The orange-red light of the setting sun shone on the vermilion buildings of the Yae Shrine in Yae Village. The bright red maple leaves on the maple tree next to the shrine swayed gently in the breeze, making a soft 'swish, swish' sound...
The sunlight passed through the gaps in the maple leaves, casting a dark golden light on the ground... Crimson cherry blossom petals covered the shrine courtyard, which hadn't been cleaned for a long time. The pink petals stretched out like a sea of flowers, glowing with a pink luster in the sunlight...
"This is..." Theresa, who had been chasing the unknown girl, burst into this shrine that had been quiet for a long time, as if isolated from the world. She looked blankly at the torii gate before her, constructed of two horizontal and two vertical vermilion logs. The plaque on the torii gate was written in ancient script: [Yae Shrine]...
Shrines were a common sight for the locals of Nagazora City... so after a brief hesitation, Theresa stepped inside...
It was very conspicuous... As soon as Theresa entered, what caught her eye was a blooming cherry blossom tree and the pink figure beneath it.
"Kallen..." the long, pink-haired girl standing under the cherry blossom tree called out softly.
"Are you Yae... Sakura?" Theresa saw the figure standing under the cherry blossom tree and asked with some uncertainty. Li Xuan had previously mentioned that the person who gave her the Stigmata was named 'Yae Sakura'... The ephemeral, almost illusory figure under the tree, with her stunning pink hair and exquisite features, was breathtakingly beautiful...
"Kallen... you've come." Yae Sakura nodded and smiled at Theresa, her gaze filled with warmth and reminiscence.
"Kallen..." Theresa murmured speculatively. "Kallen Kaslana?" She already knew her 'true' identity... As the commander of 'Schicksal's' Far East Branch, Theresa had considerable authority... Even though her grandfather, Schicksal's Archbishop Otto, had intentionally concealed it, there were still some clues...
As a synthetic human... Theresa already knew who half of her lineage came from... It came from one of the three great families of Schicksal, the 'Kaslana family's' once most powerful Valkyrie... [Kallen Kaslana]
Among the people she knew and was connected to, only she was named 'Kallen'.
"Yae Sakura, were you waiting for that person all this time?" Theresa asked with a complicated expression, looking at the girl who was clearly in the form of a soul.
"That's right... I've been waiting for you... Kallen." Yae Sakura said with a smile, the fluttering cherry blossom petals passing through her transparent form. Although she was smiling, Theresa felt a sense of ancient sorrow from her.
"..." Theresa shook her head. Looking at the other's eyes, she already understood Yae Sakura's past feelings for that deceased Valkyrie. Even though they had faded somewhat... as someone who had experienced similar feelings, she could still tell...
"Kallen Kaslana. That's the name of a Valkyrie who died 500 years ago. And I... I'm just a fake created from her genes." Theresa said, as if mocking herself. Being created from the genes of a Honkai Beast and a Valkyrie, her identity was no different from a monster's... This was why so many people had detested her at first.
"..." Hearing Theresa's blunt reply, Yae Sakura fell silent. Even though she hadn't held out much hope that the person was still alive... even the slimmest possibility... she still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when her final hope was shattered.
"So that person is already dead... After such a long time, human life is still so fragile," Yae Sakura said softly, her tone devoid of dejection.
"But I didn't mistake you. Your eyes, your expression, and your warm heart are exactly the same as hers. I haven't forgotten, even after 500 years..." Yae Sakura said with a smile, looking at Theresa's snow-white hair and azure eyes.
She had been residing within Theresa's body and could feel her heart and memories... as well as what Theresa wanted to protect...
"But five centuries is enough time to change the world. The Kallen you're waiting for no longer exists. My name is 'Theresa Apocalypse'," Theresa said seriously.
"Did you give me the Stigmata?" Theresa asked again.
"Mmm... yes, I did." Yae Sakura nodded and said with a smile. "You're just like Kallen. I don't want you to die just like that. Don't you still have things you want to protect?"
"Mmm... Thank you very much for giving me the Stigmata. If it weren't for you, I probably would have died on the battlefield. And thank you for telling me about Kallen Kaslana... it helped me understand what kind of person gave me life." Theresa stood not far from the cherry blossom tree, the black and white nun's habit on her body swaying slightly in the wind, cherry blossom petals landing at her feet.
"That's all I wanted to say. It's time for this journey to end," Theresa said softly. She now understood that the reason Yae Sakura had given her the Stigmata was because of the part of 'Kallen' within her body.
"Also... I advise you to give up on such a pointless endeavor." Theresa said after a brief silence. She also believed that Yae Sakura had been waiting for someone who had died 500 years ago and would never return.
"..." An image seemed to appear before Theresa's eyes: that day, in the instant the tactical Honkai nuclear missile was launched to kill the Second Herrscher, the command room, filled with chaotic noise and a screen full of static after losing the person she had waited for... it was a bone-chilling cold.
"Waiting for someone who will never return is a very painful thing..." Theresa said, her voice a little hoarse, perhaps from a dry throat.
"It's not a pointless thing..." Yae Sakura shook her head, her pink hair swaying slightly.
"Didn't it allow me to meet you, the one who is most like her?"
"A person's life is a process of encounters, partings, and reunions. So the person you are waiting for will surely appear. This is fate..." Yae Sakura came to Theresa's side and gently embraced her. Although she was only a soul-like existence, Theresa could feel a sudden warmth coming from within her heart.
"I am already dead... The Yae Sakura of today has finally met the person she was waiting to protect." Yae Sakura whispered in Theresa's ear, her voice resounding from within her heart.
"He has already arrived..."
And at that moment, a young man peeked his head out at the entrance of the Yae Shrine's torii gate, looking inside...
(End of this chapter)