Chapter 387: You're Scaring Me, Kiana
"Sirin, you've been doing pretty well lately, so I've decided to give you a few extra days of free time. You can go enjoy your vacation now. No need to thank me—go on, shoo!"
In the vast, empty temple split between gold and crimson, Kiana sat on the red side of the round table, smiling as she pushed a cup of soda toward Sirin. Her eyes, burning like twin red flames, blinked innocently—far too innocently—as she looked at Sirin.
"Hmph."
Sirin let out a disdainful snort through her nose, expression cold as she locked her gaze onto Kiana. The hands resting on the table slowly tightened, then she crossed her arms and said coolly:
"Do you take me for an idiot?"
At this timing, going out meant nothing except getting pummeled by Sigurd. There was no second possible outcome. Sirin naturally wasn't about to go take the blame in Kiana's place.
Kiana's smile collapsed.
The next moment, she appeared beside Sirin's crystal throne, shamelessly hugging Sirin's leg as she burst into loud, wailing sobs.
"Dora-Sirin, pleeease help me! If I go out now, I'm dead for sure!!"
"What does that have to do with me? Let go of my leg! And who are you calling Dora-Sirin?!"
"You know what'll happen! If I wake up outside right now, Sig will definitely break my hands and feet first, then snap my spine into eighteen pieces, then twist my neck 720°, and finally—finally—kick my head around like a ball!!"
Kiana cried even harder, and after vividly simulating her own tragic fate, she involuntarily shivered.
Sirin's expression twisted—because she saw Kiana wiping her nose on her beautiful Herrscher of the Void dress skirt.
"Get off!"
With a cold shout, Sirin kicked Kiana's consciousness straight out of the space.
However, after Kiana vanished, Sirin's fury quickly faded—replaced by a wave of genuine fear.
"Damn it…"
Sirin subconsciously bit her thumb, her expression shifting rapidly.
In her eyes, ever since the consciousness battle on the moon, Kiana's unhinged tendencies hadn't improved—they'd gotten worse.
Just look at what that idiot did.
She used the Edge of Taixuan to cut herself down—literally—just to gamble on the possibility that she might have the potential to become the Herrscher of Flames, a possibility based on nothing but speculation!
Judging from the sensation earlier, that stupid little creature probably succeeded.
But Sirin's situation had become even more troublesome.
On one hand, now that Kiana possessed a Herrscher authority herself, the already-slim chance Sirin had of overpowering her to gain freedom was growing even dimmer. On the other hand, if Kiana was willing to cut herself in half on a whim, who knew what insane thing she might do next?
If, one day, Kiana managed to get herself killed… even if Sirin survived without getting dragged down—would that monster Sigurd ever let her go?
Sirin bit her finger, thinking and overthinking, every conclusion making her feel even more doomed. In the end, all that panic distilled into a single word:
"Shit."
…
"Uwah!!"
In the outside world, Kiana jolted up from the sofa-bed with a scream.
Fu Hua's helplessness, Bronya and Book of Fuxi's pity, and Sigurd's icy stare—all four gazes converged on Kiana.
Then a hand clamped down on her skull.
Kiana: "╰(°▽°)╯!!!"
The air went silent. Sigurd stared down at her from above, expression unreadable.
"You know exactly what's going on, don't you."
"Well, I— uwah—! Don't hit me, don't hit me! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay?! Waaaah!"
Before Sigurd even moved, Kiana threw herself at his waist, pressing her forehead into his abs as she sobbed and begged for mercy.
But after wailing for quite a while, she realized—Sigurd's fist never came.
"Huh?"
Kiana paused her crying, tilting her head just enough to sneak a careful look at Sigurd's face.
Then she realized that she and Sigurd were no longer in the peaceful, relaxed lounge. Instead, they stood in a vast plain under a blue sky, grass stretching endlessly around them. Bronya and the others were gone—the only thing brought along was the sofa beneath her.
Sigurd stood with his head lowered, shadows darkening his expression as he stared at her.
Kiana's arms tightened around Sigurd's waist, her heart giving a faint tremble. She could feel the complexity in Sigurd's emotions—realized, vaguely, that anger probably wasn't the main part. More than that, there was worry, fear, sorrow…
"I'm sorry…"
Kiana hugged his waist a little tighter, burying her face against him as she spoke in a muffled voice.
Now that she had calmed down, she understood how reckless she'd been. Even if she wanted to gamble on that possibility, she should've gone through Sigurd's professional analysis first, and run detailed simulations with Fu Hua. At the very least, she should've waited until they left this place. Attempting something like that inside the Elysian Realm—where the line between real and unreal was blurred—only added unnecessary risk.
"I'm sorry. I really went too far this time."
Kiana apologized again, the guilt sinking heavily into her chest.
Her life didn't belong to only herself. Sigurd, and the friends and family around her, cherished it dearly. Taking reckless risks… was no different from hurting their hearts.
"…Sigh…"
Sigurd let out a long breath and gently stroked her hair, silent for a very long time.
When Kiana had become so ashamed she was nearly ready to kneel on the ground and apologize, Sigurd finally spoke, his voice quiet:
"How do you feel now?"
"I'm fine—really, I'm okay."
Kiana lifted her head, answering honestly.
Her body was healed, the runaway Honkai energy soothed, the mental damage from self-severing was restored. Aside from some fatigue, she truly had no major issues.
She let go of Sigurd and stood up, spinning once in front of him to show she was perfectly all right.
Then she spread her arms, looking up at him with a gentle, obedient smile.
Sigurd reached out and pulled the girl tightly into his embrace.
"You scared me," he murmured.
Though he tried to sound calm, his voice trembled ever so slightly.
Kiana's eyes softened. She patted his back, smiling tenderly.
"…Yeah. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"I don't trust your promises," Sigurd replied flatly.
"What—am I really that unreliable?"
"War, death, failure, even Honkai itself—I can fight all of that without fear. But Kiana… you, and only you… you terrify me."
Sigurd held her head, burying his face in her hair as he spoke in a low, trembling voice.
Kiana froze. Her eyes shimmered with tears.
After a long moment, an unbelievably soft smile bloomed on her face. She wrapped her arms around his solid frame, whispering:
"Then believe in me. Believe in the me you love so much. Believe in the me who loves you even more. As long as you're here, Sig, not even death could stop me from coming back. I swear it."
"…That's not scientifically sound," Sigurd muttered after a moment, unconvinced.
Kiana let out a breathy, teary laugh, her eyes shining with gentle warmth.
"Who cares about science? That's what love is, you idiot."
"Love… I think I really understand now. I love you, Kiana. I love you so much."
Sigurd spoke quietly, naturally, as if he were simply voicing a truth that had always been in his heart.
Kiana's eyes widened, her mind going blank for a moment—then tears spilled down her cheeks like crystal beads.
Not from sadness.
But from a joy so overwhelming it felt unreal.
After a moment, she whispered, voice trembling:
"At a time like this… you're supposed to kiss me."
Sigurd loosened his embrace, raising her chin so he could look into those shy, love-filled eyes.
Then, just as she said, he slowly leaned in—careful, reverent, as though approaching the most precious treasure in existence—and kissed her.
Neither of them closed their eyes. They simply gazed into each other's hearts through their eyes, forgetting the world and the flow of time.
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