Kiana paused mid-step.
The sudden command froze her in place. Turning around, she stared at Ruan Mei in confusion and pointed at herself. "Me?"
Under normal circumstances, such words wouldn't have startled her. In fact, she might even have been thrilled.
But not now.
Something about this felt different—off, even. Her heart raced with inexplicable unease.
"Why?"
"I just want to talk to you," Ruan Mei said softly.
"Can't we talk now?"
"I'm free right now," Kiana said hurriedly, nervousness creeping into her tone.
Ruan Mei shook her head. "Remember to come."
There was no room for discussion, nor refusal.
Kiana's expression fell. She wanted to say something—anything—to ease the tension, but Ruan Mei had already turned her attention back to her tea, clearly done with the conversation.
Left with no choice, Kiana sighed and turned to leave.
Ruan Mei wasn't one to make casual remarks. If she wanted to talk later, it was most likely about the Honkai.
At least, that was what Kiana told herself.
Still... the words Ruan Mei had spoken just now made her question her own assumption.
Was it really about that?
As she walked toward the laboratory sector, Kiana scratched her head irritably. "Forget it—let's just assume it is."
Now came the real problem.
Should she tell Mei?
And how?
This dilemma felt far more perilous than whatever Ruan Mei wanted to discuss later.
If she kept quiet and acted like nothing had happened, Mei would find out sooner or later. The chances of getting caught were one hundred percent.
And if Mei found out on her own, the consequences would be far, far worse.
But if she came clean herself... well, that might not end much better either.
It was a choice between dying early or dying late—painfully or more painfully.
Kiana trudged back the way she came, worry clouding her face.
She thought she was headed for the Stigmata space to meet Acheron, but when she arrived, Acheron had already finished catching up with Yae Sakura.
Acheron stood with one hand under her chin, her brows furrowed slightly.
She didn't look happy.
The door had just opened when Kiana caught sight of her. Instantly, every instinct screamed for her to retreat.
Maybe she should come back later?
"Done talking already?"
Acheron's voice stopped her in her tracks. She had noticed Kiana's presence the moment the door opened. Her expression, however, remained unreadable.
Crap.
Judging from that look, Acheron's bad mood probably had something to do with her. Otherwise, she would've smiled the moment she saw her.
"Mei..."
Kiana forced an awkward smile and stepped inside, her eyes darting to the stigmata container. She decided to start with small talk about Yae Sakura—to change the subject.
But Acheron closed the distance between them in a few steps, gently taking Kiana by the wrist and leading her out of the lab, leaving Sakura's Stigmata behind.
Outside, in the rest area, Acheron's eyes swept over the surroundings.
And then she said casually, perhaps unintentionally, "You and Ruan Mei get along quite well."
Having just done something that would make Mei furious if she knew, Kiana felt her blood turn to ice.
"O-of course our relationship's... good."
Her gaze wandered in the same direction Acheron had been looking—and there it was: a white cat sticker plastered on the wall, completely out of place with the rest of the decor.
"Let's have a proper talk."
Kiana's heart leapt into her throat. She looked up at Acheron and met her unyielding eyes.
This wasn't a request.
It was an order.
Things were not looking good.
Kiana swallowed hard and nodded. "Let's, uh... talk in my room."
Acheron and Ruan Mei really did share one trait in common—they both had godlike awareness. Whatever mischief Kiana tried, they always found out immediately.
No escape, no excuses.
With a heavy heart, Kiana led Acheron back to her quarters.
The moment they entered, Acheron's gaze fell on the wall lined with photos. Familiar faces filled them, and her eyes softened for a moment as she stepped closer.
"These were all taken back in Izumo," Kiana explained when she noticed Acheron's interest. "I brought them with me."
Acheron reached out and brushed her fingers against one of the photos, a faint look of nostalgia flickering in her eyes.
"These were all taken that day, weren't they?"
"Most of them, yeah."
"If there had been no Kami... no influence of Nihility..."
Acheron withdrew her hand and turned to Kiana. "Maybe we'd still be in Nagazora City."
"Nagazora..." Kiana fell silent for a moment, recalling the people she'd met back in Izumo. Their traces in her life were faint, yet undeniable.
