Honkai Impact 3rd: My Days as a Captain in Schicksal

Maria stretched out her hand, missing two fingers, as if trying to grasp the sun that shone on the world, but she didn't even break the surface of the water.

Her body was covered with deadly warriors whose eyes glowed red. They entangled, gnawed, and ravaged her as she sank deeper and deeper into the boundless sea.

It felt as if we were about to fall into an abyss.

"I can't come back to you..."

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I recommend that those who haven't seen it watch the movie "Life Is Beautiful." Writing this reminded me of that Jewish father, and a wave of sadness washed over me...

Chapter Fifteen: Karen Kaslana (Part One)

"Wake her up and ask her what's going on," a blonde woman in armor said to the person next to her.

"No." The other party's answer was firm and decisive.

“But…” The woman who asked the question hesitated for a moment, looking at the mess around her, with limbs and bloodstains everywhere, and countless signs of struggle. “If we don’t ask her, we will never know what happened here, or where the [Honkai] went.”

"Do you think she could know anything?" The Valkyrie, who seemed to be the leader, sighed and reached out to gently smooth the hair of the sleeping Kallen with some tenderness. "Look at her, so peaceful, even smiling in her sleep. There's no way she could know what's happening in this hell."

"And... are you really going to wake her up? To let her see the home she lives in, the people she knows so well, have become like this?" The team leader's voice gradually became serious.

“But she really is suspicious…” The blonde Valkyrie who had asked the first question wanted to say something, but the leader waved his hand, stopping her from speaking.

“How old do you think she is? Five or six years old, I guess. Can she bear this kind of pain?” The team leader frowned, but his gaze softened as he looked at Karen. “She’s so young, the same age as my daughter.”

"Then what do we do?" the blonde Valkyrie asked hesitantly.

“I think I need to add something.” A voice came from behind them. “White hair is a very rare feature. I’ve only seen it on people from the Kaslana family so far. White hair is proof that they are born with resistance to Honkai.”

"So what? You wouldn't be thinking..." the blonde Valkyrie said with a smile to her companion behind her.

"Six years ago, the Kaslana family's convoy was attacked by a crossbow-class Honkai Beast, and none of them survived. Francis, the head of the Kaslana family, lost his wife in the accident, and his newborn daughter, who hadn't even been named yet, also went missing," the companion added.

"Forget it, are you trying to say that this is the Kaslana family head's long-lost daughter? That's such a small chance. Besides, how could a Honkai Beast possibly leave any survivors?" The blonde Valkyrie scoffed.

"Take her back, and while you're at it, let's meet the Kaslana family." The leader, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Huh? Misha?" The blonde Valkyrie looked at the leader in surprise.

“First of all, we can’t leave a little girl here,” the team leader said, carefully taking the sleeping Karen out of the box and bringing her teddy bear with her. “Secondly, I have a feeling that the Kaslana family is going to owe us a huge favor.”

"Master, Sir Misha has urgent business to discuss." In a study lit by a kerosene lamp, a servant dressed as a butler respectfully addressed the man sitting at the desk in the center of the room.

"Did she say anything?" Francis Kaslana slowly raised her head, her white hair standing on end like a lion's, exuding an imposing aura.

“No, Commander Misha said she can only discuss this with you in person, and…” the butler paused, seemingly considering whether to continue, “she also had a little girl with white hair with her…”

The butler glanced at Francis furrowed his brow even deeper and became somewhat frightened. He lowered his head obediently and said, "I will go and refuse her right away."

“No need, let her in to see me.” Francis rubbed his temples, but he was still very concerned about the white-haired little girl the butler had mentioned earlier.

White hair is a symbol of the Kaslana family, an outward manifestation of the strong resistance to Honkai that is naturally present in their bloodline. Perhaps they are children of the family who are stationed in a certain region.

Francis felt he had to meet with Misha to find out what was going on.

After all, as a race of knights who have been fighting on the front lines against the Honkai for many years, the branch families stationed in certain regions often...

If she is an orphan of the clan, I would naturally have an obligation to take care of her, but I have not received any reports from clan members stationed outside about Honkai attacks recently. Where did this little girl come from?

Besides, wasn't Misha sent by him yesterday to investigate the collapse outbreak near the Putuo River? How come she suddenly brought back a little girl? Francis tapped the mahogany table with his index finger in annoyance.

“Mr. Kaslana, I apologize for disturbing you while you are working, but there have been some strange discoveries during this investigation.” After receiving the butler’s message, Misha knocked on the door and entered the study, leaving Karen outside.

