Kenji
"Who are you?"
This was not what Kenji was expecting.
He kept his guard up, trying to focus on his power to see if he felt anything off. His Danger Sense was completely silent. This girl, in her simple white dress and wheelchair, was not a threat.
He glanced at his teammates, and they also looked confused. Kiana looked utterly baffled, though she hadn't completely lowered her guard. Her pistols were still in her hands, but they were no longer in an aggressive position.
They had all come in expecting something to fight. Instead, they just found this girl.
'Is she a survivor from the Honkai spike? No… there's something odd about her. The pulling in his chest was a lot smaller, but it's without a doubt coming from her.' He subtly glanced at his team and noted how they were also suspicious.
Kiana decided to be the one to break the silence and holstered her pistols with a loud click, trying to appear non-threatening.
"Hi there! We're... looking for a thing. The Gem of Desire. Have you seen it around here?"
Kenji winced. 'Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Just say what our mission is to a random person why don't ya?'
The girl in the wheelchair flinched. Her pale green eyes darted between them, her hands gripping the arms of her chair.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she whispered, but Kenji caught that subtle edge in her tone. "There's no one else here. Please... just leave me alone."
Kenji knew this was going badly. He stepped forward, past Kiana, slowly raising his hands in a "I'm not going to murder you" gesture.
"Hey, it's okay," he said, forcing his voice to be as calm and gentle as possible. "We're not here to hurt you. We're from Schicksal."
He suddenly felt the cold pull in his chest throb again, but he ignored it for now. "We were sent here on a mission after the recent Honkai spike, to rescue any survivors that were left, and also get the gem my friend was talking about."
At the word "Schicksal," the girl shrank back even further. A flash of fear and anger crossed her face before she could hide it.
While he tried to further talk with the girl, Mei took charge. She had recovered from her initial shock, activated her comms, and turned slightly away from the rest to create a semblance of privacy.
"Himeko, we're at the signature's epicenter. We don't see the gem anywhere, but we did find a survivor. A girl in a wheelchair."
Himeko's voice crackled back. "This might be hard to believe, but the girl you are looking at is in possession of the Gem of Desire."
Mei's head snapped up. "Himeko, what...?"
"The girl in the wheelchair," Himeko's voice was now broadcast to the entire area, letting the girl also listen in. "Her name is Wendy. She used to be Oceania's best Valkyrie. And she is the host for the Gem of Desire."
Everyone was silent after her words. And the girl—Wendy, stared at them all with an unreadable expression.
"What?"
So the pull in his chest, the one that had guided him here, actually was the Gem of Desire. But there was something else that was allowing him to sense it.
Before, it had been an aggressive, almost painful ache in his chest. Now, it was a calmer, even gentle sensation that enveloped his body.
Though this raised many more questions, why was the gem so potent when he was far away, but calm when he was right in front of it?
Kiana was the first to voice her thoughts. "What the hell does that mean? She has the Gem inside her, so is she as strong as a Herrscher?"
Wendy, in her wheelchair, flinched at Kiana's comment, her eyes darting between the four of them, as if expecting them to attack at any second.
Himeko sighed, "Not exactly."
"Team, listen to me. What I'm about to tell you is classified. Three years ago, the Oceania Branch began a covert research program. They were attempting to create a weapon on the level of herrschers."
Kenji stared at the girl in the wheelchair. 'A weapon at the level of herrschers?'
"Their goal was to meld the Gem with Wendy's tibia to achieve Herrscher grade abilities—"
"—But I wasn't strong enough to contain the gem's power and I… lost control of my legs." Wendy cut her off with a somber tone.
His team's eyes widen at the reveal, now looking at Wendy in an entirely new light.
Kenji's gaze turned to Mei. Her face was ashen, and her hand pressed against her own chest. It looked like she was trying to stop her heart from beating.
She was looking at Wendy, but her eyes were distant. 'She's thinking about her own situation,' Kenji realized. The thought of being an unwilling host must be hitting way too close to home for her.
"The experiment was a catastrophic failure," Himeko continued, "But while she wasn't able to harness its power, the gem somehow stabilized in her body. It's the only medium it's stable in. Our primary mission is retrieval. Of them both."
"That's horrible!" Kiana shouted, clearly opposed to the entire idea of using Wendy as a container. But as she voiced her frustrations to Himeko, Kenji's mind wandered.
This was… a lot to take in. He looked at Wendy, a Valkyrie, a real hero who had been fighting for this world, and this is what happened to her. They had used her and left her as a host in a field.
Could the same thing have happened to him if Himeko and Theresa hadn't sought him out first? The thought didn't escape his mind.
