Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cecilia had always known she might die young. It wasn’t a pessimistic thought; it was a fact. She was trained from birth to fight the Honkai, to be a Herrscher killer, it was a job very few would reach old age in. It’s ironic really that now she would die with one. Not from fighting them to death, but from cradling and consoling them as if they were her own child.

She had felt Sirin’s loneliness, her pain, and her loss. The whirlpool of emotions had been so overwhelming. Despite her actions, Cecilia couldn’t blame the girl, she couldn’t. The little one had been consumed by hate and revenge, feelings that were warranted, but were warped by the Honkai. Yet Cecilia could see why the girl would follow it, she knew if she was placed in a similar situation, she might have gone down the same path.

Now in her dying moments, she could only hope for a better future. She could hope that her family would be alright with her parting. That Kiana and Siegfried would be okay. That one day the world would know peace. As she gaze at the incoming missile, she could only caress Sirin’s head, as she hoped that what happened to the girl, would never be repeated again.

And then….

SNAP!

Cecilia heard someone snap their fingers and in an instance, a portal to the void opened before her. Instinctively she looked down at Sirin, the one person she knew could wield such power, only to find the girl asleep. The portal remained as the missile exploded, both to Cecilia’s horror and relief. Relief that she and Sirin were alright, but horror as to where the intended attack went.

Yet it seemed like the horror would only escalate further for Cecilia. The S rank Valk her footsteps approaching, too small to be any soldier and with a voice that struck even more fear in Cecilia’s being, not for herself or Sirin, but for the owner themselves.

“Momma,” Kiana cheered as she rushed to hug Cecilia from the back. The injured warrior could only gaze in horror at small arms embracing her. Millions of thoughts ran into her mind, all wondering how and why was her daughter here.

“Mom,” Kiana whispered quietly when she noticed her mother’s shocked expression.

“Kiana,” Cecilia stuttered as she stared at her daughter. It was taking all her willpower to not break down right now. She was exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally from everything, but right now, her maternal instincts overrode it all, if only for the girls with her. “How are you here?” Her voice cracked.

Kiana blinked, not even aware of the situation at hand, before pointing to a figure in the distance. Cecilia’s eyes followed where her daughter pointed to find a young lady standing not too far from them, holding a glowing orb.

Despite not knowing the woman, Cecilia couldn’t help but feel that something was familiar to her. Her hair was like those in the Valk’s family, but her eyes were like Sirin’s. However, this woman’s eyes glowed with far greater intensity as she stared at the glowing orb in contemplation before she squeeze it out of existence.

The woman then turned her attention to Cecilia and Kiana, approaching them by hovering above the ground. It was an act that told the Valk that the lady was no human. Almost instinctively the Valk went to move Kiana behind her, while simultaneously turning to shield Sirin as well. The woman stopped in her tracks.

“You’re spent, and yet you’d try and fight me to protect these girls. Your daughter I understand, but why the Herrscher?” The woman questioned. Her voice was like a legion, it sounded like several individuals spoke through her. More frightening was that for a moment Cecilia thought she recognized most of the voices as well.

“It’s daughters, plural.” Cecilia forced through the pain. She had spoken without even thinking, accepting the fallen Herrscher as her own. The girl had suffered and was dying alongside her. The least Cecilia could do was try to be a mother for the child, even if the worse came to be. She’d protect Sirin and Kiana, just like any mother would. “If you wish to hurt them, then you’ll have to go through me,”

The woman smiled warmly at Cecilia much to her surprise. Even more baffling were the tears that started flowing from the woman’s eyes. The lady was quick though to dry them before changing her face to a stoic one. “Bold words human,” The lady chuckled lightly. “I guess I’ll force you to keep that promise,” The next thing the Valk knew, the world had gone dark. The last thing she remembered was hearing Kiana’s panicked scream as everything faded.

The Herrscher of the Void smiled at the trio before her, gently lifting them before creating an infinite corridor to hold them while she waited to move forward. As if on cue, a sudden roar caught her attention as another figure appeared riding a red dragon. Void frowned at the sight of the dragon, a fit of familiar anger rising in her chest, but just as it came it died down, being tempered by her ‘lighter’ half.

“Are they safe?” The rider asked, her red eyes focusing intensely on the Herrscher of the Void.

“For now, but they will need immediate medical attention,” HOV answered. “And the others?”

“Siegfiel, Principal, and Bella are safe but likewise they also need medical attention,” The rider answered. Two red mechanical hands rose from atop the dragon before hovering beside the rider. In one palm was a man with snowy white hair with a young girl resting on top of him, meanwhile the other held what appeared to be a girl with silver hair.

“Bella,” HOV whispered at the sight of her lost friend, reaching out to touch rub her head.

“Consider this my apology,” The rider added. “Besides, when the younger you wake up, she’ll need a friend,” She added. Her thoughts drifted back to their own experiences.

“Do you have any idea where their injuries can be treated?” HOV questioned. For as powerful as she was, she didn’t trust herself to attempt any healing, especially when she would be using Honkai to try and heal an individual whose blood could neutralize it.

“I’ve got somewhere in mind…but we will need to negotiate,” The rider informed as she brought out a damaged core. “Luckily, I have just the bargaining chip.”

“Guess you were useful after all, Thunder,” HOV smiled.

“Is that a compliment from you?” The Herscher of Thunder questioned.

“If you don’t drop it, I’ll make it an insult,” HOV added.

Cecilia’s eyes opened to meet a white ceiling. The S rank Valk stared for a few moments as everything started to resurface, the second honkai war, the dream world, the fight with Sirin, the missile strike. The Valk shot up immediately as the last piece fell into place. “Kiana,” She shouted. Her breaths were heavy as she started looking around trying to assess her location. She was in a medical ward, she realized and from the looks of it, she was with Anti Entropy.

“Ah, I see you’re awake Cecilia,”

Cecilia turned to see Dr. Einstein looking at her tablet. The Valk recalled her experience with the Doctor, glancing warily at them. Einstein seemed to recognize the hostility and quickly went on the defensive.

“Look I know we may not have met on the best circumstances, but I assure things a different this time,” she said calmly as she raised her hands up. “If you don’t believe me just look around.” Cecilia kept her eyes focused on the Doctor as she tried to glance around the room. Her memories of being drugged are still fresh even if it was several years ago.

“Huh,” was all the Valk could mutter. On one side of the room rested her husband and Theresa who was hooked up to various medical devices, yet to her surprise the other side also had the Second Herrscher and her humanoid beast companion.

“I imagine this is quite shocking,” Einstein interjected. “A Herrscher, a honkai beast, a Kaslana, an Apocalypse, and a Schariac all under the same roof.” She pointed out. “Don’t worry…it gets weirder…I assure you it does.”

“Wait…where’s Kiana?” Cecilia questioned as she realized the one person missing.

“And this is where it gets weirder,” Einstein said as she typed into a tablet. The Doctor then handed the tablet to Cecilia who glanced it over. “This is a camera feed, for the room right next door,” She informed.

Kiana was seen styling the hair the golden eyes lad in braids. The lady in question was busy eating some cup noodles. Additionally, another girl was braiding Kiana’s hair. This girl had horns on her own head, almost looking an oni from Japanese Myth. Cecilia could tell though that the horned girl was a Herrscher, call it a hunch.

“Dr. Einstein, is this live?” Cecilia asked calmly trying to process what she was witnessing. Her daughter was in the hands of two Herrschers who were supposedly right next door. One of which had knocked her out.

“Actually it's…” Einstein was cut off.

“Yay” Kiana cheered causing the two to look up.

“live,” Einstein finished.

The trio soon disappeared from on the screen before a portal opened in the room and out came Kiana followed by the two Herrschers. “Mommy,” Kiana cheered as she rushed to her mother.

“Told you I’d make you keep that promise,” HOV smirked.

“You brought us here?” Cecilia gasped. She looked at Einstein for answers.

“Don’t look at me, Welt and Anti Entropy had nothing to do with it.” She added. “They just showed up, threatened us with a nuke, and demanded we give you all medical treatment,” She admitted.

“I think you're leaving out part of the story,” The horned Herrscher sighed. “Like how we offered you the core of the First,” She added.

“I was getting to that,” Einstein defended.

“Sure, you were,” HOV answered. She didn’t believe it for a second, her own past experiences with Einstein keeping her wary. Cecilia just stared at the white-haired Herrscher. The braids in her hair, and her face looked all too familiar.

“Who are you?” She questioned as she held Kiana in her arms.

“I’m…the 3^rd Herrscher, the Herrscher of Thunder,” The dark haired one answered, much to Cecilia surprise. There was already a third Herrscher active. They only just defeated the second one. She then turned her gaze to the white-haired Herrscher, who looked like a strange mix between her own daughter and Sirin.

“I’m K423, the true Herrscher of the Void,”

Chapter Text

Dr. Einstein had lived a long life, working alongside the First Herrscher. It was why she and Tesla had even entertained the off helping the two. While yes, they had been threatened to do it, there was still something off. For starters the mere fact that they were asking for medical attention for three individuals who had fought against another Herrscher and the Herrscher herself was confusing. After all what kind of a person would go and heal their enemy, let alone go and threaten said enemies' allies into healing said, enemy.

The threat hadn't even been the first choice. When she had arrived back at the base, she had found the little girl waiting within her office with the 'True Void'. 'Thunder' had already gone to the medical bay to apply as much first aid as she could to stabilize them. HOV had made the offer of the core first as a show of good faith while she explained their situation. It was only when Einstein questioned refusing did the Herrscher decide to resort to threatening them.

"If you don't tend to their wound, then I'll show you what Hell truly looks like mophead," HOV had threatened. Surprisingly she did this while covering Kiana's ears, an attempt to let the girl keep her innocence, Einstein theorized. So, she agreed to tend to the group. Now she could only watch in intrigued at the two, hoping she made the right choice, wondering what Welt would have done.

Her observations of the two over the past few days while she tended to the injured allowed her to glimpse at certain aspects of them, that left her baffled to say the least. The Herrscher of the Void or at least the one calling herself that, was camped out the medical ward the whole time. Einstein expected it, she clearly was wary of the doctor even if they had wanted his help. What Einstein hadn't expected was how the Herrscher would entertain young Kiana.

The Herrscher would play games with the child, using the powers that once threatened the planet not too long ago, for her amusement. The lance and cubes that had previously been used as weapons were now operating to make a jungle gym of sorts for the girl to play on as a distraction. If the little girl was a ploy to get Einstein to save her parents, it was a damn good one. She already did owe Siegfeil and Cecilia, this was just icing on the cake.

The Thunder Herrscher was an oddity on her own. Off all the things Einstein expected the Herrscher cooking meals for her while she tended to the wounded was not one of them. She had even made snacks for Kiana who greatly enjoyed them. The only person who didn't seem to desire to eat the Thunder Herrscher's food was HOV.

For whatever reason, the two Herrscher though sharing some common goal seemed to be at odds with one another. Einstein noticed it whenever Kiana was absent, whether it was because she was in the bathroom or asleep. They would constantly shoot glares at one another, HOV even once deciding to shoot a lance at Thunder who got too close to Benares at one point. Einstein had actually been bold enough to question her action only for HOV to mutter, "Dragon stealing wannabe," under her breath.

Lastly and this one is what set Einstein off the most. It was the one situation that had left her with a million questions and no reasonable answers. Both Cecilia and Siegfied had been severely injured requiring some…delicate procedures such as bone marrow transplant and blood transfusions. Einstein had questioned if it would have been possible to contact people outside of the base for such procedures. She was shot down when HOV had volunteered to be the donor in both cases. What's more was that HOV had matched both, which brought a whole slew of other questions to Einstein, all of which was met with a resounding, 'You tell anyone, you record this anywhere, and I will make sure humanity ceases to be," The good doctor could only hope there was some rational reason behind this development.

Now with Cecilia regaining consciousness, Einstein was able to glean some more information on these bewildering individuals. Not directly but through their body language. The Herrscher of Thunder had been hesitant to tell Cecilia her name, opting to just go with her title. Additionally, upon observing the 3rd Herrscher, Einstein noted how she had stiffened, and her expressions had changed upon hearing the True Void's reveal. She had appeared disappointed before suppressing her emotions. Now the Doctor could only watch as things played out.

"What do you mean by 'True' Herrscher of Void," Cecilia questioned. Her tone was stern, not raising in volume in the slightest, to scare Kiana. The look Einstein saw her give the Herrscher though was anything but subtle. "Are you saying, Sirin was just supposed to be a decoy, some sort of scapegoat?" She questioned.

To Einstein's surprise, the Herrscher that once threatened to destroy humanity, to burn them to the ground. The Herrscher who had threatened her into silence with the power of nuke that was being contained on her person. The Herrscher was now backing back and seemed to start sweating under the glare of a bedridden woman who had only regained consciousness five minutes ago.

As if to has insult to injury it seemed the Herrscher of Thunder also realized her ally's distress and instead of helping decided to fan the flames. "Yes, K423, what did you mean by True Herrscher of the Void," She chuckled.

HOV glared at the Thunder if only briefly, Einstein feeling the murderous intent herself. Yet HOV didn't act on it. She didn't show any bravado or make any threats as she had done before. Instead, she seemed to stutter to try and rationalize her claim before the woman.

"Well…you see," HOV trailed off. Einstein assumed the Herrscher was trying to think of a good lie, or at least a good, twisted version of the truth but it seemed like her brain had been fried by Cecilia's gaze. "You know what…I'll answer these questions when everyone else wake-ups. Okay? Okay." And with that, she teleported out of the room in haste.

There was an awkward pause in the room as the trio all stared at the spot where the Herrscher had been. The silence was then broken as the Herrscher of Thunder broke into a fit of laughter. "I'd never thought I'd see the day," she said in between breaths.

Cecilia turned her attention to the Thunder Herrscher, her glare still as intense as before. The Thunder Herrscher's laughter seemed to die down, but she still seemed to fair better than her counterpart. "Can you answer my question then?" Cecilia asked.

"If you want to full story, you'll need to wait for her to tell you. It's not my place to say, ma'am," The Herrscher said respectfully. "What I can tell you though, is that the only real difference between Sirin and her is their age and power. Sirin is weaker, less skilled, and younger but other than that they are more or less the same." Thunder answered. 'In more ways than one'

"I assure you; we mean you no harm." Thunder informed "Well unless you either following Otto or Cocolia, then we mean lots of harm," she added.

"You saved three warriors who followed him, one of which was his granddaughter," Einstein pointed out. "Forgive me but it seems counter-intuitive to harming Otto,"

"Hey, Principal maybe his granddaughter but she's still a better human than that monster…and she's part honkai beast," Thunder answered defensively. It was only after she finished did Thunder realize what she had said. Before either could question her further, Thunder bolted out of the room. Not by running, she literally turned into a stream of lightning and zipped out. Once again, the room was left in awkward silence only for little Kiana to start clapping happily.

"Again, Again," She cheered expecting the two nice ladies to reappear.

"Cecilia," Einstein whispered. "Do you know those girls?" She asked warily. They buckled under the Valk's gaze. Despite having enough Honkai to blow up cities, they were instantly shut down by a single question and a slip-up. "They sure seem to know you and your family," One of them could potentially be a daughter of yours, ridiculous as it may sound.

"I've never met either of them," Cecilia answered honestly. She never met these girls but the familiarity the Herrscher of the Void had. She looks like Kiana, she sounds like Sirin, she seems to be an amalgamation of Sirin and Kiana's traits, but that didn't make sense. Cecilia had only accepted Sirin has her own a couple of days ago at most, and Kiana was only a year and a few months at best, why would this suppose stronger Herrscher be connected to them.

"Are you sure?" Einstein questioned.

"Positive," Cecilia answered. "I don't know them,"

"Very well," Einstein answered. She would need to contact Tesla about this.

"Where are we exactly?" Cecilia asked.

"We're in one of AE's more secure bases, that being said it's all but vacant except for us," Einstein informed. There hadn't been many people, to begin with, but it was easy to evacuate them with a few little lies. 

"Are we hidden from Otto?" Cecilia questioned. She knew the Overseer must have been watching, so surely, he was aware of what transpired. The mere fact that the missile launch had been stopped and the Herrschers had rescued them should raise some alarms.

"As far as I know, he shouldn't have a reason to find us," Einstein explained. She brought up a tablet and showed a satellite feed of the base. Despite there being three Herrschers and a powerful Honkai Beast, the Honkai radiation was almost non-existent. The only explanation he can think of was two Herrschers absorbing and suppressing it.

"And Sirin?" Cecilia asked as she looked over the injured girl in the bed to her right. She was sleeping peacefully but that didn't ease her mind. She would have loved to hold her alongside Kiana right now.

"She's stable. Her cores are stabilized, she there is no risk of her overclocking," Einstein informed. "I've had special orders, to make sure nothing bad happens to her less I will be 'gutted and fed to the dragon'" The doctor informed.

"Which of the Herrschers made that threat?" Cecilia questioned.

"Both," Einstein answered. "Void threatened the gutting and the Thunder threatened to feed me to the dragon," Einstein informed. "After which, Void then went to put on some cartoons for Kiana and Thunder cooked dinner for us."

"Wait what?" Cecilia gasped. "Did you just say the Herrscher cooked for you?"

"And baked sweets for Kiana," Einstein added. "I don't know why, but whenever she's around they change. Void becomes far less threatening and just acts like a grumpy teenager. Thunder however becomes a doting sister and spoils the girl a lot. I even saw the two ready to fight each other because Kiana wanted sweets but didn't finish her dinner, Thunder was ready to give her, but Void said she had to eat dinner first."

"Okay," Cecilia answered suddenly feeling a little guilty for intimidating the Herrschers. A feeling that felt strange given that they seemed so content with threatening Einstein into submission. As if to further add to the confusion, the two Herrschers returned a couple of hours later….with Pizza boxes.

"Kitchen's out of stock, Doctor so we went and bought some pizzas with some…change we found laying around the base," The Herrscher of Thunder explained. "I assume you like Pepperoni," She questioned.

"If she doesn't then she can starve," The Herrscher of Void added.

"I could always give her your noodles," The Herrscher of Thunder retorted.

"I'll mount your cor-" HOV stopped when she saw Kiana looking at her. "I'll take your share if you do,"

Einstein cast a glance at Cecilia. The Valk realized as well how quickly the Herrscher's aggression faded when in front of Kiana.

"Oh Kiana, we also brought you this," The Herrscher of Thunder spoke, her tone had shifted to a lighter and softer tone, more befitting of an ordinary girl as she brought out a homu plushy for the child. Kiana's eyes widened as she took the toy and hugged it.

Cecilia and Einstein could have sworn they heard HOV mutter something. Thunder did as well as she turned to her fellow Herrscher. "Don't worry I didn't forget Sirin," Thunder muttered as she brought out a second plushie and rested it near the youngest Herrscher's bed. "There. Better?"

"Marginally," HOV answered with a huff.

"Forgive my rudeness," Einstein injected. "But how was the kitchen out of stock?"

The two shared a glance, knowing fully well what happened after they panicked. They had underestimated how ravenous their appetites had become and how much they would eat to also ease the stress of everything going on.

"Rat infestation, don't worry, it's taken care off," Thunder lied. Hoping the two women would not know she was lying. Einstein and Cecilia knew, but to avoid antagonizing the Herrschers anymore they'd drop it for now. They had issues to worry about like how to explain the situation to the others in the room when they woke up.

And unfortunately for them, the next patient to wake would cause a lot more violence when they woke up.

Chapter Text

"So why exactly are you planning to do once we're healed?" Cecilia questioned as Einstein did another check-up on her. The Doctor for the most part had poised the question to Cecilia, but given how the Herrschers viewed her, it was better to let the Valk ask them. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what you've done…somewhat, but I still don't know what your intentions are?" She questioned.

"Did you question Otto's every order when you worked for him?" Void retorted, casting a glance at Cecilia before gesturing to Sirin. Cecilia knew what she was referring to, as did Einstein.

Cecilia sighed, "I never had reason to question it till now," she admitted. "It had always been so black and white,"

"We're helping you because we want to. Simple as that, no alternative motive, or anything else like that," HOV answered.

"Forgive us for being skeptics, but the nature of you and your friend and the current situation has us wary." Einstein voiced. People will tend to be distrusting if you hold them hostage. Even more so when you are apparently the herald of a power that has plagued the world for millennia.

"Alright then," HOV huffed. The Herrscher contemplated wondering what's the best she could say now. She couldn't tell them the whole truth, not yet, she wasn't mentally prepared for that. Oh God was she not prepared for that.

"We want to wreck Otto's plans, and end him, in the slowest and most painful way possible," HOV informed. Yeah, that was it, ruin Otto.

"You're targeting the leader of the most powerful force against the Honkai, while also being affiliated with the Honkai," Einstein pointed out. "If you want us to trust you then this is not what you should be saying,"

"My powers may be derived from it, but I have long since realized how the Honkai has manipulated me," HOV answered as a cube floated in the palm. "Both Otto and the Honkai have used me for their own ends, so now I plan on destroying both of them." She explained while crushing the cube.

"And healing us, helps you with that goal?" Cecilia questioned. There was a major logical flaw with the Herrscher's goal. She couldn't see any connection between healing them and destroying Otto and the Honkai.

"Yes,"

"How exactly?"

"That's for me to know and you to hopefully never find out," HOV added. "Besides, you're a mother of two now, you should retire to raise your family," HOV whispered softly. "That last fight would have been your final had I not stepped in,"

"Speaking of that fight," Cecilia growled. "You brought my daughter to a war zone," She scolded. The Herrscher didn't back down from her glare this time. Even though Einstein could see her waver, she held firm this time.

"Believe me, your daughter was much safer with me in a war zone, than by herself with Otto and his trash," HOV replied calmly. Her eyes glowed to emphasize just how convinced she was by this decision.

"And I'm supposed to believe that just because you said so," Cecilia argued. HOV seemed expecting that reply.

"A child born from the union of a Herrscher killer and a Kaslana who managed to overpower Sirin with brute force alone," HOV muttered. She then glanced at Theresa. "A clone made from combining Honkai beast DNA with human DNA." The Herrscher then pointed to Sirin. "A girl who was orphaned and had to watch everyone she loved die while being experimented on to serve humanity. A girl who called for God's help, but her prays were only answered by the Devil," HOV continued. "Do you expect that Kiana would have just been let go?"

"Her mother was dead and her father across the world injured," HOV growled inhumanely. "It would be easy to just kidnap her, clone her, and experiment and no one would be the wiser. It would be just like Sirin all over again." HOV elaborated the venom and hatred in her words were evident.

"By saving Kiana, I deprived Otto of another…child asset," HOV pointed out. "And one less thing to worry about when I finally decide to destroy him,"

"You sound like you're speaking from personal experience," Einstein noted.

"Oh, believe me, I am," HOV answered. "Everything bad that ever happened to me can be linked-to Otto. Either it's my birth, becoming an orphan, or even becoming a Herrscher, it's all his fault and then some." She ranted.

The gears in Einstein's head began to turn she formed a hypothesis. Kiana would have supposedly been a valuable asset to Otto and his involvement with Herrscher seemed to imply she was something similar. If Otto did decide to make a test tube baby with Cecilia and Siegfied's DNA prior to Kiana's birth, then the Herrscher would have been a prime suspect. It would also explain her behavior towards Cecilia as well as physical and genetic similarity.

The only flaw in the theory however was the Herrscher's likeness to Sirin. The age was one thing, but the chances of their meeting were another. Perhaps Sirin was a clone of the Herrscher.

"Well, I don't know if this is worth anything to you, but I'm sorry for what you went through," Cecilia apologized. "I still don't agree with your actions, but I at least understand somewhat why you're doing this," She told the Herrscher.

"Don't apologize," HOV told her. "You never wronged me,"

"Still," Cecilia muttered. "No one should go through what you did,"

"If you want to make it up to her, why don't you adopt her?" Thunder announced as she entered with Kiana riding on her shoulders. The little girl was holding onto Thunder's horns. The discomfort was evident on the Herrscher's face but she was smiling through the pain for the child.

"THUNDER!" HOV shouted. "If you value having heart, I'd suggest you retract those words," She demanded.

Thunder merely ignored her fellow Herrscher instead turning to Cecilia as she handed Kiana over to her. "What do you say? You already adopted one. Why not adopt another? I'm sure Kiana would love having two big sisters now." Thunder told Cecilia before patting Kiana's head.

"What do you say little one?" Thunder asked. "Would you like Void to be your big sister? She questioned.

"Will you be my sister too?" Kiana asked Thunder. She liked both Void and Thunder. They were strange but they were nice. They played with her and gave her snacks. They even brought her to see momma.

"I suppose you can treat me like a sister," Thunder mused before noticing the dumbfounded expression on Cecilia's face. "But only if your mother says it's okay" She quickly reiterated.

"Hey, Kiana, look over there," Void pointed to behind the girl as she materialized a few cubes. Cecilia and Einstein watched as the girl diverted attention, giving the Herrscher of the Void enough time to grab the Herrscher of Thunder by her throat before teleporting away.

"Hey, where did my sisters go?" Kiana whimpered when she turned around and realized the two had disappeared once more.

"I think I'll let you explain or discuss the issue of her 'siblings'" Einstein announced. "I'm going to go and report to Tesla our current situation." She informed as she swiftly left, leaving Cecilia to try and explain why her daughter couldn't have more Herrscher sisters than the one Cecilia already tried to adopt.

Tesla did her best to hide her emotions as she saw the call from the base where Einstein was being held. Answering the call, her face lit up when she saw Einstein's face.

"What happened to check in every day mophead?" Tesla argued.

"I did check-in," Einstein deadpanned.

"You just sent me a text saying. I'm alive," Tesla shouted. "How is that supposed to be assuring?"

"Should I type I'm very much alive, next time?" Einstein questioned.

"Don't get smart with me mophead!" Tesla answered.

"Sorry," Einstein apologized. "I forgot how serious the situation would appear," The Doctor admitted.

"How do you FORGET being held hostage?" Tesla questioned. She knew Einstein could be dense, but this was ridiculous.

"When you're eating pizza and trying not to laugh as you watch a Herrscher get her hair pulled out by a two-year-old," Einstein chuckled. The dinner had been nice, though she would admit, the pizza didn't taste as good as Thunder's cooking.

"I'm sorry, what?" Tesla questioned. Einstein recounted the experience she had so far with the Herrschers; their treatment with Kiana, Cecilia, and herself. "Are you kidding me? I'm stuck here worrying for you and you're out getting dinner made or ordered by Herrschers." Tesla screamed. "What the hell?"

"Did you miss the part about being gutted and fed to a dragon?" Einstein wondered. Sure, the Herrschers weren't torturing her, but she wasn't ruling it out of the realm of possibility. The fact that one had no problem impaling and choking her ally in front of them assured her they could be cruel if needed.

"From the way it sounds, all you need to do is hide behind the girl and they'd let you live," Tesla argued.

"I don't think Siegfied and Cecilia would appreciate me using their daughter as a meat shield," Einstien answered. "Regardless, has there been any progress on Welt's core?"

"The good news is that it's his core alright," Tesla assured. "The bad news is that it's severely damaged." She informed. "It will take some time for him to heal….but,"

"But it won't be anytime in near the future," Einstein finished.

"afraid so," Tesla concluded.

"Any word from Otto?"

"Nothing of note, just propaganda saying Schicksal dealt the final blow and was a major player," Tesla gritted her teeth. "It's not like they were the ones who cause the whole second eruption or anything," Tesla groaned.

Einstein thought back to what Void had told them. Everything bad for her life had been sourced to Otto. It could be seen as an exaggeration, but it was very evident that the Herrscher's rage was justified. Sirin being the prime example is a girl used for experiments for the greater good of humanity, only to nearly bring the end.

No one would take the blame for the girl's condition. The history books would write her off as being nothing more than a monster corrupted by the Honkai instead of one being created by the darkest side of humanity. She would be the monster and Schicksal the heroes that slew her.

"Figured as much," Einstein muttered. Her thoughts drifted back to the Herrschers. "Tesla, I need you to do me a favor?"

"What do you need mophead?"

"See if you can dig up whatever you can on Schicksal's genetic division," Einstein informed. "Specifically, anything relating to artificial humans, cloning, Honkai, Cecilia or Siegfied." She told her.

"Any reason why I'm looking into this?" Tesla inquired.

"It's a theory, but I think Void is a clone that got away. She said her name was K423 which is more in line with being a specimen ID, she talks a lot of Otto being responsible for her birth and she shares genetics with Cecilia and Siegfied." Einstein informed.

"Damn, only two years into parenting and they already reached the emo teen phase," Tesla half-joked. "I don't envy them one bit."

"Neither do I,"

Cecilia sighed in relief as Kiana finally fell asleep in her bed. Thunder would get an earful for having to put her through that situation. She didn't know how it devolved from Kiana wanting Herrschers as sisters, to then asking Cecilia for a little sibling since she couldn't have older ones. Suffice to say Cecilia knew she was not ready to have that conversation with Kiana just yet. She hadn't even been ready for it herself till she was almost twenty.

"How did it reach to this?" Cecilia thought as she tucked Kiana in before turning her attention to the rest of her 'family'. She had always been thought the honkai were like monsters, a sentiment that had faded after meeting Theresea and learning just what she was.

She had thought it would have ended there. Little did she know it would only spiral further. Siegfied had surprised her with his transformation. He had pushed Sirin to the brink of death with his raw power alone and freed her. It made her shudder at the thought that Kiana could wield such power.

As a Valk, she knew the risks and what they fought for, but as a mother, it terrified her to see her baby like that. Glancing at Sirin, Cecilia felt another pang of guilt. She had made so many promises, but she hadn't been able to prepare to deliver on them yet. Kiana had been open-minded but what off Siegfied and Theresea? How would Sirin even react to them?

"Don't overthink it?" a voice called behind her. Cecilia turned around to see HOV or a girl that looked incredibly similar to HOV. "Relax, it's still me," The girl spoke with HOV's voice. Her eyes had turned pink, her clothes now dark as ash and her hair was frizzled where it almost looked like an afro. The clothes she wore, in Cecilia's mind, looked a lot like a valkyrie's battle suit.

HOV was also piggybacking someone who Cecilia assumed was Thunder, based on the hair. Her outfit had changed from crimson red to more vibrant pink, her horns disappearing with only a mask-like accessory resting on her head. Before Cecilia even commented, Void tossed Thunder's body onto an empty bed in a rather rough manner.

"That ought to teach to run your mouth," HOV huffed in triumph before wincing in pain. "Dammit," She cursed.

"What happened to you?" Cecilia asked.

"The wannabe cheated, that's what," HOV huffed. "She hid behind the dragon, like a coward,"

"She has a dragon?" Cecilia questioned. That didn't seem to be the right words to say to HOV.

"IT'S NOT HER DRAGON!" HOV yelled before Cecilia made a shushing noise before gesturing to sleeping, Kiana. "It's not her dragon. It's my dragon, she stole it from me," HOV grumbled.

"Okay," Cecilia answered, clearly this was a touchy subject for the Herrscher. "Can you explain why you both look so different now?" Cecilia questioned.

"Well as you know Thunder made some inappropriate comments early." HOV pointed out. "So, I decided to discipline her," HOV answered.

"So, you two got into a fight," Cecilia answered. HOV paused as she stared at Cecilia.

"Fine, we got into a fight, because she wouldn't take back what she said," HOV admitted. "She wasn't even supposed to come with me, but she insisted on tagging along, because, and I quote 'HOV's still got anger issues, someone needs to go and make sure she doesn't accidentally destroy a continent when no ones looking,'" HOV said making air quotes with her fingers. "I swear, you nearly destroy the world one time, and no one trusts you,"

"Okay," Cecilia sweated nervously. She wondered if HOV was so destructive, why hadn't she heard about her. As far as she knew the most recent world-ending herrscher had been Sirin and there hadn't been anything of note in years before. Cecilia was also sure if HOV had almost destroyed the World then everyone would have known about it.

"So, she doesn't take back what she says, and I challenge her to a fight." HOV continues. "She agrees and I figured, okay, it's going to be just me and her, but nope, she immediately summons my dragon and hides behind her." HOV continues.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to not hit a 20 ft dragon at point-blank range?" HOV complained. She was not going to hurt Bella even if it killed her.

"It must be pretty difficult, I imagine," Cecilia consoled. She hadn't exactly had the pleasure of experiencing it herself, but she had seen Sirin's dragon cause quite the panic. If the Thunder…HOV's dragon was of similar size then she could see it being difficult to not hit.

"It was," HOV added. "And the coward hid and baited me out, taunting me. I'm ashamed to say that I fell for it…a few times," HOV huffed. Cecilia cast her glance knowing fully well that frustration wasn't from a 'few' strikes. "Okay, it was from a lot," HOV admitted. "And some of those strikes may or may not have poisoned, but I still won in the end," HOV cheered. "But we're both drained, so we're using these weaker forms to recover."

Normally Cecilia would have taken this as good news. Their captors were apparently incompetent enough to fight and weaken themselves while their hostages recovered. She wasn't sure if was carelessness or just overconfidence.

The Valk would admit though that given these particular captors' behavior she found herself drawing a little closer to them honestly. Maybe it was because she had yet to see any truly malicious intent from them? Maybe it was cause they were helping her and her family in a roundabout way? Regardless Cecilia was now overlooking her escape options cause the first thing to reach her mind was not any thoughts of escaping.

"She poisoned you!" Cecilia stared in half shocked.

"Relax, it is not actual poison in a traditional sense," HOV noted. "It's a special Honkai neutralizing serum." She explained. "If applied to a honkai beast, it kills it in seconds; apply it to a Valk and you can turn her back to a regular human, same goes for zombies; but apply it to a Herrscher and it can drain our powers including our pain tolerance," HOV admitted.

Her first experience with it had been a nightmare all on its own. It was by some miracle that she had managed to hold on as she felt her mind starting to tear apart. It had caused one massive headache, but she still lived…. much to everyone else's horror.

"Should you really be telling me this?" Cecilia questioned.

"It exists but you don't know the formulae or where to find it," HOV explained. "Besides…we were going to tell you about it later anyhow," She added.

"You were?"

"How else would we give Sirin a normal life?" HOV questioned. "If we remove her cores and give her a high enough dosage, her connection to the Honkai would be mostly severed,"

"She'd be a normal girl," HOV smiled. It wasn't like her smug grins. It was a genuinely warm, heartfelt smile. "You'd have a normal family and can finally have a normal life, just like you both dreamed."

"How do you know my dreams?" Cecilia questioned.

"You're a lot like my mom," Void answered. "A kind woman who's honestly tired of fighting. Her only wish was for her family to be happy and safe. I still remember her, telling me how much she loved me, when she shielded me from falling glass at a mall we were visiting, telling me it would be alright," Void said wistfully.

"Mom never got to live that wish, she died trying to comfort me," Void explained. "Now I see you and I see her. I want to give you the chance she never had. To give your daughters the chance, I never had."

"You want to know the reason I help you. It's as simple as this. I see you like my mother and I want my mother to be happy. There honestly isn't anything else." HOV said somberly. "Well…it's getting late, so I should probably leave you to rest," The Herrscher said. "Also, I'm starting to feel much better. I can feel the Honkai returning to me,"

Cecilia watched as the girl returned to her previous form. Her hair and clothes were restored to a vibrant white while her eyes regained the golden yellow glow. A stoic expression returned to her face. She was about to leave when Cecilia grabbed her hand.

"Void," Cecilia whispered. "You're a good person,"

"No…I'm not. I've done many bad things in my time," Void answered. "Things that can't be forgiven, and things that I refuse to seek forgiveness for,"

"Well regardless, if you do decide to seek forgiveness, whether from the people you wronged or from yourself, and you can curb those anger issues of yours…I wouldn't mind calling you my daughter," Cecilia whispered.

"Ich liebe dich" Void muttered. Cecilia didn't question it. It was not the time to do so. She just repeated the same words to Void. The same whispered to Kiana and to Sirin.

"Ich liebe dich" She whispered back.

"I love you,"

Chapter Text

Kiana stared at her big sister Void as she performed what would later be known as the Herrscher's greatest crimes against humanity. For the most part, it started normal enough, she had seen Mom do it before. Then things went different, she saw all sorts of different colors appearing, many of which she never saw with Mom. Void didn't seem to mind though as she kept at it.

Void would then summon her various pointy sticks and use them to commit unspeakable horrors in front of the child. Kiana saw as Void's lance splashed red on the walls of the room. Her big sister soon lit her victim on fire as their skin burned to black ash. Finally, the older girl would swirl countless amounts of foam on it before placing a cherry on top.

"There…that's how you make breakfast," Void said as she looked at the abomination…I mean masterpiece. Kiana had heard that Herrscher's like Void and Thunder were supposed to be terrifying but for once Kiana actually understood what her parents' warnings meant. "Wanna try?" Void asked Kiana in her nice voice.

"I'm not hungry," Kiana answered. She wondered how Void was surviving with the smell. The little one just assumed it was cause Void was awesome she could withstand the yucky aroma.

"Alright suit yourself, but don't complain if your tummy aches later," Void told the little one as she once against begun her crimes against nature. However, before she could resume desecrating the kitchen, the Herrscher froze much to the young child's surprise.

"Big sis," Kiana said quietly trying to get her sister's attention. Without saying a word, Void quickly grabbed the toddler by the nape of her neck before she used her cool powers to bring them by Momma. Immediately upon seeing Mom, Kiana was sent hovering into her mother's arm. When the world stopped spinning Kiana could only watch as Void disappeared with the dragon-like girl in tow.

"Are you okay, Dr. Einstein?" Cecilia asked. It had been unexpected, one moment Einstein had been checking up on Sirin and the next, the dragon girl had woken up. The Dragoness had screamed in shock at seeing Einstein examine Sirin before lunging for him. It was the only cause of Void that no one had been hurt.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Einstein answered as they looked themselves over. Apart from the mild shock, things were peachy as ever. "We tell none of this to Tesla, she'd most likely freak out," Einstein informed.

"I can imagine," Cecilia answered. "Hopefully Void will handle the issue," She tried to reassure as she looked over Kiana. The little girl didn't seem to bother by what was going on.

"Aren't you getting a little too comfortable with these Herrschers?" Einstein noted. She had seen the way Cecilia was acting and the scientist was starting to worry she was becoming too trusting. "And before you say anything, yes, I am aware of how hypocritical that sounds because of Welt," Einstein added.

"Right now, a small part of me wants to chalk this up to being a dream at best and at worse a hallucination caused by medication," Cecilia answered. "But the rest of me honestly feels like none of them mean any actual harm," She explained. "I can't describe it, but it feels like this is all an act like they are all talk," She noted as she let Kiana wander around. Unsurprisingly the girl went to check on her father and aunty before going for her other Big sister.

Einstein pondered her words, noticing the truth in them. While the Herrschers had done some questionable things, the intentions behind them were noble. They didn't mistreat them, and apart from the treats they didn't even do anything to them. It could still be a ploy, but the evidence of malicious intent was low. The Doctor's own theory about HOV also painted her in a more positive light as well if it were proven true.

"I can't say you're wrong. They haven't done anything to warrant distrust other than their secrecy." Einstein commented. "Perhaps we should just wait it out and see,"

"Perhaps," Cecilia repeated. She was curious to learn the truth Void had promised them. She desired to introduce Sirin to her new sister…or sisters. She sincerely hoped it would be far more pleasant than this. The Valk just hoped Void could handle Sirin's dragon.

"I mean, their competency is becoming questionably," Einstein noted. "You fight till one of you is unconscious and then while they are recovering you leave your captives to go fight in an imaginary space." The Doctor noted. "I am absolutely positive that at this point we can walk out the base and neither of them would be the wiser."

"I must admit that idea is very appealing," Cecilia noted as she saw Kiana begin tugging at the Herrscher of Thunder's hair. "But I still have questions or them, especially with regards to Sirin," Cecilia noted. Void and Thunder were Herrschers themselves having a lot of control over their powers, when Sirin recovered, she would have hoped they would help the girl control hers.

"That's an understandable assumption." Einstein mused. "I remember the original Welt was apprehensive at first about his powers and his very nature," One could only wonder how Sirin would respond upon waking.

"I hope she's okay though," Cecilia murmured. "I want to be here when she wakes."

"I can imagine she feels the same," Einstein added. "I'll go and grab us something to eat. I heard Void was cooking and if she's as good Thunder then I bet it will be delicious," Einstein foolishly said as she walked to the crime scene.

Meanwhile within the imaginary space, Void gazed at the dragon who was hovering in front of her. She could feel the tears streaming down her face as she saw Bella before her. "It's you, it's really you," Void choked as she wept happily. She held her arms open as she approached the Honkai beast for a hug…but Bella had other plans.

"IMPOSTOR!" Bella roared as she swiped her claws at Void. The Herrscher didn't expect it and was struck send her into a nearby floating rock. "RETURN MY QUEEN'S CORE," The dragon screamed.

Void stared at up the roaring dragon from her crater, a broken expression on her face. "Bella," She whispered weakly. "Don't you recognize me?" Void's voice broke.

"DO NOT PLAY ME FOR A FOOL, WORM!" Benares screamed as she fired a ball of electricity at Void. Void just stared at the ball as it engulfed her. The explosion destroyed the rock and left her floating. Her dress was now burnt, and her body was covered in lightning burns. The core within started to heal her body but her heart remained in pieces.

"Please, Bella." Void whispered as she reached out once more. The dragon charged at her once more, knocking her into another rock formation. "Please, you have to know it's me," Void crooked.

"SILENCE!" Bella screeched as she charged once more. This time though she transformed into her human form as she landed atop the Herrscher. "YOU AREN'T MY MISTRESS." She screamed in Void's face, before slashing at her.

Void screamed in pain as Bella's claws dug into her skin. It didn't stop after a single slash as Bella continue her assault on the Herrscher. However, the Dragon soon noticed that with each strike, the flesh and bone would soon begin knitting back together as if nothing happened, nevertheless, she kept at it.

"TAKE ME BACK TO HER! TAKE ME BACK TO HER!" She screamed. "I NEED TO KEEP HER COMPANY! I NEED TO BE THERE FOR HER," Bella screamed as she kept attacking the woman beneath her. Void didn't resist, taking the brunt of the dragon's attack.

"You always were loyal, my friend," Void whispered in between breaths. Bella pressed her claws against Void's throat before digging them in. Void choked on her own blood before the injuries began healing and restoring her body. "I'm sorry, I failed. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you." She continued.

"I SAID SILENCE!" Bella growled. "STOP PRETENDING TO MY MASTER! YOU'RE NOT HER, YOU'RE NOT SIRIN!" Bella continued as she tore into the Herrscher more. The dragon had sensed it, Sirin's core, but Sirin had been sleeping and the core was in this individual that was clearly not Sirin.

"No, I'm not," Void admitted as she caught one of Bella's clawed hands. The dragon tried to use her next arm to strike but the Herrscher caught it as well. "I'm not your master, I'm not the purple-haired girl sleeping in the bed," Void muttered.

Bella watched as the fake moved pulled the dragon's hands lower, right over her heart. "But I am the Herrscher of the Void," The golden-eyed, white hair lady cried. "And…I do have her core," She whispered.

Void released the dragon's clawed hand which immediately, lunged at the core in her chest, before ripping it from its place. Void screamed in horror as the very focal point of her being was torn from her body. What remained of her Herrscher form began to glitch out of existence leaving her in her Moonbeam battle suit. Her eyes had lost their golden glow, returning to a lifeless blue.

"MY QUEEN!" Bella cheered as she held the core…no cores close to her heart. The dragon knew it wasn't her master but having it in its possession made it feel like Sirin was with her. She was going to be so pleased when Bella returned the cores to her.

Bella turned to the impostor, thinking nothing of her as she stared coldly at the half-dead girl. She had tried to deceive her, pretending to be her master, however, Bella had known better. Turning her attention back to the cores, she looked closely to the Void core.

"Forgive me, Master," She thought as she place it into her chest. She would need the powers of the Void to flee this realm. Hopefully, she could beg for her Master's forgiveness for tainting her core after reuniting with her. The Core seemed to accept Bella as its temporary host as it merged into her body. "Alright…now to return to Master," Bella thought as she readied to open a portal back.

She didn't get a chance, as she froze. The memories sealed within the core start to be released into Bella's body. "What is this?" She realized as she saw the events play out. She saw everything up until Sirin's death…and beyond.

Mei woke up with one splitting headache. Rubbing her temples she could make out very faint voices as she regained consciousness. "What happened?" She voiced as she opened her eyes. A familiar blue mop head stood over her with a light flashing in her face.

"Glad to see you're alive, Thunder," Einstein remarked. "I was beginning to worry our main cook would have died on us," She informed. Mei just rolled her eyes at the obvious joke Einstein was making before noticing the stoic expression on her face. "No, I'm serious, Void tried cooking and I swear she was trying to poison us," Einstein deadpanned.

"It wasn't that bad," Cecilia tried to laugh off. "It actually reminds me of my husband's cooking," She noted.

"That's not exactly reassuring," Einstein answered. Siegfied's cooking was registered as a potential weapon in Anti-Entropy's database for good reason. It was always a miracle how Cecilia could eat it, but Einstein chalked it up to her holy blood.

"Nah, that's pretty standard for Void," Mei chuckled. "I swear, she doesn't need her Herrscher powers, just her cooking alone could end the world."

"I don't doubt it," Einstein added. "I'm more terrified of it now, than all the other threats you two made."

"Sorry, Dr Einstein. I'll see about making it up to you," Mei apologized. She was about to get off the bed when she noticed her changed outfit. "Huh," She brought her hands up to her face before glancing at her body.

"Void informed us you had taken weaker forms due to exhausting yourself," Cecilia noted as she fed Kiana some breakfast she had made herself. Void had also been more open in said weaker form than when she was her normal self, and the Valk wondered if the same would be true for Thunder.

"Of course, she did," Mei muttered. "Only she would call our human forms weaker," Mei noted.

"Interesting," Einstein pondered. "Welt never had any clear distinction between being a Herrscher and being human,"

"Welt never had as high a Honkai compatibility as me and Void," Mei corrected. "He could access the power of a Herrscher, but that didn't mean it wouldn't strain him," She pointed out.

"I supposed you have me there," Einstein admitted. "Still, I am surprised you can change forms at will," The Doctor noted.

"Believe me, it wasn't always the case," Mei answered. "I can only do it now because I truly accept my Herrscher side. Before I had always felt it was more a curse if I'm being honest."

"When I had awakened I had zombified an entire city," Mei grimaced as she recalled the memories. "So many people had all just died because of me," She told them. "When I had gotten control of myself, I was so horrified by what I'd done that I attempted to kill myself," She explained. "I mean what was I supposed to do?"

"The Herrscher was still there, it was screaming for me to continue, to free it to finish the job." She whispered.

"Thunder," Cecilia said in pity. 

"I would have died as well," Mei frowned. "But she wouldn't let me," Mei smiled as she remembers the white-haired girl who had always stood by her side.

"The Herrscher?" Einstein wondered.

"No, not the Herrscher," Mei answered. "My…um…my best friend," Mei admitted. "Void's human side," She added.

"Huh, I must admit, I didn't expect that considering you know," Dr Einstein noted. They had always been at each other's throats so much that it didn't register they would be friends.

"Hehe, surprising isn't it," Mei replied. "We can barely stand each other so it must be surprising to hear we're friends,"

"Well friends don't act the way you two do," Cecilia interjected.

"Void's human side is my best friend. Void isn't." Mei clarified. "I care about the human, not the Herrscher." She informed. "Regardless of our relationship, it only got more troubling from there."

"Whenever I got too angry, it became easy for the Herrscher to take over. My own emotions were now weapons against me." Mei explained. "It had gotten so bad, that as a safety precaution…a bomb had been planted right above my heart."

Cecilia winced at the thought. To be treated like that must have been awful for the poor girl.

"If the Herrscher of Thunder ever came out, all it would take would be a button push and I'd be dead," Mei explained. "My very existence had been reduced to nothing more than a walking time bomb. I was able to curb it, I could channel minute amounts of the Herrscher powers to become a Valk, but I always held back so the Herrscher wouldn't take over."

"How did you get over it?" Cecilia questioned. Thunder seemed more comfortable with her powers now, so what changed?

"Everything started to fall apart," Mei answered. "Bad things happened to my friends, Void showed up and good people close to me died….and I was too weak to do anything."

"I was always so scared and afraid of what I was…I held back. I always had the power to save them, but I never used it. When I finally accepted it, I was at the point of no return. I couldn't lose anymore." Mei then started to chuckle. "The Herrscher was surprised for my decision but she as it turns out…she herself had also changed. She grew to see the good of this world and was willing to be absorbed into me. From that day forward I became the Herrscher of Thunder" Mei voiced. "And the Herrscher of Thunder became me, not two different individuals but one being,"

"That's quite a story," Cecilia noted. Sirin had been similar. She had felt weak when she became a Herrscher, her friends had been dying and her mistreatment at the lab.

"It is what is," Mei answered. "Of course, that's the short version," Mei smiled. "And that was just my experience,"

"Not all Herrschers are the same, Welt and Void have their own experiences that may also help her," Mei noted. "At the very least we can help Sirin find her own path."

"Void said she planned to remove Sirin's core and inject her with a Honkai neutralizing serum," Cecilia explained. "She says that will break Sirin's connection to Honkai."

"And you believe her," Mei said in disbelief. "Void's been injected with more of that serum than anyone else on the planet and Void herself as ripped out my core. Nothing changed for either of us except we were weakened for a while. You're welcome to try but once a Herrscher is always a Herrscher, you just need to help her deal with it," Mei finished.

"I'll take my leave now and go make lunch," she told them as she bowed before leaving.

The room was silent except for the noise of the medical machines beeping and a little white-haired toddler who had fallen asleep during the story. "Are you still sure about adopting three Herrschers as your daughters?" Einstein questioned.

"Admittedly I'm having second thoughts," Cecilia admitted. "But you heard her. That kind of life, it's not easy."

"I concur. Welt may have had its issues but compared to these three," Einstein noted. "I honestly think they need more therapy than anything else."

"Would a loving family suffice till they are ready for that?" Cecilia asked.

"I would give it a 50 50 chance," Einstein noted. "Still…somethings just don't add up," The scientist pointed out. "All these details about a city being destroyed or being Valk. I can't find any valid proof that these events happen."

"I know what you mean. Their histories don't match what we know. Void claims she almost destroyed the world but we never heard of it. Thunder claims she leveled a city but outside of Sirin and Welt we have no records of that." Cecilia explained. "They speak with such conviction and emotion as if what they say is true."

"I'd argue it is. If they wanted to lie, why go with tales so easily disprove?" Einstein noted. "The bigger question becomes….why don't we know it?"

"Perhaps they'll finally explain it once Siegfied and the others wake up," Cecilia noted.

"Let's hope so,"

Chapter Text

Mei was in a fairly good mood as she cooked. The good doctor had messaged and informed her that another individual had woken up and that she should prepare. The Herrscher was already making the Bitter Melon Juice. It would be good to see the World's Cutest Principal once more.

"That's 3/5," Mei thought as she made the juice. Cecilia, Bella, and Theresa had woken up, all that was left was Siegfied and Sirin. Mei frowned as she pondered the potential outcomes. Bella had attacked them, but Void had gotten it under control at least she assumed so, they were taking so long.

"She better not have jumped ship and gone out for noodle on the other side of the plant," Mei frowned. The Herrscher had been a problem for her for months…or was it, years. The two had been at each other's throats and even if they were on amicable terms now, all it would take was one slip up from either side to return them to that state.

When she found Siegfied and questioned him, he claimed his abandonment of Kiana was an attempt to suppress the Herrscher of the Void. HOV had hated him since he had wronged her in his past life, and she seemed to hate him still in her present life. It made her wonder if the Herrscher was secretly planning to do something later. After all, it was Siegfied who had been the one to cut off her arm, and Void really held on to her grudges.

And then there was Sirin.

The exact nature of Sirin's relationship with Void was a headache. She had heard it many times. They had even drawn various maps and charts to explain it but it still made her a headache. In the end, Thunder had simply decided to do away with Void's supposed identity issues and just leave it to a select few of her own choosing.

Void was the bad part of Sirin given life. She was the one responsible for killing Mei's 'Kiana' and Himeko. She was a clone of the original Kiana. Finally, it was Mei's responsibility to kill, if she ever stepped out of line. Those were the terms Mei labeled her with, nothing more nothing less.

If Void honestly did change, the Mei would leave her be. As it stands the Kaslana's were doing her good. However, given what she knew, Mei wouldn't lower her guard with Void, not this time. "I'll make sure they're safe,"

Within the imaginary space, a dragon wailed in horror. The weight of her sins had come crashing down upon her as she realized the mistakes she had made. Bella screamed in agony as she tried to revive her master. The Void core was already removed from her own chest.

"PLEASE WAKE MASTER," She cried long tears as she tried to revive the fallen Herrscher. She had already returned the cores back to their true owner, the girl had sworn to protect but they weren't working. The cores weren't healing her.

"PLEASE," She choked. She had witnessed her Master's life before her eyes. The dragon saw everything, she saw Master thought of her. She saw how Master valued her so highly. She saw the rage of her Master when she witnessed her own death. Worst of all she saw and felt what her Master had felt when they had fought just now.

It hadn't been the humans who had inflicted the worse. It had been Bella herself. She had been ignorant, she didn't listen, she just attacked. Master didn't even scold her because of her mercy. Her master had traveled through space and time just to save the others, to save her.

"You should have just left your foolish servant to die," Bella cried as she rest her Master's head on her lap. The dragon's tears fall onto the Herrscher's face.

Void awoke to the sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore. Slowly opening her eyes, she could see the night sky above her head, filled with countless stars. As she sat up, she took stock of the world around her. She was by an island, a rather familiar one at that. The coast stretched for as far as the eye could see on each side. Standing up the Herrscher could feel the copious amounts of seawater and sand on her clothing.

"Dammit," She cursed as removed her Herrscher dress, her gloves, and her stockings and held them on the side. The Herrscher then began walking in a direction, in nothing but the barest of clothes remaining. She could feel the emptiest inside her, an ironic void within her being.

She walked for what seemed like hours, but time didn't seem to progress anymore for the girl. The moon and stars remained fixed in their spot, frozen in place. Eventually Void saw a campfire being tended by a lone individual. Walking to the fire, Void paid them no mind as she spread her clothes on a rock nearby before sitting beside them, wringing the sand and seawater from her hair.

"Do you want a beer?" They questioned as they held up a can, amber eyes focused on the Herrscher.

"I'm too young to drink or did you already forget that human," Void spat.

"I already told you, Kiana, I have a name," They responded to the Herrscher.

"And I told you I'm not Kiana," Void responded.

"Right…. right…so then should I call you Sirin," They noted. Void merely cast a glare at them, but they weren't intimidated. "Oh, did I hit a nerve? Is little Sirin Jr. gonna cry?" They teased as they took another sip.

"As if a dead woman's words should have any impact on me," Void spat as she turned to ignore her companion.

"But aren't you a dead woman as well?" Her companion chided as gently tossed her red hair over her shoulder. "You took quite the beating if I recall. I'd reckon your body is currently bleeding out within that imaginary space of yours,"

"As if you actually cared," Void hissed. "You and I both know the one you're really here for is your 'Kiana'," Void insisted. "That's all that ever mattered to you and the others. Kiana this and Kiana that," She growled "She's your student after all…the one you failed to teach your final lesson to,"

"You're right," They admitted. "I did fail her." They sighed. "And yet I still seemed to have taught you instead." They whispered. "You can end the story the way you want. That's how you been living…right Herrscher."

Void stayed silent as she stared at the sea. Her thoughts drifted back to when she first woke up when she truly came to be. She recalled opening her eyes to a view of the sea just like this one. The Herrscher had remained even after the serum had been injected, but something had felt different.

"Himeko, why do you appear to me?" Void questioned. "I am not your student. I am not 'Kiana'." She repeated.

"True but you are a lot like her. A lost immature girl who's just trying to find a place in this." Himeko noted. "Sure, you made plenty of mistakes before, but you're trying to make things right. To me, that must count for something."