“Speak, and hopefully your report will be as valuable as the one I’m currently handling.” Francis stared into Misha’s eyes, his intuition telling him that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.

Not only that, but since this morning, he has been unable to calm himself down. Anxiety and a kind of inexplicable urgency have been entangled with him from beginning to end, making him almost unable to resist the urge to shout a few times to vent his emotions. However, this inexplicable anxiety is like a leech, following him everywhere, and he can't even figure out what's wrong with him today.

Such emotions rarely appeared in this lion-like man who guarded the region. He was always dignified and perceptive, wise and cautious. Such a loss of composure had only occurred once before.

“Yesterday, when we were ordered to investigate the collapse that occurred in the lower reaches of the Putuo River…” Misha recounted the details of the investigation, “…but we tried everything we could, and we couldn’t figure out what happened in that village. The only clue was the traces of a group of people running out of the village, possibly villagers who had escaped; I’ve sent Bonnie to track them down, but I’m here for something more important.”

"It's common knowledge that Honkai Beasts leave nothing but desolation in their wake; are you saying you've noticed a new pattern in this incident?" Francis frowned deeply. The emergence of a new way for Honkai to erupt was a major event, and he had to be cautious.

“No, sir.” Misha seemed to be considering her words. “Actually… there was one survivor in this Honkai…”

"The one who escaped the village?" Francis asked with interest. "Did that person bring intelligence?"

“No…” Misha seemed a little embarrassed, unsure how to describe the incident accurately. “Actually, the only survivor was found in the village. In that village, where there were limbs and blood everywhere, a little girl had escaped in an unlocked box in a house. She was still asleep when we found her.”

“Hmm?” Francis frowned even more deeply. “You mean, the Honkai Beasts’ keen noses couldn’t find a little girl who was right next to them? And they left her alive? Unheard of.”

“Perhaps not…” Misha said softly, with a hint of strangeness in her voice. “There were no traces of Honkai Beasts in that village… To be precise, it’s as if the people in that village were torn apart out of thin air… Perhaps my statement is not accurate either, and we need to send professionals to the scene to reconstruct and deduce what happened to understand what actually happened.”

"You mean... in the village where the Honkai erupted, everyone died, and only a little girl hiding in a box survived—although we don't know what happened there, let's assume it was an attack by Honkai beasts, and that the Honkai beasts not only spared the little girl but also disappeared without a trace?" Francis's tone was full of suspicion. If it weren't for his trust in his old subordinate, he would almost suspect that the other party was just making fun of him.

“Yes… to be precise, there wasn’t even a trace of Honkai Beasts at the scene. I mean, damage to the buildings, claw marks, there was no trace of anything other than humans that had ever existed there…” Misha paused for a moment, “but that’s not the most important thing. I think you should meet the little girl who survived.”

“A little girl? Is that the white-haired little girl you brought?” Francis’s tone suddenly became intense. His heart, which had been dormant for many years, suddenly began to pound wildly for no reason. The unease and tension in his heart were magnified many times over at this moment. He had a premonition that the anxiety he had felt since this morning might soon be revealed.

“It’s just a guess…” Misha said softly, “just a guess… She said she was six years old… You know, that happened six years ago… We couldn’t find her back then…”

“Let her in to see me.” Francis’s heart pounded like a war drum. The usually composed man was now at a loss. He didn’t even dare to listen to what Misha was going to say next.

“Mr. Kaslana, could you please hear a few words from me as a mother before you see her?” Misha looked directly at Francis, her gaze unwavering.

Francis was so anxious he almost jumped up, but faced with Misha's unwavering stance, he ultimately chose to listen to what his loyal subordinate had to say next.

"On the way back, she woke up and asked me where her mother was."

"She said she was playing hide-and-seek with everyone, and after her mother hid her, she went to lure everyone away from the game. She also said that after winning the championship, she would eat sausage with her mother."

“Her guardian’s name is probably Maria, and she calls her Mom.” Misha took out a necklace with the inscription on the inside: For my beloved Maria.

"This is what I found in that room. It should have been in the box where the child was hidden."

“Mr. Kaslana, I can roughly guess what that woman named Maria did,” Misha said with some difficulty. “I know this is a very unreasonable request, but… regardless of whether Karen is your child or not, could you please not…”

"What a joke!" Francis slammed his index finger on the table, making a loud thud.

"You're not suggesting that the woman lured away the monsters born from the Honkai, which is why the child survived," Francis said coldly. "Don't you know why human armies are repeatedly defeated when facing Honkai Beasts?"

