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Chapter Text

Her fingers danced over the keyboard in endless but meaningful repetition. Her grey eyes fixated on the neverending lines of code that streamed across the array of computer monitors arranged at her workstation. Each string of letters and numbers she input would be incomprehensible to most, but to her, they were signs of her vision slowly coming to life. 

Bronya Zaychik leaned back in her office chair and allowed herself a brief pause so she could inspect what had managed so far. Her fingers ached after labouring so intensely for so long without rest, as did her sore eyes. She closed them.

Bronya was no stranger to computers. The first time she used one in the cold land of Siberia where she was born, it was nearly as intuitive to her as the rifles, knives, and whatever other weapons she became accustomed to using. It became another weapon in her arsenal when she learned of her talents for hacking. No enemy database was safe from her. Bypassing or destroying digital defenses to seize the valuable data behind them was simple for her. Creating an entire video game from the ground up that would live up to its inspiration, she found, was something else entirely. 

Bronya sighed, opened her eyes, and looked around the office of Studio Reason, the company she had been a part of since the end of the Honkai over seven years ago. After humanity prevailed over the global threat that once seemed insurmountable, the world had entered an unprecedented era of peace. Many began calling it the Third Era; others called it the New Era, and still others called it the Pax Schicksal. Bronya did not mind what it was called as long as it continued to last. 

She thought of her friends and family who had all fought so hard to bring about this new world and its newfound peace. They all led fulfilling lives of their own, free from the burdens of fighting for survival and now free to lead the lives they wanted to lead. Bronya smiled at the thought. She certainly was more than content with her life now, even if developing video games was magnitudes more difficult than playing them. Welt Yang, her mentor and her predecessor as the Herrscher of Reason, had offered her a position at E.T. Studio, Studio Reason’s parent company, soon after the end of the war. Bronya accepted no sooner than the words had left his mouth. The opportunity to develop technology and advance humanity further into the future was her passion, and as it turned out, so was creating video games. She would be glad to create some of her own so that others could experience the same feelings of joy the games had given her. In the years since, Studio Reason produced a number of modestly successful titles. It was this year when it was finally deemed ready to produce an official game adaptation of the Arahato animated series, one of Welt’s passion projects that was wildly popular when it first aired several decades ago. Bronya was more than honoured to be a part of it, only it seemed she might not be after all.

“Why did I insist on taking on the bulk of the programming, again?” Bronya muttered to herself. She already knew the answer. She was the most skilled coder out of all of Studio Reason’s employees working on the game with her. Naturally, most of the workload fell to her. She looked around the empty office again. The rest of the team had long gone home for the day, leaving her alone in the office. She was the only one working overtime. 

She smoothed out her grey hair, adjusted her black jacket over her grey undershirt, and was about to stand when her phone rang. She answered it and saw a familiar face smiling at her.

“Bronya, I’ve been waiting for you all day,” said the woman with hair as blue as her eyes. “How was work? You must be about finished.”

Bronya gave her wife a tired smile. “Seele, I’m sorry for working for so long again. This project is bigger than we thought it’d be. But I’m finished for today. I’ll be heading home soon.”

Seele looked relieved. “Dinner is waiting for you. And so are we. Love you.”

“Love you,” Bronya said in kind before ending the call. She took one last look at the monitors before shutting them off and rising to her feet. Studio Reason’s office had become almost like a second home to her because of the amount of time she spent there, but her true home was waiting for her. 

To her right were large windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Through them, she could see the sunset descending on Soukai City’s many skyscrapers and many streets far below. She shut off the lights, left the office, and descended the elevator to the ground floor of the office building. She exchanged a brief word with the receptionist at the front desk before leaving the building and making her way to her assigned parking space where her ride awaited her. Bronya never tired of admiring the sleek design of the large, blue motorcycle that she rode as often as she could. It was built in exact accordance with the motorcycle that Project Bunny 19-C could once transform into when she still wielded the authority of Reason. After her lifelong robotic companion became lost to her, she honoured its memory by recreating the motorcycle that was now bringing her home. She thought that Project Bunny would appreciate it. The city raced past Bronya as she pressed her foot against the accelerator pedal and gained even more momentum. Speeding through the streets of Soukai City, it was mere minutes before the apartment building where she and her family lived came into view.

Bronya and her loved ones had discussed at length the best place to spend the rest of their lives together. They could have had their pick of potential homes; the entire world was open to them with the looming threat of the Honkai gone. In the end, they settled on Soukai City, the same island city that St. Freya Academy was once built on. Not long after, Welt opened another branch of their company there, so she could think of no better place to live. Her memories of the city were hers forever, and so were the new memories she would make from then on. 

A soothing tune played in Bronya’s ears as the elevator ascended to the highest floor. She and her family owned the entire top floor of the skyscraper to themselves, and the elevator would only reach so high after a thorough security clearance. They welcomed the privacy it gave them. From the elevator, there was a short walk through a lobby before she stood in front of the door to their penthouse apartment. She knocked. She heard voices from behind the door before it opened and she was greeted by three familiar faces. Seele Vollerei smiled at Bronya. So did the two young girls standing at her sides. 

“Welcome home,” Seele said, pulling Bronya into a hug and giving her a brief but passionate kiss, which Bronya returned. The girls watched them, used to seeing them openly displaying their feelings. Bronya and Seele had long agreed that there was nothing shameful about showing their love in front of anyone.

“I missed you, matushka! I can’t wait to show you what I made today,” one of the girls excitedly said.

“I missed you too, Katerina. I can’t wait to see it,” Bronya said to her five year old daughter. Katerina Zaychik took after her mother in appearance. She even took after her preferred way of styling her grey hair, although unlike Bronya’s twintails, her daughter kept her hair in a single ponytail that spiralled downwards. Turning to the other girl, Bronya smiled and said, “And you too, Marika.”

Marika Vollerei, Seele’s daughter, was the same age as her sister. She had short blue hair like her mother had in her youth, only Marika’s also had shades of red throughout. Her eyes, one red, one blue, were filled with excitement. “I missed you too, matushka. You were working for so long today.”

Bronya sighed inwardly. “I’m home now. That’s what matters.” She stood up, then noticed something familiar. “Is that dinner cooking?” she asked Seele. 

“It is,” Seele replied. “He’s home.” She led their daughters back into the penthouse. Bronya left her shoes at the door and followed. They passed portraits and photographs on the walls that captured years of their happiest moments with each other and with all their friends. Seele sat down on a large sofa with their daughters and motioned for Bronya to sit with them. 

“I’ll be with you soon,” Bronya promised. “First, I’ll go see what’s cooking.”

“I think you’ll like it,” Seele called after her as Bronya turned a corner and stepped into the kitchen. There, a tall man with red hair stood at the stove, stirring a pot with a long-handled spoon. He seemed to not have noticed her with how focused he was on making dinner.

“I had a feeling you’d be cooking borscht your first night back,” Bronya said, walking up to him. At the sound of her voice, Johann Apocalypse turned around. A warm smile graced his face. Bronya stepped closer. They drew each other into a close embrace and shared a passionate kiss. It had been too long since she felt his lips against her own. When she reluctantly ended it, she rested her head on his shoulder as he continued holding her close. 

“What else could I make for you and our family?” he said. 

“Quite a bit more from what I can see,” Bronya replied after they released each other and she glanced at the Russian and Estonian cuisine arranged on the table behind them. “Did Seele help you with that?”

“You know she always does,” Johann answered as he looked at the dishes. “More of it was mine this time. I wanted to make up for the months I’ve spent away from all of you.”

Bronya laughed. “You already have by coming home. That borscht looks about ready.” Johann lifted the spoon and sampled it before offering it to Bronya. The taste of home filled her mouth. “Perfect,” she said.

“Tell Seele and the girls that dinner is ready. I’ll bring it over to the dining room.”

Bronya walked out of the kitchen and back to Seele, still resting on the sofa and reading to her daughters. They looked up when they heard Bronya’s footsteps. “Dinner’s ready,” Bronya told them. “Let’s eat.”

The girls excitedly bound from the sofa and practically ran over to the dining room. Bronya called out to them to not run in the house, but they had already vanished. She shook her head. 

“They’re just excited to see their father again,” Seele said, standing up. “He came back not long before you did, but he spent all his time with them before he started working on dinner. This is an opportunity for all of us to catch up.” Seele took Bronya by the hand and led her to the rest of their family waiting for them.

—--

Katerina and Marika downed spoonful after spoonful of borscht and the other dishes their mother and father had made for them. They had missed his cooking and him. It was their first time in months seeing their father, just as it was for Bronya. She realized how much she had missed his exquisite skill at cooking and what it meant to her. The borscht, as she had told him, was perfect, and so was everything else.

“Father, why were you so busy this time?” Katerina asked as she played with her hair. 

“I want to know, too,” Marika said, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. 

Johann set down his spoon. “I’ve been busy because Schicksal has been busy. We’ve had a surge in recruitment these past few months, and your Aunt Theresa - the Overseer - wanted me to help train those who joined the Schicksal Navy at the Schicksal Naval Academy and then live training exercises aboard airships after that. It’s not a bad job, but it does take a while.” He smiled. “It means I can protect you this way. Theresa gave me a few months off so I could spend time with you and your mothers.”

“I’m glad she did. You aren’t the only naval instructor at Schicksal, although you’re probably the most experienced,” Bronya said. She already knew the reason for his prolonged absence, but hearing it in his voice again made it all the more real. Rather than downsize its navy of aerial warships after the war, Schicksal had expanded it. The Honkai was defeated but not completely eradicated, and outbreaks of Honkai beasts were still a rare but regular occurrence. The valkyries of Schicksal were still a force needed to protect the peace, and so too was the navy that transported them to the sites of every outbreak. Trained personnel needed to crew these warships were in high demand. Apart from the Honkai, Bronya thought cynically, the world had no shortage of actors who would be all too willing to make grabs at power if not for the existence of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Bronya picked up a napkin and wiped some food away from the corner of Katerina’s mouth. “Theresa always did work us as hard as she could. Some things never change.” 

Seele did the same with Marika. “Some things shouldn’t change. She just wants to keep the world safe.” She turned to face Johann. “And that’s what you’ve been doing.”

“So are you, Seele,” Bronya said. “Now’s a good time to ask: how are things at the Humanitarian Development Branch?” 

Seele’s blue eyes were bright as she answered. “We’re doing better than ever. The world wouldn’t have rebuilt so quickly if it weren’t for Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.” She caressed Marika’s hair. “I’m proud to help so many children in need.” Seele was a reservist valkyrie ready to deploy in the event of any emergency, but her primary duties were to the branch of Schicksal that focused on protecting the welfare of those in need. The end of the Honkai had left much of the world in ruins. The rebuilding fell onto Schicksal’s shoulders. Seele personally oversaw the various orphanages for the many children who lost their parents. Having both grown up in an orphanage, she and Bronya wanted nothing more than to provide safe homes for the most vulnerable. The Humanitarian Development Branch was the first to the scene of any natural disaster ranging from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and tsunamis. Honkai or no, the world had never been a kind place. “I heard from Cioara a few days ago. The children at her orphanage miss us and want to see us again.”

“I miss them, too,” said Katerina. Both their daughters had befriended many of them the last time they visited. “When can we see them again?”

“When you aren’t so clumsy you trip and fall in front of them again,” Marika teased her sister.

“We’ll see them again soon,” Bronya reassured them. 

Johann looked over at Bronya. “How about you? The Arahato game must be something if you’ve been working overtime on it so much.”

Bronya had hoped to keep it a secret from him so as not to give him something else to worry about. “It’s been fine.” She resumed eating. 

A minute passed in silence, then Katerina’s caring voice spoke up again. “Matushka, do you still want to see what I made today?”

Bronya had nearly forgotten, and she was grateful to be reminded. “I’m sure it’s great.”

“It is!” The young girl stood from her seat and left the kitchen to retrieve the promised item. Less than a minute later, she came back holding something very familiar in her hands. “Do you like it?”

Bronya loved it. “Is that a scale model of the Hyperion?”

Katerina held it up and offered it to her mother. Bronya accepted it and carefully held it close to her eyes, inspecting its every detail. It was a near-exact replica of the aerial battleship she had spent so much of her life aboard. She admired the attention to detail; every major part was there, from the airship’s wingspan to the engines at the aft and the many weapons that it bristled with. When she was still the Herrscher of Reason, she could construct entire battleships with her powers. Her daughter had since gained her passion for creating. “This is wonderful, Katerina. How did you make it?”

“I had a lot of help from Father,” Katerina said, “but the idea to make this was all mine. I told him what I wanted to make, then he carved the parts from wood, and then I put them together and painted them.” She beamed at him. “Thank you so much.”

Johann beamed back. “I’m happy to help. Ask me again if you want to make anything else.”

“I helped, too,” Marika insisted. “Katerina made so many mistakes putting it together. I showed her the right way.”

Seele laughed. “It’s good that you could work together. Now you have something that’s special to both of you.”

The two sisters looked at each other and could only agree. "Yes, ema. Thank you, Marika," said Katerina.

Bronya’s heart rose even higher than it already was as she saw her family in such spirits. Most of all, she was glad at how easily Johann could return to being a father to his daughters after not seeing them for months. It was as if he never left. Content, she and her family resumed their dinner. 

—--

Bronya, Seele, and Johann gently tucked their daughters into bed, with Bronya pulling the blanket over them.

“Matushka, will you come home late again tomorrow?” asked Katerina. “I don’t like it when you’re at work all day…”

Bronya set the model Hyperion on their beside table and sadly shook her head. “After I finish my game, I’ll have all the time in the world for both of you. I promise.” 

“Will it be a fun game?”

“I’ll do my best to make it as fun as it can be.”

“I want to play it when it’s ready.” Katerina’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

Marika pinched her sister’s cheek. “You’re too young for it.”

“But one day I’ll be old enough to play it. Won’t I?”

Seele knelt beside them. “Of course you will. But for now, you and your sister need your rest if you want to grow bigger.” She kissed both of them on their hair. “Goodnight, and sleep well.”

“Goodnight,” the girls said.

The three adults left their daughters’ bedroom and closed the door behind them. Then they stepped into their master bedroom directly adjacent. It was a spacious chamber with a bed large enough for the three of them with space to spare with a large television screen mounted on the opposite wall. Photographs of their lives together decorated every wall, the several bookshelves were each full of books, and one wall was made almost entirely of large windows that let in the night sky. Bronya gazed silently at the silver crescent surrounded by inky darkness. Then she felt Seele’s arms around her waist as her wife held her from behind. “Bronya…I hope you were able to get more done at work today.” 

“I did, but I wish I could have done more.”

“The Arahato game you’re working on…” Johann said from beside them. “You avoided the subject earlier at dinner. Bronya, is something about it bothering you?”

Seele let Bronya go. Bronya turned around and sighed. “I didn’t want to ruin dinner talking about it because you’re right. Making it has been harder than it seems. The programming isn’t even the worst part.”

“So what are you having trouble with?” Seele asked, her voice concerned.

“...It’s living up to Arahato’s legacy,” Bronya admitted. “In the eighties, Welt poured his soul into making the original animation. I’ve watched every episode multiple times. I want this adaptation to honour it properly, but…”

“I’m confident you can design a game worthy of Arahato’s legacy,” Johann assured her. “You’ve done so much more. You have it in you.”

“He’s right. I believe in you,” Seele said.

Bronya climbed into bed and waited for them to join her. “Thank you, both of you.” I hope they’re right about me.

Chapter Text

Bronya opened her eyes to the calm morning sunlight streaming from the windows of their bedroom. Warmth surrounded her, both from the light and from the two loved ones beside her. The first sight she saw was Seele’s serene, dreaming face. Bronya gently touched her cheek like she had on the day of their wedding, now so many years ago but still as vivid in her memories. In pure white wedding dresses on the deck of the Hyperion high above the land, they had spoken their before sealing their fates together with a kiss. On that day, all their friends and family were there for them. All save for one. 

Bronya carefully turned around to face Johann, sleeping just as peacefully as Seele. After the end of the Honkai, it took him so long to be able to sleep like this again, but time soothed, if not outright healed all wounds. They had all sacrificed to bring about this era of peace. What he had sacrificed could never be brought back, but he was still here. 

Bronya wished she could return to sleep. Her fatigue threatened to drag her back to her dreams. It was something she would have welcomed, but then she forced herself awake and carefully climbed out of bed, taking care to avoid waking either of them. She left the bedroom and entered the neighbouring one to find her two daughters soundly asleep. Or so it seemed at first. As Bronya approached, Katerina and Marika slowly opened their eyes. 

“Good morning, you two,” Bronya gently said, kneeling down to rub their hair.

“Good morning, matushka,” they said, more awake now. 

“I’ll be making breakfast. What would you like to have?”

Katerina sat up. “More borscht, please. We ate all of it yesterday.” Marika nodded in agreement.

“Of course,” Bronya said. “I’ll get right to it.”

—--

Johann woke from a peaceful dream about his life before this one. In that time, he thought himself nothing more than a teacher. To think that he was still a teacher now, even if the subject he taught was a very different one. So much, too much had changed, but he was still here because of them. When he opened his eyes, Seele’s blue eyes were looking back. 

“Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning. Did you just wake?”

Seele nodded. “Bronya must have woken before us. I can smell breakfast cooking. I wonder what it is.”

“I’m sure it’s good.”

Seele’s eyes turned red. "Before that, go see your daughters. You’ve spent too long away from them," said the other Seele within. 

“Thank you, Seele. I’ll do that,” Johann said. He climbed out of bed, followed by Seele, her eyes blue again. They saw the door to their daughters’ room was already open. When they stepped inside, Katerina was sitting at a table and playing with the model Hyperion she had made the previous day with Marika sitting across from her. Johann smiled at the sight. His eldest daughter by a few minutes had always taken after her mother’s interests. Although she had only just turned five, she already showed a strong interest in science and technology of all kinds. The aerial battleship her mother once served aboard had quickly become her primary interest above all else, at least until another equally interesting subject caught her attention and became her new focus.

“It’s nice seeing what you’ve made with your own hands,” Seele said as she walked over. 

Katerina looked up and beamed. “Yes, ema! I loved making this. I just wish I could visit the real one some day.” 

“The Hyperion is still in the skies,” Johann said. “One day, we’ll take you aboard it. You’ll be able to see everything on and in it, not just the outside.”

Marika looked up at him. Like her sister, she adored learning all there was to learn about technology, although not quite like her sister, her interests lay mainly in the armour and weapons used by valkyries. More than once, she had brought up her dream of becoming a valkyrie one day. That day might come, but for the time being, she was their precious little girl with a tomboyish streak who loved to tease her sister. “Does it still carry valkyries on missions?” she asked him, her dual-coloured eyes wide with interest.

“It always has and always will,” he said. “But we’ll visit it another day. For now, your mother has made you breakfast. Let’s go.”

“We asked matushka to make more of what we had for dinner yesterday,” Katerina said. “That was fast.”

“Then let’s go already,” Marika said, pulling her sister to her feet and leading her out the door. Smiling, Johann and Seele followed them.

In the kitchen, Johann heard the girls greet Bronya again. As he walked in, Bronya turned around holding a large pot. “Breakfast is ready,” she said. “One can never have too much borscht. Right, Seele?”

“You’re so right.”

Bronya had greeted them cheerfully enough, but as he ate, Johann could only notice that she seemed slower and less energetic than the last time they were able to see each other in person. She was a woman filled with life and love, but this morning, she hardly seemed focused on anything except slowly pushing her spoonful of borscht into her mouth, lowering it to the bowl, and repeating the action. The movement was graceless and mechanical. He was no stranger to overworking, so he kept his concerns to himself until after they finished. 

Bronya prepared to leave as soon as she finished washing up. She returned to their bedroom and came back dressed in her office clothing: a black jacket over her grey undershirt and a black skirt that came down just above her knees. Dark tights covered her legs. “I need to head to work now,” she said as she made for the door.

“Bronya, wait. Don’t be in such a hurry,” Johann said, catching up to her and acutely aware of their daughters watching and listening nearby. “Can I speak with you for a moment?” 

Seele walked up to them as Bronya turned around. “What is it?” Bronya asked in a tired voice. 

“I know you’ve been working overtime,” Johann began. “You’ve been coming home late. You don’t have much energy. You don’t have much time to spend with us.” Bronya shifted uncomfortably. “Can’t you take a few days off before resuming work?”

Bronya shook her head. “Arahato can’t wait. The future of Studio Reason depends on it.”

“Is it really that important?” Seele asked. 

“It is to Welt. And to me.”

He and Seele exchanged a glance. “Then I’ll come to Studio Reason’s office with you,” he offered. “I want to help you in any way I can.”

Bronya looked at him curiously. “Are you sure? In what ways do you feel you can help me with this?”

“I may not be a programmer like you,” Johann admitted. “But I may be able to help you with finding the inspiration you need for this game. That’s what you brought up yesterday as your largest obstacle.”

