"Isn't her condition a bit too serious?"
Although Kiana had intended to give her space to process her emotions, she had not truly ignored her. She had been watching her from the corner of her eye the whole time.
And it was a good thing she had.
She saw Acheron frown and start speaking to the air again, as if she were genuinely conversing with someone.
Was there an invisible person there?
Kiana considered the possibility, then dismissed it.
If Acheron really had some secret about her, why would she speak so blatantly to empty air? Wouldn't that just make her more suspicious?
And Kiana hadn't sensed anything strange.
She had already tested it. There was nothing unusual around Acheron. She really did seem to be talking to someone, and Kiana could vaguely hear fragments of her words, as if she were asking something.
But there was no third voice.
She briefly wondered whether there was something only Acheron could see or hear.
If she truly had that kind of ability, why would she speak out loud like someone with mental issues? Wouldn't it be more discreet to converse in her mind?
Kiana shook her head inwardly and arrived at a rather regrettable possibility—schizophrenia.
"I need to take better care of her."
She made the decision silently. She had encountered survivors like this before and had never hesitated to offer help.
Though she felt sympathy, this time she found herself unexpectedly more attentive. She didn't know why, but she had a favorable impression of this person.
She instinctively trusted her more than usual.
But they had only met a few times.
After a while, Acheron stopped. The sound of her murmuring ceased. Kiana, already prepared, picked up the supplies she had gathered, slung the bag over her shoulder, and waved at Acheron.
"Rested enough?" she asked with a smile. "This isn't a place we should linger. We need to move."
Acheron set aside her doubts and quickly walked over, taking the items from Kiana's hands.
"Where are we going next?"
Kiana seemed to have expected the question.
"Do you have any friends or family in other cities?" she asked calmly.
Acheron fell silent.
She did not even know what identity she currently possessed. How could she possibly know whether she had relatives or friends elsewhere?
It seemed she didn't.
Silence was an answer in itself. Kiana did not press further, afraid of making her sad. Having obtained her answer, she thoughtfully skipped past the topic.
"Your resistance to Honkai energy is excellent. Have you considered going to St. Freya for further training?"
"...St. Freya?"
A trace of confusion appeared on Acheron's face at just the right moment. No one could see her except Acheron, and Herta, standing nearby, felt somewhat bored. She was not particularly interested in what Kiana was saying.
She had witnessed firsthand the development of this civilization. Not long ago, they had even experienced the destruction of an entire world together.
"You've seen this disaster," Kiana said, looking outside. Her tone grew heavy. "It's a calamity called Honkai, born alongside civilization. Earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues... it manifests in many forms. But an eruption on the scale of today is extremely rare in all of human history."
"And along with a Honkai Eruption, something called a Herrscher appears."
As she spoke, Kiana shook her head. Worry flashed in her eyes.
"I'm not a match for a Herrscher. So we need to leave immediately."
Acheron nodded, though she found it somewhat strange.
The Herrscher Kiana was referring to was most likely her.
Is this the persona Herta mentioned?
She had assumed it was a power she had brought in from outside. But now it seemed that was not the case.
When she carefully sensed it, the power of the Herrscher of Thunder within her did indeed feel weaker. The amount of Honkai energy she could output in a single instant was limited.
But it was still sufficient for most situations.
"Next, I'm going to mention 'another world'—a real world unknown to ordinary people."
"You've probably never heard of Honkai before, right? That's normal. To avoid causing panic, they've tacitly blocked information about it."
"They—are currently the two largest organizations fighting against Honkai. One is Schicksal. The other is Anti-Entropy."
"So you don't need to worry about what to do next. A Honkai Eruption happened here. They'll arrive soon to handle it."
"As for St. Freya, which I mentioned earlier—it belongs to Schicksal. It's a school that trains Valkyries. There, you can learn how to become a warrior who fights against Honkai."
Most survivors harbored hatred toward Honkai and toward Herrschers.
If given the choice, most would choose revenge.
