questions should wait until I have a chance to show you my world for real. In the meantime, you should probably take a break from all the watching.”
“Do you mean that...” For the first time in a long time, true hope sprung out in his mind. Could those positive changes in the other world possibly affect the counterparts of his long-gone comrades and friends?
With a wink and a genuine smile, Kahana Kaslana walked over to the door that had sprouted from the foreign leaf and said one last thing.
“I will see you again soon enough, SU. Don’t worry, for if there is one thing I specialize in, it’s ending the story the way I want. I did it against God and I’ll do it again. And right now? I want nothing more than a happy ending for your universe.”
The girl then stuck her hand back through the glowing gateway that had heralded her entrance from another world and pulled out a magnificently ornate polearm that seemed to be a cross between a lance and a spear, gleaming silver and gold with blue gemstones. After the portal had shut down with a crackle, she made her way to the edge of the bubble universe, and, grimacing slightly with effort, Kahana dug her feet in and, with a noticeably dense swell of Honkai energy, pierced the bubble. The spear glowed gold and then-
For a time all that the man could see and hear was white static, burning into his retinas until finally, he came to. The gateway from which the Herrscher had come through had shut down, seemingly dormant, and besides the scorch marks originating from the point of escape, the only evidence for the wild, wild conversation he had just had were his memories. Thinking back, SU could not help but pluck a leaf from the base of the gateway in front of him. He had no idea if it would work but he tried anyway.
“One last leaf for old time’s sake, eh?”
For the first time in his life, SU chose not to look to the future, but into the past.
SU staggered as his surroundings shifted, and as he looked up, inhaled sharply. He recognized the two in front of him, seemingly stuck in an argument, one from the meeting he just had, and the other from lifetimes of brotherhood and fighting against the Honkai. Kevin Kaslana stood in front of him, hugging who he now recognized as Kahana Kaslana to his chest. Were the two related? Su wondered briefly before focusing on the conversation before him.
“...we prepared for this eventuality months ago, Dr. Mei and I. We both knew that though my power was beyond infinite, so was the Honkai, in that the only advantage I had was its arrogance. Even if I never see you again, even if I am to be stuck there for all of eternity, it would be worth it, to know that through my sacrifice, you, Mei, Fu Hua, and the rest of my family at Fire Moth go on to live a life free of the Honkai.”
Kahana whispered to Kevin, whose stone-cold visage was betrayed only by the tremble of his lip and the tightening around his eyes. He smothered Kahana in a hug, seemingly unwilling to let the Herrscher go. Su could not help but gasp at the implications.
“Upon awakening, Mei should hold the rest of the information and scenarios we gathered and hypothesized-”
The man finally let Kahana go, and pinned her with his eyes. In a voice that held grief at the fate of the girl in front of him, rage at the Honkai for their cruelty, as well as hatred towards himself, the superhuman soldier that in all of his power and Herrscher-slaying might, was but helpless in the fate that Kahana had chosen, spoke.
“Damn you! Damn you and your self-sacrificing tendencies. Die and I’ll find a way to kick your ass from my sleep.”
The girl seemingly could only muster a hysterical laugh at the words. Visibly composing herself, she hugged him one last time and turned away, opening a portal that no doubt led to the cold emptiness of the Moon.
“Kahana!” Rang out behind her.
She turned back, and when Kevin spoke, SU could hear not only Kevin Kaslana, the warrior who had been responsible for wounding God, but also the dear friend during their fight against the Honkai as a part of Fire Moth.
“Before you go, I have to promise you this.” The room grew blazing hot as the Might of Utu was drawn out of slumber, still as magnificent as it had been gouging into the Herrscher of the End.
“Know that as long as humanity persists, as long as I survive, the legend of Kahana Kaslana, the Final Herrscher, Herrscher of Salvation, and my sister will be known. Now, go, and make humanity proud.”
Su could only watch as Kahana nodded in farewell and as she stepped through, Kevin watched her go with deep affection in his eyes that the observer could barely muster memories of. Knowing it was futile, he reached out to pat the shoulder of the remaining Kaslana, but before he could-
-An explosion shook the dusty land beneath him. Looking up, SU glimpsed once more an ancient battle. But this time, he did not spot a white-haired man in a coat and wielding a greatsword seemingly made of flames fighting a calamity in the form of a girl, but instead a different sight.
The Earth was burning, Honkai energy emanating from the Moon and down to the lands below in the backlash from a fight unlike any other prior. Despite the similar setting to the battle of his reality, this one was an order of magnitude higher in both power and intensity. Nearly unrecognizable, a girl, glowing with the light of a thousand stars, seemed to be stuck in a stalemate against a terrible being in the form of a statue emanating purple and orange light, stretching out from a crack in reality.
It stood stark against the rest of the world, and the man watching, despite having no real presence, felt the sheer aura of dread and pressure that seemed to bend the universe around it. But the girl was just as bright.
With a herculean roar of effort that SU felt in his very bones and an explosion that cratered the surface of the moon, the stark white caricature was hurled through the gap into the other dimension, and the girl rushed in after.
The gateway grew even further, threatening the integrity of spacetime around it, and watching through to the other side, he witnessed the girl drive the being even further deeper while simultaneously striking at the gateway, closing it with a crack of thunder that seemed to shake the Moon beneath him. The crater was filled with unknown symbols that seemed to be centered around the entry point of what he suspected was the true face of the Honkai. SU leaned downwards, trying to make sense of the structure, but before he could-
-a group of once soldiers rose out of the hill, the sight of the world greeting them for the first time after a slumber of millennia, some every crying at the sight-
-the beginnings of a high-tech civilization begin to emerge from the ashes of the old world over the next few centuries, only stymied by the waves of terrible beasts emerging from poisoned lands-
-a cascade of red and black light washes over SU, and in front of him, a man knelt in front of a crater with Honkai beasts pouring out. In the distance, he could spot several flying ships making their way closer, all bearing the distinctive mark of Schicksal-
-white and sky blue light cascades from a dome in the center of the very same site that had once witnessed the sealing of a god, pouring into a purple-haired girl and her winged companion. SU watches, mouth agape, for one of the witnesses is none other than Kevin. He can’t help but wonder at the differences that he has witnessed, and what they could mean-
-once more his surroundings shift, and now he watches a clash in the middle of a deserted city, two beings made of blue and electric purple energy each crumbling buildings with mere swings. Thunder shakes the darkening sky, and the swing of a spear takes out dozens of buildings in return. Su can glimpse the arrival of a sword-shaped battleship before the white-haired combatant crashes next to him, throwing up dust into the air that promptly freezes in the presence of a being unlike any other. He turns and meets glowing blue eyes with a ring of orange around them, and-
-Su staggers back, reeling from the onslaught of fragmented images and completed scenes. The leaf in his hand crumbles away, and he leans against the Seed of Sumeru for strength. Soon enough, he finds himself laughing uncontrollably, in grief for his family-in-arms, in some sort of sense of mourning for the universe that could have been theirs, but also in the most profound feeling of relief he has ever felt.
A deep shadow that has hung over him for all of his life, and especially since his betrayal of Kevin, feels stripped away. He has looked and looked for all of his life, for the answer to defeating the Honkai, but for the first time in forever, Su does not feel the need to look anymore. He looks up to the tree that has been his companion for millennia, and chuckles.
“Kevin, if you could see me now. A goddess from another universe, of all things. I suppose you would probably call it some sort of divine intervention.”