"You're right," she said softly. "If none of this had happened, we'd probably still be living peacefully in Nagazora."
"Yae Sakura said you want to turn illusion into reality—to reverse the Stigmata world and bring it into the real one?"
"Huh—she told you that?" Kiana froze.
Acheron didn't reply immediately. Her gaze locked onto Kiana's, calm but unreadable. "Is it true?"
She was angry.
Had Kiana not mentioned this to Mei before?
Kiana let out a nervous laugh, feeling the pressure rise. "I... might've thought about it."
Her voice came out small, uncertain, completely devoid of confidence.
"She also said you reject the power of the Honkai—you resist it from the depths of your heart. You don't trust it."
Instead of lashing out, Acheron continued evenly, "After leaving Izumo, you were caught in another war. And because of the Honkai, you nearly lost control of your body again, didn't you?"
"...She told you that too?"
Why did she tell her everything?!
Why now, of all times?!
Kiana felt her stomach twist in frustration. It wasn't just the embarrassment—there was also something else she'd been hiding from Acheron, something that could truly break their relationship if it came to light.
If all this came crashing down together...
She didn't even want to imagine it.
"Yes."
Acheron's eyes hardened as she spoke, each word sharp and deliberate. "If you don't trust this power, then why keep forcing yourself to use it—to master it?"
Kiana instinctively stepped back, but Acheron followed, closing the distance again. Kiana's back hit the wall as she stammered, "...Because I owe Izumo."
"If you're talking about the Final Eruption," Acheron said, "then hear this—Izumo would've fallen into Nihility regardless. Even if you hadn't caused the Final Eruption, it would have been consumed. Because you did, at least the city still exists—part of it, somewhere, still endures."
"I know." Kiana shook her head, her voice quiet but steady. "But I could've done better. So many people died because of me... I can't forget that."
"Doing better isn't an excuse to trap yourself in this cage." Acheron's tone softened, though her eyes remained firm. "Yae Sakura said you made a deal with Ruan Mei—that she'll help you accomplish this impossible goal?"
"...Yes."
Acheron looked at her with a complex expression. "Don't push yourself too hard, Kiana."
"You've got it wrong!"
Kiana took a few steps back, her words tumbling out faster than usual as nerves crept up on her. "I'm not working toward that goal—not anymore, at least."
She admitted that the thought of realizing such an idea had been reckless—insane, even. And Ruan Mei, who believed it might actually be possible, wasn't much better.
To someone like Ruan Mei, almost nothing was impossible. If she believed something could be done, then she would pursue it, no matter how far-fetched it seemed.
It was that quiet confidence of hers that had given Kiana a little faith of her own.
"To achieve that, do you intend to become a god?"
Become... a god?
Kiana froze. Had Yae Sakura and Acheron mentioned that too?
That wasn't even something she'd seriously considered yet.
Right now, the only thing she could see ahead—the only thing she could become—was the true Herrscher of Finality.
Her first instinct was to deny it.
But the words Ruan Mei had spoken earlier echoed in her mind, and before she knew it, her thoughts had wandered off track.
"An Aeon... is that what you're striving toward?"
"No!" Kiana snapped back to her senses, shaking her head quickly. "That's not it. I don't think I'm working toward becoming something like that. And even if I were, that so-called 'god'—it would never be an Aeon!"
She rubbed her temples, exhaling. "Sakura told you everything about me, didn't she?"
Acheron remained silent.
"Mei, my case doesn't have any precedents to draw from," Kiana continued. "Right now, the only thing I want—the only thing I can do—is to become a true Herrscher of Finality. To fully control this power, so that I'll never lose myself again."
Acheron's expression softened slightly.
If Kiana's goal had truly been to ascend as an Aeon, she would have questioned whether it was really her will—or someone else's influence.
She could accept Kiana's decision if it was born of her own will—but not if it was the result of manipulation.
"I'll help you accomplish it," Acheron said quietly.
"I should've told you all this sooner," Kiana admitted. "I'm sorry, Mei. You shouldn't have had to hear it from someone else."
The tension in her chest eased, if only a little.
Acheron reached out, gently ruffling her hair.