Bronya took only seconds to answer. “Alright then. It couldn’t hurt. But if you’re coming to work at Studio Reason with me, you need to look the part.” She grabbed his wrist, pulled him to their bedroom, and opened the closet filled with outdoor wear for the three of them. She picked out and discarded several garments that belonged to him before settling on a black formal business suit and pants. “You look right at home next to me,” she said as they stood beside each other in front of a large mirror.

Johann fiddled with his dark blue tie, then inspected himself in the mirror. He was still unaccustomed to wearing such attire, but if Bronya liked it, so did he. He wrapped an arm around Bronya’s back. “Thank you. I remember buying this for our annual reunions at Schicksal HQ, but I didn’t think I’d wear it anywhere else.”

“You look good in it. And in everything else,” Bronya assured him. “Let’s go.”

When they returned to the penthouse’s front entrance, they found Seele, Katerina, and Marika waiting for them. “Have a good day at work,” Seele said, smiling. 

“I hope you get a lot done today!” Katerina said.

“Two can get more done than one,” Marika said.

Bronya rested a hand on each of their daughters’ hair. “Seele, look after the girls while we’re gone.”

“I’ll look after them like always,” Seele assured her. She gave Bronya a quick kiss. “Have a good day at work, you two.”

—--

Johann thought he was used to travelling at high speeds by now, but riding on the back of Bronya’s motorcycle, his arms squeezed tightly around her waist for dear life as she raced through the city as fast as the vehicle could take them, was something he probably would never get used to. Bronya drove like she had no concept of the laws of traffic, but despite her haphazard driving, he kept faith in her ability to steer away from danger. She was once the Herrscher of Reason. She knew how to be careful. If anything happened, she would keep them both safe.

To her credit, they arrived safely at Studio Reason in only a few minutes. She parked in her assigned lot before helping him off the motorcycle. After removing their helmets and storing them in the storage compartment, Johann looked up at the office building looming over him. It was one of the tallest in Soukai City, and it was where Bronya lived her other life. Halfway up the skyscraper, the logo of Studio Reason spanned several floors. It was the second branch of his company that Welt Yang had opened, and he did so to reward Bronya for everything she had done. After the war, giving her a short commute to work was the least he could do. 

“This isn’t your first time here, so stop staring and follow me inside,” Bronya said teasingly. 

“That’s true,” Johann said. “The last time I was here was to help playtest your last game. It sold better than you expected it to.”

“It did. Your feedback was valuable,” Bronya said. “We used to game together on the Hyperion and at St. Freya all the time. I…I wanted to give you that opportunity again.” Something had changed in her voice.

Yes…we did…or he did, Johann thought before he noticed Bronya moving on. He hurriedly caught up to her and followed her into the building. As she had said, it was not his first visit to Studio Reason, although he seldom had reason to stay for long. 

The female receptionist at the front lobby greeted them. “Welcome back to Studio Reason, Mrs. Zaychik,” she said. She glanced briefly at him. “Mr. Apocalypse is welcome as well.”

“Thank you. He’ll be my guest for today. And perhaps after today.” Bronya led him to the elevator, which quickly climbed to one of the upper floors. They stepped out and into the spacious office that Bronya had once described as her second home. There was much for him to see. Opposite them, large windows formed an entire wall. They slanted at an inward angle, letting in the morning sunlight. Aside from the employees’ work stations, the office was filled with amenities during break times: a soft couch, a large television screen mounted on the wall, and even a gaming station. These details he noticed only on the periphery. What caught his attention was Bronya’s workstation. The desk itself gave her more than enough space to work with, but its most striking features were the nine computer monitors arranged on it. Eight of them were lined up in two rows of four monitors each while a ninth monitor, as large as the other eight combined, rose above the rest. Johann wondered exactly how seriously Bronya took her work if she felt the need to have nine screens at once.

“Like what you see?” Bronya asked as she led him across the room.

“It’s just like I remembered,” he replied. “I’m glad it hasn’t changed. Except for the number of computers you have in front of you. That’s definitely more than I remember.” Bronya laughed. 

Some employees were already seated at their respective workstations, tapping away at their computers. They turned their heads to the sound of Bronya and Johann’s footsteps and greeted them politely. When they reached her desk, she offered him a seat before sitting in her own. The nine screens whirred to life with the logos of E.T. Studio and Studio Reason. Bronya waved an arm at them. “The heart of the game is here.”

Johann rested his hand on her head. “The heart of the game is here.” Bronya smiled. “How much have you developed so far?”

Her smile faded as she sighed. “Only the preliminary code. We’re still early in development. We haven’t started with the bulk of the programming because we haven’t decided what we’ll be programming yet.” 

“What have you been working with, then?”

Bronya picked up a book lying on her desk and offered it to him. It was a thick volume of concept art and scenes taken directly from the Arahato series’s original run. Having seen several episodes himself, many were familiar to him. He flipped through the pages of the book, taking care to follow the meaning of every scene and every character. 

“Arahato inspired an entire generation of youths,” Bronya said. She looked out the window. “...Her father was one of them. I want this game to live up to Welt’s passion. I want this game to be remembered like his series was.”

Johann set the book down. “It doesn’t need to do that much. All it needs is to stand on its own. It doesn’t need the fans of the original series for that. Many of them would be much older than the average gamer, anyway, since the series first aired forty years ago.”

Bronya’s eyes made it obvious how much she was considering his suggestion. “You’re right. But I’m still deciding exactly which parts to adapt. Which episodes, which scenes, which dialogue, and after all of that, new, original scenes…a series as long as this one can’t be completely told in one game. I’ll need to leave out certain parts even though I’d rather not.”

Johann glanced at the artbook again. Not a single page mentioned the real Arahato constructed by Anti-Entropy that played a large role in leading to where they were today. Bronya surely must have considered it, but it was clear that her mind was set on the animated series alone. He cleared his throat and offered his suggestion. “I know you’ve already watched the entire Arahato series more times than anyone needs to, but I think it might help if I watched it with you.”

“You think you might be able to notice details I might have missed.”

He shrugged. “It’s worth a try. We do have all day. I just hope we won’t need to watch on all nine screens at once.” 

“No need. Just one will do. I’m always happy to watch things with you.” Bronya turned back to the monitors. On one of them, she started playing the first episode of the series that captured the hearts of an entire generation.

—--

A full workday and many episodes later, they could finally leave Studio Reason behind. For all their shared enjoyment of watching Arahato together, Johann had to admit he felt that they missed several things they should not have. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t the most helpful,” he said apologetically as the elevator began to descend.

“It wasn’t for nothing. I’m glad you were with me today. It turns out that I did miss a few things after all,” Bronya said.

“A few small details, yes, but I know you had bigger things in mind.”

“I do. But let’s not worry about them right now. The workday is over.” 

The elevator descended to the ground floor. They stepped into the lobby, bade the receptionist farewell, and returned to the parking lot where Bronya’s motorcycle awaited them. Johann realized he spent more time than he thought looking at it when he heard her speak into his ear. “Reminiscing on old memories?” 

He nodded contemplatively. “Project Bunny was so important to you. To you and Seele.”

She rested a hand on the blue motorcycle. “I still miss Project Bunny some days. We both do. But if losing access to Project Bunny means a world without the Honkai, it’s a price worth paying. Let’s go home.”

The darkening sky contrasted with the brilliant sunset. Johann watched it as they raced through the city. It reminded him of his days as a teacher. The sunset in the city he once lived in was as beautiful as this one. The beauty of the world could be marred, tainted, and scarred, but it was never forgotten, not for long. 

“Bronya, let’s stop here,” he said suddenly.

“Here?” She paused at an intersection. 

Johann pointed to a diner by the street ahead of them. “Let’s have dinner there tonight. We can bring back dinner for Seele and the girls, too.”

“Too tired to cook tonight?” Bronya asked sardonically. Then she laughed softly. “So am I.”

That, and other reasons, too, he thought.

She parked outside the diner. Together, they walked in. It was a modest establishment in terms of size, but the aroma that greeted them as they stepped through the front door reminded them of how hungry they were. A smaller restaurant, he had found, tended to serve the best meals. After ordering, they sat at a table beside a large window that faced the street and let in the orange rays of the falling sun. 

“Thank you for pointing out this place,” Bronya said after devouring a bite of her stuffed pastry. “I was hungrier than I thought.”

“So was I.” Johann stirred his bowl of spicy noodles with a pair of chopsticks. It was good, but despite his words, he ate slowly. The minutes passed between them in silence. Something built up within him, and it was something he had to tell her. “Bronya…”

“What is it?”

“I want to tell you something I should have told you the moment I saw you again.”

“Alright…”

He smiled at her. “I want you to know how happy I am that you’re a part of my life. During those months away at Schicksal, I thought of you every day. You, Seele, and our daughters. I want you to know how happy I am to be a part of your lives, and I hope you’re all as happy as I am.” The words that came out of him came from his heart and soul, but he wondered if he had said similar words before. 

Bronya reached for a napkin and dabbed at her eyes. “You always did know what to say to me to get my heart racing.” She reached for his hand. “I’m happy you’re here, too. So are Seele, Katerina, and Marika. I could see how happy they were today and yesterday. I want them to look that way forever.”

He reached over with his other hand and held hers gently in both. “Before I flew back, I asked Theresa a favour.”

“Oh?”

“I asked her if I could take an extended leave from my duties. Not forever - I’ll always be a part of Schicksal - but half a year or so to spend with my family. I hate being away for so long from those I cherish.”

“And what did she say?” 

“She agreed.”

Bronya’s face lit up. “Theresa always did understand the value of taking a break now and then. I’ll let you in on a little secret, too. After this game releases, whether it sells well or not, I’ll also be taking a much-needed break from Studio Reason. Welt told me pretty much the same things as Theresa told you. I promised the girls that I’d have more time to spend with them. This is one promise I won’t break.” 

“Welt told me this a few days ago,” Johann said. “He told me that you deserve a break after working so hard for E.T. Studio. I look forward to seeing him again in person.”

“That’ll be at the press conference for the game’s release,” Bronya said. “Of course he’ll be there. But enough talk about work. For now, let’s just eat and bring dinner back home for them.” Bronya finished her dinner of pastry and fried fish. Johann slurped up his noodles as fast as he could while still doing his best to appreciate the spicy taste. The other Seele had always pushed him to try the increasingly spicy foods she insisted on making for them. It was an acquired taste, but one he came to appreciate. They left the diner with takeout for their family waiting at home for them. He also reminded Bronya to drive more carefully on the way back this time.

Chapter Text

“And in a place called Siberia, here is the orphanage where your matushka and I met and grew up in,” said Seele as she pointed at the map in the world atlas she and Bronya had bonded over in their youth. Seele had thought the book lost to them, but the day Bronya presented it to her again was the day of their reunion after being separated for years by the Sea of Quanta. Marika and Katerina sat on each side of her on their living room sofa, listening as Seele read from the atlas and showed them the beauty of their world lying in wait for them to see. Seele set the atlas on her lap so they could see the pages more clearly. 

“Ema,” Marika said as she looked at the location Seele pointed to, “could you tell us a story?”

“A story about how you met matushka and our father,” Katerina said. 

The girls were both five now. They would be starting school next year. For reasons Seele could not easily name, she had never told their daughters much about their shared pasts, at least not in detail. Marika knew that Seele was a skilled valkyrie and idolized her for it. Katerina viewed her mother the same way, and their father was a man who held up the world for them. Perhaps it was because she wanted to shield them from the darker aspects of the past. It was a given that they would ask more about it eventually. It was time for them to know. 

Seele took a deep breath before she began. “Listen carefully, because there is a lot to say.” She held them closer. “I grew up in a small home in a small town in a country called Estonia. My mother and father cared for me dearly, but I lost them the day my town was destroyed by the Honkai.” She felt Marika and Katerina tense up. They were blessed to be born in an era nearly free from the Honkai, but every child was taught the painful history of their world and the power that once threatened to destroy it. The peaceful lives they could live rested on top of the graves of millions. The past would not, could not be forgotten. “My parents - Marika, your grandparents - were not the only thing I lost. My home, my future, they were all gone. I was alone in that destroyed town until my matushka found me and brought me to my new home.” She pointed at the map of Siberia again. “To her orphanage right here.” 

Her daughters looked at the map and back to her. “The Honkai is gone. It won’t hurt anyone again,” Marika said. “Well, mostly gone.”

“Yes,” agreed Seele. Although defeated, the Honkai was not eradicated. Ninety-nine percent of all Honkai formerly on Earth was sealed away on the moon. The remaining fraction was enough to power the world by serving as the fuel for vehicles and the machines of industry, but this came at the cost of Honkai beasts and other related phenomena still being able to manifest. It was for these reasons that valkyries were still needed. “But that’s what valkyries are for.” 

“How did your matushka find you?” asked Katerina. 

“I was the only survivor because I was the only one with enough resistance to the Honkai. I was alone as I wandered through the town until a Honkai beast stepped in front of me.” The memory replayed itself. “Her name was Cocolia. She destroyed the beast and rescued me. She must have been nearby and went searching for survivors. But she found only me.” The girls wrere quiet. “At her orphanage, I might have been alive, but I wasn’t living. There wasn’t anyone there who loved me like my family did, but as I came to accept my new life, I eventually started to make friends with the other orphans, like your Aunts Rozaliya and Liliya. Then one day, my matushka brought Bronya home.” 

“Did she lose her home like you did?” Marika asked. 

“She had, but she never knew it or her parents. She lost them when she was too young to remember them. She…was taken in by some very bad people. People who hurt her and made her hurt others. Our matushka rescued her from them. This is how we met. This atlas” - she ran her fingers over the pages - “was important to us. We would spend hours reading through it and seeing the world we had never seen. We promised each other we would see the sea some day. And we did.”

Katerina and Marika were quiet after that. They glanced at each other, at the atlas, and finally again at her. “How about father?” they asked. 

“We met him in different ways. Your matushka met him when she joined the crew of his battleship, the Hyperion. We promised to take you to visit it one day, remember?”

“Yes, I do!” Katerina excitedly answered. Marika looked just as enthused about it.

“He was its captain at the time. The Hyperion took her on many missions with her friends. As for myself…I was lost in a place where no one could find me, but I could still see people if I looked hard enough. I could see her trying to rescue me. I saw her board the Hyperion and meet your father for the first time. Then, when she finally did bring me back, that’s when I met him. And now you know.”

“Thank you,” they said. “We were just curious.”

“It’s a good thing to be curious and to ask questions. It was about time you asked. You’re old enough to know.” 

Are they old enough to know about me, then? When can I meet them? asked the voice inside her head. 

Seele… Seele hesitated. One day, soon, you can tell them who you are. I promise. 

The consciousness who shared her body had changed as much as she had over the course of their lives. No longer required to fight for her life like she used to, she became content to settle down and enjoy what she shared with Seele and the others. She had come to love those whom Seele loved just as much. One day, Seele would introduce her other self to their daughters. She had a right to be a part of their lives. There had simply never been an opportune moment for it so far.

Her phone rang. Seele answered it. “Seele, we’re about to head home. Don’t bother cooking anything tonight; we’re bringing back dinner,” Bronya’s voice told her. 

“Thank you. I’m sure it’s good.” Seele told her daughters to get ready for dinner.

—--

“So, where is all this from?” Seele asked after she took a bite of the unfamiliar dishes Bronya and Johann had brought home after work. It was good, but she had been looking forward to making more dinner for them.

“It’s really good!” Katerina said with her mouth full. 

“I love the spicy noodles the best,” Marika said. 

“It’s from a diner he pointed out to me,” Bronya answered. “I’m glad he did. Nothing beats a good meal after a long day of work. We would have made dinner ourselves, but we were tired.”

Johann gave a tired smile. “It turns out that watching hours of a show can count as work. Tiring work.” 

“How did it go, then? Did you find some ideas from watching Arahato together?” Seele asked.

“Some.” Bronya said little more after that.

“We at least decided on a few scenes to include and which to omit,” he added. Seele looked at them both. It was clear to her that their workday had been less productive than they hoped. Before she could comment more, Johann turned to Katerina and Marika. “How was your day with ema?” he asked them.

“We asked her for a story. She told us about how you all met,” Katerina said.

“A sad story with a happy ending,” Marika said next. “We didn’t know how bad things were before you met…”

Bronya smiled at them. “Yes. This happy ending was both of you.” Then to Seele, she said, “The girls are growing up so fast. It was about time we told them about us.” Seele wondered if Bronya meant more than just their pasts. 

“Kat, Mari, did she tell you about the Hyperion?” Johann asked.

“Yes, she did. She told us you met our matushka there,” Katerina answered. “We’re still going to visit, aren’t we?”

“Of course. We promised you,” he reassured them. “But first, let me tell you a little about that airship.” The girls moved their chairs slightly closer. “She was the first of her kind ever built. Schicksal needed stronger weapons against the Honkai. She performed her role so well that eleven other ships like her were built, too. After the end of the Honkai, the Hyperion is still one of the greatest battleships ever designed.”

“Father, I already knew all of this,” Katerina protested. “I read everything about the Hyperion already.”

“Even Ai-chan?”

“Even her. Especially her.”

“But do you know that she’s asked to see both of you, too? She wants to meet the daughters of her old captain. I’m sure she has lots to say to you both.”

“Really?” Katerina said excitedly. “I want to meet her, too. When can we go?”

Bronya cleared her throat. “After I’m not so busy. I promise.”

“You’re always so busy,” Marika complained.

“Bronya, that reminds me,” Seele said, hoping to end the matter before it turned to a direction none of them wanted it to go. “Johann went with you today, and it sounded it went well enough. Tomorrow, I’m coming to work with you instead. He can look after the girls then.”

They agreed to her suggestion as soon as she proposed it. They finished dinner and went to bed.

—--

Seele liked the look of Bronya’s office. Studio Reason had everything an aspiring game developer might need: space to work, space to relax, and space to conduct research, for the first way to learn what a game should have was to play them. Or so Seele assumed when she stepped out of the elevator with her wife leading her by the hand. 

Out of professional courtesy, Seele wore the same office outfit Bronya wore to work every day. Bronya owned multiple pairs of her uniform and was more than willing to lend them to her. Seele was still getting used to the feel of the dark jacket, skirt, and tights, but she loved how Bronya looked in them. Bronya had said much of the same after seeing Seele in her clothes.

“Like what you see?” Bronya asked as she led her across the room.

Seele took in her surroundings and relaxed. “I’ve been here before, so it’s like I remembered. I’m sure you’ve set it up just the way you needed.” 

“I have,” Bronya agreed. They sat at her desk. Seele was glad to see the same portrait of herself, Bronya, and the children at the first orphanage they looked after still resting on the same table, but she was bewildered by the array of monitors in front of them that had not been there the last time she visited. Their numbers must have at least doubled. What could Bronya need so many screens for?

“Are you comfortable?” Bronya asked. “We’ll be here for a while, so I want to make sure.”

“Very. These seats are so soft.”

“Good. Tell me if you ever need a break or anything else.”

Seele looked at the nine monitors in front of them. “I hope we won’t be watching on all of these.”

“I was asked the same thing yesterday,” Bronya said, smiling to herself. “Just one will do.”

“Where did you leave off? I’ve seen a few episodes of Arahato already.” In truth, she only viewed them out of curiosity because of their enthusiasm for the show. Seele had always preferred books over any other medium, but to help Bronya, she was more than willing to watch as many episodes with her as needed.

“Episode twenty-five. They’ve just encountered a Void beast stronger than any they’ve fought before. The episode ended on a cliffhanger after Arahato received catastrophic damage from the fight,” Bronya said. 

“You watched twenty-five episodes in one day?” No wonder they were so tired. “So, how did they escape?”

“We did have several hours to kill,” Bronya mused. “As for how they escaped, they didn’t. They and Arahato were captured. How they escaped after that, we’ll see starting in episode twenty-six.” Bronya turned on a monitor, thankfully only one of them, and began the episode. 

As Seele intently focused her eyes on the screen, she recalled the premise of the show. It followed a group of youths who piloted the massive mech that gave the series its name. The Arahato mech was created by a secretive group to oppose the alien invaders known only as the Void beasts. It was clear where the series drew its inspiration from, but for the protagonist, Seele could only feel contempt and annoyance for his cowardice and lazy behaviour. She much preferred people like Bronya, Johann, Welt, and all her other friends who were brave no matter when they were, not only at convenient moments like Arahato’s chief pilot. 

He’s pitiful, said the other Seele in her mind. How could anyone enjoy watching this? 

Maybe he gets better later, Seele replied to her. Or maybe people don’t watch Arahato for him but just the mech he pilots or the other characters.

Pfft. The mech is interesting, at least. I’m sure Bronya would have appreciated having something like it back then.

She did. It was called Project Bunny, and it helped us so many times. 

Let me remind you what you’re here for, Seele. Don’t be distracted by the past.

Seele thanked her and returned her attention to the show. As she continued watching, she remembered that Arahato had inspired an entire generation in spite of whatever flaws it might have had. If they could see the merits in the show, surely so could she. If nothing else, she found it rather entertaining. The designs for the characters, the Void beasts, the titular mech, and everything else were creative and unique, the rest of the cast was compelling, and she was soon enjoying the experience as she wrote down the details she liked.