"I don't think lost and immature can be a justified reason for appearing to me after what I've done," Void answered.

"I never said it had to. I was just making a comparison," Himeko laughed nervously.

"You're a terrible teacher,"

"I also never claimed to be best,"

"Stupid insect," Void chided.

"Stupid brat," Himeko retorted.

Void smiled a little before letting out a sad chuckle "Well, I guess if I must die it's only fitting that you be the one who sees me off," Void responded solemnly. "The foolish woman who thought of sparing the Herrscher of the Void, only to die from overexertion,"

"You're accepting death so easily," Himeko scoffed. "I thought you were stronger than that. You did make a lot of promises." She noted as she looked beside her. Void followed her gaze noticing several children sleeping beside Himeko's chair. The friends she had back in the labs. They all looked so peaceful sleeping on the sand.

"I…" Void muttered.

"And you also promised a few other people as well," Himeko added as she now stared at the beach itself. Void eyes searched the shore where she noticed a small family walking; Cecilia, Siegfied, Kiana, Sirin, Bella, and Theresa. "Are you really going to let them down?" Himeko chided.

"I thought you had once told me. That the difference between us, was that I died for a lost cause, but you would live to see your happy ending," Himeko noted. "Was that all cheap talk from you?"

"Bella took my powers…I have nothing left," Void argued. She wouldn't raise a finger against her dragon, not after everything that happened. Bella did too much for her. She had sacrificed herself for her. Void deserved her dragon's wrath after failing and forcing her into this. "What else is there for than to just accept death?"

"You can fight to live," Himeko answered. "You've proven you were stronger than me before. Prove it against. As it stands…you aren't truly dead yet…right?"

Void thought carefully about Himeko's words. She was right. It wasn't over yet. She wouldn't let it be over yet. Her story only ends when she says it's over. Void smiled as her resolve returned.

"That's my girl," Himeko said as she recognized the small piece of Kiana that remained.

"I'm not your girl,"

"Keep telling yourself that,"

Void felt her gems materialize right in front of her. They were right in her grasp. As she reached out to touch them, she stopped. " Major Himeko…thank you," Void whispered as she grabbed the gem. A flash of light erupted before it died down, Void now dressed in her standard Herrscher outfit. She flashed Himeko a cocky grin, her eyes now burning a bright gold before she disappeared from the beach.

"Any time, kid," Himeko said before sitting back down. The beach soon began to dissolve as it and Himeko faded from existence.

When Void awoke for the second time, she could hear the dry sobs of an ever-faithful companion and loyal servant. Void stared at the dragon who was sobbing above her, their eyes closed, not once noticing she was awake. The Herrscher raises a hand to gently wipe the tears from her dragon's face.

Upon making contact, the dragon looked down at her. Her Golden eyes met Bella's blue. She could see the relief wash over Bella's face at her apparent survival. "Why so pale, you look like you've seen a ghost?" Void teased.

"Master," Bella crooked, but Void put a finger to shush her lips.

"Gimme one minute." Void whispered as she sat upright before turning to face Bella. As soon as she was off Bella's lap the dragon had already thrown herself on her knees with her head planted on the grown.

"I'm not worthy!" Bella cried. "I have wronged you so much, my queen. I have failed you so many times. I do not deserve to live,"

"Look if this is about what happened just now. It's no big deal," Void tried to explain. "It's a completely justified reaction," She tried to comfort.

"It wasn't just here," Bella interrupted. "Your core...it showed me everything," She admitted. "I apologize for invading your privacy, but I have seen all my failures. I've seen what my incompetence and weakness has done." She sobbed. "I had promised I'd be there, but I left you alone, twice." She admitted.

"Bella."

"I couldn't even stop myself when that wannabe Herrscher turned me into her puppet," Bella broke down. She had seen the memories of her falling and the subsequent…rebirth. She saw how the Herrscher of Thunder had used her as a shield, and her queen had always hesitated to attack because of it. She saw how the Herrscher of Thunder would always mock her Queen with her revived self.

"Bella,"

"And to top it all off, I attacked the Doctor who you had brought to save your younger self. I almost wrecked the room with your mother and little sister, and I almost killed you,"

"SILENCE," Void screamed, immediately shutting the dragon up. "I know what you're talking about. They are my memories," She elaborated softly.

"Then you must know that I must be-" Void cut the dragon off.

"If you say punish…if you say kill if you say abandoned or anything else I will rip out my hair." Void growled. "Do you honestly think I would be doing any of this if I wanted to punish you?"

"But Master I-"

"But nothing Bella," Void screamed as she grabbed Bella and pulled her into a hug. "You've always been my ardent servant," She cried as she embraces the Dragon. "I couldn't ask for a better friend,"

"When you died that day, I felt like it all had ended for me. Nothing else mattered to me, my rage didn't matter, destroying humanity didn't matter. I had nothing else left." Void wept. "What else did I have left. I spent weeks, maybe months just existing. Going from place to place. I…I even considered ending things permanently a few times." She whimpered. "You must have seen that right?"

"But I had caused you so much pain," Bella cried as well. Void could almost laugh at the naivety of her Dragon. Of course, Bella wouldn't understand, she was still a child in mind.

"And I caused you pain when you thought you failed me," Void retorted. "It hurts because you love me. Just like I love you," Void explained.

"I don't deserve it,"

"No…you deserve it more than anyone else," Void confessed. "I just never realized how much you did, till I lost you,"

"Master I,"

"Just accept it, Bella," Void groaned. "You aren't going to convince me to punish you," The Herrscher told her. "And if you punish yourself, or ask anyone else you, I will smother you even more after I break whoever hurts you. So, then you'll have me giving you even more love that you don't deserve,"

"Alright Master….I shall accept it," Bella admitted.

"Good," Void smiled. "Now I just need you to promise a few other things," she told the Dragon. "Can you do that?"

"I live to serve you," Bella responded. "I'll do whatever you ask of me,"

"Good…" Void smiled. "First off…I am no longer your Master. Sirin is your master not me," Void elaborated.

"But you are Sirin," Bella argued.

"Technically that may be possibly true but your duty isn't to me," Void explained. "It's to the little girl still sleeping in the bed. You are her servant before mine," She admitted. "Understood?" Void questioned.

"Even if I do, you will also be Master to me," Bella reaffirmed.

"Fine. If it makes you happy, you can call me or address me as Master in private, but your duty is to the Sirin back there. If you ever must choose between her and me, choose her. She needs you more than I do," Void told the Dragon.

"Good…now for the next one…." Void trailed off.

Theresa stared at the food in front of her before turning her gaze to the others in the room. "Are you sure it's not poisoned?" She asked Einstein.

"If it makes you feel better, I can eat it?" Einstein said slyly as she went to take the tray. However, a giant metal arm quickly grabbed the Doctor before gently relocating her to the next side of the room.

"If you want seconds then go to the Kitchen Doctor," The Herrscher scolded. "I will not have you stealing from your patients,"

"But you brought seconds for them, why not me?" Einstein groaned as she looked at Cecilia and Kiana who were busy eating as well.

"Cecilia is a patient and Kiana is two," Thunder explained.

"Alright fine, I'll be back," Einstein grumbled as they walked out.

Theresa watched as the Doctor left before turning to the Herrscher who was looking at her expectantly. With caution, Theresa took a piece of food and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes suddenly widened to comical sizes as the flavor hit her. "This is…this is AMAZING!" She gasped.

"Big Sis Thunder is amazing," Kiana cheered. Theresa never would have believed a Herrscher could blush, but she was proven wrong as she saw the Herrscher before turn red.

"Come now Kiana, it's nothing too impressive," The Herrscher replied in a more girlish voice as opposed to echoing that Theresa had just heard. Thunder was smiling as she nervously rubbed behind her head.

"Don't sell yourself short," Cecilia answered. "I might ask you to start making dinner instead when start living with us," She announced.

"Wait…what," Theresa announced in surprise. "Living with you?" She questioned.

"Ehe," Cecilia responded.

"What do you mean ehe?" Theresa demanded. "Cecilia, explain yourself," Theresa ordered.

One explanation later…. Einstein returned with her second helping.

"So, you went from going to kill one Herrscher….to adopting three of them," Theresea repeated. "Am I understanding this right?" Teri added.

"More or less," Cecilia responded. They still haven't told her about the Herrschers' desire to murder Otto, but one revelation at a time. "I don't expect that I'll have to raise them all." She admitted before turning to Thunder. "No offense but you seem to be just a few years shy of an adult."

"It's alright. I'm just happy to be considered part of the family." Thunder answered. "I'd have preferred other methods outside of adoption but it's good enough," She smiled sadly.

"Okay," Theresa said. "So, you have…three new daughters, one that needs to be raised and two that a fully grown," Theresa points out. "Do you have any idea how to proceed now that you have three Herrschers? I am certain that many organizations out there will be gunning for them."

"Well three Herrschers and a two Honkai Beast," Thunder corrected. "You uh also have to account for Sirin's pet dragon and mine as well." She admitted.

"We're still figuring out the details." Cecilia sweated nervously. "We're waiting for Siegfied and Sirin to wake up before we make any plans,"

"I sincerely hope your marriage with Siegfied is purely one of chastity," Theresa admitted. "Cause one can only imagine what might happen if you two aren't careful."

"Teri," Cecilia blushed her face turning red. Thunder ad Teri let out a small laugh at the comment. Kiana just stared, with her purely innocent mind at everything, and nibbled on her cookie.

"I mean she does have a point," Einstein noted. "Going from a family with one kid to nearly five is a big leap. You don't want to go higher,"

"You three are unbelievable," Cecilia huffed.

Before the teasing could continue a portal opened and out came Void and Bella. To everyone's shock Void looked as if she had been chewed out, her dress is torn in several places, and her body while fine was now covered in several scars. She was healing but it seemed slower than usual.

"Darn, your still one piece," Thunder sighed in disappointment.

"Don't worry, I'll make your end up a million," Void retorted as Bella helped her to a bed. She took stock of the room, noticing Theresa. "I see the world's cutest aunt is awake," Void said without retraining. She was admittedly in a lot of pain, not that she'd admit it to Bella, and her mind was choosing to worry over a few other things instead.

"So, you're the supposed 'True' Herrscher of the Void," Theresa inquired. If she hadn't known any better, she would have assumed the Herrscher was Cecilia's daughter. She was literally an older Kiana, just with eyes like Sirin's.

"Yes, yes I am," Void answered. "And this is Bella," Void introduced. "Sirin's best friend and loyal servant."

Bella bowed to greet them before turning to Dr. Einstein and kneeling on the floor. "Please forgive me, I had no knowledge that you were tending to my Master's injuries. If you need anything then I shall offer my services for the time being. I only ask that you don't blame my Master for my poor conduct. My behavior does not reflect her own." Bella apologized. Luckily Einstein accepted it without any issues, whether it was out of fear or genuine emotion, Void didn't know and frankly, she didn't care.

"So, you've met the Doctor but I'll introduce everyone else," Void noted. "To your left, is Cecilia, Sirin's soon-to-be adopted mom, and Kiana, Sirin's soon-to-be adopted sister." Void said in her human voice. "The other white hair girl is Theresa, Sirin's hopefully soon-to-be adopted aunt. The man who's still asleep is Siegfied, Sirin's hopefully soon to be adopted father" She announced in her Herrscher voice.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Bella said with a bow. "I know that we may have had our differences, but I do hope you can accept me along with my Master," Bella said solemnly. She recalled how Siegfied had blasted her wing as well as how he almost killed Sirin, but she had also seen how he raised the girl that would become Void. She would give him a chance.

"Ehem," Thunder coughed. "Surely you aren't forgetting someone," Thunder muttered. She could see Void bend the handles of the bed in rage as she scowled.

"Oh, I didn't forget," Void forced a smile. "Bella, this is the Herrscher of Thunder. Sirin's soon-to-be other adopted sister, a wannabe Herrscher, my eternal rival, a renowned dragon stealer," Void listed off. "And… an aspiring siscon," Void laughed as she saw Thunder's own frown form.

"Void." Thunder cried in horror, shocked that Void would say something so bold-faced. Wait…no she wasn't that surprised. Thunder was more surprised it took her so long, but she still couldn't believe she'd do it in front of the others. "When I get my hands on you," Thunder stood up before remembering the others in the room. "We'll sort this out later," She huffed as she walked out of the room. It would do her no good to get into a fight, when both were recovering, especially in front of the others.

"What's a siscon?" Kiana and Bella asked in unison, innocent as ever.

"We'll tell you when your older," Cecilia explained before turning her expression to Void. "As for you…" Cecilia was smiling but Void felt something akin to terror, the one thing greater than the Honkai, a mother's wrath. "Perhaps we should have a talk about the words you use around your younger siblings," Cecilia whispered. It was at that moment, Void knew, she screwed up.

"Well, I can certainly see they are acting like family," Theresa deadpanned. Siblings fighting, mother's scolding, the youngest looking on in confusion at the adults, and the father being a deadbeat sleeping through it all.

"It might be a bit more than just acting," Einstein whispered as she handed the tablet to Theresa. The aunt in question read the theory before going wide-eyed at the implication. She almost yelped in surprise had Einstein not clasped her mouth. Luckily no one noticed as Cecilia was busy scolding Void and Bella was now playing with Kiana.

"Are you sure?" Theresa questioned.

"It's just a theory," Einstein noted. "But it might have some truth, we just need to wait for the others to wake up to confirm,"

"Oh grandpa, what did you do this time?" She sighed as she rubbed her head.

Chapter Text

Teri looked to each side as she walked outside the room. It was late at night, and she had to go to do the bathroom. Unfortunately, despite her reputation and her prowess, Teri had…some issues. Specifically, she was missing a certain giant cross that had always been by her side. "Oh, Judah, where are you?" She muttered as she walked out into the hall.

Despite the friendly demeanor she couldn't help but feel jumpy that the Herrschers were out prowling about the base. It still shocked her that Cecilia had let Kiana go with them to sleep. The thought was chilling honestly, imagining her niece cuddled up next to the two. They were still strangers after all.

"Now where is it?" She wondered aloud. The halls were large and empty, with the lights being dimmed to save power. Teri's little footsteps echoed softly as she walked. She should have asked Einstein for a map or something, but the good doctor had been asleep, and Teri just let her be. She had no idea how the situation had been, considering, for the most part, the Herrschers had 'threatened' the Doctor more than anyone else.

She looked through several rooms, find various stores, offices, and even a breakroom, but no bathroom. After what seemed like an eternity, she opened one last door at the end of the hall. The room inside was pitch black, with only the light from the hall illuminating a piece of it. Within it, Teri's eyes widened at the sight.

There was Kiana sleeping very peacefully with a blanket draped over her. Teri smiled softly as she unconsciously walked toward the girl. She didn't notice the toys laying on the floor…or the other figure in the room. She accidentally stepped on a homu plushie, the toy in question making a soft squeak, barely audible to most.

A golden eye opened in the darkness as several white lances materialized within the room, all focused on Teri. Theresa froze as the soft glow of Void's powers illuminated the room. Teri now saw the Herrscher lying right behind Kiana, an arm wrapped protectively over the child. She could feel the golden eyes on her, analyzing her. The lances soon dematerialized as the Herrscher lifted her hand, 'freeing' Kiana.

With a few hands movements, Void turned on the lights in the room and moved all the toys aside. Teri took it as a sign to approach and thankfully she was right, as Void made no moves to stop her. The Herrscher faded from her spot behind Kiana, appearing by the door before walking out, leaving Teri alone with her niece.

Teri let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She had never felt so much fear before in her life. Siegfied and Cecilia were still competent fighters, but Kiana…she was someone who was so young and fragile, Teri thought as she moved a strand from her niece's face. Yet here was a Herrscher, arguably stronger than the one that threatened to end the world a few days ago, cuddling with her.

It wasn't often Theresa saw children, but it never ceased to fascinate her. Perhaps it was because she was never a child herself. She had technically been born in her current form, never knowing the process before, and never growing further. She was eternally stuck looking the way she did. She remembered when Cecilia had been young as well, but now look at them. Cecilia was now a mother with an increasing family and Teri was still physically a 12-year-old girl.

"You deserve to grow up in a world without all this," Theresa muttered. A world without the Honkai, without all this fighting, was a dream many had. "But that's just wishful thinking," She mused.

She recalled seeing Sirin's pain and suffering; fuelled by humanity's desire to combat the Honkai. She saw Sirin's rage and hatred; fuelled by the Honkai to destroy humanity. Either the Honkai would take from them directly, or indirectly. It was intrinsically linked with them.

Even now, loathe as she would admit it, she could see Kiana growing up to continue this fight. She was born as both a Kaslana and Schariac, two families that were a part of this war forever. Yet she still hoped there was a slim chance it would never come to be. "Sweet dreams," she told Kiana as she kissed her on the forehead. Teri herself would dream as well, for a life of peace for her niece. Leaving the room, she cast one last look at her niece, a smile on her face before she turned the light off.

Teri then found herself surprised for a second time by the Herrscher of the Void who had been waiting in the hall. However, what was more interesting was what the Herrscher had on her person. "I believe this is yours," Void spoke as she held the Oath of Judah out for Teri.

Teri stared at the weapon that was practically a part of her. She raised an eyebrow at the Herrscher, the situation seemed unreal. Judah was a weapon that was made from a Herrscher core, it was made specifically to fight Herrschers and it could nullify Honkai power. Void had every reason to keep it away from her and yet here she was offering it to her.

Call it a hunch, but Teri could tell this weapon was not fake. She'd recognize her Judah anywhere, but she still hesitated. "My arm's getting tired," Void muttered. Teri carefully stretched out her arm as the Herrscher handed it over. Void spoke nothing more, no threats, no warnings against using it against her, nothing. She just walked past Teri before re-entering the bedroom, no doubt to cuddle up once more with her sister.

Teri just stared once more where the Herrscher was before staring at the cross. She made sure to look around for anyone who might be watching or any cameras. Then once she was sure no one was watching, she hugged the Cross like a Teddy Bear as she continued searching for a bathroom.

The good news, Teri eventually did find the bathroom, the bad news she could not remember the way back. This time however she was feeling slightly better about the journey. She had Judah with her after all.

Admittedly she was curious about the series of events. Why did Void return it to her now? Surely there was a better time to return her weapon. It seemed weird that Void's response to being awoken was to bring Teri's weapon to her. Then again considering the lances, Teri wondered if maybe Void intended to fight her but had some code of honor preventing any direct confrontation.

Regardless, the end result had been favorable. Void returned to sleep peacefully, and Teri left in peace and in one piece, along with Judah, so a win-win.

"Maybe I should have asked her for directions?" Teri pondered before perishing the thought. She didn't want to push her luck with the Herrscher.

Once again, she found herself opening and closing various doors as she tried to find her way back to the medical ward. Seriously who designed this place? As she kept searching the various rooms she found herself in the kitchen of all places. It was a standard military-grade kitchen, but she could tell they were various modifications that had been made to help with their current living situation. Figuring she could get something to drink or eat, she went inside.

"Of course," She grumbled after looking through the cupboards. Someone just had to put the box of cookies on the highest shelf, just out of her reach. Luckily she was Theresa, the world's cutest and a trained Valkyrie. It was no big deal for her to climb up the shelves for the cookies. Of course…. even the best can make mistakes, like celebrating too soon and slipping. She braced herself for the inevitable crash on the floor, but it never came. She soon found herself floating mere inches before the ground.

"Looking for a Midnight Snack," a soft voice called. Theresa looked up noticing Thunder who was semi-transformed. Only one of her pupils was glowing red and her horns were out, but other than that she was in night ware. Theresa soon realized she was caught by the Herrscher, both figuratively and literally.

As the floating hands rested her down gently, Teri held the box out with a downcast expression. "Oh, come now. I never said you couldn't eat them," Thunder said. "Here, I'll go and make some chocolate milk for you," She added. "And don't worry…I won't tell anyone about this," She whispered as she took out the milk.

Teri sat by the counter glancing at the Herrscher. She watched as the Herrscher proceeded to make the chocolate milk, with the aid of her extra floating hands. It was such a mundane use of power. The hands would float around grabbing and moving the various things she would need. Placing the glass, fetching the syrup, adding the syrup, the only thing Thunder actually did was pour and mix the milk.

"Here," The Herrscher said as she placed the glass in front of Teri. One of her floating hands even went as far as to grab and place a straw for her. It was truly a testament to her skill how careful she could be with such bulky appendages.

Teri eyed the glass before taking a small sip of the chocolate milk. It was tasty as per usual. Opening the box of cookies, Teri began to snack and drink while eyeing Thunder, who seemed to be reading a cookbook. Glancing down at the box, Teri noted there were quite a few cookies in there.

"Do you want any?" Teri offered as she held out the sweets.

"Herrschers don't need to eat," Thunder mused.

"That doesn't answer the question," Teri noted. Thunder flashed her a small smile before reaching a hand out…a human hand and taking a handful of cookies. She gave the book to the Herrscher's arms and began snacking alongside Theresa.

The silence had been awkward to say the least. Nevertheless, Teri took it upon herself to break the ice. "Are you looking for tomorrow's menu?" Teri questioned. She had recalled how Thunder seemed to be the one responsible for making the meals. For the most part, the girl seemed to like cooking; no one cooks that well, without enjoying it.

"Why yes…yes it is," Thunder answered. "Any requests?" She questioned.

"No, I'm sure whatever it is, it will taste delicious," Teri noted. "I must say though, the dexterity and skill you possess is impressive. Where did you learn it?" She prodded.

"Are you referring to my Herrscher abilities or my cooking skill?" Thunder questioned.

"Both," Teri answered.

"Well with regards to my cooking….it was an acquired skill. I had to learn to cook for myself at a young age, but I didn't have the stomach to eat...less than stellar meals." She explained. "So, I learned to cook delicious food simply because I was used to eating delicious food. It also helped released any pent-up stress as well. So that was a bonus" Thunder explained.

"I see," Teri answered. She filed away that information for later.

"As for my Herrscher and my Honkai powers," Thunder pondered. "I had a few teachers," She smiled sadly. "They were some of the kindest people I knew, taking in a monster like me and treating me like a human being," She voiced softly. "They helped me use my abilities for the greater good," Teri noticed the longing look the girl had as she stared at her own hand, lightning dancing across her fingers.

"I'm sure they must be good people," Teri said to cheer the girl up. "I'd sure love to meet them," she told Thunder.

"I'm afraid…that's not possible," Thunder replied. "One of them died…a while back and the rest of them… is in a place I can no longer return to," Thunder whispered. Her voice didn't sound angry or upset. It just sounded…empty to Teri.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that," Teri apologized. "Still…they did seem to do a good job," She consoled.

"Yeah…they sure did." Thunder smiled.

It was then that Teri had possibly the stupidest, most absurd, most Siegfied-like idea in her entire life. "You know if you ever want to talk about it. I can always listen. I'm sure some of your experiences might even help me plan my curriculum for St. Freya." Teri explained. She didn't want to seem like she was pitying Thunder, less she offends her, but she hoped her intentions were clear.

"St. Freya," Thunder muttered under her breath.

"Oh, right, silly me," Teri scolded herself. "It's a school that Cecilia and I are planning to build," Teri explained. "An institution that helps teach young girls how to be Valkyries, who fight to not just defend humanity, but to also live for themselves." Teri continued. "We want to help some of those who were affected with the Honkai in our own way, and not Schicksal's way." She finished.

"So would you be like a Principal or something?" Thunder asked in a weak voice.

"Well, actually Cecilia would be the principal. I was going to be vice-principal cause…well…it's less paperwork for me," Teri admitted nervously. Much to her surprise, Teri noticed how there were some tears forming in Thunder's eyes, though the kill in question was trying to hide them. Did she do something wrong?

"Eh…I'm sorry," Teri apologized. What she was apologizing for she didn't know, she just felt like she needed to do so.

"Relax…its nothing serious," Thunder assured her. "You just brought up some old memories…that's all." She dismissed.

"A school like that sounds like a wonderful idea," Thunder admitted. "I'm sure you'll help a lot of young people with it,"

"You think so?" Teri inquired. She was surprised by Thunder's response.

"I know so," Thunder admitted with a smile. "And if my experiences help, I'll be happy to share them," She added.

Theresa then had her the second stupidest, most absurd, most Siegfied like idea for the night. "Would you be willing to be a teacher?" Teri questioned. If Void and Thunder were actually on the side of humanity and wished to help, perhaps she could recruit them as teachers. It could help warm people up to them, they could offer a lot to the students, especially Sirin and those other girls.

"I'll think about it," Thunder answered. "We'll discuss more once this is all over,"

"But just keep in mind….I do not speak for the two of us. You will need to speak to Void as well if you wish to recruit her," Thunder noted. She questioned if Void would even agree, or if this idea would ever come to fruition.

Still, the idea of being a teacher was tempting on its own. Thunder had no way of returning to her own time, she was trapped here with Void. She couldn't return to her family; they wouldn't know or accept her. It would be best to just make a new life and start over. Mei couldn't fight forever after all.

"Alright then," Teri answered. "When this over, I'll gladly have you enlisted… Miss… uh… Thunder."

"Okay…Vice Principal," Thunder smiled.

Chapter Text

Seigfied felt relief when the first thing he saw when his eyes had opened was his wife. She gave him a loving smile and he likewise returned it.

"Am I in dead?" He asked.

"If you say because you're seeing an angel, I'll knock you out myself," Cecilia half laughed.

"Eh…it was worth a shot," He chuckled. He could hear the medical equipment buzzing nearby. They weren't in the field anymore; they weren't in danger. "Is it over?" He questioned weekly.

Cecilia paused, contemplating how to answer the question. The war was over, but there was so much left for them to do and discuss. "Sirin's not a threat anymore," Cecilia answered. "But…she's still alive," She added.

"I see," Siegfied answered.

"There's also something else," Cecilia noted. She wasn't sure about explaining Void and Thunder but she knew she at least had to try for Sirin. "Do you remember the dream world we were in?" Cecilia questioned as she held Siegfied's hand. "The one where I told you…Sirin was our daughter,"

"Yeah, I remember," Siegfied answered. He then cast a glance at Cecilia. "Do you…want to save Sirin?" He questioned. He could see the longing look on his wife's face. He knew she had the biggest heart of them all. Even if it was a daunting task, he knew she would want to save Sirin from herself and the Honkai. "You did say she was our daughter, and you did save her back there, even when you saw through the lie,"

"I don't think we need to save her," Cecilia muttered. Siegfied was confused at first before she gestured to the bed directly in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw the purple-haired girl sleeping, recovering.

"I see," Siegfied mused. "So, I guess I should start worrying about beating the suitors off of two daughters instead of just one," Siegfied chuckled.

"Yeah….two," Cecilia laughed nervously. He had no idea about the bomb she was holding. The laughter soon died down as a more serious look crossed Siegfied's face.

"Do you think she'll hate me?" He wondered. "I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind back there." He recalled. He honestly could only make out blurred bits and pieces about the battle. All he could think of was saving Cecilia and destroying the Honkai at the time.

Yet he remembered most clearly the fearful expression Sirin had. At the time he may have considered it a good thing. He had invoked fear into the Herrscher. A part of him didn't regret it. The situation back then had called for it, to regret it would be to say that the alternative outcome would have been better; that Sirin should have won, Cecilia should have died, and the world should have been destroyed

He didn't regret what he did at the time. It had to be done. The fallout now though, would be something he wished he didn't have to deal with. Especially with how it would affect the entire family.

"I can't say." Cecilia thought. "Sirin's been through a lot. She's known nothing but hate and loneliness for so long."

"Theresa had told me about what happened," Siegfied muttered. "What she had seen, what Sirin had shown off her past." He growled.

"I can't say I blame her." He told Cecilia. "I feel given the chance I'd have killed those bastards myself," He muttered. He couldn't fathom how people could have been so cruel. To claim to be doing those 'actions' for the benefit of humanity, was blasphemy at its finest. To do it to children, made his blood boil.

"I know what you mean," Cecilia answered. "If Kiana had been in the same situation, I don't know what I would have done," She grimaced The two houses Kaslana and Schariac had always been there to serve humanity in the war against the Honkai. Yet after witnessing this…both of the current descendants could only feel sadness at how things devolved.

"Kiana…where's Kiana?" Siegfied's wondered.

"Don't worry…she safe," Cecilia said. "She's actually-" But she never got to finish as the door opened.

"Mama, look what big sis bought me," Kiana said as she walked in with a little green hoodie on. However, all her thoughts were immediately brushed aside as she saw her father. "Daddy," She cheered as she rushed to her father. She was about to jump and give him a bone crush hug.

Seigfied closed his eyes braced for the impact but was surprised when he felt nothing. "Hey, let me down Thunder," He heard his daughter call. Upon opening his eyes he saw a giant red robotic-like hand holding his daughter right above him. Cecilia didn't seem to be bothered so Siegfied relaxed, especially when he saw Dr. Einstein standing to her side of her.

"Now Kiana, your dad has just woken up," Einstein explained. "I need to make sure he isn't hurt anywhere,"

"But I still want to hug my daddy," Kiana pouted. He had expected Cecilia to immediately console her and to his credit, she was about to, however, another voice was quicker.

"Now, now Kiana. I can hover you over to hug him, but you still need to be careful," A voice came behind the arms. A figure walked beside them, to bring the pouting Kiana to their eye level. It was a woman in white, black, and red, with horns on her head. "Will that work?" The woman asked the girl.

"Fine…it will do big sis," Kiana grumbled.

Siegfied hugged his daughter mechanical arms suspending her and whatnot, before the hands rested her in Cecilia's arms, and then fazed out of existence shortly afterward. He stared cautiously at the woman; his senses were on high alert. A part of him was even feeling threatened and wary of her presence.

"Stop staring you womanizer," Teri shouted from beside him as she bonked him on the head. When did she even enter the room he wondered.

"Theresa," He whined as he rubbed his head.

"Don't Theresa me, I saw you looking at her….and in front your wife as well. Have you no shame?" Teri scolded.

"Now Teri, be nice," Cecilia said in defense. "I'm sure he was just curious about the Herrscher holding his daughter," She explained.

"Yeah…I was just curious about the Herrscher holding Kiana," Siegfied said in agreement. It then dawned on him immediately what he had just said. "HERRSCHER?" He exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah about that," Cecilia laughed.

"Herrscher and new sister," Kiana said proudly.

"SISTER?" Siegfied muttered as he turned to Cecilia. He had been fine with Sirin, he was prepared for her…but who the hell was this new girl.

"Ehe," Cecilia nervously chuckled as she turned to look at Teri and Einstein for help, only to see them fleeing the scene.

Elsewhere, Bella watched as her Master, no, as Void was cleaning and shining the weapons of her 'parents'. It was a strange sight in an even stranger situation. She had witnessed fragments of her Master's life. She saw and knew what these humans meant to her Master, yet the disconnect was still there.

Her Master considered the people who tried to kill her as family. Cecilia who fought and stopped the spread of the Honkai was seen as her mother. Siegfied, the man who was solely responsible for almost ending her, was her father. The same man who shot Bella's wing, who tore the cores out of Sirin's chest, who sliced off her Master's arm, Void viewed him as the sole male role model in her life.

To see her Master cleaning their weapons, the very same that had been used against her, with the intention of returning them to her parents, felt wrong. Yet Bella knew, firsthand that her Master had become very merciful and forgiving than she was before. She had forgiven Bella, after nearly being killed by her. It was only fair that the same courtesy be extended elsewhere. After all Who was Bella to tell the Herrscher of Void who she could forgive and not forgive?

"It's funny," Void muttered as she held up the gun. "This weapon was once nearly the end of me. Yet I've found peace in being its presence." She mused to her former servant.

Her relationship with Siegfied was complicated, her warring sides had always made it so. Yet once she began to reconcile with them, the hatred for Siegfied had disappeared with time. On the side of Kiana, Void's light, despite his abandoning of her, considered Siegfied to be her father and love him dearly as he loved her.

The side of Sirin, Void's dark, hated him for his meddling in her plans and was traumatized partially by his power. Yet whenever Sirin thought of a father it was Siegfied, even if it was all a dream, he was the only one who fit the role.

When the two sides were rectified and made whole it became obvious why the bad aspects in her memory existed. He abandoned Kiana to stop the Herrscher from wreaking havoc. He fought against Sirin to save his wife and ensure the people he cared about had a future.

When he and Void had finally reunited. It had been…something.

"I always knew you had good inside you," Siegfied had told her. "I saw it in your eyes that day."

"I'm nothing but a monster who looks like your daughter," Void had responded. "Had she been here, would you still have seen me as such?" Void asked.

"Kiana was my daughter, yes, but I failed as a father. She died because of my carelessness but I still had a chance to raise you even if it was a short while." He sighed with a smile. "You're the one and only daughter, I managed to not screw over." He muttered. "I failed Sirin and I failed Kiana…but I'd like to think…I never failed you," He told Void.

That moment had been short-lived, but it was enough to help her make peace with her father. Her nightmares of the raging demon that had haunted Sirin, of the disappearing figure that Kiana chased, would never appear after that. Instead, Void was left with a few fleeting memories of her father taking pride in a girl he raised twice over.

"You didn't fail me," Void muttered.

Once Void had finished polishing the pair of guns, she held one up and fire into a portal. The dragon assumed she would have fired the next gun, but instead the Herrscher opened another portal and pulled, a third gun out, identical to the first two, and fired. "Perfect," She heard her master mutter as she stared at the two in hand. The Herrscher repeated the process again, bringing a fourth gun from the portal as well. In the end, she had two pairs of blue guns, one belonging to the Siegfied of this timeline and the other belonging to Void, Bella assumed. Void returned her weapons to her pocket space shortly afterward.

"And that's that," Void said as she places the guns to the side. She then turned her focus to Cecilia's lance. Unfortunately, while she had pleasant memories with Father's guns, she couldn't say the same for Mother's lance. It always left a bitter taste in her mouth whenever she had met…Durandal.

It had enraged Void to no end to see her mother's weapon in the hands of one of Otto's lackeys. Many times, Void would have clashed with Durandal and the results had always been the same, stalemate. Even when Void was able to overpower Durandal, that damn maid or someone else would always be around and stop her before she could regain the weapon. The closest she had ever been to the weapon was unironically when Durandal would impale her with it, several times….in the same place.

Void considered if given the option now, she'd consider giving both Durandal and Rita premature deaths. Admittedly Cecilia might not approve so she'd let them go for now. If she found either of them working for Otto later though, or worse yet if Durandal and Rita came after Sirin and Kiana, Void was going to show them the true meaning of fear.

"So that's what happened," Cecilia said as she finished explaining the situation to Siegfied. The man stayed silent as he lay in his bed contemplating what his wife had just told him. It was nothing something one would expect to learn after recovering from a war.

"So…I have…four daughters now," He mumbled.

"Actually, it might be five," Thunder chimed in. She was currently having her hair braided by Kiana. An innocent and harmless sight Siegfied thought, were it not for her nature and the unknown surrounding her. "Sirin's dragon, Bella, also has a human form and will most likely desire to stay with Sirin," She explained.

"Right…five," Siegfied repeated. 'We have five daughters now, 3 of which a Herrschers and 1 is a Honkai beast," He recounted.

"In my defense, I only ever intended to adopt one Herrscher. It just so happens that Kiana wanted the others to be her sisters as well," Cecilia defended.

"Cecilia…I am pretty sure Kiana is no excuse for that," Siegfied muttered.

As if on cue Kiana was now in front of Siegfied giving him the most adorable puppy dog look she could muster. "Please Daddy, can they be my sisters?" Kiana begged with the biggest sad eyes he had ever seen.

"Okay, so Kiana is pretty a good excuse," Siegfied repeated. "But you couldn't have waited until I woke up. I'm not emotionally prepared for this," He muttered. "I mean I was barely prepared as it was for one daughter, how am I gonna love five," He mumbled much to their surprise.

"So, wait…you aren't mad," Cecilia said in shock.

"Eh…I always wanted a big family with you…this is weird way of doing it but it's alright," Siegfied answered with a smile. "Just inform me in advance instead of surprising me like this next time," he told her.

"Will do," Cecilia answered.

"Although," Siegfied muttered before turning to Thunder. "Before we do actually do go forward…I'd like to know for sure, just who my new 'daughters' are and what they intend to do," He announced as he eyed the Herrscher.

"I expected as much," Thunder answered. "You'll get your answers when Sirin wakes up and when Void returns," She explained.

"Right, Void," Siegfied repeated. "The 'true' Herrscher of the Void," He mused. She was honestly the more worrisome one in his eyes. Sirin was the supposed Herrscher of the Void, and she was something to handle, and Void was stronger. At the very least he was glad Void was on friendly terms with the people here.

"The one and only, Old Man," A voice called as a portal opened in the room. Siegfied eyes widened as he was introduced to his last daughter. The one who looked to resemble his first ironically enough.

He could see the face of the Herrscher that he unknowingly agreed to adopt, a face that looked so much like his own daughter. At this point, only a few words could leave his mouth.

"What the fu-"

"LANGUAGE" Cecilia and Tunder had screamed as the latter covered Kiana's ears.

Chapter Text

"What are you doing here?" Einstein remarked at the red-haired who was now standing before her. Of all the reckless stunts her partner had pulled why was it this one.

"Hey, as it stands you said they weren't a threat, right?" Tesla argued. "Besides I needed to make sure you weren't in trouble mophead." She added.

"I never said they weren't a threat. I said they weren't following through on those threats for the time being," Einstein replied exasperatedly. "They are still unpredictable and prone to violence,"

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Tesla answered in annoyance. She had already almost lost Welt, she wasn't going to leave Einstein behind either. Besides it was honestly better to be here than anywhere else, the politics and fallout were giving her too much of a headache right now.

"Did you at least find anything in Schicksal's database?" Teri questioned. They needed some more information on Void and Thunder and the only clues they had pointed to Schicksal.

"Eh…that depends," Tesla sighed. "I did find something, but it was confusing as hell," Tesla noted.

"What did you find?" Einstein inquired.

"Well…the bastard Otto did in fact have plans to clone Kiana," Tesla explained. "However, the date and time of the project are what complicates it. He had only created those plans a few days ago, but they were immediately scrapped shortly after. The project never even reached past the initial conception phase."

"A few days ago," Einstein noted. "That was when the Herrschers appeared with the Kaslana family." She pointed out. Void had been on the nose about Otto's plan but that still left them without information on Void herself.

"Yes and apparently Void had broken into Schicksal's compound," Tesla noted as she brought up a security feed. It showed various parts of the compound, there were guards and robots patrolling about, and one even showed Kiana playing with Amber. Soon static filled the image before it displayed the aftermath of a rampage. Many of the personnel had been incapacitated with various puncture marks remaining on their body, machines being recked from aside, and even a few cameras had been permanently disabled. Amber had been mounted to a wall and impaled in all her limbs and Kiana was nowhere to be found.

"As you can see, there was no evidence to suggest who, but given Kiana was with them and the nature of Void's powers, I think it's safe to assume she was involved," Tesla noted.

"Indeed, she was subtle," Teri noted. Sirin had been all about making a show and demonstration of power. She had the ability, but in the end, she was just a child after all. However, Void was a different story, she knew what her powers could do and how to use them. They had been at her mercy from the start. She could contain a nuke, was just as difficult to kill as Sirin and was far more experience than the girl.

Teri recalled her encounter with the Herrscher the night before. One wrong step and she could have been impaled within seconds in that room. The mere fact Void was even giving her back Judah could be seen as a show of power right there. She wasn't scared of Judah. Or perhaps she was just overconfident and didn't know of Judah's true power.

"Where are the others?" Tesla questioned.

"Ziggy woke up a few minutes ago. Cecilia's explaining to him, their new extended family situation," Teri answered. "Thunder's with them but Void is off doing who knows what," She added.

"I think they should be finished by now," Einstein noted.

"Perfect," Tesla said. "Let's go,"

Upon arrival, the trio had to stop and marvel at the site. Siggy was currently being scolded by Thunder and Cecilia on one side. Meanwhile, Kiana, Void, and Bella were watching from by Sirin while eating noodles. Kiana in particular had been suspended on a floating throne of cubes while Void fed her.

"I'll never do it again," they heard Siggy swore.

"What happened here?" Tesla asked first earning the attention of everyone in the room. The Herrschers glanced at her but didn't move. Void merely lowered Kiana who ran to greet them.

"Daddy was about to say a bad word. So, Mommy and Thunder are punishing him," She explained.

"Oh really," Teri said as she started to brandish Judah. "Did he now?"

"Oh, come on, not you too," Siegfied sighed. "Haven't I been punished enough?"

"I'm pretty sure Teri, makes it a priority to find ways to insult you, old man," Void answered.

"That I do," Teri answered shamelessly.

After a few minutes, the room managed to settle down. For the most part, Cecilia, Teri, and Thunder had managed to calm down enough and now they were all on more…pleasant speaking terms.

"So…does anyone else know you're here?" Void questioned as she turned her attention to Tesla. "We've gone through a lot of trouble to stay hidden and if you compromise that," Void trailed off as a small portal opened right behind Tesla's neck. The woman in question could feel the tip of a lance gently touching her skin, right in place to kill her, but still out of view of everyone else. "Well…I don't need to say what will happen," She finished.

Tesla to her credit didn't seem deterred. She merely folded her arms as she stared at the Herrscher. "No, no one knows," She huffed. "I took special liberty to cover my tracks."

"Alright," Void closed her portal.

"Okay," Siegfied deadpanned. "Can we please get back to the topic at hand?" He questioned. The white-haired man turned to Void. "Like how you look like a grown-up version of my daughter and…" He turned to his wife. "Why aren't you as freaked out about this I am?" He questioned.

"I'm pretty sure everyone else was just scared to ask that or bidding their time," Void laughed. "Of course, you'd be the one to actually say it without hesitation," She chuckled. Yeah, that was her dad alright, straight to the point, no beating around the bush. She really loved that straightforward method he had, but right now she despised it.

"You still didn't answer my question," Siegfied noted. "You look exactly like the Kiana I saw in the dream world, save for your eyes," He explained.

"Wait dream world," Teri questioned. "What dream world?"

Cecilia and Siegfied gave a brief explanation of the dream world they had been in, how it was a trap made by Sirin, how Sirin had gotten trapped herself, and the older Kiana they saw within it. Cecilia also went as far as to explain how different Sirin had been within it. Suffice to say the trio, Thunder and Kiana was surprised by this.

"So, wait, I will grow up to look like Big sis Void?" Kiana noted.

"With any luck, you'll look even prettier than Void," Thunder added. Void rolled her eyes at the latter's comment before turning back to the others who were now more focused on her.

"Void…can you please just tell us, why you look like our daughter," Cecilia questioned. "I've avoided asking the question before, but now that it's out can you please just tell us, why." She pleaded. "We know you and Thunder meanwhile…but we can't trust you if you keep secrets. Family doesn't do that to family," She added.

Void looked on at them. The scientists she could ignore, she didn't have so much attachment to them. Cecilia, Siegfied, and even Teri were a different story.

"Alright," Void gave in. "I'll explain some of it, but we still wait for Sirin to wake up for the rest," Void reasoned. "This story is messy and complicated on so many different levels and I doubt I have the brain juice to explain it more than once without giving myself a headache."

"Believe her, it is," Thunder added. "I've had to listen to her practicing the explanation and I'm still lost on details."

"That's because you lack a brain," Void deadpanned.

"Can we please get back to the explanation?" Teri sighed. "You can go at each other's throats later,"

"Alright, alright," Void answered. "Let's start with the simple stuff first. Like how I and Thunder got here," She explained. "Tell me what's the most…impossible thing you can imagine?" She questioned.

"Siegfied improving his cooking. No, wait…Siegfied not being an idiot," Teri answered first.

"Teri actually growing and acting like an adult," Siegfied retorted.

"Why you," Teri huffed.

"Void also improving her cooking and acting like an adult," Thunder added with a sly smile.

"I will un-alive you," Void growled.

"Not serving, Master," Bella chimed in. Everyone turned to the dragon who just shrugged before slurping more noodles.

"How long was she standing there?" Tesla noted. She hadn't even noticed the Honkai Beast.

"She has mastered the art of standing so still, that she appears invisible to the naked eye," Void chuckled. "Good job by the way,"

"Thank you," Bella blushed.

"Alright, what about the rest of you?" Void questioned as she turned to Cecilia, Einstein, and Tesla. "What's an impossibility to you three?"

"Hmm…I don't believe there is much that is impossible," Einstein noted. "Just solutions and options we either don't know about or don't have the resources to explore." She answered.

"Likewise, I believe if given enough time and resources. Science can make all impossibilities possible," Tesla added.

"Well, that's good to know," Void said before turning to look at Cecilia.

"At the time…I had thought it would have been impossible to see and live with my family again…but you changed that," Cecilia explained. "Likewise, I had believed it was impossible to have a life beyond fighting, but Siggy changed that. I don't believe anything is impossible, difficult, and unlikely…but not impossible," Cecilia told the Herrscher.

"Okay…so tell me then…do you believe that…time travel is possible then?" Void questioned.

"Time travel," They all repeated. Void and Thunder could have sworn they heard gears clicking in everyone's heads after that statement was made. Unfortunately, they knew what conclusion everyone would draw and both braced themselves for the inevitability.

"Kiana," Cecilia, Siegfied, and Teri exclaimed. Void stiffened as she heard the name, knowing full well they were referring to her. Thunder likewise tightened her fist, aware that the mistake was easy to make to the uninformed. Kiana just blinked.

"Yes," the toddler answered. Void cast a silent glance at Thunder who understood immediately what to do.

"Kiana, I think Void is going talk about some boring adult stuff with everyone else and they want you to come and play with me and Bella," Thunder explained. Suffice to say the others read the situation and allowed the Herrscher and Honkai beast to leave the room while Void wished to point Shamash a second time to her head to avoid this discussion.

"Alright," Void said. "Now let's get back to this before I change my m-" She didn't get to finish before Cecilia interrupted her with her hug.

"Kiana…is it really you?" Cecilia choked. Her realization had left her in tears. That blast would have killed her. Her daughter would have grown up without her mother. It certainly started to put in perspective all her discussions with Void and the Herrscher wanting to be her daughter. It all made sense now.

Void stiffens at her touch and the mention of her old name. A part of her had been Kiana, once upon a time. Even then, the Kiana Cecilia was referring to and the Kiana Void had been, were two separate people. Void was tempted to lie; it would be so easy to lie now.

She could say she was in fact their future daughter grown up, but she knew she couldn't. Thunder would tell them the truth…and even if by some miracle the 3rd Herscher didn't, it would eat at Void. "I am neither Sirin nor Kiana, I am me, K-423, the Herrscher of the Void, no one else," She had once declared proudly to the world and her pride would not permit her to throw that away.

"No," Void whispered to her mother. "It's not Kiana." She muttered. "That's not my name and it never has been," Void answered. Perhaps she was a little roughr in her words than she needed to be, but she needed to squash this delusion they would have. Cecilia backed away when she felt Void gently push her back, breaking the hug.

"Kiana," Cecilia questioned trying to approach her once more, but Void held her at arm's length.

"I said that's not my name," Void said in her Herrscher voice. It came out as a growl, but it seemed to sink in this time as Cecilia backed away. "I am not your little girl. You never gave birth to me," Void explained. "So, squash that foolish notion," She told them.

"If you aren't Kiana, then who or what are you?" Siegfied question as he tried to comfort his wife, looking warily at the Herrscher. He wasn't aware of much of what was happening but if time travel was involved then he was sure it wasn't going to be pretty.

"The who is a question that will wait for later, as for the what," Not-Kiana answered. "I'm a clone of your daughter, Kiana's 423rd clone to be exact." She informed. "Made by Otto Apocalypse to serve as host for Void core and to be the successor to Sirin as the Herrscher of the Void," She explained. She wasn't ready for what happened next.

Without warning, Seigfied had gotten out of bed and had pinned Void to a wall. He looked at her dead in the eyes. "What happened to my daughter?" He questioned. The Honkai genes in his system had been barely suppressed, but hearing his daughter be experimented on by Otto had triggered something. Golden eyes met blue as he and Void stared at each other, a frown forming on one face and a scowl on the other.

"I don't know," Void said softly. "I never met her till I traveled to this time," Void answered. Siegifed seemed to accept it. She could spare him from the harsh truth of what happened for now. This was more than enough for them to know as it was. His grip loosened but she could still feel the tension from his being.

"Now it all makes sense," Einstein voiced, "how you knew everything, why you trusted us, why we couldn't find anything on you," She realized. "It's because you don't exist yet,"

"And I won't exist even in this timeline," Void answered. "Sirin has her core and Kiana has no clone. There won't be another Void," She admitted.

"So, wait, if you stopped yourself from being born, then how do you exist now," Teri questioned.

"And this is why I put it off," Void tried to laugh it off. This conversation was everything she dreaded, and she hadn't even reached the convoluted stuff…. okay the more convoluted stuff. "Time is a complicated subject, you think it's linear but really it's more like the branch of a tree, things may start from the same point, but as you progress things diverge. Just because I changed something in the past, doesn't mean I changed my own past. It just means I created an alternate future," Void explained.

"Okay," Teri spoke. "So, you're a clone of Kiana from a future that no longer exists." She reiterated. "You came back and undid your own creation…uh…why?" She questioned.

"My life isn't exactly the most pleasant in the future," Void answered. Seigfied's body turning to ash in her hands, Bella's death and enslavement to Thunder, the hatred of the world she grew to love, all weighing down on her. It had been a coward's move to run to the past, but Void didn't care at this point. It no longer mattered if it was cowardice, courage, wisdom, or stupidity. She told the few people that talked to her that she would disappear and then just left, Thunder followed her purely because she didn't trust Void and now they were here.

"I figured I'd come back, solve all the problems I could." Void explained. "I'd give Kiana and Sirin the chances they never got. I'd give Siegfied and Cecilia a chance at the life they were robbed of. I'd right the wrongs of the past," Void said.

"And how do we know you're truly righting the wrongs of the past," Tesla said suspiciously. "Even if we believe you're from the future, how are we so sure you aren't just playing us. It would be easy for you to deceive us and mislead us, and we wouldn't know about it till it was too late," She pointed.

Void resisted the urge to laugh. Past, Present, or Future, she always had to deal with this. Luckily she had gained enough experience for it. "Well Dr. Tesla, I suppose that's why trust is needed. You all said you couldn't trust me if you didn't know anything about me. Now you know, so now I'll just let you all make whatever assumptions you want."

"What about Thunder? What's her deal with this?" Einstein questioned. "Is she a clone too?"

"Nah, she's just a girl who ended up a Herrscher due to someone else. She isn't another consequence of Otto's existence mind you. She isn't even remotely involved with…this family…outside of being a student of St. Freya." Void explained.

"St. Freya!" Teri remarked. "She's a student of St. Freya." The conversation she had with Thunder, about her being a teacher, about where she learned to control her powers. Thunder had been one of the children she helped.

"Yes…she and…I…were classmates so to speak," Void answered. At least one-half of her was Mei's classmate.

"So those were battle suits you both wore," Cecilia realized. "You're both Valkyries." She had wondered about it. They looked like Valks but she had never heard of them, now she knew why.

"We were…not anymore," Void answered. "Let's just say becoming Herrschers wasn't exactly all fine and dandy for us,"

The Herrscher then paused as she glanced back at Sirin before turning back to the others. "That's about it for the questions and explanations. I trust that will satisfy your curiosity for now," She told them. She needed to end this now. She needed to get out of her.

"It's a lot to take in for sure," Cecilia noted. "I never expected it would be anything like this."

"Time travel, of all things why did it have to be time travel," Siegfied wondered.

"I'll let you all take your time to process this. When Sirin wakes up…we'll have even more to discuss and I assure you….it only gets worse from here," Void informed as she tried to joke about it. Humor that can diffuse the tension right? Maybe she wouldn't feel as stressed if she made some jokes.

"How much worse can it get?" Teri wondered. "Did the world end?" She questioned.

"I almost did it once," Void answered.

"That's a joke right?" Teri questioned.

Void said nothing.

"That's a joke…right?"

"Anyhow," Void said dismissing Teri's question. She then opened a portal and pulled out Siegfied and Cecilia's weapons. "I took the liberty of cleaning and polishing them. You're free to think what you want of me, but I trust this will put you at ease," Void told them as she handed over the pair of guns and the lance.

"Well good luck," Void told them as she teleported away. Part of her worried those weapons would be turned on her.

There was silence in the room before Cecilia fell back onto one of the beds. "I think I need a minute," Cecilia muttered. Siegfied rested an arm on her shoulder. He had only woken up a few moments ago and this was not what he expected. A part of him felt like he was still dreaming as his mind tried to accept what was happening.

"You're not the only one," Einstein noted.

"I should have stayed away," Tesla noted. Just what in God's name was this mess that she had gotten involved in. Time-traveling Herrscher clones. Suddenly the fallout of the end of the world didn't seem so bad.

Elsewhere Void reappeared in a forest, far away from the current base. She could feel her heart racing as her mind wandered to all the possibilities that may occur. "What were you thinking joking about ending the world," She cursed herself. They were suspicious of her. They had every right to be, and she just went and made things worse.

She always defaulted to making cynical remarks about her Herrscher side's desires. After her darker side's involvement in the fourth eruption, it had made her subsequent regaining a conscience even more difficult. People feared her and when she realized she couldn't change that, she defaulted to playing it up. Embracing the Void Queen of the Honkai persona. Now, that very coping mechanism might have doomed her once more.

As she continued to walk, tears began to form in her eyes. The haughty image she portrayed was slowly crumbling as it began to dawn on her what might happen. They had been fine with her being a stranger before, but now that she was a clone, she questioned if they would keep her. The doubts she always tried to suppress were now coming back full force.

Siegfied, her father, didn't treat her like a daughter when they first met. He was always distant. It was after she saved him that he was able to let go if only a little, but even then he still considered himself a failure. She couldn't do that to him again, be a reminder of his failure.

"Hey dad, you tried to save your real daughter from Otto, and manage to free me as well, but when you tried to escape with us, you lost your real one…but don't feel bad, you got over it with me eventually." She muttered to herself. Yeah, that was going to end well. He'd probably Shamash her right there and then.

"Maybe I should make it Mei's problem? Thunder can handle it better than we could." She questioned.

In her panicked state, the Herrscher failed to notice how she was starting to unravel at the seams.

"We can just leave. They aren't even my real family." Void continued.

"They will have Kiana and Sirin. Why would they need another?" She continued muttering. Her eyes began flashing multiple colors, cycling through blue then gold, then pink, mixing and matching her pupils.

Before long the Herrscher found herself in an arena of sorts hidden within the woods. This place was familiar, she knew it was, but the Herrscher couldn't place it. Her thoughts were becoming too loud. Void failed to notice the change in temperature of the world around her. Two eyes on the arena's wall glowed a vibrant blue as a voice spoke.

Chapter Text

"Alright, now gently stir," Mei commanded as she did so as well. The Herrscher of Thunder and the Servant of the Void were currently in the Kitchen with the youngest Kaslana, doing what else but baking a cake. Specifically, Bella was baking a cake for her Master's inevitable recovery as she had witnessed it being one of Sirin's greatest wants.

"Like this?" Bella questioned. She didn't outright trust the Electric Herrscher, but Bella would swallow her pride to do this for Sirin. It was weird working with someone who would in another timeline, revive and use your corpse as a meat shield, but Bella was willing to overlook that for a smile on Sirin's face when she ate delicious cake.

"Well, at least it's not in your hair," Mei noted as she turned her own batter with Kiana's help. The toddler had also wanted to make get-well cakes for her mommy and daddy; Mei was bound by law to assist in that endeavor. If questioned what law it was, the answer would be the law of cute tuna.

The batter was soon done, and the cakes were put in the oven to bake. Mei had to almost restrain Bella when the latter thought to heat them with her dragon breath. She may not be blood related, but she sure had the Kaslana mindset for cooking. Hopefully Cecilia could unteach that. Now it was just a matter of doing the frosting and icing. Easier said than done.

Mei had sworn to not get involved unless it would result in inedible food. With that, she made sufficient enough frosting for the two to decorate the cake. The Herrscher only made one miscalculation with this. She forgot…that she was baking with a literal child and a dragon with a child-like mind.

