Night fell very early. Without the sun, the temperature dropped quickly. Ryn and Kiana returned to the cabin early.
Dinner was a simple, unadorned affair of gnawing on Honkai Beast. Since they had killed two today, they each got one, avoiding the awkwardness of having to share by chewing off pieces.
Fighting the Honkai Beast this afternoon made Ryn realize he needed to start learning how to fight, so he began to ask Kiana for lessons. The result was getting beaten up all afternoon, which gave Ryn his first clear understanding of what a rookie he really was.
He had strength but no skill in using it. He fought with Kiana all afternoon but barely touched her a few times. For every attack he made, he would get hit three times by Kiana after she dodged. Although they were both holding back, getting hit constantly still hurt.
In this small wooden cabin where Kiana and Siegfried had lived for many years, most of the things inside were powered by Siegfried's Honkai energy. With Siegfried's disappearance, two-thirds of the equipment in the cabin stopped working.
Like the oil lamp. Dammit, why do you use the Judgment of Shamash to light an oil lamp, you bastard.
On the sofa, Ryn and Kiana stared at each other, eye to eye. In the dark room, moonlight shone on them. Their respective red and ice-blue pupils reflected an unusual light, twinkling cutely.
Ryn, not caring much about face, just kept looking at Kiana. Kiana is so cute, I can't get enough of looking at her.
Kiana didn't know why Ryn kept staring at her, but based on the principle of "if he looks at me, I'll look back," she also kept staring at Ryn.
In the end, Kiana was the first to give in. She was starting to feel a little cold.
"I'm going back to the room. It's warmer in bed."
With that, Kiana got up and went back to her room, leaving Ryn with a decisive view of her back.
Ryn thought for a moment, then he too walked into Kiana's room. After all, this wooden cabin only had two rooms: one was Kiana's bedroom, and the other was a storage room filled with all sorts of things. He didn't know where Siegfried slept. (Siegfried: Thanks for remembering me. I sleep on the sofa. I have the Judgment of Shamash, so it's not cold.)
"Pervert, what are you doing in here!"
"Sleeping, of course. I didn't see a bed anywhere else. Besides, we slept together yesterday, didn't we?" Ryn was also about to get into bed, but Kiana had wrapped herself in the blanket like a spring roll, not letting Ryn in.
"Yesterday was an accident! You're not a girl, how can you sleep with me? Get out and sleep on the sofa. My stinky old dad used to sleep there."
Ryn lay on the side and thought for a moment, then said, "From your previous description, I think your dad had that Judgment of Shamash, so he wasn't afraid of the cold and could sleep on the sofa. If I go sleep on the sofa, I'll probably pass out from the cold just like when we first met. Hehehe, so hurry up and let go of the blanket and let me in."
"But my stinky old dad said I'm a grown-up now and can't sleep with boys, and especially can't let boys touch me randomly. He also told me to stay far, far away from perverts. You bastard, you've done everything my dad told me not to do! The fact that I haven't killed you is already merciful of me."
"Your dad is right. Next time another man tries to touch you randomly, I'll help you take him out first. Be a little more merciful. I feel like I'll really freeze to death if I sleep outside. Can you bear to see your little knight die for nothing? Don't worry, I'm a gentleman. I definitely won't do anything inappropriate."
As Ryn spoke righteously, he gently tugged at the blanket on Kiana. Feeling that Kiana wasn't pulling as hard as before, he gave a strong pull, snatched half the blanket, and slipped inside.
"Bastard, just this once."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Ten minutes later.
"Pervert, what is your hand doing!" Kiana angrily slapped away the hand on her waist, but Ryn had his eyes closed, seemingly sound asleep.
"Hmph, seeing as you're asleep, I'll forgive you this time."
After a while, Ryn quietly opened one eye to peek. After confirming that Kiana was asleep, he relaxed.
"Ehehe, my plan to sleep while hugging my wife has failed."
After a while, Kiana turned over, and her hand slapped Ryn across the face.
Ryn.exe has stopped thinking.
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Kiana opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Siegfried shattering the glass in front of her, scooping her out of the nutrient fluid, and then they were here.
Kiana was a person with very little sense of security. As a child with no memories, she was filled with confusion about the world. Everything was new to her.
Perhaps it's like how a baby bird recognizes the first person it sees as its closest kin. Kiana was the same. She regarded Siegfried as her closest person. But Siegfried just drank every day, fought Honkai Beasts, came home covered in injuries, and then drank some more.
Siegfried was very good to Kiana. Whatever she wanted, Siegfried would bring it to her. But Kiana had always been unhappy because if she didn't speak first, Siegfried wouldn't talk to her. He had never smiled at her, nor had he ever celebrated her birthday. Every birthday, Siegfried would just get dead drunk, repeatedly shouting the names Kiana and Cecilia.
Many times, a drunk Siegfried would sleep on the floor. Kiana could only silently drape a blanket over him and nestle beside him. Being near Siegfried made Kiana feel very safe, but every time Kiana woke up, she would find herself still lying on the floor, while Siegfried was already gone.
The well-behaved her didn't know what she had done wrong to make Siegfried so cold to her, but she still took care of Siegfried every day.
What an irresponsible stinky old dad. But Kiana also knew that this Siegfried was a great hero who protected the world. After leaving Schicksal, her dad became a lone warrior, but he still persisted in fighting the Honkai with his own power...
Until one day, Kiana was bandaging the wounds of a battered Siegfried. Looking at the ever-increasing number of wounds on Siegfried's body, Kiana asked with a heartache.
"Why do you still protect the people, even at this point?"
Siegfried smiled and was silent for a moment, then said with pride.
"Maybe it's because when I see people hurt by the Honkai, the Kaslana blood in my veins starts to boil."
That was the first time Kiana saw her dad's smile, and the first time she understood the meaning of Kaslana. Siegfried's words were deeply imprinted in Kiana's mind. At that moment, Kiana resolved to become a warrior of the Kaslana family, one who could protect others at all costs.
Kiana asked Siegfried to teach her combat skills, and Siegfried began to teach her the Kaslana's Gun Kata. However, Siegfried was only a half-baked practitioner, so he could only teach Kiana a half-baked Gun Kata, which Kiana also learned in a half-baked way. The two of them were truly father and daughter, shouting "Gun Kata, Gun Kata" all day long, but more often than not, they relied on their combat instincts to fight.