The Firefly was utterly numb.
In the consciousness space, she sat on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging her legs with a look of absolute despair. The shadow cast over her psyche was immeasurably vast.
Originally, she was supposed to be on the moon. Yet here she was, having somehow become a stigmata of her past self. This had filled K423 with the desire to help Kiana change the tragic future.
With her help, Kiana would surely gain the power to rebel against fate.
But before she could even begin to bide her time and grow her strength in secret, her existence had been leaked to the absolute last person who should ever know about it.
And it had been blurted out by Kiana's own big mouth.
Was "I" really this close to Otto?
I was so naive back then, just telling an outsider everything.
K423 attributed Kiana's frankness to her innocence, a complete lack of defense against outsiders. After all, looking at the situation now, it was like a patient keeping no secrets from their doctor.
But how long could this innocence last?
K423 braced herself to resist Otto. Now that he knew of her existence, he definitely wouldn't let the matter rest. He might even use Kiana directly for experiments, considering the name "K423" revealed a great deal.
Meanwhile, Otto's eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected a soul to reside within this suddenly awakened stigmata.
K423, huh?
Heh.
Otto slowly shook his head.
Recalling that fiery figure, he knew that Kiana, who currently only possessed the core of the Herrscher of the Void, shouldn't have been able to wield such power. That meant the power came from the stigmata itself.
It was the Herrscher of Flamescion.
Within that stigmata was the Herrscher of Flamescion, the one who had brought down the sword of resolve upon the Herrscher of Dominance, vowing to sever the tragedies of the world.
After all, the Firefly of that time had been able to face the designation "K423" with calm acceptance.
On the contrary, Durandal hadn't understood the girl's resolve, actually making the laughable claim that she wasn't K423, but rather bore the name Kiana Kaslana.
Even though the person in question had already accepted it with grace.
If that were the case.
Then it made perfect sense why the stigmata looked like both a heart and a flame.
The flame symbolized the passing of the torch, the continuation of the fire. The heart symbolized the love she held for the world.
But the Firefly was supposed to be born in the future. Moreover, since he had altered Kiana's fate, the Paramecium might not even become the Firefly in the future.
Looking at Kiana, Otto fell deep into thought.
Could this be the ultimate destination of an ally of justice?
Or perhaps... the future Firefly was acknowledged by the world, by the Imaginary Tree, and engraved into human history, allowing the Paramecium to obtain the Firefly Stigmata by sheer coincidence?
In that case...
Will the Firefly become an obstacle to me?
He wasn't worried about the Firefly possessing Kiana. She wasn't the Queen of the Void. In fact, with the Firefly around, the Queen might end up being completely suppressed.
Otto sighed inwardly.
The Will of the Honkai. Joyce. The Firefly.
The tracks of fate were deviating from their original history.
And perhaps, this was entirely his own doing.
He stroked Kiana's abdomen over the blanket. Seeing Kiana so innocently say the name "K423," it was obvious the Firefly hadn't told her the true meaning behind it.
K423 didn't want Kiana to be triggered or distressed right now.
But eventually, paper cannot wrap fire.
However, the corners of Otto's mouth curled into a smirk.
Firefly, you are watching me, aren't you?
Just as the Herrscher of Thunder watched everything the Kitchen Maid did, the Firefly would undoubtedly watch everything the Paramecium did.
Then, what kind of expression will she make when she sees the Paramecium fighting with the Kitchen Maid out of jealousy?
What kind of expression will she make when she sees her precious Class Rep Hua throwing herself into the embrace of a certain Schicksal Overseer?
Fu Hua could bring him happiness.
Mei could bring him double the happiness.
Kiana... plus the Queen, that might just be triple the happiness.
A strange sensation rose in his heart, causing Otto's pulse to quicken slightly.
These vile, base desires made a man's heart sing with pleasure.
Otto raised his hand. K423 immediately went on high alert, ready to take over the body at a moment's notice.
If he tries anything, I'm going to flatten his Soulium face!
But Otto's hand merely stroked Kiana's long hair.
"Then, make sure you get along well with Miss K423. I don't think she's a bad person," Otto said with a smile.
He didn't badmouth the Firefly, because there was no need to.