When she'd heard all this from Yae Sakura, her heart had sunk in an instant.
These were all things Kiana had never told her—secrets that made her wonder if Kiana was deliberately keeping her in the dark.
And for Acheron, Kiana hiding things from her was something she could hardly tolerate.
The last time Kiana had done so, she'd tricked her into boarding the Ark—then gone back to Izumo alone.
That wound still lingered.
How could she not care?
"Whatever it is," Acheron said softly, "good or bad, I want you to tell me first."
"..."
Kiana, who had just managed to calm down after dealing with Ruan Mei, froze at those words.
Good or bad—tell her everything.
Otherwise...
The way Acheron's words landed in her ears twisted their meaning completely. Still torn about whether to tell her the truth, Kiana's expression gave her away almost instantly.
Acheron didn't miss it.
"Kiana," she said evenly, "is there something you want to tell me?"
She was giving her an out—a chance to speak.
"I, I..." Kiana's forced smile faltered. Her eyes darted nervously to the side.
It seemed there was no avoiding this.
"Go on, Kiana," Acheron urged calmly. "Whether it's good or bad, I can take it."
As long as Kiana was willing to tell her in advance—that alone was good enough.
But when she saw Kiana hesitating, pulling away slightly and glancing at the photos on the wall before finally speaking, Acheron's heart began to fill with suspicion.
"Ruan... Ruan just now, she..."
Her voice trailed off.
What about Ruan Mei?
Acheron didn't interrupt her, listening intently to what Kiana had to say.
Kiana took a deep breath.
Her heart pounded with anxious dread, but there was no avoiding it. She braced herself and spoke quickly, almost blurting it all out in one breath: "I don't want to hide it from you. Just now... I kissed Ruan."
Don't want to hide it... kissed... Ruan Mei?
Acheron blinked. The short sentence took several repetitions in her mind before she fully grasped what Kiana had said.
And as Kiana had expected, Acheron's expression instantly darkened.
Should she praise Kiana for being honest?
Or call her reckless?
How could she say something like that—to her—so directly?
With her face hardening, Acheron stepped forward, pressing Kiana against the wall. Her eyes locked onto Kiana's nervous expression as she reached out and brushed her thumb across her lips.
"She kissed you?"
Ruan Mei's special care for Kiana... was that the same kind of affection Kiana shared with her?
Acheron's mood plummeted.
Kiana stiffly nodded. What came next would only make things worse—she wasn't even sure if Acheron could accept it.
"Why?"
It took all of Acheron's willpower to restrain her emotions.
She drew in a slow, controlled breath. What she wanted to know most wasn't why Ruan Mei had done it—but how Kiana had responded, and how she felt now.
Given how Kiana viewed Ruan Mei...
Acheron's heart began to sink.
Kiana was special to Ruan Mei—and the reverse was undoubtedly true as well.
During the time she hadn't been by Kiana's side, the time when Kiana had lost her memories—Ruan Mei had always been there with her.
The weight Ruan Mei held in her heart...
Acheron didn't dare imagine it.
"...Mei, do you want the truth?"
Acheron's heart sank completely. She didn't want to hear it—but she had to. Whatever Kiana said next would be something she couldn't ignore.
Her voice was steady, though her chest burned. "Say it."
"I couldn't refuse her," Kiana said softly. "Ruan means a lot to me."
Acheron's gaze darkened, her eyes drilling into Kiana's. "You couldn't refuse... is that all?"
"...No."
Kiana looked away, her voice small. "I've always liked her—ever since the first time I met her."
Always liked her? From... the very first moment?
Acheron's grip on Kiana's shoulder tightened until it hurt. Her breath came heavier, her voice trembling with a dangerous edge. "So you're telling me this because you've realized... you like her more than me?!"
Kiana... liked someone else?
Someone else?
Acheron's mind rejected the thought entirely.
She had nothing left—nothing but Kiana. In the world that had already lost its color, Kiana was the only one still vivid, the only treasure she had once lost and finally regained.
There was no way she could let go.
Pain flared where Acheron's fingers dug into her shoulder. Kiana winced, trying to explain quickly through the pain, "That's not it! Mei, listen to me—you're the one who's most special to me! You're the most important person in my life!"