The same question came to Durandal's side.
What exactly does "father" mean?
For her, who once thought she was an orphan, the answer seemed somewhat hazy.
Her current name is Bianka, and her surname is no longer Kaslana.
She has never recovered her memories either… her past life felt more like a drama she had seen on a screen.
But even so.
As her thoughts wandered, Siegfried's voice seemed to ring in her ears.
"…What I have been hesitating about is how exactly I should act to be worthy of your future life, and worthy of your mother."
"Indeed, we are all members of the Kaslana family, equal warriors to each other."
"But as a father, I naturally hope you can have a safe and peaceful childhood, and grow up healthy and happy as your mother wished."
The young true Kiana, or rather young Durandal, said, "But do we really still have such an opportunity in Schicksal?"
"Can we make our lives better by doing nothing?"
"Would that be worthy of the name Kaslana?"
"We ultimately cannot turn a blind eye to this matter, right?"
Looking at her young self, Durandal said slowly, "That day, you ultimately convinced our father."
Her young self said, "Yes, I will become his assistant in this operation."
Durandal asked, "If you had known the outcome of this matter in advance… would you feel regret?"
Young Durandal asked back in confusion, "Regret? Why? Aren't you the future me?"
Durandal said with some complexity, "But I am ultimately no longer you."
However, young Durandal said, "Perhaps you indeed can no longer be considered me—but I am still you, aren't I?"
Compared to Kiana's memories, Durandal's side did not seem to have much emotional impact.
Just like the impression she gave others, she was more like a Valkyrie, a female warrior.
But precisely because of this, in this short segment, many people became fans of Durandal.
Or rather, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal already had an uncountable number of fans.
The scene shifted.
On the snowy plain under the night sky, wind, snow, solid ice, and boulders formed a forbidden zone for life.
Two valiant and heroic figures walked out from within, looking toward the floating building in the distant sky.
"This place… is…"
Kiana murmured, not knowing how to describe the sci-fi and fantasy-like floating structure.
Durandal continued, "—The true Kaslana Stigmata space."
Kiana lowered her gaze and said, "Dad… is right here…"
Durandal did not hesitate at all and took a step forward as she spoke.
"Let's go!"
"We are going to rescue Mr. Siegfried!"
With that, the Valkyrie and the Herrscher who fought for humanity set off, rushing toward the destination in the sky.
The main structure of the Stigmata space seemed to sense the danger as well, and a surge of Honkai energy suddenly spread out.
Ice pillars rose from the ground one after another, attempting to block Kiana and Durandal.
But these inanimate objects were nothing more than stumbling blocks to the two of them.
Kiana wielded her Flamescion greatsword, continuously cutting down all obstacles in her path.
Durandal also took out her lance, charging forward with even greater ferocity than Kiana.
Arriving beneath the main body of the Stigmata space, they chose to attack at the same time.
But at this moment, the power erupting from the core actually formed a shield, forcing both Kiana and Durandal back.
Kiana gritted her teeth lightly and said, "Damn it, the Herrscher's power is constantly being neutralized."
Durandal looked at Kiana and said, "Don't panic. The rules of Stigmata can only be transcended by Stigmata themselves!"
As her words fell, Durandal stepped forward proactively and gripped her lance with both hands.
"By the name of Schariac, I command—the white flower that blooms in the black abyss, unleash all your power!"
As Durandal exerted her full strength, her eyes glowed while the sharp lance in her hand finally revealed its true form.
—Divine Key Abyss Flower!
The moment this power bloomed, it gave birth to a large number of vine-like plants that surged out continuously.
Although the scale was not as large as when a certain plant person clapped her hands, the quality was absolutely comparable.
The seemingly delicate vines continued to spread and entangle, eventually truly wrapping around the main body of the Stigmata space in the sky.
Finally, the vines found the core at the very top like venomous snakes, wrapping around it and completely crushing it.
