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

"Mom... Dad bullied me..." Karen's vision went black; the lack of oxygen made it almost impossible for her to stand. She slowly squatted down against the wall, burying her face deeply between her knees. "Mom... please come back..."

Francis appeared behind Karen without her noticing, extending his arms to gently embrace her in his warm embrace. After seeing Francis's face clearly, Karen weakly struggled to break free from his arms, crying out, "I don't want you to be my dad... You lied to me... I don't want a dad anymore... Give me back my mom... I want to go find my mom..."

Francis watched Karen cry out in silence until she struggled in his arms until she was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep.

Francis carried Karen silently all the way back to the Kaslana residence, each step steady as if he were holding the whole world in his arms.

Francis ignored Thomas's questioning gaze and took Karen back to her bedroom, gently placing her on the bed and tucking her in.

Karen's face was still streaked with tears, her little face wrinkled from crying, as if she couldn't find peace even in her dreams.

Francis slowly reached out, wanting to wipe away Karen's tears, but seemed to be afraid of something and hesitated to do so.

Finally, he could only slowly lower his head, bury his face in Karen's blanket, and hold Karen's small hands tightly in his own.

A low sob came from Francis's throat, echoing in the silent bedroom.

The sobbing grew louder and louder, and even though Francis tried to suppress it, he couldn't stop the crying from spreading.

Under the moonlight, Francis's glossy white hair seemed to take on a withered hue, and his voice, filled with despair and regret, came through the blanket covering his face.

"Sorry……"

"Sorry……"

"Your two mothers... I..."

"I failed to protect even one of them..."

"Sorry……"

"Dad is really... so useless..."

Chapter Twenty-One: She said she would definitely come back.

The next morning, as usual, the morning light shone on Karen's blankets, waking her from her deep sleep.

Karen slowly opened her eyes and felt her right hand being enveloped by a pair of warm, large hands.

She sat up and looked at Francis, who was sleeping on top of her, her eyes filled with a complex expression.

“Dad,” Karen said softly, gently shaking Francis.

Francis's heart skipped a beat, as if he had been jolted awake by a nightmare. He looked at Karen in front of him with suspicion and uncertainty.

Karen's pure smile was no different from what Francis had seen over the past month—equally obedient and warm, just like the sunlight at this moment.

"Daddy, wake up." Karen gently shook Francis, just like before.

But that's the most incredible part.

Francis's throat bobbed, but he didn't know what to say.

Finally, he could only manage to squeeze out a single word from his throat: "Good morning..."

"Good morning, Daddy~" Karen jumped off the bed with a smile and handed the comb to Francis: "Daddy, comb my hair."

Francis found Karen incredibly strange at that moment, because her behavior was just as normal as it had been every morning for the past month.

Such a normal Karen could not possibly exist in Karen after what happened last night.

Francis felt a chill creep up his spine.

As usual, Karen had breakfast with Francis and then returned to her bedroom to study the lessons arranged by her tutor, but Francis's unease did not diminish in the slightest.

It wasn't until Karen sat at the entrance of the Kaslana residence after class, as she always did, that Francis finally realized the seriousness of the problem far exceeded his imagination.

She was waiting for Maria to come home.

One day passed.

A week has passed.

Two weeks have passed, and Karen continues with the same routine. Whenever she has free time, she sits at the door and looks at the passing crowds. Her eyes are always full of hope, but her body is getting thinner and thinner day by day.

Francis sat quietly beside Karen, which caught Karen's attention.

She turned her head and saw Francis sitting next to her on the steps. She asked with some confusion, "Is Daddy also waiting for Mommy?"

Francis sighed and said to Karen in a very heavy tone, "Maria is dead."

"Yes, I know." Karen's body visibly trembled, but she nodded happily. "But she'll still come back, won't she?"

Francis gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, replying, "No...she won't be coming back."

“But she said she would definitely come back, and she told me to wait for her to come back before I came out of the box,” Karen said softly, her head down.

Before Francis could continue, Karen began to mutter to herself, "Mom said that if Karen is good, Mom will stay with her... so Karen has always been very obedient. Mom also said that when she comes back, we'll eat sausage together..."

“Karen…” Francis wanted to reach out and stroke Karen’s hair, but then he timidly withdrew his hand.

Karen, oblivious to Francis's unusual behavior, continued to mutter to herself, "Uncle Thomas also said that if Karen studies hard, Mom will be back soon..."

“Since you all say Mom will be back soon, then she must be on her way back, right?” Karen lowered her head deeply, preventing Francis from seeing her expression. “Dad and Uncle Thomas would never lie to me… so…”

"Karen, Maria is not coming back." Francis's voice was like a winter wind, chilling Karen's heart to the bone.

“But…” Karen finally raised her head. Her once bright blue eyes, with their long eyelashes, were now filled with tears. Through those tears, one could clearly see the complex emotions mixed in Karen’s eyes.

hope.

doubt.

fear.

Fragile.

It was the look in someone's eyes who was trapped in a desperate situation and had no choice but to gamble all their hopes on it. Francis had seen this look countless times, but he never thought he would see it in his own daughter one day.

"But Mom said she would come back..."

“No, she’s dead. She won’t come back.” Francis felt a pang of heartache looking at Karen’s expression, but even so, he had no choice but to tell the truth again and again.

