… (Part 2)
—Klein Moretti Day ██
As I willed myself to summon a door to her room only coming there whenever those 2 were asleep, my 'eyes' swept across the room.
To the one who once thought of herself unworthy.
To the one who who saved me from Despair.
And…
To the one…
"HeH." I couldn't help but chuckle slightly as I gave a wry smile, my voice seemed to trail off.
"Who gave me a new 'family'"
…
Stroke
Unconsciously I had stroked her hair, the white strands as silky and smooth as they had always been Unchanging. Unending. and—
Creakkkkkkkkkkk
I knew who was coming way before she even came here, as the Pillar of Deviation, spatial awareness was not something I lacked.
"Ah—Klein." Bronya's voice seemed to turn to a whisper as she looked, her eyes filled with what looked like shock. before turning to acknowledgement.
Step Step Step
Without hesitation she sat right beside me, eyes looking downward without sparing a glance anywhere else, for a while the both of us sat in silence—Then…
"She''ll definitely come back right?" Her voice seemed to crack right at that last word, I could probably take a peek on what she was thinking of right now but as a gentleman. And as a sign of respect to both she and Kiana herself.
I choose—To not.
"She will." I spoke, my tone certain just like how she always was.
"…"
"…"
Squeeeezeeeeeeeee
Her hands were holding hers, squeezing it as tight as she could, hoping for a reaction, hoping for a twitch, any signs of a conscious mind…
Yet she did not move.
…
—Bronya Zaychik
"She will." Spoke Klein with his usual smile, but even I knew—He was holding it back in too.
Squeeeezeeeeeeeee
"…"
"Hey—"
"I'll share my worries if you go first, I swear in my name Klein Moretti as the Pillar of Deviation."
"You—"
"A gentleman does not need to read your mind to understand what you're planning to say" Once more he spoke, his tone unnaturally calm, waiting for an answer.
…
"Back then when—"
—The Past
Knock Knock
Creakkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
"Welcome~" She sounded the same, the exact same as back then. I couldn't help stand still for a moment.
"…"
"Well? What're you waiting for come in~" Her voice seemed carefree, so different from last time when she spoke those words.
Please don't worry about me
It was as if that version of her was but a dream.
"Then excuse me…"
Step Step Step
…
The house was—painfully ordinary. No other words could describe the place. I could see some cracks and wear in the walls, it looked far too ordinary… For a place where countless Omega level Remnants existed. It looked far too ordinary.
…
"Then excuse me…"
As I took of my shoes near the entrance door, Kiana was still smiling right at me before we finally walked.
Step Step Step
"I'll get my snacks. You can sit over there while you wait~" She spoke as she flew away, the first thing I did was to scan the entire house, yet for some reason—There were no other living beings in the house.
That was definitely because of you no?
—The Present
Sippppp
As Klein drank his tea his movements refined before placing it away and he spoke.
"Indeed, Kiana was worried if our family would've used as a hostage, and at the time you weren't exactly one of us"
Sigh
"Well I'm sure you'd understand why I was like that back then no?"
"Hmmm, a place where 2 Pillars existed along with countless Omega-Level Remnants that caused 'that' incident and was not bound by any rules nor factions? A rather understandable reaction" He spoke still with his usual gentlemanly smile.
—The Past
As I sat down on a chair, it was simple, one made of wood a rather—
"Inadequate for a place where 'We' live no?"
!!!
Snap
"Tsk." I could feel my authority seemed to deactivate itself as if answering to a higher power, meanwhile 'Kiana' only smiled slightly as she placed 2 cups of tea and—Borscht???
"If memory serves me right, you do like Borscht do you not?" so familiar—Yet so foreign.
"Now let's have an actual talk shall we—Bronya~?"
—
…
Sipppp
"There's no use you know, Time is frozen indefinitely until "I" will it to continue"
Sippppp
…
"The 'Kiana' you knew would never use such threats. She'd face them head on no? So familiar—Yet so Foreign am I not Bronya?"
"You know so—"
"I'll be rather blunt—I'm not the Kiana you know."
I could feel my heart sink even further, I saw how Mei was different. and Now—Even she too?
"'I' have seen your stories you know?. Back around 2016-2017… I was intrigued by the game known as Honkai Impact 3rd. The story of 3 girls who met at Nagazora."
"It started rather peaceful, one of those typical protagonists story where the main characters would fight against the evil of the world and save it like those hero's from fictional stories."
"Yet—Himeko died."
…
"Keep her name out of your mouth."
"Say it again~?"
"Keep—HER NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH YOU IMPOSTER."
…
…
…
"Oh my~ the ever stoic Bronya lost her cool? what an unexpected outcome, but very well I'll stop talking about 'your stories' " She spoke as if it was to be expected, as if she had everything under control as if…
…
"What can I do to make you believe I didn't steal her body?"
…
"You know yourself the answer to that question no?—Nothing"
…
"At least the 'Raiden Mei' of this world looked… 'Different.' perhaps just one of those from the bubble universes, yet I—Don't look any different do I?"
Snap
As she snapped her fingers an orange light seemed to glow over her before a form I knew way too well appeared. That fur coat, those gloves those eyes th—
"Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void, the reason Mei lost her core and the reason Hime—"
"SHUT UP."
…
Snap
With another snap her form changed once more, to one I was most familiar with, the Herrscher of Flamescion, the one where we fought the Herrscher of Domination and won the one where—Snap—Now it was that of Finality.
Yet it felt different.
