"What do you mean?"
From Kiana's reaction, she could tell that Herta had mentioned her before. But as for how she had been described, she had no idea.
"She said you're a bit cold." Kiana looked slightly embarrassed as she repeated the evaluation, yet she still stared at her. "But you're clearly not."
"A very fair assessment."
Ruan Mei did not deny it, nor did she need to. Herta wasn't wrong. Deep down, she was indeed indifferent.
Still, she was curious.
Herta was not someone who liked to comment on others. So under what circumstances had Kiana managed to make Herta evaluate her like that?
And this was without possessing her memories.
"F-fair?" Kiana froze, uncertain and confused. "But you don't seem cold at all..."
"There's no need to doubt it. You are different."
She said it effortlessly—you are different.
Such overly ambiguous words.
Ruan Mei was someone cold by nature, unfamiliar with emotions, someone who seemed to care about nothing.
Herta's earlier evaluation seemed to echo in her ears.
But Kiana thought that Ruan Mei didn't look like someone who didn't understand emotions. Nor did she seem like someone who cared about nothing.
"Relax. Don't overthink it." Ruan Mei rose to her feet. "Come with me. I'll run a check on you."
A check?
Kiana paused slightly. As something occurred to her, her gaze dimmed. She did not refuse and chose to follow.
Although this was their "first meeting," they were not strangers. Setting aside the forgotten past, Ruan Mei was someone even Herta had acknowledged.
Kiana had heard her name more than once.
"I wonder how much longer these days of being able to do nothing but watch will last."
Herta stood with one hand on her hip, not following them this time. There was no need to guess what was happening.
Rather than confirming whether Kiana's condition was the same as before, she was more curious about something else.
"Speaking of which, didn't you forget you still had something to tell me?"
Acheron cast her a calm glance. She had her suspicions, but she did not bring up the topic first.
"...Tell you what?"
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
How should she describe it?
She definitely had emotions about it, but it wasn't as impactful as when she had first heard from Kiana about her relationship with Ruan Mei.
She didn't want to know what Herta was thinking. Bringing it up herself might push things along, and she had no interest in playing matchmaker.
For now, observing quietly was the most suitable choice.
"Kiana will become a Herrscher and then destroy this world—you don't seem surprised at all."
Herta looked at Acheron intently. Several times, she had felt as though Acheron knew something. But considering that several people familiar to her had appeared, perhaps the previous trial had incorporated elements from her homeland.
So Herta had only asked briefly. Since Acheron hadn't elaborated, she hadn't pursued it.
After all, it was only part of the picture. It didn't prove anything.
But after what happened at the end, things were different. Acheron hadn't shown the slightest shock—only helplessness.
And... as if she had expected it all along.
Acheron paused slightly, then asked in a mildly puzzled tone, "Didn't I tell you?"
"You did?"
"Didn't I?" Acheron thought carefully but couldn't recall. Perhaps it wasn't an important memory. Or perhaps she really hadn't told Herta.
Forget it. That wasn't important.
She stopped dwelling on it. Whether she had mentioned it before or not, since Herta wanted to know, she would say it again.
"I should have told you. I've already completed a Stigmata trial once."
"Mm, I know. A Stigmata trial—it's something like 'climbing a tower,' right?" Herta nodded.
"No. What I faced was the Herrscher of Finality." Acheron's gaze darkened. She knew that the Stigmata trial she had experienced was connected to what had just happened.
Perhaps that was what had occurred before the destruction of that ruined world.
"My objective was to defeat her."
"You mean your Stigmata trial is related to the one we just went through?" Herta understood.
"If I'm not mistaken, that should have been the former state of those ruins—and what once happened there." Acheron sighed. "After arriving at St. Freya, I felt the architecture was familiar. Once I linked the two events together, I was mentally prepared."
"If you noticed that, why didn't you say something earlier?"
Herta's expression darkened visibly. Wasn't that a major discovery?
"Didn't I tell you?" Acheron still looked confused. "I thought I did."
Herta opened her mouth, then stopped. She looked at her for a moment before closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh. It seemed she hadn't completely shaken off the influence of being a Self-Annihilator.
