(??? POV)
A room.
It was simple, furnished with only the bare essentials.
Yet, something was off.
There were no doors. No windows. Just four walls enclosing the space, their surfaces adorned with paintings and trinkets-an eerie contrast to the prison-like atmosphere.
In the corner, a girl sat curled up on the floor, hugging her knees.
She looked just like Kiana.
Except for her eyes.
Unlike Kiana's sky-blue gaze, hers gleamed a brilliant gold, flickering faintly in the dim light.
"Who is that woman...?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet fear clung to every word.
"She's not human...her power is just... too much."
She shuddered.
It had started a few days ago.
She had been sleeping-trapped in the void of unconsciousness ever since Siegfried had struck her down. At first, she thought nothing of it. It was only a matter of time. Eventually, another Honkai eruption would arrive, and with it, she would awaken, her strength fully restored. Humanity would finally be purged.
But when she opened her eyes-
There was no destruction. No chaos.
Only her.
A girl with long black hair and piercing ruby-red eyes stood before her, staring in silence.
The Herrscher of the Void narrowed her golden eyes, irritation prickling beneath her skin.
"What do you want, insect? Have you come to kneel before this queen?" she sneered, her voice dripping with arrogance.
She expected fear. Discomfort. Submission.
But the girl simply smiled.
"So, you're the Herrscher of the Void?" Her voice was calm, almost amused. "You really do look like my Kiana... but your attitude is annoying."
Kiana?
The Herrscher scoffed. "My worthless host? Of course, I'm better than her. She's nothing but a useless burden. If I didn't have to share a body with her, I would have already crushed every last parasite in this world."
Disgust laced her tone. She hated Kiana-hated her weakness, her foolish attachments. Without her, the Herrscher could finally fulfill her purpose.
And yet-
THWACK!
A sudden, searing pain exploded in her stomach.
"Ghk-!?"
She staggered backward, clutching her abdomen. The impact burned-as if her insides had been rearranged by sheer force alone.
"You-!" Her golden eyes blazed with fury. "How dare you-!"
"If you ever insult Kiana again," the girl said, voice chillingly even, "I'll sew your mouth shut."
The Herrscher trembled with rage. "You dare strike this queen?!"
She reached for her power-to rip this insolent thing apart-
Nothing.
Her abilities refused to respond.
The girl smirked. "Frustrated? Can't use your powers?"
Then, with a single kick to the ground-
The world shifted.
The suffocating darkness dissolved.
In its place stretched an endless landscape-vast and surreal. The sky above was unlike anything the Herrscher had ever seen-floating monolithic cubes drifted among the clouds, casting immense shadows across the place.
She inhaled sharply.
"What... is this place...?"
And then-
Power surged through her.
Raw. Overwhelming. Power.
The Herrscher of the Void clenched her fists, feeling the energy coursing through her veins. No-this wasn't just her power returning. This was beyond anything she had ever wielded before.
Her body trembled-not with fear, but with exhilaration.
A grin split across her face.
"Hahahahaha-!"
Laughter spilled from her lips, wild and triumphant.
"Yes... YES! This is real power! I've never felt anything like this before!"
Her form began to shift.
A brilliant golden glow enveloped her, illuminating the vast expanse around her. Her once simple Herrscher garb twisted, reshaping itself into regal battle attire, its intricate designs exuding an undeniable presence of dominance. Long, silvery-white hair billowed behind her, caught in an unseen force, radiating raw energy with every movement.
Then-
They appeared.
Behind her, space itself fractured and distorted as massive golden lances materialized, hovering in perfect formation.
One.
Two.
Four.
Six.
Eight.
Their tips glowed with lethal brilliance, each one capable of strong destruction.
"Ahh... This is what I was meant to be," she murmured, rolling her shoulders as the power settled into her being.
Her gaze snapped back to the girl-that woman who had mocked her, who had dared to strike her.