"How does it look, big sis?" Kiana questioned she proudly stared at her cake. It wasn't as sparkly as Bella's but it sure was more colourful.

"It's…beautiful," Mei answered. It was a mass of mix and mismatched colours. If she was a judging for an adult Kiana, she would have ripped her new one, who was she kidding, she would have lied and said it was fine. That being said it was the handiwork of a little girl, no older than 3, and credit where it was due. It was adorable that the little tuna did this. "Your parents will love it," Mei added. Besides…it only looked mismatched, it was still going to taste good, if a little sweet with the abundance of frosting, but Kaslana's did have an iron stomach.

"What about mine?" Bella asked nervously. Her cake wasn't as colourful as the little fish's, but she made sure it was a lot more sparkly. She placed a lot of topping on it and even tried her best to write a message for Sirin, 'To the best Master in all of Space and Time'.

"You tried your best and it's the thought that counts," Thunder answered. Bella had practically made it more topping than cake, but Mei was sure most of it might slide off when Sirin lifted up a piece. That being said Mei would need to try and fix the wording since despite Bella's efforts…she did misspell several words. However just like Kiana, she was going to excuse it. The dragon had heart and that's what mattered.

That being said…both already showed more promise than her other past students. Maybe she could mentor them more in future.

Siegfied sighed as he lay back in bed. He was trying to make sense of what was going on and what had just happened. He replayed the conversations in his head trying to properly assess the situation. Einstein and Tesla had gone to do whatever the scientist did, while Cecilia and Theresea went for some air. All that remained was him and Sirin, and even then, he felt ready to bolt the moment the girl might have stirred. His actions against her were still fresh in his mind.

He recalled in the dream world how things had been so different. It was a normal life for them. No fighting against the Honkai. Kiana had grown up to a life without worrying about the Honkai. Even the brief moments where Sirin had entered had been favourable.

He remembered when he first opened the door and saw her. Cecilia had immediately convinced him she was their daughter and against his better judgment he believed her. The life they lived had been a pure fantasy, but it was one he wished would be a reality. He recalled how they had taken her to the mall, and gone shopping, grueling as that had been on his imaginary wallet. He remembered when they bought ice cream and how happy they had been as a family at the time celebrating Kiana's birthday.

They could still try for a life like that her wondered. Yet something told him it wouldn't be the case. Void was confirmation of that. The future would still have Herrschers, meaning the Honkai was still present. Void gave no indication about what happened to them but if what Cecilia had told him was true, then she would have been gone.

He would have been too weak save her. Kiana would have been without her mother…but then he wondered what happened to his daughter in the future. Void was a clone made by Otto. Siegfied refused to believe he would have agreed to that. There was no way in hell he'd agree cloning his daughter.

It then dawned on Siegfied what could have happened. He would be recovering far away from Kiana. She would have been taken right after the battle with Sirin. It was the prime time to do it. Cecilia would be dead, and he would be out of commission. He'd failed his wife and two daughters within a single week, and a part of him despite wanting to ignore it, knew that he did.

Void and Thunder had given him a second chance when they saved everyone at the time from what he heard. It made him feel all the guiltier when he had gotten in her face. He hadn't been thinking at the time. He was just feeling so stressed and there was that anger within him. A burning sensation that was screaming at him that the Herrscher, the Honkai, had done something.

His eyes widened as he looked down to his left arm. The memories flowing back to him of the time where he wasn't fully human. He had been so warped by the power within his genes before that he hadn't realized what was going on when he fought Sirin. Even now, that it was over, he still felt it, that burning sensation with him.

He had been warned about the risk of overusing the activators. He knew he had to do it at the time, but the question was…what was going to happen to him now and to an extent his new family. He had agreed to the idea of adopting the newer members. He wasn't going to back out now, convoluted as the situation might be. Yet the feeling within him, how desiring to destroy the Honkai, whether it be the monsters…or the Herrschers. It scared him.

"Who dares enter my domain?" A voice echoed in the arena. Void glanced up at the sound, the voice familiar enough to draw her from her own inner turmoil. Her eyes widened as she glanced around having only now realized where she had walked to.

She could feel the air start to chill as the temperature dropped within seconds. Her own breath became visible before her. A blue fog surrounds her obscuring her vision of the world around her and two giant blue lights pierce the shadows. "Andrius," She muttered.

Blue wisps danced around the air as they merged together behind the lights. A large creature emerged from the fog, with pristine white and midnight blue fur. The creature stood before Void on four legs, its claws scratching the ground as it walked forward. The creature, a wolf, to most walked up to the lost girl who had only taken a step back, not out of fear but out of worry about what might happen next.

"How do you know that name, Herrscher?" The creature questioned. Its large teeth were hard to miss as it spoke.

"I…read it in a book," Void lied. "When I was at the nearby village," She told him. The village had told stories of the Wolf as part of their culture, Void remembers hearing them when she had first arrived there. It was one of the places she had 'visited' after her awakening as a Herrscher back in her own time.

"Those books, only have the name Boreas," The Wolf pointed out. "And you have never set foot in that Village," He added as he dismissed the Herrscher's lies. "I ask again, how you know my name, and why have you come here," He growled as he took a step forward.

"I didn't come here intentionally," Void quickly apologized. "I wasn't thinking, and I just teleported here to clear my head," She didn't want to deal with this now. She tried backing away, trying to manifest a portal behind her, but nothing came. Huh, she glanced warily behind her, the heart started racing once more as she tried connecting to her core, nothing.

"I sense something is wrong," Andrius noted as he saw the fear on her face, something most Herrscher seldom showed. "You are once again lying to me," He growled. There were minor disturbances around her, an influx of Honkai energy he recognized, and disruptions in the space behind her, but nothing came.

He took notice of the Herrscher before him, especially her eyes. They were constantly cycling through various colors. Her body was trembling, but he knew it wasn't the cold. "I ask once more Herrscher, for you to explain yourself,"

"I…I," The girl's voice broke. "I didn't know where else to go," She admitted. "I don't think I have a home anymore," She confessed.

"And you came here for solace," Andrius questioned. "Why?" He ponded. "When one is distressed, one will visit something familiar for comfort, but you came here," He noted.

"I do not know you; I do not recognize your scent." He pointed out. "Yet you recognized me," He noted. He did not admit, he smelled his own scent on her.

"In another time, you would have," Void muttered under her breath.

"I see," The wolf noted. "You have moved across time," It repeated. "That is why one smells of the Void, despite there already being a Void in this world,"

"I trust that in this other time, you were not sent to persecute me for my betrayal?" Andrius questioned.

"The Honkai sees you like a dog that changed loyalties," Void noted. "but they view you as weak and insignificant, confining yourself to merely protecting a small village from its forces and other humans alike."

"I see," The wolf wondered before it began circling Void. "Then might I ask, young Herrscher, what relationship did we have? If you were not my executioner what was I to you?" He questioned.

Void paused trying to assess the wolf's intention. Her mind was still bogged with her own doubts. The voices within her head called for her to not trust him, to lie to him, to flee. He did not know her in this world, she had not proven herself to him. She was tempted to listen to them, her experience with telling the truth to her family and their reactions still present in her mind.

"You…taught me…many things," Void answered carefully. "You protected and sheltered me," She added. When she had first awakened, her powers had been lost, the fight against Himeko drained her of everything. Lost and confused she found herself in this village by sheer chance. No questions were asked at the time, they merely took her in and nursed her back to health.

Their kindness was immeasurable, but, once her powers returned and the truth came out, she was outcasted immediately. That was when she met Andrius, the only one who didn't turn her away…but even that did not spare him.

"Interesting," The wolf noted as he kept pacing. "What troubles you then, welp?" He questioned. The girl was scared, he knew that, but it was not because of him. "Why do you think, you have no home now?"

For the second time in her life, Void laid her problems out in front of Andrius. She only gave the barest of details, but the Wolf knew and understood more than she realized. He proved once again he was beyond just a mindless beast, to think he had once offered to follow her in Bella's place.

"I must say, child your turmoil is far more unique than most I've heard," Andrius noted. "To view oneself as the shadow of not one but two individuals." He lamented. "I can't imagine it is easy."

"I don't need sympathy," Void snapped. "I'm sorry," She quickly apologized.

"It is alright, I understand that for being such as yourself it can be difficult," He assured her. "You are not one sole consciousness but rather the by-product of two fragments reconnecting,"

"The fears and doubts you have; they are not your own but rather those of the two that comprise you. Sirin's loneliness and Kiana's guilt. They exist alongside your own fear of being outcasted as K-423,"

"Its not just a fear. I'm not just imagining it. I know they don't want me anymore." She muttered.

"Is that truly the case?" Andrius questioned. "Ask yourself, is that really the kind of people they are?" He inquired. "You talk about them accepting the Herrscher as their daughter despite what happened. You talk about your father accepting you as his daughter. Yet you are doubting yourself even now?"

"This is not the same," Void reasoned.

"Is it?" Andrius questioned. "Look within yourself and tell me if it is," He ordered. "Reflect on your two sides and tell me if that is truly the case," He told the Herrscher before his body dissolved into several wisps. "I await your answer,"

"Reflect on my two sides,"

"Reflect on my two sides,"

"Sirin,"

"Kiana,"

Void sat down in the middle arena. The cold presence of Andrius was still around her but weaker now. He was leaving her to find the answer, but still offering his protection and comfort. He truly was a good boi.

Taking a deep breath the Herrscher sat in a meditative stance, the lotus position. Her legs were crossed, and her hands rested on each knee. Taking deep breaths, she began to concentrate. The mass of voices returned once she was left alone in her mind. "1, 2, 3….3,2,1," She recited.

When opened her eyes, she found herself in a white abyss, a void so to speak. The only thing present was herself. Standing up, she glanced down at her feet, noticing the shadow beneath her. The Herrscher kept her eyes on the shadow, taking a single step forward. The shadow did not. It stretched from its initial spot to beneath her feet.

Void took more steps and she saw her shadow stretch even more so, a few more it was now double her height, equal to two of her persons. She turned around and began walking back towards her starting point, however the shadow did not recede. Once she reached midway though, Void stopped.

Standing with the shadows on either side Void stamped her feet. First, her left foot, which caused the shadow on her left to ripple from the impact. Then she did her right, with a similar result. Both shadows continued to ripple the stopped, no longer the same as before.

Where the shadows were once silhouettes of Void, they were now shaped like two other individuals. One shadow opened its eyes at Void, blue gems eyeing the Herrscher as streaks of white erupted from where its hair would, the other opened eyes of gold, with purple streaks instead.

Void grimaced as she saw them, kneeling down she stretched her hands to touch the floor. Both shadows extended their own….and pulled Void face-first into the ground. The Herrscher tried to raise herself up, but the shadows started raising from the floor and overlapped over her covering her body and dragging her into the abyss.

"So, how does it feel?" Teri questioned as she took leaned against the railing. They had gone to the roof of the base for some air, after feeling suffocated staring at the same set of walls for a while.

"You'll have to be more specific Teri," Cecilia told her friend. "I'm feeling a lot of things right now,"

"Having a daughter who's a clone," Teri reiterated.

Clones were a topic she was very well versed in, being one herself. However, Teri had one advantage Void seemed to lack, her original counterpart had died several centuries ago. Her existence and her sisters' existence never conflicted with the original, she didn't even know who the original's parents were outside of the history books.

She was Kallen's clone yes, but that was as far as it went. Every relationship was defined on its own, she shared no role with Kallen. Even her grandpa who loved Kallen dearly viewed her more as a grandchild than a replacement.

"Honestly the fact that she's a clone isn't what concerns me," Cecilia responded. "I've dealt with you for so many years, and Void seems much more tolerable," It was the fact she now had to live with the fact she died an left her daughter and husband alone. She had been fine at the moment, accepting the inevitable, but then Void saved her. She had assumed she had survived once more by skin of her teeth, but it turns out she didn't.

"I resent that. I am very tolerable," Teri defended.

"Only after spending so many years with, you," Cecilia added. "I still remember the time you woke me up to go to the bathroom because you had left Judah elsewhere," She tried to laugh.

"Hey, I wasn't scared or anything," Teri brushed off. However, the mention of Judah did bring something else to light for her. Specifically, when Void had returned the cross to her. "Oh no," She muttered, realizing Void probably knew about her little…reliance on Judah.

"What was that?" Cecilia questioned.

"Nothing," Teri dismissed. "Just thinking about Void," She tried to divert the topic. "She mentioned how the who was different from the what, and how things only got more complicated from there," Teri noted. The conversation had clearly not been easy on the Herrscher but at the time it was overwhelming for everyone else.

"A clone of Kiana, with the core of Sirin," Cecilia mused silently. Void was a being made from both her daughters, but the mere fact that Otto created her brought a whole slew of other problems. It left a sour taste in her mouth. First Sirin, then Kiana, then Void, her children would all suffer somehow to that madman's antics.

"She must have had quite an identity crisis," Teri noted. "Even if I never knew my original, the mere fact that was a test tube baby had caused trouble enough for me. I was viewed as less a person and more of a weapon," Teri expressed. The only people who ever acknowledged her before as a person growing up were her grandfather and Cecilia. She wondered if Void had her own form of support like she had.

"And I called her Kiana," Cecilia realized. For an individual who had to contend with their existence being a possible lie. For Cecilia to call her Kiana, must have opened up so many bad memories.

"It wasn't your fault," Teri comforted. "All the facts had proven otherwise, it was the only logical conclusion anyone would have made," She placed an arm on Cecilia's shoulder.

"That doesn't make me feel any less awful," Cecilia told her.

"I know…I just hope it makes you feel less guilty," Teri answered. "Besides…we can apologize later," Teri noted. She was almost positive that Void had known that outcome was coming. She recalled how both Herrschers had tensed up when Void had spilled the beans. They knew everyone would have made the link.

"Yeah, I suppose we can apologize," Cecilia said. "I'll show her she doesn't need to worry about it. Clone or not, I'll love her like my own daughter." Cecilia said with resolve.

"And I'll spoil her as well, I finally have a cloned niece," Teri cheered before noticing Cecilia's raised eyebrow. "Not that I ever wanted one. It's just...you know…I-" She tried to defend.

"I know what you mean Teri," Cecilia said as she hugged her friend. "You'll finally have someone to share your clone problems with. Like being perpetually short," Cecilia teased.

"Hey, don't worry about me, if Void's stuck looking like that forever, you'll have to deal with an eternal teenager. I pity you more than anything else," Teri laughed. Yeah, they would make amends.

When Void woke up, she found she couldn't move. Her arms and her legs had been restrained. She tried lifting her head forward to see what was restraining her. She was strapped to a bed. She didn't like that. She tried to struggle but it was to no avail, she couldn't move, she couldn't do anything.

"Don't resist Sirin," A voice called out. It sent shivers down her spine. That wasn't her name, but she knew that voice. The next thing she knew something had stabbed her in the arm. She looked to the side noticing a man in a surgical uniform, smiling at her, as he pressed a syringe into her arm. The next thing the Herrscher knew her body was feeling like it was ignited from the inside as if molten lava had been poured into her.

Not this.

"Don't fret,"

Anything but this.

"Your sacrifice will be for the betterment of mankind; you should feel honored." He answered. She saw the name of the lab, above his head. BABYLON LABS, a smiling white figure laughing right above it. Only one thing left Void's mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Chapter Text

"I'm gonna kill you. I swear I'm gonna get out of this and I'm gonna kill you with my own hands," Void screamed as she tried to break free of the restraints. She could feel them digging into her skin, cutting against her flesh as she tried to escape. Her neck, her arms, and her legs were all oozing with blood. The more she bled though, the more blood was replaced…by it.

Void felt it pulsing through her body, the Honkai. It was something she'd grown accustomed to. She had forgotten how much it had hurt her before. Like liquid metal, clogging her arteries and veins. She forgot how sick it made her feel, before 'God' took those feelings away. However, there was one thing she remembered though, she remembered the hatred and the rage she had.

She tried to resist, but her body was not strong enough to keep up with her. She was still too weak to do anything. Eventually, the combined blood loss and Honkai infusions wore her down. Void's world faded to black.

Her vision soon shifted to the inside of a cell. She was now lying on a bed with her arms and legs now bandaged. Her injuries may have been treated but the pain wasn't gone. It was still there. Every movement she made, every muscle twitch, every breath she took felt agonizing.

A damp towel rested on her forehead. The Herrscher's eyes widened as she looked to who had rested it. It was a girl, one who she recognized despite never meeting, along with several others. "This should help, Sirin," The girl said. It didn't help physically, but the Herrscher could only barely let out a sad smile as the kindness of another soothed it.

"Thank you….Bella," Void told the girl. She wasn't the mighty dragon Void recognized. She was just a regular girl who had been kidnapped along with many others.

"What are friends for," Bella answered.

Void sat up. She turned to look at Bella who was still standing before her. She lifted up her arms to hug the other girl, but they were suddenly pulled back. The Herrscher glanced up noticing her arms were now restrained once more. When she turned to face Bella, she noticed something off.

All the girls were now starting to sway side to side. They were all coughing uncontrollably and then they started to fall, one, then two, then three. In the end, Bella remained the sole standing girl. Void called out to her and to her relief, Bella did notice her. The other girl started to walk to the Herrscher.

Void was pulled against her restraints with all her might. She managed to free one of her hands and stretched them out to Bella. The girl in question stretched her own to meet Void halfway. "That's right, we can make it out of this together," Void voiced. Bella's arm was right within her grasp before she fell. Her hand only gently touched Void's, their fingers barely grazing each other, before Bella fell flat on the ground.

"BELLA!" Void screamed. Her rage finally broke the other restraint. She rushed to Bella's side, cradling the other girl in her lap. "Bella, speak to me," Void called out as looked at the girl. "Bella please…don't leave me," Void cried, her voice breaking. Her tears streamed down her cheeks, a few drippings onto Bella's body. There was no response. The only sound to be made in the room was the weak sobs of Void echoing in the room.

"Don't you remember, all the rage, the anger, the hatred, the desire for revenge…for justice," A voice whispered. Void looked up from where she was to see a figure of pure white, sitting above her. The figure looked like a pure white version of Sirin except it lacked Sirin's eyes.

The next thing Void knew she was on a ship looking at scared Thunder…no…Mei. She could feel the rage escaping her body, leaking out of her. Portals appeared in the sky above as countless Honkai Beasts emerged to lay waste.

A swelling joy filled her chest as she witnessed the destruction be laid before her. Countless humans and their tin stood against her. They launched a barrage of attacks against, a futile resistance. With the snap of her fingers, she tears countless rifts in space, absorbing the attack. An orb appeared in her hands, the collection of the humans' trifle efforts against her. She crushed the orb and the energy spawned within several rifts; the human's attacks turned against them.

Void walked up into the air, ascending like a goddess before them. She witnessed the destruction she returned to the humans who had taken everything from her Sirin. It felt so right. The triumphant roar of her servant behind her echoed their victory.

"You loved it," The voice echoed. "You savored it," The mirage repeated to her. It was true, all the carnage that she had created, Void was proud of it. She was proud that she avenged her Sirin's friends. Even the mighty stead behind her, the dragon of destruction that served her, had been named in remembrance of one such friend. The fear she inspired. She reveled in it.

"Sirin," A voice called. Void blinked once more, and the world faded again. She was back by a snow-covered land. It was only Void and another woman with snowy white hair. It was her mother, Cecilia. "Stop this at once," Cecilia had ordered, her weapon ready.

"No, you don't understand," Void reasoned, as she held up her hands. "They need to pay," She told her mother Cecilia. "You have to let me do this," She begged.

"I won't ask again, herrscher." her mother Cecilia told her. Without warning, Cecilia charged forward.

"Do you really think, she would accept you after all that you did?" The voice whispered. "You may have taken Sirin's rage and hatred, but do you think you had anything…worth saving to Cecilia," The voice echoed. "A being made of pure hatred and anger, responsible for killing millions, what woman would take such a being as a daughter, especially when Sirin still lives, with all her kindness still intact," It whispered. "Tell me…do you even remember Sirin's life before the lab?"

"I…I don't," Void admitted. "I am only Sirin's anger and hatred." She broke as she slumped down. She tried picturing Sirin's mother in her head. All that came to the Herrscher was Cecilia. She had nothing of worth to the woman.

"Anger by itself is not wrong. To be controlled by it is," A calm voice whispered.

"So, she told you," Thunder mused as she served lunch to everyone. The ward had devolved more into a lounge area honestly with how things had gone. Everyone was relaxing, having returned from processing their thoughts. "How much did she say?" She questioned.

"She told us about her being a clone and the time travel, but not much else," Teri noted. "She did mention that you were both Valks at St. Freya," The world's number one cutie added.

"Void technically wasn't, but I was," Thunder corrected. "Void's human side was there,"

"You always speak about her as if she's two different people," Cecilia noted. "You always refer to her as Void and Void's human's side." It was a distinction that she had noticed.

"That's because there is. The Herrscher and her human side are different people as far as I'm concerned. Nothing more, nothing less," Thunder told them darkly. "Now is there anything else you all want to talk about?" She questioned, her tone shifting back instantly.

"How did you time travel?" Tesla questioned. Void's nature had shocked them, but now they had time to process it, they had a bigger and more important question. That question how the hell did they do it, a time machine, or some weird Herrscher power.

"Okay, that's easy." Thunder said. "We used Istaroth," She told them.

"What?" Tesla questioned. Istaroth? What was that? Who was that?

"Paimon," Thunder told them.

"Excuse me,"

"Emergency food," Thunder laughed. She noticed the vein forming on Tesla's head. "Sorry, I needed that." She told the redhead. "But as for the how, we can't tell you that, because if we do. Well…those are consequences I rather not face." Thunder lamented. The little fairy had made it clear she would annoy them for all eternity and then some if they mentioned her without her consent and with her powers…she could definitely follow through with it.

"So, what can you tell us?" Tesla grumbled.

"How about…my name?" Thunder noted. "The title Thunder while cool and imposing, isn't really my style. Void lives for the drama and theatrics but not me." She informed.

"You're not a clone too, right?" Teri wondered.

"No," Thunder answered before looking up wistfully. "Not that I know off anyway." Her family's company and AE were more into machines. What were the chances that Raiden Mei would have been some kind of puppet or machine made by them? She buried the thought; Void had turned her insides out way more times than she liked, but at least she knew she was human.

"Either way, I think I should formally introduce myself," Thunder told them. She walked in front of them, her Herrscher dissolving completely. "I am Raiden Mei, former B rank of St. Freya Academy." She told them as she stood at attention. "Pleasure to properly meet you all." She told them with a bow.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Mei," Cecilia said.

"Raiden Mei? You're Raiden Ryouma's daughter." Einstein realized.

"What?" Tesla realized. She then looked at Mei once more. She summoned a holographic image she had of Ryoma with his family. She held the image close to Thunder zooming in on the little girl.

"Had to believe right?" Mei noted. "That innocent little girl there became a Herrscher slayer," She whispered pointing to the happy child in the photo and then herself.

"A Herrscher slayer?" Siegfied questioned. He had recalled his wife having a similar title. Her holy blood and her training make the best counter for a Herrscher.

"I've fought and beaten, at least five Herrschers, and killed at least three of those," Mei told them.

Mei felt a little bashful as she saw the dumbstruck look of the others. She figured it must have sounded impressive. Though considering the one Herrscher she wanted to kill was still alive, she wasn't satisfied.

"Five Herrschers?" Cecilia questioned. They barely made it out against one and if Mei was old as she looked, then there was at least seven more Herrschers awakening in the next twenty years. She thought it was over, but, it had only just begun.

"The Herrschers I've beaten are Wind, Ice, Earth, Sentience, and Void." Mei elaborated.

"What about the ones you've killed?" Teri noted. It was an impressive repertoire, she wondered though if it was all solo or with a team. When they faced Sirin, Welt had done the brunt of the fighting, but still needed help.

"The ones I killed were the Herrschers of Ice, Earth, and Sentience," Mei answered. She summoned several glowing cores around her. "As you can see, these are the proof of my ability, the…spoils of war so to speak." She told them.

"Please tell me the world isn't totally destroyed in your time," Siegfied deadpanned. He had realized the implications as well and wondered just how bad things had gotten.

"Surprisingly it isn't," Mei explained. "If I recall the most destructive Herrscher to date had been Sirin with the Second Eruption," Mei told them. "No one else has matched her."

"Well, that's a relief," Tesla said. "That means we've technically had the worst of it for now."

"Still…four cores," Einstein noted as she observed the cores orbiting the Herrscher. Bella who had been quiet also noticed them, especially the core of Thunder. She recalled how it had once been the gem she had been gifted from her Master, now it was the core of her Master's greatest rival.

"A lot of the technology's improved as have the fighters," Mei noted. "Humanity hasn't given up the fight yet," She smiled. "The Herrscher of the wind had barely been around for a day or so before Anti Entropy had put her down and even then she barely did anything of note," Mei told them. Wendy was admittedly a victim in the situation, but there was no denying that her powers had paled in comparison to the ones that came later. Especially when Void used the core of wind to a far more brutal efficiency than the Wind Herrscher herself.

"The Herrschers of Ice and Earth had awakened within six hours of each other. They didn't even make it six days before they were beaten. Once again not much happened." She added.

"So, I take it we're winning then," Teri noted. "That's good."

"But at what cost?" Thunder mused. "For every victory forward, many have been lost." She noted. Wendy, Ana, Owl, Himeko, Kiana, and to an extent even Bella though she was wary of including the latter, had been lost in the fight. It was almost ironic how most of the Herrschers, were members or involved in different Anti Honkai groups, the sole exceptions being Sirin, the First Welt, and Domination. People who had dedicated themselves to ending the Honkai had been its heralds. Fate truly was a cruel mistress.

When Void opened her eyes again she was no longer out in the cold. The Herrscher was now in a bed, within a small cottage. Glancing out the window she saw nothing but snow and trees as far as the eye could see. "Huh," She wondered as she got up. "Am I…really…" She gasped as she recognized the room.

It was her Kiana's room. Void glanced to a nearby calendar and took note of the date. Today was her Kiana's birthday. Not wasting another second, Void hurried to get dressed and ran downstairs. When she arrived, she found a mountain of gifts waiting for her.

She walked past the gifts, not paying them any thought. "Hello," She called as she walked around the house. "Dad?" She wondered as she searched the living room. There was no response. She kept searching around the house but still could find him.

"Where is he?" Void wondered aloud. Surely he wouldn't just leave her alone today. Tired and hungry from all the searching, Void went back into the kitchen to eat before she continued her mission. As she was trying to make a sandwich, she noticed something in the fridge. It was a birthday cake, with no name on it.

She knew it was hers. Besides the cake, there was a note left by her father. He had gone out for the day…but he wished her a happy birthday. She stared at the cake for a moment before closing the door, crumpling the note, and throwing it into the trash. She made herself a sandwich for lunch and then sat down in the living room with nothing else to do.

She opened her gifts. There were plenty of toys and so many clothes, all for her and her alone. She tried playing with toys, but she grew bored not too long after. The clothes while pretty didn't really feel all that comfortable, even if they fit perfectly. In the end, she found herself waiting by the front door, occasionally glancing at the clock as the seconds ticked by. She waited and waited. Eventually, she passed out from boredom.

A few hours later, she was awoken by the door opening. She glanced up at the figure of her father, staggering but still standing. Delighted, she ran quickly to the kitchen, taking out the cake, along with the candles and the matches. It took her a while to find everything, but she got them.

Void cautiously walked back outside, taking care not to drop the cake. "I wanted to make sure you were…" Her voice trailed off as she looked around for her father. "here…" She lamented.

Void soon heard a few footsteps upstairs. She hurried upstairs taking care not to drop the cake. When she reached the second floor she could make out her father's figure, swaying to the side as he struggled to walk. She called to him as he entered the room but right as she was in front of the room, the shut-in front of her.

"I'm sure he's just…going to change." She told herself. "I'll just light the candles and wait," She continued. She sat opposite his door and lit the candles on the cake and waited. Any second now he was going to come out.

He never did. It was nearly midnight and the candles were starting to flicker. She was running out of time. She went to knock on his door, before stopping as she heard sobbing coming from the other side. Gently turning the knob, she peeked inside.

Void looked inside the room cautiously. She saw her father lying on the foot of his bed. Several bottles littered the floor, some spilling some awful smelling liquid. She could make it out some of the sounds in between his sobs. He was apologizing non-stop. He kept muttering the same words over and over again. "I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry." A picture frame clutched to his chest. On the picture frame, she could make out a woman and a girl, a mother, and child, both with white hair and blue eyes, her father's wife…and his daughter.

Void gently closed the door, leaving her father alone. The clock had almost struck midnight and her birthday was over at its end. She turned to where she left the cake, only to find a whited-out version of herself Kiana as a child sitting down with it. The copy was grinning at her, the candle illuminating their teeth.

"Aren't you going to make a wish?" It asked as it held the cake up in front of her. The words weren't sincere. They were mocking her. Void felt the tears forming in her eyes. It was just another average birthday for her, she thought. It had been so last year and the year before that. Why couldn't it have been like all the other kids' own…why was her birthday like this?

"Oh, don't cry…come on make a wish," The copy jeered as it placed the cake in her hand. She stared at the candle and then back at her daddy's door.

"I wish…" She whimpered, her voice cracked. "I wish Daddy loved me," She cried as she blew out the candle. She watched the smoke rise, her chest feeling a little lighter after making the wish. She was about to take a piece of cake.

"Oopsy," The figure said as they knocked her cake to the floor. "You weren't supposed to say it, now it won't come true," They cackled.

"My cake," Void cried as she kneeled to clean it up.

"Don't be sad," The figure told them. "That wasn't your cake…today isn't even your birthday." It told them.

"Yes, it is," Void countered.

"No, it isn't," It retorted. "Today…is Kiana's birthday, not yours. You don't have one," It chuckled in her face.

"I do too," She demanded. "Daddy said so,"

"Your daddy…or Kiana's daddy," It spat. "After all…you're a clone. You aren't the real daughter, you're a fake pretending to be his daughter."

"No, I'm not. I'm real." Void answered. "I'm real," She cried.

"You say that…but you are deep down you aren't." It continued.

The world shifted once more. Void found herself submerged completely in a vat of water, various cords, and tubes keeping her alive while she floated inside the container. She could hear sounds coming from outside. As she glanced up she saw other containers higher up, some were empty, and some had girls identical to herself.

"Daddy, look," A voice called. Void looked in front of her noticing another girl, identical to herself. "She looks just like me," The girl told the man, Void's her father. She saw look down, at the tube, muttering the words K423. The next thing she knew the glass broke and she was grabbed by the man.

"Come on Kiana, we got to move," The man told the girl. Kiana and the man hurried out of the building, the man carrying Void in his arms. They eventually bored a plane to escape as others came after them. However, after that, something went wrong. The plane was no longer in the air. It was on the ground, broken and the man was calling for Kiana but no one answered. Void was still in his arms.

"See, you do remember," The malicious voice returned. "The real one didn't return with him. You did. And you tried so hard, pretending she never existed, suppressing your own memories." It mocked. "I bet you thought if you tried hard enough…everyone would forget as well. That they would accept you as being the real one and act as if nothing happened."

"But…they didn't." It noted. Void said nothing. "No one forgets the original, especially not…for some cheap.. throw away… copy."

"You're wrong." Void muttered as tears streamed. "I'm as real as her. He loves me just as much as he loved her." She struggled to say.

"Then why…. did he give you… her name…Kiana," The figure said.

Void froze as she heard it. That name was the one that was always there. The one that always followed her. Even after she had put herself back together. It still haunted her. Kiana's friends still came after her, hoping to bring the girl back, regardless of if it meant killing Void or not.

"He never saw you as anything more than a replacement." It told her. "And when he realized you couldn't do it," The world changed to show a young girl with white hair all alone. "He left you."

"Just like everyone else,"

Void felt herself sinking in the snow. The world becoming colder around her. She was alone just like always. The figure was right. No one wanted her. It was just better for her to disappear.

"Yes…just disappear, once and for all," The figure said. As Void sank deeper, the figure grew, changing in shape till it was a whited version of adult Void. Its grin never shifted "Suffer no more…and give me your power." The world soon started to become dark.

"Will you shut up already, you little insect," A familiar voice called. Void glanced up to see the figure get shot twice, causing them to stagger. Then two giant pillars appear in the sky before both extend and crushed the white figure. Once the pillars parted, a giant cat's paw materialize in the air before swatting the figure into the air, a white lance following them.

"Surely you weren't actually believing those lies." Another voice, similar to Void's own, chided. The Herrscher felt two pairs of hands grabbing onto her before they pulled her out of the snow. She looked to her rescuers once they had released her, stumbling back in the process.

"It can't be," She muttered in disbelief. Two girls stood the Herrscher. One with golden eyes and purple hair, the other with blue eyes and white hair. Void knew these girls well. How could she not, they were Kiana and Sirin, the two girls she had been made from.

Chapter Text

Sometime before Void and Thunder time traveled.

Thunder stared at the object before with a scowl on her face. She was currently trying to assess whether it was a danger or not. Considering the one who had placed it, she was sure it was the former. She carefully poked it with her floating mechanical arms to make sure it wasn't rigged to explode in her face.

"Will you cut that out?" A voice growled at her from the other side of the table. A young woman with golden eyes stared back at her with a frown. "If you aren't going to eat, then I'll take it back," She threatened.

"Excuse me for being wary." Thunder answered sarcastically. "Everyone knows the only thing worse than your temper is your cooking skills," She replied in a dry tone.

"I didn't even cook it. I ordered it from a bakery in France," The young woman responded as she removed a strand of white hair from her face.

"You still could have poisoned it," Thunder noted. "Why did you even get me a cake?" She questioned. As far as she knew the woman wanted nothing more than to fight her.

"I'm no coward. I won't resort to such cheap tactics to beat you Thunder." The woman responded. "As for why I got you a cake, is it not your birthday? I thought it was custom to get someone a cake." She answered.

"I specifically told the others I didn't want to celebrate and to not bother," Thunder growled. She wasn't feeling in the mood to celebrate, especially not with golden eyes floating around the area. She didn't need that reminder.

"And you expect me to respect your wishes," Void answered. "Haven't I made it clear enough that I think very lowly of you, or should I insult you more regularly to get the point across," Void huffed.

"I ought to smash this in your face right now," Thunder snapped.

"Oh no you don't," Void grumbled. "I had to wait five hours for that to be made. You're going to eat that birthday cake and you're going to like it," Void told her. "Besides… it's sponge cake…no one here likes it besides you," She noted.

"Huh," Thunder remarked as she turned to the cake. Using her sword, she carefully sliced a piece of it before taking a bite. Much to shock it truly was a sponge cake, and it tasted good. "How did you know that's my favorite?" She questioned.

She saw Void raise an eyebrow at her. Thunder almost facepalmed at the obvious answer, kicking herself for forgetting such an obvious fact. However, that did bring another question up in her mind. "Why?" She questioned.

"Huh?" Void glanced up.

"Why did you buy this?" Thunder questioned. Even if Void did it because someone forced her. There was no need to make sure it was her favorite, not that it was delicious. For all the Herrscher of the Void could have done, was grabbed some cheap chocolate cake from a grocery store, that was more icing than actual cake.

Void frowned before letting out a sigh. "Believe it or not, it didn't take much effort. An annoying part of me instinctively knew what it was that you would like," Void grumbled. "I hadn't even realized what I had done before it was too late,"

"Kiana," Thunder whispered to herself. Perhaps she really was still…

"Don't," Void stopped her. Many different phrases would have followed that word, but Void didn't have the energy to say them. Thunder likewise didn't need her to. Kiana wasn't there…. there was only Void.

"Still," Thunder noted. "It's impressive you remember such insignificant little details." She chuckled. "One would think the favorite cake flavor of someone who frequently attempts to kill you would be something you'd forget," Thunder laughed at the absurdity.

"In case you forgot, I kick your teeth in almost regularly." Void said proudly. "Why do you think that is? It's because I know almost everything about you, unfortunately. I know your dreams, your fears, what you like, dislike, various habits, and try as I may, I can't forget them." Void lamented. "Those memories are unfortunately burnt into me, far worse than a few others."

"I can't tell whether I should be offended or not," Thunder noted. It felt rather unsettling to hear a woman who frequently tries to impale her, has such knowledge.

"Please be offended." Void said. "If you are, I'd be happy to settle this in combat." She mentioned.

"Considering how eager you seem to be. I won't." Thunder answered. "As a matter of fact, it does seem kind of nice…to know that her memories torment you so much," she told her rival Herrscher. "Even better is to know that its memories of me,"

"I have half a mind to skewer your tongue for that comment," Void sneered.

"But I'm sure another half wants to do something else with my tongue," Thunder replied coyly.

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Void asked in confusion. "You do realize what you're saying and to who you're saying it to." Void wondered.

"Believe me, I know," Thunder answered darkly. "I'm making passes at my best friend's killer. It's not exactly something I can forget so easily,"

"Well, that's a relief," Void answered. "I was starting to get worried for a second." She noted.

"Worried that I would make a move on you," Thunder wondered. "You're not my type,"

"What? You're not into the white-haired all-powerful Herrscher queen kind," Void answered. "I thought you'd prefer that to the dumb tunas,"

"I'm not into remorseless killers," Thunder noted. "As for the tunas, the only ones I knew was a kind-hearted goofball, who'd always try to save and help others, instead of just themselves."

"Whatever," Void answered. The Herrscher of the Void then chuckled slightly. "I don't even know what I was worrying about anyway."

"You have admittedly made me curious," Thunder wondered. "Why are you even concerned that I forget? I figured it would have been easier for you if I forgot what you did,"

"I'd normally tell you to buzz off, but it's your birthday so I'll humor," Void answered.

"Gee, you're so thoughtful," Thunder replied sarcastically.

"I…enjoy your hatred." Void admitted. Thunder froze at the statement, staring at her 'fellow' Herrscher.

"Excuse me," Thunder muttered.

"You heard me," Void repeated. "I enjoy you hating me," Void answered. "I love it when you try to kill me. When you have that bloodlust in your eyes as try to tear me to pieces." Void noted wistfully.

"Are you a masochist?" Thunder questioned. Void was not exactly the sanest person she met. She was a sadist in battle, and her rage was something very few had matched when she got going. Yet this was a whole new low for her.

"Not in the slightest," Void answered. "I'd rather not be in pain thank you very much, otherwise I'd actually let you stab me,"

"Huh…and you loving me trying to kill you is not masochism." Thunder deadpanned.

"Oh, it's not that I like the pain. I just like the murderous intent behind it." Void noted. "The burning rage," She smiled warmly.

"Forgive me for asking a stupid question…but…uh…why exactly do you like that," Thunder asked in confusion.

"You don't love me, not in the slightest. You feel nothing for me." Void answered. "You're hatred for me, its something…Kiana doesn't have. It's proof you view me as my own person." Void explained.

"You don't know Sirin, nor do you see me as your friend. You just see me as Void, the monster that took away your best friend," Void smiled. "Your hate is…proof of my individuality." Void told her. "A verification to me that you see me as my own person,"

"Something is seriously wrong with you," Thunder deadpanned.

"I blame the trauma, the amnesia, the split personalities, and the multiple head injuries I suffered." Void added. "But yeah, my questionable sanity aside. So long as you don't stop hating and trying to kill me, I have nothing to worry about,"

"And if I stop?" Thunder asked. "If I stop…what then?"

"Probably depression," Void answered nonchalantly. Her lips then formed a sly smirk. "But that just leaves you in paradox, doesn't it?" Void noted. "If you decide to stop hating me because I'd be depressed…I'd know you still hate me, so I won't be depressed…."

"And what if I just stop hating you all together?" Thunder mused. "What if I stop caring?"

"Can you?" Void returned. "Can you ever stop after knowing what I did? Especially to the one person you loved more than anything else, the one who was most important to you? Can you really let go of that rage so easily when I'm still right here…breathing…wearing her face?" Void chimed.

"So that's how it is?" Thunder questioned. "You just want to keep going, like this, forever and forever."

"I sincerely doubt we can fight forever, but we can try," Void noted. "But even if we don't I just want to make sure that despite everything else. You don't forget the one you loved more than anything else…or the one you should hate."

"To think you'd make even her love such a twisted thing. You truly are a monster," Thunder answered.

"Probably," Void answered. "So, after hearing all that…do you…feel anything different?"

"I will still dislike you regardless of what you do," Thunder answered. "Even if you may have gotten one of the better-tasting birthday cakes. It means nothing to me."

"Good…cause now…I'm going to take out all my frustration for those annoying memories of your previous birthdays still lingering inside," Void shouted as she stood up. Thunder reacted first launching the cake into Void's face. "You little…" Void was cut off by a tingling sensation in her stomach. She looked down noticing the giant red blade impaled on her torso.

"It had way too much sugar," Thunder smirked before she flung Void out of the window in an arc of lightning before chasing after her. She was going to enjoy ripping her a new one. Especially after that insult to her memories with Kiana.

Chapter Text

"So, what else can you tell us about the future?" Teri inquired. She had a feeling she knew some events. Heck, the two Herrschers didn't even bother hiding some of the details about their existence. The whole 'preserve the past' idea seemed to have been thrown out the window, especially if they were involved in saving Sirin and Cecilia.

"That depends, what do you want to know?" Mei answered. The information she had wasn't as useful as the group would need. They had already made huge alterations not just with Sirin but with Teri, the Kaslana's, and AE as well. She could already tell the interactions between the scientists and her father would change now.

"With the ripples taking place, many of the future events might not happen," Einstein rationalized. "However, the information we can still use does need to be limited to those specific situations. Do you have any knowledge of the technology used from your timeline?" Einstein questioned.

"Asking for cheat sheets, mophead. Don't you have any pride?" Tesla sneered. To think she would resort to stealing the knowledge of future inventors. "Besides I doubt some of those two-bit scientists can even hope to compete with us."

"Do I know anything about the future tech?" Mei repeated as she pondered the ideas. "I know what some devices can do, but not how they do it." She admitted. "Although…I'm guessing it might explain why your future selves gave me this." Mei noted as she took out a pen drive. She tossed it over to Einstein who immediately plugged it into her tablet.

The screen lit up as Einstein accessed the files. They were encrypted but considering it was Einstein and Tesla themselves who had encrypted it, it was no harder than a simple login. "What in the world?" She muttered as she saw the various files.

"Huh, what are you looking at? Lemme see," Tesla demanded when she noticed Einstein's shocked expression.

"Is it really cheating if your future selves are the ones who came up with the idea?" Mei questioned. No one knows better than yourself after all. She sincerely hoped if she had to meet a younger Mei and heaven forbid that Mei has a herrscher, that she would be able to help her younger self and her Herrscher.

"Mei,"

The Herrscher of Thunder persona that had resided within her had been annoying. It had caused her trouble for years. However, despite the issues it had brought, Mei had realized too later how much the Herrscher had cared for her. She just didn't know how to show it to her in a human way. Even now that persona had relinquished itself to her, she still wished it hadn't.

"Mei,"

It was another person to add to the list of people she longed to meet once more but couldn't. Her Kiana was gone and would never exist here, her Herrscher persona would hopefully follow suit. It pained her to think, that some of the closest people she had, were only there because of pain and despair. If they managed to track and save a yet-to-be-born Bronya, how would the girl's life play out then?

"Mei,"

This world's Mei would have none of those; no Kiana, no Bronya, no Herrscher persona, and no St. Freya.

"Mei," Cecilia shouted. The Herrscher blinked as her trail of thoughts was disrupted.

"Huh," Mei noted. She had been spacing out.

"Are you okay?" Teri questioned. "You seem to have been spacing out."

"Oh, I was?" Mei questioned. "Sorry about that." She apologized. "I was just thinking." She tried to play it off. She then looked to the scientists, an idea forming in her mind.

"Do you think you can work on the labor of Olympus for me?" Mei questioned the scientists. Einstein looked up before typing into the search bar. Suffice to say the file they pulled up was not one they had expected, if their wide-eyed stares were anything to go by.

"What is this?" Tesla gaped.

"It's a weapon you designed, for the first and so far only male Valk in St. Freya," Mei answered. "Of course, it was made, 8 years ahead of my time." She noted.

"Wait what do you mean by ahead of your time?" Siegfied questioned.

"The time travel wasn't easy," Mei noted. "We ended up going to a few alternate timelines, be it different versions of our present or future. Don't ask what they are…some of them make sense only if you know the context of my own timeline and explaining all these possible futures is as simple as explaining color to a color-blind individual."

"Heck in one timeline…Teri wasn't a clone. She was legitimately Otto's biological granddaughter….and she was an adult, weirdest timeline ever." She laughed.

"What?" Teri questioned. "Do you have a photo or anything?" She questioned.

"Sure," Mei said as she took out her phone and handed it to Teri. "Password is Tuna," She told the yet-to-be principal.

"Tuna?" Theresea question.

"Don't judge me," Mei growled. "Tunas are wonderful, especially blue-eyed tunas, they are much better than goldeneye ones."

"Okay," Teri said as she typed the password. The first thing she saw upon unlocking it was a picture of Mei and a girl who looked just like Kiana albeit older. It didn't take much to realize this probably was human Void since the latter was a clone. Human Void had been hugging Mei, who was looking for a lot happier in the photo. A stark contrast to the relationship Void had now with the Herrscher of Thunder.

For the most part, Teri quickly hid her own emotions. From what she had seen human Void had been a sore spot and she didn't want to risk angering Thunder/Mei with this just yet. When the Herrscher was ready she'd tell them. Teri meanwhile just scrolled through the gallery before looking for what she assumed was her older self.

"What the hell?" She noted as she saw what she assumed was herself. Or rather…the live-action version of Kallen Kaslana. "Is this me?" She questioned Mei.

"Yep," Mei answered. "One of the most popular and influential women on the planet, Theresea Apocalypse," Mei noted. "I believe there was a period where you had even been called, 'the World's sexiest woman'." Mei tried to recall.

"This is so unfair," Teri lamented. "Does height really make all that big a difference," She whined as she handed Mei back her phone.

"I mean for what it's worth…that version of you isn't even good enough to be a D rank Valk," Mei tried to console. "She's a real pushover. I am sure if you and her fought, you'd easily mop the floor with her."

"It's too late for that," Teri sighed. "The damage is done."

"But you're still this World's Number One Cutie," Cecilia added as she patted Teri's back.

"Yeah…Aunt Teri is way prettier than that lady," Kiana added. She didn't understand what the fuss was about, but Aunty looked sad, so she would make it up to her. "Right Daddy?" Kiana asked for reassurance. "Daddy?" She called again when she didn't get a response.

"Huh…oh yeah…Teri is definitely cuter…than that…older …more mature version of herself," Siegfied lied. It didn't take long for a few people to notice the…lacking truth in his words. Siggy found himself getting a few…less than friendly glances from his wife and Teri. "Oh…what do you know…I need to suddenly go to the toilet," He lied once more as he placed Kiana to the side before fleeing the room.

"Suddenly…I don't mind being short," Teri noted. The notion that Siggy was attracted to her. It sent chills up her spine. She would have rather faced 14 Herrschers than face that reality.

"Well, I'm glad you're accepting it," Cecilia said. "I much prefer you as my own adorable little sister that never grows up anyway," She chimed as she hugged Teri, just a little too tightly.

"Glad to hear it,"

"Should we tell them, that if Theresea is Otto and Kallen's biological descendant, then chances are she and Siegfied might be along the lines of cousins," Einstein asked her fellow scientists.

"It never stopped people from Alabama, what makes you think it will stop them. They already have a 'daughter' who overcame time travel to save them." Tesla noted.

"Fair point," Einstein answered.

"Humans are weird," Bella chimed at the toddler who was now in her lap. "What does Master see in them?" She asked Kiana.

"I don't know, adults never make sense," Kiana added as she kept Bella's claws…eh…hands on top of her head. The little girl enjoyed the dragon's fingers massaging her scalp.

"Hey, where did Thunder go?" Kiana noted as she looked around for her cool cooking big sis.

Thunder had already snuck out of the room. The awkwardness of everything had been the perfect opportunity to slip away. She was going to the kitchen to cook something, whatever it was, she had no idea, all she knew was that she needed to do it. If only to distract herself.

"Hey old hag," A voice called out. Mei immediately froze in her tracks. She mentally cursed herself once she recognized the owner. It was pointless to fake a smile, but Mei did so anyway as she turned around. She stared at the pair of red eyes glancing back at her, a cocky grin on their face and long flowing grey hair.

"You got a lot of nerve, lying about killing the strongest, most awesome, Herrscher ever." They added. "And especially to the little kid, I thought you had actual standards."

"Come now Senti," Thunder snarked. "You're the one stuck as a core. So, who's really lying here?" She questioned.

"You and Void cheated me," Senti argued. "You double-teamed me." She whined. "I would have beaten you both had it been a solo fight."

"You tried to ambush us while we are fighting each other. We were worn down and exhausted and you still lost." Thunder chuckled.

"I guess in hindsight I should have just one of you kill the other before making my move," Senti pondered absentmindedly.

"Did you really come here to whine about my lies or is there something else you want? If it's anything stupid, I'll send you right back to your core," Thunder threatened.

"Sheesh, okay Mom," Senti joked. "I only wanted to make sure you weren't thinking about doing something stupid, like starting the third Eruption." The other Herrscher admitted.

"Is that all?" Thunder pondered. "I'll let the mom joke slide for a moment. I have no intention of repeating those…. tragic events." Thunder noted. "I've accepted what's happened to me and my friends. Like Void I just wish my younger self would have a normal life now." She admitted.

"A life outside of the Honkai," Senti muttered.

"Yes," Mei explained. "A life outside of it all. No Herrscher side, no powers, no fighting a never-ending war, and no more loss," She told Yatta.

"It will all disappear though…the happiness and the grief," Senti noted. "You save her from the pain, and she will never find the joy you once did," Senti added. "You'd be robbing her."

"Robbing her what?" Mei questioned in a low voice. "I've seen the future. It never mattered whether Void existed or not. I still lose her." Mei told the Herrscher. "She either gets assimilated into Void or she sacrifices herself to seal the Honkai away on the moon," Mei growled. "My Kiana is already not going to exist here. I might as well take away the rest of her pain. Otherwise…without Kiana…she will…I will…" Mei choked up.

"You really had to be a pig head about this, you old hag." Senti sighed. She understood what Mei wanted. She's spent enough time inside her heart to know. "Don't expect me to help though," She added. "Ice and Earth may submit to your will, but you should know I won't listen so easily," Senti warned.

"Well then I'm lucky I never had to rely on your abilities before," Mei said as she turned to leave. She had one annoying Herrscher to deal with in the real world. She didn't need another in her head. She often wondered how Void got her cores to submit; Wendy was already taking a liking to Kiana and the others had yet to be fully awakened. Domination for sure must have been hell to control.

Senti didn't say anything, merely fading out of existence slowly. "No, but I know for sure you relied on me for other things," Senti grimaced as she finally flickered out, returning to the core within the Thunder Herrscher. It was a place between life and death for her, just being…a sentient core…but it still beats living with the old-timer.

Void stared up with wide eyes at the two girls before. Kiana and Sirin, her light and her darkness made real. Kiana flashed her a warm smile while Sirin merely scowled at her. The Kaslana girl extended out an arm, but Void merely scooted backward.

"You're not real," Void muttered. They couldn't be here. They can't be here.

"And why wouldn't we be?" Sirin chastised as she walked up and pulled Void to her feet. Sirin's fist quickly made contact with Void's nose. The latter fell back once more in pain. "Is that proof enough for you?" She spat.

"Sirin!" Kiana shouted as she rushed to Void's side, the herrscher still holding her nose in pain.

"What? She had it coming. She was starting to act like an idiotka, dammit, I mean idiot." Sirin grumbled. "Believing those lies like some naïve little fool. Pathetic insect."

"Well, I mean yeah," Kiana said as she helped Void to her feet once more. "But at least warn her first why you're doing it," She informed before turning to Void. "Like this. Are you blind to what dad did for us?" Kiana shouted as she grabbed Void by the collar and headbutted her to the ground once more. "See," she said as she turned to Sirin.

"Fair enough," Sirin answered as she and Kiana turned to face Void who was once again on the floor. "Had enough or should we keep going?" Sirin questioned as a few ghostly arms appeared above her, cracking their knuckles.

"Well, the punch felt real…but I don't understand…how…. are you two here?" Void wondered.

Kiana and Sirin looked at each once more before shrugging and turning to Void. "Don't know," Kiana answered with a nervous laugh.

"So, I've officially lost my mind." Void answered. "I knew it would happen eventually."

"Don't you go jumping to insanity as the solution just yet," Sirin scolded. "Regardless of the how, I think we all know why we're here." She informed them.

"Uh…we do?"Kiana muttered.

"Yes, you dolt. We're here to beat some sense into our 'younger' sister." Sirin growled.

"You mean metaphorically right?" Void questioned. There was a short moment of silence among the trio. "You meant metaphorically…. right?" Void asked once more.

"Uh maybe…" Kiana said. "I mean you clearly ignored the obvious," She informed. "Like how things got better with dad,"

"Or how merciful mom was," Sirin added. "I mean…I caused an apocalypse, and the woman forgave me and give me cake." She noted. "She's too good for this world."

"That wasn't your fault," Void noted. "The Honkai had misled you and you were taking out your rage on everything." She argued.

"And you didn't," Sirin noted. "It misled you as it did me. Took advantage of our pain to cause further suffering. Do you think Mom wouldn't understand?" Sirin questioned.

"She'd stop us. She'd be wary of us. She'd be afraid of what we can do." Void muttered.

"But she'd understand, and she'd love us regardless," Sirin answered. "Especially when she sees the guilt and remorse eating you,"

"But I still want it." Void muttered. "I still want to let it out…to scream and to destroy it all. I want to set this world on fire more than anything else. To purge it off all those wretched worms."

"I know," Sirin trailed the echo leaving her voice. "I know better than anyone why you have those feelings; why you have my feelings."

"I don't want to lose everything around me, not when I now have so much." Void muttered.

"I know," Sirin added. "I gave you my hatred and my rage."

"I accepted it." Void corrected. "I acted on it. I took it to use myself."

"If there is anyone mom should be mad at…it's me," Sirin admitted. "Dead as I may be, I am to blame for this, giving you that pain and that hurting."

"Sirin," Kiana whispered. "You're an idiotka," She added. Kiana then sucker-punched Sirin in the face.

"What the hell!" Sirin screamed. "Why are you hitting me?"

"We're supposed to be cheering up Void. Not getting depressed ourselves." Kiana scolded. "Besides…I thought we agreed most of the bad stuff that happened to us can be blamed on Otto and the Honkai." Kiana grumbled.

"I was pointing out how it wasn't her fault, that it was mine. How is that going to make her feel bad?" Sirin argued.

"Your pain is not something to undersell," Kiana admitted. Her eyes glowed a gentle blue before dimming. "Besides you're not the one to blame for Void's predicament," Kiana noted.

"If you're going to say it's your fault then save it," Void interrupted. "I already know how this will go, Kiana. You'll say I was never meant to replace you and I should have been my own person, instead of basically being a replacement for you. That dad should have raised me as someone else instead of Kiana."

"It's not wrong, Void," Kiana added. She didn't deny she was going to say those words. She had echoed them to Void many times before.

"I know," Void sighed. "But what else was there for me," Void questioned. "I want to live my life on my own terms…but I can't shake these feelings." Void admitted.

"It just keeps…coming back to this." Void said. "I declare proudly that I'm my own person, yet I found myself slipping back into these patterns. It had been easier claiming them as my parents…when they couldn't deny it." She informed.

"It's always easier to assume that with every small action you do after their death; you keep their love. Now that they are alive, I'm in front of them, they can judge and hate me. What if they don't care for me…after everything I did?"

"Dad died for you," Kiana answered sadly. "He died in your arms, just barely regaining his humanity." She recalled. Siegfied had been forced into his Honkai Beast form, the power of their bloodline surging within him.

It had turned him into a single-minded monster whose only goal had been to purge the Honkai, the beasts…and the Herrscher he called a daughter. He had been set loose on Void. Void didn't fight back, choosing to run, not because she was powerless, but because she wouldn't dare hurt him again.

