On the photograph, although there were stain-like burn marks, the general content was still visible.
A young white-haired girl was hugging a huge Homu doll, with a bright and cheerful smile on her face.
Beside her, the white-haired man also wore a hearty smile, holding several balloons in his hand.
"He—"
Just as Durandal continued speaking, the photograph suddenly turned into particles of light.
No one could truly explain what had happened in that moment.
The perfectly restored photograph was indeed some kind of Imaginary construct.
The instant it disappeared, a tiny miracle quietly occurred.
The misaligned stars returned to their correct moment.
The ripples of the wind stirred the echoes that had seemed to fall silent forever.
The lives of heroes crossed and overlapped here, yet remained true to their own nature.
Siegfried Kaslana—this hero whose life was filled with both blessings and misfortunes.
At this moment, he received the memories of the personality fragment, recalled the faded Homu, and regained the dream that belonged to reality.
And Durandal—she had fulfilled a wish from ten years ago.
She had realized that small, once-unattainable wish for her past self.
Life is a bridge. Its greatness does not come from its purpose.
It connects noon, dusk, and dawn, allowing spontaneous meaning to continuously expand in the process.
Whether the girls, the man, or their shared family members—
They were all their own creators, decipherers, and saviors.
They transformed everything in the past until their will declared: "This is what I wanted in the past! And this is what I will want in the future—"
No one likes suffering.
—But they are proud of their own lives.
"..."
Having understood everything, Siegfried's breathing was clearly audible on the snowy plain.
"This time… I finally heard your voice."
"Back then, you really shouted so loudly."
"Durandal… Bianka… Ataegina…"
"—They are all cool and pleasant names."
"From waking up in the sanatorium in 2008, to becoming the youngest A-rank Valkyrie in history in 2011."
"Then, the following year, venturing deep into the Sea of Quanta and saving the entire distant world…"
"At the age of 12, you had already accomplished miracles that no other Kaslana had ever achieved."
"Although as you said before, we should not judge heroes by success or failure—"
"But whether it is the Star Anchor and Tianyuan, or the Herrscher who fights for humanity…"
"The achievements you have reached have long surpassed the limits of your parents."
Siegfried praised and said with pride, "Although as parents, what we hope for most is simply that you can live well…"
"But who wouldn't want their children to surpass them? And who wouldn't be proud of daughters like you?"
"Bianka, Kiana, let your foolish father, Siegfried Kaslana—"
"—Be the happiest father in the world for a while."
At this point, countless audiences had tears in their eyes, yet also felt somewhat incredulous.
"Dog director—no, Director Hessian actually changed his ways? He didn't drop any knives at a moment like this!"
"No, there were still knives, but overall it was the best kind of reunion. A father's redemption and a hero's salvation. Yay!"
"This is exactly the kind of plot I want. It's so damn sweet, it moved this little one to death!"
"The long-offline father-in-law not only returned but finally reunited with his biological daughter. Wonderful! Director Hessian did a great job!"
"If possible, I'd rather watch a remake of Honkai Impact 3rd with far fewer knives!"
"..."
Many viewers, especially long-time ones, had been truly traumatized by the knives in previous parts of Honkai Impact 3rd.
What is healthy, sunny, and positive? (Tactical lean back)
Now seeing this segment where the daughter rescues her father and the father reunites with his biological daughter landing safely and smoothly.
Many audiences really rubbed their eyes several times and even pinched their thighs to confirm they weren't dreaming.
On the television.
Kiana looked at Durandal and said, "Alright, what are you still hesitating for?"
Durandal said with rare awkwardness, "Eh? But…"
Siegfried also said, "Wait—"
But at this moment, Kiana had already brought Durandal over proactively.
Siegfried placed one hand on Kiana's head while his other hand was held by Durandal.
Kiana said with a grin, "Hehe, a family should be like this!"
"In the past, it was you who gave me the chance to join this family…"
"At a special time like this, of course I have to give you another push, right?"
Siegfried said with relief, "Kiana…"
Durandal smiled and sighed, "This really is… Kiana's usual style."
Kiana said righteously, "Of course! At a long-awaited reunion, if you two only focus on giving life speeches—that would be too strange, wouldn't it?"
Siegfried and Durandal couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.
The ending BGM played slowly. It was a soothing variant of the Flamescion BGM.
And it was a duet between Kiana and Durandal.
The national audiences finally no longer held any resentment toward a certain dog director and were all perfectly satisfied.
Until the end of the episode, it was still all sugar—heavy and sweet!
...
Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
Mobius extended her fair and slender index finger, repeatedly poking Hessian's cheek as she said:
"You can clearly write this kind of plot, so why did you drop so many knives before?"
The others all turned their gazes toward a certain person upon hearing this, even Elysia.
After all, when Hessian dropped knives, he really didn't spare even his beloved wife Elysia.
Although watching it all at once had indeed created a perfect and flawless Elysia.
Hessian put down his phone and said earnestly, "What do you mean knives? Those were healthy, sunny, and positive foreshadowing!"
He then went on with things like "foreshadowing," "how can one see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain," and other profound-sounding words.
The company was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Even Kalpas, in a good mood, unusually gave Hessian an extra chicken leg.
Of course, this was only temporary.
If there were more knives later, the kitchen knife in Kalpas's hand wouldn't be polite!
In the following week, besides filming the new episode of Honkai Impact 3rd and coordinating livestream matters.
Hessian also had to work overtime for the resentful Mobius to develop the IP value of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Things like merchandise copyright aside, side-story scripts also needed to be prepared in advance.
Valkyries' Dining Table, Golden Courtyard, Graduation Trip…
Some event plots, including the Captain's line, could also be filmed.
As for a second part, that was out of the question. Hessian said that the new era simply had no ship capable of carrying an old Captain like him.
