"If that's how it is, I won't show myself to them. But…"
Xia Qi looked calmly at Fu Hua, her face coldly beautiful as she went on, "I'm going to train my current self. My way. Class Monitor… don't try to stop me."
"I won't stop you."
Fu Hua sighed helplessly, looking at Xia Qi's steady, stubborn face. She knew she couldn't hold her back.
"Just remember this—don't tell Raiden Mei anything about the future."
"Don't worry, Class Monitor."
Xia Qi nodded. After a short silence, she asked, "Class Monitor… do you still remember the Elysian Realm? And Kevin?"
"I remember."
Fu Hua nodded.
"Then I can rest easier."
Xia Qi nodded, gave Fu Hua one last deep look, then turned and walked toward the Valkyrie Hospital.
In the next instant, she was gone.
"… I hope nothing happens to Mei."
Fu Hua sighed, feeling tired. Thinking of how much Kiana had grown lately, and the picture of the old Kiana that Xia Qi had shown her before, she couldn't help but worry about Raiden Mei.
And as it turned out, she was right to worry.
---
"Kiana… don't go!"
Raiden Mei's eyes shot open as she cried out. But then she froze, realizing she wasn't in the bathroom—or even in the hospital.
Instead…
She was somewhere completely strange. The sky was pale pink, no sun in sight. All around were half-built skyscraper skeletons and scattered cherry blossom trees. In the distance stood weird, alien-looking structures.
"Where is this?"
Mei turned nervously, eyes full of confusion.
"This… is the Elysian Realm, Raiden Mei."
"What?"
Mei looked toward the voice and saw a figure that shocked and unsettled her—someone who hadn't been there a second before.
"A Herrscher?!"
"No! She's not us! Get ready to fight, Raiden Mei!"
A see-through figure made of purple lightning appeared beside Mei. Its face was cold and alert as it stared at Xia Qi.
"What?!"
Seeing the figure beside her, Mei understood right away—this was the real Herrscher of Thunder. But the heavy, familiar feeling coming from the other figure felt just as real!
"Who are you?!"
The Herrscher glared at Xia Qi, voice icy.
"I am you, Raiden Mei."
Xia Qi looked at both Mei and the Herrscher, her gaze cool and calm. She'd fully shown her power. The broken armor she wore glowed with a dangerous purple light; the edges of her clothes were burned away by heat. Two huge mechanical looking hands floated at her sides.
The true Herrscher of Thunder.
"This feeling… No, impossible! There's only one Herrscher of Thunder in this world—me!" The Herrscher stared at Xia Qi, voice urgent and disbelieving.
"Unless…"
"Unless she's also us." Raiden Mei had calmed down now. Hard as it was to believe, she'd reached a conclusion. "You… like Kiana, came from the future, didn't you?"
"Yes." Xia Qi walked slowly toward them.
"Don't let your guard down, Raiden Mei!"
The Herrscher watched Xia Qi closely. The feeling of sharing the same power, yet no conflict—instead, it made her want to be like Xia Qi, a complete Herrscher.
"I came for you, Raiden Mei." Xia Qi stopped about four or five steps away.
"You… came to tell us about the future? Do you know what happened to Kiana? Why did she become like that? What is she going to face?!"
When Mei spoke of Kiana, her voice grew shaky and urgent.
Xia Qi looked at her younger self, face blank.
"About the future, I can't tell you. But me being here means the future's already become something neither of us would want. As for what Kiana went through, why she became like that, what she has to face…"
When Xia Qi spoke of Kiana, her own voice grew heavy. The purple light in her eyes flickered. The once pale pink sky suddenly filled with dark clouds; lightning snakes danced and roared.
All at once, the whole world went dark. Even the lightning only lit it up for moments.
Only Xia Qi's lightning-bright eyes and the symbol behind her stood out starkly in the gloom.
"See for yourselves!"
Xia Qi's voice echoed through the space. Before Mei and the Herrscher could catch the sorrow and anger in it, the scene changed again.
They were suddenly on top of a skyscraper in a city.
In front of them, a familiar figure was pushing forward against a wave of Honkai energy so thick it felt solid. Ahead was a huge bomb, glowing with extreme Honkai energy, ready to blow.
"Kiana?!"
In that instant, they clearly saw the figure fighting painfully against the light.
They saw the Valkyrie armor on Kiana's body breaking apart, cracking under the intense Honkai energy. Her skin was covered in strange, dark patterns from the corrosion.
For a second, Mei forgot this was just an illusion and rushed forward.
But in the Honkai energy storm, she couldn't move, barely standing. Yet Kiana kept going, step by step, until she stood still, back to them, one hand over her face.
The scene froze there.
"Kiana!"
Mei stumbled and fell. Getting up quickly, she found the scene had changed again.
Kiana…
Was falling from the sky, like a shooting star…
No!
Mei saw clearly—that was Kiana!
From that height… if she hit the ground, she'd die for sure!
Mei charged forward with everything she had, trying to catch Kiana. But she'd only taken one step when everything changed again.
She saw herself—kneeling on the ground, holding the jacket Kiana left behind, crying her heart out…
"Kiana… what happened?"
Mei stood frozen, staring at her own grieving back. A terrible feeling sank into her chest.
Xia Qi stood coldly to the side, watching, giving her no break. The scenes began to shift, one after another.
Images flashed by quickly. Mei saw herself and Kiana meeting again, but Kiana's easy, natural manner was gone, replaced by a heavy, quiet sadness. The few smiles she showed were weighed down.
She saw Kiana fallen in ruins. She saw Kiana and herself separated by just a wall, yet feeling a world apart.
Until finally…
She saw herself and Kiana standing in the ruins of Nagazora City.
The sky was gloomy and dark. Cold rain poured down.
Through the thick rain, she saw herself gripping her weapon, facing Kiana, aiming it right at her, and without hesitation, striking the moment thunder roared.
"NO!!!!"
-------
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