"He recognized you as his daughter, stopping himself even when his mind was almost destroyed. He gave you Shamash and told you how much he loved you." Kiana added. "Do you think he'd do that…if he saw you as only a replacement?" Kiana told Void.

"That's a different Siegfied. This one never got to know me," Void told them.

"Then let him know you….the real you," Sirin shouted, her eyes glimmering slightly flickering from gold to blue. "He's just as accepting as Cecilia. He will give you a chance."

"And if he doesn't? What then?" Void asked.

"Then we annoy him till he does," Kiana admitted. "He's a strong but kind-hearted man. He'll wear down eventually and then…you can prove yourself once more…why you are Kaslana."

"You two…." Void sighed once more. "Troublesome as usual but still always being somewhat helpful to me…even when I don't deserve it." Void lamented. "I wish you both were really here…but I suppose this is close enough," She smiled sadly.

"We know," They both answered. Void hugged her sisters once more, surprising them by the action before she released them. She then gazed behind them.

"It must be pretty bothersome to have to help a loss welp like me. Isn't that right Andrius?" Void muttered as she looked behind the duo.

The snow picked up as a pure ghostly form of the Great Wolf emerged behind the duo. The duo didn't even turn to acknowledge him, instead, appearing as nonchalant as ever. "Forgive my intrusion," Andrius apologized "but it looked like you need help."

"A little guidance is never a bad thing," Void smiled. "You've done it before…but at the time, the people were different."

"I assume the situation was different as well," Andrius added.

"It was," Void admitted as she looked at these versions of Kiana and Sirin. The two had slowly started to freeze over, becoming statues of ice. "Yet even if they are your constructs…they exist within me. They are still me in a sense."

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," Andrius pondered. However, before they could continue his ears perked up as they heard footsteps approaching. He looked up and growled slightly at the intruder, the white copy of Void. The Herrscher turned to face her copy as well. Her eyes narrowed back at them.

"It seems I underestimated that dog of yours." The creature exclaimed. "You were so close to breaking until he showed up and them." It remarked as it mentally shattered the statues. "So close."

"I was," Void admitted her rage now burning once more. The familiar feeling of hatred and destruction was surfacing once more. "I've survived countless battles where the worse has happened to my body…yet reliving those memories…was the most horrifying experience I ever had." She growled. "And I intend to pay you back by making you nothing more than lost a memory," Void declared.

"You think you can beat me. The Will of the Honkai," The figure laughed. "I am inevitable. I will never be just a memory to you."

"Will of the Honkai…don't make me laugh," Andrius chuckled. "I recognize your power well. It's akin to my first master." He noted.

"What are you talking about?" The creature tried to deny it. "I am the Will of the Honkai." It told them. "You won't defeat me so easily. You will give me your power and forfeit your lives," It told them…almost pleading.

"It's over Domination," Void called out. She saw the figure tense as they realized the predicament they were in, before simply deciding to smile more albeit it was more forced.

"Did you figure it out on your own, or did he help you?" Dominator questioned. It knew what was coming now, but it could try to stall things out. Maybe it could get in her good graces.

"Honestly…I just learned it like two seconds ago," Void admitted. "But now that I know you aren't God…I'm going to enjoy this," Void smiled evilly. "You wanted to make me scream right. You wanted to take my power while you trapped me in an eternal nightmare."

"I'll make sure…you get what you want." Void said as she snapped her fingers. Several cubes appeared around her partner's ear as she started to inhale a lot of wind. The Core the Wind heeding her aid. "Now…"

"DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Void screamed. A shockwave echoed with the area, shaking the world violently. The Earth cracked as the various trees were uprooted and the sky was shattered. The Herrscher of Domination had not been as lucky as the environment around him as he felt the power of Void's enhanced scream rips their disguised form to pieces.

The attack continued for a few more moments before Void's scream died down. She walked to the hunched back body of the Herrscher of Domination. One of Shamash's guns materializes in her hand. She pointed the gun at Domination's head.

"Beat me once, shame on you, beat me twice, shame on me. What is beat me thrice?" Domination laughed.

"You won't get a thrice. I let you live because I thought you were like Senti…but after this."

"All hail the Queen, right?." Domination chided.

Shamash glowed as it fired at the Herrscher of Domination, destroying her body completely leaving only nothing but the core. "Checkmate," Void answered. The core floated up to her before phasing into her body.

Void's eyes soon snapped open, revealing herself back in the arena with Andrius snuggled around her.

"Nice job…sis," Two voices called out, congratulating Void. She knew who they were and thanked them, before turning to the last one.

"Have you made peace with yourself?" Andrius questioned.

"The Herrscher of Domination is no more," Void answered.

"That wasn't the question," Andrius growled. It was not meant to sound mean, just a way wolves speak but it certainly sounded like he was agitated.

"Domination used my own fears and doubts." She informed. "Even if I beat them, those feelings still remain…but I think I'm ready to face them." She told the Wolf. "It's what Sirin and Kiana would have wanted."

"I am glad." Andrius told her.

"Even if they were your constructs…they were made from me. Incomplete but still real," Void muttered.

"That is always the case," Andrius muttered. To reach in and bring forth those closest to aid. A power he developed over the years, refining the former powers of domination. "From what I gleamed, those two had suffered quite a bit, as have you,"

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," Void answered. "I'm one of the most powerful beings on the planet because I could keep getting back up,"

"Power is an inflated notion," Andrius answered. "A peaceful and content life with your loved ones…that's what many should aspire for."

"I suppose so," Void answered. That's what she wanted more than anything else. Wolves were notorious for their packs and Andrius was no different.

"I am still happy; you and those two girls will get a chance to start anew." He added. "Once they recover…may I see you sisters in this timeline?" He requested.

"Of course, Andrius…I'm sure Kiana will love to pet all this…fluff." Void mentioned. "I know I do," She thought.

"Then I shall not keep you any longer," Andrius motioned. "Fair well…Void. Till we meet again," Andrius howled as he disappeared into the fog. This mist soon dispersed in a small light show leaving Void in the middle of the empty arena.

"Till we meet again, Dominator of the Wolves" Void whispered. She then turned around to warp back to base. Her powers were restored and her mind was calmer than before.

Chapter Text

Void reappeared in a hallway in the base. Suffice to say it was empty as she was hoping. She was about to head back to the others when she sensed someone approaching. Before she could even react a figure had tackled her to the ground.

"Master," The voice cheered. "You're back," Bella cried as she landed on top of Void. The Herrscher cracked a smile at her silly dragon, before patting her on the head. "I was so worried when you just disappeared." She exclaimed before realizing the situation. Bella immediately stood back up looking embarrassed. Void let out a soft chuckle as she floated back up.

"Forgive me for my brash behavior," Bella quickly apologized.

"Relax, Bella," Void laughed. "It's no trouble at all." She told the dragon.

"Big sis," A tiny voice cheered. Void looked down to see the young Kaslana had accompanied the dragoness. "We were looking all over for you," Kiana informed. "Where have you been?" She questioned.

Void hesitated for a second before forcing a smile. "I was just catching up with an old friend." She told Kiana. "We…lost track of time," She told the younger girl.

"An old friend," Bella thought as she tried to figure out who it was. She then took a little sniff of her Master before her eyes opened wide. "Oh, no." She gasped. She didn't know the smell personally but she recognized the scent of the other Honkai Beast on her Master.

"You're replacing me," Bella said in a panicked voice. She recalled the few memories she had witnessed of her Master and that…that big dog. "You were seeing that mutt…weren't you master. I knew it I'm not worthy of you," She lamented.

"Was she always this overdramatic?" Void thought, not realizing the hypocrisy of that statement.

"Relax Bella, I'm not replacing you." Void tried to console. "I just figured that since you'd be staying with Sirin, I should probably look for another stead, to avoid overworking you," She explained.

"But Master Void…I can serve both you and Master Sirin," Bella argued.

"And burn yourself out." Void retorted. "No thanks, I much rather that you don't work yourself to death," Void added. She didn't need Bella exhausting herself once again for her sake.

Memories of being beaten down and bloodied returned to the Herrscher as she had been brought to the mercy of the humans once more. She had fought a good fight and had been at her limit. They would have taken her had it not been for Bella, ever loyal Bella, flying back to her even after Void warped her to safety.

The dragon had fought till the end, Void's own consciousness had been slipping as Bella kept fighting against the humans. When the Herrscher had woken up after, Thunder had awakened, and her dragon had been taken. That had been the day Void would never forget, nor would Thunder.

"You're better off hiding and protecting Sirin," Void told the dragon.

"I can still protect you both." Bella continued to defy.

"Do I look like I need your protection?" Void snapped. Bella winced at the sudden shift in tone. Void sighed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled," She apologized immediately. "Just don't risk yourself nonsensically for me," Void told her.

"If you want to do something for me Bella…then promise me you'll live to grow up with Sirin and Kiana." She told the dragon. "Those two are going to need you a lot more than me," Bella was about to comment once more but Void stopped. "Please Bella," Void pleaded.

"Okay, but only because you order me to Master," Bella answered. Void almost laughed at that statement. She may agree to follow the orders, but Void knows well enough. Bella won't follow any orders that prioritize herself above her Master.

"Good, now as for you," Void said as she turned to little Kaslana. Void lifted up her little sister before meeting her at eye level. She then blew a raspberry into the girl's neck. Kiana giggled at this as Void continued. When the Herrscher finally stopped she could see the girl smiling and laughing, and Void followed suite.

"I must say this is quite a sight," A voice called behind them. Void turned around to see none other Siegfied, smiling at them. Kiana quickly jumped out of the Herrscher's arms before running towards her daddy. "Hey, baby girl," He cooed as held her up.

Void and Bella looked on. This felt right. No fighting, no worries, just them all existing together, laughing and smiling. Void glanced at her dad and her little 'sister'. These were the moments she wanted. However, even the most touching moments can be interrupted, especially by the grumble of a few stomachs.

"What was that?" Bella questioned.

"That was his stomach," Void laughed. "What's the matter, old man? Isn't Thunder feeding you all?" She questioned.

"Hehe…well we hadn't exactly felt like eating," Siegfied answered. "She had made lunch for us, but we only took a few bites. We were…more preoccupied thinking about things," He explained.

"Oh," Void realized.

"Now don't look so down," Siegfied tried to assure her. "It's not your fault. I quicker blame that bas-…sorry that bad man Otto than you," Siegfied corrected as he recalled the little tyke in his arms.

"That doesn't mean I'm not somewhat responsible," Void admitted. "I did spring all this on you all."

"We asked," Siegfied corrected.

"Still…. let me make it up to you," Void told him.

"How exactly?" Siegfied questioned.

"Lemme cook dinner for you all," Void answered. Kiana and Bella's faces immediately warped to one of sheer horror at the mention of Void and cooking. However, neither's horrified looks were acknowledged as Siegfied blissfully unaware agreed to allow Void to commit more crimes against humanity and nature.

Elsewhere in the base….

Kurikara stared at its master in confusion. She visited after a while, her intentions being, to clean Kurikara, but the dragon knew there was something more. Despite what others thought it was far cleverer than most realized. It knew its master was not in the best of moods. The dragon however did not voice its thoughts letting its master act as she wanted, it would just wait for when it was needed.

The dragon was doused with water as the giant hands of its master sought to clean it. The dragon had witnessed these very hands rip and maim other beasts like itself, but it had never once experienced the pain they could inflict. Instead, these arms were gentle, tenderly caring for the beast. They weren't as soft as the master's actual hands though.

Eventually, the bath was finished, much to the Dragon's delight, but that was not why it was happy. Its master's mood was lifted somewhat. The sorrow still existed but it can feel an opening beginning to form. "Master," It whispered silently through the link they shared. "Is something bothering you?" It questioned.

"Kurikara," Its master whispered. "How long have you served me?" Master inquired.

"Since I was born my lady," The dragon responded. Since it awoke within the carcass of the Void Herrscher's dragon, it had served under Thunder and it would continue to serve her, till it could no longer do so.

"That's right," Master told it. "You've served me since you were born," She repeated. There was a brief pause. Within that moment it could feel the emotions stir within her master. "Tell me, would you serve me…if I weren't a Herrscher?" Its master questioned.

This caught the dragon by surprise. Its master had always been a Herrscher to it. Even though it knew there was a time when she wasn't one, the dragon still found the idea had to believe, yet despite this…it knew the answer well. "Yes Master, Herrscher or not, I will serve you," It answered.

"That's good," Master answered. It could feel the mood lighten somewhat. Master was pleased and so would the dragon be. However Master once again posed another question for it. "Would you serve me…if I didn't have any memories of you? If I didn't know you; if you were free to leave and do as you please? Would you still serve me?" Master asked once more.

"Till the end of time," Kurikara answered. "I am forever your eternal servant," The dragon stated proudly.

"You're my only follower," Master giggled.

"Then I know for sure I am the best," Kurikara responded chuckling slightly.

"Fair enough," Master noted. "Alright, my second to the last question." She told the dragon. "Tell me…would you serve me…even if I was someone completely different," Master asked.

This time she did puzzle the dragon. "I'm not sure, I understand," Kurikara responded. "When will Master…not be Master?" She questioned.

"You are aware of this journey through time we have undertaken," Master replied. "We have met versions of me that are radically different people, they have led different lives, and experience different things." She informed. "Would you be willing to serve any of those other versions of me?" She rephrased the question.

This caused the dragon to pause, as it carefully considered the answers to the question. On one hand, all these alternatives were still its master in some form or the other. Yet it had seen Master fight against some of the other forms, friendly or not. A complex problem to answer, either of the obvious responses could be seen as betrayal, but it knew deep down the true answer.

"So long as it is by your orders, then I shall serve you regardless of what may happen. Whether you have no powers or no memories, my loyalty is you alone," It answered.

"Clever dragon," Master praised. It could feel a happiness welling in her and at that moment Kurikara felt so as well. However, it was not prepared for what would be asked next.

"Kurikara," Master called. "Here is my final question. Will you be willing to serve and protect, this world's version of Raiden Mei instead of me?" She questioned. Kurikara's eyes widened at this one.

"Master, don't you mean alongside you?" Kurikara tried to correct it. Surely it had misheard her. Master merely shook her head.

"No, Kurikara, I meant instead." Master answered. "Raiden Mei's a lonely girl, she needs someone who will stand by her side regardless of circumstance." She elaborated.

"Forgive my rudeness, but why do I need to leave you?" Kurikara questioned. It didn't want to leave her side.

"I don't think I can face them," Master answered. "The Kaslana's are a special case, but if I try meeting my own family….I…." She trailed off. Kurikara didn't need to sense her emotions, it just knew what needed to be done.

Lowering its head, it gently nuzzled the Herrscher before licking her cheeks. "Hehe…you're like a dog, you know that," Master laughed. "Loyal and caring as ever, even to a horrible Master," She added.

"You are not horrible," Kurikara scolded.

"I am Kuri," Master answered. "I pushed everyone away all for the sake of revenge. I spat on the ideals of those closest to me, for the sake of my own. I let myself become consumed with a delusion." She mustered.

"I have taken advantage of everyone who has ever shown me kindness." She lamented. "Even now, I take advantage of your loyalty," She told the dragon.

Master soon began to laugh, not one of joy, but one of cynicism and maniacal. "Do you know Kurikara…when I awakened as a Herrscher for the first time….I zombified an entire city?" She told the dragon. Kurikara nodded, it knew this story well, the third eruption. "Do you know…that among those people…was my own father?" She added.

"You were not in control," Kurikara quickly defended. "You were young and inexperienced."

"That may be so, but I still did it," Master told it. "My father died due to my own powers. How can I face him with that knowledge?" She questioned.

"My original reaction had been to jump off a roof. Let myself fall and end this story…but Kiana wouldn't let me. She believed I was worth saving." Master explained. "So was Major Himeko,"

"I entertained the idea at first Kurikara. I tried to be a hero for them." Master continued. "I fought to become a Valk and to save the world…but the more I fought the more I lost. Eventually, I lost even them,"

"I was too weak to do anything then. I still hate myself for not being strong enough when it mattered…but that's changed now. I am stronger now." She mused.

"But I realized something…I was never meant to be a hero. I only ever did it for them." She noted. "and when they were gone….I fell apart."

"Do you know…the day you were born…. was the first day I had smiled and laughed in a long time," Thunder frowned as she looked up. Bella Benares had been thoroughly removed from the world and in its stead stood Kurikara, but Void couldn't accept that. She remembered the desperate look in Void's eyes as her rival beat her down, screaming till her throat bled.

Nothing else had mattered to her at that point. Whether she lived or die, whether the world survived or not, it didn't matter. All that mattered was Void's pain. She was content. The Second Herrscher would have finally killed her, but what would that do. Nothing, Thunder had won, and Void lost.

Except….

Void didn't kill her that day. She never asked why. Void just didn't kill her. She left Thunder alive after that battle, and whether it was intentional or not, that worse. It was worse because now Thunder was left with time to think. She had won but then what. All she had left was an emptiness and the feeling of her sins crawling on her back.

"Your birth had brought me so much joy…but the circumstances were far from what a decent person would approve of." Thunder hadn't even cared for the dragon beside her at the time, ignoring and neglecting it. Yet the creatures were persistent and eventually…Kurikara wore her down.

"The truth of the matter is that I was never a good person, the Honkai powers within me just made it clearer." She noted. "But you…are," She told the dragon.

"You're much better than me," Thunder noted. "And perhaps with someone like you around…Raiden Mei can be a better person as well. She can be someone…greater than me."

"I will do my best," Kurikara answered. "I just have one question." The dragon noted.

"Ask away,"

"How am I supposed to look after her in my current form? I imagine the humans will not be as tolerant of my presence in this current state." Kurikara noted.

"That's true…" Thunder noted. "Don't you have a humanoid form like Bella?" Thunder asked.

"Ehe…no. I do not." Kurikara answered shamefully.

"Oh well no worries…I'll just figure out how to turn you into a human girl…how hard can it be?" Thunder mused.

Very hard.

"So, what are you planning on making for us?" Siegfied questioned as they entered the kitchen. For whatever reason Thunder had left it alone. He had loved her cooking, but he was now curious about Void's. Surely she couldn't be as bad as he was.

"I'm not a fancy cook like Thunder," Void warned. "So don't expect anything too extravagant. I'll make something far simpler." She smiled as she snapped her fingers. Much to their amazement, they saw the space warp as the various ingredients were laid before them. "Pizza Toast," she told them.

"Pizza," Bella muttered.

"Toast," Kiana finished.

"Haha…that's great. I haven't had that in ages," Siegfied laughed. The last time he had really eaten pizza toast was when he was still traveling before he met Cecilia. It was one of the few things he could make somewhat decent.

"Why don't you let me help you?" He offered to the Herrscher. "I'm sure I can give you some pointers," He smiled.

"I…" Void stuttered. "I would like that a lot actually." Void admitted with a smile. "Why don't you start pasting the bread while I chop the vegetables?" She told him.

"Sounds like a plan," He answered.

Bella and Kiana watched from afar as the two cooked. They sat near the door with the dragoness ready to bolt with the child, should things go south. Fortunately, it seemed like two adults wouldn't burn down the base…this time. They were able to prepare the food like somewhat competent people, however that soon changed when it came time to bake the Pizza Toast.

"So now we just put it in the oven to bake," Siegfied noted as he lifted a tray with a batch. Void had other plans though as she warped the tray back in front of them. "Alright…what gives?" He questioned.

"While the oven might be good, I have heard of a faster way," Void smiled as she opened another portal. Siegfied was surprised to see what she pulled out, Shamash.

He quickly checked on his person and to his surprise, he found only one of his pistols. Void didn't say anything, her eyes glancing down at the gun in his hands before she gestured to the other tray. He smiled in response before taking aim at one tray with Void aiming at the other.

"Is that really a good idea?" Bella questioned. She had recalled vaguely of those guns had been used before. She didn't know whether to be impressed or disturbed by the implications of it doubling as cooking appliances.

"All you need is to be gentle," Void assured. "Just ease your finger on the trigger and…" both the Herrscher and the knight clicked the weapon. A steady stream of fire erupted from the nozzle before covering the bread. When the stream died down there were now two trays of fully cooked…if slightly burnt Pizza toast.

"Presto," Siegfied said as they looked over at the tray. Kiana looked in awe and disbelief. Surely these two couldn't have made something that smelt so good. She was about to reach for a slice, but Siegfied stopped her. "Careful baby girl, it's still hot. You might burn yourself." He warned.

"Here let me take out some for you," Void told them. She snapped her fingers and like magic, four plates appeared on the table, with four of the slices landing on top of them.

"That never stops being impressive," Siegfied commented as he reached for a slice to take a bite. "Ouch…still hot…still hot." He cried as he went to rinse his tongue.

"Careless old man," Void huffed. She then looked over to Kiana and Bella's plates, put her own and Siegfied beside them. "You're supposed to blow on it to cool it off first." She told the duo. "Like this," Void said as she took a deep breath.

She then blew, however the gust she released was far stronger than what most should be capable of. Kiana would describe it as a strong sea breeze. Bella would describe it as her master's wind core. Regardless of what you'd call it, the toast was cooled enough.

"Dig in you two," Void told them. Kiana and Bella each took a bite, and it was evident from their faces that they enjoyed it. Void however waited before eating hers. "Hey old man, are you going to eat yours, or can I have it?"

"Not on your life kid," Siegfied commented as he finished rinsing his tongue under the pipe. He then hurried back to join them, with Void sliding his plate to him.

"Alright bottoms up," he said as he and Void took a bite. "Delicious," He commented. "Best I've had in a while," He smiled as he turned to Void. "How is it?" He asked before noticing tears streaming while she ate. "Void?"

"This Pizza Toast tastes the same as I remember." She commented. "Especially with those who share the memory," She informed. "Sorry…just an old saying I heard during my travels."

"Are you crying?" Kiana questioned.

"What no…of course not…I'm sweating through my eyes. I had to cut onions remember," She lied. Kiana and Bella believed her and dropped any further questions.

"Why don't you two carry this back for the others?" Siegfied told them after they finished eating. "Void and I will clean up the kitchen," He explained as he gestured to the food cart. Bella looks to respond but Void put a hand on her shoulder.

The younger two left to carry dinner to the others, leaving Siegfied and Void alone. "You didn't need to stay behind," Void told him. As if to prove her point, she snapped her fingers again, her powers warping all the dishes into the sink, putting away all ingredients as well.

"I know," He answered. "But I figured it would be a nice way to get us alone," Siegfied said. "We need to talk."

"We can talk when Sirin wakes up," Void muttered.

"Not about that," Siegfied commented. There was a pause as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he told the Herrscher. "I overreacted earlier."

"No, you were completely in the right," Void told him. "Any reasonable person would react like that," She informed him.

"Just because anyone would, doesn't mean it was right," he told her.

"Alright…so apology accepted," Void noted. She didn't hold it to him, but she knew her father well enough.

"I taught you that recipe…didn't I?" He questioned. "How else would you figure to use Shamash to cook?" He asked rhetorically.

"Was it that obvious?" Void questioned.

"I watched when you cut the onions. You closed your eyes. One of my secret techniques." He mused.

"It only works if you move the knife slowly and try and recall exactly where you hand is…otherwise you'll cut yourself more," She noted.

"That it does," He affirmed.

"All your secret techniques still cause more harm than good," Void chuckled lightly. "But they can work well enough if you're careful."

"The pizza toast was still a bit burnt especially around the edges." He told her.

"But sometimes it tastes better when it's slightly burnt," they said in unison. The two then laughed a little.

"It does admittedly taste a little better burnt." Void commented. She tried making it without burning. It didn't taste as good.

"What kind of relationship do we have in the future?" Siegfied asked. He noticed how Void stiffened. "That was stupid of me," He corrected. "You don't have to answer." He told her.

"You've saved me." Void whispered. "Many times…I oh my existence to you and not just because I am Kiana's clone," She explained. "You took me from the labs and made me feel safe. I am forever grateful for that," She told him.

"Was I…was I a father to you?" He questioned.

"I wouldn't have any other," Void answered. "Kiana and Sirin…are very lucky to have you. Come what may…you always manage to do right in the end," She told him. "At least…that's my biased opinion." She laughed.

"There is more to that," Siegfied knew. "But I'll wait till you're ready to talk," He thought as he looked at the Herrscher. Unbeknownst to him Void had her own plans.

"Tomorrow, I'll set this." Void thought. "I'll wake Sirin up and explain everything." She mused to herself. "But for now…I'll enjoy this. I can be selfish just this once." She thought as she and her father headed back to the others.

Chapter Text

Void blinked once, then twice, then three times at the scene before. She looked it over once more. She pinched her arm three times to check if she was dreaming. She even tried to sense if there were any anomalies like the power of Sentience disrupting them. When she sensed none of those, she calmly took a deep breath before saying three words.

"What the fish?"

Before the Void Queen stood her rival, the Lighting Empress. Most encounters they would have would be violent, both trying to kill each other; fighting to the death. Over time the animosity lessened though it could still get bloody if one of them were feeling off. There were however very rare times when their actions would leave the other speechless. The sight of Thunder holding what she assumed was Kurikara in a transformed state was one of those rare times. Especially since the once-mighty dragon had been reduced to…floundering giant Tuna fish.

"Not another word," Thunder said as she held up the Kurituna to the Void Herrscher's face. The Kaslana family, alongside Teri and the scientists all stared awkwardly at the display in front of them. For the umpteenth time, they questioned the seriousness of the Herrschers, especially after one wielded an overgrown fish like a weapon.

The Void's credit she glanced down at the fish, then back at Thunder. She seemed to consider taking her ally's word seriously and did not breathe another word. Thunder took Void's silence as a small victory and lowered the fish. The Herrscher of the Void then erupted into a laughing fit, clutching her sides as she chuckled.

As infectious as her laughter may be, no one else dared make a sound as they saw the lightning begin to cackle around the Herrscher. Even little Kiana and Bella were very much aware of the dangerous aura emitting from the Herrscher of Thunder. Suffice to say what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations.

The Kurituna jumped out of Thunder's hands and slapped the laughing queen's face several times with its tail. To say Void was left speechless was an understatement, she could only stare in shock at what had transpired, her mind trying to process fish assault. The Herrscher queen would only be brought back to her senses though when her own dragon took action.

"You fish," Bella screamed as she grappled the rogue tuna. "How dare you attack my master," She growled before squeezing the fish in her clawed hands. Not wasting another moment, Bella, still in her human form proceeded to swallow the whole Kurituna in a single gulp. A fish that was the length of nearly four feet in length had been swallowed by what appeared to be a rather petite-looking teen girl.

The absurdity of the situation did not end there, however, as Void was quick to panic at what she had just witnessed. "Bella," She yelped as she quickly went behind the dragoness and started giving her the hymnic maneuver. It took three tries but Bella regurgitated the whole Kurituna out and right into Thunder's face. "Are you crazy?" Void scolded the dragon.

"Kurikara," Thunder cried as she looked over at her downed Tuna dragon. "Speak to me,"

"Mom," Kiana chimed as she looked at her parents. "Can I have a pet dragon of my own?" She questioned innocently.

Siegfied and Cecilia glanced at each other before looking at the others in the room. Teri, Einstein, and Tesla made it very clear they were staying out of this. It was going to be Cecilia and Siegfied's job to crush their daughter's hopes and dreams.

"Eh," Seigfied gulped. "Sweetie a dragon is too much work for you right now. Maybe when you're older like your sisters we can do it," Siegfied muttered.

"Yeah," Cecilia said. "When you're a big girl and responsible enough we'll see if we can get you one," she said trying to pacify their daughter.

"Okay," Kiana muttered her expression downcast a little. However, she soon perked up as another idea crossed her mind. "Then can I get a pony for my birthday instead,"

Several moments of insanity later….

Bella looked down in shame as Void stared at her. The look Void gave was what one might expect from an older sibling or even a parent. The Herrscher wasn't mad at the dragon, just disappointed by her rash actions an irony that would not be lost to many. "I will say it once more," Void spoke softly. "I don't want you picking any fights with Thunder or her dragon. You're better than them Bella," Void said softly.

"Yes Master," Bella whimpered. For the most part, she tried to keep a straight face, but it was clear to anyone watching that she wanted to cry. After all, she had only wanted to defend her master's honor after Thunder's fish had slapped Void. Of course, Void cared for Bella like that, her master treated the other dragon as an extension of Bella even if Bella didn't see Kurikara as herself. It was foolish to try hurting the other dragon.

"Okay," Void said. "Why don't you go and join the others," Void told her. "I'll go and see what stupid idea Thunder's gotten into that big head of hers," Void informed the dragoness as she gestured for her to head back to others who were still munching on their pizza toast.

The Herrscher soon turned to face her…acquaintance who had somehow acquired a really large aquarium for her Tuna. Void knew that Thunder could be as quick as lightning, but she still wondered, "Where the heck did, she get that?" The Void Queen would push that thought away for now. She had more important issues to address.

"Alright, explain, why the Kurituna," Void questioned as few words as possible. The Third Herrscher looked up at her with a frown. It was obvious Thunder didn't want to talk to Void about it. Whether out of pride or just the usual silence that was given, Void didn't care. Thunder mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Void inquired.

"I was trying to transform Kurikara." Thunder admitted. "Suffice to say I thought it would have been easy." She mumbled. "Clearly it was not,"

"Clearly," Void remarked. She glanced at the dragon-turned tuna fish. "Transforming them takes a lot of power and a lot of focus." She noted. "You were probably too weak or distracted to do it properly,"

"I'll try and remember that next time," Thunder huffed.

"You better. That's still my servant, and I swear if you humiliate her even more, I'll make you regret it." Void threatened. Kurikara may have a different soul, but its body was still Bella after all and Bella belonged to Void, even if it was brainwashed into serving Thunder.

"Of course," Thunder said. "How could I forget, when you've screamed it into my head for the umpteenth time?"

"Just making sure," Void smirked.

"I take it you'll want to help me transform her back then," Thunder questioned halfheartedly. Perhaps it was just her wanting it to be done without much effort or perhaps she just wanted the option to refuse Void. Of course, Void's answer was a resounding no.

"If I told you the easy way, then I'd never get to watch you squirm trying," Void noted.

"Figured as much," Thunder noted. "Well, I guess I'm going to be experimenting for a while." She realized as she went to pick up the aquarium.

"Not so fast," Void spoke up. "I need you for something." Void informed. "And it can't wait." She whispered.

"Alright humor me," Thunder answered. 

"Not here. It's going to involve everyone," Void added.

"Have you two worked out…whatever it is that was?" Teri asked as she cast a side glance at the aquarium with the large Tuna fish. She had seen many Honkai beasts in her time, but a tuna fish was first. Then again, the girl munching pizza toast beside her was also a Honkai dragon, so perhaps she shouldn't expect anything new or strange, especially from these two.

"Not in the slightest," Void answered. "But Thunder's problems and incompetence are not important right now," Void jabbed.

"I'm right here you know," Thunder argued.

"I know," Void acknowledged before turning back to the group. "What is important right now is the little apocalypse maiden sleeping right over there." Void commented as she pointed to Sirin.

"I take it you have the means to heal and wake her up," Teri noted. She had thought she had beaten Sirin before. It was tough but she had neutralized the girl's Honkai powers and impaled her heart. She didn't account for Sirin being able to recover from such injuries once the neutralizing effect died down. The mere fact the girl was alive, but unconscious meant the Herrschers had done something to her.

"We do," Void smiled. Suddenly several lights erupted from Void as several orbs of light began to surround her. Everyone gasped as they recognized what it was, cores and gems alike. "I took the liberty of taking her toys from her," Void explained as the 9 orbs orbited around her.

"Wow," Kiana noted. "You have even more sparklies than Thunder," She pointed out.

"Hehe...I suppose I do," Void answered smugly. She made seven of them disappear, leaving two identical gems with her. "I presume you know what these are,"

"The Gem or rather Gems of Serenity," Siegfied noted. "That's what allowed Sirin to heal from most of the injuries before."

"That's right," Void noted. "When we recovered her, I had to use it to heal her body to a survivable state," Void explained.

"Survivable?" Cecilia questioned. "You didn't heal her fully." She realized.

"We couldn't," Thunder explained. "Not unless we wanted her to resume the Second Eruption." She noted. It wasn't like they'd actually have issues with Sirin, it would just be far harder to reason with her and gain her trust. Sirin could also accidentally release a surge of Honkai energy and alert Otto to their location.

"We were waiting till you all were recovered," Void added. "I can speak from a lot of experience when I say, she's not all in there mentally and will need some help." Void explained. No one knew the chaotic mess of Sirin's psyche better than Void.

"As it stands the two most viable people on the planet to help her are mom and Bella," Void pointed out.

"Me," Cecilia realized. She understood Bella. The dragon was Sirin's loyal companion.

"You sound shocked," Void noted. "You're not chickening out are you," Void frowned.

"No, it's just. I knew I promised Sirin, but I'm just surprised." Cecilia noted. She had been beside Sirin in their last moments. Even if she promised the girl, the thought of Sirin waking up and hating her; was still a worry that was still present in her mind. She remembered how hurt she had felt when Sirin had called her a liar before.

"Don't worry, I assure you. She doesn't hate." Void noted. "She may be angry…but…she doesn't hate you. You'd be surprised how much of an impact you left on her." Void informed. It had been enough to pull whatever kindness was left in the girl and manifest it into Kiana. Cecilia whether she knew it or not had saved them from manifesting as nothing more than rage and hatred. She had saved Sirin and K423 by extension from losing hope and falling to the Honkai.

"So, what's the plan exactly?" Einstein questioned. "Surely you aren't just dropping the gems into her and hoping," She noted. She cast a wary glance at Bella remembering how the dragoness had lunged at them.

"Admittedly, that's only half the plan," Void noted. "Here's the rest of the plan," She told them.

"Was this death?" Sirin wondered as she drifted into the void. She had died right. She was beaten by…. that monster…. that man…. the one who had…cut off her arm. The one who had hurt Bella. The one who cheated. The one who had lied to her. The one who had…. pretended to be her father.

He had defeated her. He ripped the cores from her body. She recalled that much and without the cores, her body wouldn't last. "I should have killed them." She scowled at herself.

They were right there. She had them trapped in the illusion. It would have been easy just to sneak up when they least expected and do it. Their guards had been down. She could have ended them before they even realized she was there. "If I had just…" She pondered. She didn't finish as she recalled what had happened.

"That woman…Cecilia…" She thought. The woman who had called Sirin her daughter. She had lied to her. "She wanted to trick me," Sirin repeated to herself. Yet it felt wrong to say. Like a part of her didn't want to accept it.

"I wanted to be a mother to you," Cecilia's words echoed in her mind. Sirin wanted to cry at that statement. It couldn't be true. Her mother was dead. Bella was dead. Everyone who cared for her was dead.

Why would Cecilia want to care? Why would she want Sirin as a daughter? She had her own daughter, the blue-eyed girl from the dream. Why would she want Sirin? Sirin wasn't a person anymore. She was a monster. She was a Herrscher. She was to bring about the end of humanity.

"Ich liebe dich," The words echoed in her head. The language was different, but Sirin knew what it meant. "I love you." They were the words Cecilia spoke to her. She had spoken those words in the dream, and Sirin recall hearing those words before she lost consciousness.

They had both been dying. Cecilia had no reason to come for her then, yet she did. She had come to spend her dying moments with Sirin, comforting her like her a mother would. Maybe….

"Maybe….in another life," Sirin thought. "Maybe I could have actually been your daughter." She ponded sadly. A light erupted around her, blinding the young girl. The next thing she knew she was engulfed in the white light as it consumed her.

"Master!" A voice cried out. Sirin blinked once, then twice, then thrice, as her eyes adjusted. A pair of blue eyes were staring back at her, attached to those eyes was a family face. Could it be?

"Bella?" Sirin gasped weakly. That wasn't possible. Bella had died, right? She had felt the connection with her dragon. It had been broken. How was this possible?

"Master," Bella cried as she quickly pulled Sirin into a hug. The Herrscher couldn't speak. She tried but words refused to form or even leave her mouth. "I'm so glad you're alright." Bella whimpered.

"Benares, give her some space," Another voice called. Sirin recognized this voice as well. Turning to the source, her eyes widened as she saw its own, Cecilia.

"Ce…ce…cecilia," Sirin muttered weakly. The woman seemed surprised by her comment before her expression shifted into a warm smile. Who was she smiling at?

"You remembered," Cecilia told her as she walked forward. She stood at an arm's length away from the Herrscher. "I'm glad." She told the girl. The kind smile never faltered from her face.

"What's going on?" Sirin questioned as she began to look around. She didn't recognize the room they were in. If this was the afterlife, then she sorely underestimated it. "Where are we? Are we dead?" She questioned.

"Ehe…not exactly," Cecilia answered.

"What do you mean 'ehe'?" Sirin questioned.

"We're in a medical ward in a remote AE base," Cecilia said calmly. "Some very nice people saved and brought us here." She explained.

"Someone…saved us," Sirin repeated. That felt wrong to her. No one would want to save them. No that wasn't true. They'd want to save Cecilia and the others, not Sirin.

"Yes," Cecilia answered. "And they saved Bella as well," She added as she gestured to the dragon.

"Mmph," Bella nodded. "And look what Bella made," The dragon said in excitement as she quickly fetched something out of the room. When the dragon returned, she had brought back with her a cake, much to Sirin's shock. "I made it for when you woke up." Bella cheered as she placed the cake before Sirin.

"Is…is this for me?" Sirin stuttered. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Yep. It's all for you Master." Bella smiled.

"I…I…don't know what to say." Sirin muttered. Cecilia cut a slice of the cake before taking up a piece with a fork. She brought it close to Sirin's mouth. The girl accepted it, eating the piece. "It's sweet." She commented as she chewed it. It tasted delicious.

Bella seemed to beam with pride at this. "Hehe…only the best for master," The dragon said. Cecilia laughed at the dragon's antics as did Sirin. This felt nice. It was like a dream come true.

"Like…a…dream," Sirin froze at the thought. Her eyes soon widened as she stared at the two. "Like a dream," She repeated. Oh no, she realized. She had been caught again, she panicked.

"Sirin," Cecilia spoke as she noticed Sirin stiffen. The girl had tensed up. Her gaze focused on the two of them.

Bella also took a step back; she could feel a slow rise in her Master's power. "Master….is there something wr-"

"Don't call me that," Sirin snapped. How dare they! "Don't you dare use her voice around me?" She growled. Her voice was booming.

"Sirin…calm down," Cecilia said in a worried tone. "Just take it easy. Everything's going to be alright." She voiced.

"You thought you could trick me," Sirin yelled. "I won't fall another lie again," This happy ending wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Bella was dead and Cecilia had been dying. Who would possibly want to save Sirin? This was another illusion made by someone. It had to be.

"Sirin," The fakes both called out. She wouldn't give them a chance though, whoever had cast such a disgusting trick was going to pay. She would make sure of it. "Sirin," They called out but she wouldn't listen.

She held them in place with her power, as she manifested the lances behind her. She could see their eyes widen the site of her weapons. Good, that means they felt fear. So, she could enjoy this, she thought as she threw the lances at them, their pleas falling deaf ears.

The lights went out, the room was covered in darkness. "Huh," Sirin wondered surprised. She didn't let her guard up. She tried her best to sense the world around her.

The cowards would no doubt try a sneak attack while she was blindsided. She eventually found it. Two sources within the room. "There you are." She called as she launched another attack. The lights turned back on in time for the lances to…hit?

"What the?" Was all Sirin could say as she stared at the two figures before. Gone were Cecilia and Bella's lookalikes, instead stood two girls. One had hair like Cecilia and Bella but her eyes reminded Sirin of her own. The other's eyes were glowing purple, with red horns adorning her head, just like a demon.

Sirin didn't know these girls, yet she could feel something familiar from both. It started out small, like a raindrop, a small wisp of Honkai power escaped from them. However, it didn't stop there, it started going from a drop to a trickle before it erupted like a geyser.

Sirin could feel herself become pressured by the sheer power the two emitted. The weight was crushing, and it wasn't like when she faced the First. No…this reminded her of one other being she had faced. The one who had instilled true fear into her.

"G…god?" Sirin whimpered as she looked at the two before her.

"Hehe…nope," The one with horns laughed, as two giant red gauntlets manifested behind her. "I'm the devil."

Chapter Text

"I'm the devil." The woman in red and black had chuckled darkly. The two giant arms behind her seemed to respond to her claim by cracking their knuckles. She placed a hand on her hip as she gazed at Sirin, glancing her over like a predator eyeing its prey. "You know…you're a lot smaller than I imagine," She noted.

Sirin glanced at the other woman with snowy white hair and glowing gold eyes. She could feel power identical to her own but far beyond her own, pulsing through her veins. The woman looked almost indifferent to the whole ordeal. Her arms folded as she looked at them with a stoic expression. The young Herrscher could feel her eyes analyzing her despite the façade.

"What do you want from me?" Sirin muttered, a faux attempt at showing bravado. These people, they must have been the ones to trick her, she realized. She could sense something familiar in them.

Wait a second, Sirin tried to call on the power within her. She let only the gem of serenity present along with her Void core. The other gems, conquest, desire, and haste, those girls had them. "You…you're not going to get my power," She warned as she took a step back. She manifested several lances and threw them at the two in front of her.

She expected them to either dodge or block the attack. That's what most individuals would have done. Instead, they just stood there, as the lances flew toward them. However, they didn't move or flinch, no, her lances did.

The lances that were attacking the horned girl immediately fell to the floor. The area around them sank and cracked as if a million-ton weight had landed on them. The lances cracked and splintered under the weight. The effect had been slow at first but within a second the four lances had been reduced to nothing more than 4 million fragments.

The lances launched at the other girl had been affected differently. Instead of falling they had remained suspended in mid-air, simply stopping before her. The girl smirked a little before the lances erupted into flames, being burnt away into nothingness, right before her eyes. The glow illuminated her face as she stared directly at Sirin.

"Do we look like we need your power?" The red-horned girl questioned in a mocking voice. It was a rhetorical question.

"You…you're cheating," Sirin stuttered. "This is…this is another trick," She tried to rationalize. It was another illusion much like that girl with the feathers before. She suddenly felt every fiber in her body get tugged. The Herrscher tried to resist but she was quickly pulled into the wall behind her. She felt herself get pressed into it, her limbs constrained by invisible bonds.

"A trick to you perhaps," The raven head cooed. "But it is definitely a treat to me," She whispered as the hands behind her started to curl into a fist. Sirin didn't need to guess who the target was. "Sweet dreams princess," She grinned as the giant fists launched forward.

Sirin braced herself for the impact, making a portal in the wall and disappearing into it. The portal immediately closed. The giant fists stopped millimeters from the wall before they returned to their owner, who looked at the wall with mild annoyance before turning to her ally.

"That was easier than I expected," Thunder mused. "I thought she'd put up more of a fight." She noted as she glanced at the older Void Herrscher.

"She has power, but she lacks a warrior's training and instinct." Void noted. "Sirin acts tough but at the end of the day, she's just a child who was 'lucky' enough to gain godlike power," Void explained. "Take it all away and she'll buckle like any kid,"

"Hmm, I wish you had been that easy to deal with." Thunder mused looking at the spot Sirin had been. Power or not, Void had been a menace and they all learned that the hard way. Kiana was already very physically capable and skilled but you take away most of the morals and restraint and the danger becomes all the more evident.

"Still," Thunder muttered. "Is this really the best way of dealing with this?" She questioned. "I'm not complaining. It's admittedly fun to terrorize her, but I feel like this may be counterproductive to befriend her." She voiced. The plan had been to wake up Sirin and hope Cecilia and Bella could talk sense into her. That was the hopeful phase. However, if that failed they'd go to what Void called the horror phase, which was basically scaring and terrorizing the little girl.

"A happy ending is an impossibility to her," Void explained. "She can't fathom anything goodwill as being real. All her trauma has conditioned her to believe only the absolute worse, with promises of happiness being only lies meant to distract her."

"Been there," Thunder noted. After Senti had tried to trick her with her illusions, she had become skeptical. Kiana's return was something she longed for, but even when she had been able to embrace the delusion. When she was so willing to lose herself to the Herrscher's tricks.

She couldn't forget the pain and harsh reality. It had been too easy….and Kiana…her Kiana. She would never have accepted her actions so readily. It was a lie, an esoteric happy ending. What she wanted wasn't possible anymore, not with her sins.

It was the same for Sirin. Her sins were great. She had accepted the lies of the Honkai and willingly embrace the role of a Herrscher. Thunder couldn't blame her after once witnessing the pain within the core. At one point she had been there seeing nothing good being left for her. The only thing she could accept now was the cruelty of the world.

Yet just like Cecilia had done for Sirin, her Kiana had done the same. The last ray of hope and kindness in the dark. It was almost ironic how such kindness had been a passing of the torch. Cecilia's kindness saved Sirin, and it manifested her Kiana, and Kiana's kindness had saved her as result. It was something Mei could never accept, but eventually, she did.

"We let her walk-through hell to eventually find heaven," Thunder noted. She didn't understand at the time why Kiana and Bronya became her friends despite being a Herrscher, despite her zombifying the city. Now though, she knew, they were always kind and good people. She only realized the kindness was real after they escaped from the city.

"Are you now catching on?" Void said bemused. "And here I thought you'd known that was the plan since you introduced yourself as the Devil. Hehe…regardless you are correct." Void admitted. "We tried a nice reality and she rejected it, now we give her a cruel one."

"Good medicine always tastes bitter in the mouth." Thunder mused. "Well then…I suppose I can make her squirm and scream a little more," She smiled.

"Here's a way into the imaginary space I trapped her in." Void informed as she summoned a portal. "I assume you can handle her on your own while I mask the location and energy readings." Void noted as she glanced at Thunder.

"Hehe please. I've got enough experience dealing with a bratty Void queen. I'm sure a bratty Void princess will be a cakewalk," Thunder chuckled.

"Didn't you say the same thing about transforming Kurikara?" Void smirked. Thunder visibly growled at the remark before taking a deep breath and calming herself. The mission came first, Void can be punched later. "Oh and remember. You can scare her and toy with her…but don't actually hurt her." Void reminded.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Thunder noted as she walked into the portal. Cecilia would have both their heads if she did anything to the purple princess.

Sirin floated through the imaginary space looking for a way out. She had tried making portals but to her shock, they only ever took her to different parts of the same space. Sometimes the only difference was that said portal just turned her upside down. "Come on, focus," she told herself as she tried to tear through the pocket dimension. The first Herrscher had forced himself into her space before, surely she could force herself out.

Behind the young girl, Thunder floated just a few feet away, looking amused as Sirin tried to escape. She wondered how long it would take for the girl to notice her. Sure, she was suppressing her power and staying out of sight, but Sirin couldn't be this clueless, at least Void would have noticed something was amiss.

"What am I expecting? She's just a kid," Mei mused. Sirin was far younger than she had been, with no training. Perhaps expecting more from the purple princess was her fault.

Every other Herrscher they encountered was a trained combatant. Void had Kiana's combat training. Bronya was an assassin before becoming a Valk. Mei herself was also a Valk, as were Wendy and Ana. Fu Hua was a dinosaur with thousands of years of combat experience. Owl was a member of the World Serpent. Even Welt had some background in combat from what she heard.

Then there was Sirin. A kid who was kidnapped and experimented on in labs. Mei would have liked to say she had been there, but that would be lying. Mei was kidnapped to be held as ransom and was rescued shortly after. At best she had needed therapy but other than those emotional and mental scars she had been fine. Well fine may have been a stretch considering the monster she became later but that could be attributed to a lot of other traumas than the kidnapping.

Sirin however did not have that kind of luck. No one came for her till it was too late. There was no loving dad getting her back. Nor was there a nice home to return to before. "But there will be this time," Thunder mused. "I'll just have to beat that fear out of you…and I know just how to do it." Thunder smiled.

"Why isn't this working?" Sirin screamed as the portal showed her the 14th image of her own scalp. "It's those cheaters." She grumbled. They were doing something. The connection to God was severed and now she was trapped here all alone.

"Heya," A voice called behind the girl. Her eyes widened as she turned around and shot a lance. This time the horned girl stopped the lance a few millimeters from her face with only two fingers. "Nice try," They answered with a fake smile. The smile soon faded as they frowned. "Okay. I lied; it was actually awful." They admittedly.

Sirin didn't entertain any small talk. She merely threw every attack she had at the girl. Lances, cubes, portals, black holes if she had access to it, she used it. To her credit, she did manage to get the other girl to attempt to dodge. Unfortunately for Sirin, this did not end well for her.

All her attacks were futile. The girl read her moves like an open book, seemingly knowing everything in advance. It was as if they had fought before but only Sirin forgot. She knew every counter and had an answer for every technique Sirin used. It was beyond frustrating.

"Stop doing that," Sirin screamed. "Stop cheating me," She yelled. This girl wasn't even taking her seriously. She had felt the power before but now, it was gone now, no it was there just hidden. She had been scared at first, the presence had been crushing before but now she was just growing more and more frustrated, both at her own weakness and the girl's lack of acknowledgment. Nothing was working on this girl.

"Cheating…" The girl voiced. "Were you actually expecting a fight to be fair?" She questioned.

"What?" Sirin responded.

"Were you actually expecting a fight to be fair?" The girl repeated. "You said I was cheating. That implies there are rules that promote fairness," She pointed out.

"You…you're using all those hidden abilities," Sirin argued.

"Sirin, you are trying to kill me," Thunder noted. "That doesn't exactly incentivize me to play fair." She explained. "Or will those lance phase through me if they make contact?" She questioned.

"Why don't you stand still and find out?" Sirin shouted as she launched another lance. Thunder didn't block this attack. She instead took it head-on. The attack connected impaling the Herrscher and sending her flying back into a floating rock.

Sirin's eyes widened in shock. She didn't actually think that would connect. Floating towards her target, she had a smug look on her face as she looked at the impaled girl. "Ha…that's what you get for messing with the…Queen?" Sirin's voice trailed how as she looked at the impaled figure.

Thunder was looking up at her. An arm propped on the lance which was still penetrating her body as she held her chin. She was wearing a smug look at Sirin. "So, I found out." Thunder continued. "Turns out they don't phase through me…. who would have guessed?" She laughed. "They sure do sting a lot though," She mused.

Sirin summoned more lance.

"Not so fast," Thunder snapped as several strands of lightning erupted from her body and destroyed the weapons before they even properly manifested. "It's my turn now," She teased.

"Your turn," Sirin muttered nervously.

"Yeah…you got one free attack. Now I get one." Thunder grinned as she caressed the lance impaling her. The object in question began to freeze as the girl touched it. Frost formed on the lance before covering it entirely. Thunder then made a fist and punched it shattering it on spot.

Sirin tried to move fly away but an invisible force held her in place. It was no doubt the work of the other girl who was now however at her eye level. Sirin tried to struggle free. She tried calling for her attacks but every time something was about to manifest, they were quickly destroyed by the opposing girl. "Ah Ah," The girl teased. "No cheating. Just hold still," She giggled.

The girl held out her hand as a bright white light began to form. It kept growing brighter and brighter. Sirin couldn't bear to stare at it any longer. She closed her eyes and braced for the worse. Thunder noticing the girl's shut eyes immediately used this to her advantage and through the attack.

SPLAT

The next thing Sirin knew she was hit in the face by something cold, sending her flying back, free from her restraints. Sirin opened her eyes to find herself still alive and in one piece…with snowflakes falling off her? She looked up at the other girl noticing her holding something white and round in her hand. It looked just like a….

SPLAT

…snowball. Sirin realized as she was hit in the face for a second time.

"Haha…that's 2 for me." She laughed. Her voice wasn't as lighter. The echoing effect it had prior was now gone. Another ball formed in her hand as she threw it. This time though Sirin was able to easily sidestep and catch the ball with her powers. The Herrscher glanced at the projectile.

"What the heck?" She muttered aloud. "It's just a snowball," She shouted at the red-horned girl in confusion.

"Yes, it is," The girl answered as she stretched out her hand. She snapped her fingers and all of sudden, the world shifted. The rocks that floated around them all clustered together into a large platform below them.

The girl floated down landing gently on the platform. She looked up expectedly at Sirin, waiting for the Herrscher to follow. When she didn't the girl snapped her fingers again, and a mountain of snow appeared above Sirin's head. The snow fell to the platform taking Sirin with it.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Sirin screamed as she stood up shaking snow off her body. She was getting more annoyed with the being in front of her.

"Come now," The girl said. "You wanted a fair game. Now you have one," she told Sirin.

"A game," Sirin muttered. "What game?" She questioned.

"It's a numbers game in the form of a snowball fight." The girl explained as she lifted up her hands. "We each have 10 points," She informed. "When you get hit with a snowball, that number goes down. If it hits 0…you lose." She told Sirin.

Sirin frowned at this. She didn't buy into this idea. Something was not right here. Her opponent had her at her mercy and was clearly stronger despite how much she loather to admit. "What happens if I lose?" Sirin inquired.

"If you lose…" The girl mused as she rest a hand on her chin. "If you lose, you become my test subject." She grinned evilly. Sirin felt her blood run cold at that idea. She wasn't going to become anyone's lab rat. She'd die before that happened.

"And if I win?" Sirin asked. "What then?"

"If you win…I let you out," The girl said. "That should be enough for you right," Thunder noted. "To be free from this prison," she told the void princess.

Sirin didn't trust her. To be freed so easily would be a joke, but she didn't have any other choice. "Alright," she told the girl. "Let's go." She shouted as she grabbed a handful of snow and made a snowball.

"She hates me," Bella cried in the corner. "Master hates me." She wept as she hugged herself and curled up into a ball. Kiana was currently standing beside Bella gently patting her as the dragoness continue to cry out her sorrows.

"I take it Sirin didn't wake up on the right side of the bed," Teri noted as she handed a glass of water to Cecilia. The two had been warped instantly into the room. Bella broke down not a few seconds later. From the look of its, Cecilia had been equally as affected as the dragon.

"It was fine…for the first few minutes," Cecilia lamented. "I thought it was going well…but Sirin…she didn't believe it was real." She sighed. "She thought we were back in the dream. That it was all fake."

"She didn't believe you would actually be there for her?" Teri questioned. From the way Void had explained it sounded like Sirin had held Cecilia in high regard, but now.

"It's not that she didn't believe. Its more that she felt it was too good to be true." Cecilia muttered. "Like if a happy ending where the world didn't burn was impossible for her," Cecilia explained. It was a sad thought. To think that Sirin had reached that point.

"She's had a hard life," Teri whispered. It wasn't a life you'd wish on anyone. Sirin may have done some terrible things, but even Teri understood how she devolved into that. The state those children had been in. Sirin had killed every adult in Babylon, but she had never harmed any of the kids. In fact, all the children knew of her, but no one could attest to witnessing any bloodshed at the time.

"I feel so useless," Cecilia admitted. "I know Void and Thunder have a plan but…. I just want to do more for her." She was the strongest Valk on the planet, but she still felt powerless.

"You are already doing that Cecilia," Teri comforted. "When it's over you're going to be there for her. She may not accept it, but this is the reality now." She added. "And I know that you're going to drown her in as much love as you would Kiana," She added. "You just got to hold on a little longer besides…if this weight gets a little much for you…I guess I'll have to pitch in." Teri added.

"Pitch in,"

"Of course. I have a reputation to uphold. I need to hold on to my title of the coolest aunt after all," She noted. "I will have more nieces to spoil." She laughed.

"Even Bella," Cecilia questioned. Bella didn't really seem to want to be adopted from what they saw. She was comfortable staying alongside Sirin and Void, but it didn't seem like she was so keen on being a family member. The way she got along with Kiana was adorable.

"You know, I'm something of a Honkai beast myself," Teri said as they glanced over at the crying dragon. For some reason, Kiana had gone from patting her, to being used as a plushie to console her. The 1-year-old didn't seem to mind though, she enjoyed hugging the dragon sister.

"I want to say comfort her, but it seems like Kiana's already beaten us to it," Cecilia mused. "That's my girl," She thought.

