The street lay empty and gray beneath the pale sky. A young man walked alone.
The autumn leaves crunched under his feet, adding a crisp feel to the scene.
He reached out, and a bright orange maple leaf fell into his hand.
"Another autumn..."
Suddenly, pain crossed the young man's face, and he clutched the leaf tightly to his chest.
In his silver eyes, a deep purple shade was hidden.
"Honkai energy..."
A sharp pain pierced his heart. It took a moment before he could bear it.
Opening his hands, the beautiful golden maple leaf had turned into just a withered piece.
"I guess I need to ask Mobius to run more tests on me..."
The young man was Orion, remembering the night he left the MOTH.
"By the way, if you're going to leave, there's another gift you should take."
Orion looked at the pink-haired girl. She held a gem that seemed more precious than anything on display. It was harmless but looked like a beautiful piece of art.
"This is?"
Orion frowned deeply. Even without seeing it, the ominous feeling it gave off was clear to him.
"It's the core of the Herrscher of the void."
"If I give it to them, I don't know what trouble it might cause. It's better to leave it with you for safekeeping."
The girl, Elysia, handed the gem to Orion like it was a small gift.
Orion took it and placed it carefully on his forehead.
The gem slowly blended in, adding a second "souvenir" from the Honkai world to his mental space.
"Are you worried that I might have bad intentions with this power?"
Orion asked with a mixed expression. Even though Elysia was cheerful and friendly, he was a bit confused by her trust.
"How could it be? After all..." Elysia seemed to think of something and put her finger to her lips in a "secret" gesture.
"Anyway, I trust you, just like you trust me."
Elysia didn't ask Orion what he planned to do with the gem or worry about his intentions, and handed it to him.
Orion felt that while he thought he knew Elysia, she understood him too.
From that day, Orion had two Herrscher Cores in his mind space: one of reason and one of void.
He kept these powers safe, only using them when he felt confident he could handle the "Herrscher State."
Unless absolutely necessary...
The young man looked up and walked forward. The longer he stayed on this land, the more reasons he had to fight for it.
"Elysia, Mobius, Kevin, Hua, Vill-V..."
Orion murmured names of people who would shine now or in the future, his partners in the fight against the Honkai.
His journey to Sundown Alley was to find another key figure—a nun who could predict the future, a "prayer" carrying a heavy burden.
"I hope Kalpas can find a way."
Orion thought about what he had done the night before. He had put Sundown Alley's location in Kalpas's mind but wondered if Kalpas could find it accurately.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Damn it!"
Kalpas sat by a huge boulder, surrounded by scattered rocks and broken trees. It looked like an explosion site.
"Why, in front of this road..."
"There's a mountain!"
Kalpas, used to older ways of travel, didn't know that Orion's location was based on modern maps. He decided to make a path himself.
That night, villagers around the mountain heard explosions and sparks.
Orion noticed how deserted the town felt. It was like a major outbreak had forced everyone inside.
The townspeople eyed Orion as if he were a "fat sheep" ripe for the picking.
The town was not wealthy. The deeper he went, the more rundown the buildings became. He saw various weapons like swords and guns in people's hands.
"It seems that the customs here are very simple..."
In one morning, Orion had already chased away three groups of pickpockets who tried to steal from him.
After asking around and using some mind tricks, Orion learned about a famous sanatorium on this street.
The residents had mixed reviews but were impressed by its owner.
"A nun who can hear the gods..."
"Something strange..."
"It's best for ordinary people not to get involved..."
The more he learned, the more Orion was sure this was the person he was looking for.
After searching for a while, Orion found a place with a sign that read " Aponia's Sanatorium."
As he was about to knock, someone called from behind him.
"Hey, hey, move aside!"
A force pushed him from behind, causing Orion to stay still while the person behind him fell.
Orion turned around and saw a short girl with a hood on the ground.