The brilliance faded.
The mirrored universe began to collapse.
In the outer world, Kiana had finally conquered the nightmare that had haunted her for so long—through sheer strength and unwavering will.
Back in the year 2000, in the frozen land of Siberia, when the Herrscher of the Void was defeated, the young Valkyrie named Kiana at last awakened her true power.
In the inner world, Kagura had unraveled the knots in Sirin's heart, allowing the purple-haired girl to let go of her hatred for humanity.
With her heart open for the first time, she began to step out of her emotional cage and try accepting the warmth and care of others.
Now that both the outer and inner realms had fulfilled their roles, the mirrored universe they had formed began to dissolve into nothingness.
Inside the Hyperion's simulation combat room, the dimensional spell cast by Kagura—the Mirror of Space twisted into reality—started to shatter like broken glass.
Countless shimmering fragments scattered into the air, like a shower of crystal petals falling gently, beautifully.
Then, with a flash of white light, the twisted space-time restored itself to normal.
"Phew... I—I did it!"
Kiana dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. Though exhausted, her flushed face wore a triumphant smile.
"Kagura-neesan! I did it! I defeated the Herrscher of the Void! I finally broke free from the nightmare that's haunted me all my life!"
"Mhm! That's our Kiana!" Kagura bent down and gently patted Kiana's head.
"Well done. I always knew you could do it. With the strength you have now, even if you were to face a real Herrscher—you wouldn't flinch, would you?"
"Yeah! I'm not that naive little girl anymore!"
Kiana nodded with a confident grin, her lips curling into her signature cat-like smile.
"I'm going to grow even stronger! I'll become someone who can protect everyone! That's the only way I can live up to what the class rep and Himeko-sensei expected of me—and become a truly powerful Valkyrie!"
"Hmph! What a load of talk from a total rookie. You're really something, huh? Acting all proud—it's annoying!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out both familiar and foreign to Kiana.
"Kagura-neesan, I still say Kiana's a total idiot! Giving her my power was such a waste! She doesn't deserve it! It would've been better if you gave it to me instead…"
Kiana turned to look—and saw a young girl with long purple hair and golden eyes, peeking out from behind Kagura.
The little girl was clutching Kagura's sleeve, golden eyes glimmering slightly as she stared at Kiana with open disdain.
"Idiot Kiana, listen up! If you don't use my powers properly, I—I won't forgive you!"
Kiana blinked, stunned, her smile freezing into an expression of disbelief.
"Eh?! Who are you?! Where did you even come from? Wai—wait a second…"
She narrowed her eyes and studied the girl more closely.
"You… you're… Sirin?! The original Herrscher of the Void? The Honkai Queen who appeared in Siberia back in 2000? The one who's been tormenting me in my dreams all this time… Sirin?!"
"Hmph! That's right! I am Sirin! What, you didn't recognize me, you big idiot?"
Sirin stuck out her tongue at Kiana.
"Just so we're clear—you're not allowed to bully me! I gave you all of my Herrscher powers! If you dare pick on me, I'll have Kagura-neesan beat you up!"
"Hahaha… alright, alright. Kiana won't bully you." Kagura smiled and gently pulled Sirin out from behind her.
"Sirin-chan, when you talk to others, be polite, okay? Even if you're being honest, you should choose your words carefully. Otherwise, people might not like you."
"Mmm… fine, I get it." A faint blush crept onto Sirin's face.
But after a moment of thought, she mumbled again, "Still… I really do think Kiana is a big, dumb idiot!"
"…"
A tick mark appeared on Kiana's forehead.
"Hey! You sharp-tongued little gremlin! Who are you calling an idiot?! Do you even know how many times you've said that to me already? Apologize! Apologize right now!"
"Kiana, you're a huge idiot! You can't even use the Herrscher of the Void's powers properly!"
Sirin fired back confidently, arms crossed.
"Unlike you, I once wielded six Herrscher cores and could use the powers of all six Herrschers freely! So it's obvious—I'm way stronger than you!"
As she boasted, Sirin puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish, arms on her hips in exaggerated pride—an adorably angry pose.
