Three months after the death of Sa, I sat in my office in Azure Dream, reading through reports delivered to me in the morning. While Schicksal HQ remained where it was, my Fortress in Azure Dream became equally important. The only reason why the Fortress didn't become the new HQ was that the Fortress was my personal property, Laterano, Britain, and Schicksal could access it, but it would always belong only to me, separate from them.
-"Holy Son."-Amber walked in and handed me tea.
-"Thank you, Amber."-I smiled at her, who always insisted on referring to me by my title.
-"It's my duty."-She responded, stoic as always.
I continued my work, with my thoughts wandering. To be honest, the things I had to do as the Schicksal Overseer were few; most of the matters were taken over by Mei, Bianka, Bronya, Maria, who now took over the role of Schariac family Head, and Kiana, who was being pushed by Cecilia to take over the position of Kaslana family Head. The House Apocalypse was almost abolished, but Bianka decided to take over as its Head, saying it was to repay Otto's grace of teaching and caring for the two of us, even if her amnesia was caused by him.
Bianka learned about her past, meeting with Kiana, Cecilia, and Siegfried and talking over everything. In the end, she decided to treat Kiana as her younger sister, but she rejected accepting the Kaslana name; instead, she threw away her surname altogether, remaining only Bianka. When I asked her why, she said that just as I had decided to take a step back from the Schariac family due to my position, she didn't want her past to change who she was now.
This was also why she took over the Apocalypse family, to show that, like most of its members who were adopted by Otto over the years, she doesn't care about her origins, but about her duty and future. She was easily accepted by everyone, especially Theresa, who almost cried after learning that she was about to become the next Family Head.
Speaking of the new appointments, both Seele and Veliona also officially joined Schicksal, but they decided to not work under Bronya as she suggested. Both of them decided to join the ranks of the Lateran Church, becoming priestesses. Once again, I asked why and received two different answers. Seele did so to be able to use her Authority of Life to help more people through her position, while Veliona wanted to protect Seele and be able to follow me without issues.
All other Flame-Chasers and Herrschers joined Schicksal with various positions, most in the military, but some became Cardinals of Schicksal. Schicksal now could easily rival Artoria's Britain despite only being an organization and not a country, especially since the high-end combatants were much more abundant here than in Laterano or Britain combined.
The only weakness of Schicksal was exactly that it wasn't a country, but with our experiences in the previous era, I guess that Mei would change that soon. I've already seen a few proposals to take over governments from various countries, turning Schicksal into the governing body of he whole world. I approved them, only reminding them that it should be done covertly.
-"Holy Son!"-Amber's voice brought me back from my thoughts once again.
-"Sorry, I got lost in thought."-I looked at her.-"What's the matter?"
-"Lady Mei asked you to visit her lab after your morning tasks."-She reminded me.
-"Ah, yes."-I blinked a few times, quickly remembering the matter she spoke of.-"I'll be off then."
-"Please take care, Son."-She bowed as I exited the room.
I quickly returned to Schicksal HQ, where I walked through the corridors toward Mei's lab. On my way, I was greeted by many passing Sankta, something I still found bizarre that far from Laterano. But aside from those frequent greetings, I arrived at Mei's lab with no delays, entering only to see a heated discussion happening there.
-"While your idea is theoretically possible, it requires an assumption that can't be verified."-Einstein furrowed her brows as she looked at the document in her hands.-"Risking everything on such shaky speculation is not something I can condone."
-"I agree that this hypothesis is unverifiable, but it also can't be debunked with all that we know. By accepting it, some other troubles we faced can be resolved."-Mei didn't back down.-"More importantly, if this idea can be achieved this way, we can reduce the time and resources required by the plan by at least 60%."
-"It's still too dangerous. We can't risk the safety of humanity on some unconfirmed premise."-Einstein crossed her arms.
-"Can't you two just get over it?"-Mobius sighed as she poured herself another cup of coffee.-"Whether it's possible or not lies fully in the hands of Eno, so stop worrying about something so useless."
-"What's the matter with them?"-I asked Vill-V, who was working on some project with Tesla.
-"Classic. Mei's plan uses assumptions based on her inferences that are unverified, and Einstein disagrees with her approach."-She responded.