While he, a random person from another world, was given his powers by a miracle, powers he still felt he didn't deserve. The injustice of it all, the sheer unfairness, made his stomach churn.
Wendy, seeing their shocked and empathetic looks, struggled to find her voice. It looked like she was, for some reason, surprised by their reaction.
She forced out a small smile. "It's fine," she said, as she looked down at her legs. "It wasn't their fault. I was just too weak to handle the gem's power."
He really hated that line, how she said "I was too weak". It was the exact opposite of his own problem. He had a power he didn't earn, and an ability to absorb Honkai energy like a sponge. She had earned her place, and her power had destroyed her.
He needed to help Wendy, but how? Looking at his team, they were also confused about what to say to the girl.
But then an idea popped into his head. The idea was ridiculous and definitely reckless. But the possibility was there.
"Himeko, back at St. Freya. You said I absorb Honkai energy, right? That my body contains it without any side effects, somehow?" Everyone turned their attention to Kenji.
"...Yes. What about it, Kenji?"
"What if..." he pressed, his gaze locked on Wendy, who had a confused expression on her face. "What if I can absorb the gem's excess energy? If I can do that, then wouldn't it stabilize the gem? Can I make her walk again?"
The silence that followed was deafening. Kiana's eyes widened, never actually considering the possibility, and Mei's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, unsure of what to say to his idea.
"Kenji..." Himeko's voice came back. She was clearly about to shut him down. "That is absolutely not—"
But then he stopped. Kenji could hear the change in her tone, the shift from a reflexive no to a stunned pause. He could almost see the gears turning in her head.
Bronya cut in, "The Bronya thinks Subject Kenji's idea to be plausible. If he can absorb the gem's leaking energy, there is a possibility that it will stabilise on its own. Making it possible to be extracted and allowing Wendy to walk again." She turned to look at Wendy and, surprisingly, gave a soft smile to the girl.
He turned her gaze to Wendy, too. The said girl was staring at him and Bronya with wide eyes.
"Wait... what are you talking about? You can Absorb Honkai energy? I've never heard of someone being able to do that."
The entire team froze, and Kenji felt his blood run cold. 'Oh crap, I just said that out loud..'
Himeko's voice came roaring back, a furious shout that drilled into his ear, "AOYAMA—!" Kiana gave him a pitying look and saluted him, "—YOU IDIOT! I thought it would be common sense to talk about sensitive info, away from outsiders listening!"
He winced, "I know, my bad! But hey, we can't rewind the past, so let's just get out of this place, yeah? …Please don't tell Theresa about this…"
"I swear to god if you keep—!"
"Pfft—!" He suddenly heard a chuckle and turned to see that it was Wendy who had laughed. "S-sorry, it's just… This was not what I expected when Schicksal sent people to find me." Her laugh somehow eased the tension in the room, as everyone else also seemed to visibly relax.
Wendy turned to look at him, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."
"See, Himeko! Everything is fine!"
The comm was silent for a while before it came back on, and he heard Himeko muttering several curses under her breath. "Fine… Just get Wendy out of there."
Himeko said nothing else and cut off their connection. Seeing his team nod in agreement, he walked over to Wendy. The girl was still suspicious of them, that much was obvious. But that suspicion had considerably lessened.
"Alright, Wendy. Do you want me to push your wheelchair or?"
"Why? You think I can't push it by myself? I was a top Valkyrie, you know?"
"What, no! I was just—T-that wasn't—!"
"Pfft—!" She suddenly burst out laughing, "S-sorry, you just seemed like the type to get flustered easily. I just wanted to see if my hunch was right." She said with a smug tone.
He heard chuckles coming from behind him, no doubt his team laughing at his misery.
"Also, it's alright. I can push this myself."
"Ok…"
/ — /
The team left the courtyard, stepping out of the strange, peaceful garden and back into the central plaza. Even though the tension had considerably decreased, it was obvious that Wendy was still nervous around them.
Wendy pushed her wheelchair over the threshold. She was clearly accustomed to using the wheelchair but had trouble moving on the uneven pavement.
Kenji fell into step beside her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, not sure what to say. He could explain more about his powers, about how he could absorb honkai energy. Except that he didn't really know the full extent of it, he might accidentally make her feel worse.
Mei and Bronya flanked her other side, their professional gazes sweeping the empty corridors. Kiana took on the role of scout by walking backward in front of them, pistols still drawn but pointed at the ground. She kept glancing between the silent buildings and the new addition to their group. The silence was clearly eating at her.
"So, uh..." Kiana started, her voice unnaturally loud in the plaza. "Nice grass back there. You... do the gardening yourself?"
Kenji had to physically stop himself from groaning. 'Really, Kiana? Gardening?'