It was also at this moment that a figure inside the building slowly awakened.
"Ah… Kiana…"
Murmuring his daughter's name, Siegfried opened his eyes.
It was also at this moment that Durandal outside turned to look at Kiana and said, "Kiana, now!"
"Mm!"
After nodding, Kiana gripped the Flamescion greatsword with one hand and charged toward the main body of the Stigmata space.
As she leaped up, even in the cold snowy plain, blazing flames still rose from the greatsword.
"Dad…"
"This flame… is everything you lit for me!"
As her words fell, Kiana shot down toward the target like a meteor streaking across the night sky.
Accompanied by a realistic explosion effect, memories appeared on the screen once again.
It was in the snow, where Siegfried held a small figure, eventually condensing into a photograph.
"…Oh right, today is your birthday, isn't it?"
"I've never properly celebrated it for you. I really am an unqualified father…"
"Let's go buy a big cake and celebrate properly!"
The photograph formed from the memories kept flipping, and her consciousness finally returned to reality as she struggled to open her eyes.
In the light projecting in from outside, two figures completely different from those in her memories were both smiling.
"Dad, welcome home!"
As Kiana spoke, joyful tears couldn't help but fall from the corners of her eyes.
Siegfried wanted to respond, but his consciousness blurred.
By the time he woke up again, the two figures from before were already right in front of him.
In a daze, the Kiana and Durandal before Siegfried's eyes seemed to turn into their childhood selves.
"…Kiana?"
Kiana said gently, "Mm, I've come to rescue you, Dad!"
"Didn't you say—people of the Kaslana family must protect the ones they love the most, no matter the cost?"
"So, we came here."
Listening to Kiana's gentle yet strong voice, the audiences outside the television screen could no longer hold back.
"Cry, everyone cry! The planarian from my memories has finally grown into someone I no longer recognize!"
"All the knives along this journey have made even us spectators shed tears. Kiana baby, you have to keep going!!"
"Damn it, it's clearly a happy family reunion ending, so why do I still want to beat the dog director to death?"
"I really fucking love this drama so much. Kiana has truly become my white moonlight female lead!"
"That's right. Although Elysia is indeed radiant and beautiful, our tuna is the true protagonist who has remained consistent throughout!"
"..."
Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
The group of actors watching this scene couldn't help but sigh with emotion as well.
Theresa said with relief, "Compared to her noisy self at the beginning, Kiana has really grown a lot now."
Kiana scratched her face and said, "It's probably because the director is really talented."
"Although the plot he wrote is very knife-heavy, it also gives me a strong sense of immersion, as if I had truly experienced such a life."
"Precisely because of this, I was able to truly understand many principles I never noticed before. In other words, it's probably growth."
As soon as her words fell, Kiana was hugged by a pink figure. Needless to say, it was Elysia.
"Ara, for a radiant and beautiful girl like Kiana, I really have zero resistance!"
While hugging Kiana, Elysia spoke words that felt familiar.
Perhaps she had said the same to others before, or maybe she had already said it to Kiana.
In any case, the only impression Miss Pink Elf gave at this moment was—scheming!
Mobius crossed her arms and said unhappily, "Hey, aren't you going to control your pink fatty?"
Hessian spread his hands and said, "Can't control her, no way to control her, don't want to control her."
Joking aside, that was Elysia. It was already good enough that he wasn't a henpecked husband.
He couldn't pamper her enough, so how could he possibly control her?
Seeming to sense Hessian's thoughts, Elysia, while clinging to Kiana, turned her head and winked at him.
As an old married couple, Hessian still struck a pose as if shot in the heart and collapsed onto the sofa.
Seeing this scene, not to mention Mobius whose eye corners were twitching.
Even SAKURA had the urge to hit someone.
No dog food sprinkling in the company!
However, it must be noted that even though she appeared to have grown.
Kiana still couldn't stand one thing.
