The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

Kiana slowly stopped in her tracks as she looked at the laser gun she called Heavy Bunny 0019.

A long time ago... when she was only half her height, she was like this too. But back then, she was forced to do it because she was being controlled. And today... this time, it's not from her own heart either, is it?

Kiana quietly watched her close friend resist her, her serene face showing not a trace of hostility. But this demeanor failed to elicit any understanding or response from her friend; the gun barrel, gleaming with a ghostly blue light, made its stance crystal clear.

"I'm sorry, Kiana."

Finally, after much internal struggle, Bronya made a decision. She would take her friend back to headquarters! Her existence was far more important than the various phenomena in St. Fontaine. If necessary, after imprisoning her, she would also need to dismantle the AI ​​that called itself sodium chloride.

Perhaps the answer to all the secrets lies hidden in that little thing's head?

"Hehe..." A sudden, crisp laugh interrupted Bronya's reverie, forcing her to focus her attention on Kiana. The smile that suddenly appeared on Kiana's lips was so strange and unsettling that Bronya couldn't immediately grasp its meaning.

"Ok?"

"I remember when you used to bicker with me all the time." Kiana slowly opened her eyes, and the heroic spirit revealed in her eyes surprised Bronya.

"before--"

Before she could finish speaking, Kiana suddenly moved and rushed over.

Bronya's almond-shaped eyes widened, utterly surprised that Kiana would attack without warning. Caught off guard, she could only fire several shots. However, although the laser bullets struck Kiana squarely, they caused no real damage. Or perhaps... she was willing to endure the bullet damage just to charge at her?

"What's going on? Could it be a monster disguised as her?!"

Before Bronya could react, Kiana leaped into the air... and then hugged herself.

The sudden hug left her completely bewildered.

After the Honkai had been sealed away for so many years, Bronya sensed her presence for the first time. An immense power enveloped her, and Kiana's force caused them to tumble to the ground.

"this..."

Bronya slowly raised her head and found that Kiana was merely embracing her, without making any further moves. Puzzled, she reached out her hand, only to have it grasped by Kiana.

"Trust me, okay? Aren't we partners?"

Kiana held her friend's hands in her own, her bright eyes revealing a mixture of sadness and hope...

Why are everyone different now? (Honkai Impact 3rd): Chapter 39 Bronya: I grant her permission to join the team. Who agrees? Who disagrees?

Her hands...were so warm. This was Bronya's thought, her most immediate feeling. It was hard to imagine that after everything she had been through, she would still have the opportunity to touch her like this.

Unfortunately, it seems we have no chance to go back to the past.

A hint of sadness flashed in Bronya's eyes, before she stubbornly retorted, "Of course we're allies, but Kiana. In the time you've been gone... no, since the moment you left, a lot has happened."

“I know,” Kiana replied.

"Um?!"

The sudden answer shocked Bronya. She knew a lot had happened? That meant she actually knew how the Honkai Gods were sealed away? If so… then…

"Kiana, do you hate me?" Bronya turned her face away and asked silently.

"Why would you say that? You've never hurt me. Could it be that after all this time, you're still holding onto the memories of being controlled before? Haha, I didn't expect you to still have a conscience."

Kiana smiled and helped her best friend up, then slowly leaned in to give her a warm hug. Kiana pressed her face close to her friend's ear, comforting her in a voice so soft that only she and her friend could hear it.

"I'm back, Bronya."

A single, soft sentence, seemingly as light as a feather, yet resounding like a mountain, bringing a sense of reassurance. This was the voice she could utter, a symbol of the inner strength she had gained after her successful transformation. If it were her... perhaps she could change everything?

"..." Bronya hesitated for a moment, then slowly returned Kiana's embrace. "Yeah, silly Kiana. Welcome back..."

The two embraced without saying anything more, simply listening to each other's heartbeats, thus remembering... that although the other was different from before and lived in a different time, they still existed vividly.

...

After a short rest, Lyle and Timido felt much better and let out a long sigh of relief.

Lyle, slumped in the shade, holding the back of his head and lost in thought, couldn't help but complain, "Why haven't they come back yet? Is the captain lost?"

"Uh, senior. So the captain can get lost?"

Timido, who had been quietly observing Xiao Xilin from the side, blinked her glasses and then suddenly asked a question.

Since she asked, Lyle couldn't just ignore her.

"Haha, I don't know if that's true. I'll have to ask them a lot when they get back to see if they got lost or discovered something strange. What do you think, Timido?"

It must be said that although this guy seems carefree and has a mild temperament, he's actually very shrewd. Just from a fleeting glimpse of wariness, one could guess that he...

Xilin looked away, realizing that her worst fears had come true.