"Tch! Even if you had the powers of six Herrschers, you still got defeated in the end."
Kiana snapped back, "So that means you're still just a little brat. You're not as strong as you think! And you're totally full of yourself! Like a pufferfish!"
"Kiana, you big dumb idiot!"
"Sirin, you overinflated pufferfish!"
"Idiot!"
"Pufferfish!"
"Amoeba!"
"Pufferfish!"
"Okay… okay, that's enough…"
Kagura sighed, rubbing her temples as the argument spiraled into childish bickering.
Kagura stood between the two bickering girls, her expression exasperated.
"Alright, that's enough from both of you. Honestly, you're more alike than you'd like to admit—neither of you is better than the other. So stop arguing already."
"Huh?"
"What?"
Both girls turned to look at Kagura, and in perfect unison, shouted:
"There's no way I'm on the same level as that idiot/pufferfish!"
Whether it was fate's arrangement or simply their personalities, the moment Kiana laid eyes on Sirin, the two had started squabbling.
And yet, for all their bickering, their relationship was surprisingly… good.
Even as they continued to throw childish insults at each other, the air between them was far from hostile. Kagura watched them with a warm, satisfied smile.
Maybe—just maybe—this girl, Kiana, whose destiny was so deeply intertwined with Sirin's, could become Sirin's very first true friend in this world.
Well, well, who would've thought?
Despite her stubborn rejection of humanity in the inner world, now that she was truly living among people, Sirin had turned out to be unexpectedly lively and cheerful.
What a cute little angel you are, Sirin.
And so, the Hyperion welcomed a brand new member aboard.
She wasn't just any member—she was someone who seemed to have crossed the river of time itself, arriving from the year 2000 into the present day.
Sirin.
Once the fearsome Herrscher of the Void… now, just an "ordinary" beautiful girl.
Thanks to Kagura's sincerity and care, Sirin had let go of her bitterness and emerged from the lonely confines of her heart.
And with the power of the Infinity Stones, Kagura had even reconstructed a brand new body for Sirin—allowing her to truly exist in this world as a living, breathing person.
It was only a matter of time before the rest of the crew would come to accept this new Sirin and welcome her as part of their family aboard the Hyperion.
Maybe… just maybe… this was the ending Cecilia had always hoped for.
And for Sirin—it was the best possible one.
————————————————————————
That evening, in the ship's dining hall, Kagura sat beside Sirin, gently cutting a slice of cake into bite-sized pieces and offering them to the eager-looking girl.
"Here, have a taste. Mei-chan made this cream cake—it's really delicious!"
"Mmm." Sirin nodded obediently. "Thank you, Kagura-neesan."
"Hey Sirin, this is borscht that Seele and I made together. Want to try some? It's really good."
Bronya arrived, carrying a pot of fragrant, ruby-red beet soup with a warm smile.
"Welcome aboard the Hyperion, Sirin-chan."
"…Thank you, Bronya-neesan." Sirin blinked in surprise, then smiled blissfully.
"Everyone here is so warm… I'm really happy."
"Here! I made you a pie!"
Kiana's face was flushed as she placed something slightly odd-looking in front of Sirin.
"But let me be clear! You're not allowed to say it tastes bad! I worked on it for two whole hours! Got it?!"
"Ehh? Kiana can actually cook? That's… unexpected." Sirin commented while taking a bite of the pie.
"..."
"Well?" Kiana leaned forward smugly. "Tastes great, right? My cooking skills are on par with Mei's, you know!"
"Kiana! You're a total idiot!"
Sirin puffed out her cheeks and frowned.
"Who in their right mind puts instant noodles in a pie?! Why—why—did I choose someone like you to inherit the power of a Herrscher?!"
"Y-You little pufferfish! I'm not letting this slide!"
"Bring it on, you amoeba! You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Pufferfish! Pufferfish, pufferfish, puff—!"
"Amoeba! Amoeba, amoeba, amoeba—!"
And so, the dining hall of the Hyperion echoed with laughter, bickering, and warmth…
A new chapter had begun.
One full of noise, chaos, and an unexpected but genuine bond.