"She said she would definitely come back!" Karen finally couldn't hold back her tears. All the hopes and despair that had accumulated over the past month and a half clashed together and poured out like a flood.

Francis hugged Karen tightly, and Karen, as if she had found an outlet, clung to Francis and burst into unrestrained sobs.

What was once a whole month of waiting filled with hope for a better future turned into shackles forged from despair and obsession, shackles that drove the imprisoned person to the brink of madness.

"Mom...why isn't she coming back?" Karen asked Francis between sobs. "Is it...is Karen being naughty?"

“No, Karen is very good.” Francis gently patted Karen’s back to help her catch her breath.

"But...then why doesn't Mommy...won't she come back..." Karen's little hands gripped Francis's clothes tightly, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear too. "Mommy...does Mommy not like Karen anymore?"

“No, Mom likes Karen very much.” Francis’s voice gradually lowered.

"Then..." Karen cried even harder, "Then why didn't Mommy come back... Did Mommy not want Karen anymore...?"

“No…” Francis felt his heart bleeding. “Mom…Mom went to the great Father.”

"Does going to Father's side mean I can leave Karen behind?"

“Karen, listen to me.” Francis took a deep breath, straightened Karen, turned around and squatted down in front of Karen, looking her in the eye, his eyes meeting Karen’s crying eyes. “Mommy loves you very much, likes you very much, and wants to be with you forever. Karen hasn’t been naughty.”

“But Mother is not coming back. She has gone to the side of the great and merciful Father.” Francis tried his best to keep his tone steady, afraid of upsetting Karen, even though the content of his words was enough to push Karen to the brink of collapse.

“Dad said that everyone will eventually go to the great and merciful Father, and so will Mom. It’s not that she doesn’t want to stay with Karen, and she can’t bear to leave Karen, but no one can refuse the Father’s call. By the Father’s side, everyone will enjoy eternal happiness and peace, without pain, without cold, and without hunger.”

Francis reached out and gently wiped away the tears from Karen's eyes, his voice full of tenderness: "Maria was a great, strong, gentle and virtuous woman, and you can see it from your upbringing."

"Therefore, Father thought Maria was very outstanding and loved her very much, just as Maria loved Karen. Father also wanted to keep Maria by his side, so he took Maria away."

"So... Karen, don't be so sad, because one day we will be reunited with our Father. This separation is only temporary, because after this temporary pain, we will usher in a long-lasting happiness."

Karen's nose wrinkled as she sobbed and asked Francis, "But why does Father take Mother away just because he loves her? Didn't Father consider that Karen also wants to be with Mother? Karen is such a good girl, why is Father willing to let Karen lose her mother?"

Francis paused slightly, finding the question somewhat difficult to answer, but he calmed himself and slowly addressed Karen's question, just as he had patiently taught her over the past month: "Each of us comes into this world with a mission, but we don't know what our mission is at the beginning. Therefore, we need to find our mission in our lives to make them meaningful, instead of living a boring, monotonous life day after day, and ending our journey in this world in a state of nothingness and mediocrity."

“Mary found her mission, which was to take good care of you, educate you, and raise you into a well-behaved, sensible child with the virtues of humility and thrift. She fulfilled her mission admirably, and Father was very happy about it. He wanted to take her with him and reward her with eternal happiness, which is why Mother had to leave here and go to Father’s side.”

Karen's emotions gradually calmed down under Francis's comforting words, but she still asked with some sadness, "So if Karen completes her mission, can she go to Father's side and see Mother?"

Francis's heart stirred, and he replied, "Yes, my child, but finding your mission is a very long and difficult process. Many people never find their mission in their entire lives. You must be patient. If one day you encounter something you would be willing to give your life to accomplish, then do it. That must be your mission."

Slowly, Karen stopped sobbing, raised her head, and asked Francis with a hint of confusion and bewilderment, "Does Dad know what his mission is?"

Francis paused, then smiled and said, "Dad knows."

"Then will Father go to the Father's side too?" Before Francis could finish speaking, Karen's eyes filled with tears again. She gripped Francis's clothes tightly with both hands, her panicked expression as if she was afraid that God would take Francis away at any moment.

“No, although Dad is fulfilling his mission, it will take a long time, so Dad won’t be by your side right now.” Francis smiled and patted Karen’s head.

"Then what is Dad's mission?"

“My mission is to spend my life with Karen, to protect Karen, and to protect the people in the city, the people in the neighborhood, and all the good people I’ve ever met.” Francis slowly sat down next to Karen and pulled her into his arms.

Karen looked at Francis with a blank expression: "Protect?"

"Because there is a natural disaster called Honkai, which constantly destroys our homes. My father's mission is to protect our people from this natural disaster."

"Protect whom?"

"Our people."

"Then who will protect us?"

"Our people."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Karen's Final Echo

From that day on, the world lost a well-behaved, gentle little girl who loved to circle around her parents, and gained a knight-errant who tried to use his limited life to save all people who had tragic experiences or were about to face disaster.

Karen felt her body temperature steadily decreasing, and the scenes before her eyes flashed by like illustrations. She seemed to see all sixteen years of her life, but then completely forgot them after they floated past her.

She saw her hands stained with someone's blood, which she didn't know.

She saw children running on the ridges of the wheat field.

She saw the death she had experienced, the hope, pain, and stubbornness of those who died.