That meant becoming a Valkyrie.
So this is the background of this trial?
Acheron nodded. The ruins she had once seen during her previous Stigmata trial surfaced again in her mind.
That place had also seemed like a school.
Was there a connection?
She subconsciously glanced at Herta and saw her stroking her chin with one hand, deep in thought.
Now was not the time to speak to her.
Kiana followed Acheron's line of sight and looked at the empty space beside her. There was nothing there. No matter how she sensed it, she detected nothing unusual.
Is it acting up again?
Kiana patiently waited for her to process the information.
"Are you going to that school too?"
"Me?"
Kiana was slightly surprised that she would mention her. It seemed saving her had made her somewhat dependent.
A small flicker of happiness rose in her heart.
But that wouldn't do!
"Nope. I already have the strength of a St. Freya graduate," Kiana said with a grin. "So there's no need for further training."
Acheron had assumed they would go to that school next. She nodded, but did not say that if Kiana wasn't going, she wouldn't either.
They were not that close yet.
Decisions could wait until they had to be made.
"Alright, let's move."
Kiana gestured for her to follow. As they walked, she observed their surroundings.
The zombies formed from humans corroded by Honkai were mere cannon fodder. The real trouble would be the Honkai Beasts.
With an eruption of this scale—
There were bound to be many powerful Honkai Beasts born.
"You said someone would come to resolve this, and that St. Freya belongs to Schicksal. So why can't we stay here and wait for rescue?"
"Just waiting for someone to save us? That's so boring. And this place is full of danger. The longer we stay, the more likely we are to run into something bad!"
Kiana spoke as if it were perfectly reasonable.
But Acheron saw through her at a glance. She knew that wasn't the real reason.
Her gaze was sharp.
When their eyes met, Kiana's heart skipped. From Acheron's expression, she could tell her explanation hadn't fooled her.
It had always worked before.
"Ahem... well, waiting for rescue might indeed be safer," Kiana admitted after a moment. "You could find a relatively safe place and wait. Come out after they've defeated the Herrscher."
"You don't want to run into them?"
Acheron seemed to grasp something, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Kiana's expression stiffened. She wanted to deny it outright, but when she met those beautiful eyes, the words simply would not come out.
This girl...
They had no prior connection. Strictly speaking, today was the first time they had truly met. So why did she look as if she understood her so well?
She wasn't asking for confirmation.
She was asking why.
Her intuition had bypassed the surface of the question entirely.
Who would have thought she could read people so clearly?
Kiana let out a sigh.
"Since you've seen through me, I won't hide it," she admitted. "I really don't want to run into them. Not Anti-Entropy. Not Schicksal."
Herta, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.
There was indeed no need to cooperate with those humans. There was no benefit to gain, and they might even become a burden.
Why are you nodding?
Noticing Herta's small movement, Acheron's confusion deepened.
If Kiana didn't want to meet them, why was Herta agreeing?
Did she know something?
"Is there a problem with them?"
"No, no, of course not." Kiana waved her hands quickly. "I recommended St. Freya because it's the only school that trains Valkyries. As for why I don't want to meet Schicksal's people—it's because I have something more important to do!"
"Something more important?"
At the thought of it, Kiana's steps slowed. A trace of melancholy crept into her expression as she nodded.
"Yeah."
"May I know what it is?"
Kiana turned her head and met Acheron's gaze once more.
How many times had their eyes met already?
She hadn't paid special attention before, but now that she thought about it, every time she tried to look at her, their gazes seemed to lock effortlessly.
As if she had been watching her all along.
Just a coincidence?
"...It's not a big deal." Kiana sighed again and looked forward. "Let's keep walking. Let me think about how to explain it."
Herta followed behind them, staring at Kiana's back thoughtfully.
Could it be that Kiana still retained memories from before?
It wasn't impossible.
Acheron's peripheral vision remained fixed on Herta. Seeing her deep in thought, she silently confirmed her suspicion.