Traveling between worlds is not always smooth sailing; sometimes travelers face rejection or exclusion. To avoid this, a certain degree of disguise is necessary. Disguise of identity is one such disguise, but unfortunately...

This is just like lying. If the lie isn't exposed, the world will continue to be deceived. If the lie is exposed, then the truth will eventually come out.

Now, the one forced to lie has confessed, hasn't he...?

Xilin rubbed the hem of her skirt, inwardly cursing her foolish master. They could have kept things discreet, but they had to make such a fuss. Now the trajectory of fate was completely disrupted; it wasn't impossible that the Void Treasury would directly use Heavenly Fire Judgment to cleanse the land or send worlds to intervene.

Hey...

Although I had a premonition, I didn't expect her to actually confess.

There's no guarantee that there will be any lenient treatment next.

Celine sat on her scissors, swinging her feet, completely ignoring the gazes of her two teammates. Although she was helpless in the face of the situation, she still possessed the necessary skills.

Who would have thought that at a time like this, I would have to be grateful to the fool who gave me a physical body?

Fate is truly unpredictable...

"Hey! You guys are here! Bronya and I have been looking for you for ages." The sudden soft exclamation interrupted Sirin's reverie.

She slowly turned her head, her orange-yellow eyes fixed on her jubilant master. The way she was skipping and hopping along, clinging to Bronya's arm, was utterly baffling.

Are you really that happy?

Do you really believe your friend won't investigate further?

"Aha, Captain, you're finally here. Cough cough, actually, just now... I suddenly remembered something very important."

Lyle stood up from the ground, seemingly casually touching the grenade in his pocket.

He smiled at his captain, but his hand holding the grenade trembled slightly. The intensity of his inner turmoil was laid bare.

Seeing this, Bronya hesitated for a moment.

"Lyle, actually, I just remembered something too. Now I want to introduce someone to you."

"What?"

Lyle was stunned when he heard the captain was going to introduce someone.

Who are you introducing?

There were hardly any strangers around. Who was she planning to introduce us to? Could it be an invisible ghost?!

"This is Kiana, my good friend from my time at St. Freya Academy."

"To correct you, that's still true now."

Kiana chuckled, then released Bronya and introduced herself to the two of them.

"My name is Kiana, and I'm a Valkyrie from St. Freya Academy. Should I consider myself graduated now? Or was I forced to graduate midway? I don't know how the headmaster assigned me. Anyway, I'll help you from now on. Nice to meet you!"

"..."

Lyle gasped, then stroked his chin, glancing left and right. His gaze finally settled on his...captain, who seemed completely unaffected.

What's this? I have so many complaints I want to make, but I just don't know where to start.

In the end, after thinking for a long time without coming to a conclusion, Lyle helplessly spread his hands.

"Then, Captain, I only have one question. Do we have the right to know all the intelligence?"

“That’s classified,” Bronya retorted righteously.

What does it mean to have a higher-ranking official who can easily bully others?

What a despicable destiny-based command system...

Lyle's lips twitched; he knew that if he asked any more questions, he would be met with a disapproving look.

He slowly extended his hand to Kiana:

"Hmm...I understand. It's nice to meet you!"

"Wow! It's a senior, and a senior from the same year as the captain!"

The hand that was originally meant to hold Kiana's was replaced by Timido's.

The younger girl looked at Kiana with delight, and one could vaguely detect a hint of something unusual about her...

Why are we all different now? (Post-Honkai Odyssey): Chapter 40 Hero who personally sealed away the Honkai, are you really ready?

"Haha, um... actually, we should have met before."

Kiana smiled, revealing the truth without any sense of self-awareness. Lyle, seeing her so confident, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But to disclose the truth so readily, without any burden, meant she was fearless?

Uh, why did things turn out this way?

Lyle scratched his head and looked at Sirin.

This little guy did this too? I really didn't expect him to be able to do that—wait, she also looked completely bewildered.

At this moment, judging from Kiana's reaction, Little Sirin felt that something might be wrong. She opened her big, watery eyes and carefully examined her master, hoping to find traces of a battle.

It wasn't that she wanted to see this idiot suffer the consequences; she mainly wanted to observe and assess the situation. The result was quite interesting... she was completely unharmed?

No way, no way, our identities have been exposed!

Is that captain completely infatuated with someone, or what? Why isn't she reporting such an unusual phenomenon to headquarters immediately? This isn't like her at all.

Sirin glanced sideways at Bronya, whose face remained calm, and Bronya returned the glance. Their eyes met, and they both tacitly looked away.

Strange, inexplicable tools; an unknown entity with the ability to tear open portals between parallel worlds; a wise man who is almost omniscient and omnipotent...

This is the truth revealed by Kiana herself. It's so surreal that Bronya initially thought Kiana was delirious from a fever.

However, the facts have invariably proven this statement to be correct.