"Sirin, Hermit, I'm off!"
The white-haired Knight Princess greeted them like she was heading off to school. Then, she turned, her expression shifting to one of solemn resolve, as if facing certain death. With a look of heroic sacrifice, she strode through the massive black gate.
"Well, in a way, sending her to the Blade Mountain was exactly what we intended... but did she really need to make such a dramatic face?"
Watching Kiana's figure vanish through the gate, Hermit removed her black mask, revealing her true face. Her azure eyes, fixed on the gate where the girl had disappeared, twitched slightly at the corners.
"Sister Snow, will Sister Kiana be alright?" Little Sirin asked anxiously, her gaze fixed on the ominous black gate.
"Yes... and no. This Illusory Heaven is constructed from unreal elements, so she won't suffer any real harm here..."
"But if she lacks unwavering resolve and lingers too long in one place, her consciousness might never return to her physical body in reality..."
Hermit shook her head.
"This... isn't this too dangerous?"
"Believe in her... and let time give us the answer."
-
As the girl stepped through the doorway, darkness enveloped her. Her body plummeted weightlessly downward. After an eternity of freefall, Kiana finally felt solid ground beneath her feet, and the darkness vanished in an instant.
"Idiot Kiana, you spaced out for three minutes during the mission," Bronya's voice cut through the air, making the white-haired girl feel disoriented. It was as if this reality were the true one, while everything she had experienced before was merely an illusory dream.
"Kiana... are you alright?" Mei's voice, filled with concern, broke through Kiana's dazed state.
"Ah... I... I'm fine..." Kiana scratched her head and glanced at Mei beside her.
"Really? Are you sure?" Mei's hand brushed against Kiana's body, as if checking for injuries. The cool touch of Mei's hand and the tickling sensation against her skin banished the lingering sense of unreality from Kiana's mind.
"Really, Mei, I'm fine. Stop tickling me!"
"Alright, but if you're injured, you have to tell me right away," Mei said, withdrawing her hand with a hint of doubt.
"Squad B, continue the mission. Pursue Miss Wendy and bring her back to the Hyperion." Bronya watched the revitalized girl stride forward toward the distant ruins.
-
"We've tampered with her perception, and now it's gradually aligning with the circumstances of the Illusionary Realm—for example, she now believes she's currently on a mission to retrieve the Gem of Desire and confront the Fourth Herrscher."
In the stark white space, a gray-haired youth with narrowed eyes appeared alongside his white-haired companion.
"Theoretical lectures and practical exercises... Ha—"
"Never mind. Only bone-deep pain can catalyze transformative growth..."
Snow shook her head, acknowledging the gray-haired Predecessor's methods. Little Sirin, meanwhile, adopted a prayerful expression, silently mourning Kiana's impending trials.
...The scene shifted to the girl and her companions encountering Wendy, the Fourth Herrscher, once again in a sea of flowers.
-
"Found you, Wendy!" Kiana exclaimed, adopting a defensive stance as she faced the emerald-haired girl.
"You're such a persistent bunch!" Wendy's green eyes glared at the trio, her voice laced with annoyance. "Very well, let me teach you a proper lesson!"
A cyan gale began to swirl through the white flower sea, hurtling toward the trio.
"That line should be mine!" the white-haired girl retorted, meeting the wind head-on.
"Miss Wendy, please believe us! You've merely been corrupted by Honkai energy and lost your true nature!" Mei shouted at Wendy, who was about to attack them.
"Wait, Kiana. Bronya wants to say a few words to Wendy."
The gray-haired girl temporarily stopped Kiana, who was about to charge into battle, and floated to the front of the trio, gazing at Wendy.
"Don't come any closer! I don't want to—I don't want to talk to you, Bronya! Don't come any closer!"
The Herrscher of Wind retreated frantically, stumbling backward.
"Wendy, you always remind Bronya of her younger sister Seele, back in the orphanage. Like you, Seele was a strong and gentle child..."
-
The gray-haired girl stood in the arena, recounting her past to Wendy, hoping to sway her.
Outside the Trial Illusionary Realm, the four observers watched the Anti-Entropy Air Fleet approaching in the distance of the Dream World, whispering among themselves.
"Here, she'll experience true loss for the first time—the crushing realization that her own weakness makes her powerless to protect others," Snow said, her gaze fixed on the unfolding scene within the dream.
"Only by acknowledging one's own insignificance and shortcomings can true growth begin. This is a trial destined to be filled with suffering," Su murmured, shaking his head as if recalling his own past.
"But at least for now, none of that has happened yet. She should be grateful... at least in the real future, she still has a chance to make things right."
Kevin frowned, his imposing aura causing Sirin, who was standing nearby, to shrink back and hide behind Snow, peeking out at the "scary" older brother.
"Um, if we finish watching this... will Kiana-sis's body outside be unconscious for a whole day?" Little Sirin blurted out a question none of the adults had considered.
"Er..." The group exchanged awkward glances.
"Ahem, Kyuusyou and the others outside will take care of her. Besides, compressing over a year and a half into a single day is already the limit. Even the fastest human brain has its limits..." Su interrupted the awkward silence.
"Right then... let's keep watching," Kevin said, shaking his head and refocusing on the Illusionary Realm.
-
The battle in the Illusionary Realm was nearing its end. Wendy, panting heavily, glared at Mei and Kiana, who were in no better shape.
"What a bunch of troublesome brats!" Wendy glared at the trio, cursing loudly.
"Heh, being troublesome is my greatest strength!"
Wiping sweat from her brow, the white-haired girl glared defiantly at the Herrscher, as if preparing for another round of combat.
"Too bad, I'm fresh out of patience," a voice Kiana vaguely recognized echoed through the air.
A swarm of Titan Mecha materialized before them. With lightning speed, their iron fists struck down the exhausted Herrscher of Wind. Meanwhile, Cocolia, controlling Bronya, swiftly neutralized the battle-worn Mei and Kiana.
Seizing the unconscious Third and Fourth Herrschers, the group vanished before Schicksal reinforcements could arrive.
"...Such a weak Herrscher," Kevin remarked, shaking his head and giving Wendy a scathing review for falling after not many fights. Su nodded with seriousness in agreement.
"Indeed, she's an embarrassment."