It was also her own fault for forgetting this detail.
"And I didn't expect Kiana's Herrscher transformation to happen so quickly. I thought we'd at least have to wait until..."
Until the fourth Herrscher appeared.
She hadn't expected the previous trial to end after only reaching the fourth Herrscher.
"Who knew there were so many lunatics?"
At the mention of this, Herta thought of Cocolia—the one who lit the fire, then poured oil over it out of fear it wasn't burning fiercely enough, until the entire world was engulfed.
As expected, the humans of this world weren't exactly sane. They knew the risks, yet still fanned the flames, as if afraid death would come too slowly.
Her death had been well deserved.
Unfortunately, she had dragged others down with her.
Although this was just a trial and everything here was fake, influenced by Kiana, Herta couldn't help feeling complicated when she thought about how Kiana had broken down over killing her own father.
Perhaps it would have been better if she were like before—parentless, born of the Honkai—with fewer attachments to this simulated world.
On the other side.
"Is it done, Ruan Mei?"
Ruan Mei, who had been thinking with her head lowered, remained expressionless. Hearing Kiana's question, she replied, "You have a Herrscher's physical constitution."
A Herrscher...
Kiana's face went pale. She remembered everything. Mei and Herta were like her—they came from reality and were still alive. But what about Aunt Theresa? What about Bronya and the others?
They had all...
Kiana subconsciously clenched her fists.
"From what Herta told me, I've eliminated many wrong possibilities regarding this trial."
"...How does this end?" Kiana pressed her lips together. "The world outside shouldn't be like this. There's no Honkai out there, right?"
"Mm." Ruan Mei couldn't truly empathize with her emotions, but she roughly understood what she was thinking. "Once this trial ends, it will be over."
"What is the meaning of this trial?"
She lowered her head, unable to conceal the disappointment in her voice. When she first arrived in this world and met Herta, staying by Herta's side hadn't stirred much feeling.
But ever since she took on the name "Kiana Kaslana," her emotions toward this world—and toward humanity—had become overwhelmingly vivid.
To clearly understand that she had destroyed a world meant her heart was constantly being tormented.
"Constructing a Stigmata terminal."
Kiana looked at Ruan Mei in confusion. "A Stigmata... terminal?"
"To use it to build a complete Stigmata world." Ruan Mei's voice was as calm as ever. "At the same time, allowing that complete system to execute certain rules in your place."
What Kiana focused on was something else. "A complete Stigmata world... what is that?"
Ruan Mei let out a soft sigh. "Acheron's homeland has already become history because of Nihility and the Honkai."
"You place too much weight on this failure."
"We can use the Stigmata terminal, along with those Stigmata crystals, to reconstruct Izumo."
Kiana froze. A different light appeared in her eyes. "Reconstruct the past? Can... can that really be done?"
Ruan Mei set down what she was holding and gazed at Kiana, who seemed deep in thought. "Regarding this trial, thanks to the information Herta and the others brought, I've already found some direction."
"Really?"
Kiana perked up slightly. There was anticipation in her eyes, along with a hesitation she couldn't quite explain.
Ruan Mei intended to voice her speculation. But seeing the expectation in Kiana's eyes, the words simply wouldn't leave her mouth.
So she met Kiana's hopeful gaze and fell into a long silence.
Why couldn't she say it?
She found herself puzzled.
This was the hypothesis she believed had the highest probability of being correct. It was very likely the right answer.
Complete it, and the trial would end.
Kiana would get what she wished for. They would all leave this trial world.
"Ruan... Mei?" The anticipation in Kiana's eyes gradually turned into confusion as she carefully pronounced her name.
"It will require you to pay a very serious price."
"This is my trial, isn't it?" Hearing that, Kiana instead let out a breath of relief.
"Mm." Ruan Mei looked at her deeply. "I need to confirm the feasibility of this hypothesis."
"You can't tell me in advance... what it is?"
Ruan Mei remained silent.
She stepped closer to Kiana. Under her puzzled gaze, she placed a hand on her shoulder, then slowly slid it up to her neck.