“Bronya,” Seele asked many episodes and many hours later, “I can see why Arahato was such a popular series. But there’s one thing I want to ask: when does the protagonist start acting braver on his own? I can’t say I like him as a character. There’s nothing inspiring about him. Do people really like him? Do they enjoy watching the show in spite of him?” 

“Not anytime soon, but near the end, he does end up realizing his flaws and works to correct them,” Bronya replied. “He became a better character for me then. He became a better hero. People like him because he had flaws and overcame them. I hope to adapt that about him into my game.”

“That’s good. People love a hero they can look up to.” Seele smiled at her. “Just like how you’re my hero, Bronya. You always have been.”

Bronya smiled back. She paused the episode and rotated her chair to face her. “You’re my hero too, Seele.” Her smile faded as her face became more serious. “I may have said that making this game is important to me, and it is. But I want you to know that no matter what, whether it succeeds or fails, it’s still just a game. I’ve spent so much time making it because I believe I can, but it’s not the most important thing to me.”

Seele reached over and held her hand. “What is the most important thing to you?”

After her eyes turned red, she asked it again. "Yes, Bronya. What is it?"

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s our daughters. Right now, what I want the most in the world is not for this game to succeed, although I do want it to, but for us to be heroes for Katerina and Marika, heroes they can always look up to.”

Her words echoed Seele’s sentiments perfectly. Their lives no longer belonged solely to themselves and to each other. Seven long years had passed since the end, but their trials were still far from over. Two precious, innocent lives had entered theirs, and ever since they had, Seele knew she had to become better than she already was for their sake. Being the best parent she could be for both of her daughters was something that could be much harder than fighting the Honkai, but it was something she had to do. Bronya and Johann must have felt the very same. They had also improved themselves so the future of their children could be as bright as it could be.

“Bronya, do you remember the night Marika and Katerina were born?” Seele felt her other half within her stir as she spoke those names.

“I don’t think this is anything any parent ever could forget,” Bronya said, her voice quiet and calm.

“That night, we carried them to our ward’s window,” Seele continued, closing her eyes. “The full moon was so bright. We knew it was a sign. We thanked her for making the happiest day of our lives possible. We asked her if she wanted to come down and say hello to them, who would want to meet their aunt one day. Their hero.”

“I remember,” she heard Bronya say. “I remember breaking down and crying. I was overwhelmed by everything going on. I remember begging her to come home to us, and I remember you telling me that I had more to live for than the past. I had to live on, not just for you, not just for him, but for our daughters.”

“I miss her, too,” Seele said. “I know she’d be happy for us if she saw us today. Bronya…do you think she’s watching us from high above? That she’s looking after us until the day she comes back home?”

“I know she is. She’s always keeping us safe.” Bronya looked back at the unmoving episode of Arahato, then she shut the computer off. “I think we’ve watched enough for one day. Don’t worry; you helped point out some things I missed. Thank you for helping me with my inspiration, Seele.”

“Anything for you.” Seele smiled. “Let’s head home.”

—--

As their motorcycle came into view in the parking lot outside the building, Seele once again thought of Project Bunny whose transformation the motorcycle was recreating. Bronya had constructed the vehicle by herself using components supplied by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. It was a magnificent vehicle in its own right, but it came nowhere close to what inspired it. Seele had discovered Project Bunny in a space between realities after being trapped there by a failed experiment. Its origins were unknown to her, but she found herself able to control it with her mind without needing to do anything else to it. It was her only companion in that otherwise lonely place, but she gifted it to Bronya because Seele knew she could find much more use from it than she could. The sky was getting dark, but Seele stopped in front of the motorcycle. 

“Seele? Aren’t you getting on?” 

Seele looked Bronya in the eye. “She has something to say to you first. Something important.”

Bronya looked back. “Alright. You can tell me anything, Seele.”

Seele’s eyes turned red. “I want to ask when the right time will be for me to meet our daughters. It’s been five years since they were born, and I haven’t spoken a word to them since then. What are you afraid of? That they won’t accept their ema anymore? That they’ll start fearing her? This is Seele’s reason, but I want to hear yours.”

The other Seele could remember the first time she became aware of her host. They had been born together, and their awareness was as linked as they were. She knew no more than her host did. As Seele grew up, her other half grew up with her. The blood-red Seele could view her almost like a mirror of herself. Their lives were inextricably linked, so when her host learned she was carrying a new life within her, the other Seele became inextricably linked to the girl who would eventually be named Marika. She shared the same body with Seele and the same love for their daughter. She viewed the girl as her own daughter because she was. When Marika and Katerina were born, both Seeles had held them because her host knew she would also want to. It had been too long since the last time she held her. One way or another, she would have her answer.

Bronya looked ashamed, but she held Seele’s gaze. “Seele…I know how you must feel, but we’ve discussed this before. We aren’t sure if they’re ready. We weren’t even sure if they were ready to hear about my past. But now that Seele has told them…” 

The other Seele raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“I promise you this, Seele. One day, they will meet you again. We’ll continue this later, but not here. Let’s head home.”

Chapter Text

“We’re off to work, then,” Bronya had said after breakfast as she and Seele stood together in the doorway. “We’ll try not to stay out too late.”

“Take care of the girls for us,” Seele told him. She wore the same office uniform as her wife, and it suited her just as perfectly. “Love you.”

“Love you,” Johann said to them both before they departed for Studio Reason. Seele was just as willing to assist Bronya with her inspiration. She may not have shared quite the same interest in Arahato as he and Bronya did, but she was always there for Bronya. Just as he was here for Katerina and Marika, who stood beside him and waved their mothers goodbye. 

“I hope they don’t stay out so late this time,” Katerina said as the door closed in front of them.

“She said they wouldn’t, so they won’t,” Marika reassured her sister and likely herself.

“There’s no need to worry about that. Just let them do what they’re good at,” Johann said, kneeling so he could look them in the eye. “Kat, Mari, would you like to see something special? Something I think it was about time you both saw.”

Their eyes wide and curious, they could only answer yes. Johann led them to the living room before heading to his bedroom and returning with a photo album in his hands. He rested on the sofa before they joined him on either side.

“What’s in that book?” Katerina asked, pointing at the cover. Aside from a clasp with a blue butterfly ornament holding the album shut, the cover was blank.

“Your mothers’ memories, and mine.” He unclasped the album and opened it to the first page. In the courtyard of the world’s only school for valkyries in training, with the tall towers of the academy rising high in the background above them, a group of women smiled happily at the camera. There were six of them standing closely together, their hands on each other’s shoulders, around their waists, or raised into the air and waving. 

“Is this St. Freya? But it looks so different,” Marika said, looking at the background. Her interest in all things valkyries had led her to read as much as she could about the academy that trained them. Johann had once given her the academy’s pamphlets and brochures to read after she asked for them. She kept a collection of them in her room along with a scale model of the academy, which he and her sister had helped her build.

“Yes, Marika,” he said. “This is St. Freya as it used to be before it was destroyed.”

Marika concentrated. “It was destroyed by the Herrscher of the Void.” Their parents had been careful to limit the amount of material they could access regarding those apostles of destruction until they were older, but a being like the Herrscher who commanded the void was one no one did not know.

“It must have been fixed,” Katerina said next. 

“Yes, it was,” Johann said. “The St. Freya that stands today is a new one, bigger and better than the old. But the old St. Freya is where my memories, and your matushka's memories, belong.” 

“She looks so much like Aunt Mei,” Marika said as she pointed to a girl with long, dark hair and eyes just as violet. Her finger moved across the photograph. “And she looks just like Aunt Fu Hua,” she said about the girl wearing red-rimmed glasses, whose smile was harder to see but still there.

“And this must be my matushka,” Katerina said, pointing to the shortest girl in the photograph, who styled her hair into twin drill-shaped curls.

“You’re both right,” he said. “This photograph was taken about ten years ago.” How quickly things change. “Back then, they were valkyries who had already completed several missions, but they still attended St. Freya because a valkyrie never stops learning new things. Your mother, Katerina, was one of the brightest students the academy ever had. She lived there with the other members of her squad.”

“I’m not surprised! She’s always so smart,” Katerina said, the pride in her voice obvious to hear.

“What about Aunt Mei?” asked Marika. “Was she good, too?”

“She was,” Johann answered. “They all were. Even…” He paused as his eyes met those of the girl standing closest to Mei. The cheerful smile on her face was forever frozen in time.

“Is that Aunt Theresa?” Katerina said before he could continue. “She looks just like the last time we saw her. So does Aunt Fu Hua.”

He managed a chuckle. “Yes, they’re your Aunts Theresa and Fu Hua, and yes, both of them have stopped growing, so that’s why they always look the same age. But this doesn’t mean they can’t act their age.”

Katerina nodded excitedly. “Aunt Theresa was so strict the last time we visited her. She didn’t act like a little girl at all. I didn’t know she was this old. I thought she was only a little older than us.” She glanced at her sister, who nodded back. “Why did they stop growing?”

“It’s a long story. Next time you see them, you can ask them yourself.” The three of them were quiet as they continued looking at the photograph. Johann wondered how much he truly knew of that time. Too much had changed. He was no longer the same man he used to be, yet he had to be for his family’s sake. 

Marika pointed at the woman with fiery red hair standing behind the others. “I know her! She’s Murata Himeko. She helped save the world once…she looks a lot like you, Father. Well…I mean…if you were…”

“That’s right,” Johann said. “Himeko was their teacher. She was an incredibly brave woman. She sacrificed so much to give us the world we know today.”

“Can you tell us her story?” they asked.

“Another day. I promise.”

There was only one more person in the photograph yet to be named. Neither of his daughters recognized her. “Who’s she?” Katerina asked. “She kind of looks like…”

“She kind of looks like Aunt Theresa, but older,” Marika noted.

He hesitated. The girl’s face in the photograph was protected from the ravages of time. He did not wish to revisit the hard truth, not yet. “I’ll tell you her name. One day.”

“...Alright,” they conceded, although it was clear the matter was far from settled. 

“Let me show you something else.” He flipped through several pages, past the memories of the squadron’s peaceful lives at St. Freya Academy and into pages of less peaceful ones. While valkyries could be like any other woman when allowed to be, they were above all soldiers who risked their lives to protect innocents from the Honkai. The many photographs of Bronya and her squadron members in battle against Honkai beasts and zombies excited Marika and Katerina until they forgot about his earlier refusal and focused only on the valkyries doing what valkyries were meant to do. 

“That Honkai beast was so much bigger than her, but she blew it up so easily!” Marika excitedly said as Bronya’s Project Bunny fired a laser through the carapace of a massive Honkai beast. “I wish I could do that when I grow up.”

“I want to see you do that,” Katerina said. “I think you’d be a great valkyrie.”

“Do you think I’d be a good valkyrie?” Marika asked, looking into his eyes. 

Johann looked back. Marika’s left eye was sea-blue, the right blood-red. Her hair had the same colouration, blue with shades of red throughout. Marika’s mother had imparted a gift to her daughter. She used to ask why she looked different from other people and her sister. We told her that she isn't different, and we love her no matter what she looks like. One day. We’ll tell her one day. He sighed to himself. He hid it from them, but the idea of his precious little girl willingly choosing such a dangerous life was one he could never be comfortable with. But the decision would be hers alone to make. If the day came when Marika entered St. Freya Academy as its newest student, he would embrace her with pride and tell her to do the best she could. “If a valkyrie is what you want to be when you grow up,” he said carefully, “I think you can be a great valkyrie.” 

“Really? You really think I can?” 

“As for you, my little Kat…” Johann reached over and furrowed his eldest daughter’s hair, which was so close to her mother’s in the photographs he showed them. “I can see you doing things like your mother is now.”

“Like making games?"

“Maybe. Or maybe you’ll make other things. So much work went into designing something like the Hyperion.” He turned the page, and on the next one was the aerial battleship that had played such a large role in their history. The photographs were taken from various angles and showed every detail of the battleship’s exterior, from the rear thrusters to the wings at its sides to the many weapons emplaced upon it. In one of them, the squadron of valkyries was assembled on the outer deck for a group photo with their captain. In another, a beam of golden light streamed from the Hyperion’s main gun during a test firing and pierced through a slab of solid steel a kilometer thick. 

Katerina and Marika lingered over every photograph of the magnificent airship. Both had heard so much about the battleship their father used to captain. “I don’t know…it looks so complicated," Katerina finally said.

“That’s alright. If you decide to do something else, that’s also okay. I just want you, both of you, to know that whatever you choose to be, we will be there for you.” Johann turned several pages until he reached the last section of the album. On the outer deck of the Hyperion, Bronya and Seele, elegant in the pure white dresses they wore and surrounded by all their friends and family seated in attendance, walked down the aisle to stand before a man awaiting them, who then joined their lives together as one.

It was Katerina and Marika’s first time seeing their mothers’ wedding. They saw the clear blue sky above, they saw the happiness on the faces of everyone present, and they saw their three parents together on the happiest day of their lives. 

“You all look so happy together,” Marika said, smiling.

“Just as happy as they always do. That means they’re still just as happy as then,” Katerina said. “Right, Father?”

He patted their hair again. “You’re right, and it’s because of both of you. Now, let’s take a break for a bit. I’ll be back for you in an hour or so, and then we can have lunch. If you need me before then, just call for me.” He left the photo album with them to look through as much as they wished, and then he excused himself, needing some time alone. He returned to his bedroom. There were many large bookshelves lining the walls. He, Bronya, and Seele were all avid readers, so they kept the books that held the most meaning for them safe in their room. He withdrew one and opened it. 

It was often said that a picture could tell a thousand words, but the book he so carefully held told more than even the photo album he had shown his daughters. It was first kept on another bookshelf in another bedroom far away. Then it was moved into the library within the First Divine Key for safekeeping. Now, it and the other journals like it belonged to their author once again. He opened it to the first page.

1465…

—--

Afternoon came, and with it, lunch. He reheated some leftovers from breakfast as he quickly cooked something new. When it was ready, he called them to the dining room table. Like she always did, Katerina ate the pelmeni much faster than her sister. The dumplings quickly vanished from Katerina’s plate. Marika still had several left. She preferred to enjoy her meal for longer.

“Slow down, Kat. You might choke if you eat that fast,” Johann cautioned her. 

She did and looked embarrassed because of it. “Sorry. It just tastes so good.” 

“You eat like a pig, and it’s just leftovers,” Marika admonished her.

“You’re eating these leftovers, too,” Katerina pointed out. 

“Because it is good. But the faster you eat, the faster you have nothing left to eat.”

Their words warmed his heart. His daughters teased each other mercilessly, Marika to Katerina more than the other way around, but it was their way of showing their affection for each other. From before their first steps, the two were inseparable. They shared the same crib, the same clothes, and the same doting care from their parents and their many aunts. Katerina and Marika knew the difference between themselves and other siblings, that they shared only one parent instead of two, but it made no matter to them. They were sisters in full and always would be. 

When they were born on the airborne island that served as the capital of Schicksal, Johann’s life had changed forever. Bronya and Seele had spent their maternity leaves at Schicksal HQ to benefit from the safety that it offered. Schicksal had shared with the world the advanced medical technology it once guarded and kept secret, but there was still no better, safer place for them to be than its headquarters in the sky. On that night, after their daughters had taken their first breaths, he walked into their ward to see Bronya and Seele with their newborns in their arms, standing by the window and gazing at the night sky. The full moon had shined silver. Its light had illuminated the night and their futures. He wanted her to know how grateful he was to her so that their lives could be possible. When Bronya and Seele turned around and he saw the two new lives for the first time, he had nearly broken down and wept. When he held them for the first time, he did weep. 

“Father, can we ask you for a story?” he heard them ask, breaking him out of his memories. 

He looked back at them. “Of course. What kind of story do you want to hear?”

“The story of how our matushka and ema met you and how you fell in love,” Katerina said. 

“Didn’t you already ask your ema yesterday about how they met me?”

“We did,” Marika agreed, “but we want to hear the story from you.”

“Our mothers tell us that every story has more than one side,” Katerina said. “This story must have your side, too.”

Johann had always encouraged them to ask questions and seek out the answers, so he could not fault them for doing it now. They were at an age where they wanted to know something about everything. “You’re very right. Then sit comfortably and listen.” They did as they were told. “Katerina, when I met your mother on the Hyperion, she was nothing like the person she is today. She had trouble trusting people she didn’t already trust, and this means she didn’t trust me. This doesn’t mean she was all different, though. She was still the same back then when it came to things like her interest in technology. You must get it from her, and I’m glad you did.” 

Katerina laughed and played with her spiral ponytail, which she had also inherited from her mother. “Me too. How did she finally trust you?”

“It didn’t happen at once. She avoided me whenever she could and spoke to me only when she had to. She was always polite, never rude, but she spoke as little as possible and ended our conversations as soon as she could. She never wanted to be near me, but over time, she started speaking to me more and more. She had been gradually learning that I was someone she could trust. One day, she came to me and offered to play a video game together. She must have noticed how unwell I was feeling and decided to do something about it. I accepted.”

“Hmm. Which game was it? Why were you feeling unwell? And did you love each other after playing the game together?” asked Katerina.

“It was a game about HOMU. It was her favourite.”

“It’s mine, too. I love all my HOMUs she gave me,” Katerina said with a smile. Bronya’s fondness for HOMU had never faded even though the line’s popularity had. She still collected what she could of them, not only for herself but for her daughter too. Several dolls could be found around the apartment. Katerina and Marika’s room had the most.

Johann continued. “As for your second question…being a captain isn’t an easy job. It takes a lot of effort even if you aren’t the one personally doing the fighting.”

Marika made an amused sound. “That must be why I feel more bored when I’m not doing anything.”

“That’s right. And the third question…people don’t usually fall in love that quickly. We were on speaking terms after that day, but love…it came much later when we stayed together at St. Freya. Bronya’s room was next to mine. She had a nightmare one night, and I went over to comfort her. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about her then, and I only realized it later.”

Katerina nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. “I’m happy you could help her feel better.”

Then it was Marika’s turn. “And my mother?” Her eyes, blue and red, were bright and inquisitive. Perhaps she hoped to learn something more about them. 

“Marika, you already know that she met and fell in love with your matushka first, long before they met me. They grew up in the same orphanage together.” 

“I know that. So how did it happen?”

“Your ema was lost somewhere in a place called the Sea of Quanta. It’s a place made up of many different worlds, and she was trapped in them and in between them. But it was alright. She wasn’t hurt, just stuck. Bronya never stopped trying to rescue her, and when she finally did, she brought her back to the real world. That meant back to her friends aboard the Hyperion. That’s when she met me.” He left out the fact that he was in Soukai City at the time of Seele’s rescue and only met her after he left the city and returned to the battleship. “She was more trusting from the start. She never had a problem talking with me. In fact, she seemed to know me better than someone she’d only just met. It turned out that she had been watching me all this time and wanted to meet me, and she was happy to meet someone who cared for your matushka as much as she did.” 

“Is that why she started to love you, too?” Marika asked. 

Johann considered the question. Seele’s feelings at that time had been complicated, perhaps unsurprisingly given that she had returned to a world she spent years away from. “Yes, it was. Maybe not at first, but it happened. She was kind and caring. She was a welcome part of the Hyperion, and I wanted her to be happy with her life. One day, she confessed to Bronya about how she felt for me because she wasn’t ready to tell me herself. Then Bronya told her to tell me it herself.” 

Marika looked a little surprised. “I didn’t think she would be scared of anything, especially you.”

“Everyone is scared of something, and that’s fine. What makes people brave is facing them, and your mother did.” Johann smiled at both of them. “Now you know. Let’s finish lunch, and we can find something else to do before they come home.”

—--

Evening came, and with it, the darkening sky. He no longer minded the darkness. It meant the moon could begin to shine its silver light onto the world, something it could never do during the day. He had spent the past few hours in his study reading through the journals he left behind. They were a part of him and told him the past he once forgot. He was glad that someone had cared enough to preserve them. Katerina and Marika played together on the floor behind him with the toys and games he found for them, but after they had their fill of that form of entertainment, they too started reading. Several books surrounded them, already finished. The one they were currently reading was a storybook about valkyries and what they did for the world. After the end, their duties had expanded from fighting the Honkai. The strength and speed of a valkyrie gave her the ability to help the world in newer ways.

“And this the story of how a single B-rank valkyrie saved every missing climber from Mount Everest without anyone getting lost,” Marika read aloud from behind him. “Wow…valkyries are so amazing. I want to help people like she did one day…”

“I want you to, too,” Katerina replied. “I think you’ll be a great valkyrie who can help so many people.”

“You told me that before. But I don’t know. It seems so hard. St. Freya doesn’t let everyone in. Maybe they won’t like the way I look. How I look different.” 

“Well…you won’t know until you try.”

Their voices were quiet, but Johann still heard the disappointment in her voice. He attempted to focus on his own reading, but he found himself staring repeatedly at the current page. It was a complete collection of the many works by Shakespeare. He had just begun Romeo and Juliet.