Wendy looked up at her, a flicker of amusement mixing with her confusion. "...No," she replied, her voice soft.
"Oh. Cool, cool." Kiana nodded, apparently satisfied, and went back to "scouting" the empty, threat-free path ahead.
The group lapsed back into an awkward silence, the only sound the soft whir of Wendy's wheels against the pristine pavement.
Kenji could feel the wary suspicion still rolling off her. She was a former Valkyrie, a victim of Schicksal, and now she was being "rescued" by a new team of Schicksal Valkyries… and a Knight. He couldn't blame her for being on edge.
Mei, who had been walking silently, moved a little closer to Wendy's side. "Wendy, I know this is... a lot. And I know you have no reason to trust us, especially after..." She trailed off, gesturing vaguely.
Wendy's hands tensed on her wheels, but she didn't look at Mei.
"When Himeko explained what happened to you... I just want you to know, you're not alone in this."
Wendy looked up, her pale green eyes guarded.
Mei's hand instinctively went to her own chest, a gesture Kenji recognized immediately. "I understand what it's like to... to have a power inside you that you can't control. To feel like... like you're a danger to everyone you care about."
Wendy's hands, which had been gripping the wheels, slowly relaxed. She stared at Mei, unable to form any words. She saw no pity in Mei's gaze, only genuine empathy.
Before she could respond, Bronya spoke from her other side, her monotone voice unusually soft. "When we arrive at St. Freya," Bronya said, her gaze fixed forward, "if Subject Kenji's plan does not work, do not worry." Wendy turned to her, confused.
"The Bronya knows what it's like to be trapped. To be... used." Her voice was flat, but the words carried an immense weight. "The Bronya has ways to allow you to walk again, so do not lose hope."
Wendy looked from Mei to Bronya, completely taken aback. Kenji's mind went back to when they found her.
She was expecting people to come after her, and she must have expected it to be by force. But having his team escort her like this must have been quite a shocker.
Kenji, seeing his chance, added his own piece to the conversation. "We'll find a way to help you, like I said. St. Freya is... It's a good place. You'll be safe there. I promise."
"Yeah! We're friends after all, we won't let anything bad happen to you." Said Kiana.
"...Thank you,"
/ — /
The team continued their walk, the atmosphere now much lighter. Wendy looked a lot calmer now, even smiling a little, and added a few quiet words to the conversation, asking Mei about St. Freya.
Kenji walked beside her wheelchair, a sense of rightness settling in his chest. This was what being a hero was supposed to feel like. Not just punching monsters, but actually saving someone. They were almost at the landing zone, the silhouette of the Hyperion now visible far in the sky, a beacon guiding them home.
"Good job, everyone." Himeko's voice crackled through the comms. "The Principal is on the line, and she is very anxious. I need a status report. Confirm the asset is secure."
'Asset?' Why was she talking about Wendy like that? It was a word for a thing, not a person.
He immediately glanced at Wendy. Her smile froze, and her entire body went rigid, her hands gripping her wheelchair so hard her knuckles turned white.
Himeko, oblivious to the sudden tension on the ground, continued. "Theresa wants to know if the Gem's energy is stable and if the host is contained. We need to get the asset back to St. Freya for analysis immediately. We're dispatching the retrieval VTOL now."
He watched as Wendy's head snapped up. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with a look of slow-motion horror. She looked right at him, as her eyes slowly turned into a murderous glare.
He saw her mouth open, her voice a desolate whisper. "You... lied to me..."
"What do you—?" Kenji was about to ask, taking a step forward. But before he could take a second step, his Danger Sense exploded.
It wasn't a simple jolt through his head. It was a physical, agonizing scream in his skull, warning him of imminent, catastrophic danger. It flared from Wendy's direction, so powerful and so sudden that his body locked up.
Nothing he faced ever made Danger Sense react this severely. It was too late. He didn't even have time to brace himself, let alone warn the others.
Wendy's voice hardened, the despair fracturing into a cold, bottomless rage. Her eyes began to glow with a blinding, toxic green energy.
"I hate you… ALL OF YOU!"
A column of brilliant green wind erupted from her, a violent, pressurized explosion that blasted the entire team backward. Kenji, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya were sent flying, skidding across the pavement as the shockwave ripped up the plaza.
Kenji crashed hard into the base of a pillar, the air driven from his lungs. He scrambled to his feet, his ears ringing, his eyes fixed on the center of the plaza.
The calm air was gone. The air around them now turned into a howling cyclone.
Wendy's wheelchair lay in a twisted, shattered heap.
And above it, floating in the center of the gathering storm, was Wendy. Her pale blue hair whipped around her, and her eyes, no longer human, glowed with the unmistakable, inhuman light of a Herrscher.