Whether it was Honkai: Star Rail or Genshin Impact, both were better than Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2.
Honkai Impact 3rd was like Kiana—it could be considered the white moonlight in his heart.
What is white moonlight?
It's the kind where even if the real person shows up later, it still doesn't work!
Of course, Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2 was no good.
But Kiana the Great Sage was very good!
If time were stretched a little longer, Honkai Impact 3rd would only completely turn into a kind of nostalgia.
As everyone knows, nostalgia is priceless—as long as you don't ruin it.
Time flew by like a white colt passing through a gap.
A short week passed in the blink of an eye.
Hessian lay exhausted on the sofa, dark circles almost appearing under his eyes.
After all, he had to deal with Mobius during the day and accompany his wife Elysia at night.
Although his sleep time was still guaranteed, a week without proper rest had truly left Hessian physically and mentally exhausted.
Fortunately, the new episode of Honkai Impact 3rd still aired on schedule without any issues.
If it had been delayed even one day, Hessian would have seen the company entrance blocked by countless audiences.
"Wuhu, the last episode was amazing! Not only were there no knives, it even ended with sugar!"
"Keep up the good work! I hope Director Hessian—ptui, not dog—won't let us down!"
"Fast forward straight to fighting Kevin as a team. I want to see rivers of blood!"
"Get the person in front out of here. Don't fight Kevin now, you'll die!"
"I want to see Bronya's highlight moment. Duck's new form doesn't even seem to have an official name yet, just a complete Herrscher of Reason!"
"..."
Amid the enthusiastic discussions of countless audiences, the new episode of Honkai Impact 3rd finally began airing.
At St. Freya, Rita had already told Theresa about Durandal's background.
After welcoming back Kiana and the other two, this big family had finally reunited completely.
Then, at Rita's suggestion, everyone left a little private time for Kiana and Durandal.
After all, even though it was already a grand reunion ending.
Kiana and Durandal, this pair of sisters, still had an inseparable and complicated past.
Durandal asked, "So… where would be better for us to go?"
Kiana smiled and said, "How about the fountain area?"
As a student of St. Freya, she naturally knew which spot was most suitable for the two of them right now.
Durandal readily agreed, "Sure."
The two sisters walked to the fountain area. The usually optimistic and cheerful Kiana was somewhat silent.
"..."
Not only was Kiana standing with her hands behind her back, looking down awkwardly at the ground.
Durandal also scratched her head in distress, momentarily unsure how to begin.
"Kiana—"
"Du—"
In the end, the two spoke almost at the same time and were both stunned by the other's action.
The sisters both laughed, and the originally silent and awkward atmosphere became relaxed and pleasant.
Durandal said, "This day came a bit suddenly, right?"
Kiana agreed, "Yeah. After all, not long ago we were still trying to get familiar with each other in front of the church in Kolosten."
"At that time, you first told me the story of the World Bubble and explained the meaning of your mission in your eyes."
"Soon after, I learned that like me, you also had no memories before the age of eight, and…"
Durandal smiled and continued, "In an accident, I suffered a severe head injury, and as a result, I forgot everything from before."
"See, even the reason others told you is exactly the same."
Kiana smiled and replied, "Mm, so I'm not surprised."
"..."
Durandal was silent for a moment before saying, "Kiana, are you considering my feelings?"
"You know my answer—Kiana, the two daughters of Siegfried Kaslana are two completely different people with entirely different lives…"
"Whether feeling inferior or arrogant because of it, those are not things we should do."
Kiana organized her words carefully and said earnestly, "I understand what you mean, it's just…"
"The real Kiana Kaslana is a very special existence to me."
"That name was once used by the Herrscher of the Void as a handle to attack me, but in the memories of the Herrscher core, I saw the full picture of that history."
"She was the first person who showed me kindness. I inherited this name from Dad in order to remember the beauty she left in the world and bring it to more people."
"She is my aspiration and the starting point of my life."
"..."
Hearing this, even Durandal couldn't help but shyly turn her head away.
This made countless audiences in front of the television shout things like "aws1."
Kiana, as if not noticing, said with utmost sincerity, "I am very happy that I still have the chance to say these words to her in person…"
"Thank you, Kiana."
Durandal looked at Kiana again and said slowly, "…Thank you."
From childhood to now, this was the first time she had encountered a conversation that felt almost like a confession.
If Kiana didn't already have Mei and Durandal didn't already have Rita.
There would probably be countless audiences spamming "get together" and the like.
In fact, even so, quite a few chaotic factions were raising the Double Kiana banner.
At this time.
Kiana smiled and said, "Moreover, just like the two Seeles… we can completely share one name."
Durandal laughed helplessly, "That would only make everyone uncomfortable, and…"
"For me, who lost her memories… Bianka is a far more important name than Kiana."
"It is the name I chose for myself, my first companion, and it has accompanied me for four years even before I crossed the seven seas and anchored the world."
"—Just like Kiana's companionship for you."
In this world, a person is not only the child of their parents, but also themselves.
This is the meaning of a name—it helps us recognize ourselves and hints at the path we will choose in the future.
"This is what Dr. Tesla once said to Mr. Siegfried… and not long after that, he gave you the name Kiana."
Facing Durandal's words, Kiana chose to accept them and couldn't help but sigh:
"Yeah… if it weren't for the name Dad gave me, I couldn't have overcome the fragility in my heart and eventually reached today."
"And it's not just Dad—Mom Cecilia, Teacher Himeko, and all the people who have helped me…"
"It is the beauty you all showed together that gave me the life I have today and the creed to fight for all the beauty in the world."
"And the starting point of all this…"
"Was the person who, through the culture pod, was willing to treat a genetically modified human as her little sister…"
"My older sister."