“Father? We have another question,” they said, suddenly breaking the silence.

He turned around. “Another one? You never seem to run out of them!” He stood from his seat to kneel and ruffle their hair. “I’m just kidding. Asking questions is a good thing. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t. Let’s hear this new one.”

“Okay…” Katerina said. She and Marika glanced at each other. “Can you tell us about how you became the Hyperion’s captain? We always wanted to know.”

“Ah. Now that’s a good question, and I’m glad you asked it. Do you mind if I sit?”

“Of course not!” Marika said.

He found a comfortable position to sit in and cleared his throat. “The Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, chose me to be the captain of the Hyperion.”

“Otto Apocalypse…?” Katerina hesitantly said. “We’ve read about Otto Apocalypse. All the books say he’s done so many bad things and hurt so many people. Why would he make you the captain?”

Her words cut to his heart, and he was again reminded that Otto’s sordid history, or at least part of it, was known to the public and had been for years since his granddaughter exposed him as a tyrant during her coronation ceremony. “My name is Apocalypse too, remember. And so is your Aunt Theresa’s.” 

They slowly nodded. Marika spoke next. “We wondered if…” 

“Yes. You’re right. Otto and I were family. Close family. We were cousins.” And this makes him your family, too. “I once loved him very much.”

“How could you love someone who did so many bad things?” Marika asked. Her tone was not accusatory, only uncertain.

“He wasn’t always like that. He was not born the man he became. When we were just boys, I was sent to live with him and his family. I will never forget how happy he and I made each other. As for why he made me the captain, he wanted someone with my skills because not just anyone can command a battleship like the Hyperion.”

“Did Otto care about fighting the Honkai?” Katerina asked.

“He did. The Honkai took someone very important from him. He never forgave the Honkai.” He paused and looked them both in the eye. “If he had met you, I believe he would have cherished and protected you because you are his family, too. No matter what he did, he ultimately wanted to protect those he loved, and he never stopped loving me, not even at the end of his life. So that’s how the Hyperion gained its new captain.”

The girls were quiet. Then they reached over and hugged him. “Thank you for telling us about him,” Katerina said. 

“Yes, thank you,” Marika agreed.

Johann embraced them back, but he was no longer looking at them. Maybe I shouldn’t have told them this. Even so many years later, I’m still unsure if I’m being the best father they deserve to have. I wonder if…the other world felt way this, too.

When his phone rang and he heard Bronya and Seele’s comforting voices again, he allowed himself to set aside his concerns for another day.

Chapter Text

Kat woke up before her sister did, so she poked and prodded Marika’s sleeping face until she woke with an annoyed groan. 

“Stop that,” Marika said. "Or I'll do it to you."

“You already did do it to me yesterday,” Kat protested. “I wanted to this time.”

“Fine. But next time, I won’t go easy on you.” 

Kat laughed and got out of bed. It was a Saturday, and this meant her matushka would be able to stay home with her instead of working for so long and coming home so late. Her parents had all worked hard all week, and even though they were the strongest people in the world, they needed to rest sooner or later. 

She was hungry, too. She looked forward to breakfast. “Mari, let’s go wake them. It’s Saturday. This means we have all day together,” she said as she poked and prodded her sister again. 

“Fine…” Marika agreed as she followed her out of bed. Although she tried not to show it, she was as excited for today as her sister. It felt like forever since the last time she could spend a day together with her entire family. Her father was always so busy working at Schicksal so far away. She knew his job was important. He taught not just airship crews but valkyries, too. But she missed him. When he came home a few days ago, she had leapt into his arms at the same time as her sister, and now she never wanted him to leave again even though she knew he would have to.

“Mari? What are you thinking about?” Kat asked, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Nothing.”

“I can guess.”

“Don’t bother.”

Kat could tell that Marika wanted to enjoy their day as much as she did. So she dragged her sister by the hand out of their room, opened the door to their parents’ room, climbed onto their bed, and waited until they woke up, which did not take long. 

“...Kat? Mari?” their father mumbled, slowly opening his eyes. “Isn’t it a bit early for you to be up?”

“It’s never too early for Saturday,” Kat said. 

“Do you know what Saturday means?” Marika asked. 

“It means we won’t need to work today,” Matushka said, who slowly sat up to smile at them. “You were waiting for this day, weren’t you.”

“For so long,” Kat and Marika both said at the same time. 

They heard a laugh. Ema sat up and pulled them into a hug. “So was I. We have all day to ourselves. First, let’s start with breakfast.”

Breakfast tasted even better than usual to Kat. Maybe it was because of how excited she was to spend the whole day with them. They had more models of mechs, airships, and locations to build together. They had more books yet to be read. And so much more. She tried not to eat too fast this time. She remembered her father warning her and Marika teasing her for it yesterday and was in no mood to be warned or teased again. Instead, she wondered about all the fun things they could do today. Her mind came up with idea after idea, but it was harder to decide on which she wanted to do. 

Marika also had a few ideas in mind. She had always loved the stories her parents told her, and she wanted to hear even more. She would be happy to spend all day doing nothing but listening to stories of how the valkyries had saved the world and how they were still protecting it today. First, though, she had breakfast to finish. Ema had made it using a recipe from her homeland. One day, Marika would visit the place called Estonia, too. 

“Since it’s Saturday, I think we should go out as a family today,” Ema suggested. “It’s been too long since the last time we all could.”

“You always have the best ideas,” Matushka replied. “I’d love this, too. Johann?”

Instead of answering directly, Father turned to them. “How do you feel about going out today? Soukai City has so many places we could see.”

“Please, I’d love to go anywhere with you,” Kat happily answered.

“Same for me.” Marika kept the exact places she wanted to visit a secret for now. 

“Then let’s go as soon as we finish eating,” Ema said. “We have just the places in mind.”

—--

The office building - no, the skyscraper - was one of the tallest things Kat and Marika had ever seen. They craned their necks as much as they could and still could not see the top. They wondered how high it went and which floors they would visit.

To get there together, they needed a vehicle larger than the motorcycle their matushka used to drive there and back, so for once, they took their family car. It was black on the outside and looked completely normal on the outside and in, no different from any other car on the road with them, but they once overheard their parents mention that it was armoured and could do things other cars could not. For that matter, they had also overheard the same about their apartment once, something about a secret armoury. Maybe they would ask about that one day. Whatever the case, it felt like forever since the last time they had all taken the car together. 

Their father drove them from the underground parking garage, through the streets of Soukai City, and finally to the place where their matushka spent so much time. She usually drove on her motorcycle, meaning their car saw little use most days. Their ema had sat with them in the back and reminded them to wear their seatbelts before they began driving. Once they did, they watched the skyscrapers of the city racing by, and it was not long before they arrived. 

“Matushka, is this where you work all the time?” Kat asked.

“I work near the top floor,” she replied, pointing to it. “That’s what I’d like to show you today.” 

With the girls in between, their parents led them into the building and its front lobby, which was large and decorated with fascinating things. They saw a sculpture of a giant robot in the corner coloured black and red and about the size of a man. It was staring at them. Next to it was another robot, shorter but bulkier with a giant face on its chest and a single glowing pink eye where its head should have been. There were other mechs along the walls and in the other corners, too.

“That’s Arahato and the MSR-7 Wotan,” Marika whispered to her sister. “I read a lot about them.”

“Welcome to Studio Reason, Mrs. Zaychik,” the receptionist lady said to their matushka. “And welcome to your family, too.”

“Thank you. We’re glad to be here,” their other two parents replied.

“Wave hello,” Matushka said to them. They did, and the receptionist lady smiled. “I’m not here to work on the weekend, just so you know,” Matushka continued. “I felt like it was time to show my daughters why I’ve been working here so much lately.”

“I’m sure they’ll have a good time. I saw them looking at the sculptures over there,” the receptionist lady said. “They seem to know their mechas well.”

Their matushka looked back at them and smiled before leading them to the elevator. It took them to the upper floors in no time at all. When they stepped out, their eyes widened with wonder. 

“This is where you work? It’s awesome,” Kat exclaimed, running forward into the vast room filled with computers, which had always fascinated her. The largest television screen she ever seen was on a wall. The windows reached to the ceiling and showed a wide view of the city outside. Most interesting of all, nine computer monitors were arranged on one particular desk that must have belonged to her matushka. She and her sister ran over to it and stared at it in wonder. 

“This must be hers,” Kat said. “There’s so many screens here. Do you think she uses all of them at the same time?”

“I think if anyone can, it’s her,” Marika replied. 

“I see you’ve found my workstation,” they heard her say as she walked up to them. She placed a hand on the desk. “Yes, I do use all nine monitors at once when I need to, although it’s usually less.” 

“Like when we’re researching Arahato together,” Father said as he walked over. “One screen is enough.” He paused. “It’s almost strange seeing you out of your usual office uniform here, but it’s a good reminder that we’re here for something else.” What he said was true. They were all wearing casual, everyday clothes, not dressed up for work. Kat and Marika liked seeing their parents dressed like normal people.

“Speaking of Arahato, how do you feel about your inspiration now?” Ema asked Matushka. 

“More than before…but I didn’t bring the girls here to talk about that.” She turned to them, and her voice softened. “I brought you here because I want you to see what I do. Here, I bring ideas to life so others can enjoy them and make their own memories with them. Right now, I’m working on the biggest game I’ve ever worked on…and it’s taking more time than I want it to. I know I can finish it, though. And when I do, I’ll have more time for you both. Until then, I wanted you to see where I go when I’m not home with you.”

Kat glanced between her and the many computer screens on the desk. “I knew you worked at someplace like this. I like it. Actually, I love it.”

Matushka smiled. “You do?”

“There are so many things here and so many computers. I want to work here when I grow up.” 

Marika poked her in the side. “You can’t work at your own mother’s company…”

“Why not!”

Matushka laughed. “I’m sure you won’t even need to. This is just one office. There are bigger, more important places you could go instead, Katerina.” 

“What kinds of places?”

“Places like this one, but instead of making games, they make bigger things. Like the car we used to get here or my bike. Or the mechs downstairs and the airships in the sky. I used to work at these places before I decided I wanted to make people happy with games instead.”

Kat considered the idea. Those things had to have come from somewhere, and someone had to have made them. And for someone to make them, someone had to design them first. She imagined herself sitting at a desk like this one, maybe in front of as many screens, and carefully putting together a design that would hopefully help many. She loved the idea. She had so many ideas in mind already.

Then Matushka turned to Marika. “How do you feel about my office, Marika?”

Marika turned around in a full circle, taking in every detail she could see. In addition to the desk with the nine computer screens, there was another desk nearby and three chairs around it. It seemed more relaxing to her. Beside it were a number of bookshelves stocked with books. To the left of those was a large couch next to the television on the wall. She noticed two yellow ears poking out from under it. She walked over and found a large HOMU doll smiling at her. She picked it up and held it in a hug. “I think you’re very happy working here, and I’m happy for you,” Marika said from behind the doll. 

“I am. Thank you,” Matushka replied.

“But how can you work here for so long every day without getting bored?”

“Well. There’s a saying about this. It goes, ‘Find a job you enjoy, and you won’t need to work a day in your life.’ For me, this is that job.”

Ema walked over. “So is mine. Helping Schicksal help people in need…it’s more than just a job to me, and I’m glad for what I do.” 

Father joined them. “I suppose mine is the same. It’s knowing that I’m making a difference in the world. And so are you, Bronya. This world needs stories, and you should be the one to tell them.”

“Oh, you and your sappy words,” Matushka laughed. “Thank you.” She addressed them again. “Girls, if you want to stay here for a bit, you’re welcome to. Or we could go somewhere else instead.”

“Let’s stay for a bit,” Kat said. “I want to see your game so far.”

“So do I,” Marika added. 

Matushka turned on one of the screens and had them share a chair. “So far, we have…”

—--

Kat and Marika loved visiting Soukai City’s public library. It was not as big as many of the other buildings in the city, but on the inside, it seemed the biggest of them all. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined every wall and filled every room. They could spend all day here, losing themselves in other worlds and learning as much as they could about this one. It was the books and what was in those books that made the library the biggest place in the city, and the sisters were delighted to step through the front doors after they finished their visit to Studio Reason.

Kat browsed the bookshelves with her matushka following closely behind; her father had gone off in search of his own reading list. She and her sister had been told they could pick out any selection they wished. As usual, Kat browsed the computers and technology section, selecting volumes that detailed the inner workings of various machines and how they were made. She loved to examine the diagrams of complicated things like weapons, battlesuits, mechs, the Hyperion, and Schicksal HQ. Her favourites were the cross-sections that cut away the outside so that she could see their workings on the inside. Her matushka helped her retrieve books on the upper shelves too high for her to reach. Soon, the pile of selected books was almost too heavy for Kat to carry by herself, so she was glad her matushka was there to help her. 

Marika explored a different section of the library. She shared some of her sister’s interest in technology, but what interested her the most was the equipment used by valkyries and of course the valkyries themselves. With her ema accompanying her, she chose several books that detailed the history of valkyries and their duties and services to the world. She also found an encyclopedia of every documented form of Honkai beast and how best to avoid and defeat them. Honkai beasts may have become rare occurrences in the world she knew, but Marika wanted to be prepared for the worst. She needed no help carrying the heavy stack of books in her arms to the reading table they had agreed to meet at.

Kat was already sitting there with their matushka. Her face was buried in a book about the weapons and armour that valkyries took into battle. Marika smiled with approval. Her sister might not have shared the exact same enthusiasm for valkyries as she did, but they both had a healthy admiration for who valkyries were and what they did.

“Did you find the books you wanted?” Matushka asked Marika as she set them on the table. 

“I sure did.” Marika sat next to Kat. “Can I see that?” 

“Sure.” Kat set the book flat on the table and shifted to the right so Marika could read it with her. “This battlesuit is called the Vermillion Knight. It used a Herrscher gem. Murata Himeko used it to defeat the Herrscher of the Void, but she sacrificed herself to do it.” Every child was taught at least a brief history of their world’s war against the Honkai. Murata Himeko was a name and face that every child knew. Marika and Kat gazed at her portrait next to the diagram of the last battlesuit she ever wore. It was the face of a woman who knew what she was about to sacrifice and did so because no one else could. 

“That’s right,” Matushka said. “Himeko…she was one of, if not the best teacher I ever had. It’s been so many years since that day, but it still hurts a little to think of her.”

Ema sat down beside them. “I was never able to meet her, but I wish I had. In a way, I did. I saw her from the Sea of Quanta and how much she meant to you, Bronya. If Himeko saw you now, she’d be so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” Matushka said. “I know she would.”

They heard footsteps approaching the table and saw Father carrying his own thick pile of books, which he set on the table. “You must be talking about Himeko,” he said quietly. The four of them nodded. He looked at the diagram of the Vermillion Knight battlesuit and smiled. “She lives on forever in our books and in our stories. Himeko’s sacrifice, and more importantly, the life she lived, will never be forgotten.”

“Father, read this with us,” Kat asked. “You can tell us all about her. You promised you would.”

They made room for him, and he sat in between the two sisters. He glanced at their matushka, who nodded back. “We’d love to,” they said.

—--

Katerina and Marika were the most alive when they were able to freely embrace their interests. Like any good parent, Johann did all that he could to encourage them to pursue them. He and Bronya told them of Murata Himeko and the other valkyries she had worked with. They spoke about the weapons and armour she preferred, which in her case were greatswords that could cleave Honkai beasts in two with a single strike. Most importantly of all, they spoke of the person she was.

He turned a few pages of the book until they came to the section that detailed the tactics that valkyries employed to eliminate Honkai beasts as efficiently as possible. 

“Himeko was bolder than many valkyries when it came to tactics,” Bronya reminisced. “She favoured fast, powerful attacks, but not at the expense of her safety. She would strike the target hard and continue attacking to prevent the target from fighting back. If it did, she’d retreat before closing in again even faster. Most Honkai beasts couldn’t survive for long against her, though.”

Marika listened to Bronya’s recollections of the fallen hero with unbreakable interest. She was clearly enjoying the history lesson.

When they turned back to the books, Johann’s thoughts wandered into forbidden territory. It was something he had long tried to give a wide berth, but it rushed at him no matter how hard he tried to stop himself from thinking about her. The feeling gnawed at him. When Bronya and Seele called for a break, he gratefully accepted. He stood and was about to leave when Seele caught up to him. 

“Could we have a word with you in private?” she asked.

Welcoming the chance to distract himself and address something else of importance, he followed Seele a distance away from the reading table until the rest of their family was out of earshot. 

—--

“What’s this about?” Johann asked her, his voice heavy before he glanced at their family through the gaps in the bookshelf that separated them.

The consciousness within her stirred. I’ll leave this to you, Seele thought to her other half.

Thank you, Seele. Her eyes turned red. “I asked Bronya about this the first day I accompanied her to work. I asked her when there would be a good time to introduce myself to them again. You know who I’m referring to.”

He looked ashamed. Then he met her piercing stare with surprising strength. “Seele, I know what you mean. About being a part of Katerina and Marika’s lives. You have a right to be there for them because they’re your daughters, too.”

“I’m glad you acknowledge this, but this isn’t the answer I need to hear. Yes or no, and when?”

He reached over and took her hand. “The answer is yes. The girls…it’s been so long since I last saw them, but they’ve grown so much since then. Before, I wasn’t sure if they were ready to meet you yet. And as for when…” Seele raised an eyebrow. “Now, we still haven’t told them about their lost aunt, but we will. On that day, you can become a part of their lives again. I promise you. Bronya would agree to this as well.”

The other Seele once thought this man interesting for how weak and strong he was simultaneously. She had been drawn to him by the scent he gave off, but after learning about its origin, her interest in him did not fade. Instead, it grew and developed with how her host felt for him. He had never spurned her after learning of her existence within Seele. He accepted her as who she was. This feeling was enough to warm her otherwise cold heart, as was the birth of Marika, her daughter as much as Seele’s.

“And when will this day be? Today? Tomorrow? Next year?”

He hesitated. “As soon as Bronya publishes Arahato. Let her finish her work on it first before she focuses on something like this.”

Seele sighed. “Then she had better hurry up.”

—--

After they returned to their table, it was as if they had never left. His daughters welcomed him back to read another book, but his worries soon began working at him again. 

He knew he had another daughter once. An older one. He had found her in another world before abandoning her to that world. His memories of her were all but gone, but he knew she had lived once. He also knew that her father would read to her every day just like how he was reading to Katerina and Marika now. 

His first daughter would be long dead by now and perhaps her world with her. Her mother, too. His heart should have ached for them, but instead, he felt almost nothing. He wondered if this were wrong, if pain was something he should be feeling, and whether his new family made his old one a forgotten part of the past. As much as he loathed to admit it, it most likely had. 

He made a promise. Not only to his daughters but also to himself. 

Katerina, Marika, one day. One day, I will tell you about her. About your long-lost sister from another world far away. 

—--

Kat and Marika were so focused on their books that they hardly noticed that their father had stopped reading aloud. When they looked up, his face seemed lost, his eyes distant and no longer seeing. 

“Father? Are you alright?” they asked together. 

Their words seemed to wake him. He made an apologetic smile. “I’m alright, thank you. I was just thinking that I couldn’t remember the last time I was this happy. It’s been so long since we were all out together.”

They could not remember the last time, either, only that it must have been happy like they were right now. “I want every day to be happy like this,” Kat wished. 

Marika poked her again. “You know we can’t go out every day…but you’re right. We can still be happy outside and at home.”

“The last time we were all out together,” said Ema, “was half a year ago. We flew from Soukai City to Schicksal HQ for our annual reunion. That’s when you two were old enough to remember meeting your aunts and uncles.” 

Kat and Marika did remember. They had been told they were too young to remember the first few times they met their many aunts and uncles, but now it was brought up, their visit to the floating island in the sky seemed like it was yesterday. 

“Yes, I remember all of them. Aunt Mei, Aunt Theresa, Aunt Fu Hua, Aunt Rozaliya, Aunt Liliya, Aunt Rita, Aunt Bianka, Aunt Tesla, Aunt Einstein, Uncle Welt…when can we go back?” Kat asked. 

“In half a year,” Ema replied. “Or sooner. We’d need to make preparations first, though.”

“I’m happy where we are right now,” Father said. “We can talk about travelling some other time. For now, let’s enjoy this day together to the fullest.”

The family settled into a calm silence again. Marika was no longer looking at the books, though. She was looking at her father and the almost pained look on his face. He had tried to hide it, but she still saw it. She worried if she were the cause of it. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint her father. “Today has been so happy,” Marika said. “I want to protect all of you so we can have more happy days like this one forever.”

“You mean being a valkyrie,” Father said. His voice phrased those words so that it was a statement, not a question.

Marika slowly nodded. 

Their parents glanced at each other. 

“Marika,” Ema told her, “being a valkyrie is a responsibility like no other. It isn’t about fun and games. It can be dangerous. You may need to see terrible things. You may lose those close to you. A valkyrie is a soldier, and this means a valkyrie needs to put the lives of others before her own.”

