The next few days, Kiana was buried in her books, pushing herself harder than anyone had ever seen. With only a week to prepare for her history retake, every spare moment went into studying.
Meanwhile, Kouga decided to check on Bronya, curious about what she had been tinkering with. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door slid open on its own. Out stepped Bronya—wearing a strange, oversized yellow Homu helmet. In her hands, she carried a second one, this one painted blue.
"…Hey, Bronya," Kouga said, blinking at the sight. "I was just about to ask if you'd help me tutor Kiana in history. But, uh… what are you wearing?"
"This," Bronya began with her usual calm tone, tugging at the helmet's back legs until the tail split open like an antenna, "is the Homu-Homu Virtual Comm Link."
Kouga tilted his head, intrigued.
"It grants the user access to the Schicksal core database," Bronya continued. "Specifically, all historical records related to the Honkai."
Kouga gave a low whistle, impressed. "Alright, that's actually pretty handy. How about this—you head over to Kiana's room and give her a boost with that thing. I'll bring some snacks and join you both later."
Bronya gave a small nod of acknowledgement before walking past him, the blue helmet tucked carefully under her arm as she made her way to Kiana's room.
Kouga headed into the kitchen, deciding to prepare something light for the girls. A simple cake for dessert, paired with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Once everything was ready, he carefully arranged it on a tray and made his way to Kiana's room.
When he opened the door, Kouga froze.
Both Kiana and Bronya were sitting on the floor, still wearing their oversized Homu helmets—completely unconscious.
"…Great," Kouga muttered, setting the tray down on the table without another word. His eyes lingered on Kiana's motionless form, concern creeping into his chest.
Without hesitation, he transformed into Kamen Rider Ghost. The familiar glow surrounded him as he knelt beside Kiana, gently pressing his palm against her forehead.
"Alright… let's see what you've gotten yourself into this time."
He closed his eyes, letting his spirit slip past the surface. A moment later, his consciousness passed into her mindscape.
Kouga descended into the strange dreamscape and immediately spotted a familiar figure plummeting from the sky.
"Kiana!"
Without hesitation, he launched himself . He caught her mid-fall, cradling her in a bridal carry before touching down on the barren ground below.
Kiana blinked up at him, wide-eyed and stunned. "…Kouga?"
"Are you alright?" Kouga asked, lowering them gently before setting her back on her feet.
Kiana nodded, still shaken but unharmed.
He took a moment to scan their surroundings. His expression hardened. "Where's Bronya? She should've been with you."
"I don't know…" Kiana admitted, brushing herself off as she looked around. "We were walking through the archive together. Then I saw this big cross—it looked just like the one Aunt Theresa always carries. I touched it, and the next thing I knew…" She gestured to the surrounding. "…I ended up here."
"Are you two hurt?"
The unexpected voice made both Kouga and Kiana turn sharply. Standing a short distance away was a woman cloaked in a black-and-white nun's dress with short sleeves and a red tie. The most striking details, however, were her snow-white hair and clear, vibrant blue eyes. Despite her calm posture, her voice carried genuine concern.
"No, we're fine," Kouga replied, narrowing his eyes slightly. "And… you are?"
The woman lifted her hands, and only then did Kouga notice the chains binding them together. She extended her right hand as far as the shackles would allow, offering a polite smile.
"Oh, yes. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kallen Kaslana. And you are…?"
"Wait… Kallen Kaslana?"
Kiana's eyes widened, her arms crossing instinctively over her chest as curiosity lit up her face.
Kouga studied the woman more carefully now. The nun's dress was frayed along the sleeves and torn at the hem, her hood missing entirely. Faint bruises marked her face and shoulder, signs that she had endured some recent struggle.
"Yes," Kallen answered with a graceful curtsy, even despite her chains. Her eyes, however, flickered with curiosity of her own. "May I ask why you and your friend were falling from the sky just now?"
Kouga choked, coughing violently at the words, while Kiana's lips split into the widest grin possible.
"Oh, that's easy! You see, we kinda—"
Before she could finish, Kouga snapped his hand over her mouth. "Don't," he hissed sharply in her ear, glaring at her pout. "She'll think you've lost it."
Turning back to Kallen, Kouga lowered his hand with a stiff, apologetic smile. "Sorry for disturbing you. We'll just… be on our way."
However, Kallen's attention suddenly shifted elsewhere.
"Oh." Her tone dropped. "Here come the people who are here to pick me up. Miss and mister, I suggest that you quickly leave."
Kouga followed her gaze. At first, he saw only distant dots against the horizon. But soon, those dots drew closer, revealing themselves as three cloaked, masked doctors
The one at the front, clearly the leader, spoke directly to Kallen."Miss Kallen, why did you want to escape?"
"Grandfather Arthur, I never had the intention of escaping," Kallen answered firmly. "I just saw this little girl and her friend falling out of the sky, and ran over here to save her. Nothing more."
The two masked doctors behind the leader barked in unison:"Nonsense! Nothing that you, a traitor to the Organisation, could say is credible!""Don't forget, it was you who stole the Organisation's crystal half a year ago!"
The leader silenced them with a single raised hand.
"Miss Kallen, if you are willing to repent," he said carefully, almost pleading, "I could still plead to the Grandmaster on your behalf."
"It's useless. Father had already made his decision." Kallen's voice carried a heavy finality. "And…" she added, her tone softening with sorrow, "the current me has already lost the reason to live quite a while ago."
Her words made Kouga tense, catching the grief hidden behind them.
"What the hell are you babbling about? Come with me!" one of the masked doctors snapped, stepping forward and yanking roughly on the chains binding Kallen's wrists.
But before he could drag her away, a fist slammed into him—delivered by none other than Kiana.
"What do you think you are doing to this pretty lady?!" she shouted, planting herself in front of Kallen. She then jabbed a thumb proudly at herself, her grin wide and fierce. "I might look cute, but when it comes to fighting I am very powerful!"