And yet-
The girl remained unfazed.
She merely watched with those piercing ruby-red eyes, as if witnessing something... expected.
The Herrscher's smirk widened.
"You... You were foolish to bring me here, insect. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
She lifted a hand, and in an instant, the lances behind her shifted-turning, locking onto the girl with deadly precision.
"This is the power of a queen," she declared, her voice echoing through the boundless landscape. "This world will bend to my will. You will kneel before me, just like the rest of those pathetic humans."
She raised her hand-ready to launch her divine weapons-
The Herrscher of the Void sneered.
"Die."
With a flick of her wrist, three golden spears shot forward, their deadly tips aimed straight at the girl.
BOOM!
The moment they struck, a violent explosion engulfed the area, flames and shockwaves tearing through the surreal landscape. Smoke and debris filled the air, obscuring everything from sight.
The Herrscher smirked, satisfaction curling at her lips.
But as the smoke cleared—
Nothing remained.
She scoffed. "Tch. That's it?"
Disappointment seeped into her voice. She had expected more. After all, that woman had managed to land a hit on her—had actually made her feel pain.
But in the end, it must've been a fluke.
A lucky strike, nothing more.
She crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing. "I really thought she'd be stronger than that."
With a dismissive shake of her head, she turned away.
"Well, no matter. Time to leave this place."
She raised a hand, willing a portal to form before her—
Nothing.
The space remained undisturbed.
Her brow furrowed. She tried again.
Still nothing.
Her annoyance flared. "C'mon... Open!"
She clenched her fists, pouring more of her power into the attempt. Yet, no matter how much energy she forced into the fabric of this strange world, the portal refused to form.
Then—
"Hehehe~ Struggling, are we?"
A familiar voice rang out behind her.
The Herrscher whirled around instant
And there she was.
The same girl. Standing there, completely unharmed, a mocking grin plastered on her face.
"You...! How did you survive that?!"
The girl tilted her head, her red eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Hmm? Maybe because your attack was weak~?" She shrugged. "Try harder next time."
Mockery.
Pure, infuriating mockery.
The Herrscher's golden eyes burned with fury. "You dare—!"
This time, she didn't hold back.
More than just three—this time, she summoned every single spear at her disposal.
Dozens of golden weapons surrounded the girl, their tips glinting ominously.
And in an instant—
They all shot forward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The place shook with the force of the impact, explosions rippling through the air as the lances tore through the landscape.
"Die! Die! Just die already, you insect!!"
She poured everything into her assault, leaving no room for escape. The sheer force of her power cracked the very space around them, distorting reality itself—
Until—
TWACK!
A sharp, brutal impact slammed into her back.
"Gh—!"
Her body was sent hurtling through the air, her attack stopping instantly.
She barely had time to register what had happened before she crashed into the ground, skidding across the surreal terrain.
Dazed, she gasped, struggling to push herself up.
What...?
How...?
She lifted her head—
And saw her.
The girl.
Standing exactly where she had been before, as if she had never moved at all.
Smiling.
Waiting.
Watching.
Like she was toying with her.
And for the first time—
A cold shiver ran down the Herrscher's spine.
"Who...?"
The thought surfaced in her mind .
She had never seen anyone like this girl before.
Not once.
Except for that gorilla man with the fire sword, she had never encountered someone who made her shudder.
Yet here she was—
Feeling it.
That same primal, instinctive fear.
"If you're done..."
The girl's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Then it's my turn~"
And then—
FWOOOSH!
Three pairs of dark wings erupted from the girl's back.
The very atmosphere shifted.
The space around them trembled, bending under the weight of an unseen force.
The Herrscher of the Void's breath hitched.
The pressure—
The power—
It was suffocating.
The girl grinned, clearly pleased with her reaction.
Then—
CRACKLE!
A surge of purple lightning sparked to life around her right arm.
The Herrscher's golden eyes widened as she watched the energy twist and churn, shaping itself—molding into something tangible.