“Your ema is right,” Matushka agreed. “We were - we both are valkyries. We might not seem like it, but we need to be prepared to return to war again if a new one ever starts. This is…a pressure. A burden. We want to be the best parents we can be for you, but our duties to Schicksal and the world are always at the back of our minds. Marika…”

Father took over. “Marika, you’re still young. You have your entire life ahead of you, and there are so many other things you can do when you grow up. There are other ways to help people that don’t involve the dangers that valkyries face. One day, you can decide what you want to be, and if you still want to become a valkyrie, we’ll support you all the way. Right now, we just need you to be our precious little girl.”

Marika sat in silence, as did her sister. Kat looked at her, worried. Marika avoided their eyes. She stared at the book before her and at the photograph of a group of valkyries locked in battle. One of them was bleeding heavily from an injury and was being dragged away by her comrades as Honkai beasts continued to assault them. 

Finally, Marika met both of her mothers in the eye. “May I ask you a question?” They nodded. “Were you happy being valkyries?”

The answer was unexpected. “Let’s go somewhere special,” Matushka said. 

Their other two parents seemed to know exactly what she meant. Marika and Kat wondered where.

—--

They drove through the city for what felt like a very long time. None of their parents were eager to tell them where they were going and gave only the vaguest of answers when asked. Marika was starting to feel like her day was being ruined, and she had only herself to blame. She never should have brought up wanting to become a valkyrie. She should have just stayed in the books. At least books could give her the experience of being a valkyrie without the danger.

Kat was worried for her sister. Marika avoided her and seemed the unhappiest she had ever seen her. Kat knew how fond her sister was of valkyries, but being told no by her parents must have crushed that fondness, at least for a while. 

It was not that Kat had never fancied herself as a valkyrie a few times. She shared her sister’s admiration for them. Kat was not as brave as her, though. Honkai beasts and zombies scared her. She still wanted to help people like valkyries did, but behind the scenes with the technology she created. Maybe her sister could find a safer way, too.

They felt the car slow down to a stop. They were still too small to look directly out the windows of the car, so they asked where they were. 

“Where you wanted to go,” Father replied. 

Their parents helped them out of the car. When they stepped out, they saw that they were in a parking lot by a visitor center. Beyond it was a long bridge built over water that reached into the distance, and at the end of the bridge was an island. On that island were the tall towers and gleaming white walls that had become a familiar sight to them. Their eyes widened with surprise. 

“This is St. Freya,” Marika whispered. She looked at her parents, confused. “Why are we at St. Freya?” 

“We’ve visited it before. Why not again?” Kat said. 

Marika shook her head. “I thought you didn’t want me to be a valkyrie.”

“We didn’t say that,” Matushka said. 

“We just wanted you to keep your mind open,” Ema said next. 

“And this means not closing it off to something that might be your calling,” Father finished. “I heard you talking yesterday.” Marika blushed. “Yes, I heard what you said about St. Freya. You were afraid that it wouldn’t accept you because of the way you look. We brought you here because I want you to know that St. Freya will never turn anyone away because of something as silly as this.” He took Marika’s hand. Her father’s hand was so warm and gentle. She always felt so safe when he held her. “Let’s go see your aunts. They’ve been waiting to see you again.”

Marika and Kat followed their parents onto the bridge. They started walking across it together.

Chapter Text

During Bronya’s days at St. Freya Academy, she and her friends had crossed the bridge that connected the island within an island the school was built on to Soukai City as many times as they could. They loved spending their weekends exploring the city and all that it had to offer. On one such outing, Bronya and her friends had visited Soukai City’s Museum of Unnatural History, which had on display several Honkai beasts as large as they were in life. The remains of defeated Honkai beasts rapidly dissipated after their death, but on rare occasions, pieces of their carapace could be left behind, which were collected for study and sent to the museum so that the public could see the size and strength of their enemies without the danger. The museum had offered nothing Bronya and her friends had never seen before, but she was already making plans to bring her daughters there the next time they went out. For now, they had St. Freya Academy to learn from. 

She felt Marika squeeze her hand slightly. “What is it, Mari?”

“Matushka, is Aunt Theresa here today?”

“Of course she is. We talked with her earlier and told her about our visit. She’s looking forward to seeing you and your sister again.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing her again, too,” Katerina said, her hand led by Seele’s. “Last time, she said she would have another HOMU doll for me.”

Bronya laughed. “She did always like them almost as much as I did.” 

Johann walked beside them, but then he stepped in front. “Do you two need a rest? This bridge is rather long.” He gestured to one of the many benches lined along both sides of the bridge.

“We’re fine,” their daughters insisted. 

“Alright. I’m just making sure. Let me know if you need a break from walking.” 

They never needed one. St. Freya steadily drew closer as they continued down the cobblestoned bridge, and when they reached the large front gates, they were let in without question. Hidden security cameras recognized Bronya’s face and her family before a door built into the gate opened for them to step through. 

“I remember the gate from last time,” Marika said. “It looks even taller now.”

“Don’t be silly,” Seele told her. “You’re the one who’s grown taller since then.” She placed her hand at the height her daughter stood at during their last visit. Marika looked at the difference with approval.

“Do you remember what comes after the front gate?” Bronya asked them both.

“Yes! We walk past some hedges and rosebushes until we reach the courtyard. I can’t wait to see it,” Katerina said. 

“Then let’s get going,” Johann said, leading the way. 

Just as Katerina described, they made a short walk past some carefully cultivated hedges. Roses and many other flowers were in full bloom. They followed the shade of the trees that lined the cobblestoned path until it widened into St. Freya Academy’s main courtyard. Buildings towered in the distance. The center of the courtyard was dominated by a large fountain carved from white marble. Sculpted statues of legendary valkyries stood guard in a circle at the center of the fountain with their backs to one particular valkyrie standing above the rest. Murata Himeko was one of them. When Bronya met the determined eyes of the valkyrie at the center of the fountain, she sighed. She still missed her so much. 

She did not mourn for long. There were two familiar faces waiting for them in front of the fountain. 

“Aunt Theresa! Aunt Mei!” the girls exclaimed, rushing forward at the short girl with silver hair dressed in black robes. The Overseer of Schicksal and Headmistress of St. Freya Academy warmly embraced them as they ran up to her. 

“Katerina, Marika! It’s so great to see you again,” Theresa Apocalypse greeted them. She was not much taller than either of Bronya’s daughters. In the seven years since the end, Theresa still had not grown at all. Bronya allowed herself to wonder, in the most hypothetical of terms, if Theresa might have felt any envy for how she and Seele had grown since.

“It always is,” said the woman standing beside Theresa with long, violet hair, an elegant white shirt and skirt, and dark tights over her legs. Bronya always knew her closest friend would become even more elegant than she already was. “How have you two been? Have you been keeping out of trouble? Your parents tell me that you’re about to start school soon.” 

“We’ve been great, Aunt Mei,” Marika said first. “I’m so excited to be here.”

“St. Freya is always nice to visit,” Katerina said next, “because it means we get to see you again.”

Raiden Mei embraced them in turn. She and Theresa looked up as Bronya, Seele, and Johann joined them.

“I see you’re already getting along with them again,” Bronya said, smiling at her sisters in arms. “Theresa, Mei, how have things been at St. Freya these days? We’ve been so busy that we had no time to visit until now.”

Theresa glanced around them at the pristine buildings of the academy. “Better than ever, and better now that you’re all here. We were glad that you called earlier. It’s been too long.” 

“We’re all glad to be here, too,” said Seele, who went up to them and hugged them both. In a quieter voice, she said, “I just wish I could have visited St. Freya before it was rebuilt.” 

Bronya understood what she meant. Seele had seen Bronya at St. Freya from her prison inside the Sea of Quanta, but she never had the chance to visit it for herself before its destruction. The academy was built atop the ruins of the first one, although one would never know from looking at it. The St. Freya Academy standing proud around them now was more than worthy of the name, but it would never be the same school where Bronya and her loved ones had made so many memories. 

“I would have loved having you here as a student, Seele. You would have been among our best,” Theresa agreed. “But let’s not stay in the past.” She looked at Johann, and her face softened. They shared a brief moment before they embraced. Mei watched them with a small smile on her face. She took his hand, which he held with both of his.

“We made sure to visit since you were around, Theresa,” he said.

Theresa made an annoyed grumble. “I thought the end of the Honkai would give me some more time to myself, but I find myself busier than ever these days. The world never rests. There’s always something here and there that needs my attention, always something or someone stirring up trouble. I visit St. Freya whenever I can, though. The students appreciate seeing me here.”

Mei nodded in agreement. “The world is a busy place with or without the Honkai. That’s why I’m glad you’re all here.” Mei had become a teacher at St. Freya after having attended it years ago as a student. From what Bronya had heard, Mei was one of the academy’s strictest instructors with high expectations from those she taught. Her methods clearly bore fruit. Her classes had the highest graduation rates of any professor at the academy, and most of her students went on to have successful careers of their own as valkyries of Schicksal.

Bronya put her hand on Mei’s shoulder. “Mei, we’re happy to visit and see you again, but we didn’t come just to reminisce on the past. We were hoping that you and Theresa could help us with a little something today.”

“Of course. Anything,” Mei said, her violet eyes warm and caring. 

“What can we help you with?” Theresa asked. 

Johann stepped behind Marika and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Marika can tell you herself. Marika? Are you ready?” 

The young girl stepped forward, her dual-coloured eyes apprehensive before she looked down and kept looking down. 

“Mari? It’s okay,” Seele reassured her. “Your aunts are here to help you. Just tell them what you have to say.” 

Marika looked up at Theresa and Mei. “I want to know what it’s like to be a valkyrie.”

The two veterans did not answer immediately. They looked at Marika and then each other. “Lots of girls do,” Theresa finally said. “Lots of girls your age dream of becoming valkyries when they grow up. Do you, Marika?”

Marika could only nod. 

“I know what it’s like,” Mei said. “You want to be able to protect those you love. Your sister. Your parents. Your home. Your world. Isn’t that right?”

Marika nodded again, slightly faster this time.

“Have you spoken to your parents about this already?” Theresa asked.

“I have. And they said that it was dangerous. I know they’re right.” Bronya felt relief at hearing her daughter say those words. It meant Marika understood the reality of her dream.

“Yes, your parents are right,” Theresa said. “Being a valkyrie isn’t like other jobs. It is dangerous. Every girl needs to understand and accept this before they decide to become one. It’s never a decision to be taken lightly. Marika…” Theresa put her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You’re still so young. I won’t tell you what or what not to do. This is for you to decide when you grow up. I just want you to take the time to wait and ask yourself if you’re ready.” Marika nodded again. “But this doesn’t mean we can’t show you what it’s like to be a student at St. Freya. Come on, let’s give you a tour. You and your sister.”  

Katerina went to her sister’s side and gave her hand a firm squeeze. “Come on, Mari,” she said. “I want to see St. Freya again, too.”

Marika looked at Theresa and smiled. “Thank you, Aunt Theresa.” 

“Go with Theresa,” Bronya told them. “We’ll be waiting for you after you’re done.”

“If you need anything, you can just ask her,” Seele said.

Theresa looked over to Bronya, Seele, and Johann. “I’ll take good care of them, don’t you worry,” she promised.

“We know you will. You always were good with children,” Johann said. He whispered something to his daughters before rejoining Bronya. The four watched Theresa lead her daughters into the main building. Bronya and her companions remained in the courtyard, silent for a time.

“If your daughter does decide to attend St. Freya when she’s older, I’d be honoured to be her teacher,” Mei finally said to them. 

“Marika would be more than honoured to learn from you,” Johann replied. “She’s read all about her Aunt Mei. She has many heroes, but you’re probably her biggest. After us, of course.”

“Really? I never meant to be a hero, but if Marika sees me as one, then I will be one for her.” Mei looked a little prouder after that.

“Mei, do you still see yourself as a teacher here fifteen or twenty years from now?” Bronya asked. “That’s how long it’ll be before Marika is old enough to attend.”

“That’s a good question. I’ve asked it myself before, and I believe the answer is yes.” Mei glanced around them. “This place…it may not be the St. Freya we knew, but it’s still where Theresa and I belong. It’s where I can make a difference in the world. Why shouldn’t I still be teaching valkyries fifteen or twenty years from now? What else should I be doing? I’ve never seen myself as quietly settling down like most people. This is something that will always be a part of me.”

Bronya smiled with approval. “I’ve always admired you for doing what needs to be done. Someone has to be the one to teach them. I certainly can’t see myself dealing with this many students for this long. I don’t think I’d have the patience for it.”

Seele took her hand. “You have the patience to raise our daughters, don’t you?”

Bronya shrugged. “That’s a bit different. Katerina and Marika behave themselves and never cause any trouble. Besides, I have you and Johann to help me.” To him, she asked, “So, what did you whisper to them before Theresa took them on a tour?”

Johann looked back at the academy’s main building. It was the largest and the most refined. It would have almost put the old academy to shame if they had not made so many memories there. “I told them to find their dreams and follow them. If they find that dream here, follow it.”

Mei was quiet as she looked at the fountain. The sound of the water streaming from it was soft and calming. She sighed. “We’ve all found our dreams, haven’t we? I’m doing well as a teacher. Johann, you’re a teacher at Schicksal now yourself. Seele, you’re building orphanages and doing all you can to help those in need, just like you were given help in your youth when you were in need. And Bronya…how’s that Arahato game I heard you’re working on coming along?”

Bronya had been enjoying her visit with her friends and family so much that she completely forgot about work. It was a welcome thing to forget, so being reminded of it again so soon, and by Mei of all people, immediately soured her mood. Bronya tried not to show any reaction, but Mei’s look of concern must have meant that she saw something on her face anyway. “It’s coming along.”

“I’m sure. But not as quickly as you’d like it to.”

“I’ve had help from Johann and Seele. I’ll get it done. I know I will.”

“I know you will.” Mei paused. “I was never that fond of video games, but I still remember that I enjoyed playing them with you and…her at St. Freya. Those were some of the fondest memories I made here, so I hope that your new game can give millions of people memories they can cherish, too.”

Bronya nodded in thanks. “That’s my goal. I remember those days, too. Like the time when I gave you a little help by pressing a button on your game controller…” 

Mei laughed with her, but she, Johann, and Seele all seemed to notice that Bronya had little interest in discussing her work any further. “Anyway, it’s a good time for a tea break,” Mei suggested. “Let’s go have it and maybe some snacks while we wait for Theresa to finish giving your girls a tour.” 

“That sounds wonderful,” Seele said. Bronya and Johann agreed. Bronya took one last look at the valkyrie at the center of the fountain. Then Seele took them by an arm each and led them closely behind Mei, who guided them into another building where they had some of the best tea and snacks Bronya could remember having in a while. Something about being with old friends and having the opportunity to relax without the worry of nagging at her work was something she needed more than she realized.

—--

Bronya dipped her biscuit into her teacup. The warm tea saturated the biscuit, merging their flavours in the right way. It was a pleasant reminder of all the times she had shared the same with Mei and her other friends in the past. Tea was a drink they could all appreciate, and there was no other drink she would rather bond over. 

Johann and Seele clearly appreciated it as much as she did. The three of them were lively as they made up for the lost time with Mei. It was like nothing had ever changed. 

“So I heard about something previously thought impossible,” Johann said after finishing his third cup of tea.

“Oh? What would that be?” Mei asked with a raised eyebrow as she refilled his empty cup. 

“He should be here at this academy at this very moment if I heard correctly.”

Mei nodded. “How right you are. Adam was thought to be an anomaly when his abilities were discovered. A male with the ability to manipulate Honkai, seemingly without any prior modifications. We decided that St. Freya would be the best place for him to be as he figures out his path in life.” 

Bronya listened with some interest. Men empowered by Honkai were far from unheard of; there were male Herrschers, men infused with the genes of Honkai beasts, men of House Kaslana, and Soulium bodies in the forms of men. What was unique about this boy was that he was none of those things, and yet he still had enough Honkai compatibility to perform on the level of a valkyrie. If the world had had more knights like him before, the number of soldiers available to oppose the Honkai would have doubled. In this time of peace, his existence seemed too little, too late, although she still wished him the best. 

“I heard that he’ll be joining your squadron soon if all goes well,” Bronya said. “How do you feel about that?”

“He’s promising, both in ability and in his character. He and Carole get along well. I have high hopes for him,” Mei said.

“So do I,” said Seele. “Maybe we’ll meet him at our next annual reunion. It was nice to meet Carole last time.”

Johann concurred. “Until then, let’s hope he does his best at St. Freya.”

Shortly after, Theresa, Marika, and Katerina rejoined them. “Welcome back,” Seele said to them.

“How did it go?” Bronya asked them. “Did Theresa show you the things you wanted to see?”

“Yes, she did!” Marika exclaimed. “She showed us the dorms the students live in, the classrooms they learn in, and the places where they train to fight. They can make Honkai beasts whenever they want, even if they aren’t real. It was all so cool.”

“My favourite was the technology lab,” Katerina said as she hugged a brand new HOMU doll. “There were so many weapons taken apart so I could see inside. Theresa even let me hold one!”

Seele gave Theresa an accusing look. “Is this true? That could have been dangerous for her and others around her.”

Theresa raised her hands above her head. “It was just the hilt of a sword without a blade attached to it. Katerina asked about it first, and I thought that it couldn’t hurt to let her touch it for a few seconds.”

“It’s alright, Seele,” Johann said. “Katerina, Marika, I’m glad you both enjoyed yourselves with Aunt Theresa. Now, let’s have some tea together. There’s plenty left for all of us.”

They joined them at the table. They talked the rest of the day away. When it was time for the family to leave, they warmly parted with Mei, Theresa, and St. Freya and promised to visit again. Bronya left the academy with her heart much higher than it already was.

—--

Bronya stared at the endless lines of code. As if mocking her, the motionless code seemed to stare back. Since arriving at her office today, she had added nothing to what existed of her game so far; all she had done was stare. 

As she stared motionlessly at the computer screen, wondering where to even begin, an old lesson from her mentor came back to her. It dated from before the end of the war when he was still teaching her the ways of the Herrscher of Reason. “Bronya, you will never be alone again. Those with you now will be with you always. Listen to them. Care for them, and they will care for you just as they did for me. The Herrscher of Reason’s strength lies not just in herself but in her allies and what they believe in.”

Although Welt Yang had not said so directly, he did not refer solely to the core within her that contained three hundred thousand minds. Those were not the only people with her. She already had her friends and her family, and they were the ones who gave her strength. 

Bronya focused her eyes on the code, on the vision she was working so hard to bring to life, but she was no longer looking at the strings of characters, at the brackets, commas, quotation marks, letters, and digits. She was looking past them. She was seeing the ones who made it possible for her to be here at all and able to create what she wanted to create.

My life was made better because of them, and I never want to leave them. She thought of all the things that formed, moulded, guided, and led her along the path of her life to where she was now. Cocolia. Schicksal. Anti-Entropy. And every person who contributed to the person she was. Where would I be without you, Seele? Johann? Mei? Theresa? All of you, each of you, made this possible. You made Katerina and Marika possible. And…the Arahato, too. Yes, even the real Arahato. 

The Arahato, one of the proudest creations of Anti-Entropy, had proven its worth many times over. It had transported Welt Yang and Siegfried Kaslana to the moon to confront the Herrscher awaiting them. It tore the Gem of Conquest out of her body. Finally, it played a vital role in the final battle against oblivion. The events shown in the anime series that shared its name seemed almost paltry in comparison to the feats of the true Arahato, and with that insight, a new, uncertain path opened itself to her. 

It was hardly the first time Bronya had considered including the story of the real Arahato in her game, but she always told herself to keep reality and fiction separate. Welt’s anime was not reality. It was the story she had to focus on; the real Arahato was irrelevant. More importantly, she found it distasteful to take true historical events when people suffered and died and commodify them for the sake of entertainment. Welt and Siegfried did not fly aboard the Arahato for the thrill of a flight into space; they were risking their lives for the sake of their world. 

But why shouldn’t the Arahato, the real one, be given a story like this? Why shouldn’t it have a place in a game that it inspired in the first place? Why shouldn’t the machine that helped save the world be honoured like this?

Her options were straightforward. She could make a straight adaptation of the Arahato animated series; from her rewatchings with Johann and Seele, she had already decided on the main elements to adapt and which to leave out. The question that remained was if she could weave in the true story of the Arahato, and if she could do that, whether she ought to. 

Only one person had that answer. Or two. Bronya picked up her phone. A few rings later, a man’s voice greeted her. 

“Good afternoon, Bronya,” said her boss.

“Good to hear from you again, Welt. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all. In fact, I was just about to call you and ask for updates about the Arahato project I’ve entrusted you with.”

Bronya steeled herself. “That’s what I’ve called you for, actually. I’ve more or less decided on what the finished product will look like except for one detail.”

“What detail?”

“...Welt, you must still remember your flight to the moon with Siegfried Kaslana aboard the Arahato.”

