At night, Mei stood alone on the balcony, gazing calmly at Nagazora City under the starry sky. Here lay her home, her memories, her entire world...
Gently touching the tattoo on her waist—a mark that had appeared after that experiment, the Stigmata Ryn had called it—Mei spoke softly into the empty air:
"Are you there...?"
Only Mei could hear the gentle reply.
"I'm here..."
"I'm sorry... I don't know who you are, but I need to confide in someone... I feel like you'll listen...
They say I'll become a Herrscher... That over three million people in Nagazora City will die because of me... I... I'm so afraid. Just a few days ago, I didn't even know what Honkai was, what a Herrscher was. But now they tell me I'll become an apostle of Honkai, a Herrscher myself. I'm terrified... I'm so afraid Kiana, Ryn, and the others will get hurt..."
Mei poured out her heart to the voice, but it remained silent. Finally, she fell silent too.
"Thank you... Thank you for listening to my rambling."
"It's nothing. It's what I should do."
Mei nodded at the empty space before her, then turned and went back into her bedroom. She felt a little better after sharing her fears, though the fear still lingered...
Within Mei's Stigmata at her waist, the Stigma Consciousness listened to Mei's confession and made a decision. She would... fight the Conquest Gem for dominance, for Mei's sake... and for her own. If Mei feared becoming the Herrscher of Thunder, feared harming those around her... then let her take the burden. Let her become the Herrscher of Thunder, let her bear all the sin...
The girl's life had been marked by misfortune. She lost her mother in childhood, and her father was too busy with work to care for her. Fortunately, her mother had taught her to treat the world with kindness... but the world seemed unwilling to reciprocate. Due to the power struggles within Anti-Entropy, Mei was kidnapped multiple times as a child. The most severe incident left her with deep psychological trauma. It was during that time... that she was born...
She wanted to tear apart those who had bullied Mei... but she couldn't even raise her voice. She had watched Mei be rescued, only to be locked away by Raiden Ryoma under the guise of safety...
She had watched helplessly as Mei screamed in pain, begging him to stop, yet Raiden Ryoma continued without hesitation, directly implanting the Conquest Gem into Mei's body...
She had watched those people covet Mei's inheritance and feign closeness to her. Countless times, she had exhausted her strength warning Mei to stay away from them.
She had witnessed Mei's suffering after Raiden Ryoma's imprisonment... Mei was grateful to Kiana and Ryn, and so was she.
The Stigma Consciousness had no face, but it shared Mei's form. It slowly approached the Conquest Gem, gripping it with all its might. Normally, the Conquest Gem's Honkai Energy remained contained, but when it sensed danger, it unleashed a powerful surge of Honkai Energy that corroded its surroundings.
The intense Honkai Energy didn't affect the sleeping Mei outside, as the Stigma Consciousness had completely blocked it. However, the concentrated impact of the Honkai Energy severely damaged the Stigma Consciousness, leaving its exterior scarred with Honkai corruption... But for Mei... it couldn't lose. It plunged its consciousness into the Conquest Gem, beginning a struggle for control, a battle to sever the connection to the Imaginary Space.
That night, Mei was startled awake. She felt something wriggling under her covers. Looking down, she saw a fluffy white-haired ball rubbing against her.
"Kiana! What are you doing?!" Mei cried out, her face flushed with alarm. But instead of pushing Kiana away, she reached out and embraced her.
"Hehe, I was just worried Mei wouldn't be able to handle it... so I snuck over to comfort you. But when I saw you sleeping so soundly, I..." Kiana realized she'd been caught. She stopped pretending and grabbed Mei's two soft mounds, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Come on, Mei, smile! Frowning all the time is so unattractive."
"Ah—" Mei gasped softly, blushing. Then she patted Kiana's shoulder, scolding her playfully, "You idiot, Kiana! Is that how you comfort people?"
Kiana buried her head between the two peaks, savoring the moment. After kneading for a while, she said, "See? You're completely focused on me now. So you're not sad anymore, right? Isn't comforting someone just about making them stop being sad? I'd say my method is pretty effective..."
"You're truly a genius of logic..."
"Of course! I'm incredibly smart!"
Mei held Kiana close, and Kiana held Mei. They both basked in each other's warmth. For Mei, this was probably the warmest moment she'd experienced in a long time. If only Kiana hadn't brought up Ryn.
But that was impossible. Kiana suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up at Mei.
"By the way, Mei, Ryn said he'll disappear for a while when the Honkai Eruption descends. He's going to handle the transfer of Honkai Energy from the Honkai Eruption. We'll have to endure a few tough days until he returns. In the meantime, let this lady protect you! I'm really strong, you know."
"Transfer Honkai Energy from the Honkai Eruption? Won't everyone in Nagazora City die then?" Mei's eyes lit up, a glimmer of hope flickering within them.
Kiana buried her head in Mei's chest again, shaking her head, which made Mei ticklish.
"Casualties will be significantly reduced, but there's nothing we can do about those already corrupted before the Honkai Eruption arrives or those killed by Honkai Beasts... But let me be clear, Mei, you're not allowed to kill yourself, okay? Running away won't solve anything... And this isn't your fault."
"But..."
Mei had indeed considered suicide... She feared that becoming a Herrscher would strip her of her identity, and she was terrified of hurting Kiana and the others.
Kiana grabbed Mei's hand and placed it over her heart, her gaze unwavering as she said, "There's no 'but' about it. I can't accept the people of Nagazora City dying, but I can't accept Mei dying even more. If you try to run or kill yourself, I'll knock you out and keep you by my side. And if you become a Herrscher and aren't yourself anymore, I'll defeat the Herrscher and bring Mei back!"
"Kiana..."
On a standard warship Otto had assigned to Colorless Huihuo, Ryn and Sparkle stood together, gazing at the massive Honkai Drive Furnace before them—the device that powered Sparkle's Nexus System.
"Are you certain you can successfully transfer the Honkai Energy from the Honkai Eruption?" Ryn asked.
"Yes, I'm confident," Sparkle replied. "I'm counting on you to look after Kiana and Mei until I return."
"Don't die. Come back alive," Ryn urged.
"You too," Sparkle replied.