Before she entered the trial, Herta must have had contact with Kiana.
But for some reason, things had become like this.
"I'm looking for my father."
Walking ahead, Kiana seemed to have steadied her emotions and finally spoke.
"...Your father?"
Acheron froze for a moment, her gaze turning slightly blank. She instinctively looked toward Herta, who seemed to know more.
As if silently asking what was going on.
Since when did Kiana have a father?
Though this was a trial world...
Right. This was a trial world. Anything was possible.
Come to think of it, she had never heard Kiana mention her family. Whenever her past or her hometown came up, she would brush it aside with vague remarks about never being able to return.
Kiana should have family, right?
...Probably?
Herta, however, frowned and muttered instinctively, "Wasn't she a special existence born from Honkai? Even her body was shaped by Honkai. Where would a father come from?"
Unaware that the two of them were deeply puzzled by the word "father," Kiana continued talking about herself.
"The reason I transferred here was because I learned in advance that Honkai was about to erupt in Nagazora. So I came here to see if I could find him."
At that, she realized something and quickly added,
"I only just found out that this eruption would be this large. I didn't expect a Herrscher to descend."
"Seven years ago, my dad suddenly disappeared. He left behind a single sentence—said he was going to search for the source of Honkai. Then he vanished completely. He never came back."
"I've been looking for him ever since."
Acheron pondered silently.
Was this the objective of the trial? To help Kiana find her missing father?
"My dad has some grudges with Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. That's why I don't want to run into their people."
"I understand how you feel."
Acheron let out a soft sigh.
Those faded memories—because of Honkai, they had not been entirely erased.
She still remembered the past.
Back when she had been alone, guarding the shrine, she too had thought about searching for her father's whereabouts. She had wanted to uncover the truth about the Kami.
"You—"
Kiana turned to her, eyes widening slightly in surprise.
She hadn't expected her to say she understood.
She had meant to thank her for the comfort.
But when their eyes met again, when she saw the emotions reflected in them, she believed her instantly.
Did she have a similar experience?
An indescribable feeling rose in her chest. She pressed her lips together and looked away, continuing forward.
"Irresponsible adults like that need to be properly corrected!" Kiana clenched her fist indignantly. "When I find him, I'll make sure he feels all the love I've been storing up over the years!"
Only after saying that did she grow curious.
"Did your father disappear too?"
"Father..."
Acheron's gaze deepened, as if recalling something from long ago.
"Do you need me to remind you?" Herta's voice interrupted her drifting thoughts. "You're part of the trial right now. Your past is not your past."
Even without the reminder, Acheron knew she had to maintain her persona.
After letting out a quiet sigh, she fell silent.
Seeing her quiet, Kiana assumed she had touched upon something painful and felt the urge to comfort her.
Who was her father again?
Kiana hadn't paid much attention before, but she vaguely remembered hearing rumors about Acheron at school. They had caused quite a stir.
Recalling those things and looking at the silent girl beside her, Kiana felt as if she had uncovered the truth.
Back at school, she had been the center of gossip—isolated and excluded by others. Then the Honkai Eruption struck.
Misfortune upon misfortune.
It wasn't strange if her mental state had suffered.
"Mei-senpai, don't be sad. Things might still turn around, you know?"
She had finally connected Acheron with the rumors she had heard before.
"Turn around?"
"Yeah. You're such a good person, Mei-senpai. I believe Mr. Ryoma isn't the kind of man the rumors make him out to be." She smiled. "Maybe things will get better."
Mr. Ryoma?
Accident or coincidence?
Hearing that name, Acheron's doubts deepened, but at the same time, her understanding of this world grew clearer.
A Stigmata world that resembled Izumo, that mirrored those who had counterparts there, and even shared similarities with Welt's homeland.
Which meant—
She would encounter many more familiar faces.
Her identity here must be Raiden Mei of this world.
She looked at Kiana and thought of others she knew.
Sirin.
Welt.
Yae Sakura...
In what forms would they appear here?