A weapon.
Piece by piece, it took form—
Until finally—
A sword.
Golden, yet cloaked in a dark, writhing aura—its ominous energy pulsing in sync with the girl's presence.
This was no ordinary weapon.
It was something that not from this world.
Something unnatural.
Something terrifying.
The girl lifted the sword with ease, her smirk deepening.
"Time for some discipline~"
And with that—
She moved.
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(Kiana's POV)
Gasp—!
Kiana's eyes shot open as she bolted upright, gasping for air.
Her chest heaved, her breath ragged and uneven. Sweat clung to her skin, soaking through her clothes—like she had just awoken from a nightmare.
Her wide, dazed eyes darted around the dimly lit room.
Familiar.
It was the same bedroom she had been staying in for the past month. The same bed. The same walls.
So why…?
Why did her heart still pound so violently in her chest?
"What… happened…?" she murmured, pressing a shaky hand against her chest, trying to calm her breathing.
Her body felt tense, like she had just been fighting for her life. And in the back of her mind—
A flash.
Wings.
Pain.
A distant, hazy memory of someone mercilessly beating her down.
Yet—
When she tried to remember more—
Nothing.
The images slipped through her grasp like water, leaving only a lingering sense of dread.
"It was just a dream… right?"
She exhaled deeply, forcing her body to relax. After a few moments, her breathing finally steadied.
"I need a bath…"
Dragging herself out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later, Kiana emerged, feeling slightly refreshed.
Her damp hair clung to her shoulders as she stepped into the hallway, intending to return to bed.
But—
She stopped.
Her gaze lingered on a nearby door.
Reina's room.
For some reason—without thinking—her hand reached for the doorknob.
"Why am I…?"
She hesitated for a moment. Then, quietly, she turned the handle and pushed the door open.
Inside, Reina lay on her bed, sound asleep.
Peaceful.
Undisturbed.
Kiana let out a soft breath, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Of course she's sleeping… It's the middle of the night, after all," she whispered to herself, shaking her head.
She should leave. Close the door and go back to bed.
And yet—
She stepped inside.
Gently, she shut the door behind her—careful not to make a sound.
And then—
She stood there, watching over her.
Kiana hesitated for a moment before taking a step closer.
The dim light in the room barely illuminated Reina's figure, but Kiana's eyes adjusted quickly.
The first thing she noticed—
That long, flowing black hair.
The strands cascaded over the pillow in soft waves, framing Reina's peaceful face. Even in the faint light, it carried a sheen, reflecting just enough to make Kiana's heart flutter.
"I love her hair…"
Her gaze lingered as she took another step.
Then—her breathing.
Soft. Rhythmic.
The slow rise and fall of Reina's chest, the quiet exhale of air—it was calming, almost hypnotic.
Unconsciously, Kiana found herself inching even closer.
Her movements were careful, deliberate, as if afraid to disturb the sleeping girl.
Then—
She climbed onto the bed.
The mattress dipped slightly beneath her weight, but Reina didn't stir.
Slowly, Kiana laid down beside her.
Now up close, she could see every detail.
Reina's delicate features. The gentle curve of her lips. Her long eyelashes, resting against her cheeks.
So beautiful.
Kiana swallowed.
Her heart pounded again—
Letting herself get lost in the sight of her.
As Kiana moved closer, her face was now nestled near Reina's neck, her breath gently fanning against her skin.
"So peaceful..." she murmured, inhaling Reina's familiar scent.
Like always, it soothed her. The lingering unease from her nightmare slowly faded, replaced by the quiet comfort of Reina's presence.
Kiana closed her eyes, pressing herself closer, seeking warmth. Her arms instinctively wrapped around Reina, holding her gently as if afraid to let go.
And before she knew it—lulled by the steady rhythm of Reina's breathing—Kiana drifted off into a peaceful sleep in her embrace.