"It's kind of funny how the dragon resembles you and Siggy the most. Like out of all of them, she has the blue eyes and white hair to perfectly match the family." She laughed. "Maybe I should adopt her as my daughter instead." Teri joked.

"Trying to poach my kids," Cecilia smiled.

"Well, I mean let's be real you do have a lot," Teri admitted. "And besides…you know considering my condition I sincerely doubt I'm ever reaching that far," She muttered. While it wasn't impossible for her to have kids, the whole process of getting a child of her own would be…complicated to say the least.

Being eternally 12 with a mind far older, anyone she would date would either be too young mentally or too old physically. A relationship with Theresa Apocalypse would be heavily scrutinized under her grandfather's watch and even if it wasn't she didn't feel like burdening anyone with the social awkwardness of the situation. She could already see it now, if she dated someone even half her age, the FBI was going to be called before it could even finish.

That still didn't give her the right to feel entitled. "Sorry, that came out wrong," Teri apologized.

"No need Teri," Cecilia assured her. "I should have been more considerate. I also shouldn't have gotten so defensive about something like that. Bella is still her own person after all."

"Yeah…I suppose we'll have to ask her." Teri mused. "Although given her loyalty…I doubt she'll agree."

"You never know," Cecilia muttered. "We don't know what the future might hold,"

"That's ironic considering that we have two time travellers to question after,"

"But for now…we still don't know," Cecilia added.

"Fair point."

"Alright sports fans, the game is now 9 to 9," Thunder announced to the imaginary space. "The newcomer Sirin may have had a rough start, but she's been able to make up the difference somehow." She continued to no one in particular.

Sirin wondered if the girl was truly insane at this point. They had been going back and forth since the beginning, but Sirin knew it wasn't right. Out of all the things she could have chosen, why a snowball fight "Stop toying with me," Sirin demanded. "I know you're holding back,"

"Hey, you wanted a fair game, and I gave you one. Now you're saying don't like it cause its fair," The girl continued. "Make up your mind already. I swear you're worse Queenie."

"I wanted a fair game because I didn't want you surprising me." Sirin pointed out. "But now that you're holding back I know you're just mocking me," She admitted.

"Is this all some kind of joke to you?" Sirin questioned.

"Do you want me to answer honestly?" Thunder responded. Sirin scowled at her in a very…Void-like manner. So, there's the family resemblance she realized. The expression was as clear as ever, just tell her the truth.

"Well in regard to your capabilities and powers…you're a joke," Thunder admitted. "To me at least," She added. "I've had my own fair share of more powerful individuals prior to our meeting, so in your current state you are nothing more than an insignificant…insect," She told Sirin.

Thunder then flashed forward right into Sirin's face. "You're strong…but you're unstable," Thunder spoke. She then flashed around to the side of Sirin. "You're unskilled, unfocused." She zapped above Sirin's head. "You're not disciplined in the slightest."

"You won mostly through raw power before, but even then you would have clearly lost had it not been for several outside interferences," Thunder mused. "Many people can outplay you. Many can outsmart you," She kept talking, kept fazing in and out of existence.

"And you'll fall for the tricks every single time," Thunder noted. "Like right now," She whispered into her ear.

Sirin's eyes widened as a turned to face the other girl…and her face turned right into the snowball the girl had held out in front of her. That was the game.

"You lose," The girl laughed. Sirin looked up to see her opponent grinning menacingly at her. "If you lose you become my test subject." She recalled hearing from the girl prior.

"No," Sirin muttered under her breath. Not again.

Chapter Text

No….no….no…no. This wasn't happening Sirin thought as she stumbled back. She tried to use her Herrscher abilities, but something was wrong. Her body started to feel weak as her legs slowly gave out. As she tried to retreat ended up slipping and falling flat on her rump. The other girl looked on with an expressionless gaze as she tried to crawl back.

"Sirin," The girl inquired as she took a step forward. The young Herrscher quickly scooted back away from the girl.

"Stay away," Sirin repeated. "STAY AWAY FROM ME," She screamed. It wasn't anger that permeated her voice, there was no ounce of hatred, instead, there was just pure unadulterated fear. "I won't go back. I WON'T GO BACK."

"Oh crap," Mei frowned inwardly. "I went overboard." She sighed. She was supposed to scare the girl, not give her a full-blown panic attack. "Now listen Sirin," She spoke as calmly as she reached.

"Don't touch me," Sirin shrieked as she pulled back from the other girl. She wasn't going to be a lab experiment again. She wasn't going to be a guinea pig for any greater good.

"Wow. You really blew it this time," Senti mumbled in Mei's head. "You couldn't have scared her with minor physical abuse, you had to go with the psychological trauma." The disembodied Herrscher noted.

"Do you have a better idea?" Thunder shot back. "Because unless you can actually help, you better keep stay quiet," She growled internally. She did not have time to deal with Senti's delinquency. There was a silence in her head. "I thought as much,"

She looked back at the little girl, a Herrscher, the self-proclaimed destroyer of humanity curling up into a ball and weeping. Thunder tried to rationalize it as being deserved, but her guilt made it very obvious that wasn't going to work. Sirin may have done terrible things, but she was just a traumatized girl. She didn't become a monster by her own violation, she was forced to become one. A stark contrast to the actual monster standing beside her.

"How do I fix this? How can I fix this?" Mei pondered. Well, the first step was always to apologize and ask for forgiveness, though Mei doubted she would be worthy of that now.

"Look Sirin," She called out. "I lied about the experiments." She admitted. "I just wanted to rile you up." She tried to make light with laughter. Her throat felt scratchy from just talking about it. "It was all a joke, a big misunderstanding." She tried to play it off. It was probably the stupidest thing she could say. You don't just go to an abused victim and make light of what happened to them. That's not how it worked. Mei knew that but she was still trying to grasp at straws here on how to make it better.

Luckily there did seem to be a reaction from Sirin. The little girl had stopped crying and seemed to calm down. However, with what came next, Mei would admit she definitely deserved it. Several subspace lances were launched at the Herrscher of Thunder. Mei didn't bother to defend against the attack letting them all impale her as the previous one did. This pain would be nothing to what she had just caused Sirin. For what Thunder had done, this was still minor.

"A joke," Sirin retorted. "You call that…. A JOKE," Sirin spat. Who did this woman think she was, to dismiss all her pain and suffering like that?

"Hehe, she's not sad anymore." Thunder chuckled nervously. The only interactions she had known with her own Void Herrscher were rage and hatred. Thunder and Void had once been at each other's throats before, but then Thunder had 'killed' Benares.

"She's angry, really really angry now. I can work with this," Thunder thought. The amount of sheer rage and agony that had left Void was unmatched. Yet strange as it may be, Void's rage had also destroyed itself. She had literally burnt herself out from her meltdown

"I'll gouge your eyes out with your own horns and stuff them down your throat you worm," Sirin growled as she threw more attacks at the older girl.

"Okay, that one was actually intimidating," Thunder admitted. "I got goosebumps." She tried to irk. She needed Sirin to get angry. If there is one thing Thunder learned the hard way was that anger was stronger than fear. It wasn't as strong as love, but it was strong enough to help most circumstances and it can work wonders for snapping someone out of a minor freakout.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" Sirin screamed.

"Like Queen, like Princess," Mei mused. She let herself take far more hits than she ought to but at least she was managing to pacify the rage. She hoped she was pacifying the rage. Mei was no therapist and with her own issues, she doubted she'd qualify to be anyone else's yet here they were.

She called forth all the power she had, summoning at least a thousand lances at once, all surrounding Thunder. There was no way the insect could dodge or destroy all of them. Thunder's eyes widened at the attack.

"Sirin don't," She warned but the girl didn't listen. Sirin launched all of them at her opponent. "Idiot," Thunder grumbled under her breath as she evades the attack. She watched as several of the lances that flew past her made their way toward Sirin. An attack with such a large AOE was going to hit its user some way or the other.

"Oh," The girl realized as her lances were about to impale her. Thunder resisted the urge to facepalm. What was Sirin expecting when she manifested lances behind Thunder? Sirin tried to make a portal to defend herself, but it was no use, her power had been spent. She closed her eyes and tried to shield herself from the attack with her hands, futile as it may be.

Yet the attack never came, Sirin glanced back forward to find the lances all impaled in the metal gauntlets of her attacker. "I should probably add 'reckless' to the list of adjectives that describe you because you almost killed yourself with that attack," Thunder mused as she flexed the gauntlet. The mechanical appendage erupted in electricity as it blew apart before reforming as good as new.

"Have you cooled off?" Thunder questioned. She could tell Sirin's power was spent but she needed confirmation that Sirin herself was ready. "because we have a lot to talk about," Mei explained. "And no…I won't be doing any actual experiments," She told her. "That was in poor taste." She admitted.

"Hate me if you will but I do need you to listen to me?" She reiterated. "Understood?" She questioned. Sirin only nodded her head. "Good…let's start with names. I am Raiden Mei, the third Herrscher, the Herrscher of Thunder,"

Void was always grateful for many benefits being a Herrscher granted her. She didn't need same kind of sustenance that others required. She could technically go days without sleeping or eating, so long as she had enough Honkai energy to thrive. That didn't mean she didn't suffer more psychological drawbacks from it. No sleep often left her more irritated than exhausted. Similarly, not eating just made her crave food more despite not needing it.

There was however one benefit that didn't have as many drawbacks as the others and that was no need for oxygen or air in general. It allowed her to hold her breath and swim underwater for indefinite amounts of time. A very useful skill when fleeing near a body of water. Or in this case, it allowed for her to not need to worry about being in space without a spacesuit.

The Herrscher had flown into space using her powers. It took her a little while, would have been faster with stead but she needed to be more subtle. Subtly was important because of her target itself. Floating around she found herself right outside the Earth's orbit. It was a beautiful sight, the planet, and the stars; even the moon was within view. However, now was not the time for sightseeing as her target came into her line of sight.

You must love branding. Any large corporation or company in general just had to have their name or logo inscribed for recognition. Whether it be something as small as a computer chip, or something as big as a satellite, they always had the name plastered right on the side. The Satellites that the bastard Apocalypse used to track them were no exception.

Staying just out of their range of sight was easy. Space was big and it wasn't difficult to sometimes hide amongst the space junk floating around. Eventually, the Herrscher was able to get close enough to a satellite. She drew out her weapon, the Domain of the Void, and took aim. It took one shot to knock each satellite out.

They weren't completely destroyed but they would be inoperable for the time being until someone sent a repair crew. In which case that would take probably take a week to fix. The region their base was located could survive more than a few days without Otto and his cronies watching them. The AE satellites would more than suffice in warning them and Void was confident in her and Thunder's ability to neutralize any threats that may present themselves.

Satisfied with her work, Void was about to return to Earth when an idea popped into her mind. One could call it petty, but this was by far the least violent act of revenge she had ever taken. Manifesting a lance, the Herrscher then heated the tip up with her flame core before jamming it into the side of a satellite. It wasn't enough to damage it further, but it did let her inscribe a message on the satellite for others to read later. "Otto Apocalypse is the biggest virgin simp in the history of the world." She wrote into the satellite's side. She then proceeded to warp to the sides of the other satellites leaving various other messages in them.

"That should do it," She thought. All the satellites were disabled so now they didn't have to worry about Otto watching them. Yet something still felt off to the Herrscher. Turning around Void caught sight of the moon, and then realized what was disturbing her.

As she stared at the moon, she could envision the white figure sitting on its throne, the ever-confident grin on its face. Otto may not be able to see her, but she knew who did. Her…former 'God' always had some level of awareness of the world. To what extent she didn't know but she could tell it was observing her every now and then.

"I won't lose anything else to you." Void thought. "Not again," She promised herself. She had made it bleed once before, and if it can bleed, it can be killed. She was going to defeat it, just like her other counterparts in other timelines did, only unlike them, she would win.

"COME AND TRY,"

Void's eyes widened at the voice in her head. Her heart started racing almost immediately as her breath hitched despite needing no air. "Calm down," She told herself but she could still hear the chilling laughter from the moon taunting her. It was egging her for a fight.

The last time she was in this position she had easily been made a fool off. She was underprepared physically and mentally back then. She was still so right now. A part of her whispered it was her own fear of the Honkai but she did her best to squash the idea. "I'll beat you on my own terms, not yours," She growled back as she stretched her hand behind her.

The power of Domination manifested into a giant puppet hand that easily grabbed the satellite several times her size. The Herrscher then took aim and tossed the mechanical structure with all her might at the moon, putting the extra power of her cores behind it. A giant fireball was hurtled straight into the moon causing a visible dust cloud to form. Yet once the dust cleared the moon looked just as unscathed as before.

It felt infuriating to look at. A place of bad memories where Sirin had let herself be played for a fool by the eldritch creature. She was half tempted to use Shamash and smash the darn thing, but she restrained herself. Apparent from the natural effects the moon had on the planet, it was also the tool used to capture and seal the Honkai in the future. If she lost her cool and blew it to pieces now, she might very well deprive herself of useful resources later.

"99% of the Honkai was sealed on the moon," She recalled hearing from the Principal version of Thunder. It was from a not-so-distant future, in a reality where Kiana won the fight for control instead of it being a tie. They had best the Honkai before. If that timeline could do it, then so could others.

"You stand upon your tomb, though you know it not," She forced a smirk. She may not have had the same voice as Azdaha, but the lines still felt fitting. Speaking of Azdaha, she wondered if Thunder would consider awakening him from his slumber once more. Her rock frog may have been annoying to deal with, but he worked wonders in plowing down Otto and World Serpent's forces. She'd have to ask her when she returned to base.

"So, you're the one that saved Bella and…Cecilia," Sirin repeated as Mei explained how they got here. The Thunder Herrscher had informed her of what had happened to an extent. Sirin had been dying alongside Cecilia when Mei and her ally had arrived to help. "Why?" Sirin questioned. Even if she knew the woman before her and her friend were Herrschers, their actions didn't make sense.

God didn't create them. Sirin would have been aware of such allies in the first place. It had informed her of the First, so why didn't it think to tell her about the Third and the other one. Especially since it was quite clear the Third held more power than she did. It made even less sense when the Third made it clear she did not have an interest in serving God. She was a traitor just like the First.

"If you want that answer, you need to wait a little longer," Mei enlightened her. "My friend is the one who can give them to you. I'm looking forward to how that conversation will go," Mei smiled. Oh, boy was that conversation going to be fun.

"So that means…I almost killed them," Sirin sighed in realization. She had almost attacked and killed Cecilia and Bella under the pretense that this was a delusion. Even now considered the possibility that it was still a trick.

"But is this really real?" She wondered one more. Yet regardless of whether any of this was real or not, Sirin had no power here. Thunder had bested her and had made clear just how bad things could get. Joke or no joke, nothing could stop the other girl from doing as she pleased.

"That's not the question, you're really asking," Thunder answered as she looked at Sirin. Sirin cast her a glance curiously. She didn't trust Thunder, right now; she still felt like running as far from the girl as possible. However, that would get her nowhere. There was also the fact if she tried, Thunder would restrain her in one of the main ways she could.

"You don't want to know whether it's real or not. You want to know whether something good is happening to you." Thunder replied as recounted her own experience. "I know…because I've been there." She chuckled, oh, had she been there. She knew what going through the other girl's mind.

"You're waiting for the twist," Thunder noted. "The cruel surprise that it's a trick. That it's not a dream come true but a nightmare that had lied really well," She added.

"It may be hard to believe Sirin, but fortune can smile on the damned every once in a while," She chuckled. "Even sinners like you and I can be offered minuscule chances of salvation." She added. Mei would never understand why Paimon had allowed her to travel through time. Did she not worry that Mei would betray her for her own desires, or did she feel Void was enough of a leash to stop Mei?

"You've both earned this," The little fae had told them. They had earned a chance to get this outcome but after everything she did, Mei wonder if she truly was worthy.

"I've been offered this before," Sirin replied darkly. "I once made a prison of nightmares to trap those two humans, it was faulty, ended up a prison of dreams instead. I then tried to enter myself to kill them." She explained

"Yet I found myself just as enticed by it." She told Thunder. "Had it not been for the agony of Bella, I would have fallen for it. The empty promises of a family with Cecilia, a normal life without the Honkai, or the experiments. A life where I was happy and loved."

"That was all just a dream I had when I fell asleep. It was just wishful thinking. I should never have had it." She muttered.

"Cecilia came for you in the end." Thunder retorted. "You and I both know she did. She may have lied back then but she has worked to turn it into the truth." Mei explained.

"And besides…even if it was a lie…I know you wanted for it to be true." She whispered. "It's a desire within you, that's very strong. Though you try and deny it, I know that a loving family, especially one with Cecilia is something you want more than anything else."

"That wasn't just a dream. It was a desire, a wish…. a hope, for a better future. You want a happy and peaceful life, Sirin." Thunder noted. "But you don't believe it's possible."

"Can you blame me?" Sirin retorted. "Every good thing that comes my way…is taken not too long after," She muttered as tears welled in her eyes. "My mother…my village…..my friends…even Bella. Everyone…dies…but I don't." She sobbed.

"I told you already that Bella still lives," Thunder sighed. "But you don't believe me." She grimaced. Even if she was docile, the void princess was still an emotional wreck of a person. Mei had seriously underestimated the situation.

"Sirin," Mei whispered as she reached out and gently patted Sirin's head. "Difficult as it may be to accept, you do have a chance now. Someone has tried very hard to ensure you got this chance." She consoled the girl as she kept rubbing her head.

"It won't last," Sirin muttered. "It will all vanish eventually."

"It always can, everything can disappear, happiness... and grief," Mei told her. "You can always take chances and experience these joys but if you don't attempt then you'll miss out entirely," Mei told her.

"I know you're afraid of being alone, but you won't be. Not anymore, there are many people waiting for you because they care for you and want you to be happy. Bella and Cecilia included," Mei informed her. "Huh," She gasped.

Mei glanced down and noticed the head of hair burrowing into her chest and the petite arms wrapping around her body. Sirin was hugging her. Sirin WAS HUGGING her. "So…are you willing to take a chance now?" Mei questioned.

Sirin quickly pulled away. She couldn't believe she had just done that, and to hug her of all people. "Yeah," She answered nervously. She was willing to try. After all how much worse could it actually get if it wasn't real anymore.

"I should warn you, there are people who you had battled before. Including Siegfied, the man who had been your father," Mei informed. She knew the story of how Sirin had sought revenge on the patriarch of the Kaslana family and judging from how Sirin tensed up, she knew it must have held weight even now.

"He…he is," Sirin gasped.

"He is." Another voice answered instead of Mei. Sirin's eyes widened. It had sounded like her own. Her head whipped around to see the other girl from before. The Herrscher who accompanied Mei. "I'm glad to see things went smoothly," She continued in a voice similar to Sirin's.

It was…creepy. Sirin could recognize her own voice, especially when it echoed. Something felt strange with this next Herrscher. While Mei radiated power, this other Herrscher had something even more alien about her. She felt familiar but Sirin couldn't understand why. The core felt almost the same as hers and even the eyes reminded Sirin of her own and her mother's.

"I suppose it is my turn for an introduction," the newcomer said.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Mei grinned.

"I'm K-423, the Herrscher of the Void," The newcomer introduced.

Chapter Text

"Of all the moronic things to say, that's what you go with," Thunder growled at the other Herrscher. She had just managed to get a somewhat normal conversation going with Sirin; did Void really think it necessary to drop that kind of bombshell on the traumatized girl?

"I'm being upfront," Void snapped at the 3rd Herrscher. "I have no reason to lie and be subtle with her. After all, I know better than anyone how much she hates liars," She grimaced as she turned to the wide-eyed little girl.

Sirin stared at the white-haired Herrscher in a mix of worry and confusion at her claim, unknowingly stepping back. It didn't make sense, how could the woman in front of her be Herrscher of Void, when she is the one that holds that title? "That's not possible," Sirin muttered.

"Believe me," Void mused. "It is," She chuckled before turning to Thunder. "Why don't you go and make sure the others are doing alright, and prepare them for our…final discussion," Void suggested.

"Hah, fine by me," Thunder noted as she walked past Void; a portal opening for her to exit the space. Before she left though, she paused near Void. "You better not ruin all the progress I made," Thunder whispered threateningly in Void's ear, before walking to the portal. "I'll see you around Sirin." Thunder waved as she stepped through.

Sirin didn't pay any heed to Mei's words, however, as her attention laid entirely on this white-haired woman. This "revelation" irked her far more than she let on. The Herrscher of the Void was her title, a reminder of the pain and suffering she had endured. It felt utterly wrong; no…it is complete blasphemy that another being would dare walk this face of the Earth bearing her title. Her pain. Her legacy. She almost couldn't hold in the seething rage building up inside her.

Who do you think you are?

Sirin thought as she glared at the older girl, her fist clenched. The other Herrscher merely cast a glance, her own golden eyes meeting Sirin's. The white-haired girl merely continued to stare at her for a moment before letting out a sigh and turning her head.

Void paced around the platform slowly. This was their first real conversation, yet it already seems like the girl's impression of her is becoming worse by the second. She had thought of many things to say to the girl, who she was and where she came from, what she has been through, and the stories that she could tell, letting the scenario play out in her head. She thought that was enough to prepare her.

So when she finally got to meet Sirin, she felt ready. But she heavily underestimated the sheer difference between her fantasy and real life. Now facing the little girl, she could only keep her mouth shut, unable to find proper words to her feelings.

The silence between the two was unnerving. The only sound that could be heard in the realm was Void's steps as she wandered around aimlessly. Eventually, the unending null finally got to one of them, as Sirin's voice resounded.

"Will you hurry up and say something?" She growled at the Herrscher. There may have been a large difference in power, but Sirin wasn't going to let that stop her anger. Her tone seems to have caught onto Void, as the girl focused on her.

"What do you want me to say?" Void questioned, her tone coming out snarkier than she intended.

"Huh?" Sirin paused, her mouth agape a little. She hadn't expected that kind of response. "Well, um…who are you exactly?"

"Didn't I just answer that when I introduced myself?" The girl said in as neutral a tone as possible. She didn't show any hint of malice or anger in her words, yet Sirin could feel she was hiding something.

"I…I don't believe you were speaking the truth." Sirin responded as she tried to retain her calm facade. She was trying to contain her emotions. Mei had made it clear that the gap in their power was massive; Sirin wasn't going to make the same mistake again and immediately act on impulse, not with this Herrscher at least.

"How can there be two of us existing at the same time? Something like that shouldn't even be possible." Sirin muttered.

"Heh." The older girl chuckled lightly. Sirin's blood ran cold as she heard the laughter. The laughter wasn't of malice, but just the fact that it came from her voice put her on edge. When she had met God, it had never spoken to her directly, instead choosing to take her form. Now she was face to face with a being who shared a different set of traits with her.

"What's so funny?" She demanded the girl.

"Forgive me," Void answered. "But I think the emptiness of this space is starting to get to me," She added. Whether Sirin had realized it or not, she had given Void an answer to her problem. "Why don't we go for a walk?" Void said as she opened a portal behind her.

She held out a hand for Sirin. Sirin stared at it before reaching out and hitting it to the side. Void sighed at the response. "So that's how it's going to be…" She mused, a smirk forming on her face as she recalled her own little therapy session with the Sirin vision in her mind.

"Very well," Void spoke as she grabbed Sirin by the collar and then tossed her into the portal. "Let's take a trip down memory lane then," She muttered as she jumped in behind her predecessor.

"It's alright Bella," Teri comforted as the dragoness rested on her lap. If you had told her she would be comforting a judgment class Honkai beast on her lap like a lost child a few years ago, Teri would have called you insane. Now it almost seemed natural for her.

The wind picked up slightly as space distorted across the room. A black portal opened and from within it came Thunder. The Herrscher's body was a mess. Teri could make out various cauterized words on her body as well as various patches of ice. "Are you alright?" She voiced concern.

"Never been better," Thunder answered absentmindedly as she glanced around. Teri questioned if she was sure, but Mei didn't seem the slightest bit concerned with her injuries so she decided against it. "Where are the others?" She questioned upon noticing a lack of Kaslanas and Doctors.

"Bella…. had an episode," Teri explained as she recalled what had happened after Void and Thunder left. "She managed to cry herself to sleep surprisingly, but Kiana got covered in dragon mucus in the process. After that, Cecilia and Siegfied took Kiana to take a bath and get cleaned up."

"Yeah, dragon fluids are always difficult to wash out," Mei deadpanned. She recalled the many times Kurikara had bled all over her in fights, thankfully it was always unnoticeable thanks to her red and black armor, most of the time. Teri should probably question the dragon fluids comment more, but she decided to put it aside. It's not the weirdest thing she had heard these days.

"So uh…how was the meeting with Sirin?" Teri questioned. She would have liked to assume that Mei wasn't a masochist and had not inflicted those injuries on herself. That being said considering Sirin had been weakened, Teri would have assumed Mei would have returned unscathed but it looks like that wasn't the case.

"We had a snowball fight," Mei answered.

"A… snowball fight?" Teri repeated, confusion spreading across her face.

"Yes, I won if you were curious," Mei answered. She had left out the part about almost causing Sirin a panic attack. Hopefully, Mei could make amends for that later. "After that, we talked a bit before Void interrupted." She grumbled. "I hope she's not doing anything stupid with the kid." Mei thought. "I suppose we are making progress at least."

"That's good," Teri noted. Once Sirin calmed downed and they talked everything out they could finally put this whole thing behind them and get out of this bunker. While the stay was nice, she couldn't help but worry about how her grandfather and Amber were doing without her. She knew what kind of person her grandpa Otto was like, and so she would prefer to keep them away from his influence.

"Yes, it is," Mei agreed. "It means we can finally tell you all everything." She admitted. "Which reminds me, everyone should gather together to greet those two once they return."

"Check the labs for the scientists," Teri noted. "Cecilia and the rest should be coming back soon." She added.

"Noted," Thunder said as she stepped out leaving Teri to her own thoughts.

"Just a little longer…" She thought her mind running a million miles an hour. A little longer to know what happened to everyone. She should be excited. She would get answers to help her, and the others fight the Honkai. This was a good thing; they will be able to fight back. This will change everything for them. So why is it that she feels so terrified at the prospect?

Sixteen years was a long time, how many people would she meet and lose in that space. She wanted to help in building St. Freya, a school for future Valks. How many students would she have trained and how many would die in the future? Even if it never happened, it would forever become a fear that would hide in the back of her mind.

"At least…I hope the girls from Babylon are doing better." Teri hoped.

A snowstorm surrounded the two Herrshers, the raging wind obscuring Sirin's view. They were in a middle of a raging storm, something she found to be greatly irritating. What was worse than the freezing cold, that threatened to crystalize her skin and flesh, was the familiar sight laid before her.

Sirin scowled as she gazed up at the tower before her. Despite the limited vision, that infernal building stood visible to her eyes, higher than anything she had ever seen, almost as if it was mocking her. She regrets not blowing this place up when she had the chance.

"Do you know the story of the tower?" Void suddenly questioned Sirin, snapping her back to their current situation. Sirin shot her a questioning look wondering what the hell the Herrscher was talking about. Of course, she knew the purpose of the blasted tower. It was meant to exploit kidnapped children for the greater good of humanity.

The Herrscher seemed to realize her thoughts though. "I mean the Legend of the original tower of Babylon?" Void corrected, to which Sirin tilted her head. The Original Tower of Babylon, this wasn't the first?

The elder girl's eyes were oddly blank, bearing no sort of emotions as she stared at the looming tower. Sirin pondered her question for a bit, recollecting her memories. Though she did not need to give an answer, as the elder girl softly spoke.

"It was said that humanity tried to build the tower to reach the Heavens above, but God saw it as blasphemous and cursed the people with different languages. The discord it caused, lead to them arguing amongst themselves and with them divided. You can guess what happened next." Void explained. "In a sense, it's even in the name. Babylon, Babble on."

"Humans had grown too arrogant. They thought themselves high and mighty but were quickly put down by those who far exceeded them. To name a building after that legend…it seems that the humans set themselves up for failure from the very beginning." She chuckled, though it sounded more like a distant whistle in this blazing storm.

"They were deluded fools, who thought highly of themselves. Rotten insects that didn't know their place, plaguing the world." Sirin said.

"They are selfish creatures who cared for no one but themselves."

A memory surged back into her mind, one where two scientists stood in her way as she was unleashing her powers. One of them ran first, not caring about their dear friend that they left behind. Sirin killed the two of them the same, though the satisfaction of ending the one who left his partner behind was oddly more intoxicating.

"They sought to build a better world, atop the blood and tears of so many before them." Void lamented. "They always said, 'You should be thankful to sacrifice yourself for the greater good of the world.' as they injected others with the Honkai. If they truly cared for humanity, they would have never subjected others to such a fate. They would have done it to themselves."

Albedo and Tesla came to her mind as she spoke those words. Void recalled the Alchemist she had met in another time. He sought to cure the people of the Honkai just the same. She had hated him first purely because of occupation, but with time he proved himself far better than those rotten insects in Babylon. If only he hadn't died from his own Honkai corruption.

"Why did you bring me here?" Finally having enough, Sirin asked the main question.

"I didn't bring you here to visit the tower if that's what you think." Void noted as she turned to Sirin. The tower had enough memories for more than two lifetimes.

"Though I understand why you would think that. It's the Herrscher of the Void's birthplace." She informed as she walked to the side. "A place like that can leave a very big impression on the mind." She added. "However, my interest lies…. over there." Void pointed.

Sirin followed the gaze of the Herrscher to a few small figures in the distance. She squinted her eyes trying to make sense of them but was interrupted when a portal suddenly opened before her.

"Easy now," The elder Herrscher said as she ushered her into the portal.

The two walked through the portal and found themselves in a desolated village. A ghost town that was heavily buried within the snow. Sirin gasped as she glanced around the town. It was starting to come back to her now. The snow receded within her vision as the buildings repaired themselves. Phantoms of people began walking around the streets once more.

"This is…" Sirin trailed off.

"Home." Void finished.

They were in Sirin's home village. A place that existed within her own mind as well but had been reduced to nothing more than a passing glance from Sirin's past. Void could only describe it as a scattered memory or a broken dream.

"This is where you grew up." Void stated as they began walking through the town.

"I had forgotten what it looked like," Sirin admitted. As they passed the broken houses as memories of what once passed coursed through her mind. She wasn't entirely sure if all of them were accurate, but she wasn't bothered by it.

"I don't blame you. When one is consumed by all that anger, it becomes hard to recall anything else." She confessed as she turned around and saw the Tower of Babylon in the distance. This small desolate village remained resting in the shadow of the tall cold tower.

"Yet even then, fragments remain of what once was." Void then walked towards a small house.

The name of the residence was lost to time but both Herrschers knew who this house belonged to. Strange as it may have been, they entered through the door instead of the gaping holes left in the wall, neither saying a word as they walked into the small cottage. To their surprise, the interior had stayed surprisingly intact, as if it had waited for their arrival.

"Why do you know of this place?" Sirin questioned cautiously as she turned to face the Herrscher. No one other than her should know about this. She doubted any of the worms would have cared.

"I once found myself wandering here once upon a time." Void said. "I was on the run, injured, and somewhat paranoid at the time. Yet when I came here, I felt safe."

"I suppose the reason for that, was because it felt like home to me. I can imagine how nice it would be to relax by the warm fire, cuddling mom as we snuggled together." Void continued; a soft smile appeared on her lips. This was one of the few memories untainted by the horrors that Sirin once endured, and she was thankful for that.

She noticed that Sirin thought the same, as the girl's eyes began to turn misty.

"...It was home." The girl muttered, wiping away the forming tears.

There was silence once more as Sirin continued to walk around the house. Void decided to leave the girl to her own devices, as she too started to explore the house.

Her memories scattered, and different moments of her two lives began to overlap. It wasn't so strange, however, as the similarities between them were startling. She only wondered if it was just sheer coincidence, or perhaps it was something more. Sirin and her mother lived in a cabin in a snowy region, as did Siegfied and K423. Yet despite being the same person, Sirin felt more connected to this place than Void ever could. She can sense the longing and nostalgia, but she can never recall why that is. Her memories were nothing more than mere feelings, what she once felt residing in this place.

"How many good memories had been lost between Sirin and me?" Void wondered. Cecilia had managed to reach the child that had been lost in hatred and sorrow. If she hadn't, Void knew that her entire being would have been nothing more than pain and rage.

Glancing over to the kitchen, she noticed Sirin standing near a counter, her face expressing fondness. She imagined what there was that brought such a feeling towards the girl, yet imagining was all she could do. Perhaps like her own memories of making pizza toast with Siegfied, Sirin would have cooked with her mother.

Once done, Sirin began to walk up the second floor. The stairs creaked ever so slightly as she ascended, reflecting the decay of the ruined house. She could simply use her abilities to float up, but she felt as though that would be insulting this place. It wasn't right to do such a thing here. Her powers did not belong in this house.

She walked through the hall listening to nothing but her own steps as she approached a door, slowly grabbing the knob and turning it. The door creaked open slowly as she entered the familiar room.

Her room.

It was a very plain-looking bedroom, with nothing but a bed, a desk, and a closet, all placed exactly how she remembers.

She hesitated for a second, before taking in a breath, and slowly walking into the room. Feeling the nostalgia building up inside of her, she silently thanked the house for being able to preserve this room for so long.

"Squeak!"

Sirin stopped, staring down at the floor, finding a plushie beneath her foot. As she reached down she could make out the vague details of a blue-eyed white dragon looking back at her.

"Bella…"

She whispered as she lightly dusted the toy before hugging it. It wasn't the original name; she had forgotten what the toy's name was. All she could remember of it was the happiness she felt as she received it from her mother. It was the physical proof of her mother's love for her, and it was the last thing she had ever received from her.

With the toy still in hand, she walked back out of her room, finding the Herrscher waiting for her in the hall, leaning against a wall. The Herrscher's golden eyes met her own, yet no words were spoken, but it didn't matter. The two seemingly already knew what the other is thinking, almost instinctively.

The white-haired girl turned her attention from Sirin and then gazed at one last door in the room, to which the girl nodded.

No words needed to be said about whose door that was. The wooden structure was left ajar; the slightest breeze and it would open for them. Sirin stared at it, a whirlpool of emotions spiraling within her. She could feel a heavy pressure begin to form as she stared at the door. Taking in deliberate and deep breaths, she hadn't noticed she was already in front of it.

She reached for its knob, her hands moving slower than ever, trembling as she got closer. Eventually, they touched the metal handle and for the first time, Sirin felt coldness run through her arm as she held on. As a Herrscher, she had flown into space on her dragon and never felt bothered about the atmosphere there. Why now could a simple doorknob make her shiver to her core?

Suddenly warmth graced her fingers, drawing her attention from the door. The young girl glanced down noticing the black-gloved hand of the Herrscher on top of her own. She looked at the girl to the side of her, an expression present on the girl's face, one she could not quite place her hands on.

It was a look of longing for something, a deep sadness perpetuated through her yellow eyes. Yet there was also a look of acceptance, comforting and soothing to anyone that witnessed it. It was a look that told more than any words could ever describe, a look that only one who has felt the same as her could have. Had the Herrscher experienced what she had experienced? Had seen what she had seen, and most of all... was able to accept all of that, and continued moving on.

Sirin gazed deeply at Void, unable to say anything. For some reason, she didn't want this moment to end.

"That's not where she sleeps." The woman finally broke the silence, as Sirin silently nodded to her words. Instinctively, they both knew what these words meant, as Sirin didn't question the meaning behind them. Sirin and the Herrscher…closed the door. Neither of them needed to see the empty room behind it.

It was here that she felt something. Something deep inside of her, resonated through her body. What power was once locked away was now released as she proceeded to form a portal behind them. Neither said a word as they walked through the portal.

The two then arrived at a lonely hill away from town. Sirin glanced around noticing how bare and lifeless the place looked; the tree in front of her was as devoid of life as the world around her.

Sirin recognized this place. Despite everything, all the horrors, all the experiments, all the pain and agony she had to endure, this place was etched into her very soul.

She approached the tree with heavy footsteps, the snow crunching beneath her feet. She leaned forward resting her head against the tree, feeling the searing cold enveloping her, and yet, it did not bother her.

She closes her eyes, and her lips silently whimpered.

"How could I forget to visit…"

Once she had been freed from the labs, she had journeyed everywhere she could go, bringing destruction and carnage through her wake. She was so dead set in trying to do that that she forgot about this place. Or perhaps, she wanted to forget it. She wanted to bury the pain away, to hide away her weakness and vulnerability, to deny who she once was.

A mother's child.

"A lot happened to you." Void softly muttered.

"…I nearly lost her again." Sirin voiced. She had forgotten about her all in the name of vengeance and justice. She denied herself the chance to meet her again, to tell her the words that she wants to say. To say to her things, she so desperately wished she could still say.

To say that she loved her, more than anything in this world.

She had lost her to sickness. She would not lose her time as well.

Void remained silent, gazing at the tree in front of her. She wanted to comfort the girl, yet she couldn't. For her memories of this place did not exist.

She only had the vaguest idea of where Sirin's mother was or even who she was, and it took some time of searching before she found it. From what she could see, the remnant of what was once a lively forest could be felt.

The flower fields were now frozen and withered. The tall trees situated around the area, were now devoid of any leaves, leaving only husks left. The once engraved road to this grave has long since eroded away, leaving only traces of it.

All of it was lost due to time, and there was nothing she could do. She wanted to understand how this must feel. The emptiness and cruelness that the world mercilessly evicted towards the dead, to defile those precious to someone like they were nothing.

But she couldn't. She had accepted that, it wasn't something that bothered her anymore. She may never be able to understand her other self's pain, but she didn't need to. What Sirin needed isn't meaningless comfort and soothing words. What she needs is…

"But you didn't." Void uttered, catching the girl's attention. "Sirin, you didn't forget."

"…What?" Sirin turned to her, tear marks covering her cheeks. Void kneeled towards her, as she strengthens her voice.

"You still remember. This place, that house, her. All of it, you still remembered. You never once forgot it, even when you were blinded by your pain and thirst for revenge. It was just buried So don't feel that you failed her. Don't think that you have disappointed her, it wouldn't be what she had wanted."

Remember those memories. Keep it deep inside of you and never ever let go. Accept them as fleeting past, moments that is frozen in a single moment. Embrace it all, and then keep moving forward.

"Honour her memories not by reliving and regretting the past. Push forward, keep moving towards another day. If you remember her and the happiness she wanted for you, then she'll live in peace forever." Void told Sirin.

"…Why are you doing this?" Sirin muttered.

"Who…are you?"

"I already told you, didn't I?" Void remarked, before giving a gentle smile. She will be there for Sirin, for as long as she needed her.

"I am the Herrscher of the Void, I am you." She answered.

"Me?" Sirin questioned. "What do you mean you're me?" That didn't make sense to her. Sirin was Sirin so how could this Herrscher be Sirin as well?

"I'm you, from the future." Void explained. "Nearly two decades into the future to be precise." She added. "That's how I know about all of this," she told the younger girl as she gestured to everything around them.

"That's not possible," Sirin denied. How could she believe that this girl was her future self? Apart from the eyes, they looked nothing alike. They did sound alike. No, that was just a trick, it had to be. Then again they had a core that was almost identical. Being from the future would explain the dual cores.

"I can see this is a lot for you to take in," Void told the younger girl. "It is the truth though." She assured. "If I wanted to lie, I wouldn't have told you something so outrageous," She stated.

"I mean it makes sense and it feels logically right." Sirin stuttered. "But how and why?" She questioned. If she could have time-traveled to any point in time, why here. She could have gone back before the scientists came and stopped them. Sirin felt enraged that it was yet another person who had been selective of who they helped and was ready to give the Herrscher a piece of mind.

Until she saw the tired expression on her future self's face. The older Herrscher had kept a neutral or somewhat light-hearted expression for most of the trip. Now though, she looked tired, mentally drained. Sirin could see years of exhaustion on her face. It was as though finally telling the truth had relieved her of a burden and now her body was ready to relax.

"That's a long story." Void sighed. "One I have no intention of repeating. If you're willing to get along with a few other humans, I'll tell you everything I can." Void confessed.

"Which humans?" Sirin questioned cautiously. Void smiled before listing them off. Cecilia, the woman who would be Sirin's adopted mother if she let her. Kiana, their adorable little sister. Teri, the shrimp of an aunt, who had wanted to help her in the first place. Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein, the humans who had taken care of them all while they were recovering. Finally, there was Siegfied, the man who Void assured would be their loving father.

"I know better than anyone how much pain you've suffered in the past." Void confessed to Sirin. "All the trauma you've felt, I've lived with it. It stayed with me more than any injury ever inflicted." Void told her. "I'm not asking you to forget it, not now, not ever. I'm just asking for you to be willing to let it go if only for a moment."

"Whether you let it go entirely after that is up to you, but I assure you that there is so much waiting for you if you do." Void told her.

"Can you really promise me that?" Sirin questioned. Could they really promise everything will be alright? "Can you promise that if I do choose to trust them, they won't lie or betray me?"

"I will only promise that if you agree to trust them Sirin. It's a two-way deal. They need to know they can trust you as much as you trust them. That you won't betray them as well." Void warned. "That's how it goes. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Alright." Sirin agreed. "I'll hold you to that."

"I hold myself to that," Void smirked. "Now, we just have two more things to do before we return to your new home." Void informed her as she turned to glance at the tower. "Tell me, have you ever seen a meteor crash?" Void questioned.

"No,"

"Would you like to?" Void questioned as she folded her arms. A wise man once taught her about Order, Osmanthus wine, and many other things. Void fully intended to teach Sirin the same minus the wine of course.

Chapter Text

The worst thing you can do is tame the chaos within you. It is like being told not to feel when thrown into the fire.

Void glanced at Sirin's form, taking note of the younger Herrscher's posture. She was still weakened from her past encounters and yet to fully recover, the excess energy she must have expended against Thunder wouldn't have helped with her healing either. Nevertheless, Sirin pressed on driven by only her emotions as usual.

"If you're tired, you can rest. I'll destroy it. " Void suggested.

The white-haired Herrscher had long since surpassed her predecessor in both power and skill. It was kind of strange, how warped Void's perception was of the younger girl. In Void's eyes, Sirin was many things to her, to say she was important would be an understatement.

Biologically, Sirin and Kiana would be far closer to Void's parents than Cecilia and Siegfied; a weird fact that she'd rather not dwell on. Then you have the issue with how one would judge Void's individuality. As much as Void claimed to be her own person, there was always an underlying fact that K423 was indeed a blank doll at first before the core was implanted into her. It would be easy to consider K423 as an amnesiac Sirin. Or you could go the other way and say K423 was Sirin reborn. It was the same either way.

Sirin. Sirin. Sirin.

The hallucinations and altered personas that haunted Void were never 'Sirin and Kiana', that was just names to identify them easier. Rather, she considered the two sides as white and black.

Black, aka Sirin, would have been the one to come to resent humanity for everything that they had done to her, seeking nothing more than revenge and destruction.

While white, being Kiana, would have been who Sirin could have been had none of those things ever happened to her.

In the end however, Sirin was still the foundation of everything. She is where everything is based from, and subsequently, it includes her. Perhaps this is why Void hated Sirin, and yet simultaneously loved her. Their relationship ran so much deeper than anyone could possibly imagine, and it will forever be a part of Void no matter what.

...Come to think of it, I'm essentially just making an impression on my own mother huh?

Indeed. Hurdling literal meteors onto a tower, despite knowing all the risks that would bring towards the two, can only ever be called an idiotic and almost childish move. But is it wrong for a child to want to earn their mother's approval, even if the actions taken are reckless? Void didn't think so.

"No." Sirin voiced, bringing Void's attention back to her.

"I have to do this." The girl firmly says, her gaze focused onto her target.

She had made sure that every single one of those bastards died, yet in the end, the accursed building still stands tall. If she doesn't take it out now, all those deaths would be for nothing. They would simply just recruit more people, and the cycle will just repeat itself.

She will not let that happen. It is her mission that she will not let it happen.

For all the friends she had lost. For all the people who will also suffer the same fate as them if this place was allowed to exist any longer. She will end it all here, once and for all.

Void gazed at Sirin, her eyes exuding gentle warmth. Even if she can't fully recall, she could still understand her pain and grief. That feeling can never truly fade away, nor does the trauma. One can only learn to accept what has happened to them and find the strength to keep moving.

Just like how Void had found the strength to move forward as her own person, Sirin needs to accept the past for what it is, and move forward.

And the first step to moving forward is to re-tread back to the beginning. Starting here.

"Alright then." Void muttered a small smile spread across her face.

"But you gotta remember, we aren't actually going to pull meteors from space down here. It would be too dangerous."

"So we aren't going to use meteors?" Sirin remarked.

"No, we'll still do that, but by using a little old technique that I call Space Warping."

"Space warping?" The girl tilted her head.

"Yep, follow me and I'll show you." Void exclaimed eagerly grabbing Sirin and warped to a nearby cliff.

As Mei walked toward the lab, she reflected on her failed attempts at transforming Kurikara. She had tried turning the dragon into a human like Bella, but Mei had underestimated just how complicated a process like that would be. It was also foolish of her because in hindsight, how would human Kurikara even get close to young Mei?

If she was to befriend young Mei at school, Kurikara would need to enroll as a student, if she were to be hired as part of the Raiden family staff, Kurikara would need to have a properly falsified backstory and training for whatever field she was put in. So really, turning a dragon human is the simple part, everything that comes after that is a challenge in itself.

Benares may have had human sentiments at a time, but she was still a dragon as evident by her actions. Her father would have no doubt noticed if something was off, especially with some random girl he just hired. Counting in an accident that happened when Mei was a kid, he'd definitely grow suspicious.

Arriving at the door, Mei was about to knock when she heard voices inside. Tesla and Einstein were talking to someone, the voice being too recognizable to her. She peeked inside and her heart almost fell as she saw who it was. It was her father. Mei quickly closed the door back before turning around.

I'll give them some time.

Mei thought as she attempted to walk away from the door. She stopped a second before looking back. In her eyes, the metal lab doors were replaced by softer wooden ones from her childhood home. The same ones she used to wait by anxiously for her father to finish his meetings.

"Snap out of it," Thunder told herself as she turned back. Raiden Ryoma was not her father in this timeline. He was the other Mei's father and she had a duty to ensure it stayed that way.

Maybe she should check on the Kaslanas and then return for Einstein and Tesla.

"Alright, let's run over everything one last time." Void says, striking one of her fingers up.

"Step one."

"Find a giant boulder and drop it into a spatial warped loop." Sirin answered. Rather than pull an object from space, Void had shown her that it was far easier to just let something fall through a few portals and build up speed without moving anywhere.

"Step two." Void continued.

"Mark the desired target with a lance to ensure accuracy."

"Correct, and now for the most important step, Step three."

"…Pose and deliver a one-liner before launching the meteor." Sirin reluctantly says, turning towards Void. "Is this really necessary?"

"Well, you can ignore that one if you want. I'm sorta in a deal that I can't break."

"Deal?" Sirin asked.

"Yup, though a contract is a more accurate word for it."

It was admittedly a contract that was made in jest, mainly because she had too much Osmanthus wine and ended up drunk, courtesy of a tone-deaf bard. When she sobered up, the Mr. Contracts himself had informed her about it. Considering her lack of awareness at the time, he was willing to overlook it since she wasn't in her senses, but Void's pride wouldn't let her off that easy.

"I am obligated by that contract to always pose and throw a one-liner." Void naturally lied.

"Do I want to know how this happened?" Sirin asked.

"Do you want to?"

There was a moment of silence between them.

"….Anyways, those three steps are all I need right?" Sirin avoided the topic entirely, and return back to their original goal. She found that maintaining a portal or two is surprisingly less intensive than hurdling space rocks.

"Those are the steps, but do you know where you're aiming?"

"I'm aiming for the base. I hit that and the whole building comes crashing down."

"Correct," Void informed as they turned towards the tower. "I'd estimate it would take you four impacts to topple it." She gestured.

"Four…" Sirin said in disbelief. "I'll bring it down on my 3rd Impact." She said smugly to her future self. She wasn't as strong as Void, but she certainly wasn't weak. Void didn't say anything, instead, she gestured for Sirin to come and try.

Sirin took a deep breath as she focused on the tower. It was time for retribution. She reached out her hand and made a fist, summoning a portal.

"This is for all the torture." She growled as the meteor flew out of the portal and crashed into the base of the tower. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the land.

"That's one." Void counted. A giant hole was made in the structure, knocking down several walls. Despite the damage, the tower still stood tall as ever, looking down at them with an almost smug-like aura.

Sirin gritted her teeth as she focused on an area to the left side of where she had struck before. She repeated the motions again and opened another portal.

"This is for all the kids!" She screamed as a larger meteor was fired from the portal. The impact of this one, actually sent Sirin flying back.

"I've got you." Void says as she caught the young girl.

The tower had shaken from the impact, but it still remained upright. However, the hole at the base was far larger, and no doubt those shock waves would get someone's attention.

"One more." Void muttered as she let go of Sirin.

"Right," Sirin responded as she turned back and focused once more. "And this one…" She whispered.

"This is for them."

For her village, for her friends, for Bella, and for her mom; for everyone, she loved who died for their greater good. The largest meteor was fired, and it struck right between the first two.

This time the ground shook violently as several cracks along the surface began to form. The tower started to sway and sink from the damage she had inflicted. This time Sirin was ready and withstood the force pushing back against her. She was going to see the tower fall once and for all. A grin crept up onto her face, before being snuffed out.

The tower, despite all the damage it has taken, still stood. Even after all that, it still remained.

"That's three." Void spoke out loud as she stood beside Sirin, looking at the wretched building. The girl was ready to attack again, however before she could move Void caught her hand. "I'll finish it." Void whispered as she stared into Sirin's eyes.

Sirin glared at the older Herrscher. She didn't want to leave it for Void, but eventually, she relented as they kept eye contact. She supposed if there was anyone else who could do it, it would be her.

"Fine." Sirin sighed.

Void smiled at her before looking back at the tower. Now to show her predecessor just how it's done. Void looked up at the tower noticing all the damage it had sustained before from Sirin as well as how it now leaned on its side. One more strike would be enough.

Sirin watched as the older Herrscher folded her arms as she looked up at the tower. "Wait, is she actually going to do that silly pose and catchphrase?" Sirin wondered. Void grinned as if to confirm she was.

"This is Judgement."

Void announced as Sirin stood by her in anticipation. She can feel that her powers are being used, but she wasn't sure where it was coming from. Then she saw a bright light in the sky, large enough to nearly block out the sun.

The meteor fell through the sky with a roar, covering the entire landscape with its shadow. Sirin stood completely stiff, utterly in disbelief in the sheer magnitude of this thing.

Several loud crashes were heard within the tower as the meteor landed. This time the ground didn't shake as much as before, but that didn't matter. The tower soon started leaning more to the side before the duo heard an audible snap within the structure as it finally gave out. Soon the whole building came toppling towards them.

"Time to take our leave." Void nonchalantly says, lightly pushing the still frozen Sirin into a freshly opened portal behind them. As soon as the two disappeared inside, the building collapsed onto the exact place they were standing.

"But I don't wanna," Kiana huffed at her parents as they tried to force her into the tub. She had been covered with slime but she didn't want to leave big sister Bella alone when she was sad. "I wanna go by Bella." She whined

"You can go by Bella when you're all cleaned, sweetie," Cecilia assured her daughter.

"But I wanna go now!"

"Now now young lady, you better listen to your mother." Siegfied chimed in, trying to fulfill his role as a parent. The child turned to gaze at him, and with a squint, she slip out her tongue.

"Bleh!"

"Why you!" Siegfied grumbled as he rolled up his sleeves. "Alright, you asked for it." He told her as he got up from his chair.

A few moments later…

"Freedom!" Kiana screamed as she ran out of the bathroom with only soap suds covering her body. Her parents tried to chase after but both Cecilia and Siegfied slipped on the tiles. Siegfied fell on his back while Cecilia landed on top of him.

"Why does she always do this?" Siegfied groaned as his wife tried to stand up. He still wasn't a hundred percent, otherwise, the little rascal would not have gotten away.

"She gets this attitude towards bathing from you…" Cecilia says in a slightly condescending tone.

"Fair enough I guess, but she gets the insane athleticism and good looks from you." The man retorts.

"No, that's from both of us." Cecilia smiled as she held out her hand to help him.

"The athleticism or the good looks?"

No answer was given.

"Alright, where are they?" Mei wondered as she walked down the halls. She had sensed that Void and Sirin were back on the base, but she hadn't found the time to greet them just yet. For now, she was mainly concerned with finding the Kaslanas, and possibly avoiding the scientists till they finished talking to her dad.

Mei looked up when she heard a familiar set of little feet scurry across the floor. She turned around putting on the friendliest smile on her face as she heard the little twerp call her out.

"Hey Kiana," She chuckled as she turned around, only for that smile to turn into shock.

"Big sis!" Kiana called as she rushed and hugged Mei's leg.

"…what are you doing here, Kiana? And where are your parents?" Mei questioned. "Why aren't you wearing anything either…"

Kiana started telling her everything, despite still fully naked. Mei took in as much as she can, though she was greatly distracted by Kiana holding her leg with soap still clearly on her.

"I see," Mei says. "Alright then, let's take you somewhere to put some clothes on, and then we can go meet Bella?"

"But…" Kiana muttered, clearly still not convinced.

"The longer you argue, the lonelier Bella will be by herself." Mei cut her off. For added restraint, she had her metal gauntlets hold Kiana in place. Thunder then headed back with Kiana in tow to the room where they stored the extra clothes they bought for everyone.

"What do you think?" Void questioned as she held up one of the outfits for Sirin.

"I wasn't sure what you would like, so I just picked something that looked comfortable." Void smiled as she offered to Sirin. The girl glanced over the clothes, it consisted of dark purple shorts, a white t-shirt, and a really big black hoodie with purple accents.

"It's alright I guess," Sirin muttered as she took it. It was a nice outfit. The month-old hospital gown she has been keeping on desperately needed changing, all the more when it reminded her of her unpleasant past.

It was also nice to not have to rely on Honkai energy to make clothes, especially when she realized that Theresa could cancel the Honkai energy and her Herrscher outfit with that cheap trick. It was a good thing she hadn't abandoned the hospital gown when she did.

Void turned around to give her privacy to change. While Sirin changed, Void gave a remark.

"I assumed Thunder had already told you about the meeting?"

"Cecilia's family, some doctors, and Bella," Sirin answered, putting on her shirt in the process.

"That's right, are you alright with meeting them?" Void questioned.

The fight between Siegfied and Sirin would have happened less than a month ago. Sirin's reaction to him would be worrisome, given that Void recalled the Herrscher waking up in K423 to not having the fondest memories of their father.

"I…" Sirin paused as she thought about her next words carefully. She had desperately wanted to be back in Cecilia and Bella's embrace. She knew it would be a packaged deal. She couldn't have Cecilia without having Siegfied in her life. That man was Cecilia's husband.

"He only became a monster because he saw you as a threat to his family." Void says, knowing Sirin's thoughts. It was the same as her own. Her own doubts had manifested as the Honkai Triggered Siegfied many times before, she knew the fear Sirin would harbor even if it was subconsciously, of their father trying to kill her. The difference was that Void had learned to accept the reason why he did what he did, and she had seen him use it to protect and save her instead.

"But if you give him a chance, I'm sure he'll see you like family as well," Void added.

"How can you be so sure about that?" Sirin questioned. How could he possibly look at her and treat her like a daughter? How did Cecilia even do so?

"He raised me." Void replied solemnly. "He raised the lost little Void Herrscher like his own child, even when he had no reason to do so." His wife had died in the fight against Sirin, and he had lost Kiana when he rescued K423. What sensible and logical reason could he have to keep her around?

Neglecting her had been painful, but even then, that was saying something of his willpower when it would have been easier to just Shamash her right there. Of course, he still was douche of a dad in many areas but when it came down to it, he truly loved his family. Void was happy she had been counted as one, and she knew Sirin would be counted as well.

"He…did?" Sirin says in surprise.

"Yeah. As bad as a father he might have been raising me by himself, he was still there till the end." Void smiled. "So don't overthink it too much."