There was a pause. “I do.”

“That wasn’t all the Arahato did for our world. I want to ask you, as the creator of both the true Arahato and the series named after it, if I should incorporate its true story into this game.”

When Welt answered, he seemed delighted that she thought to ask. “Bronya, I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“But not the most faithful to the series.”

“What is the series? A story about some youths piloting a mecha against aliens, or a story I wanted to tell because I hadn’t created the Arahato for real yet? Remember that your game is supposed to honour the source material it’s based on. That material isn’t just a show from the Eighties but something completely real and helped save our world from the Honkai.”

“You’re right, Welt. It’s just…I feel like it would be cheap and in poor taste to use events from our history as nothing more than entertainment. The Arahato’s moonflight was after a Herrscher killed tens of millions of people. I’m not sure how or if I should include this in a game.”

“It’s up to you, Bronya,” Welt assured her. “I left this project in your hands because I trust that you’ll be the one to bring it to life the way Arahato deserves. As long as you respect that time period, I don’t see why it should be a problem.”

Bronya wondered, in a grim sort of way, how people from ages past would think of all the stories created about the time period they lived in that glorified their wars and conflicts. Perhaps people centuries from her time would look back on the Honkai War the same way. “Do you think that Siegfried would support this?”

Welt chuckled. “Siegfried has told me himself that he wanted to see the real story of the Arahato on the big screen. He mentioned something about us playing ourselves. I haven’t taken him up on the offer yet, although I might one day.”

Bronya allowed herself a quiet laugh. “Alright, then. Thank you for your insight, Welt. I’ll get back to work. I won’t let you down.”

“Do your best. I know you will.”

She put away her phone and stood from her desk. With her in Studio Reason were the many other developers, artists, and programmers working with her on this project, tapping away at their computers or relaxing in the lounge area. She clapped her hands to gain their attention. The loud, sudden sound covered the entire studio and immediately brought them to attention.

“Everyone, I’m calling a meeting to discuss the future of this project we’ve been so hard at work on. I have a new vision that I want to bring to life, and to do this, I’m going to need your help.”

Chapter Text

Nighttime had fallen onto Salt Lake City. The points of light from far below illuminated the night while lights at the top of the awaiting skyscraper guided the Renascent to its destination, although none shone brighter than the moon high above. Bronya was seated in the passenger cabin of their private airship with Seele at her side and Katerina and Marika by the windows.

“It’s so pretty,” her eldest daughter said, gazing through the window at the city below them. 

“It’s just like any other city,” Marika said flatly. “Although every city does look pretty, especially at night.”

“This is your first time in Salt Lake City, isn’t it?” Seele asked them. “Don’t worry. It won’t be your last. There’s so much to do and see here.”

Bronya pressed herself into her seat and closed her eyes. It was far from her first time visiting the city where E.T. Studio, Studio Reason’s parent company, was based. Here was the heart of her and Welt’s vision, and tonight, it would at last come to life for all the world to see. Months had passed since she made her decision that changed the direction of her Arahato game, months of endless and passionate labour to piece together a game that made Welt himself proud. Her entire development team had worked their very hardest on their shared vision. After tonight, Bronya would be able to put it all behind her. One way or another, she could finally rest. After one final obstacle in her way.

Tonight would be the worldwide release of Arahato: Iron Heroes. Every major game publication had been covering the eventual release of the long-awaited adaptation. Bronya and her family were flying to E.T. Studio’s headquarters where she, the project’s lead developer, would be speaking about her creation to a large audience of fans, critics, and journalists. 

Bronya took in a deep breath and released it. She normally felt no apprehension about public speaking, although neither did she have any love for it. She had spoken about her previous games before, and all had gone well. But tonight, her heart raced, her skin was slightly damp with sweat, and she found it difficult to sit still. Then she felt a warm hand over her own. She opened her eyes to see her wife’s beautiful blue eyes meeting hers. 

“Are you nervous?” Seele asked. 

“I am. I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

“You’ve given speeches about your other games, and this one is bigger and better than any of them. Welt himself never stops talking about how much he loves it. You should be proud of yourself, Bronya.” Seele smiled.

Bronya smiled back. “I know. I am. Thank you. It’s just…”

“You’re worried that the fans might not be as satisfied with it as you and Welt are.” Bronya nodded. “Well, that’s for them to decide, but I don’t think a fan of Arahato the series would have many reasons to dislike Arahato the game. I helped playtest some of it, remember? I had the most fun I had in a long time.”

“I know, Seele.” Bronya took another deep breath and released it. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Our airship could crash before we arrive,” said the other Seele, her voice quiet to avoid being heard by their daughters. “And to save them, we’d need to resort to…drastic measures.”

“I hope you’re only joking,” Bronya said. “We won’t crash. Johann is the best pilot I know, and besides, we double and triple-checked everything on the Renascent before we left the ground.” He was in the pilot’s cabin at the front of the airship, guiding it to the landing pad with careful and precise maneuvers. His calm and steady flying made his skill clear. He, Bronya, and Seele were all more than capable of flying their private airship that they kept on the rooftop of the building where they lived, but he had insisted on being the one to fly them to Salt Lake City tonight, mentioning something about missing the experience. 

The Renascent was another gift to them from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Bronya’s motorcycle and their armoured car were more than sufficient for everyday travel within Soukai City, but a hypersonic airship enabled them to fly to any location in the world within a matter of hours. Their airship was seldom used, but a trip to another continent across the world’s largest ocean was one of those times. The Renascent was small for an airship since it needed to fit on their rooftop, but this was another of its many advantages.

The red-eyed Seele made an amused sound. “I was only making sure it wouldn’t. You humans have a saying like ‘break a leg’ to prevent that very thing from happening, don’t you?”

“We do.” Bronya looked to Katerina, who was still pressing her face against the window. “Kat, are we about there?”

“We are! I can see the landing pad from here.”

“Good,” said Seele, who had changed her eyes to blue once again. “Let’s get ready to disembark.”

The glowing skyscrapers of Salt Lake City rose to meet them as the Renascent decelerated and came to a stop over the rooftop of E.T. Studio. It descended onto the landing pad. When it finally touched ground, Bronya allowed herself a brief sigh of relief. Then, the door to the pilot’s cabin opened. Johann stepped out, wearing a white uniform and cap. “We’ve arrived,” he said. “I hope you all had a good flight.”

“I love it when you point out the obvious,” Bronya said in a teasing tone. She stood up, as did the rest of her family. “Let’s go.”

The girls had enjoyed flying in the Renascent. Bronya hoped they would enjoy their stay in Salt Lake City even more. As the family disembarked the airship, they saw three people standing nearby, waiting for them. The tallest of them was a man with brown hair wearing spectacles and a trenchcoat. The other two were both women, one with short blue hair, the other also in glasses and with fiery red hair styled into twintails. 

Welt Yang greeted them with a smile and outstretched arms. He warmly embraced Bronya, Seele, and finally Johann the longest before picking up Katerina with his left arm and Marika with his right. “And how have you two been?” he asked. 

“We’ve been happy. Now we’re even happier to see you again, Uncle Welt!” said Katerina. 

“We were looking forward to seeing you again, Uncle Welt,” Marika said. “We counted down the days on a calendar.”

“And so was I. Bronya has told me a lot about both of you these past few months. You’ve both grown so much since the last time I saw you. Mind if I set you down so my arms can take a rest?” The girls laughed, then Welt gently lowered them back to the ground. 

The two other women stepped forward. “Welcome to E.T. Studio,” said Lieserl Albert Einstein, the woman with short, blue hair. “It’s good to see you all again.”

“Yeah, we’re glad you’re all here.” Frederica Nikola Tesla still had her left arm enclosed in a metal gauntlet, which seemed even more powerful than the last time Bronya saw it. Tesla seemed to be preparing herself for the next war, whatever and whenever it may be. She gave Johann a look before meeting Bronya’s eyes again. “Bronya, well done on completing the game we once thought would never be completed. You should be proud of yourself. We certainly are.”

“Thank you, Tesla,” Bronya replied. It was good hearing those words from one of the creators of both Arahatos. “I only hope the players will feel the same way.”

Welt frowned. “You worry they might not?”

“We can never satisfy everyone.” Bronya recalled the various discussions she had read online about the upcoming release of Arahato: Iron Heroes. Not every fan of the animated series had shared Welt’s confidence. 

“No, we can’t,” Einstein agreed. “What we can do is our best, and we believe you and your development team at Studio Reason have done exactly that.”

Tesla grinned. “Better, even.”

Seele took Bronya’s hand. Then Johann took the other. “We’re right here,” Seele assured her. 

“You’ll be fine. Just believe in yourself,” Johann said. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Bronya returned it. 

“Thank you. We’ll know in about two hours,” Bronya said to all of them. “That’s when the press conference will begin.” Welt nodded. “Alright. Could I have a little time to myself? I’d like to prepare myself for…well, for anything.”

“Be our guest,” Welt said. “Just a floor below us is a lounge with anything you might need. If you need anything more, just call us.” 

“Thank you, Welt,” Bronya gratefully said.

“Don’t let us stop you from doing what you need to do,” Johann said.

“We’ll be waiting for you on the ground floor,” Seele said. It held the large hall where the press conference would take place.

Bronya knelt to her daughters. “I’m going to take a little break before the big event. Go with your ema, father, and your aunts and uncle. I’m sure they have plenty of interesting things to tell you.”

Katerina and Marika embraced her. “Do your best, matushka. We believe in you,” they both said.

Bronya blinked back the tear in the corner of her eye. Then she stood and walked to the staircase that led from the rooftop down to the interior of the skyscraper. As Welt had said, the entire floor was one large lounge with soft-looking seats, coffee dispensers, and other amenities everywhere. She made herself a cup of coffee, fell into the softest seat, and drank it in one go. She was going to need it.

—--

Johann raised the cup of tea to his mouth and took a slow, enthusiastic sip. “Thank you for this, Welt. I needed this after a long flight.” They were seated in a private room on a floor halfway up the skyscraper as they waited for the press conference to commence. 

“I thought you might say that, so I made sure to prepare your favourite,” Welt replied.

“It’s my favourite, too,” said Katerina. “Our parents make it for us almost every day.”

“Is that so? You haven’t gotten tired of it yet?” Welt asked.

“Nope,” Marika replied.

“Good. I hope you never do,” Welt said with a smile.

After Johann finished his cup, Seele refilled it for him. “You should have let me take over halfway. It’d been a while since I last flew the Renascent, too.”

“I’m fine. It was only a few hours from Soukai to here, anyway. Our airship is one of the fastest ever designed.” He kept his true reasons for wanting to pilot to himself. He wanted his loved ones to have time to themselves. Even seven years later, a part of him still felt almost like an outsider, someone who did not belong. After the end of the Honkai, he was never the same man he used to be. It took an entire year for him to be able to accept it. Once he did, he found them again. Johann forced those intrusive thoughts out of his mind and returned the gesture in kind when Seele finished her cup. “It’s good to be here and seeing you again,” he said to Welt, Tesla, and Einstein. “When was the last time we visited? It was…”

“It was a year and a half ago for the release of Bronya’s previous game, HOMU Unchained, which was a modest success,” replied Einstein. 

“The press was a lot quieter back then,” Tesla said. “I preferred it like that. We’ll have over a hundred guests in attendance tonight. I’m glad I won’t be the one talking.”

“A hundred guests must mean this game was anticipated by many,” Seele said. “I remember our last visit, too. We flew here the same way.” Seele touched her daughters’ hair. “You stayed with your Aunt Theresa that time. We brought you along today because we felt you were ready.” The girls smiled at her. 

“Your matushka is very happy you’re here for her today,” Johann told them. He noticed their cups were empty, so he refilled them. To Welt, he asked, “If Bronya’s game is a success, and I have no doubt it will be, what do you see in the future of E.T. Studio?”

Welt seemed to appreciate the question. “I see a revival of Arahato. I see more media of all kinds, including more animated series and feature films. More games, comics, books, nothing’s off the table. Arahato may be decades old, but it’s never too late to tell new stories.” 

“Even more life-sized mechs is what I’m hoping for,” said Tesla. “We can never have too many Arahatos.”

“Yes, Aunt Tesla! I want to pilot the Arahato when I’m old enough,” Katerina said. 

Marika poked her. “You just want to use it to blow something up.” 

Katerina’s blush answered for her.

“Hmm. I’m sure you will one day,” Einstein replied.

Tesla showed Katerina her gauntlet with a satisfied grin. “You know, I like blowing things up, too. My gauntlet is a new model. I upgraded it a few months ago. Now, it can fire energy blasts that can destroy an entire building. If we have the time, I’ll give you a demonstration. I had a lot of fun testing it.” 

Katerina and Marika looked amazed while Seele looked horrified. Then they all laughed and continued to enjoy their time together. Two hours passed in seemingly no time at all. At one point, Johann stood from the table to gaze at the city from the windows. Far below them, he saw the first vehicles already in E.T. Studio’s parking lot with more arriving each minute. Welt excused himself to greet his many guests. Ten minutes before the beginning of the conference, Johann called Bronya and asked if she were ready. She was.

Chapter Text

Many times before, Bronya had stood in the same forum in the same skyscraper that served as the headquarters of E.T. Studio. Each time, she wore the same black, long-sleeved jacket over a grey undershirt and the same black, frilled skirt that reached down to just over her knees. She had worn the same namecard on a blue cord around her neck and styled her hair in the same twintails that spiralled down her back. She favoured this attire when speaking publicly for two reasons. The first was that it made her look more approachable, so not as many would see her as the distant, aloof businesswoman some viewed her as, nor the hero of humanity who played such a key role in freeing their world from the Honkai. Bronya wanted to speak as a creator tonight, not as a valkyrie, Herrscher, or anything other than who she was now. The second reason was as personal as it was simple: Seele and Johann had both told her how beautiful she looked dressed in this way.

Bronya breathed calmly to settle her nerves. She had little to fear. She had spoken to the same journalists before and answered the same questions during past press conferences. Tonight, as she entered the vast forum on the ground floor and climbed down the stairs of the aisle between the many rows of seats filled with those in attendance, she saw that there were at least twice as many who had come to hear her speak today, and the very atmosphere felt charged with anticipation as they waited for Studio Reason’s lead developer to step onto the stage. 

Bronya felt hundreds of eyes following her as she walked past them and toward the circular, raised platform where she would be speaking. A JumboTron, a television screen that would span the height and width of an entire room, was placed at the back of the stage, flanked by large sheets of metal shaped like birds’ wings or flower petals. Behind those, glass panels that reached from the floor to the ceiling high above formed the entire wall, letting in the nighttime view of the city. It had been a year and a half since Bronya last stepped foot in here, but the forum was still as impressive to her and hopefully to the many guests in attendance as well. Her newest creation would need to do even better than that. 

She reached the platform, tablet in hand. She ascended the steps, turned around to face the audience, and waited for silence. She met Welt, Tesla, and Einstein’s assuring gazes from the front row. Her family sat some rows farther back but still close enough for her to see their faces. Katerina, Marika, Seele, and Johann all smiled at her. Her daughters excitedly waved. Bronya allowed herself to smile back at them before activating the microphone headset she wore. 

“Welcome to the debut of E.T. Studio’s newest release. Everyone here, thank you for being in attendance tonight. I’m Bronya Zaychik, the main producer of Arahato: Iron Heroes. Tonight, I will be speaking about the inspiration, development, and release of this game and answering any questions you may have.” She paused and pulled out a remote control. The JumboTron behind her flared to life, dominated by the game’s cast of characters and titular mecha. “Arahato: Iron Heroes was a project decades in the making. Today may be its release, but its origins date back to over forty years ago when the first episode of Arahato aired on television for an entire generation to see.” She paused for effect. “On that day, the world saw for the first time the story of a group of youths who, although they didn’t know it yet, would become the heroes of humanity through their bravery, skill, and sacrifice. Arahato may be a story from ages ago, but our memories of this tale and our feelings as we watched their struggles have never faded. Arahato will never be forgotten. This is why I’m standing here today. I’m proud to announce that the worldwide release of Arahato: Iron Heroes has officially begun, and this adaptation of a beloved series is now available for purchase on every major gaming platform.” 

The audience burst into applause. Halfway through, Welt rose from the audience and stepped onto the stage with her. He waited for silence before continuing. “Thank you, Mrs. Zaychik. Thank you for creating something I, and all of E.T. Studio, can be proud of. As the original creator of the Arahato series, I can confidently say that I personally approve of every aspect of the video game adaptation you’ve developed for it. You and your entire development team at Studio Reason have more than outdone yourselves.” Bronya smiled at him. Welt had already told her this and more in private, but she was heartened to hear his approval of her efforts in public. “With that said, tonight is your time to speak, not mine. Once again, thank you.” They shook hands, then Welt returned to his seat in the front row. 

“Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Yang,” Bronya said. She took a brief look at her tablet. Hiding a smile to herself, she looked back up at the audience and proceeded to the main event. “I will now be taking this time to answer any questions you may have regarding Arahato: Iron Heroes.” 

The audience practically stumbled over each other to be the first to have their questions answered. 

“Did the development go over schedule?”

“Did it go over budget?”

“What goals did you have for the creation of this game?”

“What obstacles did you and your development team encounter?”

“Were you hoping to gain the personal approval of Welt Yang?”

“Were you worried about living up to the original Arahato series?”

Bronya pointed to the video game journalist who had asked the last question. “Yes, I was. Very much, actually. Before and during development, this was the main issue and objective I had. It took a lot of consideration, but with the help of others, I was able to decide on what exactly my vision for this game would look like and how it would be a faithful adaptation of the source material.” She met Seele and Johann’s eyes.

The journalist was unsatisfied with her answer and wanted more. “I’ve heard rumours that Arahato: Iron Heroes takes a number of liberties with the source material and diverges from it, adding scenes and characters that didn’t exist in the series. Could you elaborate on this?”

Bronya almost laughed. “I can say that those rumours are true, and you won’t need to wait long to find out what they are.” She pointed to another journalist at random. 

“Mrs. Zaychik, I want to begin by saying that I'm an admirer of yours and enjoyed every game Studio Reason has released. Were you at all influenced by your experiences from the Honkai War in any way?” the second journalist asked.

“I was,” Bronya answered. “And so was Welt Yang when he was producing the Arahato series. In hindsight, the cast’s struggles against Void beasts have plenty of similarities to our own war against the Honkai.” She pointed to another journalist, who asked another question that she answered. Then to another, and another. The stream of questions never seemed to end. Bronya was beginning to tire of it, but she answered each of them with sincerity.

“Mrs. Zaychik,” a journalist began, “while Studio Reason has published a number of modestly successful titles, it was a commonly accepted consensus that without a title equivalent to other more successful studios, its future may not have been certain. Is Studio Reason reliant on the success of Arahato: Iron Heroes?” 

The question was one Bronya had hoped to avoid, but she knew it was inevitable. There were always those who kept a watchful eye on the successes and failures of those like her. She could hardly fault them for doing so. She was one of them herself. 

Bronya Zaychik was a hero whose name the entire world knew. Her role in overcoming the Honkai was written in every history book, documentary, and memoir. What was not written down were her own thoughts about the entire matter. She never wanted to be a hero. She only wanted to do what was right by protecting those she loved. After the war’s end, she was lost, not knowing where she could go. It was primarily for her own sake that she turned to game development. It was her way of directing her passion into something greater, something she and others could be proud of, and most importantly, something that did not require fighting for her survival. But to her endless annoyance, the stark realities of a modern world were something even she could never escape. Her strength and skill in combat against Honkai beasts, Herrschers, and powerful enemies like them mattered little when it came to managing a company for profit. Her new enemies were not ones she could fight off like she could before. Her experiences navigating the ruthless, cutthroat corporate world were something she hoped to leave behind, so the answer to the journalist’s question would be an honest one.

Bronya gave a wry smile for all the cameras trained on her to see. “It’s funny that you ask that question. There’s a term that I think helps describe Studio Reason’s situation. You might have heard of a certain game called Russian roulette.” The audience reacted just as she predicted. “It’s a game that can have an unpredictable outcome, just like how Studio Reason was a few months ago. We were having issues reaching deadlines and remaining on budget. Our previous titles, although modestly successful, didn’t perform as well as we had hoped. We had one final shot in the cylinder, and it was Arahato: Iron Heroes.” Bronya checked her tablet, then aimed the remote at the JumboTron. The game’s logo and cast of characters on the screen switched to live, real-time sales data. The audience murmured with interest. “In Russian roulette, you win by missing, but in our case, we had to bet on our one shot. As you can see, we didn’t miss. Arahato: Iron Heroes has already exceeded our expected sales by quite a lot.” She changed the screen to the thousands of reviews already posted on every major and minor gaming website. “Our players are almost universally satisfied. Every review has so much to say. I’m grateful to each and every player who purchased our game because they’ve ensured that they’ll be able to experience more games like it in the future.” 

The audience broke into even louder applause. Her family clapped the hardest. 