Controlled
Subdued
Beaten
…
"You stole her Body, You stole her voice, her appearance and now you wish to rewrite 'our' memories?"
…
Snap
…
"The Moon-?!?!"
"Why don't you cool your head down first then we'll continue our talk~"
Snap
And just like that she disappeared. again.
—The Present
…
Klein for some reason was completely silent, yet the next word he spoke gave me a sudden realization.
"I didn't even notice."
…
"From my point of view you guys had been talking for 2 hours."
…
—The Past
"Finally cooled down?" She spoke again, her tone still playful, but… I answered without changing face, without changing my tone without a single fluctuation.
"...Why should I believe you?"
"Because I have no reason to lie."
"Everyone has a reason to lie. It's—"
"Human nature? yes, but No when it doesn't help me."
…
"What do you know of pain."
…
"I lost everything."
"Everyone I know. Gone. Thrust into this new world where I was considered a Remnant. I couldn't blame them. That's just how humans are in general."
"…"
"Do you know what I felt when I saw you that day?"
"…"
Hope.
"…"
"Yet it was shattered as fast"
"…"
"Tell me, do you feel nothing-? Taking her name, her identity, staining her reputation?"
"…"
Silence
"So-? What the fuck do you want me to FUCKING DO?"
CRACK
Shiver
"YOU THINK I WANT TO BE HER? YOU THINK I DID IT WITH GLEE? YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO BE THE LOGICAL ONE YET YOU CAN'T SEE FROM MY POINT OF VIEW?"
"THINK BRONYA THINK. WHAT THE FUCK MADE YOU THINK I'D TAKEN THIS NAME THIS BODY THIS IDENTITY WILLINGLY? YOU THINK I KNEW WHY?"
CRACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
"I—"
"DO YOU KNOW HOW EASY IT IS FOR ME TO END EVERYTHING??"
"HOW EVERYTHING WOULD ABSOLUTELY END RIGHT THIS INSTANT IF I TRULY WISHED?" Everything surrounding me seemed to glow, one that could not have happened naturally. Yet 'She' did not stop.
"What use is all that knowledge if you yourself can't see in front of you?"
"I—"
"An Elephant in your eyelid you can't see—An ant in the other side of the ocean you see."
"Surely someone as the great Bronya Zaychik can tell what it means no?"
"I—"
"Yes you're suffering I know, you're in pain, you want to go home, you want to return back but really now? do you have any idea on how I feel? No—On how everyone else would feel?"
"Have you ever wish for death?"
"Oh you definitely have, when you failed to assassinate Cocolia you must've thought you were dead."
"Yet here you are. Fucking Alive, living, enjoying your life. There are some ups and downs but hey. Nice life ay?"
"Have you ever wished to die so that you wouldn't burden your closest friends and family yet be unable to as you do not wish for them to suffer yet wonder if they'd truly weep and cry or perhaps it would be better if you die first—"
"—So that they'd suffer a smaller loss?"
"Yet you can't bring yourself to do that? OH THE IRONY. THE CONTRADICTION. SUCH A HYPOCRITE AM I NOT?"
"THE PILLAR OF CONCLUSION UNABLE TO DECIDE UNABLE TO 'CONCLUDE' HOW IRONIC? AND YOU KNOW WHAT?"
"Maybe I should just end everything and ensure nothing ever continues."
CRACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
"Ah."
"…"
"I lost control it seems."
…
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhh
She spoke as she rubbed her eyes, for some reason they looked tired. Extremely tired. As if they were carrying a weight that would never ever end.
"If what we called 'Fiction' never bled to this 'Reality.' I wonder would I still be alive?"
"…"
"Let's make a simple deal then." She spoke with a light chuckle.
"Live with us for a year. Don't attack us and if you can't change your mind by then you may leave, tell everyone, let them all come for us, and in return we shall disappear from this world for all eternity—But if you do… then by then we shall see."
"how about it~?" She spoke this time with a playful tone, as if everything I just saw and heard was nothing but an illusion, yet I was wary, I couldn't trust this… 'Kiana' whoever she was.
"How can I be sure you'll full fill your promise?"
"…"
Sighhhhhhhhhhh
"As meticulous and as logical as ever Bronya." She spoke, her smile somehow warm, as if she was seeing someone precious, then she spoke calmly.
"I swear on my name as ██████. The Pillar of Conclusion. I shall keep my words." As soon as those words were spoken…
!!!
I could feel it. The world—No. The Universe—No still wrong.
It was as if everything seemed to obey, seemed to listen and seemed to acknowledge her words, like the was going to follow it to the end, as if the Conclusion was set on stone.
"…"
"Deal."
Snap
"Huh-?"
Blink Blink
As I opened my eyes, I was back there sitting, the Borscht still cold, the tea still warm., as if no time had passed since that very moment.
"You can wake them up Klein, she'll be our new 'family.'" 'Kiana' spoke her tone peaceful as if what we just had was a warm and calm conversation, as those words left her mouth I remembered hearing you for the first time Klein as you spoke a single word.
"Alright" You spoke, your posture, your voice, your everything sounded just like what a gentleman would've had.
—The Present
"Well that explains why Kanade approached you for a long timee back then," Klein spoke with a wry smile, his gentleman like smal seemed to crack just for a moment.
"I thought you would've knew?"
"Kiana told me to not read your mind, so I respected her choice."
"…"
"I keep my promises after all."
"I—"
"Well I suppose that's enough for your story no? I'll keep my end of the bargain."
"On how I felt right after she spoke those words."