"Yeah! I feel like she's a big sister," Kiana laughed sillily.
The Firefly was literally just her, but having eaten a few more years' worth of plain rice. It was perfectly normal for her to feel a sense of closeness.
Otto smiled. He wasn't worried about the Firefly causing trouble. With her around, Kiana's safety was guaranteed. Even if she said things detrimental to him, it didn't matter, because her ultimate goal was for Kiana's own good.
In the end, it would simply be a contest to see which was more persuasive: the whispers in Kiana's head, or Otto's pillow talk.
And ultimately, his pillow talk would undoubtedly prove far more potent.
Because the Firefly couldn't actually do anything.
Many things had already been set in stone. A few mere words couldn't change them.
Otto had no intention of laying everything bare in front of the Firefly right now. Dropping all the spoilers at once would be incredibly boring.
It was better to let her slowly experience the changes in history herself.
"Do you want to rest a little longer? Tomorrow, I'll take you back to Schicksal Headquarters with me."
Otto affectionately stroked Kiana's hair. Even though she looked fine now, she had nearly been strangled to death just a while ago.
This gesture fell upon K423's eyes. She scoffed. Otto is just inspecting his precious experimental subject.
But then she frowned.
Otto wanted Kiana to go with him to Schicksal HQ. He definitely wanted to research the mutation in Kiana's body. This caused K423's expression to change.
Schicksal Headquarters was not a good place.
She felt a surge of anxiety.
Is Teacher Himeko's Final Lesson going to happen early?
K423 clenched her fists and spoke up.
"Do not go to Schicksal Headquarters with that beast Otto."
"It will be very dangerous."
Hearing K423's voice in her head, Kiana frowned. She didn't pay much mind to K423 calling Otto a 'beast'.
After all, considering how he was constantly eyeing her belly, Otto was a beast.
But as for 'very dangerous'... did that mean if she went back with him, Otto would use his position to fulfill their promise early?
Kiana felt deeply conflicted.
Seeing Kiana's slight frown, Otto realized the Firefly was blowing wind into her head.
"Kiana, you need to stay at St. Freya Academy. You can grow stronger here, and I will teach you," K423 continued.
"When the time comes, you will have the power to protect the people you want to protect, so they won't have to worry about you anymore."
It was precisely because her own strength had been insufficient that Mei had gone to World Serpent.
"If you go to Schicksal Headquarters, you will be restricted."
"You won't be able to accomplish anything there."
You will be captured, and then Otto will research your stigmata, turning you into a pitiful guinea pig. In the end, you'll still have to sacrifice the people you care about.
Listening to K423's words, Kiana's eyes widened slightly.
She roughly 'understood' what K423 meant.
She's worried that if I go to Schicksal HQ, I'll be so busy dating Otto all day that I'll neglect my training! And Otto will worry about my safety, keeping me by his side and never letting me face any danger.
So, I won't be able to make any progress if I stay with Otto.
Because he spoils me too much.
K423 wants me to focus on getting stronger so I can protect Otto properly in the future.
A fledgling eagle must leave the shelter of the nest to spread its wings and fly.
But... I really want to stay by Otto's side! And if I stay at St. Freya Academy, what if Otto gets seduced away by some vixen?
Kiana thought of Yae Sakura and Raiden Mei.
Especially Raiden Mei. That was her mortal enemy!
This left her in a terrible dilemma.
"Can you let me think about it?" Kiana didn't refuse directly.
Otto's communicator rang, but he didn't answer it. Instead, he looked at Kiana.
"Of course."
"Can you give me your answer tomorrow?" Otto smiled.
Kiana nodded. Otto continued.
"Then..."
"Could you close your eyes for a moment?"
Kiana obediently closed her eyes. This made K423 slightly anxious. Is Otto going to launch a sneak attack and kidnap her back to HQ?
But Kiana merely felt a slight weight on her lips.
A touch that parted as quickly as it came, as if nothing had happened at all.
"Let's leave it at that for today," Otto said softly with a smile right by Kiana's ear.
And Kiana, with her eyes closed, understood completely, a faint smile gracing the corners of her mouth.
Only K423 remained completely in the dark about what had just happened.