"Easier said than done."

"Well can you at least promise not to maim him? Growing back limbs isn't something any person can do."

"Sure sure," Sirin answered. She was sure if she attempted to even do so she would get curb stomped by the older Herrscher. Cecilia also wouldn't approve if she did such an act. Still, if he did try anything on her or Bella, she would do her best to put him under, future self be damned.

"How do I look?" Sirin asked as she finished changing her clothes. The outfit was comfortable, everything felt snug as a bug. She hadn't even realized how much she missed the feeling of real cloth.

"Like a normal kid," Void told her as she gave Sirin a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Sirin muttered.

Normal. It was probably the last word that she should be described as. Normalcy wasn't something she had experienced in a long time.

"Now that this is done why don't we go and join the others?" The elder Herrscher informed as she turned to make a portal to the infirmary. Before they could go, however, a door opened.

"Alright Kiana, let's find you some clothes no-" Mei trailed off as she saw the two Herrscher in the room. "Oh, hey Sirin," Mei greeted before noticing the scowl on Void's face.

"Hi there." Sirin greeted back, still remembering their last encounter.

"Did you two talk it out fully?" Mei asked.

"Well…more or less I guess." To which Sirin shyly remarks.

"Mmm, I suppose that's one step good enough. Can you help me a bit here?"

"Sure thi-eh?" Sirin felt a hand placed firmly in front of her chest, as she turns to look at the source.

There Void stood, her eyes covered by her long bangs. Even though there was no notable expression on her face, Sirin could still sense the overwhelming rage building up inside of her.

"Sirin…just stay here would you?" Void spoke, her tone was a forceful calming tone. It only serves to terrify Sirin though as she nervously nodded.

"Good girl." Void says, her gaze still firmly onto Thunder. No, it was rather on the child behind her, still naked and about.

"…Oh." Thunder finally realized what was going on with the sudden intense atmosphere, turning her attention towards the Herrscher.

"Now Void, what's going on wi-"

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER YOU DAMN LOLICON!" Void screamed as she lunged at Thunder, a giant club materializing in her hand, a major departure from her usual weaponry.

Thunder narrowly avoided the strike as Void swung downwards. Using the opening, Void activates a time fracture, slowing down the speed of everything. She quickly warped Kiana from Thunder's grasp into Sirin's arms before turning her attention to Thunder.

"How troublesome." Mei slightly groaned. She looked more annoyed than anything at Void's antics. She was still tired from the previous fights with Sirin and Void and didn't feel all that interested in fighting Void now. That said, she also wasn't in the mood for being hit with a club. Knowing her rival better than anyone, Mei decided to employ the most ancient of survival tactics, run away from the maniac wielding a freakishly large club.

"Why are you running?!" Void screamed as she followed the lolicon. She couldn't believe Mei would stoop that low. Never fear though, Void would return her to her senses. They would sit down and have a nice and calm debate, no matter how many times she needs to smack her head to get it properly in order.

"You seem to have contracted some kind of illness. I would rather not get infected if it has any chance of infection through contact." Thunder says as she zapped out the door with Void following right behind her. Both forgetting the younger Herrscher and the little bare child.

"What…just happened?" Sirin questioned as she looked at the little white-haired child in her arms. She was frankly dumbfounded, still trying to process what that was all about.

"I dunno?" The child mumbled in response.

"Okay…" Sirin deadpanned. She didn't expect to be taking care of a baby right now. Speaking of which, looking at the child once more Sirin found the girl bore a striking resemblance to a certain family she met.

"Uh, kid," Sirin questioned. "What's your name?"

"Kiana. Kiana Kaslana." The child answered proudly. Sirin's eyes widened at the recognition of the name. Kiana was Cecilia's daughter if she recalled correctly. Wait a minute, that didn't seem right, wasn't Kiana a teenager? Or was that just in the dream world? The dream did take place several years into the future after all. "What's your name?" Kiana questioned.

"I'm…" The girl hesitated for a moment before answering. "…Sirin."

The young Herrscher didn't know what reaction she expected. Maybe she thought the kid would seem startled by the name. She did not expect the tyke to look excited.

"Are you also gonna be my big sister?" The girl asked.

"Big sister?" Sirin questioned. The thought sounded so foreign in her mind. She had grown up as an only child and while she was friends with the girls in the lab, the idea of a sibling was not something she had entertained with anyone. Although if she did consider Cecilia like a mother, and if what Void said was true about Siegfied being a father, then it wouldn't be too farfetched to have their daughter as her little sister. Still….

"We'll see," Sirin answered. "Now if I recall I heard Mei say something about getting you clothes to put on?" Sirin noted.

"Big sis Thunder said if I put on then we'll go see Bella," Kiana explained. "She was so sad before she went to sleep. I wanted to stay but mom and dad said I should get cleaned up first."

"Well, that makes sense." Sirin sighed. Bella must have been waiting for her to wake up, she realized. "And the first thing I did was call her a fake and tried to attack her…" Sirin mentally kicked herself. The fears she had of it all being a dream had been pushed aside, for the time being, this was all too real to her now. Or perhaps they had managed to sway her to want it to be real?

"We'll get you dressed and then we'll go see Bella, okay?" Sirin told the younger girl. She wanted to go more than anything right now, but what was she going to say to Bella?

"Now where would she go?" Cecilia wondered aloud as she walked down the hall. Siegfied had suggested they split up to search for Kiana given that the base was so huge, she had agreed but now she found herself a little lost as to wondering just where Kiana might be. She had already called Teri to notify her if Kiana came to the ward but that still left a few other places to check.

So far she had searched the kitchen and a few other rooms but still no luck. She pondered calling the others to help, but then it hit her. There was the room she always stayed in with Void and Thunder when they played with her. It was like a small bedroom so maybe she was there, Cecilia reasoned as she turned and head towards the room.

It didn't take her long before she reached the door and to her relief, she heard Kiana's voice from the other side.

"Thank goodness," Cecilia sighed as she opened the door. However, another voice surprised her as well. "Is that…" She muttered as she pressed an ear to the door.

"I warned you…" She heard Sirin yell.

"No, stop! Please!" Kiana screamed.

Cecilia fearing the worst quickly opened the door. She was afraid she'd see something horrible on the other side when she heard them. She knew Sirin was still a little dangerous, but she was praying the Herrscher wouldn't do anything to her baby. Luckily for her, all her fears were put at ease.

"Stop tickling me Sirin!" Kiana laughed as the Herrscher kept tickling her ribs.

"You started it first," Sirin says, a slight grin creeping up onto her face.

The two didn't seem to notice her arrival. Cecilia didn't mind of course. She could enjoy this moment for a little while longer. It was one she'd treasure as a mother, seeing her two daughters play like this.

Fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, Kiana soon saw her mother. She was saved from the tickle torture as she desperately calls for rescue.

"Momma!"

Sirin's eyes widened as she glanced at where Kiana was staring. With Sirin too shocked to move, Kiana was able to free herself and run over to Cecilia jumping into her arms.

"Hello, sweetie." Cecilia smiled at her daughter before turning towards Sirin.

"And hello to you too, Sirin." She spoke in a gentler tone. "How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm…" Sirin struggled to find her words, her mind going through so many different emotions. She then turned her head away, hiding her face with her hair as she regains her composure.

"…I'm doing better." She says.

"I'm glad then," Cecilia said as she walked over, Kiana still in one arm.

She raised her free arm to Sirin, pausing just before making contact. She wanted to know if Sirin felt comfortable with this. When Sirin didn't react or flinch, Cecilia moved her hand closer and gently caressed Sirin's cheek.

"I was so worried about you," Cecilia whispered, noticing the slight twitch coming from Sirin.

"…You were?" Sirin whispered.

"Of course," Cecilia told her. "I made a promise didn't I?"

She may not have been Sirin's mother. She may not have approved of the actions Sirin had committed under the Honkai, but Cecilia still believed Sirin deserved better, and she hoped she could give her better.

Sirin stood still, her face refusing to show any emotion. But that it didn't do much, as her body began to tremble slightly.

"…I'm sorry." The girl weakly muttered.

"There's nothing to be sorry of. You weren't thinking straight." Cecilia reassured her.

"No…I wanted to avenge them. I wanted those lives that were lost to be compensated with the lives of those who cause their deaths."

"I know, you did it for them."

"But in that rampage I…I almost killed you. I should have realized what I was doing and stopped, but I…I didn't. I-"

"It's ok. You don't have to be sorry for that." Cecilia brought the girl closer to her, embracing the girl fully.

"….I'm so sorry."

Her façade broke; Sirin finally leaned into her mother. Tears began to flood out of her eyes, being held back all this time. The girl sobbed and cried, feeling Cecilia's hand gently placed on her head. It was motherly warmth, reminding her of her past. Before everything, before all the experiments, before all the horrors, it reminded her of the time when she was just a child. A child with a mother who loved her.

Kiana didn't know what was going on, but she knew she had to be a good girl and pat her sister's head with her little hands. Why did all her sisters cry so much?

Cecilia smiled at her youngest caring nature. It seems things were looking up. When Sirin finally broke the hug, Cecilia asked Kiana if she wanted to go back with her new sister. She was more than happy to.

As she looked at the duo, Cecilia felt a deep sense of joy. Her family was finally together. All that was left was to properly introduce them to each other and hear what Void and Thunder had to say. Speaking of those two….

"Sirin, Kiana, have either of you seen Void and Thunder?" Cecilia questioned.

"About that…" Sirin trailed off, sniffing her nose a bit.

"Get back here Thunder, I just want to talk about what happened just now." Void called as she hefted the weapon behind. It was for moral support; she would swear it on Otto's life.

"Yeah, and I have the words idiot written on my forehead," Thunder shouted as she flew through the imaginary space. "Why are you even attacking me?"

"I'm not going to attack you. I just need to knock some sense into you after that stunt you pulled." Void explained rationally.

"How you been drinking the Osmanthus wine again? Because I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I saw you with Kiana. I know what you were trying to do you damn Herrscher of Sexual Desires."

"You really have lost your mind now haven't you?" Thunder shouted as she threw several ice spikes at the Void Herrscher to slow her down.

"Do you honestly believe I'd be that desperate?"

"…"

"You can't be serious…"

"Last time we were around a Kiana, you got drunk and tried to lewd her." Void defended.

"Lewd her? I was holding her hand." Thunder uttered.

"Exactly…. holding hands," Void repeated. "And she was a child as well you damn creep!" A seventeen years old child.

"Are you serious?" Thunder questioned as she turned around to strike once more and found Void nowhere in sight.

"Where did she g-" Thunder questioned as she looked around unaware of the claymore user appearing right behind her.

BONK!

Void slammed the club right into Thunder's skull and sent her straight through several floors.

"Yes, I am." Handholding was admittedly the least worrisome thing that happened, but how much the others were Thunder being drunk or a depressed mess was up for debate.

Mei glanced up irritated at the Void Herrscher. It wasn't the most painful attack she faced, but it was going to leave a ringing in her ears for a while, which was annoying in its own right. She could see the Herrscher brandishing her weapon ready for another strike.

Whether it was due to irritation or just her being too mentally exhausted to care, Mei decided it was time to use the trump card. As Void charged toward her, Mei called forth the one power she knew Void wouldn't anticipate. She would call forth the power from the core of Sentience. It was a move she and Void would regret utilizing.

Chapter Text

"Are you Zhongli?" A figure asked.

The gentleman turned towards the figure, his tea still in hand. He had been on his lunch break when they interrupted. They obviously didn't want him for anything work-related if they were looking for him here. His boss despite her eccentricities was still the go-to individual for funerals.

Glancing over at the figure who could tell immediately this was for another type of work. The girl, no, the Herrscher before him was filled to the brim with turbulent Honkai energy. He grimaced internally, any Honkai-related jobs were always her doing. Still, if a Herrscher was here and not trying to kill humanity then that must have meant something.

"I am," He answered politely. "What can I do for you Miss-"

"Void."

"-Miss Void."

"Are you familiar with a scientist by the name of Mobius?"

"Did she send you here?" He questioned as he examined the girl behind his polite exterior. Mobius was the last person he expected to befriend a Herrscher, let alone point them towards him and a city full of people.

"She said you could help me with this." The girl raised up her arm and rolled back her sleeves a little. Zhongli found himself surprised by the red veins that glowed along the girl's arm. It was the first sign of Honkai corruption in an individual.

Zhongli frowned. How could a Herrscher get Honkai Corruption? It was an absurd thought. However, as absurd as it may be, he did know how to treat it in a sense. Unreliable as his methods were, they did offer a solution to a problem science struggled to solve for millennia.

He glanced once more at the Herrscher. Nothing in her display had shown any signs of hostility or malice. There was also the fact that he was being recommended to her by Mobius, a move that the scientist would only consider if she had no alternatives or didn't desire the loss of the Herrscher.

"Let us talk elsewhere, somewhere free from… disturbances," Zhongli told her as he texted his boss a message requesting the afternoon off with a vague explanation as to why. Luckily, he didn't need to wait long for a response.

It didn't take long before the two of them made it to a small house just on the outskirts of the city. Zhongli opened the door and gestured for the Herrscher to follow him inside.

"I'm terribly sorry for the mess. I don't usually have company over." Zhongli admitted. Void glanced at the home noticing how tidy and organized it was. If this was a mess, she wondered what it would be like if it had been cleaned. "Would you like something to drink while we discuss your situation?" He offered.

"No thanks,"

"Very well." Zhongli poured himself a drink before joining the Herrscher at the table. He would give her credit, she kept a stone face expression most of the way. "Tell me, how did a young lady like yourself become a Herrscher?"

Herrschers were the Honkai's heralds. They were former humans who had absorbed too much Honkai and become something else entirely. Beings of mass destruction who sought to carry out the Honkai's will and exterminate mankind.

They were contradicting statements, as the First Herrscher sided with humans and fought against the Honkai. However, the Second Herrscher was a different story.

"It's a complicated story," She admitted.

"I've been told I'm a good listener," Zhongli answered. "I can't help you deal with the corruption if you don't tell me."

The Herrscher let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. She clearly wasn't expecting to talk more. She must have figured it would be a simple in and out job. Of course, life is never that simple.

"I must say you have my sympathies for what it's worth." He apologized. She had given him a small peek at her past. Though he knew there were small liberties to the truth she revealed, he would let her be. There were obviously some things better left unsaid.

"If that's the case then you should fix this stupid corruption." She growled. She was restraining herself. No doubt dredging her past had put her in a foul mood. If her other actions even had a sliver of truth, then he would consider himself lucky that she didn't skew him right away.

"Unfortunately fixing your corruption isn't as simple as you think Miss Void. The process is significantly more complicated than anything Mobius or those scientists would have hoped to encounter." He informed her. "I have no machine or medicine that can undo this damage."

"Then what can you do for me?" The Herrscher grumbled. He could hear a low echoing in her voice, her anger still being suppressed.

Throughout human history, the Honkai has always been a threat. However, as time went on, humanity progressed and relied on science and technology to aid in combating the threat. He would not dismiss these tools; they had helped save many lives. Still, there was always more that could be done for an individual on a more…spiritual level.

"I can guide you," Zhongli answered. "To better understand yourself and the turbulent energy that is eating away at you. That is if you will let me." He stretched out his hand.

"To say you can help me control my power, that's a rather bold claim Mr. Zhongli." The Herrscher looked at him skeptically. She didn't have alternatives though. The more she fought the more the Honkai within would poison her. "What do I have to do?"

"First we make a contract," Zhongli informed.

"Oh right, Mobius did warn me about this. You were obsessed with contracts and deals. She said if you ever became a Herrscher, your title would be the Ruler of Contracts or something along those lines."

"To think she'd value me enough to bestow upon me a nickname. It certainly is more dignified than a lab rat." He mused. "Be that as it may, I do often favor making contracts either for myself or for others. It promotes a level of fairness among those involved, whether they be friends or strangers." He smiled as he took another sip of his drink.

"That being said…" His expression became stern as he stood up. While he may not have as much power as the Herrscher, he still was able to maintain an aura of intimidation around him. His taller stature allows him to tower over the Herrscher. "I am not the one who has much to lose in this negotiation. If you do not like my terms, then I would suggest you leave gracefully."

The Herrscher glared at him, hiding her own fears behind a scowl and an expression of determination. "Name them," She had to force a smirk on her face. There was hardly anything she doubted he could demand short of a miracle, but she still needed to make sure she wasn't showing him any weakness to exploit.

Zhongli smiled at her before walking over to an old family photo. Void tried to glance at it, but his body blocked her view.

" Young Herrscher...I understand your rage at this world. You have been wronged by many and your anger is just." Zhongli trailed off. Humanity was not always as great as it portrayed itself. There were the ugly sides as well. Those who would lie, cheat and seek to harm others just because they could.

"I am sensing a but…"

"Do tell, is the target of your anger only those who have wronged you? Or do you look at people who are innocent and merely seek to destroy them because they were fortunate to be spared your fate?" Zhongli questioned.

The Second Eruption was not some disaster to be taken lightly. It was an event that cost millions of innocents their lives. Yet he understood what could push an individual to such lengths. He understood just how easy it was to let yourself be lost in the temptations of revenge where nothing else mattered but your own feelings.

Void didn't say anything, so Zhongli kept talking.

"Let bygones be bygones, hunt those who have truly wronged you, leave those who never did alone. Perhaps if you understand this then you can start healing, both in mind and in the body."

"And what if I can't heal? What then?"

"You can, you just need a little guidance child. That's all anyone needs at times. Take this to heart. This is all I ask." He told. "Those are my terms to you."

"Wait what?" The Herrscher was surprised. That was it. That's what he wanted from her.

"What were you expecting? I have no delusion of grandiose Miss Void. Despite your nature as a Herrscher and your actions. There is still a potential within you to do what's right. I merely wish to know that you will attempt to do so."

"What you do with your power is up to you. So long as you don't use it to abuse and harm innocents then I have no issues with how you choose to live, believe it or not." Zhongli informed.

Would it really have been that simple? No speeches about her having responsibilities to help others, no pushing her towards fighting for some cause that she didn't solely believe in. It was just her own choice to make. So long as she didn't abuse it, he'd help. It sounded too good to be true honestly but maybe for once, it could be.

"Alright Zhongli, you have a deal. Just make sure you keep your promise to me." She smiled as she stretched out her hand.

"You will find Ms. Void, that my promises are solid stone." He told her as they shook hands.

The next day Zhongli took Void to a mountain near the city. The scenery around them was beautiful. Despite being so close to the city, the mountain base had been relatively untouched by civilization.

The forest flourished around them, with the various fauna and fauna thriving. However, while Void was still somewhat awestruck by the environment, Zhongli's focus was on something else entirely. He was observing a nearby stream that flowed through various water pools.

"It is time." He called Void over to the stream.

"In order to undo the Honkai Corruption within your body, you must open your chakras," Zhongli explained.

"What are chakras?" Void questioned.

"Look at this stream." Zhongli motioned. "Water flows through the stream, collecting in the various pools before flowing out. Similarly, energy also flows within your body, collecting in the various chakras before flowing out."

"So, chakras are pools of Honkai energy within a person's body." Void rationalized.

"While it is true, they are pools of energy within your body, they are not exclusively Honkai. There are many types of energy in this world and the Honkai is but one of them." Zhongli explained.

"Before you ask; whether the energy flowing within you is Honkai or not, it is irrelevant. Our primary concern right now is not the energy but the pathway. If these pathways were left as is, the energy would flow. Unfortunately, life can become messy, and these pathways can become blocked."

"What happens when they are blocked?" Void inquired. She could call it a hunch, but she had a feeling her chakras had been blocked. Zhongli didn't answer merely pointing to a blocked pool. Unlike the others, the water did not flow in this pool. It merely remained still, the water itself had become murky as opposed to the clear water flowing in other parts of the stream.

"When the energy is blocked, it will remain where it is. Then it will start to stagnate and the energy within becomes just like the pool." Zhongli answered.

"However, if the blockage is removed." He reached into the pool and pulled a clump of algae that had been blocking the flow. "The energy will flow properly, and it will cleanse the stream." It would cleanse her body of the corruption within it.

Within a cave Zhongli and Void with their legs crossed in a meditation stance.

"There are seven chakras. Each of them governs a particular aspect of your being. As such each one also has a special block that needs to be overcome. To do so you will be forced to explore the parts of your being you may not feel comfortable with."

"Even then you should be warned there is no permanent way to clear these blockages as they are an inevitability of life. You will always need to reflect to make sure no more blockages form."

"Are you ready?"

Void nodded.

"The first is the Geo chakra. It deals with your desire to survive, and it is blocked by what you fear. What are you most afraid of?" He questioned.

Void closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. What were her fears? Visions of many of them began to surface. She was afraid of being back at the lab. She was afraid of watching those around her die. She was afraid of her father in his beast form. She was afraid of the fire of Shamash.

"Let your fears become clear."

Her breathing became more erratic as she felt her heart begin to raise. The visions were becoming more real by the second. "No, stay back." She began to cry. She was beginning to feel helpless as she saw it all play out. She was too weak to fight off everyone and she was powerless to save those around her and herself.

"Void, listen to me. What you see isn't real." Zhongli's voice called to her. "You are concerned for your survival, but you must let go of it."

"Let it go," Void thought as she tried to focus. All of her visions culminated before her into a mass of shadows each one resembling an enemy she faced. She had to let it go. It didn't control her. She controlled it. She had survived before; she could survive again. She would survive again. "I will survive." She screamed and the mass of shadows shatter into a million fragments.

Her eyes snapped open to find Zhongli smiling at her like a proud teacher. "Very good, you have opened the geo chakra."

Two then made their way beneath a waterfall by the mountain where they once again resumed their positions.

"Next, we shall open the Hydro Chakra. Hydro deals with pleasure and it is blocked by guilt. Look at all the guilt that burdens your soul. What do you blame yourself for?"

Void closed her eyes once more as she put her guilt before her. What did she blame herself for? She thought long and hard about it. Both her mother and Cecilia were dead, as did all her friends in Babylon as well. Bella died protecting her. Sirin/Void didn't die.

"I lived when they didn't." She confessed to herself. Cecilia could have lived if she didn't risk herself trying to comfort Sirin. With both parents alive, Kiana might have still been with her parents. Her existence robbed not just Cecilia but many families. She shouldn't have been alive, if she wasn't alive then the Honkai wouldn't have been able to manipulate her.

"I let myself be deceived." She continued.

"Herrscher. You must accept the reality that these things happened but do not let it cloud your mind. Life is precious and if we make mistakes then so be it, what is important is that you learn from these mistakes." Zhongli whispered. "You need to let go of your past. You need to forgive yourself."

"Forgive me?" Void thought. Cecilia was once again before her. They were back in the icy tundra. Cecilia had come back for her. She wanted to be a mother to her. A mother always wants their child to be happy. That's how Sirin's own mother had been. "I will live life to the fullest. I won't let your sacrifice go in vain." Void opened her eyes once more.

"Congratulations, you're Hydro chakra is now opened."

Void found herself on the side of the mountain alongside Zhongli. The sun rising in the distance was a beautiful sight if she was being honest. It made her feel warm inside after being soaked in the waterfall.

"Now it is time to open the Pyro Chakra. This one can be a little tricky so be patient. It deals with power, specifically willpower and it is blocked by shame. Tell young Herrscher, what are the things that you are ashamed of? What are the biggest disappointments you have in yourself?"

"My shame," Void repeated as she closed her eyes. Was she ashamed of anything? Her disappointments were obvious though. She hated herself for being weak, for being too gullible. She loathed being unable to do anything while the world around her crumbled.

No matter how strong she got, it was never enough. She couldn't save the people she cared for. She had also allowed herself to be blinded by her rage. She had become the same kind of monster as those she had sworn to destroy.

The face of the village was still engraved in her mind. A community that had taken her in and cared for her. A community that once they learned of her actions became wary and terrified of her. She wanted to hate them for it, but she couldn't. They had every right to fear her, and she was ashamed of the fact.

"I'm a monster." Void whispered. The images of the young girl she had befriended not long ago, shaking in fear as Void tried to get closer. It was not unlike the kids back in Babylon fearful of the approaching scientists.

"Your past does not determine your future. If you wish to let yourself succumb to the past, if you let what others tell you to break your spirit, then you will be swallowed by the darkness. In these dark times, hope is something you give yourself, that is the meaning of true strength. This is power."

A hope that only she could give herself. A chance at a life where she would no longer need to fight, where she could be at peace. "I am the Herrscher of the Void and I control my own destiny. I will end my story under my own terms."

She could feel the Gem of Haste resonate with her spirit. The power surged within her body once more. Within her mind's eye, Void saw a brief glimpse at a familiar red-haired woman looking at her with a smile before she burst into flames. Void opened her eyes in shock.

"Himeko," She whispered.

"Your will burns brightly. Your pyro chakra is open." Zhongli informed.

The two kept ascending higher up the mountain. Once they reached midday way they found themselves under a small forest on the mountainside.

"The next chakra is Dendro. It is one many people suffer blockages from. It deals with love and is blocked by grief. Herrscher lay your grief before you." Zhongli instructed.

Void closed her eyes once more, taking a deep breath, she laid it all before. The memories came of her life as Sirin as in the village. Living peacefully with her mother and her friends. Cecilia also appeared alongside them. Even Albedo was there. Void smiled at the sight of everyone she knew before a sandstorm emerged swallowing it all up.

"You have felt great loss young Herrscher, but while the people you knew have long since passed, the love between them and you still exists within your heart. If you remember them, they will be with you forever." Zhongli smiled. "And as long as you keep your heart open, you will find that there is new love waiting for you,"

The sandstorm parted from her once more revealing an entirely new world around her. Before her eyes were her father, Aunt Teri, Bella, and Bronya. People who she cared for and who cared for her. Void felt tears beginning to trickle down her side.

She opened her eyes to find Zhongli before her, with a handkerchief in hand. "Here you go. You have opened the Dendro chakra." He told her. "How do you feel?"

"My body feels lighter. As if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

"You are halfway there; the energy is now flowing properly. Look at your hand." Void rolled back her sleeves and noticed the veins had started to recede. The Honkai wasn't corrupting her now.

"It's working." Void realized.

"The next three chakras are far more difficult than the first four. Opening them will is a challenge not many can do. It is already impressive that you opened the first four, even Mobius couldn't get past the Dendro chakra."

"Mobius tried opening her chakras?"

"She did but the blockages were too much for her. Her own guilt and grief weighed her down."

"I guess even someone as old as Mobius can have blocks."

"Trauma is something that can be difficult to deal with even if you overcome it, it will still linger. Perhaps she did overcome at one point, but they were blocked as soon as she was no longer focusing."

As the two kept ascending higher up the mountain, Void found herself beginning to feel a little colder. Subconsciously she tapped into the Gem of Haste and began to warm herself.

"The next chakra is Cryo. It deals with Truth and is blocked by lies. The lies we tell ourselves."

What lie did Void tell herself? She began searching for her memories.

"Kiana come back to us." Mei pleaded.

"Sirin, how may I be of service?" Bella asked.

"I'm not that person anymore." Void told them. "I am not."

Kiana's friends kept trying to reach out to her. They wanted to bring her back. Couldn't they see Kiana was gone? Even Bella was just as blind, she thought the clone in front of her was Sirin as well. How could she be Sirin, because she had her memories, or was it because of the core?

"You can not lie about your own nature. It is a truth that you will always know deep down. You must accept that but that doesn't mean it will rule you. Acceptance does not mean submission."

"I am Void." Void muttered. She was both Sirin and Kiana, but she was also herself. She was Void, the adopted sister of Kiana, the successor of Sirin. "I am all of me."

"Very good," Zhongli told her. "You have opened the Cryo chakra."

The penultimate stop for their journey was near the mountain top. The two sat on the cliffside with the clouds just below them. A storm was brewing right below them. It was an interesting sight sitting above the lightning. It reminded her of Thunder for some reason.

"Is the next Chakra Electro?" Void questioned.

"You're learning. If you open all seven perhaps you can consider teaching others."

"I don't think I'd have the patience to this with another." Void confessed.

"Perhaps but you never know." He told her. "But that is for discussing later. Now you shall unlock the Electro Chakra. This one deals with insight, and it is blocked by illusions."

"Insight and Illusion?" Void wondered.

"The greatest illusion in this world is the illusion of separation. Things you may think are separate and different are all one and the same."

"Like the nations and countries of the world." Void recalled. They may act as separate individuals but when they are all pushed into a corner, they will act as one. She had witnessed humanity unite against the Honkai before, they can easily do it again.

"That's right. We are all one people, but we live as if divided." Zhongli told her.

"We?"

"Child, do you think that because you are Herrscher, it changes the fact that you were once human as well?" Zhongli questioned. "We may have lived differently, we may look different, but at our core, we are all people." He informed.

"We are all people." Void repeated. She was a person just like any other, like Cecilia and even Otto. They were people just like her. They were all people with the only difference being what they experienced and the choices they made. Cecilia chose to be kind to those around her, Otto chose to be selfish. Void also had her own choices to make, as did Mei. "We are all one and the same with only our choices and are circumstances to differentiate us."

"That's right. Even the energy we wield despite behaving differently is the same." He told her as held his arm forward. The dust around them began to gather before forming a cube in front of him. Void did the same extending out her own arm. forming her own cube out of Honkai energy.

"The Electro Chakra is opened."

Eat your heart out Thunder.

The duo was finally at the mountain's peak. The only thing higher than them was the night sky. Void could feel the air around them. It was light and empty in a sense.

"The final Chakra to be opened and the most difficult of the Seven, Anemo. It is the chakra associated with thought, enlightenment, and the flow of pure energy around us and it is blocked by our earthly attachments. To open this chakra, you must detach yourself from that which anchors you to this world."

"I must detach the what from the what anchor." Void repeated. She did not understand one thing about the blockage.

"Your earthly attachments are what you must let go of. These are things that you might obsess over. They can be as simple as an object, or they can even be a person. They may even be an abstract concept such as greed that hinder you from growing."

Void thought hard about what he said. She didn't have anything of significant value like that. There also weren't many people left for her to value. A concept she obsessed with; she might have an idea what that may be.

"How can I let it go?" Void questioned She had figured out what it was. Her desire for justice against those who wronged her, against Otto and the Will of Honkai. "How can I just forget about everything they did to me?" She asked Zhongli.

"Letting go does not mean you forget," Zhongli answered. "Letting go simply means, you don't let it control or influence you anymore." He told her. "You can still have your desires but do not let them rule your choices. Do not let them consume your soul."

"Let go of your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty, and become wind." Zhongli told her. "I am not asking that you forget your revenge. I said before that whether you acted on it or not, that was your choice. I want you to look within yourself and let go of the obsession, don't let it drive you to self-destruct."

Zhongli sighed. This was the hardest part.

Void looked at him once more her face unreadable. He was expecting her to leave. Instead, she closed her eyes once more as she took in a deep breath. "Don't let it control me." She whispered as she began to focus.

Her desire for revenge against humanity had been played upon before by the Honkai. What had started as simply killing the scientists that wronged her had escalated into her attempting mass genocide against all of humanity. She had started with good intentions, but it was easily warped into more malicious ones.

When her Herrscher side had reawakened, it had acted on revenge once more, never seeing anything beyond revenge against her father. The Herrscher persona hadn't let go of revenge and it almost cost her Siegfied. Her revenge against humanity had also made it difficult for her to now interact normally with people. They had every reason to view her as a ticking time bomb now.

If she wanted to truly live a peaceful life. A life beyond just the Honkai and fighting, she would need to let it go. "Don't let it control you." She repeated.

"Let go of your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty, and become wind." She repeated once more. She wouldn't fight them because for revenge. She would fight them to ensure no one else suffers. She would fight for true justice.

Void exhaled as she opened her eyes once more. She hadn't even realized she had been holding a breath. Zhongli was eyeing her curiously as if to assess her condition. Did it work?

"Your Anemo chakra is open. You have now opened all of them." Zhongli mused. "Impressive."

"You sound like you expected me to. I thought this was one of those situations where only a handful could do it."

"It is often easier for some of those who have suffered great loss to open all seven, but at the same time, it may also be harder as well. It's a 50 50 really. Thought when I saw you make it to the fourth Chakra, I knew it was a guarantee."

"It's strange, my body feels different, yet I barely did anything." She noted as she opened and closed her palms. "It's like when I first awakened as Herrscher. I could feel the pain of the Honkai fade away, what once was hurting now felt refreshing."

"That's energy circulating properly now. All the stagnant energy is leaving your body and is being replaced consistently now. Unless you plan on storing far larger amounts of Honkai in your body, you shouldn't worry about corruption ever again."

"So, what now?" Void asked.

"Now you may do as you wish. Leave and return to Mobius or stay and have a drink and a chat with an old man. It is your choice. There is nothing else really to do now."

"A drink and a chat sound nice. Do you have any recommendations?" Void questioned.

"Have you ever heard of Osmanthus wine?" Zhongli questioned.

Chapter Text

"Do I even want to know?" Cecilia questioned as she looked at the two Herrschers. Sirin and Kiana watched curiously at the state of the older girls. Sirin and Cecilia for the most part had understood Honkai could grant and bestow supernatural abilities on individuals. However, both of them had underestimated just how random some of those abilities could have been.

Kiana reached out to touch the fuzzy tail only for Void to quickly move it out of her reach. Her ears and whiskers twitched in annoyance as Kiana tried to reach her once more. If it was anyone else, she would have considered scratching them with her new claws.

"Ask the chicken." The Void Herrscher grumbled before turning to Kiana. "Why don't you touch her feathers instead?" She gestured to Thunder. "Don't you think they look prettier?"

Kiana turned to Thunder who was now sweating nervously. Even if she wasn't her Kiana, Mei couldn't say no to that face. That being said the Herrscher of Thunder was well aware of how painful this might be if Kiana plucked from the wrong place. However, she wouldn't let Void pin this all on her just yet.

"You're the one who started it," Thunder argued.

"I'm not the one who used a power they didn't matter. We've fought tons of times before for less and you never resorted to this."

"I was annoyed and exhausted, and you were irritating. I figured I could shut you up with it."

"If you don't change us back right now, I'll rip the core out and do it myself."

"That's enough! Both of you!" Cecilia yelled. "I don't care who's fault it is. Just change yourselves back." She scolded them. Neither Herrschers didn't respond too intimidated to speak back. They were both shorter than her now due to Thunder's misuse of the Senti core, which only added to the motherly terror Cecilia invoked in them.

"YES MA'AM!"

Elsewhere within the cores….

"Hahaha. That's what you, cheaters get." Senti laughed. She may have been reduced to a small cameo in the chapter, but she still got the last laugh Void and Thunder.

"You do realize when they sort this out, either Thunder or Void or both of them are going to come after you." Owl informed as he relaxed in his chair. Unlike the Sentience Herrscher, he was content just kicking back within the cores. It was peaceful and he had some good company beyond Senti.

"Chen is right," Ana added. Her cousin wasn't known for being able to keep her temper. Otto, World Serpent, and Anti-Entropy had all learned that the hard way.

"Hehe. Like I care what they do. Thunder claimed she didn't need my power and then had the audacity to use it."

"Well don't say we didn't warn you." Ana sighed.

"Just because you two are cowards doesn't mean I- hey why are you backing away?" Those were the last words she spoke before a giant purple hand came down and flattened the Herrscher of Sentience.

"Ya-tta." She muttered as she was dazed from the strike.

"Okay. I have human hands, human legs, not fur or whiskers." Void noted as she looked herself over. She stretched out her fingers and noticed a lack of claws on them as well. "That should do-me-ouch!" She exclaimed as she turned around.

She noticed Kiana holding a white tail that was still very much attached to her. Void merely rolled her eyes. It wasn't the worse side effect to have but she was going to beat Senti to pulp the next time she found her. Void sighed as she felt her ears twitch, not on the sides of her head mind you, but on the top of her head.

"I have cat ears. Don't I?"

"Don't even start." Thunder coughed up several feathers. Void wasn't even going to question how she had feathers inside her body when the feathers had appeared outside. Even worse, Thunder still had quite a few feathers in other areas of her body. Void assumed there were in places where the sun doesn't shine.

"Well, I suppose this is workable then." Void admitted. She could pull off the kitten look better than Thunder could pull off the chicken, she knew that for sure at least. "Let's head back and meet the others."

"Here," Siegfied offered a glass of melon juice to Bella. The dragon had only recently woken up from her slumber. Suffice to say, she was still depressed about the incident that happened earlier with Sirin.

Even though Sirin had returned to base, Bella hadn't made a move to greet her as she had done with Void. It seemed like she was wary of upsetting the youngest Herrscher even more. Teri was currently trying to console her, but it didn't seem like she was having any effect.

It was admittedly nerve-wracking now that they were all waiting here. Cecilia had contacted him and explained how she had found both Sirin and Kiana. He was relieved that the Herrscher had been pacified around his daughter, but he was worried if she might relapse once she saw him or Bella.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the door open. It wasn't Cecilia and their daughter much to his relief. It was instead the two Anti-Entropy Doctors. Einstein and Tesla were both eyeing the dragon with confused looks till he explained the situation to them.

"Huh, so we're finally getting this over with," Tesla noted. "That's a relief, we can finally get back to work soon." Now that Welt was out of commission, she and Einstein were left in charge of AE. The Second Eruption might be over, but they still needed to work on cleaning up the mess left behind.

"It would be best if we withdraw ourselves from public eyes for now," Einstein noted. With Welt out of action, AE's morale isn't the highest right now, nor is the public standings in any favorable position. It would be best for them to regroup, plan, and prepare their next move, given the Herrschers and Honkai Beast in their possession.

"Fine by me. I didn't like public speaking anyway."

"What about you two?" Einstein questioned Teri and Siggy. "Are you going to return to Schiskal?"

"We're waiting to hear out Void and Thunder before making a decision," Teri informed. She was curious to learn just what they had to say. She doubted it was anything good, but it would be informative, nonetheless. The two Herrschers seemed to be grounded individuals.

"You're nervous right?"

Sirin looked up at her older self or was it her new sister more appropriate. The older girl had a soft smile on her face as she glanced back. The older Herrscher of the Void was walking beside Cecilia, Thunder, and Kiana walked ahead. Kiana was practically dragging her mother with her as they made their way back.

"Wouldn't you?" Sirin responded.

"Got me there." The Herrscher chuckled lightly. "Right now, I'm panicking like crazy. My mind is running through a hundred situations of how this can go wrong, and I am using all my willpower not to just warp to space and scream."

"I would have never guessed." Sirin glanced at Void from top to bottom. She wasn't looking nervous. Her body looked as poised and confident as ever.

"I can hold it up while in front of others, but on the inside, I'm a wreck. You should have seen me a few days ago. I had to go by an emotional support dog. You should meet him sometime."

"That doesn't sound reassuring."

"Admittedly a huge portion of that stress is based on your reaction to everyone else and how they will react when they learn the full story."

"That sounds even less reassuring."

"I'm sealing your powers to avoid any unnecessary freakouts like last time." Void deadpanned.

"Oh right. You can do that. That's why my powers weren't working before. You messed with them." Sirin realized.

"I can only mess with yours since it's well literally my own. The Cores and gems recognized me as you, so they obey me just as well." Void explained.

"Shouldn't that go both ways?" If it listened to one, shouldn't it listen to the other?

"It can…but your will and your desires must match and surpass mine. Perhaps when you're older they might, but right now, my resolve far exceeds yours. Not to mention I also have regular experience pulling the cores and gems out of other Herrschers and having my own pulled out. Just ask Thunder if you don't believe me.

Sirin eyed Thunder ahead of them before glancing back at Void. The experience of having the cores and gems ripped out of her was not pleasant. She would go as far as to say it was on par with the lab experiments if she was comparing the painfulness of it. She couldn't imagine doing it more regularly.

"So, you can rip my core and gems out right now?" It was a frightening thought. Had Void or Thunder been more hostile towards her…she shuddered to think of that outcome.

"I'd rather I didn't have to. Though rip out might have been the wrong choice of words. With other Herrschers, I rip them out, with you it's as easy as one two three." Void whispered as she held out her hand. Sirin watched as a core and gem appeared.

It was the Void core and the Serenity Gem. That's when Sirin's eyes widened at the sudden hollowness within her body. Those were HER Void core and Serenity Gem. Void clenched the core and gem in her grasp once more and Sirin felt the unironic Void disappear from within her chest.

"With you, I can just warp them out. Most Herrschers…or well me and Thunder can warp out our own gems and cores. Helpful when you want to use them as power sources for other things. Since your gems and core listen to me as well, I can warp yours out as well."

"Don't worry. I have no intentions of leaving you without them permanently. Well unless you want to permanently remove them. Other than that, I'm only going to seal them to avoid any accidents with your powers."

"I speak from experience when I say I know the few times I freaked out by accident, I unintentionally launched spears that thankfully only ever impaled Thunder. I would recommend avoiding that when you have our family present. Kiana may be bold enough to pull my tail, but she can't take a lance to the face."

"I don't think any normal person could take a lance to the face."

"You know what I mean."

"Fine. I'll let you seal my powers, but you unseal it the moment this is over, okay."

"I'll tell you right now, I will make no such promise. I will unseal it once I'm sure you can handle it. Do we have a deal?"

Sirin glanced at Void who merely smiled back. The power discrepancy was still present. Sirin tried to stare down her older self, but the white-haired Herrscher kept her gaze and responded with one more intense.

"Fine. Deal."

"We're back." Kiana cheered as she rushed into the room, Thunder trailing behind her. Teri looked up to see her niece jump on the dragoness, pulling her into a hug. "Did you miss me, Bella?" Kiana asked innocently. Bella returned a sad smile at the child assuring her she did.

"Leave it to a little kid." Teri mused to herself. Kiana was like a puppy. Her cuteness could raise anyone's mood. Or perhaps that was just the nature of kids in general. So long as they weren't yours, babies had a near-universal ability to make people smile.

Teri glanced at Cecilia noticing her still by the door. She had motioned for Siegfied and the two scientists to sit down while she talked to someone outside. It took her one guess as to who was present.

"Alright, so I want everyone to take a deep breath and just sit back and relax." Cecilia told them. "There is someone I want you all to meet." She told them. Cecilia soon entered with Void and Sirin. The latter daughter holding the older daughter's arm.

"This is Sirin." She announced as if Sirin was just another random individual. Despite her best attempts, Teri could feel the tension rising in the air. She could see Siegfied tense up considerably, and could faintly hear Einstein and Tesla murmuring something to each other but couldn't make out what they were saying. At the very least they were attempting to hide it.

Teri's own heart was racing at the thought of being in the room with Sirin. She had been open to the idea of trusting her but that still didn't mean she wasn't worried about a potential relapse. She trusted Void and Thunder's ability to protect them but the lingering feelings she had from her encounters with the young Herrscher were still fresh in her mind.

After the introduction, there was an awkward moment of silence in the room as no one had any idea what to say or do next. This was ironically one of the better outcomes Void had hoped for. It meant she could do this next part without any major issues.

Clearing her throat, Void grabbed everyone's attention. "Okay. So now that everyone's here, I suppose it's time for my long overdue explanation and introduction." She spoke. This should give Sirin and the others plenty of time to process and ease up with each other.

"Wait."

Void turned to Thunder with an annoyed look. "What is it bird brain?"

"I need to go and make some popcorn." Thunder chided. This was going to be comedy gold. Of course, she needed to get snacks to watch it. Void glared at Thunder, but decided it best to satisfy Thunder as quickly as possible instead of arguing and dragging the situation out more than needed. Once Thunder was back, she sat down and offered some to the others before turning to Void. "Proceed."

"Okay, so I was saying it's explanation time. I am sure you all have questions, and I will most likely try my best to answer them. I should warn you, that you might not like all the answers you get. So, without further ado let's begin."

"Why are you two here?"

Everyone turned to Tesla. She was the first one who had spoken up and it was already straight to the point. She wasn't one to beat around the bush. The fact that they were time travelers was already a major point of interest but while the how of the matter was not up for discussion, surely the why was.

"Did something happen in the future?"

Time travel was something that would be very risky to do. One wrong move could have catastrophic consequences. If they were here, then surely it meant something severe had happened.

"Going with that one I see." Void noted. She paused for a moment, taking time to properly gather her thoughts and choose her words. "I came here for the simple reason of saving Mom, Sirin, Bella, and Kiana. It took a lot of effort but when I was presented with this chance, I knew I had to take it."

"I came to keep an eye on her," Thunder added as she gestured to Void.

"As for the question about whether anything happened or not. The short answer is yes, many things did happen. The world progressed, the fighting with the Honkai continued, among many other things." Void told them. "We didn't come here because all was lost if that's what you're thinking. The world was still surviving when we left."

"That's good to know." Teri sighed. "But still why did you come…surely it's difficult for you to go back home now that you have time traveled. Right?" She had read about this in a lot of manga before. Once you travel backward you can't return to the future since you alter the past.

"That's easy enough to answer." Void muttered. "Simply put, there isn't anything left for me in there."

She took a deep breath as she composed herself knowing fully well all the questions they would have and already having the answers ready. "In my timeline, many of those I was close with are long gone. Mom, Sirin, Kiana, Dad, and Bella, are all dead in my timeline and Aunt Teri, might as well be."

"I don't really have anyone back home. Whatever friends I made, were terrified of me because of my Herrscher nature. Then there were those who didn't get along with me for another reason." Void continued.

"I spent a good deal of my life, running and fighting. I've been chased to the ends of the Earth by four different armies. I have been driven by desires for revenge against both mankind and the Honkai."

"Yet in the end, I felt exhausted. The constant cycle of fighting and running. I always meet new people, I always befriend them, then lose them for various reasons. When applicable I go on a war path for revenge, but even then, the desire for vengeance started to fade. I just wanted to come back to a time where I wasn't so alone, and where I knew it had people who would accept me." Void lamented.

"Void."

"I'd stop you right there, mom. The whole tragic backstory bit isn't even past the prologue." Void chuckled. She glanced at Cecilia and Siegfied who were both looking at her worriedly.

"I hope you both aren't disappointed that I didn't keep to the Kaslana's Oath. The idea of protecting mankind… makes me sick to my stomach now. I protect and fight for those around me, those I know or those I get involved with, nothing more and nothing less. The memories I have of the greater good for humanity in Babylon make it very difficult to entertain those ideas."

"Just how long have you been like this?" Cecilia questioned. For someone to just let their whole world fade away like that, how much would they have endured reaching that point? She left knowing full well she wouldn't return. "And what about you Thunder?"

"For me, many of the people I loved passed away, either due to the Honkai or other individuals. All those losses allowed me to be consumed by my own grief and delusions, and I started threading a path of self-destruction. On that same path, I pushed away what little I had left." She and Bronya had never made up after their fight.

"In short, we have nothing to lose in our timeline and everything to gain here. We have a chance to start over in a new world." Void continued. "One could call it cowardice, or escapism, but at this point. I don't care."

"So, you both just left your world unprotected?" Siegfied questioned.

"Unprotected…not by a long shot," Thunder interjected. "They are very capable of handling themselves."

"They have the tech to drain Herrschers of their Honkai energy. They have Valks who can go toe to toe and impale Herrschers. They have resources, both technical and personal from the previous Era to help them. I can safely they are well equipped because I experienced it previously from all three fronts."

"Void's been impaled at least several times by the current strongest Valk, Durandal. Despite all your power, you never did beat her in a one-on-one, right." Mei chided.

"Bianka cheated me several times out of those wins. I was this close several times and either it was AE, Schicksal, World Serpent, or the Honkai that got in my way." Void grumbled.

"Bianka sounds like a meanie," Kiana shouted.

"Yes, she is Kiana. I hope you never meet her or her maid ever."

"So, the four armies that chased you were them," Teri noted. "Schicksal and Anti Entropy have gone after you."

"Eh…I mean I understand why they did it. At the time I wasn't exactly in the best frame of mind." Void laughed nervously.

"You did mention how both you and Thunder had quite the history causing destruction."

"And we are both still very sorry about that," Mei assured Cecilia. Granted a lot of the damage had been unintentional on her part but there had still been instances where she did obliterate more than she ought to.

"I'll apologize for some of it but there are some things I don't regret destroying or killing." Void chuckled lightly. There was a special kind of hell for the sickos who tried touching kids in her present. She'd definitely allow herself to fall back into her role as a herald of destruction if it meant oblivion for those who hurt kids.

"I sincerely hope you both mean that." She told them. Sirin noticed she cast a glance in her direction with a softer expression. The younger Herrscher knew Cecilia had similar expectations for her but wouldn't outright say it in front of the others.

"We do…but I still want to kill Otto." Void deadpanned.

"What!" Teri exclaimed. "Why do you want to kill Grandpa?" She knew he did some questionable things but did they have to resort to murder.

"I have many reasons." Void opened a portal and took out a glowing orb. Cecilia recognized it as the orb she had seen Void holding when they first met after the nukes were about to hit them. "The most notable one being this."

"He launched a nuke to cover up his mistakes and crimes. He seeks the power to raise the dead. A power he believes lies within the Honkai. To accomplish this, he has committed many atrocities over the centuries."

"He prolongs the fight with the Honkai, not because he can't outright beat it, or doesn't have the resources. The Void Archives is quite a large reserve of information and knowledge that humanity could use. He prolongs the fight because he seeks the power of the Herrscher of Death. He wants to gain that power." Void explained.

"So, he's afraid of dying?" Siegfied questioned.

"Not exactly. Otto doesn't care if he dies or not. In fact, if given the opportunity he might very sacrifice himself in a heartbeat. What he wants more than anything else is to revive none other than Kallen Kaslana."

"Kallen Kaslana?"

"Yes, the same Kallen Kaslana from the stories of old. The one who is used to model the character from Kallen Fantasy. One of the more infamous Kaslana's from the past." Void explained.

"Otto believes that Kallen was robbed of her life by an 'unjustly execution' and seeks to revive her by any means." Mei lamented. "As you can tell, when we say any means…we mean it."

"So…this whole time, he's been prolonging the fight with the Honkai, for Kallen?" Cecilia muttered. "He did all of this…for love?"

"That's the kicker. Kallen doesn't love him, nor does she approve of this." Void answered. "This is all purely based on his delusion for her."

"Kallen herself would be appalled by his reaction and he knows it as well." Mei added. Kiana would have a similar sentiment if Mei tried to do something similar.

"If it's you or the world then I'll sacrifice the World." Thunder had witnessed another version of herself, telling a Kiana from another timeline this phrase. Kiana's responses and actions after though.

"Then that sacrifice is vain because I can't live without this world." The alternate Kiana responded before she turned her gun to face her.

"Kallen has no desire to be revived. The whole crusade is merely his belief that her death was…unjust." Mei added.

"This is all old news though." Tesla pointed out. The very reason AE was conceived and why they acted independently was because they had learned about Otto's ambitions long ago.

"This is news to us, though." Cecilia interrupted. She had known about the Overseer her whole life. Given the nature of her bloodline, she had been isolated a lot from most of the world. It wasn't until recently had she started going out more. She had once thought Overseer Otto had been noble, if over dedicated, in the war against the Honkai.

"It's not exactly something you'd go around advertising to people." Einstein pointed out. She sincerely doubted anyone would follow the man if he announced his true intentions. His decision was both illogical and completely mad beyond all reason. He'd be willing to sacrifice countless lives just for a single person.

It was a cruel irony that the one at the head of Humanity's army against the Honkai had no disregard for Humanity itself. Meanwhile, it was more ironic that a Herrscher, a herald for the Honkai, a seeker of humanity's destruction, would be the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, the organization devoted to using technology so no human life would be risked. Yet in the eyes of the world, they were painted as being the villains, due to Otto's hold on the masses.

"I knew Otto was a-" Siegfied trailed off only to be interrupted by his wife.

"Ehem," Cecilia coughed as she made a passing glance at Kiana who was staring quietly at them. It was a reminder from his lovely wife that he should not swear in front of their innocent little girl.

"I knew Otto was a bad guy." Siegfried corrected. "Never really trusted him. He always kind of creeped me out honestly."

"Otto is a madman who can't be predicted. He can be a friend if he wants to be, so long as you aren't a risk or a threat to his goals. Yet if he finds that he can use you, that you can be made a pawn in some way to him. He won't hesitate to end your life. He will use and discard you because you are as if you are nothing and no one is exempt for that." Mei informed.

Theresa stayed quiet the whole time. It's not like she didn't want to defend her grandpa, of course, she did. She loved him. However, she couldn't deny that there had always been something off in him and his views of others. She had always known deep down he was not what he appeared. The kind caring grandfather she viewed him as he had asked her to kill her own sister as a means of proving she deserved to exist. Sure the other clones were not like her, but that didn't change how she felt about them and Otto had only taken interest in her once he saw something different in her.

She glanced at Sirin noticing the young Herrscher who was also quiet. Sirin and those other kids had all been to Babylon. They had been experimented on in Babylon and there was no way her grandfather was unaware of it. "Were you ever a good man?" Teri wondered. Was any of his kindness genuine?

"You're right about. It is old news because after the Second Eruption, and in the future, he learns of an alternative path." Void explained. "Rather than use the powers of the Herrschers, he ended up seeking the aid of a higher being, the Will of Honkai as a means of starting and recreating the timeline. The Second Divine Key which would be unearthed over a decade from now would have provided him with this information on the imaginary tree and time."

"So, he's basically doing what you two did," Einstein questioned. "Not satisfied with his current timeline he chose to pursue another. How is he acting differently to you two then?"

"For starters, Otto sought the Will of the Honkai as his means of accomplishing his goal. He made a deal with the devil essentially." Void answered. "In order to accomplish his goal, one of two things would need to happen. Either Otto alters the past or he creates a new branching timeline where Kallen lives."

"Either outcome would save Kallen, but there would be a consequence. Regardless of what happened, there would be an influx of raw Honkai into the World." Mei informed. "Such an influx, well, let's just say the Second Eruption would be child's play compared to what hell that unleashes."

"If you want to mess with time, Will of Honkai is not who you should seek to do it." Paimon though was definitely the more viable and morally superior choice. Morality is subjective at its best with her though but still better than the Honkai. "Besides, we didn't sacrifice others for our goals. We earned our right to time travel." Mei finished.

"Our morality aside with regards to time travel, Otto still has his conviction and his sins. Imprisoning him will do nothing. He won't stop until he either succeeds or dies." Void explained. "And for all the crimes he's committed, he doesn't deserve success." She growled as she stared at the orb.

"In my timeline, Sirin and mom die due to the nuke he launched. Sirin was an attempt gone wrong to him, while mom was just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Void admitted. Her eyes then turned to Siegfied.

"His real target had been you, dad. He realized with the power you had, you were too strong and too unpredictable. You were a loose end, a threat to him, one that needed to be wiped out alongside Sirin."

"Wait a minute." All eyes turned to face Sirin who had finally spoken for the first time. "You keep referring to me as if I'm someone else. Aren't you, my future self? She asked in confusion.

"Huh. Void is your future self?" Cecilia questioned before turning to the Herrscher. "What does she mean by that?

"Ooh. It's finally getting good." Thunder said as she continued munching her popcorn.

"That's another one of Otto's crimes. It's also going to be very difficult and very complicated to explain so please bear with me." Void warned them. "On second thought I might need a chart for this." She mused.

"It can't be that bad." Teri tried to assure.

"Well let's start with the basics." Void said as she took a deep breath trying her best to assess how rational and sane she could sound.

"Void is Sirin and Kiana's daughter, not Siegfied and Cecilia." Thunder chimed in.

"WHAT!" Was the only response anyone gave the Thunder Herrscher. Did they hear right?

"I'm dismembering you for this Thunder." Void growled as Mei laughed in her face. Payback was a dish best served cold and Mei had the Core of Ice for a reason.

"You were taking too long. I didn't want us to wait for another five chapters… er weeks for you to gain courage." Mei admitted.

"Wait a minute…hold up…" Sirin questioned. "Did you just say Void is my daughter?"

"Wait…am I also Void's momma?" Kiana questioned.

"Thunder, I swear I'll get you back for this in some way, somehow." She grumbled.

"So, it was a joke, right? You aren't actually our granddaughter." Kiana wasn't even two years and they were already hearing they might have a technical granddaughter was not something any parent would want to hear.