Another journalist spoke up. “Did you just say that you intend to develop more games like Arahato in the future?”

Bronya looked at the journalist confidently and answered just as confidently. “Studio Reason will reinvest the profits from Arahato in itself. We always hoped this would only be the start of something bigger. Yes, we do have plans for more titles like Arahato. Some will be set in the Arahato universe, some will be from other franchises, and of course, there are plenty of original stories we have always wanted to tell.” 

The questions came even faster. They were relentless. Bronya had once again put herself in the spotlight without even wanting to. Nothing she ever did, be it battling the Honkai or working for Welt’s company, was done for fame or recognition. She only ever wanted to explore her own creativity and create meaningful stories that others could enjoy while she did. Growing up in a small, isolated orphanage in Siberia had taught her the value of a quiet life away from millions of eyes she would never even meet. Those days were clearly in the past. 

Then again, is this really a bad thing? I’ve lived up to Welt’s trust in me. I’ve more than repaid the resources and investments he gave to me, and my family will be even better off because of it. 

When the final question was finally asked, Bronya was prepared for it. The journalist checked her phone before putting Bronya to the question. “I’ve just seen in-game footage of Arahato that appears to depict the mecha flying to the moon to confront an opponent who seems to resemble…the Herrscher of the Void from the Second Honkai Eruption? Can you confirm if this footage is legitimate and in the game?”

“Those are the rumours I mentioned in an earlier answer,” Bronya said. “The scene you’ve described does happen in the game. I wrote and coded it myself.”

The murmurs grew louder. 

“Wouldn’t this risk feeling inappropriate and disrespectful to the victims of that disaster?” the same journalist continued. “Arahato’s flight to the moon to confront the Herrscher of the Void is a documented moment of our history, but it certainly never happened in the original Arahato series. Is a video game based on an entirely fictional source material the most appropriate place to depict events as significant as the actual Arahato’s moonflight after tens of millions had already been killed? Additionally, shouldn’t a video game adaptation aim to be true to the source material and not diverge from it to this degree?”

“What you ask about is more serious than just a video game,” Bronya began. “It’s also a question that should be asked. Yes, my creative team and I have asked ourselves the same question during Arahato's development, and we all came to the same conclusion. All stories are based on real events from the past, no matter how unlikely they may seem. Welt Yang, the creator of the original Arahato series, has studied history all his life.” She saw him nod at her. “He was inspired by the bravery and the sacrifices he saw and read throughout our history, and he wanted to honour it in a story of his own. Arahato: Iron Heroes aims to do the same. Arahato only exists because of what was already real. Arahato, the fictional mecha, and Arahato, the actual mecha constructed by Anti-Entropy as a weapon against the Honkai. Shouldn’t a game about Arahato honour the feats of the real one? Shouldn’t the true Arahato be immortalized in a way that all can remember? I, and all those who worked with me to bring our vision to life, feel that they should. This is our answer.” Bronya changed the image on the JumboTron. It started playing a recording of the in-game scene that had raised so many questions. “Once again, thank you all for being in attendance tonight. I hope I’ve answered enough of your questions so you can leave knowing that the future of Studio Reason is brighter.” 

Welt stepped onto the stage with her once again. “This conference has concluded. I wish you all a good night.” 

There was a final round of applause, but Bronya almost failed to hear it. All she cared about was speaking with her family again.

“Go see your family,” Welt said to her as the audience began to stand and exit the building. “They must have a lot to say.”

—--

“You spoke so well up there,” Seele praised before embracing her warmly in the now-empty forum. Every audience member aside from her family had already left, leaving them together in peace. “I wouldn’t have been able to answer those questions like you did. You always know exactly what to say.”

“Seele’s right,” Johann agreed. “You have a way with words.”

“I probably learned it from Welt. And especially from you. I can remember at least a few eloquent speeches you’ve made before,” Bronya said, embracing him in turn. 

“Have I? Well…” Johann moved closer so he could whisper into her ear. “Did you really need to use Russian roulette, of all things, as an analogy back there?”

Making sure their daughters could not hear, Bronya replied, “It’s where I’m from, remember?” He laughed and pulled away. Then she felt a tugging at her skirt and looked down to see her daughters. “I hope you learned a thing or two tonight,” she said to them.

Katerina released her mother’s skirt. “We sure did. I didn’t know games were this important. I want to make them myself even more now.”

“I want to play it,” Marika said. “Can we?”

“Hmm. I think you can. When we get home, I’ll show you myself,” Bronya said. 

They were quiet for a time. Bronya welcomed the calm, serene silence. The vastness of the forum around them made the presence of her loved ones feel even closer. Then she saw a notification on her tablet. She tapped on it and was greeted by several familiar faces.

“We saw the livestream,” Mei said. “Well done, Bronya.” 

“Yes, well done.” Bianka Ataegina congratulated her with a smile.

Rita Rossweisse was next. “Well done.”

“You dealt with those questions better than I would have,” Theresa said. “I never had much patience for things like this. Smashing things with Judah is what I prefer.”

Fu Hua spoke last. “We’re looking forward to playing Arahato for ourselves. Thank you again for sending us free, signed copies. I’ll treat mine with care.”

“Thank you, all of you.” Bronya realized how much she missed them. “This means a lot to me. If you get stuck or need a hint, feel free to ask me.” They bade her farewell, and her screen went dark. She looked up at her family again. “I think it’s time we turned in for the night. We can stay in the guest suites here tonight and fly home tomorrow.”

“I was hoping to explore more of Salt Lake City myself tomorrow,” Seele said. “The girls said so, too.” 

“We’re already here. Let’s make the most of it,” Johann agreed. He knelt to the girls. “Tomorrow, we can show you the base that Anti-Entropy has nearby. It has so many things you’ll love to see.” 

Katerina and Marika were delighted to hear that, but they had one more request. “Can we stay with Uncle Welt, Aunt Tesla, and Aunt Einstein tonight?” Katerina asked. 

“We want to hear more stories from them,” Marika added.

“Alright,” Bronya said. She called them over and told them about her daughters’ request.

“We’d be more than delighted to care for them tonight,” Welt said. 

Tesla laughed. “I had a feeling that Katerina would want to know more about this.” She held up her gauntlet arm. 

“We’ll take good care of them,” Einstein promised. She took the girls by the hand. “Let’s go, you two. We have so much to show you.”

—--

Bronya took the elevator with Seele and Johann to one of the middle floors where guests could stay. The suite rivalled their own apartment in Soukai, not that Bronya usually paid much attention to extravagance. As long as her loved ones were with her, she was content anywhere. They had dinner with the food they had brought with them, and then it was time for bed. Bronya changed out of the outfit she had worn to the conference and rested on a soft sofa with her eyes closed. She listened to the sound of running water from the shower. It nearly lulled her to sleep. 

When she had stepped onto the stage, she was prepared for disaster. It was unlikely, but there was always some chance that something could go horribly wrong, so the success of the conference and the game it covered was like a heavy weight removed from her shoulders. Now, she could finally take a much-deserved break from her work to relax and spend more time with her family. Welt had promised her that, and she had promised her daughters the same.

“Bronya? I’m done with the shower,” she heard Seele call. “We’ll be waiting for you in the master bedroom once you’re done.” 

“Thank you. I’ll be right over,” Bronya answered, stepping into the shower and treating herself to the warm water, scented soaps, and care she needed after a long day. She always made herself as presentable as possible if she was going to be sharing a bed with others. Seele always said that a good, long shower was key to feeling comfortable with yourself, and she was right. 

Bronya enjoyed the water streaming down herself for a few more minutes before stepping out, drying and styling her hair, and dressing in the simple nightwear she had brought. It was a black chemise that reached down to her thighs, which lent both confidence and demureness to her appearance. Seele and Johann had both told her how lovely she looked in it. It was a shame she was too tired for anything else tonight.

Looking forward to a restful night of sleep with her cherished ones at her side, Bronya opened the door to the master bedroom. 

And froze. 

Instead of reading a book or scrolling through a phone beneath the covers, Seele and Johann were sitting closely at the foot of the bed, their arms around each other and their lips locked together in a deep kiss. Johann wore a tight-fitting black shirt that emphasized the shape of his muscles. Bronya had always appreciated the strength in his body and the way he showed it. But it was Seele who made Bronya’s heart race the moment she saw her. Her wife wore nothing but the most alluring set of lingerie Bronya had ever seen. A black, lacy brassiere hid most of her round breasts while leaving enough hints of the rest, just waiting to be showed off. A similar pair of panties with thin dark straps wrapped around her shapely hips, and most excitingly of all, her legs were covered by long, dark silk tights that started at her toes and only ended at the middle of her thighs. All of it went perfectly with Seele’s blue hair and eyes, which gazed at Bronya with undisguised longing as she deepened the kiss with Johann before finally withdrawing. From the look of their flushed faces, the two had not been able to wait for much longer, so Bronya had arrived just in time. She was no longer tired. Her excitement and desire for more had more than woken her up.

“I thought you’d already gone to bed,” Bronya said in a tone as if she were surprised but also hinting at the desire for them to continue what they had in store for her. 

“How could we go to bed without you, Bronya?” Seele asked, her voice sultry, seductive and in just that right tone that left Bronya trembling with anticipation. “We’d never leave you behind.”

“We were waiting for you,” Johann said as he wrapped an arm behind Seele’s back. “You’ve earned a reward for working so hard and for so long. Now that Arahato is completed….”

“Hmm. That’s true, isn’t it?” Bronya said with a smile. “Still…here, in the main office of E.T. Studio, while we’re staying as their guests?” She laughed. “I can’t think of a better place.”

No more needed to be said. Bronya walked over to them.

Chapter Text

Seele had waited too long for this. The moment she finished showering, she dressed herself in exactly what she knew Bronya loved to see. For Johann too, of course. They would have already ravished each other if it weren’t for Bronya just minutes away, and now that she was here, it was all Seele could do to stop herself from tearing off her wife’s black chemise and taking her then and there. She’d take her time, though. The three of them had all night. 

Seele moaned softly as her kiss with Bronya deepened. She reached around Bronya’s back and rested her hands on her hips as Bronya touched her the same way. They drew each other closer until their breasts were pressed against each other, exciting them even more. Finally, Seele let her go. 

“Seele…you really wanted this, didn’t you…” Bronya gasped. “Then again, so did I…” Bronya grabbed Johann’s arm and pulled him into an equally lustful kiss. The three of them kissed each other most days, so it wasn’t as if they were starved for the sensation, but something about tonight made it feel like they hadn’t done this for years. 

Johann enthusiastically ran his hands down Bronya’s curved back and held her close like he never wanted to let her go. They held the kiss for another few seconds. He smiled at her. “Tonight, we wanted to reward you. For reasons other than Arahato.”

“Oh? What for?” Bronya asked, one eyebrow raised in mock curiosity. 

Seele drew her close again. This time, she reached up to Bronya’s breasts and started rubbing and caressing them. Bronya’s excitement surged. “For being the perfect person in our lives. For working so hard to make the world better. And for being so irresistibly beautiful…” 

“Hmm. And how do you intend to reward me for all of this?” Bronya asked teasingly.

“It’ll be easier for us to show you,” Johann said. He and Seele had planned this pretty much to the letter, although they would ultimately let Bronya decide on what she wanted them to do. He wanted Bronya to have that choice. Although if she decided she simply wanted to relax and let them take care of her, that would be fine, too. He and Seele each took Bronya by the hand and led her to the bed. Seele gave her a seductive smile as she slowly and carefully slid Bronya’s chemise off her, then she reached down and pulled her panties down her legs, leaving her body completely bare. Years could pass, but they still hadn’t gotten over how perfectly Bronya had grown. Every part of her was flawless, from her lovely face to her round breasts, her curvy hips, and her long, sculpted legs. Bronya looked at them without a hint of embarrassment, fully aware of the effect she had on them.

“You should be proud of yourself,” the other Seele said. “You got me excited, too.”

Bronya pulled the red-coloured Seele in close for another kiss and reached behind her back, unclasping her brassiere so she could admire her breasts that were every bit as perfect as her own. Seele moaned with excitement as Bronya leaned down and began to suck on them, but she quickly pulled away.

Seele, eyes blue again, and Johann fell to their knees in front of Bronya. Bronya’s heart raced as Seele moved even closer and planted a soft kiss on her lower lips, making Bronya shudder slightly. 

“So, are you both going to have fun with me like this?” Bronya asked. It was something they’d done plenty of times before, and she wanted it again. They'd even made a game out of it.

Johann answered by taking his turn, kissing her there before running his tongue along her lips in a single, slow stroke. Bronya let out a gasp. His tongue felt amazing on her. So did Seele’s when she took over again, licking and teasing her in the way she knew best, in the way she’d honed and perfected during their many years together. 

“Seele…oh, fuck…” Bronya grabbed a breast with one hand and ran the other through Seele’s blue hair as she made contact with those blue eyes. Seele gave her a mischievous wink as she focused on licking Bronya’s pussy while rubbing her clit. She was way too good with her tongue.

And so was Johann. Seele had moved away, but before Bronya could complain, he was taking care of her again, working at her with his tongue with as much skill and passion as Seele. He loved doing this for Bronya every time they were intimate together, and he had plenty of practice with it. Bronya moaned his name as loudly as she’d moaned Seele’s. He focused his tongue and fingers on all her sensitive spots, and it wasn’t long before Bronya’s voice was strained with the pure pleasure he gave her. 

“Johann…don’t stop…”

But he had to since it was the other Seele’s turn, and she was even more enthusiastic as she went down on Bronya, not wanting to stop. 

“You can have the rest,” Johann assured Seele, content to leave them to themselves for the time being.

Bronya met Seele’s red eyes, and she saw the determination in them to bring her to orgasm. Seele flicked her tongue over her clit while thrusting her fingers in and out of her pussy, bringing Bronya closer to climax with each second. Bronya never stopped moaning her name. She gripped Seele’s hair tighter as her wife pleased her harder, and before long, Seele gave her the first of many orgasms for that night. Sheer pleasure rushed over Bronya, and she moaned loudly as she pressed her trembling thighs tightly against Seele’s face, but Seele didn’t let up, grabbing Bronya’s thighs and playing with her clit until Bronya couldn’t handle the overwhelming pleasure anymore and fell onto her back, no longer able to sit up. As her breathing gradually calmed down, and she remembered exactly where she was, she heard them calling her name. 

“How was it? ” Seele asked, climbing onto the bed beside her to brush the hair out of her eyes. 

Bronya touched Seele’s hair in turn. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that…” 

Johann seated himself beside them. “We’ll do anything you want tonight. Just tell us what.”

Bronya’s imagination went wilder than when she’d been brainstorming ideas for Arahato. An active imagination had been key to making the most of the Herrscher of Reason’s powers, and it was still key now. “In that case…” She stood from the bed, pulled Johann to the same spot where she’d just been, and fell to her knees beside her wife. Bronya pulled her into another deep kiss. Seele loved being taken care of this way. When Bronya reached down between her legs, she looked up at Seele, who smiled and nodded. It was all the answer Bronya needed. She grabbed Seele’s panties and slid them down her legs, leaving Seele in only her black tights, which they were all more than content to leave on.

“That’s better,” Bronya said. She turned back to Johann. “Now it’s your turn.”

Seele gave Johann a naughty look. She reached over and lightly ran her fingertips over the hard shape in his pants. “Do you want more?”

Johann couldn’t get enough of either of them. “I’m all yours.” 

Seele smirked and pulled his pants down while Bronya got rid of his shirt. They threw his abandoned clothes on the floor.

And it wasn’t long before he started thinking he was the luckiest man in the entire world. 

The two most important women in his life were running their tongues up and down the entire length of his shaft and looking him in the eye the entire time. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes, but he certainly believed the pleasure his cock felt. 

“Fuck, just like that, Seele…” he moaned as the blue-haired beauty took the tip between her lips and gently licked it with her soft tongue. She moved her head lower, taking more of his cock into the warmth and wetness of her mouth, moaning softly the entire time. She slid back up so only the tip remained between her lips before taking hold of his shaft. Johann felt even more pleasure as Seele enthusiastically started giving him the best blowjob she could. She teased him with her tongue as she slid her soft lips across his length, stroking it with her hand at the same time and bringing him intense pleasure. Years of doing this to him told Seele exactly what he loved her to do. She was intimately familiar with his body just as she was with Bronya’s and used her experience to bring him all the pleasure she could. 

“Seele…god, you’re so good at this…” 

Johann’s next moan was muffled by Bronya taking him with a deep kiss. He reached up and touched her breasts, running his hands over the soft, smooth skin and rubbing her nipples as he returned the kiss with passion. He squeezed her tits harder before she withdrew and gazed at him with lustful eyes.

“You must enjoy what Seele is doing for you…” she whispered in a sultry voice. He was about to reply when Seele made him moan first with another sensual stroke of her tongue on his tip. Bronya smiled. “Good. But Seele…”

Seele reluctantly lifted herself off him but was excited for what was about to happen next. “Your turn now, Bronya.”

Bronya returned to her knees next to Seele and started stroking him just like Seele had. Johann gazed at her with approval, using his eyes to tell her what he wanted. Bronya made a mischievous smirk before leaning down and taking his entire length into her mouth in one go. 

“Bronya…you’re always so forward doing this…”

Bronya, happy to hear his praise, carried on with the loving blowjob, giving him the night of his life. She was just as good as Seele with her techniques as she lightly teased him with her tongue before blowing him hard and fast as she stroked him with her hand. His moans of enjoyment got her wet, something that Seele noticed. 

Bronya let out a moan of her own as Seele reached over and grabbed her breasts, kissing and sucking on them as Johann watched, scarcely able to believe his fortune. Seele reached down to Bronya’s pussy and entered her with a finger, gently moving in and out as she encouraged Bronya to continue. 

“Does it feel good when I do this?” Seele asked her, adding another finger and moving them in and out. Bronya responded with a muffled moan, her lips still wrapped around his cock. “That’s good…keep making him feel good, too…” 

Bronya did exactly that, blowing him with passion, giving him pleasure learned from the years of experience with him. Johann never stopped moaning, either. The way Bronya knew his every weak spot and the way she knew exactly how to move overwhelmed his mind, and he could do nothing but watch as the two stunning women shared in the erotic act. Bronya lifted herself off him. A trail of saliva and fluid connected her lips with his tip. “Seele, back to you. Make sure to do your best.” 

“You all know that I always do,” the Seele with red eyes said with a smile. Looking Johann in the eye, she asked, “Do you want more of Seele, or do you want me? ”

“Both of you, of course. There’s no way I could choose. You’re both so amazing at this.”

Seele laughed and took him into her mouth again, continuing the blowjob her host had left off, this time going even faster and harder. Both Seeles were equally experienced. From watching and feeling her host doing these things, the other Seele had learned everything she knew about sex and pleasure. She bobbed her head up and down, sliding her lips along his shaft and caressing him with her tongue. The warm heat of her mouth felt amazing beyond words, like his dick were in a place that was meant to give him pleasure. Seele knew how much he was enjoying her through his moans and the way his legs shook, and it furthered her own arousal, making her as wet as Bronya. 

So when Bronya kissed her breasts and entered her with her fingers, Seele started moaning, too.

“You always love it when I do this,” Bronya said to Seele as she sped up her fingers and rubbed Seele’s clit. The pleasure almost distracted Seele from what she was supposed to be doing, but it encouraged her to please Johann even more. She lovingly continued the blowjob, looking up and meeting his eyes as she seductively satisfied him with her mouth and hand. 

Johann loved every moment of it. “Seele…” was all he could manage.

“My turn again.” 

Seele handed him over to Bronya, who blew him as hard and fast as she did before. Seele moved up to grant him a deep, amorous kiss, taking his hands and moving them so he could touch her perfect breasts. Seele had grown up as well as Bronya had, and the incredible body in front of him was all the proof he needed. He gave her tits the attention they deserved, making Seele moan softly. “You know what I like just as much as Bronya does…” she breathed out. 

Bronya watched her two lovers enjoying each other above her as she kept pleasing Johann with her mouth. She sped up, licking his length and caressing his shaft in the warmth and wetness of her mouth as Seele and Johann kissed again. He moaned into Seele’s mouth, exciting her in turn. 

“Fuck…Bronya…you’re too good at this, I can’t last much longer…”

“Just last a little longer for me, okay?” Seele said with a smile as she lowered herself again to her knees and took him back in her mouth. 

His two lovers took turns blowing and sucking him, bringing him to the limits of his pleasure before one of them stopped and gave him a little breather before the other took over. Bronya and Seele’s blowjob skills were equal to each other, so there was no way he could decide which did it better. But he didn’t mind. This wasn’t a competition even though they sometimes treated it as one. It was simply a fun act of love. They were made wet by his deep moans of pure pleasure, encouraging them to continue. They both loved the power they had over him, the power to bring him untold pleasure and the power to take it away at any moment. He was helpless with his cock deep in their mouths, begging them to let him cum only for them to deny it. 