-"Sigh."-I shook my head and walked to where Mei and Einstein were.-"Can I see the proposal?"
-"Here."-Einstein handed me the document from her hands.
After quickly reading through the whole paper, I raised my eyebrow, surprised by Mei's deduction.
-"This can work."-I commented while going through this idea in my mind.
Leaving aside other elements, Mei noticed an issue that I overlooked; I'm not a natural Herrscher. What her and Kiana's experiences proved is that there is a big difference between a naturally awakened Herrscher, even if that awakening was artificially caused, and one who inherited a previously awakened core. And I belong to the second type, having first artificially implanted the Core of Dominance, then inheriting the Core of Origin, and lastly stealing the Authority of Finality.
Mei pointed out that my current state was like Kiana's while she held the Core of Void; while definitely a Herrscher, I'm limited by the Core limits, not to mention the inefficiency during the use of Authority; it was like using someone else's armor and weapon; sure, you can do it, but when a serious battle occurs, that slight unfamiliarity and unfitness can weigh on the outcome. Additionally, she also noticed that I lacked Herrscher Raiment and the Key connected to my Authority.
With that, she implied that I hadn't undergone true Herrscher awakening; once again, she supported that by pointing out the fact that I'm not connected to any Honkai Eruption, something that is necessary for a Herrscher to awaken. With those two assumptions, she put out a hypothesis that if I were to awaken as the Herrscher of Finality of this era, the problem we are facing- how to separate the world from the Tree- could be resolved much more easily.
She supported that assumption with a few more reasons, but one thing she pointed out, but assumed was not to be an issue, was the matter of how that awakening would influence me. This was what Einstein couldn't overlook; after all, forcefully awakening the Finality only for it to slip out of control was not a small gamble.
-"I agree with this idea, but there is one issue: how can we gather enough Honkai for my awakening to occur? Bianka's awakening as Origin already relied on luck and assistance from previous era technology; with me, it'll be far from enough."
-"That's where our research comes into play."-Tesla waved her hand.-"If we can't gather enough energy here, then we need to send you somewhere where you can gain it more easily."
-"You want to send me out of this world?"-I tilted my head.-"But outside there is no Honkai."
-"Yes and no."-Vill-V took over the explanation.-"We indeed want to send you out, but not entirely. From the various tests, we are almost certain that our world is just an isolated Bubble in the greater universe; and while Honkai might not exist outside, Imaginary Energy certainly does."
-"So, I'm to go out and seek a way to gather more energy for myself."
-"Yup."-Vill-V nodded.-"Of course, we will assist you, but it can be somewhat dangerous, so we don't advise others to follow you, especially Herrschers, as we don't know how their Authority will behave outside."
-"But how do I leave? My magic can only send me out of this world, not into a different part of it."
-"This was something that I was troubled about previously, but I have an idea that needs your cooperation. Remember how you explained that whole Throne of Heroes thing to us?"
-"I do."-I nodded.
-"Then I was wondering, can't your Garden of Eden work like it? I mean, it's a place outside of time, existing as a record of Remembrance, and lastly, your form is no longer purely physical, so can't you just 'project' yourself from your Garden into another place in this world?"
-"Interesting."-My eyes sparkled with curiosity as I listened to her.-"My current form of existence is indeed almost what you described; even if I stand here, I'm also in the Garden of Eden; those places overlap where I exist. It is possible to displace my position in the real world to travel through time and space, but I alone can't do it."
-"I expected that, after all, in that world Alaya and Gaia were the forces that controlled your travel, not the Throne of Heroes alone, but don't we have a similar presence here?"
-"Imaginary Tree."-I nodded.-"While it lacks will, it certainly has the power to do so. If I were to reach it, I should be able to travel along it."
-"And reaching it for you is not an issue, is it?"-Vill-V smiled, excited about doing something so absurd.
-"It is not; Honkai won't reject me in my current form, treating me more like an outsider than an internal threat. Tree also wouldn't act out, but just to be sure, I'll be careful."
-"Wait a moment."-Mei stopped us.-"Before you do anything, we need to decide who should follow you. While Herrschers are out of the question, you need to take someone to look out for you."