"Oh no, Thunder is right. I could technically be categorized as that given my nature." Void deadpanned. "I just wished someone would have let me explain it in a much more rational and reasonable way than that."

"I assume this is due to you being a clone," Teri interjected. Classifying clones in relation to family is something often left for debate. Are clones the children of the cloned individual or their siblings in a sense? Teri was made by splicing Kallen's DNA with a Honkai Beast. So, was Teri's father a Honkai Beast by that logic and Kallen her mother?

"Hehe…pretty much. I am mainly a clone of Kiana with Sirin's DNA spliced in. In a sense, I'm made to be the perfect host for a Herrscher core having both bloodlines tolerance to the Honkai while also having the DNA of the previous Herrscher." Void admitted.

"So, you aren't me, but rather my daughter in a sense." Sirin rationalized. Void was a clone of her and Kiana then.

"Biologically yes…mentally and emotionally…. that's more complicated. You see Sirin when a Herrscher makes a core, they imprint memories, emotions, feeling,s and personalities, etc, onto said core. This means that the Herrscher's mind can still survive even if the body is destroyed."

"Cloning is a difficult process that takes a lot of resources and effort to perform. You could technically clone someone and make an exact body duplicate of them, but the chances of them gaining sentience are slim. In other words, the clone is just a hollow brain-dead body." Void explained.

"The cloning theory of souls," Teri interjected. "It's been a long-standing debate on if cloning can create a soul. Are clones capable of gaining their own soul, do they have a copy of their original's soul, or are clones just soulless husks who mimic sentience?" Teri repeated. It was a topic she looked into on her own. She had heard her Grandpa's musings at times about the topic wondering if Teri had inherited Kallen's soul. Theresa, herself often questioned it at times when she felt the compulsive feelings and voices telling her to help others.

"Exactly. Many of the K series clones were brain-dead copies. However, unlike my predecessors, I was given the Void core during my creation. So, the question then becomes, what do you get when you insert a core with consciousness or at the very least copy of consciousness into a blank slate of a body." Void explained.

"Sirin's mind inside Kiana's body. I have everything you left in the core. For all intents and purposes, I'm what's left of the Sirin in my timeline in regard to her consciousness. Am I Sirin reborn, Sirin's daughter, or Sirin herself with amnesia?" Void questioned. "I've had to ask myself this question countless times. Never once have I found any satisfactory answer."

"Okay, now I'm starting to see why you said it was complicated." Siegfied pondered.

"And you didn't even try to make it easier." Void deadpanned. "You actually made my identity issues even worse, old man."

"Ehe…I did?" Siegfied stuttered.

"Oh, did you ever." Void snapped.

"Okay, I'm going to go and make dinner." Thunder excused herself. She was bringing up that topic. The reactions earlier had been worthwhile, but this one Thunder didn't need.

"Yeah, whatever." Void told her. She waited for Thunder to leave and be out of earshot before she resumed the story.

"During the cloning project, AE helped Dad infiltrate the base. It was there that he rescued Kiana and at her insistence, they also rescued me as well. But…" Void lied.

Kiana was never captured; the clones had merely been made without her and Siegfied's consent. They didn't need to know this little detail though. Sure, it was a little white lie she was telling for Siegfied's sake, but it didn't really matter now did it. It was still Otto's fault for making clones of Kiana and sure her father was a fool for bringing her, but after losing everyone else, was it really wrong for him not to trust her with anyone else but himself.

"But…" Siegfied repeated.

"Not all of us made it out." Void explained. Siegfied froze at that statement. His mind is already putting two and two together. Void said he raised her. There were three people in that rescue. He lived, Void lived, that meant. He turned to Kiana.

Oh no.

"Unfortunately, only my dad and I survived the crash." Void finished. Cecilia and Teri visibly stiffened as they both realized the implications soon after. Much like Siegfied they too turned to a small child in Bella's arms who wouldn't even understand the implications of their discussion.

"Siggy,"

Kiana had died in an attempt of fleeing from Otto. Siegfied clenched his fist in anger. First his wife and then his daughter; even if they were from another timeline, Otto had taken them away from him. Sirin may have been the one to follow through with the Second Eruption but she was a byproduct of Otto and his schemes.

"Dad,"

If he hadn't gone experimenting on those kids in Babylon, Sirin wouldn't be a Herrscher. If Sirin wasn't a Herrscher, he and Cecilia wouldn't have had to fight her. There would have been no need to drop those nukes or for Cecilia to drain her blood to prevent the outbreak in Honkai. Even if part of the responsibility for losing Cecilia could be attributed to Sirin, far more could be attributed to Otto.

"Papa,"

Now he was hearing that he lost his baby only family he would have left. All because that bastard, couldn't let go of a woman who never loved him. It made his blood boil. It made him want TO TEAR HIM TO PIECES!

"SIEGFIED!" Cecilia shouted snapping him from his thoughts.

"Huh," He looked up to find everyone watching him warily. They were staring at him, no, at his arm. He glanced down, eyes widening at the sight of the dark blue claw that had replaced his hand. He almost leaped back in horror at the realization of what it was.

"Ease their dad." Void told him as she took a syringe out from one of her portals. She approached him. Siegfied could feel the Honkai from them overwhelming his senses but he managed to keep calm. Void held his arm and pressed the syringe in it and inject whatever was in it. Almost instantaneously his arm returned to its human state.

"I should have known this would happen," Void admitted. She had witnessed his rage beforehand. The Siegfied from their time had gone to save her when she had been captured. Despite being outclassed and with a single arm he had fought through everything to rescue his daughter. The rage of a parent when their child is endangered is a frightening thing. Even more so when said parent had the potential to transform into one of the strongest monsters on the planet and wielded one of the deadliest weapons in the world.

Void glanced around taking note of the others. Kiana was looking at her dad anxiously, not in fear but in worry about what was happening to him.

"Is papa alright?" She asked Bella quietly. Bella who had knowledge firsthand from Void's experiences assured the kid that her daddy was just a little sick and how Void had applied medicine for him to feel better.

Sirin was looking a little more shaken but Cecilia held her hand. It was obvious the sight of even a part of Dad's Honkai Beast form made her uncomfortable. Still, she did seem to hold it together. Hopefully, it was because of her trust in Void, and Cecilia.

Teri and the scientists were watching warily. They were obviously concerned about what had happened but upon seeing everything under control they relaxed. If memory served it was AE who had given Siegfied the activators after discovering them from the moon trip. Likewise, Teri herself probably had experience with her own Honkai beast cells acting up, maybe not to this extent but still.

"Do you all want me to stop?" Void questioned. She had hit the most sensitive part of the story. It wasn't farfetched to say they might want her to stop, given she just told two parents and an aunt that their daughter/niece died.

"No," Siegfried answered stubbornly. "Keep going." He told her.

"Siggy." Cecilia whispered.

"It's alright." He assured her. "I'm feeling much better now. Whatever it is they gave me, it worked like a charm." He told her. "Trust me. I'm okay."

"Are you sure, daddy?" Kiana asked worriedly.

"Yes, baby girl. I'm fine." He told her. "Do you want to know why?" He asked his daughter.

"Why?"

"Because you're here." He told her. "You're here." He repeated. Kiana merely giggled at his statement.

"Hey, Kiana. Why don't you leave Bella and go by daddy for the time?" Void instructed the child. "I'm sure he'll feel a lot better with you there."

"Aw…okay." Kiana smiled as Bella put her down. The small child ran happily to her father who took her into his arm.

"I can keep going," Sirin answered before glancing at Cecilia. The young Herrscher could tell Cecilia might stop for her sake, but Sirin couldn't allow that. She could already see the wariness on Void. Sirin knew this was something the older Herrscher wanted to get over with and she was starting to see why, so she wouldn't hold her back. If Cecilia wanted to stop though that would be up to her.

"What about you, Mom?" Void questioned. "Do you want to keep going?"

Cecilia looked up at the Herrscher with some uncertainty. Glancing at her husband and her daughter, she felt some level of solace in that they were still here. Perhaps it was the fact her other self had died, that allowed her to let go of some of the guilt. She still hated the fact that she wasn't there. She hated that she hadn't been alive to help them. However she had died, and there was no way of knowing if it would have made a difference. Perhaps she was trying her best to assume it wouldn't and that this was but another failure she would have to live with.

Now was different though. She couldn't let her die in life hold her back. She was here now and she had not just one but five daughters to look after. She had five chances to do what her previous life failed twice, be a mother that was there. "No, I'm good as well."

"Anyone else?" Void questioned. No one else answered.

"So what happened next?" Siegfied asked solemnly. "What did I do next? What did we do next?

"Whether it was due to the trauma from Sirin's past, or the impact of the crash, I'm not entirely sure. I think maybe it was a part of me subconsciously seeing the opportunity to start anew because, after the crash, I suffered from amnesia." Void explained. "I didn't remember at the time who I was or anything from my life as Sirin. The only person around me at the time was you, Dad."

"In the end, you took me to live as your daughter. That's all you ever told me for the time. I didn't even have a name. You just called me your daughter for a few years. That's all I had been."

"On Kiana's birthday, you would shower me with gifts before leaving to go to town. You'd come back drunk, go in your room and cry, apologizing to mom and Kiana." She explained. The vision of it was still clear in her mind. "You called me your daughter, but, I lived with you like a stranger. Understandable of course given the situation"

"Then one day, we had a talk. You came back injured fighting Honkai Beasts. I was worried and questioned you on it. Your response was that…it was because you were a Kaslana. The next time you came back injured, I decided to follow in your footsteps and took your gun and went after the Honkai Beast. It is probably among my top stupidest ideas to date." She laughed lightly.

"Of course, you would come and save your little girl in her most dire time, you always do somehow." Even when she regained her Herrscher powers and tamed the destructive desire, she still needed Siegfied to bail out a few times.

"You asked me why I did it. I told you it was because I wanted to protect you. That's when everything changed." Void smiled.

"You gave me the name Kiana and raised me for the next couple of years as if nothing had happened. You taught me how to fight, how to survive, how to cook."

"That one might be debatable." Teri deadpanned. Void ignored her.

"How to drink and flirt."

"You did what?" Cecilia almost screamed.

"It was my alternate future self."

"In essence, I spent most of my existence living under the assumption that I was the one and only Kiana Kaslana." Void admitted.

"So is Void actually bigger me?" Kiana questioned.

"I think I'm actually getting a headache now," Sirin noted.

"You're not the only one," Einstein told her. "So, in other words, you are Sirin's core, Kiana's body, Sirin's mind, Kiana's upbringing."

"Oh, wait but there is one more complication to make this even fuzzier than ever." Void chuckled nervously.

"How much more complicated can this be?" Tesla questioned.

"Last one. I promise." Void told them before turning to Sirin and Cecilia. "This time it's your fault Mom."

"My fault?" Cecilia questioned.

"Yes, because you just had to be so loveable." Void chuckled.

"You see when Sirin…uh died in your arms. She left with two very different regrets in her life."

"One regret was that…she wanted a second chance at life, being your daughter. She wanted to start over and have a normal life with a happy family." The very regret Void was trying to fulfill right now.

"What was the other one?" Teri questioned.

"The other regret was the destruction of mankind for her all the trauma." Void explained. "Those two desires came into conflict with each other and well there were some repercussions because of that."

"What kind of repercussions?" Sirin questioned. She had been feeling those thoughts before they awoke her. So, what exactly did Void suffer from, due to it?

"The kind that results in split personalities." Void answered. "You see your two regrets were used as the base for two very different personalities in my being."

"The first personality was your desire for a family. You can say it was the kindness that still existed within you. The humanity and light with your heart."

"The second personality was your desire for revenge and destruction. The manifestation of your trauma and hatred. The Herrscher nature and darkness in your heart."

"These personalities…hehe…they also took up names to identify themselves as well. You see the human persona was the side that woke up first. She was the one who was raised by Siegfied and she was named Kiana. The Herrscher persona woke up after, and when she did, she took the name Sirin, because she remembered and inherited those memories. She recalled the pain, the suffering, the trauma, the anger, the hate."

"So technically, my body is Sirin and Kiana in DNA. My memories are a mix of Sirin and Kiana and then my personalities are also split between Sirin and Kiana." Void laughed hysterically.

"So, wait a minute…which personality are we talking to now?" Teri questioned. "Are you Sirin or Kiana?"

"I am neither and I am both." Void answered. "I am the result of the two personalities merging back once more into an individual. However, because both sides were able to develop and grow as individuals, when I was put back together you could say it ended up with me being a radically different persona to the other two. While Sirin's psyche fractured to make two personas, those two personas when put back together didn't remake Sirin, instead they made me."

"I no longer care as much for saving humanity as Kiana did, Sirin's trauma and my own experiences have shown me it's not worth pushing myself to death for them. Yet I no longer desire humanity's destruction like Sirin did, Kiana's experiences of humanity's kindness have made me realize that not all humans are bad. I'll fight not for humanity but for myself, my friends, and my family. It's as simple as that."

"How did you keep sane with such identity issues?" Teri inquired nervously. Suddenly Void's peculiar behavior made sense. Teri was forever grateful she didn't have to deal with such mental issues with her own sentience and could just remain short and adorable.

"Hehe….I managed to deal with it in various therapy sessions. Once with a giant blue ice wolf and the other with a rather broke but wise gentleman. There are others but those two were among the most notable."

"That wasn't the answer I was expecting but good for you," Teri answered. She was trying to imagine Void seeing a therapist. The idea of the Herrscher laying down on a couch as she explained herself to someone else seemed comedic. The fantasy in her head played out with the therapists quitting altogether once Void explained her lineage. Still, it was good Void actually got professional help.

"So, wait, if your human side was technically called Kiana then what does it mean for Thunder." Cecilia noted. From what they had learned, Thunder, while on peaceful terms with Void, still held some animosity. The frequent references to Void's human side often made it clear she didn't like the Herrscher but now that they knew Void's human side was 'Kiana' so to speak, a lot of things were now being recontextualized.

"Mei was very close friends with my Kiana side. As a matter of fact, 'Kiana' was well…she was someone who was very dear to Mei and vice versa. Kiana was the one who saved Mei when she lost control of her Herrscher side in the beginning and had always been there for her."

"When I was 'born' it resulted in the 'death' of the 'Kiana' and 'Sirin' personas. While my Herrscher side didn't exactly have the best reputation. 'Kiana' had many friends who loved her. Of course, that love doesn't quite extend to me."

"So, her friends hated you?" Teri questioned. The context of knowing someone who suffers from identity issues like that was new to her. However, she still would wonder how such persona shifts would be viewed. Surely it was understandable that Void was still Kiana, right?

"Hate is a strong word. They disliked me, but I wouldn't say they outright hated me. Well, everyone except for Thunder that is. At the time, the general impression they had of me was that I was simply the malevolent Herrscher personality that took over sweet, innocent Kiana."

"Prior to my inception, the Herrscher personality had been out rampaging. Once the two merged I was left at a loss. I was stuck trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do, they didn't know that. The memories of them fighting with the Herrscher persona didn't let me trust them so easily either. It didn't help that made various attempts to subdue or combat me, many of them painful at times which only made me dislike them more."

"So, it was a communication issue," Einstein noted.

"Well, considering the Herrscher side's reputation. I wouldn't say it was unwarranted. The Herrscher's first awakening left dad with only one arm as well as killing a squadron of Valks. The second awakening basically took Kiana, hostage, ripped out Thunder's core at the time, and also killed Kiana's mentor in a fight."

"Is this why you are wary of me keeping my powers?" Sirin questioned. The Herrscher side manifested from her trauma, hatred, and anger. It had lashed out at the family and friends her human side had made.

"You can call it paranoia, but prior to the merging, the Herrscher persona was nothing more than anger and hatred. It didn't matter what others did, it couldn't see beyond its pain or be reasoned with. It was too consumed by vengeance. It was only after merging did it manage to mellow out thanks to passive kindness and empathy influencing it. I have no reason to believe you won't suffer a similar split. I'd rather not take any risks right now given how much more we have to lose."

Sirin looked at her and could see the pleading look on Void's face. Glancing at Cecilia and then Bella who was holding Kiana, Sirin couldn't help but agree that she might still need time. She had already almost hurt Cecilia and Bella by accident. If she suffered a sanity break as Void did, she really hoped any malevolent persona she might develop wouldn't go after them or have such power.

The mere fact that it was possible terrified her. She already was afraid of doing it by accident, but having control of her body stripped from her, and then watching while someone else, a manifestation of her anger and hate, hurt those close to her. It was a terrifying thought. If such a case occurred, she doubted she'd be able to forgive herself.

"So, you ended up being chased by Kiana's allies and Mei under the assumption you were an enemy," Einstein noted.

"Yup and when they learned she was gone, well, let's just say it got hectic. Mei became obsessed with beating me to try and free Kiana. An act that took her a long time to realize was futile. Her 'Kiana' was gone, she was never coming back. I was still registered as a threat, so I was to be hunted in an attempt to either capture or strip me of my powers by AE. The methods involved attaching me to a machine that would drain me of the Honkai power within me, literally burning me inside out or submerging me in the anti-Honkai serum with hopes of it neutralizing all the Honkai in my system."

"Hehe…I don't suppose we designed any of those." Tesla laughed nervously.

"You perfected the serum that depowered me, the same serum that I injected into dad. It has quite a few uses other than subduing Herrschers thankfully. Mophead made the machine that drained me. I'm happy to inform you that both of you were almost successful but you failed, because I'm stronger than what you thought." Void wouldn't tell them just how lucky she had been with her genetics and her skill set. Being a descendant of Cecilia allowed her body to produce antibodies for the Serum with the Gem of Serenity's aid even if it took a while. Meanwhile, her powers of the Void allowed her to connect with external Honkai reactors and channel far more power than the machines could handle. If it wasn't for that, she'd be done for sure, not that she would tell them that.

"That should be it for now." Void admitted. "That's everything you need to know about me and about Thunder, I guess. I'm a clone of your daughters from the future who became a Herrscher. I had a hard life and now I decided to come back here with the hope of finally living with my family. If you still doubt my intentions, then I honestly don't know what else to do." Void told them as she got up.

"I think I can leave you all for now to process all this. My throat's starting to feel parched so I'm going for some water and maybe something to eat. Does anyone want anything?"

End of chapter

Considering this chapter was so important I had to rewrite or omit some scenes. So I'm going to post those omits and the original version down below for some of you to see because I don't want to leave those just there. Sorry to whoever decided to skip it lol.

Draft 1

"So, they just ran off?" Cecilia sighed at the random and otherwise reckless behavior between the two. She'll admit it was confusing how despite being allies the two were always quick to insult and pick fights with another, especially Void. She understood they had their own issues. She didn't understand why they would pick now of all times to deal with it.

"Yep. Void just chased after Mei with a club." Sirin recounted. Admittedly she was starting to worry for herself. Did something happen to cause Void's sanity to slip? She was starting to see many signs of her older self not being alright in the head.

"I hope this doesn't become the norm." Cecilia mused. She could already see them getting into scuffles on a regular basis and wrecking the house. If they didn't go all out with there powers, then maybe the family would keep a roof over their heads. On the bright side at least Sirin will have two teachers for her powers. Wait a second.

"Sirin. Can you open a portal to where they might be?" Cecilia questioned as she looked at the younger Herrscher. Sirin and Void shared the same core so perhaps Sirin could sense them. Cecilia knew Void and Thunder could do it so why not Sirin.

"Um, I can try." Sirin answered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She focused on the core and gem within herself, linking them to Void's. She recalled how her older self, had managed to shut down her powers prior, a scary feat, if she was being honest. Still, she was able to trace the connection, no doubt because they were supposedly the same being.

"Okay, I think I got it." Sirin announced as she opened a portal. Cecilia and Kiana stared at the portal expecting the two Herrschers to emerge. They would soon learn that there was no such thing as too insane with those two.

There eyes widened as they heard a cluck and a hiss from beyond the portal. No sooner did two non-human creatures emerge from the portal, one chasing the other. The first was a large purple chicken with red, black, and white accents on the feathers. The second was a white calico house cat carrying a large club in its mouth.

To say the scene was straight out of a cartoon was understatement as the cat chased the chicken straight up the wall and across the roof. It was very much determined to have its club connect to the chicken in the hastiest way possible. All the while Kiana could just laugh at the scene while her mother and new sister just stared on in confusion.

"Is that-"

"Yup,"

"How did they even?"

"I have no clue."

"Why would they even?"

"I think its better if we don't know who, what, why or how they did this." Cecilia finished. Sirin had to agree with her mother on that.

"YATTA"

"Did you hear something?" Sirin asked her adopted mother. Cecilia merely shook her head. Elsewhere a red eyed and grey haired girl was fuming at being reduced to a cameo in another chapter.

"And this is why I avoided you in your pulls." Yatta grumbled at the author.

Of course, they didn't have long to wait until Cecilia and her daughters arrived soon after. Being as enthusiastic ever, Kiana was quick to go to her father, especially with the new ball of feathers in her little hands.

"Papa look," she told Siegfied as she showed him the chicken she was holding. Siegfied glanced at the chicken and almost doubled over as did the rest of the room. One question racing through there mind, where on earth did they get a chicken from.

"Hi, Mr. Kaslana," The chicken greeted.

"Mei," Teri said in shock. "How did, why did?" The world's number one cutie stuttered to get her words out.

"Let's not." Another voice interrupted. Everyone turned to look at a ball of fluff in Cecilia's arms. The black, orange, and white color scheme made it very clear who it was, the Herrscher of the Void, now in the form of a cat. "This ironically isn't the worse thing that's happened to me."

"Can I pet?" Teri questioned innocently.

Void shot her a glare for the moment. "Fine," She huffed.

Draft 2

"What!" Teri exclaimed. "Why do you want to kill Grandpa?" She knew he did some questionable things, but did they have to resort to murder.

"I have many reasons." Void opened a portal and took out a glowing orb. Cecilia recognized it as the orb she had seen Void holding when they first met after the nukes were about to hit them. "The most notable one being this."

"HE LAUNCHED A NUKE AT MY FAMILY WITH INTENTIONS TO KILL BOTH DAD AND SIRIN WITH IT. HE ENDED UP MISSING DAD AND KILLING MOM AND SIRIN INSTEAD. HE THEN MANIPULATED YOUR MEMORIES. LIED TO YOU ABOUT THE NUKE INCIDENT SAYING IT WAS MOM'S REQUEST. HE THEN WENT ON TO KIDNAP KIANA AND TRY TO CLONE HER. WHEN DAD BUSTED KIANA OUT AND TRIED TO ESCAPE WITH US, HE SHOT DOWN THE PLANE AND KIANA WAS LOST." Void said in a single breath her eyes glowing ominously as her Herrscher voice returned to emphasize the severity of the situation.

To say the others didn't get caught off guard by Void's big girl voice would be an understatement. Teri and Kiana were both visibly shaken but for different reasons. For Kiana it was the first time Void had used the Herrscher Voice in such a loud and scary manner. Teri meanwhile was trying to process everything she had been told about her Grandpa.

She wanted to call it out as being a lie, but she knew her Grandpa unfortunately. Thersea was by nature a clone made Otto. In fact, one of her first tasks given by him was to kill another clone similar to her.

He may have acted doting on her now but any man she knew he had another side to him. However, the mere notion that he would go this far; she glanced at Kiana who was just shy of two years, wasn't hard to swallow. Yet her eyes fell to Sirin who was also kidnapped and experimented on in the labs of Babylon. Kidnapping and using children for their 'research' in those labs, definitely made it a possibility for him.

Yet the idea of killing him and resorting to murder. She didn't like it. Perhaps it's the love she still had for her grandpa, a hope of him being a redeemable man, that wanted her to let him be imprisoned instead. He needed to pay right, maybe death would have been too easy a punishment for him. Let him live with his sins and suffer instead.

"There is also the other reason." Void added as she spoke in a calmer tone after taking a few breaths.

"What kind of reason?"

"He's a simp."

"A simp?"

"It's a term in our time. It means someone who does a lot and shows a lot of affection and sympathy for someone who has no interest in them. It is commonly used to refer to people who are nice and courteous to those who they like even if the person the like doesn't even acknowledge their existence…like Thunder."

"I am not a simp."

"Simp is also a term used to refer to a silly or foolish person. It fits either way." Void chided.

"So basically like Dr. Tesla to Welt." Einstein noted.

"What did you say mophead?" Tesla screamed horror.

"Nothing."

"Dr. Tesla isn't a simp. She's married to Welt in future, and the have a son." Thunder admitted.

"Wait I'm married to who." Tesla shrieked in disbelief. She married Welt in the future. This was a lie. Surely, they were pulling her leg and if not…how many years till then. Wait, did telling change her future? Was knowing about it now going to ruin her chances?

"Let's move on. We'll discuss this another time since it's irrelevant to Otto's crimes. Besides…it looks like her brain his about to fry." Mei chuckled. has seemingly stopped working if her lack of speech and frozen shocked facial expression is anything to go by.

And done, well those were the drafts. Had to leave them out because they definitely felt padding and affected the tone, still hoped you all enjoyed them.

Chapter Text

"How are you feeling?"

Kurikara looked down at its Mistress who awaited her response. The dragoness stretched her wings out, spreading them, as she stood up on her hind legs. She wanted to roar in triumph at regaining her body but knew well her Mistress would rather she didn't, less she accidentally incite a panic.

"I feel as good as new, Mistress." The dragoness answered through her thoughts. The power of lightning surged within her body once more. No longer was she confined to the diminutive form of a fish.

"It seems I underestimated the difficulty of transforming, nevertheless, it looks like I was able to reverse the process at least." Mei mused. She would need to ask Sirin and Bella how they were able to perfect such a technique.

"Do not be discouraged Mistress, I'm sure you will be able to transform me in time. If the Void Herrschers can do it, then so can you." Kurikara assured.

"Oh, but Kurikara, Void Herrschers are a different breed altogether. We are superior to all the others." Void laughed as she appeared. "It is difficult for any others, let alone a Herrscher of Thunder to replicate our power."

"Watch your tongue, Void user, I shall not tolerate such insolence against my Mistress." Kurikara snapped.

"I speak only the truth Kurikara," Void defended.

"I never said you lied. I just said you were insolent."

"So, you admit Voids are superior to Thunders."

"Uhh…" Kurikara froze. She cast a sideways glance at her Mistress, half expecting her to look angry, instead, she was thankful to find one of calmness.

"In this particular case, she is not wrong in being superior," Thunder admitted. "I know my abilities and transmutation is not one of them."

"Well, at least you admit it." Void answered before summoning her flame core in her palm. The core then went flying into Kurikara's chest before engulfing her body in flames.

"What are you doing?" Thunder pointed her sword at the Void Herrscher. To her surprise, the rival Herrscher didn't even summon or draw a weapon. Instead, Void held her hands up in surrender, something Thunder rarely saw, if ever.

"Helping." Void smirked. She gestured to the dragoness behind them who wasn't reacting like one would expect when someone who was set on fire would react. There was no scream or cry of anguish. Even more so, Thunder didn't even smell the scent of burning flesh.

The two watched as the flame that circled the dragon began to shrink and with it so too did Kurikara. Thunder could make out only the faintest silhouette of her dragon within the fire. However soon Kurikara's figure began to change in the flames. Her wings began to retract, the membrane on them disappearing, leaving behind only the bones that shrank and warped.

It took Thunder a few moments to realize what Void had done. She turned back to the Herrscher in disbelief, but Void paid her no mind instead focusing on the transforming dragoness. When the fire finally subsided, what remained no longer bore resemblance to the once-mighty Kurikara, instead of the large dragon, there now stood a teenage-looking girl.

She was the twin of Bella, only instead of blue eyes with white hair, the girl before them had red eyes and black hair. The girl looked at her body in confusion and wonder as she stared at her now human-like hands before glancing at the rest of her body. "Kurikara," Thunder called out softly. The girl looked up at her.

"Yes, Mistress." She answered with her new voice. It was soft and meek.

"You look…human." Thunder commented as she made a mirror of ice and held out for the humanoid Honkai beast before her. Kurikara took the mirror carefully into her new hands and began to examine her new reflection.

"Is this me?" She questioned.

"Yes, yes it is." Void answered. "Why don't you go and find Bella and have her help you get acquainted with your new form?" Void instructed.

"I don't take orders from you." Kurikara snarled.

"Do as she says, Kurikara," Thunder added. The dragoness gave her a pout with her new face. Mei would admit it felt weird seeing her dragon emote like this. She looked cute, but now was not the time to gush. "Void and I will join you later."

"Fine," Kurikara answered. She tried to jump and flap her arms only to find herself almost falling. Luckily Mei was able to catch her with one of her armored gauntlets.

"You might want to try using those legs and walking." Mei chuckled a little. Kurikara blushed in embarrassment, her cheeks looking as red as her armor. Nevertheless, she thanked her Mistress before carefully walking away.

Void waited before she was out of earshot before making a rather snide comment. "Even having used Bella's body as a base, it seems she has been dumbed down, Thunder." Void teased.

"Kurikara is a new consciousness placed within a reshaped body. Would it not be natural that she is not accustomed to her new form? Besides, if I recall you gave Bella her form on the moon, so in a sense, she had training wheels, right?" Thunder countered.

"Okay, you got me there." Void admitted. Bella spent most of her time flying and hovering in space. The fact she was a quadruped dragon instead of a bipedal also helped. For Bella her wings had always been extra limbs, so the concept of arms came easy, but for Kurikara her wings were also her forearms.

"Something tells me you aren't here to talk more about dragon biology though." Thunder mused. "I'm still waiting to hear what your reason is for helping grant Kurikara a human form, especially one that seemed to take the flame core from you." Thunder eyed her carefully.

"Eh, I'm not giving away the core permanently. The moment Welt's up and about I'll borrow his core of Reason and make a replica for Kurikara to use. This is just to get her accustomed to a human form and save her whatever humiliation she might face with your 'experimenting'." Void defended. It physically hurt the Void Herrscher to see her once proud stead get reduced to being an overgrown fish. It wasn't even a menacing fish like a Megalodon shark, it was a freaking Tuna.

"As much as you care for Kurikara, I'm positive you'd have let me embarrass myself more before even considering helping. So just be honest and tell me why you actually helped. I'd beat the answer out of you but I'm still exhausted from our last bout."

"Huh, alright then." Void huffed. "Don't let it go to your head but consider it a thank you present." She admitted. "I really needed that fight earlier. Even though things worked out with Sirin I was still kind of tense, so thanks for helping me relieve that." Void admitted. Sure, she teased Thunder about being a siscon and Void would most likely not stop teasing her, but she knew Thunder was still more dignified and respectable than that.

"I am questioning if I should accept your gratitude considering you tried to cave my face in a few moments earlier, and I rather not have you think I'm a masochist like yourself." Thunder mused.

"I am not a masochist."

"Keep telling yourself that Queenie." Thunder laughed. "But in all seriousness, I had a feeling you were still tensed up, admittedly so was I. Though I trust everything went well after I left."

"Well." Void trailed off before explaining what happened after.

"Oh, so you lied to them and Siggy almost Beast Out." Thunder deadpanned. "Of course, you'd sabotage yourself like that. Wait, why am I even surprised you would do that?"

"Okay, I get it."

"I hope you do," Thunder told her. The Herrscher of Thunder then paused as she thought about something. "So, this was just a thank you gift for the fight?"

"Eh, it's a little more than just from the fight. Look I'm not going to pry, but I doubt you were trying to make a human form for Kurikara for giggles. You're planning something and while I rather not involve myself, you did help me out with all this. So, it's only fair I help you out with whatever it is you're doing."

"I see." Thunder mused. "So, you wanted to help me to ensure you weren't indebted. Good to know, but why use your core? Surely you could have just told me how and let me use one of my own?" Thunder questioned.

"This is why I hate helping you. You're always analyzing every single thing I do." Void groaned. "I lent you the core because I don't need it to kick your arse. I am very well capable of thrashing you without it. Now if you gave up one of yours, then I might accidentally kill you next time we spared." Void reasoned.

There was also the fact that Thunder's four cores were problematic to separate. Her main one, the Gem of Conquest is literally the root of her being so it couldn't be removed. The Core of Sentience had Senti; that alone made it a risk as the chances of her taking over Kurikara was high. Lastly, while Void wasn't a sappy girl, it felt wrong to separate the Cores of Ice and Earth, Ana and Owl deserved to stay together after what they had been through.

With Void's cores, it had been easier to choose. The Core of the Void was obviously out as was the Core of Domination. The Gem of Desire had Wendy so it too proposed a similar problem to Senti. The Gem of Serenity was too valuable to give up right now. That left the flame core, the Gem of Haste to be used. It was an easy decision and if she knew Thunder well enough then Kurikara having some minor traits from Himeko might work in her favor.

As long as Kurikara didn't turn into an alcoholic, or somehow wind up in their bed drunk somehow. On second thought maybe this was a bad idea. Oh well, it was Mei-Senpai's problem now.

"I didn't say that last part out loud right?" Void quickly caught herself.

"Anyhow. Bella was granted her human form with the Gem of Conquest. Since you're busy using that now I figured it would be fair for me to grant Kurikara her human form with my own Gem of Haste. It kind of balances things out." Void quickly said.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. Somehow." Thunder answered.

"Good, now that we cleared that up. What are you making for dinner?" Void questioned.

"Sticky Honey Roast and a few other dishes."

"Nice." Void answered. "Want some help?"

Thunder gave a deadpanned look. "Seriously."

"Yes."

"Alright then…just don't destroy the kitchen."

Void didn't answer.

After Void had left, there had been an awkward silence in the room as the occupants tried to make sense of what had been said. Siegfied had excused himself, deciding to go outside for some air and to clear his head. Cecilia followed her husband shortly after to make sure everything was okay, leaving Kiana with her newly expanded family for the time being. Einstein and Tesla had also left to evaluate their next possible moves.

With that, all that was left was Teri and her nieces; one adorable little baby girl, an adopted Herrscher that once tried to commit genocide, and an emperor-class Honkai beast. "So…did you all understand Void's explanation? As a fellow uh clone, I have some ideas of my own if anyone wants to share."

"Void is confusing." Kiana deadpanned. "Am I her momma, or not? I want to make her eat vegetables."

"Now that's just plain evil," Teri gaped at her niece. She'd blame Siegfied if possible, but Teri knew it would have been Cecilia who would commit such a treacherous act against humanity. "Besides…let's just forget about those details. Void is family and that's what's important. Right?" She turned to the other two.

"Yes….Aunt…Teri is correct." Sirin stuttered. She felt a little uncomfortable addressing someone who looked as young as herself as Aunt but compared to the weirdness of her sister/daughter/other self, it was still less questionable and less migraine-inducing.

Eventually, the group finally convinced Kiana to drop her sinister plan. The tension in the air between Teri and the other two had been diffused somewhat but things were still far from perfect among them.

"My Lady," Bella whispered to Sirin cautiously. The Herrscher glanced at her steed whose eyes were focused on the ground. "May request that we speak outside for a moment." Bella requested softly.

Sirin tensed up. She had her suspicions about what they might be talking about, but she wasn't quite sure she was ready for it. Yet the Herrscher knew that deep down she wanted, no she needed to address this matter. The two informed Theresea that they would be right outside the room if they were needed, and left.

Once outside, Sirin didn't even get a chance before Bella moved. The dragoness immediately threw herself on the ground before her master. "I'm sorry for my weakness, had I been stronger I could have been more useful to you." Bella pleaded.

"I am not worthy to be your stead." Bella cried.

Even if Void had chosen to forgive her, she still didn't feel like she deserved it. Surely Sirin would think otherwise and punish her incompetence. She was by all means more Sirin's stead rather Void's after all. Why else would Sirin have tried to kill her before?

"Please while you have the chance, please punish me as you see fit." She begged Sirin.

"Bella," Sirin muttered to herself as she watched her servant…no, her friend trembling before her. Bella had her face practically planted on the floor. Before Sirin might have been amused at the sight, but now, she felt appalled by it, even more so that it was Bella. "I have no intentions of punishing you," Sirin whispered to her dragon slowly.

Bella lifted her head to glance at Sirin. The young Herrscher frowned as she saw the tears streaking down the dragoness's face. Sirin kneeled next to Bella as they faced each other. "Master?" Bella muttered in confusion.

"You don't need to apologize to me for anything Bella. You did your best at the time. You fought till your core was destroyed. Why should I be mad at you for that?" Sirin tried to comfort.

"But Master, I was weak, I couldn't help you at the time." The Honkai Beast sniffled. She had the faintest sense of déjà vu here.

"If that's the case, Bella…" Sirin trailed off as she moved back, and then kneeled before Bella. "Then I too should be begging for your forgiveness." Sirin spoke.

"Master please." Bella pleaded. "Don't demean yourself like that." Bella was the servant and Sirin was the master. That was the way it went. Bella served Sirin, not the other way around. Bella messed up, Bella made mistakes, not Sirin.

"Why shouldn't I Bella? I was too weak to do many things. I couldn't save my friends. I couldn't save you. I couldn't even save myself when the time came." Sirin responded. Her…successor had to time travel to stop her death. Her death had been assured before those two made it null and void.

"Master I'm your serv-"

"Don't you dare!" Sirin stopped her. "Don't you dare say you're just my servant Bella! You're much more than that to me. You're my friend." Sirin told her. "And I'm sorry I never treated you as such before." Sirin apologized.

"But Master…"

"No buts, I almost lost you once," Sirin admitted. "The only reason I even attacked earlier was due to me thinking it was all a dream. I thought you being alive was something only possible in a dream because it was too good for me." Sirin admitted.

"So please…don't say anything about punishing you," Sirin begged. "You already almost died serving me. That's enough punishment." Sirin told her.

"Okay, Master," Bella answered simply. She had thought it was just the older Void Herrscher, but Bella was wrong. Both of them cared for her. She didn't know why, but…it wasn't something she disliked, strange as it might have seemed. "No, punishment.

Sirin smiled before hugging the dragoness, startling her once more. Bella was unsure what to do but decided it would be better to return it. From what she could recall, humans gave hugs to show they cared for something or someone and Bella did care for Sirin.

Their tender moment didn't last long though as a sudden spike in energy alerted them to another presence. Sirin quickly broke the hug before moving Bella behind her protectively. Despite her protests, Bella returned to her Queen's side ready to fight.

As the figure approached them, Sirin sensed her sister's flame core in front of them. Yet much to their surprise, it wasn't Void, rather it was a girl similar to Bella. The girl was walking strangely, always keeping close to the wall to balance herself. It was as if she had never used her legs before.

"Who's there?" Sirin questioned. The girl looked up at them with her red eyes. She took the time to stand proper, clearly wanting to make herself seem more presentable, an idea that would have worked had they not seen her before.

"I am the servant of the Herrscher of Thunder, Kurikara." The girl announced proudly. "The Herrscher of the Void and my master sent me to seek you," Kurikara explained.

"Huh," Bella and Sirin blinked.

Siegfied felt off. His emotions felt wilder than before. His thoughts flew all over the place as he tried to comprehend and process everything he was told. What he needed right now was a place to blow off some steam. Fortunately, he found one of the training grounds on the base. He mangled his way through the controls before setting them on max and then proceeded to run the course.

He abstained from using his own weapons, utilizing some of AE's firearms instead as he tried to work things out. As much as he loved Shamash, there was a high chance he might accidentally blow something up if he wasn't careful. The course generated various simulated Honkai beasts before him and Siegfied wasted no time as he started to bash them down.

He didn't know how many he fought but eventually, the Kaslana patriarch had cleared the course and with a record time if the clock was any indication. He may have felt satisfied any other time but not now. He was still raring to go again. It was far easier to deal with something he could physically beat than to handle everything else.

"You should take a break." A familiar soft voice addressed.

Siegfied didn't acknowledge his wife or rather, he didn't want to face her right now. He didn't feel he could. It was practically spelled out in front of them that he had failed her. First, he lost Kiana, and then he couldn't save her.

He was about to restart the machine when a lance impaled the console beside him, shorting the device. The owner removed the lance before holding it beside her. "I said it's time for a break." Cecilia doubled down.

"I'm not in the mood." He whispered as he walked beside her. He suspected the base would have another one, so he would need to search for it. As he headed out the door he could sense a shift behind him. The moment he turned to dodge his face was met with the small but hard fist of his equally slim but dangerous wife.

Siegfied found himself flying out the console room and back into the area as his wife walked in. She was poised with her lance in hand once more as she turned to face him. Siegfied looked up only to see her throw the Judgement of Shamash in front of him.

"If you're going to vent your frustrations, it might be better to hit something that can hit back," Cecilia told him with a sigh as she gestured to the guns. "Those simulations won't do much, believe me, I know."

"I'm not going to fight you, Cecilia," Siegfied told her. The last thing he wanted was to engage in a fight with his wife. The same wife who he would have lost if he wasn't so weak.

"Well, I'm not going to give you a choice." Cecilia told him. Siegfied huffed as he put the guns together and formed Shamash's Greatsword form. His wife was stubborn and at this point so was he. It would be pointless for the two of them to argue with words now.

The two eyed each other with the weapons ready like they had done so many times before. Without needing any outside cue, both of them engaged. The Abyss Flower and Shamash collided, sending sparks flying as the two engaged. Even if it was a spar, the power of the two combatants was still above most humans.

Siegfied's attacks were strong and heavy. His raw power and strength always kept Cecilia on her toes. Even when Cecilia managed to find openings, Shamash's bulk allowed Siegfied to defend himself.

Cecilia meanwhile struck with lighter but faster attacks. Her agility and finesse allowed her to dodge and evade every hit. She was able to keep ahead, dodging and dancing around her beloved. She could tell from a glance he wasn't giving it his all.

"It's not your fault," Cecilia muttered as she lunged. "It was beyond your control."

"I should have done more," Siegfied answered as he turned the blunt side of Shamash and brace the strike. The force still sent him back, but he remained standing. "Maybe then I wouldn't have lost her." He retorted he tried to strike once more.

Cecilia stopped the strike with her own lance, holding them both in place. "But you didn't lose her, not in this life," Cecilia added. "You don't need to hold his guilt." She pushed him back before following up with a roundhouse kick.

"I do," Seigfied growled and dashed forward before flinging Shamash forward. Cecilia on instinct moved out of harm's way and right into Siegfied's path. She was stunned when he tackled her…and then started tickling her sides.

"Stop," Cecilia laughed as she dropped the lance. Siegfied did as she asked but in return, he managed to take her lance and threw it beside Shamash. Cecilia was quick to recover and the two once again faced off. "That was a dirty trick." She pouted.

"Hey…I can't use it against simulations, only against those that can return the favor." Siegfied tried to force a laugh, but it came off stifled and fake. Cecilia frowned; she knew her husband. He loved to joke and avoid the topics and for the most part, it worked on others.

"Siggy, this isn't something you need to burden yourself with." She scowled as she threw several jabs at him, opting to avoid using any weapons now.

"Regardless of the timelines," Siegfied noted as he blocked his wife's hit. He timed it just right and caught one of her jabs before gripping her arm and putting her in a lock. "I still failed as a father and a husband." He whispered.

The moment she heard the words, something snapped. "AND YOU THINK I DIDN'T!" Cecilia growled as she maneuvered herself free. She quickly turned the tables on Siegfied and sent him down to the ground on his knees.

"I lost her Cecilia," Siegfied answered as she pushed himself back up. He had lost their daughter because of his own incompetence.

"You were still there." Cecilia cried as she pushed him back down but due to how they were holding onto each other, it resulted in them both losing their balance and toppling over.

Siegfied soon found himself face to face with his wife, with tears threatening to escape her eyes. "You were still there…for both of them." She whispered.

"Cecilia I didn't mean it like that." Siegfied tried to console, the sparring match was all but forgotten. He didn't want to imply this to his wife.

"No, but it's the truth." Cecilia pointed out. "Your other self may have failed, but he was still there for them. But I wasn't, I was dead." She reasoned.

"You had no control of that," Siegfied argued.

"And you had control of yours?" Cecilia retorted.

Siegfied sighed in defeat. His wife had a point. In all honesty, he should have counted himself lucky that he married such an understanding woman. Cecilia likewise felt a small bit of comfort seeing her husband's dedication, even if he did make some boneheaded conclusions from it.

"Have I ever told you how cute you look when you're dripping with sweat?" Siegfied questioned. Cecilia's face immediately turned red like a tomato. She briefly considered slapping her husband before she composed herself with a plan of retaliation.

"Not as cute as you when you're under me." She whispered in a sultry tone in his ear. She saw his expression flash from his confident grin to his own blushing mess. Admittedly she was also feeling nervous after that delivery, but she was focusing on his reaction to even pay attention to her own.

"Okay…is it getting hot here?" Siegfied squirmed as he tried to move.

"You can dish out, but you can't take it. You disappoint me, father." A voice chuckled. Siegfied and Cecilia looked up to see Void and Thunder standing at the entrance. They hastily scrambled to fix themselves after the brawl.

"How long have you two been standing there?" Cecilia asked in embarrassment. Please to whatever God was listening, don't tell her they saw and heard them.

"Long enough." Thunder mused. They had been walking by on the way to meet up with the others when they heard a ruckus. The two had stopped by to see if it was an intruder or something but thankfully it was only those two. "I'm starting to see where all your habits come from." Thunder chided.

"Which ones?"

"Well, the obvious one is your desire to fight instead of facing your issues," Thunder noted. "But my version of Kiana was just like that, a flirt who couldn't take what they dished out." She smiled sombrely.

"I'm glad I grew out of it." Void rolled her eyes.

"You didn't grow out of being a bottom." Thunder mused.

"WHAT!" Void shrieked. "You take that back Thunder."

"Never. You remember what happened in the Elysian Realm." Thunder chided. "Or should we contact Miss Pink Elf for a refresher?" She smirked.

"What happened in the Elysian realm? And more importantly, what is the Elysian Realm?" Siegfied questioned, hoping they could divert this embarrassment from themselves to their time-traveling daughter. Eh, maybe they should drop the idea of addressing her like that. Even if she was technically their daughter, she was almost their age. It would probably be better to address her as a niece or something to avoid any further questions.

"Nothing anyone should know about." Void corrected. Whatever happened in the Realm, stays in the Realm. "Or would you rather I explain why you should never have alcohol."

"You make a good point." Thunder suddenly agreed. "Nothing happened there, and we saw nothing happen here. Do we all agree?"

Cecilia and Siegfied stared at each other in confusion. They wondered if they should question what happened but decided after all their experiences with the two, they decided against it. They just nodded in agreement with the two.

The mysterious past of the Herrschers was soon forgotten though as something else caught their attention. Behind the Herrschers was another cart with some delicious smelling food. "Is that dinner?" Siegfied questioned as his stomach rumbled; their sparring match had worked up quite an appetite for the two.

"Yup." Thunder said proudly. "Sticky Honest Roast is the main dish but I made a few other things." She told them. "You can enjoy it when we meet up with everyone else."

"I helped Thunder cook some of them." Void said proudly. She couldn't let Thunder take all the credit for giving them a good meal.

"You blew up the kitchen."

"Only once…that's a new record." Void announced. The two humans began to sweat again. It was silently agreed to never Void in the kitchen without a fire extinguisher, not unless she made Pizza toast and was supervised.

"So let me get this straight. You're Mei's dragon." Teri recounted as she stared at Kurikara. It was a little uncomfortable how the two dragons looked identical in human form. Perhaps it wasn't because of the appearance, but due to how the Honkai Beasts could transform so convincingly. Even if the human forms were imperfect, they still showed the potential of the Honkai, both in infiltration and intelligence with these forms.

Even with her line of work being to destroy monsters on a regular basis. It felt unnerving to Teri that she could live in a world where said Monsters could look very much like the people she saw every day. She knew Bella and Kurikara were the servants of Sirin, Void, and Thunder but the idea that any other Herrscher afterward could do this. That was frightening to think about.

"I prefer the steed of the Herrscher of Thunder, but yes." Kurikara answered. Bella and Sirin had returned with the new dragoness in tow. They figured it would have been good to learn more about her, while they waited for the other two.

"So…am I getting another sister?" Kiana asked innocently.

Teri rubbed her temples. She really hoped her niece hadn't become so used to this weirdness that she now saw every Herrscher and Honkai Beast as potential siblings. The situation was strange but this was a major outlier. Any other time Herrschers and Honkai Beasts would be out to kill them instead of becoming family.

"No Kiana. I am not going to be your sister." Kurikara answered. Kiana pouted and gave Kurikara a puppy dog look but the dragoness was unaffected. Eventually the toddler gave up in frustration.

"Fine. Bella is better anyway." Kiana grumbled when she realized the red dragoness wasn't bending to her will.

"You're welcome to have your own opinion," Kurikara answered. It didn't matter what Kiana or the others thought. Kurikara was only concerned with Mei's opinions of her.

"I'm still confused about why you look like Bella." Sirin interrupted. Kurikara had told them that Void granted her a human form. That was fine, but the Herrscher couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Void gave away Bella's form to some random Honkai Beast. Even if it was Thunder's dragon surely she could have been more original with the human form.

"Um…Master," Bella called out. She had a good idea why the form looked similar and while she came to terms with the reason, Sirin might not. "Let's not…"

"My body looks like Bella's because it is Bella's." Kurikara deadpanned.

"Wait…wha?" Sirin stammered.

Kurikara then went on to give them a shortened version of her birth. To say the group was surprised would be an understatement. The concept alone was kind of creepy when one put more thought into it.

"So…you're a zombie, like the undead kind," Teri said as she warily pulled Kiana behind her. Honkai zombies were humans who were corrupted by Honkai but Kurikara was practically a reanimated corpse. She was a Bella who died and came back with another mind controlling the body.

"I am not a zombie," Kurikara answered. "I'm…more…Bella recycled." She tried to explain.

"That doesn't make it better," Sirin responded. She was currently holding on to her own Bella now, perhaps a little too tightly but the dragoness would dare not complain. "I can't believe Thunder did this."

"My creation was an accident, but I don't regret being alive." Kurikara cut off. "Even then, it wasn't the Herrscher of Thunder that killed me, it was the Herrscher of Domination, so if you want to be angry at someone, go with her."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sirin growled. She recalled how Void had the core of Domination so there was a high chance Void already avenged Bella. That didn't stop Sirin from wanting her own payback. If the Herrscher of Domination awoke in this timeline then Sirin hoped she would be the one to end them.

"That being said, I did punish Thunder as well." Void added. Everyone turned to see Void, Thunder, Siegfied, Cecilia, and the scientists returning along with what they assumed was dinner. "Oh, believe me, I punished Thunder big time."

"My ears are still ringing from that," Thunder noted. Kurikara's birth and Bella's demise really weren't fond memories but they weren't things that could be ignored. "I did get what I deserve, but if you want to vent then I have no qualms with that." Mei told her. Sirin cared for Bella much in the same way Mei cared for Kiana, so perhaps they could ease each other's grief.

"I…" Sirin started. She was going to take up Thunder on her offer, but the fight from before was still fresh in her mind. Thunder was stronger than her no doubt, but she was also remorseful to an extent. Not to mention Sirin had just told off Bella about not needing to punish her because so much already happened. In the end, Sirin knew what she needed to do. "Never mind, there's no need." She told Mei.

"Well if you ever change your mind." Thunder mused. After properly introducing Kurikara to the others, everyone decided to sit around a table Void made with her cubes and lances.

"This has to be the weirdest dinner I've ever had." Tesla noted. "Remind me, how did we get into this?"

"The Herrschers needed doctors they could probably trust," Einstein noted. She honestly felt like she and Tesla didn't have any place in this group. This had strictly been an issue surrounding the Kaslana's but I guess they have become involved in it now, somehow. Granted it was probably a good thing for the two heads of AE.

"And now for the main course," Mei announced. "Sticky Honey Roast," Mei said as she reached to remove the cover on the dish.

"What kind of name is that?" Teri questioned.

"It's a Mondstadt specialty." Void said as she licked her lips. She couldn't wait to eat it. She watched as Mei lifted the cover and then.

She dropped everything. "What in the world?" She gasped. The Sticky Honey Roast was gone. However, while that was Void's main concern, everyone else was preoccupied with the other issue.

In place of the Roast, was a small fairy-like being. She had thick white hair cropped just above her shoulders, dark purple eyes, and light skin. The fairy wore a long-sleeved white jumper and a night-blue cape flecked with stars, and white stockings with white boots. Rose-gold embroidery and shapes are attached to her jumper, boots, and sleeves. However the most noteworthy thing about her right now…was that her cheeks were stuffed and covered with grease and her clothes had been stained with sauce.

The fairy flashed them a weak smile. "Ehe, how did Paimon get here?" She chuckled.

Chapter Text

"Paimon, you better have a good reason why you're here instead of the Roast, otherwise I'm eating you instead, emergency food." Void immediately threatened.

"Hey, Paimon's already told you Paimon is not emergency food." Paimon refuted immediately. Void didn't seem to be listening as she immediately started summoning some seasoning and condiments.

"We'll see about that." Void retorted as she started chopping the seasonings.

"Uh…Void's not actually serious about eating that little fairy thing." Teri cautiously inquired from Thunder. The Herrscher of Thunder looked to ponder her response.

"Eh, it's 50/50, Void's unpredictable most times. If she thinks she can eat Paimon, she might try. It's hard to tell if it's a serious threat or a well-done bluff." Thunder admitted.

"Ah…save me…save me," Paimon screamed as she immediately fled and hid behind Cecilia. "She already stuffed me into a soup pot once."

"Now that's a lie, you fell in there by accident." Void defended.

"You threw carrots, radishes, and several pieces of chicken into the water beside me," Paimon argued.

"You can fly. You could have just hovered out of it." Void told her.

"WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF!" Thunder silenced. It was always like this with these two. Sometimes she swore they did it to her on purpose.

Thunder immediately kicked herself when she heard a small whimper from Kiana. Crap, she had lost her cool. Quick, she needed a way to recover from this. Mei took a deep breath in order to calm herself. It worked for the most part.

"Void, I'll make you another roast. Paimon, why don't you introduce yourself and explain why you're here, please." Mei said in her normal voice.

"Hmmph. Fine." Void huffed. "Mom, Dad, Aunt Teri, Sirin, Kiana, Bella, Doctors, this is Paimon. She's our emergency food supply for our travels through time and space." Void introduced.

"That's not at all what Paimon is." Paimon snapped at her. "Paimon is Paimon, the greatest travel guide for time and space." She introduced herself.

"Travel guide for time and space? Are you the one who helped Void and Thunder time travel here?" Siegfied questioned.

"Ehe…that's right," Paimon answered. "Void and Thunder are very dependable acquaintances of Paimon. Very reliable when you need raw power to help clean up any messed-up timelines. Doesn't hurt that one is also a great cook as well." She explained. "Even if one of them might threaten to turn Paimon into lunch."

"Don't pretend like you never tried to punish me when I stole your grilled tiger fish." Void argued. She wouldn't admit it out loud but that time, Paimon turned her into a baby, let her poop herself, and then changed her back without changing all her clothes. The little imp then snapped photos of the Herrscher and then threatened to throw them out into random timelines to let the humiliation exist for eternity.

"Okay…that's fair." Paimon blushed. "I did go a little too far with that."

"Yuh think."

"As much as I would love to continue this cheerful reunion." Mei interrupted. "Why are you here Paimon?"

"Oh, that's right. Paimon came to warn you all." The little fairy announced. This caught the two Herrschers' attention quickly.

Paimon usually left them to figure things out on their own. She didn't even bother to communicate with them when they were at the end of a world. A planet had blown up before Paimon decided to transport them out. For her to warn them now, it must be something serious.

"Warn?" Cecilia questioned. "Is something wrong Paimon?" She wasn't familiar with the concepts of time travel but even she knew it was not something to be easily trifled with.

"Well, not exactly," Paimon admitted. "When Paimon says she came to warn, Paimon doesn't mean that it's the end of the world or anything like that. It's just some honest advice." She chuckled.

"You say that but given your role, it must still be important," Teri noted. "And while it might not seem impactful to you, it still could be world-ending to us right?"