"Planarian, Firefly, tuna, and Kiana baby—what the hell are these nicknames!"
Not to mention the director who was secretly laughing, the plot on the television continued.
Siegfried smiled with relief and said, "Haha… looks like Theresa was right. You've really become a big girl now."
Kiana put her hands on her hips and said, "Heh, goes without saying?"
"A scholar who has been away for three days must be looked at with new eyes—I've already learned a lot of idioms!"
At this point, Kiana changed the subject, "However, I couldn't have achieved what I have now without everyone's help."
"Principal Theresa, the companions from St. Freya, and… Durandal."
Durandal also spoke at this time, "…Yes. Due to some complicated reasons, I have awakened more than one Stigmata."
Siegfried sighed, "…Otto?"
Durandal thought for a moment and said, "You could say that."
"Let's not talk about this for now—I've already set up a beacon here. Everyone should return to a safer place first."
"~Let's leave this place first."
Siegfried looked at Durandal somewhat dazedly and finally couldn't help but ask, "Durandal, have I…"
"Seen you somewhere before?"
When he had seen Durandal and Kiana earlier, he had vaguely felt as if he had seen two daughters.
They were both Kiana, and both his daughters.
"..."
Faced with Siegfried's question, the usually capable Durandal fell into a long silence, or rather, deep thought.
Once, she had felt a great conviction and therefore made a solemn promise.
One day, I must go with Kiana to rescue our common father from that hell-like place.
Now, Durandal had fulfilled this promise.
—Next, she only needed to let the hero before her know that his biological daughter was still living in this world.
And that she was living well.
But…
Ideals and reality always have a gap. Durandal found that truly taking this step was not as easy as she had imagined.
She discovered… on this matter, she easily regressed to the mindset she had at age 12.
...
The conversation she once had with Schrödinger came to mind. When recalling that dialogue.
The girl suddenly realized that the hesitation caused by amnesia was actually just creating new amnesia.
Then, she made her decision.
"…Mr. Siegfried."
Durandal said to Siegfried, "If you can recall where you have seen me before, then the story I am about to tell will be much easier for you to understand."
"About two months ago, I fell into Otto's trap and was exiled to a certain place in Imaginary Space."
"It was a field of bright red desert, a unique dimension within Imaginary Space."
"Endless histories… they would continuously manifest there in the form of the subconscious."
"But it was precisely during this aimless drifting that I encountered a special existence."
"He was a hero who could bravely face everything."
"Although his life, at first glance, had long been torn to shreds by so-called fate like a piece of paper."
At this point, Durandal turned her head away somewhat, not daring to meet Siegfried's eyes, but ultimately forced herself to look directly at him.
"He lost his wife, lost his daughter, but he never lost his fighting spirit and always remained optimistic and forward-moving."
"In mythology, Sisyphus exhausted all his strength to push the boulder up the mountain, only to helplessly watch it roll down again."
"—And so it repeated endlessly."
"From a certain perspective… this is the normal state of life. I did not resonate with him merely because of this."
"On top of that—he chose to be a fighter against fate, choosing the kind of attitude I hoped I could also live by."
"Not bowing to fate, not yielding to the world, always carrying out the purest conviction in one's heart…"
"This is the true mark Sisyphus left for us, the proof of a hero, and even more so the proof of humanity."
"Therefore, although to him, this encounter was perhaps nothing more than a fleeting dream…"
"But compared to my bloodline or my past before losing my memories…"
"His attitude toward life, the inspiration his personality fragments gave me—these things are the treasures I cherish the most."
"And it is precisely because of these things that today, together with Kiana, I am determined to liberate him from the most tragic fate…"
"Speaking selfishly, this is not for him, nor for Kiana…"
"The starting point of this determination lies in the resonance that the hero's life brought me."
"Mr. Siegfried…"
"The personality fragment I encountered at that time—he is the faded version of the Homu in this photograph."
As she spoke, Durandal took out a photograph.