At St. Freya Academy, a golden-haired girl wearing a mask and a blue-gray-haired girl in revealing clothing strolled along the path leading to the Teacher Dormitory.
The blue-gray-haired girl gazed around curiously, as if she had never seen such things before. The Valkyries who occasionally passed by seemed to ignore the pair's highly distinctive appearance and behavior.
"We're here, Benares," Snow announced, stopping before a three-story Western-style house.
"Is this where the Queen lives now...? It's so beautiful..."
Bella gazed at the magnificent red mansion before her, her eyes sparkling with delight and excitement.
"She's probably asleep in one of the rooms on the second floor right now... Oh, and one more thing: her current name is Kiana Kaslana. Remember that clearly."
"Hmm... Lady Snow, according to the knowledge you gave me, this place should be an academy, right?" Bella scratched her head, puzzled. "Shouldn't it be... time for classes?"
"Could it be... is the Queen actually a... um... bad girl?" Bella's eyes widened.
"No, she used to be a lazy bum, but she won't be like that anymore," Snow said with a mischievous, knowing smile.
None of the others who had already left had noticed anything amiss. They simply assumed the White-haired Clump was oversleeping again. After several failed attempts to wake her, they gave up just before the class bell rang.
Instead of pushing open the dormitory door, the two took a shortcut, flying directly to the second-floor windowsill and slipping through the window.
"Ugh... the White Queen is so amazing..."
Bella gazed at Kiana sleeping peacefully beside her, her heart pounding. Then, the demon's (or god's) voice whispered seductively in her ear, tempting her to fall:
"Your queen's consciousness is currently undergoing trials in an Illusionary Realm... Which means—"
"Before nightfall... she won't awaken... nor can she be awakened."
The golden-haired deity had transformed into the Great Serpent of Eden, tempting the naive Dragon Girl to pluck the forbidden fruit from the tree.
"Ugh—!" As if remembering something, Bella's face flushed crimson. Covering her face, she stole glances at her queen before quickly averting her gaze.
"What's wrong, little one? This is your only chance to see her for a long time... You won't be able to touch her again for quite a while..."
The demon's whisper resurfaced, its words temporarily capturing the Dragon Girl's attention and diverting her thoughts from the soundly sleeping Kiana.
"You said I won't be able to touch the queen for a long time? Ugh... why?"
The blue-gray Dragon Girl let out a soft whimper.
"It's because of your appearance... your beloved Queen's information is now being transmitted to the Schicksal Overseer's office almost constantly..."
"And then a humanoid Honkai Beast that appeared sixteen years ago, accompanying the Second Herrscher, suddenly reappears by her side... my dear Benares, what do you think will happen next?"
The golden-haired God gazed at the Dragon Girl before her, a faint, slightly amused smile playing on her lips. Benares's whimper grew slightly louder.
"Ugh...!"
The blue-gray Dragon Girl turned her gaze back to the white-haired clump on the bed, as if making up her mind.
Then, Bella clasped her hands together and bowed to the white-haired girl on the bed in a gesture of apology.
"Ugh... I'm sorry, Queen! Bella is going to start now!"
As soon as the words left her lips, the Dragon Girl pounced on the white-haired clump, rubbing herself against it vigorously and emitting strange sounds. She was replenishing her peculiar "Sirin Energy" gauge, and her hands even began to wander to certain... indescribable areas.
-
Second Herrscher Sirin had been feeling particularly unlucky lately. After finally absorbing enough Honkai energy to awaken, she found herself in possession of the Gem of Serenity, a fragment she had lost long ago.
Why did things turn out like this...? she wondered, awakening once more in a perfect body. I even found the Gem of Serenity I lost long ago.
Two joyous events have converged. And these two joys bring me even greater happiness. I should have been granted a dreamlike, blissful time... But why... why did things turn out like this...?
Second Herrscher Sirin retreated into her own thoughts.
Everything had been going wrong. Even her recent attempts to seize control of this body had been thwarted by the Damn Raven, who had appeared out of nowhere.
How can there be a Raven that manipulates dreams and consciousness? And why is this Raven so damn bouncy?! Sirin fumed inwardly, glaring at the obnoxious Raven through the bars of her mental prison, as it sang Only Mother Is Good in the World once more.
You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?! You're definitely doing this on purpose! You stinky bird!!!
Finally unable to endure such provocation and torment, the purple-haired girl leaped up, determined to seize the raven that called itself Huginn. She would pluck every damned feather from that bird's body.
Yet a creature bearing the name Huginn—Odin's divine eyes and ears—could not be so easily captured by a clumsy Herrscher Consciousness.
Within the dark, cramped space of the mental realm, the purple-haired girl thrashed wildly for what felt like hours, achieving nothing but exhaustion. She couldn't even pluck a single feather from Huginn.
Perched on the rafters of the mental realm's dark room, Huginn tilted its head, watching the panting Second Herrscher below. If it had a face, it would have worn a malicious grin.
Sirin glared at the raven above, preparing for another round of taunts.
But just as she was about to hurl another insult, a familiar yet unsettlingly altered voice echoed through the mental space.
"Hehehe... Queen's face... so soft... so fragrant..."
Sirin recognized the voice instantly—it was Bella's. But something was terribly wrong with her tone...
-
A moment later, the Purple-haired Girl felt a strange sensation of being kneaded, as if someone were pinching her cheeks and treating her face like dough. This bizarre sensation made her whole body squirm with discomfort.
You damn black bird, what are you doing now?!
The Purple-haired Girl glared at the Raven perched on the rafters, the itching on her neck intensifying. It felt like ants were crawling all over her body.
Gah? This bird is merely reconnecting your consciousness with this body. Ah, only the senses, though—
The Raven tilted its head, its voice dripping with mischievous delight.
Hmm... This bird is in a good mood today. I'll grant you an external perspective, caw—
Outside, a scene unfolded: a companion the Purple-haired Girl had once known intimately was now clinging to her body, nuzzling against her neck.
Bella! What are you doing?!