"Because Honkai Beasts exert an insurmountable pressure on humans in terms of their rank!"

“Ordinary humans, even well-trained soldiers, no matter how audacious she is, will not move an inch if a Honkai Beast stares at her! This is the suppression of rank! It's like the trembling of a rabbit when a lion stares at it! This has nothing to do with courage or boldness; it's a common sense that cannot be explained by any other method!”

"Honkai Beasts are the embodiment of all negativity! Messengers of destruction! All humans, if they merely meet their gaze, will crumble under the weight of those eyes that radiate boundless malice!"

"Now you want to tell me that an ordinary person ignored this suppression, not only daring to move under the gaze of the Honkai Beast, but even daring to attract its attention?"

"Then, you bring in some wild girl who appeared out of nowhere, wanting to ask me if she's my daughter?!"

"Francis!" Faced with Francis's sudden change of attitude, Misha became anxious, even daring to call the Kaslana family head by her given name in her haste. "Of course I know what she will do, because she is a mother!"

"You can go out now." Francis had already sat back down at his desk, his hands crossed and resting on his forehead.

“Francis! Listen up! That’s a mother! Whether Karen is your child or not is indeed unknown, but…” Misha slammed her hands on the table in front of Francis, leaving two handprints on the mahogany surface, her red eyes glaring at Francis.

“I know what I have to do.” Francis’s voice trembled slightly. “Now, get out of here and let me have some peace and quiet.”

Misha noticed the weakness in Francis's voice and was taken aback. She had never seen Francis like this before, and she even doubted whether the person in front of her was the boss she knew. She hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth, pushed open the door, and went out.

Before leaving, she turned back to Francis and said, "Your Excellency Kaslana, I know that you must face the facts no matter what. Karen and I will be waiting for you in the drawing room."

As the study door closed, the robust man slumped into his chair as if utterly exhausted, staring blankly at the ceiling, tears slowly streaming down his face.

Francis, of course, had no reason to doubt his subordinates, and he could also deduce the information he wanted from Karen's words.

But he is now in a state of utter confusion.

He didn't know if Karen was actually his child.

He didn't know how he would face Karen if she were his child. He couldn't very well say, "Hello, I'm your father. Why haven't you seen me before? Because I lost you six years ago."

He didn't even know how to explain to Karen everything that had happened in the village.

Francis should be overjoyed to suddenly receive news about his daughter, who went missing six years ago. Whether the news is true or not, Francis has been missing for a long time.

But Misha's words reminded him, and were the reason he suddenly changed his attitude and drove Misha away.

Because he wasn't ready to face Karen.

Perhaps it was a sense of trepidation at the prospect of returning home, or perhaps it was an inability to confront the deep-seated wound within oneself that had been buried for many years, or even more so, an inability to imagine the despair that would ensue if that wound were to be reopened, only to be met with an outcome that was not what one desired.

It's ridiculous, isn't it? The daughter you've been longing for might be right outside the door, but she doesn't know that you're her father, and you don't even know if she's really your own flesh and blood.

But even if there was only the slightest possibility, Francis was willing to believe it.

But what happens after you believe it?

For six years, Francis has dreamed more than once about his wife and his daughter who died shortly after birth. He has also daydreamed more than once while lying in his rocking chair, dreaming that one day a little girl might suddenly stand in front of him and call him "Dad".

“If my daughter were still alive, I would buy her the prettiest little dresses, take her to play in the street every day, buy her countless toys, and make all the children envious of her.” Francis had this daydream more than once.

But if Karen really is his daughter, how can he explain to her that he, her father, has never been present in the first six years of her life?

How should she explain that her biological mother had already passed away?

How could she tell her that the woman who sacrificed her life to give her an almost impossible chance of survival was not related to her by blood at all?

How could she bear to tell her that in the time it took to fall asleep, her family, her mother, and her villagers, whom she had been with day and night, had all passed away in a disaster?

How could I bear to shatter a little girl's beautiful dream with my own hands?

In that dream, there was "Mom," hide-and-seek, the happiness of the family enjoying sausages together after a fun time, and the little anticipation after making a promise with "Mom."

“I… how could I…” Francis stroked the armrest of the leather seat, his eyes filled with pain and struggle.

At this moment, he was neither a general guarding a region nor a highly respected clan leader, but a father filled with guilt for missing six years of his daughter's life.

If she weren't his daughter, it could even be considered the best outcome, but the likely outcome would be that Francis, who had been forcing himself to forget about it for the past six years, would have broken down.

"Christina...how can I face our child..."

Francis clutched his head and buried his face in his hands on the desk.