"Paimon supposes you can say that. Eh, just let Paimon explain first, and then you can ask questions later. Okay?" Paimon told them. Everyone nodded or agreed with her. "Good. So basically…. don't kill Otto yet." Paimon told them.

"Seriously?" Void sighed. "I was so hoping to pay him back." She pouted. She had already plotted everything out. She knew how to kill him, and his clones. She prepared methods to neutralize his weapons. She had a means of tracking him as well. Now Paimon comes and tells her not to kill him. "I assume you've got a good reason."

"I've got this whole list full," Paimon answered as she pulled out a rolled-up parchment of paper from the hammerspace. She handed it to Void. "Keep in mind only Void and Thunder can read this since they already have knowledge of the future." She informed as she handed it to the older Herrscher.

Void upon taking the parchment undid the seal, letting the paper unwind, however, once it started the paper just kept unrolling. It rolled down to reach Void's feet and then started to roll across the floor. Despite constantly moving the parchment never lost any size and kept moving. It rolled across the whole floor and once it reached the wall, the paper rolled up the wall and then across the ceiling.

Everyone in the room looked on in awe and bafflement at the paper. Upon inspecting the parts, they could see that it was completely illegible to them. Paimon noticed them staring. "Like I said I had a list made of every change that would occur if Otto was killed. As you can see…it's a lot."

"All this because of Grandpa," Teri noted as she glanced out of the room where the paper had rolled out. To her horror, the entire hallway outside the room had somehow been entirely covered by the list. "How the heck?"

"Time and Space Guide, remember," Paimon said smugly. "You'd be surprised just how wild things can get when the rules and laws start to bend and break, and when loopholes are found and exploited."

"It's much easier if you don't think about it." Void interrupted. Even if her dominion was space, this was far beyond the scope of her powers and understanding. In the end, she and Mei just gave up trying to rationalize it.

"Paimon, did you write down every single butterfly effect on this list," Thunder questioned. The list was very detailed, to say the least.

"Only the ones you're most concerned about," Paimon answered.

Once the duo had seen enough, Void levitated the paper before immediately rolling it up. There was an awkward silence in the room as they watched the paper roll up, winding and moving at such high speed as if it had been attached to a track.

"Are you saying we can't kill Otto else this is what will happen?" Thunder questioned. The paper had a long line of consequences that would result from Otto's death. Some of them were of people Void and Thunder neither knew nor cared for, but others were far too close to home.

"You can kill Otto." Paimon corrected. "You can go about doing that in whatever manner you choose. What you need to keep in mind is the consequences and if you're willing to live with them." Paimon told her.

"I can live with them." Void told her.

"Maybe you can, but can they?" Paimon questioned as she pointed to her family, more specifically Cecilia, Sirin, and Kiana. "You came this far to give them all a second chance. Will you throw that away for revenge?"

Void stared at them for a moment. Could she sacrifice the world for her family? She'd do it in a heartbeat all things considered, but would they be able to live with it. Her parents and aunt were always keen on doing what was good for humanity.

"You're right." Void sighed. "I can't do that to them." She answered. She was so close to her goal. She had gotten them all together and they were getting along. How could she ruin that?

"Wise choice, Herrscher of the Void." Paimon whispered.

"So, we have to let Otto live." Thunder mused. "That's still going to be a problem. Killing him risks the normalcy of the Kaslana's lives and the world, but letting him live only helps the world." Thunder stated.

"Seriously?" Siegfied questioned. "Is Otto really that important the world hinged on his existence?"

"It's not about whether the world needs him to live or not," Einstein answered. "Otto is unfortunately a very influential man. I'd assume given his big role in the war against the Honkai for almost 500 years, it's not that easy to remove him without causing a mountain of issues."

"That's correct," Paimon added. "Otto. regardless of his reason, has impacted many for better or worse, so he holds a lot of weight in the grand scheme of things."

"Still, there has to be something you can do right?" Cecilia questioned. "Even if we do decide to leave him be. He will still come after us. Won't he?" She asked worriedly. They could fight back, she knew they would, but for how long could they do so and how many would die in the process was another question.

"I might have an idea for that." Paimon mused.

"Why do I feel that I won't like it?" Void muttered.

"You won't." Paimon answered. "At least you won't at the start." She informed her.

"Alright lay it on me." Void told her. It can't be so bad.

"You'll have to help Otto fulfill his goal," Paimon answered. Oh, it was that bad.

"Paimon. I literally just had a big moment where I told my family about his crimes against humanity and how I intended to keep him from his goals." Void told the fairy.

"I know, but this is the safest and cleanest way for you. If you travel back in time and save Kallen, then Otto will cease his crusade." Paimon suggested. "It's the easiest way to end this."

"Of course, Otto can't do it without risking the Honkai getting stronger, but we can." Void groaned. "Let me guess, we'd have to ensure that we keep that timeline consistent so most likely we need a body double for Kallen."

"A body double?" Teri questioned. "Why would you need that?"

"It's to avoid creating an alternate timeline. Essentially every time you travel, you can make a new timeline thanks to the interference. It only takes one moment to change everything. Saving everyone here already caused a major shift to the future we came from. Kallen would practically rewrite everything you ever knew." Thunder explained.

"Thus, we won't change anything in the past." Void told them.

"Wait…what?" Everyone questioned.

"What do you mean you won't change the past? Isn't that why you're time traveling again?" Tesla questioned.

"Let me explain. We won't change the past. Kallen Kaslana will die just as she did long ago. However, her life will not end at her death. At the very moment she dies, we switch her body at the very last second with a perfect copy of herself. The empty husk will 'die' in her place." Void explained.

"I see. The husk dies, and time remains unchanged. Since it's an exact match, any analysis on the body will be identical and as such, no deviation occurs." Einstein rationalized.

"Yup, the past remains as is and Kallen comes to this present timeline." Paimon continued.

"Wouldn't that be unfair to Kallen?" Teri questioned. They would be technically kidnapping Kallen from her time period and bringing her to a new one. All of this just so they could bargain with her grandpa to stop.

"Depends on how you look at it." Thunder mused. "She's scheduled to be executed, gets saved at the last possible second, and is gifted a second chance to live the life she lost in what's pretty much a new world or era where none of her past actions can really define her."

"So…your typical isekai." Void deadpanned.

"I'm surprised you actually know that," Thunder questioned. "Wait a minute…don't tell me you actually watch those boring anime."

"Some of them are good…others…belong with you in the trash." Void snapped.

"Beside the point. I'd say considering the situation, we aren't obligated to make it enjoyable. We save her from death and then let her decide what to do after." Whatever Kallen does would be on her, though Thunder figured they'd keep an eye just to make sure she didn't do anything too extreme. The encounters they had with Kallen's in other worlds where she lived ranged from friendly to hostile.

For the most part, everyone seemed to consider the plan. Teri was obviously happy about this since it meant her grandfather would live. Einstein and Tesla weren't all that happy but they could at least understand that logically this was going to be for the best. Cecilia and Siegfied, though angered by what Otto had done, were also willing to ignore his other self's actions if it meant peace with their family. There was one person though who didn't like this idea.

"But are you two really just going to give in and give him what he wants?" Sirin argued. She couldn't believe this. After everything she went through, that man, that monster was just going to get his wish fulfilled. "This isn't right. It isn't fair…." She gritted her teeth.

Siegfied and the others could feel the stiffening aura begin to build around the Herrscher. Even Kiana could tell something was wrong. Bella had already put herself between the Kaslanas and Sirin, while Kurikara did the same with the scientists.

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE." She screamed in anger. A pulse of energy was released from the young Herrscher. It would have been devastating for those in the room…had it not been for the stronger Herrschers present to block the attack.

"SILENCE!" Void growled in response as she held up an arm. Just as suddenly as Sirin's power came, it diminished just as quickly. Before Sirin even realized what was going on she felt restrained by an invisible force as she was pinned to the wall. The older Herrscher appeared right in her face matching her golden eyes with her own.

The first to react to the sudden change was Cecilia. She wanted to try and diffuse the situation, but Mei was quick to stop her. The Kaslana matriarch looked at her with pleading eyes, but Mei merely whispered to let them be.

"LET ME GO!" Siren tried to thrash around but it was no use. Void had already sealed her powers away. Yet she continued to struggle. Bella wanted to move to aid her. However just as she took a step forward, Void shot her a glare. The dragon froze in her spot. Both were her master, and while Sirin might be struggling. She knew Void had a good reason.

Seeing her dragon withdrawing, Void turned her attention back to Sirin. She was still resisting. It was an understandable response; it just wasn't the safest state of mind. Luckily Void knew just how to fix that.

With a snap of her fingers, two portals opened, one directly above Sirin and one directly below. Sirin looked at the portals in confusion before she heard a whooshing sound from the top one. A sudden deluge of water cascaded down from the top portal drenching her completely before passing into the one underneath.

"Have you cooled off now?" Void inquired as she saw Sirin cough up some water. Raising her hand once more, she used the gem of Desire and Haste to airdry the younger Herrscher before closing the portals.

"What is wrong with you?" Sirin screamed at her. "How could you just agree to let that bastard live, let alone actually help him with his goal?" Sirin yelled at her. She wasn't speaking in anger or hatred anymore, but rather hurt and betrayal.

The one person she thought knew her the best, had just agreed to help the man responsible for all her suffering. She didn't even try to deny the idea. Someone had told her not to kill Otto and Void just gave in to that demand. It wasn't even that they couldn't. They could, but they chose not to.

"Listen to me Sirin." Void pleaded with the younger girl. Her voice was softer now. "I know you want to put him under. I know that better than anyone else here."

"But do you think it's easy for me to do this? To give it up." Void told her. "It isn't…but this is not about Otto." Void whispered.

"He's not important to me. My family is what's important and that includes you. If we go after Otto, we're only asking for trouble." Void told her.

"But you're strong enough to handle it," Sirin argued.

"Then where would I stop?" Void argued. "If we kill Otto there is a long line of people who will come after us. How do you think it looks when a Herrscher, one of the Honkai's Heralds, kills Otto, the leader of the faction that fights against the Honkai."

"Everyone will be after us, all the world would deem us a threat to be eliminated. If word were to get out of AE's involvement, they'd lose their credibility and support. We would be on our own. A fight every day to survive, always running because the people chasing us now…will be innocent people who are just doing their job."

"A battle with no end, that's the life we'll get if we go down that path." Void told Sirin as she slowly released her from her hold. The older Herrscher walked up to Sirin before leaning down to speak to her at eye level.

"Just because you CAN fight forever, doesn't mean you should WANT to." Void told her as she pulled her into a hug. "I can fight for a long time, centuries even, but I'd much rather spend that time elsewhere."

"Tell me…would you rather fight those… 'insignificant insects' forever, or wouldn't you rather spend time eating ice cream and playing with Kiana and the others?"

"I…." Sirin stuttered. She wanted to argue that she could fight, win and then eat ice cream and play. She wanted to…but she knew she couldn't. She had tried so many times before and as much as she loathed to admit it, she had been bested, many times. If her older self who was more powerful didn't want to do it, how could she even hope to last as long?

"I…want to be with the others." She responded softly. "But it's still not fair." She argued.

"I never said it was." Void answered. "But we still won in the end."

"Huh?" What did Void mean by that?

"Otto may get what he wants, but we get what we want as well. If he leaves us alone that's good enough. It's the same result either way. We never have to worry about him again." Void told her. "We get our happy ending, despite everything else."

"And what if he doesn't?" Sirin questioned. "What if even after we give him, he doesn't leave us alone?" She argued with the older girl.

"If he does that, then I suppose we can kill him…but only if he decides to betray us." Void answered. She didn't fully trust that madman but considering everything he's done has been for this one goal. She doubted he'd be stupid enough to betray them here.

"Void's right. As warped and as twisted as he is, he has some honor at least." Mei added.

"So Sirin, would you be willing to put aside your anger and hatred to have a better life?" Void questioned as she held out her hand.

Sirin looked at her sister's hand as she contemplated her words. Even now, she could hear whispers in her head telling her that Void and Thunder would be wrong. Otto had to pay for what he had taken from her, but they were right. He may have taken from her, but if she let herself go, she'd give up what little she had left.

She didn't want to lose. She didn't want to lose anything, anymore, to anyone. She wouldn't risk it. Someone else could make him pay. She had made up her mind.

"I will." She told Void as she took the Herrscher's hand. Void immediately pulled her into a hug. Soon another pair of small arms wrapped around them, Kiana, followed by several bigger sets of arms as well. The entire family had all enveloped her in a group hug.

"This is so beautiful," Paimon muttered as she took out a handkerchief to blow her nose.

Otto Apocalypse sighed as he tried to make heads or tails of what had happened in the past few days. The rain patting against the glass behind him perfectly encapsulated his mood, frustration, and confusion.

First, there had been a break-in, on the base with the perpetrator kidnapping Kiana. He would argue it may have been any of the Kaslana's except they had all been at ground zero in a fight against the Second Herrscher when it happened.

Speaking of which, the Second Herrscher had disappeared. The optimist would assume she had died when the nukes that were fired at her had detonated. The optimist would also be a fool, seeing as the land around said the location had remained far more intact than it should.

Additionally, Otto was also growing anxious at the sudden disappearance of his beloved granddaughter. Theresea had all but vanished without a trace much like Kiana. However, what worried him was not that she might have deserted him. He knew very well she might consider such actions. He was worried that she had been injured during the fight with Sirin and possibly kidnapped. Sure they may have their differences but she was still his granddaughter after all.

Last, of all, had been the sudden destruction of all their satellites in space. All methods of communication, tracking and various other tasks had been put to a halt. He was starting to suspect that maybe this was all the work of the World Serpent trying to use this situation for whatever means they had. However, that still left him confused about what their end goal was. He was no stranger to having long-running plans that hinged on smaller seemingly insignificant details but this left him cautious.

Rocking back in his chair he let out a huff. He was getting nowhere with this. Annoyed, he decided to stop staring at the monitor for a while as he took a short break. The rain had seemingly stopped so perhaps maybe he could go for a walk and get some fresh air. Turning around he was about to head out of his office when his eyes glanced out his window.

The rain had stopped, and his eyes widened as he rushed from his chair toward the window. The rain had stopped. Not in the sense that it had stopped falling. The raindrops had become frozen in mid-air. Otto glanced around noticing several other things had also become suspended in time.

Various vehicles taking to the sky now seemingly floated in place. The birds and people were now statues regardless of their position whether it be grounded or not. Otto kept himself composed outwardly but on the inside, he felt a whirlpool of emotions running through his body.

"Otto Apocalypse." A voice called behind him. He recognized the tone as that of a Herrscher. The voice felt familiar but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard it. Otto turned around to find the owner of the voice sitting in his chair. A woman with golden eyes like the Herrscher of the Void he had seen not long ago, but whose hair was white as snow, much like Kallen's. "I'm here to bargain."

Chapter Text

Void glanced at the Herrscher Core in her hand. It was the Core of the First, Welt's Core of Reason. An irony of fate: that it was this power that would help the most arguably unreasonable man in history. Taking a deep breath, Void let the Core be absorbed into her body, the familiar power flowing through her veins once more. The Core had never been hers, not like the other gems and Cores were, but it still felt nostalgic in a sense. Another missing piece of the full power she had once upon a time.

She held out her hand and concentrated. It was not the first time the Herrscher of the Void had created a human body, but the strangeness of the action never changed. As brief as it might be, she could still feel a strange stillness as all the components came together. First came the bones, then the muscles coated them while the organs formed within, after the skin encased the body, the fluids began to flow. Lastly, the clothes and hair were formed.

"Of all the powers Honkai granted, this has to be the most disturbing to watch." Mei grimaced as she caught the replica of Kallen. Machines and armor were one thing but to see a living being, be manufactured from nothing before her eyes was a different story.

"Agreed." Void grimaced. Perhaps this was why she abstained from taking the power of Reason and Sentience. While she had come to terms with her nature as a clone, the idea of making clones herself was disturbing, to say the least. Even if she would never do so outside of special circumstances, holding that kind of power just felt…off to her.

Otto glanced at them from the side. He had been watching and helping the duo prepare for their trip. Try as he might, he had been denied on all fronts. He wasn't allowed to travel due to his 'unpredictable and obsessive' nature as Paimon put it.

He suspected it was more due to the duo's disdain for him, but he held his tongue. This was the chance he had been waiting for and he would not let it slip through his finders. He knew his tenacity and dedication to reviving Kallen would have paid off eventually, but he never quite expected it would be like this. He thought he'd have made some breakthrough or developed some means, he never imagined it would have been along the lines of irritating someone into doing it for him.

"Is everything alright Grandpa?" Teri questioned as she looked from the side. None of the Kaslana's had been too keen on staying in the same room as Otto for understandable reasons. Someone still needed to keep an eye on him though. Theresea had volunteered, of course, probably being one of the few people who'd care if he got hurt here or not, and even that was debatable at this point.

Otto glanced at his granddaughter. She had been the clone closest to his dear Kallen. Not just in her appearance but also in her personality. While she had initially been another attempt at reviving Kallen, Otto had honestly grown to see and care for her as her own person, even if he still prioritized Kallen above all else.

"It's nothing Theresea. I just can't believe that after so long; I'll finally see her again." Otto spoke in a bemused tone. He could feel the dirty looks the other two were throwing his way, but he could care less. They both knew the consequences of duping him.

"So…what's going to happen to me and Amber?" Theresea questioned innocently. She couldn't imagine her own meeting with Kallen. Void's interactions with Sirin and Kiana, while pleasant, were under a largely different circumstance than Teri's. Otto had gone to great lengths to bring Kallen back, practically spitting in the face of her ideals at times. It was hard not to imagine Kallen being disgusted by him and to an extent her and Amber, her clones.

"Whatever do you mean?" Otto asked. "Nothing will change for you two. Your lives will go on like it always has. While I know Kallen will be disgusted with me and may at worst be apprehensive of your existence, she isn't going to blame you for it." Otto told her.

It was going to be him who'd be held responsible. She had told him off before when he attempted to revive her father, and she'd tell him off again when he revived her, but he had prepared for this. All his sins had been for her to get a second chance at life and even if she may feel guilt for his actions, he had also accounted for ways to prevent her from doing anything self-destructive.

"Can you ever talk and not sound creepy?" Void questioned as she encased the body double in a cube and stored it in her hammerspace.

"You're holding what's essentially a corpse in your inventory, and you call me the creepy one." Otto chided.

"Just because we can't kill you now, doesn't mean we can't do it in a few years." Void responded. "I'll even make arrangements in advance with the funeral parlor."

"Then I shall gladly give you the money for the deposit," Otto told her. Live or die, it made no difference to him now. Once his goal was accomplished, he could finally die without any regret.

Void merely scowled at his response.

"Don't waste your breath, Queenie, you of all people should know by now that he's well beyond insane," Thunder spoke as she looked up from her notes. They were all the instructions on the where and when for the trip.

"Ugh, whatever, let's just get this over with." Void grumbled as walked out of the room with the group trailing behind her.

"About time you got here." Paimon huffed as she stamped her foot in the air. Accompanying her were the rest of the Kaslana family as well as the two scientists from AE. "Do you two have any idea how much you put Paimon behind schedule with your idling?" The fairy grumbled.

"You can control and travel through time. Why would you even need a schedule?" Cecilia questioned.

"Well, if I didn't have one, I'd probably be eating chicken mushroom skewers every day. A schedule helps me get some more variety in my diet." Paimon noted.

"Ah. That makes sense… I think," Cecilia answered before turning to her new daughters. "Are you sure you all have everything?" She questioned in concern.

"Yes, mom." Void answered. "It's not our first time traveling. I'm admittedly more concerned that Sirin and Dad are here." Void noted as she glanced at the duo. Their backs were turned to them, or rather, they were turned away from Otto. Sirin and Siegfied also seemed to be wearing headphones.

"They both wanted to see you off," Cecilia admitted. As much as they all hated Otto, they were able to still restrain themselves enough to see Void and Thunder off. While the duo had been away, Paimon had informed them of the risks. Changing the timeline meant there was always a small chance Void and Thunder could never come back if things went wrong. Upon hearing that, everyone knew that all those present knew they wanted to say goodbye, just in case the worse came to pass.

"Cecilia. I assure you; we will be back." Mei told her. "After all, if not me, who will be the Home Economics Teacher in St. Freya?" Mei questioned.

"If she leaves Dad in charge then we will have no worries about Honkai winning at least." Void chuckled. "But yeah, we have many reasons to come back here, and come Heaven or Hell we'll return." Void told her. "That's a promise. I swear it on Thunder's life."

"Wait what?"

"You two have the oddest relationship." Cecilia sighed. "But…I'll hold you to that promise." She told Void.

"You two better come back." Sirin threatened. "If you don't then I'll destroy the world. I'll do it. I don't care." The youngest Herrscher huffed. She still didn't think it was fair for them to risk themselves like this for that madman, but they had proven unreasonable, and she was not strong enough to stop them.

"You'll have to get past this face first." Void chuckled as she held up Kiana to Sirin's face. The small child did not understand a word Sirin said but when Void blew into her back Kiana could help but laugh and reach out to Sirin. Sirin froze at the sight of the laughing child in front of her.

"Big sis, save me." Kiana giggled as she tried to get free from Void's grasp. Void glanced over Kiana's shoulder at Sirin with a smug smile. The youngest Herrscher huffed as she took the baby into her arms.

"That's so unfair, using a child." Sirin huffed.

"If it works, it works." Void told her.

"The mere fact that you're relenting because of Kiana is enough to give us peace of mind on our travels Sirin," Mei added. If they never returned, it was still comforting to know Sirin would be there for the family at least.

"Not just you," Siegfied admitted. He was also glad Sirin relented. He wasn't too sure he could fight her at 100% after this experience nor did he think Cecilia could do it should the situation arise. Unfortunately, there were two individuals who didn't feel so comfortable.

"My Queen." "My Lady."

Bella and Kurikara called as they tackled Void and Thunder. The two dragons turned humans and hugged the Herrschers with all their might.

"Take me with you," Kurikara begged. Bella may have had Sirin, but Kurikara had no one else besides Thunder. While she had been complacent with serving the younger Mei of this time, that was only because Thunder would still be in this timeline. Now that Thunder decided to travel, Kurikara couldn't accept just staying behind.

"Please reconsider." Bella also pleaded. "Just send Thunder by herself or send Kurikara with her." If the worst came to pass, Thunder and Kurikara would be lost but at least Void and Sirin would remain. It was selfish, but Bella didn't care. She couldn't risk going herself and leaving Sirin nor could she risk letting Void go and never come back.

"Kurikara, as much as I'd love for you to come. I need you here to protect them if things don't go as planned and not just the Kaslanas" Mei told her. "Besides, you know better than anyone else here. If you stay then I'll have a beacon to find my back." Mei told her dragon. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, but please come back soon." Kurikara whimpered.

Meanwhile….

"Bella…get your horn out of my ribs, or when I get back I'm not going to teach you to play video games." Void threatened as she tried to pry Bella off her being. She could feel the dragon's horns possibly puncturing something, but she didn't have the heart to bring it up. Void was going to come back, no doubt in her mind about it. Now if only she could get the point across.

After a few moments, the group said their goodbyes. Now it was time for them to head out.

Void and Thunder called their weapons. Void summoned her reforged Shamash in its Greatsword form and Thunder summoned her Domain of Sanction. Paimon stretched out her hand towards the weapons as they began to glow with her power. "Alright. You two should be all set." Paimon told them. A chain appeared shortly after and wrapped around Void and Thunder's arms.

Void held up Shamash as an image of a clock with roman numerals appeared behind her. The clock shattered as Void swung forward. Upon slashing the air, everyone watched in awe as reality was cut. A few cracks appeared along the slit and soon the space before they collapsed inwards. Within the new portal Sirin could make out countless images flashing in succession, some familiar and some not. She could see the past being wound backward with each second that passed.

"It's…unbelievable."

"You should see the inside," Paimon commented as the Herrschers stepped forward.

"We'll be back." They muttered before jumping into the portal. As soon as they entered the portal closed in a flash of light.

"So…that's it," Cecilia said. "They're gone."

"Wanna watch a movie?" Paimon questioned as she snapped her fingers.

All of sudden another portal reopened. Before anyone could respond a large sack was flung out of the portal and straight at Otto. Following the sack was none other than the Herrscher duo. "Where's the Roast Paimon?" Void smirked.

"Wait, you're back already?" Sirin said in shock.

"What were you expecting?" Void questioned. "We're time travelers. We could leave and come at the exact moment if we wished, I mean, we could have even returned yesterday if we really wanted to."

"Don't be fooled, it took us a while to get Kallen so it's not as instant as you think," Thunder told them.

Everyone then turned their attention to Paimon. "What? Paimon said it was risky. Paimon didn't say it would take longer. Besides…it was kind of funny watching these reactions."

"Now I regret not letting Void eat you." Cecilia deadpanned.

"Does that mean we are eating the emergency food tonight?" Void cheered.

"Hehe…I'm in danger." Paimon thought.

"Where's Kallen though?" Theresea interrupted. She didn't see her anywhere. The whole reason the duo even traveled was to save Kallen.

"In the sack," Void answered. As they turned to where the sack had landed, Otto had already recovered and was busy trying to get Kallen out. Once he had freed her head, it was clear she seemed a little shaken up by the event. Though it felt unnerving how she seemed to be relieved when she saw Otto.

"Did you really have to sack her?" Teri deadpanned. She sometimes forgot how dubious the morals of Void and Thunder could be.

"Maybe?" Void chuckled nervously.

"Yeah sure, you did," Paimon said as she floated beside them.

"So now what."

"Well, Paimon suggested we watch a movie, and Paimon knows just the movie to watch." The fairy said as she snapped her fingers, warping the world around the group, and transported the group, save Otto and Kallen, into a theatre

"Where did you take us? What is this place?" Siegfried questioned.

"Paimon's Personal Theatre where she sometimes lets us watch other universes and timelines like television shows or movies," Thunder answered

"That sounds so strange," Cecilia said.

"Don't knock the whole random transportation into a movie theatre and being forced to watch your life or other people's lives in movie format until you try it," Paimon said. "I've got all of Void and Thunder's past saved in glorious Divine Definition."

"Just roll the film Paimon." Void snarked as she took a bucket of popcorn and offered some to Sirin, Bella, and Kiana.

"Okey dokie." Paimon said.

The film opened up with a gloomy scene of an ominous-looking Cathedral. It was overcast, with grey clouds obscuring the sky. Though the sun was not shown the time was assumed to be in the late afternoon. A woman in a white dress was seen walking slowly towards the cathedral. Her head lowered in resignation for her fate.

Siegfried glanced up at his…ancestor…or great aunt or whatever Kallen was to him. He had played the Kallen Fantasy games. At the time he never really thought much about it, thinking the name was just an homage to his family. However, with what he knew now about Otto and his obsession, it felt saddening to see the real Kallen like this. It felt even more awkward when you realize just how many individuals he was close with that shared blue eyes and white hair.

As Kallen walked up the camera panned to reveal a wooden structure with a single rope hanging low. Several guards surrounded the area, as were there various civilians looking on.

"Why was she going to be hanged?" Cecilia questioned as she looked on. Kallen's history from what was known had been kept under lock and key by Otto.

"Funnily enough, it was because she opposed and sabotaged human Honkai experimentation," Mei answered. "She stole the black box that held Corruption's power and spent years running. After some unfortunate events and losses along her travels, she eventually couldn't take running anymore and chose to face them head-on. She was arrested and while she lost the will to keep fighting due to depression, she still didn't compromise her moral integrity.

Sirin frowned at this. Go figure, those blasted experiments had been going on even then. She could feel herself tensing up at the thought. Yet she also felt a small comfort in knowing that people like Kallen existed both then and now.

Once Kallen had reached the spot of her execution, she was to stand as the noose was wrapped around the neck. However, before she could be hanged a creature of white and purple appeared high in the air. Several Honkai beasts emerged and began attacking the site.

"Good riddance." Sirin smiled. She may have been trying to curb her tendencies to avoid harming innocents but she knew well enough that not all those present were innocent. Sure some people who did nothing wrong might die, but she was more hopeful that only the scum got killed.

Theresea frowned though at the sight before her. She had heard it when her grandpa explained the events. That wasn't just a random attack. He had released those monsters particularly to give Kallen an opening to escape. He was willing to go to such lengths even back then.

As the creatures attacked, the people scattered. The Honkai beasts rampaged through the area leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Fires erupted around the areas as they thrashed about. In the midst of the flames, Kallen remained in place, her eyes widened at the Honkai and at the sound of the people's cries. Steeling herself, the Kaslana then proceeded to break her wooden handcuffs over her legs before ripping the noose around her neck to pieces with her bare hands.

"Wait a second….she could have broken free so easily." Sirin realized. "Why the hell did she remain captured in the first place?" The Herrscher questioned. She had thought Kallen had been a powerless human but nope, she was perfectly capable of saving herself.

"Physically Kallen was capable, but mentally…she wasn't." Void admitted. "Kallen was depressed, she had just lost the one she loved the most." Void explained. "She had felt there was no reason to keep going."

"She could have found a reason," Sirin grumbled.

"Well if you want. You can give her a piece of your mind when this is over." Void told her.

"Gladly."

As Kallen ran through the flames, she made her attempt to help fight back against the Honkai. However, without any weapon, she was only barely capable of fighting back, only buying time for the others to escape. Not everyone could make it though.

A young girl stumbled in the chaos. She had fallen during the frenzy. One Honkai Beast seemed to notice this as it turned its sights on her. Raising its spear-like arms into the air, the creature lunged at the girl.

The audience braced themselves for what they would see, expecting someone's blood to be shed at worst and hoping the creature was blocked somehow at best. Two Herrschers frowned knowing this was right when they would appear.

Time seemed to freeze in the world. Kallen had made her way between the girl and the Honkai Beast with the intent to sacrifice herself to save the girl. The javelin was held right by her body.

"Hey, Thunder, is this the right place?" Void's rang as the scene changed to show her and Thunder hovering through the frozen crowd. The world around them was stopped to a halt making for one of the most peculiar-looking scenes.

Various objects were suspended in the air around the duo. The people were practically turned to statues before her. Even the flames had been stilled, looking like glowing decorations than the deadly fires they were.

"Is that purely Paimon's power or is it also an ability you two possess?" Einstein questioned.

"Yes." replied Void, Thunder, and Piamon simultaneously.

"We should be getting close to her," Thunder noted as she looked at a map. However when she looked back up, Void was nowhere to be found. "Queenie?" She questioned as she looked around.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Thunder huffed as she saw Void drinking from a barrel. "What are you doing?"

"Trying the wine."

"Seriously." Several people voiced as they looked at the Void Herrscher.

"What? I was parched and it's not like it was going to be of use to them anyway. The Honkai beasts were going to destroy it." Void defended.

"Couldn't you wait till after the mission to go on a snack break?" Teri deadpanned.

"Nope."

"GET OVER HERE!" Thunder screamed as she sent one of her arms flying to grab Void who still held the barrel and pulled her back. That was a big mistake as the moment Void got within the range of Thunder, the 3rd Herrscher was soon greeted to an entire Barrel of Wine being dumped on her head. "Okay, I should have expected that." Thunder mused as she shattered the barrel.

"Whatever happened to time travel being serious business and changing the past could cause irreversible damage to the future?" Teri questioned.

"Eh, it still applies, we just got familiar enough to know what we can and can't get away with." Void admitted.

"Ah, here we are." Void noted as they found the frozen Kallen. Glancing around, the Herrscher noticed a sack of apples. Taking a bite from one, Void emptied the sack before holding it open in mid-air. She then summoned the body double from hammerspace.

"So let's see here." Mei noted as they watched between Kallen and the fake. Using her powers she quickly stripped the two of them.

"PAIMON!" Cecilia interrupted.

"Already censoring," Paimon said. Apart from the image being moved off-screen. Kiana, Sirin, Bella, Kurikara, and Siegfied also had their eyes and ears obscured.

"Why didn't you two mention any of this before?" Cecilia questioned the two Herrschers who had practically stripped Kallen on screen.

"Well for one…it's Paimon's fault for showing it unedited." Void shifted the blame. "Most of these are always modified to be more condensed and streamlined."

"And two…we didn't think she'd leave this part in." Mei added.

"Hey. Paimon thought you just sacked her. Paimon didn't expect you'd switch her clothes since they were already so identical."

"We're trying to keep it consistent." Void argued. "We're already replacing the body, we can't risk the clothes being different as well."

"Ugh, you have a point." Paimon sighed.

After fast-forwarding briefly, the group was uncensored as the film resumed.

"Okay that's the clothes, now onto the face," Mei said as she finished redressing the two. She turned to Void who was already fixing Kallen into the sack. "Why a sack?"

"I'm not letting Otto touch my cubes."

"Fair enough, go and fix her face," Mei told Void as she walked over and took an apple. "Wow, not bad."

"I know right." Void said as she looked at the Kallen double. She had memorized the facial expression of the real one, now she tried recreating it on the fake.

"That looks fun," Kiana said as she watched Void start to play around with the double's face.

Void first raised the eyelid of the Kallen look alike to get a glimpse of her blue eyes. She then carefully began pressing into her face to mold and alter her expression. With careful work Void completely recreated Kallen's emotions on the body double. Everything was nearly identical from the body language to the face positions with Kallen.

"I don't know what's scarier. The fact you can make real-life doubles so easily, or the fact you can do that with said doubles." Siegfied admitted.

"Eh… it's not something I do regularly. I tried my hand at sculpting a few times but I never quite had the patience for doing it with stone and using flesh and blood feels weird."

"Alright, it's done. Now let's go." Void told Thunder. The Herrscher of Thunder took out her sword and made two slashes in the shape of an x. The intersection point of the two strikes expanded outwards revealing a portal much like the one before. Void then tossed the sack into the portal before jumping after it, Thunder following right behind her.

Once they had gone, time started to resume. The shadow silhouettes of Kallen and the Honkai beast were shown. First, it was the beast's lance right before Kallen's body, and then, it was right through her.

After that, the screen faded to black, and several credits began to play. The credits were as obscured as you'd expect, written by fate, directed by destiny, and edited by Paimon.

All people featured are real. Yes, this is a representation of events past and is all purely objective facts. Anyone who disagrees can take it up with Sustainer Paimon. Thanks for watching.

"Still can't believe you have a disclaimer." Void noted.

"Believe it or not I sometimes edit these and release them as books, movies, cartoons, etc in other worlds, so the disclaimer is more a habit. Although the most popular are game adaptations, surprisingly."

"Okay." Void deadpanned. "So, where's my cut of the profits you make from these releases."

"Ehe, Look at the time, we should be getting back to Otto." Paimon told them as she quickly clapped her hands. The world around them warped immediately bringing them back to where they had been before. Surprise, surprise, time had yet to pass and Otto was still freeing Kallen from the sack.

"Where am I?" Kallen asked worriedly. "Otto there was an attack, earlier, Honkai beasts everywhere." She spoke frantically. Otto tried his best to reassure her. For the most part, it seemed to work but she was still agitated, that much could be seen by everyone else.

A few minutes later….

"YOU DID WHAT!" Kallen screamed at Otto. After successfully freeing the renegade Kaslana, Otto had surprisingly confessed everything to her, much to everyone's surprise. Suffice to say, the results were as you'd expect.

SMACK!

Kallen had slapped Otto not once, not twice, but roughly…a lot of times, much to everyone's delight except Theresea. Void, Siegfied, and Sirin in particular still had the leftover popcorn from the theatre and were very much enjoying the display before them.

"How could you do this Otto?" Kallen questioned with her voice trembling. She couldn't believe her best friend had sunk so low for her.

"You were robbed, Kallen. You didn't deserve what happened to you." Otto explained without remorse.

"And those people did?" Kallen shouted. "You spent 500 years…doing all this for me. 500 years worth of sacrifice for me. Are you insane?" She questioned.

"Objectively that answer might actually be yes." Paimon interrupted. "He's caused quite the stir in multiple timelines and worlds for your sake. It's probably a universal constant at this point." She mused.

"Not helping." Kallen snapped. She turned back to face Otto and at the sight of him, she suddenly started to feel weak. She was starting to feel light-headed. Her stomach felt queasy.

"Kallen?" Otto asked in concern as he tried to approach her. Unfortunately, the moment he got within range, Kallen lost control and all her stomach contents came out on the Overseer.

Most of the people present recoiled a bit in disgust, not wanting to be within range. Although quite a few of them found the sight of Otto being puked on to be quite enjoyable.

"Is she alright?" Cecilia questioned in concern.

"We should have expected this." Mei sighed. Time travel was just like any other form of travel, it was trying on the body at times. Much like those who could get motion sickness, a time traveler could also get time sickness when jumping, especially when they aren't prepared and get kidnapped.

"Are you sure she isn't physically repulsed by him now?" Void jabbed. She was starting to see why Paimon suggested saving her instead of outright killing Otto. If Kallen was as Void expected, she'd give Otto hell for this now.

"Hard to say," Thunder noted.

"Are any of you going to help her?" Cecilia asked.

"Uh."

"I got it," Einstein said as she pressed a few buttons and called some robots with a stretcher. "I'll go and take a look at her and see what I can do." The scientist explained as she and Tesla left to go deal with Kallen. Once the family was sure the scientists had taken Kallen out of earshot, their focus returned to Otto who was currently trying to wipe some of the vomit off himself.

"Well…that didn't go quite as I had expected." Otto lamented.

"If it helps…you can wear the sack." Sirin chuckled.

"Hilarious." Otto deadpanned.

"As you can see I kept my part of the deal." Void interrupted. Funny as it was, now that Otto was alone, the amusement was gone.

"And I am forever grateful, Herrscher of the Void. As per our agreement I shall leave you and your family alone, and do whatever is within my power to ensure no one else interferes with you all as well." Otto answered.

"If I may," Cecilia interrupted. "What do you intend to do now?" She questioned the madman. Now that Apocalypse is done with his goal, what now?

"Hmm…" Otto pondered. "I suppose I guess I'll do what I have always done. I shall lead Schiskal in the fight against the Honkai and I shall do so to my most earnest ability now."

"Seriously." Siegfried deadpanned. "After all that, you're just going back to business as usual."

"I don't really see any reason not to. I've been doing it for 500 years now and honestly, there isn't anything left for me to do. Chances are, I shall most likely need to do it regardless for Kallen's sake." Otto explained. "She will want me to atone for what I did. Not to mention, there are a few other issues that I will need to handle later on with regards to all this."

"I suppose it makes sense. After sending the world to hell for your dream it's only fitting you should be the one to fix it." Siegfried grumbled. "Still…if you interfere with my family again, I'll end you myself."

"Hell already has a place reserved for me Siegfied, so don't waste your breath, instead, enjoy your new family," Otto told him.

"For once I agree with him." Void interrupted. "How about we head home now?" She told them as she opened a portal to Kaslana's home. "I'll pick up the rest of our stuff later." Void informed.

"Works for me," Sirin said as she grabbed Bella and Kiana and hurried through the portal.

"Hey, you three, wait up!" Siegfried called as he ran behind them.

"I'll go and make sure they keep out of trouble." Mei interrupted as she followed as well with Paimon and Kurikara trailing behind her.

Void was about to follow them when she noticed Teri and Cecilia were still looking at Otto. Realizing there was still more to say Void closed the portals. She had a really good idea what this might be, but just in case, she'd still stay.

"Overseer, there is one more thing I need to ask of you." Cecilia started.

Several months later….

"Alright, Sirin…what you're about to enter is possibly the most hellish landscape known to humanity," Siegfried warned. "It is a place of unimaginable horror that practically crushes the soul of anyone who dares to walk through its gates. Are you ready for….school?" Siegfried questioned.

"Isn't that description a little over the top?" Sirin deadpanned. "It's just school, I sincerely doubt it's going to be worse than having an army after you."

"Oh, you think so." Siegfied huffed. "Well, then I wish you the best of luck. I'll be waiting to say I told you so once you come begging for us to stop sending you." He told her.

"And if I don't…."

"Then I'll buy you another box of cup noodles," Siegfied admitted.

"Oh, it's on old man." Sirin smiled as she rushed to grab her bag. "First day here I come." She said as she hurried to the door. As she was going she saw Bella and Kiana watching some cartoons. "Bye Bella, bye Kiana, I'll see you guys later." She told them.

"Wait Sirin you forgot your…" Siegfried called out as the Herrscher disappeared in a portal. "Lunch." He finished.

"Did papa make it?" Kiana asked innocently.

"He did." Bella answered her.

"I don't think she forgot."

"Me neither little one," Bella answered as she patted Kiana's head.

"Very funny you two." Siegfried told them sternly. "I guess that means, you two will have to eat it instead." He half-joked, half threatened.

"Ah…spare us master Siegfied, spare us please." Bella pleaded.

"Spare us, papa. Have mercy." Kiana added,

Siegfried burst out in laughter. "Oh boy you should have seen your faces." He howled. "Priceless."

"Papa is a meanie." Kiana huffed.

"Don't be like that, my little tuna fish. I was joking. I didn't make it. You're big sister did." He told her.

"Was it big sister Mei or Void?" Kiana asked. Siegfried merely put a finger on his lips.

"I'm not saying." Siegfried teased.

"Was it big sister Mei or Void?" Kiana asked but papa didn't answer. Bella and Kiana looked at each other as he left the kitchen with the food out. They may have loved Mei's cooking but was it worth taking this risk? If they were wrong, they could eat Void's cooking instead and suffer damnation of their taste buds and stomach.

"I'll eat if you eat," Bella said. Kiana could agree to that. They'd suffer together or share paradise together.

"Welcome to St Freya." Theresea greeted at the front gate. "Welcome to St. Freya." She repeated. "Welcome to…oh it's you Sirin." Teri smiled as she saw her niece.

"Hi, Aunt Teri. Why are you at the gate?" Sirin wondered. Wasn't Aunt Teri the vice principal?

"I wanted to greet all the students on their first day," Teri explained. "Cecilia wanted to do it but she was occupied preparing her speech for the assembly. Speaking of which, you should be heading there right now. Can't be late on the first day." Teri instructed as she pointed Sirin towards the Auditorium.

"Oh right. Thanks, Aunt Teri." Sirin called as she broke off into a sprint. She could have teleported directly there but she wanted to avoid becoming over-reliant on her powers.

Upon entering the auditorium Sirin found herself in a hall full of students, a majority of them were girls but there were one or two boys here and there. Despite the school being geared mainly towards girls, two Herrschers seemed to know just where to find rare cases of boys who also had potential, thus mom had specialized classes also available for them.

Sirin made her way through the hall, trying to find her class group to fall in line. It would have been really embarrassing for her as the principal's daughter to be late. As she continued through the halls she noticed a familiar raven head of hair standing beside one group of students. Knowing exactly who she was, Sirin made her way over.

She had been tempted to push herself to the front of the line, but knowing her homeroom teacher, that would be a quick way to get clapped by two large gauntlets. Instead, Sirin settled for the back, standing right behind a girl with long red hair and orange eyes. She wouldn't complain though, because she still got quite the view to see her mother on stage.

Once the assembly was over, the students headed to their respective classes. Sirin followed the line as they made their way out of the auditorium and towards the classroom. She watched the room numbers as she passed, K 417, K 418, K 419, and so on until she reached her own classroom, K 423. Admittedly she wanted to laugh at the irony, a part of her wondered if it was intentional or not that this would be the room while another part was curious just how they pulled it off. Nevertheless, she withheld those thoughts as she entered inside.

As Sirin took her seat, she couldn't help but feel anxious. Thunder was going to be her teacher. The 3rd Herrscher was someone she often saw, seeing as they were sisters, and Thunder lived in the hall right across from Sirin. For the most part, Mei was sweet, but Sirin had seen just how scary Mei could get when angered, especially when Void got involved. Not to mention Mei had properly terrified a few of them when they made a mess in the kitchen before when she taught them. Not something she wanted to revisit.

Much to her surprise and relief though it wasn't Mei who entered the classroom. Instead, it was a white-haired woman, not too different from the Vice Principal. "Good morning class." The woman addressed. "I'm Ms. Kallen and I'll be your homeroom teacher for today."

Instantly there were some murmurs from the students, no doubt about the missing teacher.

"Excuse Miss." One of them called. Sirin glanced at the student. It was the same girl she had stood behind a few moments prior. "But why isn't Ms. Makoto here?" She questioned. "Did something happen to her, we saw her just a few moments ago?"

"I'm afraid she was called to handle a sudden breakout in Honkai." Kallen answered. "Such is the nature of being an S rank Valkyrie." Kallen lamented.

"An S-Rank Valkyrie; but isn't she the Home Economics teacher?" the girl questioned.

"Ms… I'm sorry what was your name," Kallen questioned.

"Himeko. Himeko Murata." The young lady answered.

"Well Ms. Himeko, despite being S rank, there are many Valks who have other interests besides fighting. Miss Makoto, despite her prowess on the field, wishes to teach Home Economics because she believes that cooking is one of the most important skills a Valk should have…less, and I quote 'have to rely on a golden eyed tuna to make some edible abomination for you to eat because you accidentally got your hands impaled,' end quote."

"Was that referring to the Trinidad incident or the New Zealand incident?" Sirin questioned absentmindedly.

"I don't think it matters," Kallen answered. "She got food poisoning because the only other Valk at the time could not cook a decent meal besides Pizza Toast. Had it not been for her own resilience…she might not have survived." Kallen explained. "Moral of the story, it's always good to know how to cook, Ms Himeko, whether you're a Valk or a scientist."

"Noted." Himeko responded nervously. She did not want to think how bad the food poisoning was if it made an S rank submit so easily.

There were no further questions from the class, at least none that Sirin paid attention to. Kallen had been a really good substitute, all things considered. It was nice seeing how well-adjusted she seemed to have become in the present. Sirin wondered if this would become normal given Thunder's nature. Even though Kallen was adjusting well, the young girl still assumed the older Herrscher would be a better teacher in certain fields due to her more modern upbringing. At the very least, Sirin trusted Mei to be a better cook than any of the Kaslanas.

"So what were those incidents you mentioned?" A voice called as Sirin was packing her stuff. She looked up seeing none other than Himeko standing before her. "You seemed to be familiar without our teacher." She noted.

"Oh…well, she's kind of like my older sister," Sirin answered as she explained one of Void and Thunder's misadventures to the girl, minus them being Herrschers of course. "As you can tell she was not pleased with what she had to eat."

"Yeah. I'd probably be mad too." Himeko chuckled. "Still, if your sisters are S-ranks, why are you studying sciences?" She noted.

"I just don't want to involve myself with fighting anymore, unless I absolutely have to. I want to explore the world." Sirin explained. Despite her powers, Void and Thunder had insisted she go and do something else with her life besides fighting since they would handle that now. Looking at her powers, Sirin decided she wanted to look into traveling through space and time. She admittedly might have also been influenced by her sisters' stories as well.

"That's understandable." Himeko mused. "I want to travel myself, but I won't limit myself to just this world." She chuckled. "I'll go exploring the cosmos when I get older."

Sirin found herself smiling at this. Before she knew it the two started talking about all sorts of things relating to space travel and a few other more sci-fi-like ideas like time travel and wormholes. In the end, Sirin made her first friend at school and she couldn't wait to tell her sisters later.

Cecilia smiled as she saw her daughter walking and laughing with her new friend. She had been momentarily glancing at the monitors in an attempt to calm herself, while she waited for news on the sudden outbreak of Honkai. It had always been easier when she was out on the field. Now that she was in the school it always made her anxious whenever she had others dispatched in her place. Ironic given the two that were dispatched.

"If I had known it would be this boring, I might have let Theresea be principal." She mused as she flicked through the monitors. Much to her relief an alert suddenly popped up. "Finally." She thought as she answered the call.

"Oh…it's you." She grimaced.

"Well hello to you too, Cecilia." Otto smiled. "I trust everything is going well for your school's first day."

"Well, it's going as well as one would expect. So far there haven't been any incidents and all the students are getting along. The staff isn't having issues either if that's what you're wondering. Both Theresea and Kallen are doing great." She informed him. "Although I sincerely doubt you called me just to chat about all that."

"Right to the point. As it stands I am mostly giving you the reports of the recent breakout. Your daughters for the most part dealt with the matters swiftly as usual." Otto told her. "As a matter of fact, they've been doing their jobs so effectively that I fear they might be getting a reputation for hogging all the 'kills' as some put it."

"If they are mad about that then tell them to get transferred. The Honkai isn't a game that others should be worried about keeping score. If they are worried about kill stealing, then just tell them to train harder if they want to surpass them." Cecilia informed.

"I shall take that into consideration," Otto told her. "Now as for the next problem. Once they finished dealing with the hordes of beasts and zombies…they decided the next target would be the closest Herrscher in their vicinity."

"Don't tell me."

"They took the fight to a remote area without civilians but I'm afraid some mountain ranges have been sliced off. On the bright side, it looks like there is a new archipelago off the mainland." Otto told her.

"Those two." Cecilia sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Are they still fighting?"

"Their attacks are growing weaker, so it seems they are winding down now. I would still recommend you contact AE and find out what their take on the situation is." Otto told her.

"Duly noted." Cecilia sighed as she hung up. "When I get my hands on those two."

Einstein took another mouthful of popcorn as she continued to watch the brawl. It had become a habit of hers while the duo fought to analyze them from afar. The combat data acquired was always surprising, to say the least. They often helped in designing new mechs to counter the Herrschers but it was always still an arms race.

As much as she studied, the two also kept adapting to try and one up the other making it hard to keep up. There was also the fact the two would go off on missions for Paimon in other worlds and timelines and thus gain new experiences she wouldn't be privy to.

Still, they made for some great entertainment, all things considered. She had once tried screening a fight to a test group under the pretext of it being a new tv series. To say the 'pilot' had developed a fanbase would be an understatement. Looks like Paimon was right to do her own entertainment business with them.

"Hey Mophead! Ryouma's on the line, want me to patch him through." Tesla interrupted. Einstein sighed as she muted the screen and then accepted the call.

"Good Afternoon Ryouma." The Doctor greeted. "What can I do for you today?"

"Ah. Dr. Einstein, I have gotten some reports of a major spike in Honkai Activity on the coast. Is there any reason to be concerned?" He questioned.

"Not at the moment. I'm currently monitoring the situation right now." Einstein explained. "Schiskal's got one of their top S rank Valks's fighting against it. The Labor of Olympus that your team built is currently being wielded and I must admit the results are looking promising. The blade has collected large amounts of energy from the earlier outbreak and is currently being released in a remote location." Einstein informed.

"Dr. Einsein forgive me, but if the blade is absorbing so much power then that Valk should be dead." Ryouma noted.

"You underestimate her power, Ryouma. Makoto is handling it well enough. Your modifications and refinements to the designs have also helped tremendously with the blade itself. Makoto is very grateful to you." Einstein informed.

"If she was that grateful then she should tell me that herself."

"I shall pass on the message, but as of right now, she does have a gift for you and your family," Einstein informed as she typed into the keyboard. "I'm sending it right now."

"Huh, tickets for Homu land?" Ryouma said in shock.

"Yes, though your daughter is still a young girl, Makoto believes it's important for one to spend as much time with their family as possible. She wishes you, Mei ,and Mrs Raiden to enjoy a day out at Homu Land." Einstein informed.

"Then why are there four tickets?"

"Ms. Kurikara has also never been to Homu land so I took the liberty of including one for her. I figured since she is now little Mei's 'caretaker' it would be nice if she also accompanied you seeing as this is still a public place." Einstein added. Thunder had actually sent the fourth ticket but it would look suspicious if she knew about Mei's bodyguard, so Einstein agreed to lie on her behalf.

"If she's going through all this trouble then I might as well consider," Ryouma admitted. "Mei has also been asking to go since she saw Homu Land advertised on TV so perhaps I should take her."

"I'm sure she'll love it." Einstein answered. "Well if there are no further issues, I shall take my leave now," Einstein told him as she hung up.

Now it was time to get back to the fight, she thought as she turned back up the volume. The peace was short-lived as another alert came on this one from St. Freya.

"Welp…this is going to be interesting," Einstein smirked. It was admittedly amusing seeing how the duo's fear-inspiring facade crumbled under the gaze of mommy dearest.

In the midst of the ruined mountain range, two lone figures battled it out. Their blades clashed in a mixture of lightning and fire as the ground beneath them started to freeze and winds above started howling. Glowing golden eyes met pulsating purple as the two figures started to slash at each other, parrying each other's attacks. Finally the woman with white-haired managed to get the upper hand in this stalemate and pushed the other backward.

"Hehe…score won for the Void Queen." She cheered as she stumbled a little bit forward. "Now I'm up one."

"Where did you learn to count?" Her opponent said in shock. "We're even."

The Void queen merely laughed as she sat down on the ground. Her blade had released a low pulsating hum as it stayed beside her. "Keep telling yourself that Thunder. I'm just going to let you catch your breath before I prove my superiority."

"Is that right? Well, then I'm all rested so let's pick up where we left off." Mei said as she stood back up. Void followed suit. Both Herrschers readied their blades as they prepared to clash once more. As they charged once more ready to strike.

"RIIINNNGGGG!" Their communicators both went off. The two froze mid-swing, barely avoiding each other. They took out their communicators and looked at the ID.

"Crap." They both thought. It was their Cecilia.

THE END...

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

We've reached the end of the story. Once again thank you all. Now I know I probably left some details unanswered mostly because I couldn't figure out how to fit it in narratively without cluttering the ending as is, which is already cluttered so let me address a few things.With regards to Cocolia, she escaped from the duo for...reasons.

As for the kids, they are all properly taken care off as Void and Thunder were ready to beat AE and Otto over the head to help deal with the fallout from the second eruption. Otto in particular had to put quite a lot of resources at the behest of Kallen and seeing as no longer is trying to revive Kallen he has a lot of spare funds to use. Additionally AE is now in a proper partnership with him so they are working together to help relieve the damages done, so Bronya and her mother, as well as the others, are safe.

St. Freya was built up not just as a school for Valks but as a more general-purpose school for people affected or interested in fighting the honkai in general. Since Himeko didn't have a backstory for high school, I figured why not let her attend here since they might actually have advanced classes in some areas and her father could pull some strings. There is also the fact that St. Freya is now a mixed school since our Herrscher Duo so happen to know quite a bit of boys who have stigmata. These boys are now trained in courses that Siegfied and maybe Welt and few others and until further notice...will be called Genshin...ehe.

All in all it's a nice happening ending here.

Now as for what comes next with this story. I'm honestly going to take a break from any major writing since my final year in University is coming up and I need to focus. I might still write some fun one-shot ideas for the group. Some might be simple family fluff of their life in the new timeline.

Or i might decide to use the Paimon Theatre and have them react to the story as a whole alongside a few other characters from Honkai canon, as well as from my AU. These reactions will center around Thunder and Void's adventures so hopefully, I can tell some interesting tales with this duo. That should be it honestly. So that would be all.

End Author's Note.

Post Credit Scene...

"I swear if this is Otto's idea of a joke...I'll crucify him next time I see him." Void growled as she landed on the moon. The Overseer and AE leaders had informed her of a disturbance there, a sudden rise in Honkai levels. Since Thunder was busy and the only other method of getting here would take days, they decided to send her instead. She had flown for quite a bit before warping directly to the surface.

As she looked around she found a whole not much had been disturbed. Everything on the light side remained as is. Now as she moved to the dark side she began to feel the uneasiness associated with what lay resting here. The Ruins of the Previous Era were still standing, and from what she recalled they hadn't changed before. Sighing she was about to leave...until she felt a sudden shift in the world around her.

Void summoned one of Shamash's guns and instantly fired a round behind her.

"You better have a good excuse for sneaking around here, or else you're not leaving here period." Void told them as she turned to face the individual. A woman in white armor with black accents stood before her, a white tattered cape flowing behind them. Their white hair was tied in an unkempt ponytail. Void stared cautiously at the individual taking note of the sword they wield, with the various gems that adorned it, gems Void was very familiar with.

"Who are you?" The Herrscher of the Void asked as she summoned the next gun and merged them into the sword. Her body began radiating power as the Cores and Gems began to pulse and resonate with her weapon.

"Kiana Kaslana, the Herrscher of Flamescion." The woman answered as she raised her own sword, the four gems within also glowing.