The days aboard passed in a tense calm, marked by Wendy's recovery and Schicksal's constant vigilance.
Wendy was improving visibly: the stabilized gem allowed physiotherapy sessions, and her legs began to move with weak but promising motions. Theresa spent hours by her side, reminiscing about old times. "You were my best student, Wendy. The most talented I ever had in Oceania. You shone brighter than anyone... and Schicksal failed you. I failed you." Wendy, still pale in her wheelchair, lowered her gaze with tears. "Sensei... I'm sorry for everything. For becoming this." Theresa hugged her. "It's not your fault. The experiments... I won't let anything else happen to you."
Bronya visited her daily, sharing stories of Seele in a neutral but warm voice. "Bronya was also a tool. But Bronya chose her path. Wendy can do the same." Kiana brought "special" food (prepared by Mei), shouting animatedly: "Hey! No more drama! Eat this and get strong! I want to see you fly without trying to kill anyone!" Mei adjusted the chair with serene gentleness: "Step by step. Your body will adapt." I contributed by draining residual Honkai excesses, accelerating her control.
Theresa, driven by her remorse toward Wendy—her most promising former student—and her desire to free Bronya from the brain chip implanted by Cocolia, decided to venture into the underground church of St. Freya, where Schicksal's most advanced biotechnology was said to be hidden.
I knew the database had numerous files on 'brain implants, biochips.' Unfortunately, Theresa could only access the file related to the Siberia base. The simulation started in the system: a virtual environment of frozen tundra, with a recreated Schicksal base (massive Honkai reactor, defensive mechs). Theresa entered the immersion alone, reliving fragments of the past to access restricted files. I watched from outside, monitoring, preparing for the moment Fu Hua would take Kiana and Theresa would begin the revolution against Otto.
Simultaneously, Kiana—who was looking for Theresa—entered her own individual simulation upon accessing the database. Just like in the canon, she "defeated" the Second Herrscher alongside her "mother" Cecilia.
Then the inevitable happened.
Kiana, still wrapped in the euphoria of victory, hugged her "mother" with a radiant smile, celebrating the triumph over the Second Herrscher. Suddenly, she saw Theresa approaching.
-"Kiana, what are you doing here?" Theresa asked, confused.-
-"Theresa? Haha, you're late! Cecilia and I defeated the Second Herrscher!" Kiana replied, pointing proudly at the figure beside her.-
-"What? What are you talking about, Kiana? There's no one else here..." Theresa said, her voice trembling with concern.-
-"What do you mean? Cecilia is right here. With me... Huh? Mom!"-
Cecilia's figure faded like smoke in the icy wind, leaving Kiana alone with empty arms and her expression shifting from joy to pure bewilderment.
I had seen that scene in the game, but witnessing it up close was far sadder than I imagined. Kiana's pain—that shattered illusion of a mother who would never return—hit harder than I thought. Her face, going from pure joy to confusion and absolute emptiness, left a knot in my throat.
But that was precisely why I couldn't interfere. If Kiana didn't go through this—if she wasn't stopped as the Herrscher of the Void and forced to confront her power—she would never mature or progress. That could lead to an unknown future, possibly tragic, where Kiana failed to control her power and everything crumbled in ways worse than the original canon.
The simulation faded. Fu Hua appeared, murmuring something about a mission. She told Kiana that everything she saw and felt was a lie, an illusion. Kiana collapsed, but as she knelt on the ground, she remembered the phrase she had read in a diary she found during the simulation.
Her eyes, normally blue, turned a yellowish-orange. Her battlesuit changed completely: white armor with black details and bright neon blue accents. Ethereal wings of energy oscillating between purple and orange emerged from her back, projecting an imposing and almost celestial aura. She obtained her Knight Moonbeam form.
The confrontation ensued. Kiana fought with fury to the end, but she lost. Fu Hua defeated her with a precise strike and took her to Otto...
[System:]
[Do you wish to use 2 tickets to obtain 2 random special features?]
— Yes —
The wheel on the screen in front of me began spinning rapidly, flashing fleeting images of Jujutsu Kaisen characters. It stopped with a digital click: Satoru Gojo's image, with his piercing blue eyes, and the words Six Eyes.
[Congratulations: You have obtained Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes.]
For a brief moment, I was paralyzed by surprise. Then, my vision changed completely. Everything sharpened to an atomic level: I could see flows of Honkai and cursed energy as fine luminous threads, moving with infinite precision. My field of view expanded to 360 degrees, processing every detail effortlessly—even subtle fluctuations in the air that were invisible before. My naturally black eyes now glowed with a subtle, ethereal blue, spreading like veins of optimized cursed energy, granting me perfect control over my cursed energy: zero waste, almost complete energy mastery.
Before I could fully react, the wheel spun again, this time slower—or so it seemed, thanks to the accelerated perception of the Six Eyes. It finally stopped.
[Congratulations: You have obtained Hakari's Luck.]
"What?"
I knew that after the Six Eyes, it was unlikely I'd get anything comparable, but I wasn't sure exactly how "Hakari's Luck" worked. I closed the system window, feeling the pulse of the new powers settle in.
-(Schicksal Headquarters, 22 hours after Kiana's capture)-
Otto Apocalypse observed the containment capsule in front of him, a serene smile on his face. "Continue infusing Honkai energy," he ordered calmly. "It's the only way to awaken her."
Heh... it's been a long time. He approached the glass, green eyes gleaming with calculated satisfaction. "Welcome home... K-423."
Inside the capsule, Kiana floated unconscious.
-End of Chapter-