Inside the office of our cute and funny Principal Theresa.
"Can I talk to... the Herrscher inside you, Kiana?"
Theresa sat on the edge of her desk, trying her best to maintain a smile as she asked her niece.
"Talk to Sister?" Kiana suddenly felt a surge of unease in her heart, as if—as if the moment she agreed, something... something she would regret would happen.
"Don't worry, it really is just... a talk." Hearing Kiana's way of addressing the Void, Theresa's smile almost faltered. She comforted Kiana, signaling her to put her mind at ease.
"Then... I'll ask her." Kiana was somewhat hesitant. Her intuition had always been sharp, but she hoped that this time, just this once... it wouldn't match what her gut was predicting.
Inside the Consciousness Space, Verna heard Kiana's call. Amidst a sea of cecilia flowers, looking up at the sky of the Consciousness Space.
"I agree, Kiana... let's switch."
...
Theresa watched as her niece closed her eyes. Her braids came undone, and the silly, innocent aura about her suddenly transformed, becoming dangerous...
"Should I say long time no see? Or... first meeting, Theresa Apocalypse?" Verna opened her golden eyes. Theresa subconsciously gripped the chains of the Oath of Judah, but quickly let go once she realized what she was doing.
"Why? Why did you come back to life? You clearly..." Theresa took a deep breath as she looked at the Void, suppressing the anger in her heart to question her.
"Why did I come back to life... I'm looking for the reason myself. Or, perhaps you could ask your dear Grandpa?" She raised her hand, looking at the arm that belonged to Kiana—or rather, K423—as she answered.
"Grandpa..." Theresa seemed to think of the experiments regarding herself, the Clone experiments, and her gaze changed instantly.
"So, have you guessed it?" Verna sat in the void; she didn't need a chair, as Honkai Energy took care of that. She just quietly watched Theresa.
"Then, now that you've returned... what is your purpose in deceiving Kiana?" Theresa had already gripped the chains of the Oath of Judah again. If Verna's answer didn't satisfy her, she would strike.
"Deceiving? How can you call it deceiving, My feelings for Kiana are entirely sincere." Verna chuckled softly and slightly raised her arms, striking a pose that would likely trigger a certain teacher at St. Freya.
"Stop joking!" Theresa's emotions flared up. She looked at the Verna, listing Sirin's atrocities one by one.
"You were the one who caused the Second Honkai Eruption! You were the one who caused the deaths of thirty million people! It was you—you were the one who killed Kiana's mother! What right do you have to talk about sincerity!" Theresa roared. Cecilia's death had always been a thorn in her heart. Seeing the Void still deceiving Cecilia's child, she could no longer suppress her rage.
Looking at the furious Theresa, Verna's expression hadn't changed from beginning to end.
Meanwhile, in the Consciousness Space, Kiana was stunned. Her sister... the sister who saved her when she was little, the sister who had been helping her since beginning... was the murderer who killed her mother?
"It's a lie... She's lying to me, right, Big Sister?" Kiana couldn't believe it, but at that moment, details she had never noticed before surfaced in her mind.
In 2010, when she was surrounded by people who seemed to want to kill her, Verna appeared... She didn't have white hair then, but purple... If Verna was really her own Herrscher persona, then... why did she look different from her?
While Kiana's mind was in chaos, Theresa continued her verbal assault: "You simply intend to use Kiana as a vessel for your resurrection!"
"Vessel for resurrection..." These words shook Kiana's consciousness. Was all the kindness Verna showed her fake? Was it all just manipulation? She couldn't tell, she really couldn't tell anymore!
"Theresa, I am not lying... perhaps I had such thoughts once, but..." Kiana couldn't hear what Verna said next. She only knew that she had foolishly trusted the enemy who killed her mother, a villain who wanted to steal her body...
"I'm such a fool..."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Verna's expression froze for a moment, and in the next second, the world spun as her consciousness was pulled back into the Consciousness Space.
Coming straight at her was a straight punch. Verna tilted her head slightly, dodging Kiana's attack, and saw Kiana's tear-streaked face clearly.
"You liar!" Kiana threw punch after punch, completely without technique, but because of this, Verna simply kept dodging.
"You killed my mother! And you lied to me! I... I trusted you so much..." Kiana's fist struck the Verna's face, also cutting off her explanation.
Within the Consciousness Space, the two white-haired girls stood facing each other. The sea of cecilia flowers beneath their feet began to wither rapidly.
Verna wiped the corner of her mouth. She didn't strike back, nor did she explain. When someone is consumed by rage, they won't listen to any explanation; it would only be a waste of effort.
"Herrschers... as expected, none of them are good people..." Kiana thought of what Verna had said back in Chapter 3 and couldn't help but clench her fists again. Those words now only made Kiana feel like she had been being deceived all along.
"I didn't lie, Kiana." Verna looked at Kiana without moving. Kiana was now like a wounded little animal, unable to handle any provocation, and the one person who could provoke her most... was the Verna herself.
"Enough! I won't believe another word, not even a single letter from you!"
Seing Kiana still unstable. Verna sighed, but she couldn't let Kiana leave the Consciousness Space. If things weren't explained clearly this time, then... they would likely never be able to talk again.
"It seems I need to let you cool down first." Verna looked at the enraged Kiana and moved. Her figure vanished, appearing in front of Kiana, and she struck Kiana's abdomen with her palm.
"Ugh!" Kiana clutched her stomach and retreated, but she didn't give her a chance to breathe. She struck Kiana again.
Kiana couldn't help but fall back, kneeling on the ground. But it wasn't over; Verna leaped high and gave Kiana a kick.
"Do you see? If I wanted to take your body, I could just kill you from the start."
Verna looked down at Kiana. After the beating, Kiana had calmed down, lying on the ground looking up at the Herrscher.
"Now, can you listen to me?" Verna sat amidst the flowers and placed Kiana's head on her lap.
"Yeah..."