Durandal noticed the rapid improvements she made within the past month. It was incredulous to see her "normal" workout regime resulting in visible improvements. Her adaptability to honkai energy increased sharply for three days.
She tried her best to find the reason for it. Ultimately, she recalled the time in Antarctica. Every time she breathed in that "air", she felt stronger. A brief exposure to the fourth grade spirit vein strengthened her physique.
In the end, Durandal could no longer hold back and went to see Shi Tian. She booked a flight and arrived in the Far East.
As luck may have it, she discovered strong spatial fluctuations along the way. It was but one of the abilities she developed after taking in an entire Bubble World inside of her.
It had zero traces of honkai energy, which startled Durandal. She went ahead and investigated the scene. Her lack of battlesuit limited her capabilities, however. She readied herself to call for backup as she strolled with her casual attire.
Durandal went back and forth through the city but to no avail.
She was about to request for more detailed readings when she felt something strange—that she kept on missing something.
After five tries, she finally broke through the concealment by the two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators.
Her eyes stayed on Shi Tian for a while. Though his hair is slightly longer, she is positive he was the person she is looking for.
It's just that…
'What do I say at times like this?'
Durandal looked at the white-haired girl with him. A quick look on her face is all she needed to recognize her.
'Siegfried Kaslana's daughter…'
Durandal blinked her eyes several times. She unnaturally shifted her gaze away from the two. Then, she began walking away like she saw nothing.
"Wait."
Suddenly, Shi Tian's voice rang on her head. Her footsteps paused. She looked back and saw him come out of the alley. Kiana followed his back as she straightened her white jacket. Her face is visibly embarrassed.
Durandal caught onto a light gray box he threw over.
"This..?"
"Medicine. Treat that as a bribe." He then added, "Don't mention anyone about us."
Without seeing Durandal's reaction, Shi Tian turned his back on her. A few steps later, the couple disappeared.
She stood still for a while and processed these sequences of events. The wooden texture on the box surprised her.
When she opened it, she found a glass bottle with a narrow neck. It is akin to a miniature vase. Inside are ten spherical light green pills.
Looking back to the empty sidewalk, Durandal's mind was soon filled with a lot of questions.
*****
Kiana's previous embarrassed state made her unable to focus on Durandal's abnormality. The feeling she gave off is very familiar to her. This was their first meeting, and as such, it felt off no matter what.
Only when the two ran off to another city in the Far East did she calm down. Their temporary resting place is a random rooftop of a high-rise building.
After setting up their non-existence concealment, they sat on the edge of the rooftop.
"She feels very familiar."
"...She might be your sister."
"Ah?!"
A projection emerged from Shi Tian's hand. It is none other than Durandal. With a thought, her blonde hair turned pure white.
"Ah?!"
The Tuna was dumbfounded for the second time.
"She looks just like me!"
Although there are differences in physical development, Durandal's face is similar to Kiana's.
Just then, guilt flashed on her eyes. She understood what was going on.
'She… she is the real Kiana.'
The memories of that day are vivid in her mind. The plane was shot down and lost control. Siegfried was only able to rescue K-423 and not his actual daughter.
Unexpectedly, Schicksal's S Rank Valkyrie turned out to be the real Kiana Kaslana!
Kiana looked towards Shi Tian. Her internal struggle lasted for a while.
"What's wrong?"
"I… have some things I haven't told you."
"That's fine."
"Ah?"
Shi Tian's response caught her off guard.
"Say it when you're comfortable. Also…" He paused before he continued, "I also have secrets of my own."
Contrary to her Tuna-like nature, Kiana understood his intentions. He trusted her enough; she trusted him too. That is enough. Everything else can be talked about later.
A sense of security wrapped around Kiana. She felt like she could be at ease so long as Shi Tian is here.
"Actually, I am created due to a project…"
Kiana began telling him her true identity—both as a clone of Sirin and as a clone of Siegfried Kaslana's daughter. She knew Shi Tian had some guesses in his mind but did not question it.
Little did she know, he knew more things about herself.
Her sincere "confession" made him feel guilty.
Looking at Kiana's trust and her confession of her past, Shi Tian knew what he needed to do. He no longer hesitated and spoke of the truth.
"There's no need to explain further, Kiana."
"..?"
His sudden interruption sent her to a halt.
"Remember the HOMU comic issue you hated the most?"
"The otherworlder one?"
That volume shows the adventure of a HOMU that slipped into another world. In the end, that HOMU saved the world and returned to its home world. It was supposed to be a happy ending, but the fact it abandoned its comrades in the "otherworld" is a painful ending to most readers.
Kiana is one of those readers.
"I came from another world."
"..."
"I know the future of this world… of the honkai… and you."
"..."
Shi Tian narrated his real background.
"I am a college graduate, born from a rich family…"
He did not hide much.
"The future of this world existed in the form of a game. You… are destined to be Earth's savior…"
He briefly went through her background, and then the battles she would face in her "future". He chose to explain the general plot instead of going in-depth with character interactions and the like.
Shi Tian chose to hide nothing anymore. Not even Su received this treatment. This is his sincerity borne out of Kiana's sincerity.
He could have hidden from her. Yet, he chose not to.
Shi Tian's essence is sincerity. He could not bear to half-ass things when the other party was being completely sincere to him. Things are different with Kiana being his girlfriend, too.
'The rest is up to the future…'
The explanation took half an hour. Kiana did not speak once during this time. Her eyes contained shock at first, and then understanding. Shi Tian does not know what she is feeling now.
"...why when I saw you, I wanted to… help. That's all. Seeing you happy… is enough for me."
"..!"
His support and sacrifices meant something else now in Kiana's eyes.
From here, she noticed one thing: Shi Tian's self-sacrificial tendencies.
Not even he knew about it. The first thing that came to his mind when he met Kiana is to help her achieve that ideal ending. No matter what harm it does to him, or even the fact it might kill him, he still pushed through. Every other reason came from his rational side, all in an attempt to justify things to himself.
His two decades' worth of being pragmatic and realistic clashed with the idealism born out of being sent into this world. His interactions with Kiana, Seele, Bronya, and the others further strengthened it.
He did not notice these changes. Ironically, he became similar to a wrought iron hero who also bears the same name as the bearers of Trailblazers' spirit...
Nameless.
'All of it… for me..?'
The truth no longer mattered in Kiana's eyes. All that mattered was he did so many things for her and cared for her. She fell head over heels to him all over again.
The moment Shi Tian finished telling his story, he was pushed to the ground by Kiana. Then, they were swiftly transported back to Kiana's subspace—right atop their late third grade bed.
The comfortable bedding did not make him sleep this time.
The sudden changes startled him.
"You… won't leave?"
He understood she was talking about that HOMU comic.
"No. My life is over in that world…"
His mouth was sealed with Kiana's lips. She did not give him a chance to speak. Her hands gently pressed over his chest.
For a while, he was met with Kiana's passionate kiss.
*****
A/N: This part's a bit more subtle than anything else. If y'all had the feeling that Shi Tian forced himself to remain with Kiana in the early chapters, that's it. He did do that. If you also noticed his borderline self-sacrificial tendencies, it's also intentional. Shi Tian, in some way, paralleled Mei's. She ought to fix things on her own (as seen when she joined World Serpent). Shi Tian also attempted to fix things on his own during the Sirin fight. Only, he realized that facing everything by himself is not always viable, hence him being more open, supportive, and asking more assistance to others (especially Kiana).
I hope this chapter explains many things, as well as the fact that most healthy relationships are born out of each others' sincerity.
Happy Reading~!