Feeling those fingers lightly brush along her neck, Kiana's face instantly flushed. The shiver from the unexpected touch left her at a loss.
"Ruan... Mei?"
Kiana couldn't help calling her name, wanting to ask what she was doing—why so suddenly...
"Why?"
Ruan Mei asked first.
Kiana was startled. "What?"
"Why think so much?" Ruan Mei's voice carried no fluctuation, yet Kiana could hear the confusion within it. "Why spend so much time and effort on a world that has already become history?"
"I... don't understand what you mean."
Kiana's body tensed. She wanted to step back and create some distance, but it felt as if she were rooted in place, unable to move at all.
Ruan Mei's hand had already moved up to her cheek. She sighed again softly. "I don't understand it, nor do I agree with it. But I will help you."
"...If this is what you wish."
The more Kiana listened, the more confused she became. She didn't understand what Ruan Mei was talking about. Instinctively, she felt like they weren't even discussing the same thing.
But that final sentence brought her comfort.
She didn't understand. She didn't agree. Yet she was still willing to help.
Even if Kiana didn't know what she meant, hearing those words made her happy.
"Thank you."
"...You don't need to thank me." Ruan Mei said seriously. "You are my partner. Barring any unforeseen events, we will spend the rest of our lives together."
P-partner?
Kiana's expression turned startled and embarrassed.
She had already heard from Herta that she was her lover. But without any memories to support it, it still felt awkward.
Thinking of Herta, guilt welled up in her heart.
Ruan Mei treated her so well, yet she couldn't recall a single memory of her.
And...
She still couldn't forget Herta's words. She vividly remembered the kiss she had felt at the brink of death.
At the very end of her life, she had gotten what she wished for.
"Were we always close?"
"That depends on how you define the word 'close.'" Ruan Mei replied.
"What do you think?"
Ruan Mei didn't answer. She simply looked at her quietly.
It was a calm gaze, yet it felt as though it could see straight through her, making Kiana flustered.
"Ruan... Mei?"
"Did something happen between you and Herta?"
Kiana's pupils contracted. She looked at Ruan Mei in disbelief. Only after meeting her gaze did she realize she had practically confessed without meaning to.
She fell silent for a moment. Then her expression gradually turned resolute as she nodded.
"I really like Herta."
"I see?"
Ruan Mei nodded. Her voice carried no obvious emotion, but at some point, her brows had faintly furrowed. Confusion and a trace of irritation stirred within her.
That was Kiana's feeling.
But what about Herta?
Recalling the Herta she had seen today, she did seem somewhat different from before. It appeared she wasn't completely indifferent either.
"I..."
Ruan Mei lifted a hand and covered Kiana's mouth, preventing her from finishing.
"This is between you and her," she said. "Right now, what matters more is how to end this trial and complete the Stigmata terminal."
Kiana blinked and obediently nodded.
That was true. Now wasn't the time for this.
"What do you need me to do to confirm your hypothesis?" Kiana asked.
"For now, nothing."
Nothing needed to be done.
Only a decision had to be made.
And once it was to be carried out, there would be resistance. If what Kiana had just said was true, then what she had originally thought would be one obstacle might become two.
She understood Herta rather well.
Herta would not necessarily agree with her approach.
They were not the same kind of person. If one were to put it in others' terms, Herta possessed a conscience—and her bottom line was much higher than Ruan Mei's.
"Your memories are probably still stuck at the moment of becoming a Herrscher. Having all those memories piled together must be difficult. Go get some rest."
"I actually can—"
Ruan Mei shook her head. "There's no need to rush. I need to think it through carefully before making a decision."
"Come. I'll take you to rest."
Kiana followed Ruan Mei as they left together.
"It's so quiet here."
On the way, Kiana couldn't help but remark as she walked behind her.
"Mm. Based on my observations of those people and their character, anything that requires involving others is handled on the periphery."
"Eh?"
Kiana let out a small cry of surprise, subconsciously thinking of Herta's experiences.
"Is there a problem?"
"N-no, none at all!" Kiana quickly waved her hands. "I think that's very good!"