-"Not to mention all the equipment to gather data out there! We can't waste such a great opportunity to understand the greater world."-Tesla added.
-" It's not like I have a say in those."-I rolled my eyes.-"A week. That's how long I need to make my preparations."
-"That'll be enough. We'll bring personnel and gear to your office then."-Vill-V nodded.
-"Just don't forget to compile a report about everything you did before departure."-Einstein reminded me.
-"I will."
And seven days passed before one could even notice. In the evening, I met with everyone in the hall of my Fortress, as my office proved to be too cramped. I sat while listening to Mei tell me to take care of myself and not to play hero.
-"Listen to Mobius and Hua…"-She continued her lecture.
-"I understand."-I finally interrupted her.-"While I'm happy to be cared for by you, I'm not a child."
-"Aren't you sixteen?"-Kiana tilted her head.
Hearing her question, everyone couldn't help but chuckle, while I felt my eye twitch.
-"Ehem."-Mei tried to not laugh, but she couldn't stop the smile on her face.-"Either way, be careful out there."
-"I will."
-"I'll deal with the research aspect of our trip, so don't worry about it."-Mobius smiled; her snake-like eyes shone with anticipation of what she would find.
-"I'll assist and guard you, as always."-Hua nodded at me.
I looked at her with a complicated gaze, unsure how to treat her.
-"Be sure to return soon."-Bianka stepped forward and hugged me.
-"Don't worry, it'll only be a month for you."-I assured her.
Shen nodded and gave me a quick kiss before letting go. One by one, everyone bid their farewells to me, some only hugging, some a little more. Most notably, with everyone being so forward, Kiana felt emboldened and also offered me her kiss as a goodbye; something that caused her father to almost jump out to fight me, only to be stopped by Cecilia, who looked gratified that her child finally made her move; it was obvious who had been influencing Kiana all that time.
Soon after that, everyone left my Azure Dream, leaving only Hua and Mobius inside. I also left, but rather than returning to the real world, I directly entered the Imaginary space, heading toward the Tree. Like before, I didn't encounter any issues on my way, allowing me to arrive in the place where I last saw Otto; just this time, there was no horde of enemies waiting for us.
So I quickly approached the Tree, touching it to feel its power. As expected, ever since I reached it last time, it no longer resisted me, allowing me to trace its branches toward some other leaf. Then I felt a pull, somewhat forceful, but more so, helping me navigate this web of past, future, and existence. Following it, I found a great branch rather than a single leaf, a world infinitely greater than the one I was in. As this all but guaranteed that it would possess enough energy I needed, I slowly had my Garden of Eden manifest there, allowing me to step from where I was directly to that world.
When the space around me changed, I found myself in a familiar Imaginary Space, but it was much greater at the same time. The amount of possibilities, information, and even the pure power present here was incomparable to the previous world. Most notable were a few powerful 'presences' existing here, far beyond anything I have ever seen or felt.
I instantly noticed that my Remembrance originated from one of those presences, as well as the pull I felt when I traveled here. But I didn't dare to try to touch such powerful beings, so I quickly left the Imaginary Space, returning to the real world.
There, I emerged far from any planet or star, drifting in the void of space. I tried to find anything that could help me navigate this space, but with nothing I could use, I decided to fly toward the nearest place where I could perceive any life. Turning into Phoenix, I flew through the cosmos like a comet, reaching a planet after a few days.
Landing there, I noticed a place that looked like a war camp. As these were the first living beings I saw, I approached carefully, hoping to get some understanding of where I was. Surprisingly, they didn't feel wary about my presence; they even invited me inside, at least that's what I felt through my Empathy, as I couldn't understand any of their languages.
Due to that, I remained silent and observed all their behaviors, trying to learn their language through it. I found their civilization rather strange but interesting, and definitely cruel. People of this world looked like bipedal wolves, their culture primitive, orbiting around war and slavery, yet their technology was advanced enough to allow space travel.
But most noticeable was the god they worshipped, a figure that seemed to possess endless mercy and gifts; yet it was celebrated by a race that only killed and plundered. While I felt that this god could grant me energy, I felt that something was wrong, and soon, I would be proven right.