“Seele, you let him cum in my mouth last time, so this time, the responsibility falls to you,” Bronya said as she lifted herself off him and gave him over to Seele for the final time. She happily did as she was asked, moving faster as his moans grew louder and excited to finally go all the way to the end. At the same time, Bronya caressed and massaged Seele’s breasts.

Seele gave a moan of understanding as she met his gaze, determined to satisfy him to the end. She could sense how close he was to finishing, how much he loved being in her mouth, and how much he wanted her to do this for him. To be so desired gave Seele an amazing feeling, as amazing as the orgasm she was about to give him. She sucked and stroked him as fast as she could, her eyes never looking away from him.

“Seele! I’m going to-!”

Knowing that Seele was about to bring him to orgasm, Bronya kissed him deeply right as Seele brought him over the edge. 

Seele blew him throughout his entire orgasm, prolonging his pleasure and ecstasy. He moaned into Bronya’s kiss as he reached the peak of pleasure and emptied himself in Seele’s mouth. Seele moaned with him as she kept sliding her lips up and down and stroked him fast with her hand to suck out all the cum she could. He bucked his hips uncontrollably, forcing his cock deeper into her mouth, before his climax slowly came to an end and pleasure gave way to rational thought. Seele slowed down, finally coming to a stop. Now that she could focus on the taste, she loved it even more. She’d gotten used to it over the years and soon came to see it as undeniable proof of the pleasure she’d just given him.

Bronya didn’t end the kiss until he stopped moving. She smiled. “How was it? Seele was amazing, wasn’t she?” 

Johann, still breathing hard, couldn’t answer at first. He nodded at Bronya before looking down at Seele, who still had his dick in her mouth. She finally lifted herself off him and sat up on her knees. She opened her mouth to show him the mess he’d made in it, and some of the cum dripped from her lips before she caught it. 

Bronya aggressively kissed Seele, savouring the taste as she sucked it out of her mouth. Seele let her take the lead. Bronya wrapped her tongue around Seele’s as they deepened their already intense kiss and shared it together. Seele pulled back before moving lower and kissing Bronya’s breasts, drooling his release onto them before she licked it all up again. Bronya returned the favour before they turned to him, showing him their cum-covered tongues, and kissed each other again, swallowing it all at the same time. 

“You both know exactly what I like to see,” Johann said with a smile. They were completely comfortable with the aftermath of pleasing him, which meant they accepted him in full.

“And we enjoyed it as much as you enjoyed watching,” Bronya said.

Seele nodded, licking her lips. “You taste so good…” The Seele inside could only agree.

They climbed onto the bed beside him, exchanging more passionate kisses with him and each other. The amorous atmosphere in the room became even heavier as their breathing sped up along with their excitement. Johann forced his tongue into Seele’s mouth, kissing her gently while roughly handling her breasts. Seele loved being handled like this, the same way Bronya did. When he withdrew, he fell onto Bronya, pushing her onto her back, kissing her just as hard and reaching down between her legs to finger her clit. Bronya moaned. He was great with his fingers. And his tongue.

Seele touched him on the shoulder. “I can’t wait any longer…take me first, please…” 

“Of course,” he said. He gave Seele a gentle kiss before pushing her onto her back. His cock was even harder than when they’d started. He rubbed the tip against her, teasing her as she begged him for more.

“I want…” 

“What do you want from me, Seele?” Johann said playfully as the tip rubbed against her clit. 

“I want your cock inside me. Now.” 

Bronya and Johann both loved it when Seele tapped into her dominant side. 

“Anything for you, Seele.” With a hard thrust, Johann pushed himself into Seele. Both of them moaned at the immediate pleasure they gave each other; his cock was just the right size and shape for her, and Seele’s pussy felt amazing for him, too. The primal urge to start thrusting into her tight heat was something he didn’t resist.

“Fuck…Seele…” he moaned as he pushed himself deeper before pulling back. Seele gripped him so tightly; it was like her body didn’t want him to leave.

“Does my pussy feel good?” Seele asked him, reaching up to his face and pulling him down so he was directly above her.

“You always feel amazing…” he told her before they were lost in another kiss. He kept thrusting into Seele, enjoying her pussy and her moans. She enjoyed taking his cock just as much. The way he slid in and out brought her pleasure and the satisfaction that he was enjoying her body. She loved knowing he was the one taking her, that she was vulnerable to him and letting him do with her as he wanted. 

Bronya rested on her side, looking down over Seele before locking their lips together in a deep kiss as Johann continued to take her. “How are you liking this, Seele?” Bronya asked. 

Seele moaned. “It’s so good…”

Johann moaned back. “I know…”

“That’s good…keep enjoying me, and I will too…” 

“And don’t you dare go easy on us.”

After all these years, Johann still couldn’t believe how good it felt to be all the way inside Seele. She gripped and caressed him perfectly, both tight and wet to make thrusting in and out all the more intense. He moaned for her, letting her know exactly how much he enjoyed it. He didn’t neglect her breasts, either. He grabbed them and kissed them hard, teasing her nipples as he thrust even faster out of excitement. Seele let him know how much she loved being the center of his attention. At that moment, she was all that mattered to him. 

Bronya wasn’t one to be ignored, though. She put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him up. 

“It was about time you joined in,” he said.

“Let me take care of you…” Seele offered her. She’d been waiting for this.

“Now we get to the best part,” Bronya said as she climbed over Seele’s face and came to a rest on her knees facing Johann. He admired her, running his gaze down from Bronya’s beautiful grey eyes to her breasts and hips. He reached behind her back and pulled her in for a kiss. 

At the same time, Seele gave her a teasing lick with her tongue. Bronya moaned a little into the kiss, which got louder as Seele went for her clit next, teasing her with light flicks of her tongue before she started licking her faster, eager to bring her more pleasure. 

Johann started moving his hips again in a steady rhythm, going slower so he wouldn't distract Seele from Bronya. Watching his two lovers, knowing they were enjoying each other as much as they enjoyed him, was a turn-on in itself. 

Bronya moaned again, loving Seele’s tongue. Seele knew everything about her body, all her most pleasurable places that drove Bronya wild. She licked Bronya’s clit before moving to her pussy, licking her there back and forth, taking in her sweet taste. Seele was as good as giving pleasure to women as she was to men after years of experience with both, so she put her skills to good use, teasing and licking Bronya at the same time Johann rammed her with his cock.

“Seele…keep licking my pussy like that, you’re so good…” Bronya moaned as Seele touched a particularly sensitive spot.

“Seele is amazing at this, isn’t she?” Johann knowingly asked. He and Bronya could both be reduced to helpless begging from Seele’s skills with her tongue, dear god was Seele good with her tongue, and he watched hungrily as Bronya was taken by such strong pleasure again. 

Licking Bronya’s pussy was Seele’s addiction. Her taste and the knowledge that she was feeling pleasure because of her tongue turned Seele on. She sucked on her clit as she entered her with a finger, slowly moving it in and out. Bronya let her know how much she loved that. 

“She is…oh, fuck,” Bronya answered. “Seele, I’m close, please make me cum for you…”

Johann was nearing his limit himself; Seele’s pussy was just too good. Her wet, hot tightness brought him closer with every thrust. He couldn't stop, and none of them wanted him to. He didn’t bother holding in his moans, either, which both women loved to hear. 

“Johann, how does her pussy feel? She must feel so good around your cock, you must enjoy being inside her a lot,” Bronya asked in a sultry, seductive voice as he groped her breasts. 

“Bronya…” was his only reply as he moaned again, letting Seele know how much he was enjoying her.

“That’s good to hear. Does Seele feel better than me when you’re fucking her? Does my pussy feel as good as hers?” Bronya said again, loving his indecision, although she was barely able to speak herself with Seele sucking and licking her so well.

“Bronya…Seele, I…argh, I’m so close…”

“I am too…” they heard Seele moan from below them. 

Bronya caressed Johann’s face in her hands. “Good. Make sure to finish inside her, make sure to keep fucking her until you’ve given her all of your cum…make sure she cums with you, Johann…”

“You heard her. Fuck me like you were meant to,” Seele ordered him.

Bronya kissed him deeply. Johann started thrusting with all his might, no longer caring about holding back. He fucked Seele like it was his reason to live, and Seele took it with all the enthusiasm she had, taking care to bring Bronya to climax with them. All three of them were possessed by lust. 

Seele’s pussy brought him to orgasm a few hard thrusts later. He moaned into Bronya’s mouth as he came hard inside Seele, her tightness and heat giving him more pleasure than he could comprehend. He moved harder and faster during his orgasm, and the force of his thrusts made Seele reach orgasm with him. She tightened up even more, working out all the cum from his cock and into her where it belonged. The orgasms he gave her were some of the best she’d ever had, but rather than losing her mind to them, she focused all of her attention on licking and pleasing Bronya’s pussy. 

Seele brought Bronya to her own climax a second later. Seele’s tongue never stopped giving her pleasure, and neither did her fingers as her other hand rubbed Bronya’s clit. Waves of orgasms made Bronya’s mind go blank aside from the incredible sensations of Seele's tongue licking, teasing, and dominating her with passion and skill. 

Johann continued with his frenzied fucking until he finally rode out his entire orgasm, coming to a stop. He stayed still, deep inside Seele, enjoying how amazing she still felt around him. 

After Bronya came down from her high, Seele teased her a few more times by sliding her tongue from her clit down to her lips before stopping, breathing hard after the pleasure Johann just gave her. She could feel hard he still was inside her and all the hot cum he’d given her, and she knew what would come next.

Bronya and Johann ended their kiss. They stared into each other’s eyes. 

“It sounds like you both enjoyed yourselves a lot,” Bronya observed.

“That was…wow. Seele, you’re so good…” Johann said as he slowly pulled himself out of her. 

Bronya watched his cock leave Seele’s pussy, and then the cum started pouring out of her. Bronya leaned down and took him into her mouth so she could taste both their fluids on him. She moved her head back and forth, giving him a quick blowjob as he moaned due to his sensitivity. Then she climbed off Seele’s face, pushing Johann to the side, before coming to a rest between the black tights of Seele’s legs. 

“Bronya…please…” Seele begged. 

“Anything for you, Seele. Johann, make sure to watch us.”

He did as he was told. 

The sight of Seele’s pussy overflowing with Johann’s cum turned Bronya on. She loved tasting both of them, entering Seele with her tongue and extracting some of it out before licking her with the same skill Seele had done for her. Seele moaned loudly as Bronya ate her out and explored her with her tongue. Bronya ran her tongue up and down her lips before gently sucking on her clit and swirling her tongue around it. 

“Bronya…it feels so good…”

Bronya gave Seele exactly what she wanted, sucking the cum out of her and licking her with renewed enthusiasm, paying close attention to her lewd moans and the way she reacted to her tongue. 

“Bronya always returns the favour,” Johann said as he watched them. 

The knowledge that they were being watched excited Bronya. She wanted to put on an enjoyable show for him, so she started pleasing Seele even harder, sliding her tongue along Seele’s pussy and thrusting with her fingers. Seele’s moans grew louder and more intense. Bronya was so good at this. Their first time together was something they would always remember, but her skills at giving pleasure had improved even more during their years together. Bronya knew Seele’s every sensitive spot, exactly how she loved to have her pussy licked and her clit teased. Seele’s recent climax only made her want more. She didn’t even realize she’d started touching her own breasts, rubbing her nipples and sucking on them. 

Seele couldn’t keep silent when Bronya sucked on her clit and teased her with rapid strokes of her tongue. “B-Bronya, keep going, you’re so good…”

Her moans were music to Bronya’s ears. She kept eating Seele out, intoxicated by the taste of her pussy mixed with Johann’s cum. She was so focused on Seele that she almost didn’t notice her other lover behind her grab onto her hips and pull her up. She stopped for a second to look back at him, making eye contact. She gave him a sultry smile before turning her attention back to Seele, this time on all fours. 

Seele had her eyes closed out of ecstasy, so she didn’t know why Bronya suddenly stopped for a few seconds. But when Bronya let out a satisfied moan, Seele opened them to see Johann taking Bronya from behind, thrusting as hard into her as he had with Seele. 

“You love it like this, Bronya,” Seele happily said. 

And so do we, the other Seele said in her mind.

“Just like that,” Bronya said before using her tongue on Seele again. 

Johann moaned back, thrusting hard, his desires uncontrollable after watching them. Bronya’s pussy was already more than wet by the time he pushed inside. She felt just as good as Seele.

Bronya held back a moan as he went deep inside, but it came out even louder when he rammed into her again, even harder. She loved being taken in this position. Any position, really, but this one was more primal, more raw. She let herself be lost in pleasure for a few more thrusts before she focused on Seele again, this time even more determined to satisfy her. 

Seele was losing herself to the pleasure Bronya gave her. The way her tongue licked and teased her made it almost impossible to think about anything else. She made eye contact with Johann pounding away at Bronya, his face showing pure ecstasy. Seele gave him a lustful smile and a wink, encouraging him to enjoy himself.

Johann slammed himself into Bronya harder and faster after that. Her pussy enveloped his cock with heat and pleasure as he went in and out. This wasn’t their first time together, far from it, but they were still obsessed with each other’s bodies no matter how many years passed. He leaned over to grab her breasts and kiss her bare back as he buried his face in her hair, fragrant with the scented soaps she'd used earlier.

“Bronya…argh…this feels great…” 

“Does it feel good?” Seele asked her as she reached down and put a hand on Bronya’s hair. 

Bronya looked up and met Seele’s eyes. “You’d know,” she smiled before eating her out again.

And Seele did know. She’d taken his cock enough times to know how much Bronya was enjoying herself. What she didn’t know how Bronya could be so good with her tongue. Seele moaned louder and faster as Bronya brought her closer to climax. Bronya sensed how close she was after years of doing this to her. Seele was going to cum again, and hard. Bronya looked forward to it.

Johann could tell as well; Seele’s moans were something he’d become intimately familiar with. The lewd noises she made excited him, making him grab onto Bronya harder as he fucked her faster. Her pussy was tighter by now too, her warm, wet grip on his cock enjoyable as she neared her own climax. 

Finally, they couldn’t take any more.

Seele screamed Bronya’s name as her pleasure overtook her, making her entire body shake as Bronya continued pleasing her, refusing to let them end too soon. Seele came again and again, helpless to Bronya’s skill. The overpowering pleasure was too much for Seele to handle, but she wanted even more of it.

Hearing Seele being taken by her orgasms drove Johann to his own. He took Bronya harder and faster to finish both of them at the same time. He needed to satisfy Bronya, to make her happy, to fuck her until she came with him. Thrusting with all his might, he let out a deep growl and came inside her, pumping her full of cum and never stopping until they’d all finished.

Johann’s orgasm set off Bronya’s. She tightened around him as she came with him, working out all the cum from him until he’d emptied himself inside her and had nothing more to give. Bronya felt him release himself into her, and she loved knowing that it was her body that had given him such intense pleasure.

His thrusting didn’t stop until he’d spent himself completely and could move no longer. He fell forward onto Bronya’s back, breathing hard. Seele’s orgasms continued for a bit longer, but she eventually came back from them as well, gasping for air. Bronya recovered with them, her tongue still on Seele’s pussy. She climbed over Seele and kissed her again. The two women caressed each other for a while before Bronya sat up with a satisfied smile.

“That was fun.”

“Bronya…” Seele barely managed. “That was almost too fun…I blacked out for a few seconds.”

“Good. Johann, make sure to take us even harder next time,” Bronya teasingly told him. 

“Anything you want, Bronya,” he replied. Then Bronya moved over to him and pushed him down onto his back. He was still hard. Good. Bronya took him into her hand and gave him slow, tantalizing strokes, getting him ready for what she wanted to do next. “Bronya…you still want more?” he asked. 

“Don’t you?” she replied mischievously as she stroked him slightly faster. She climbed over him and positioned the tip right below her, rubbing it against her lips. “Just lie back and enjoy yourself.” Bronya lowered her hips and sank down onto his cock. The tip went past her lips before the rest followed. They maintained eye contact the entire time, making this even more intense. Bronya happily accepted him one inch at a time before finally, they were fully connected. They both moaned at the familiar but incredible feelings of sex. One time wasn’t enough. They made eye contact before she leaned down, pressing her breasts flat against Johann’s chest. “How do I feel?”

“So good…”

Needing more, Bronya lifted her hips until only the tip remained in her before sliding back down. The act was as pleasurable as it was simple, and before long, Bronya was bouncing up and down on his dick as she continued to lock lips with him. Letting him pound away at her pussy was fun, but it was refreshing to be in control of both their enjoyment.

“Bronya…more…” 

“I was waiting for you to say that.” Bronya sat up straight, placed her hands on his chest, and started riding him faster. She expertly raised and lowered her hips in a way she knew drove him wild with pleasure, letting him in all the way so he could feel all of her heat and tightness before lifting herself back up. Each time her hips came back down was bliss for him; each time she went back up fuelled his desire to feel more of her. 

Bronya enjoyed it as much as he did. She had all the power over his pleasure. She was the one dominating him. All the amazing things he felt, the loud moans coming out of his mouth, and the look of ecstasy on his face were because of her alone. His cock gave her plenty of pleasure in return. It rubbed against her in all the ways she wanted.

“You love this, don’t you? Your cock loves how tight and wet my pussy is, the way I ride you just the way you want me to. You want to cum deep inside me as I keep fucking you. Good. I want it, too…”

“Bronya…Bronya…” Johann was succumbing to his pleasure thanks to Bronya. Letting her take charge and having her in control was an exhilarating experience. Just like Bronya asked, he lay back, watching her move her hips and her breasts bounce back and forth. The sight was so intoxicating that he almost couldn’t believe it was real. 

Of course, Seele was right there, watching them the entire time. She waited for a bit before deciding she wanted more. So she climbed over Johann and positioned her soaked lips right over his face. 

Bronya smiled at her as she continued to ride him. “Good to have you back, Seele. Johann, you know what to do.” 

“Anything for you, Seele,” he said before giving Seele’s lower lips an amorous kiss. She shuddered slightly. Then he tasted her, gently sliding his tongue over them before stopping at her clit and focusing his efforts there. He was as good with his tongue as Bronya was, and it didn’t take long for Seele to start moaning again as he ate her out with passion. 

Bronya drew Seele into an intense kiss and never stopped riding him. All three of them gave intense pleasure to each other, and they all wanted even more. So Bronya sped up ever so slightly, Johann tongued Seele’s pussy and focused on nothing else, and Seele reached down to play with Bronya some more. 

“S-Seele, keep touching me there…”

“Let me make you feel even better…does it feel good when I do this?” Seele asked, touching her slightly faster. 

Bronya moaned again. 

“I know how good it must feel for Johann to be in you. His tongue feels so good for me right now…” Seele said knowingly. “I’m happy that you’re enjoying yourself…”

She rubbed Bronya’s clit before easing a finger inside. Bronya reacted just the way she expected, moaning Seele’s name and working her hips nonstop, desperate for more pleasure. 

Johann heard the sounds they made; Bronya rode him with experience and skill, raising and lowering her hips to satisfy them both. The way her wetness helped her slide up and down with ease, how her body kept bringing him closer to climax, was euphoric. He made sure not to neglect Seele, either. He passionately licked and teased her, intoxicated by her arousing taste and the way she moaned and shook because of him. He would never get tired of doing this for them. He reached for her clit and gently rubbed her there while sticking his tongue inside her, tasting her all he could, before pulling back out and licking her again.

Seele moaned with joy. Johann’s skill with his tongue was unbelievable, and she let him know it. “Johann, you’re so good at this, please continue…”

He gave her exactly what she wanted, licking her faster and entering her with fingers to touch where she needed to be touched. Seele’s climax wasn’t far off. He looked forward to bringing her there.

And so would Bronya and himself. Bronya rode him frantically, hardly able to control herself anymore with the intense sensations both her lovers gave her. She forced him into her before lifting her hips and taking him back in again, feeling waves of pleasure each time she did. She wouldn’t last much longer at this rate, and judging from his moans and how much his cock was throbbing inside her, neither would he. 

“I’m so close now…fuck, I love having your cock inside me so much, make sure to cum with me, and make sure Seele does, too,” Bronya encouraged him. She looked into Seele’s beautiful blue eyes, and they kissed hard again, eager for the other’s orgasm. 

Johann would have answered, but that would have meant Seele missed out on pleasure for a few seconds, so instead, he grabbed onto her thighs, appreciating the smooth feel of her dark tights, and focused on finishing her. Seele’s body trembled from his onslaught. Bronya rode faster, chasing after her orgasm and no longer caring about the even pace she’d been keeping up until then. 

Moments later, they all reached their peaks together.

Seele came first thanks to Johann’s skill with his tongue. She moaned loudly into Bronya’s mouth as her orgasms took hold. Her entire body shook and trembled thanks to his tongue that never stopped licking her and his fingers that continued pleasing her, giving her orgasm after orgasm.

Seeing and hearing Seele climaxing so hard excited Bronya in turn, leading to her own orgasms seconds later. The added pleasure from Seele’s fingers rubbing her clit was too much for her, and she came on Johann’s cock as she continued to bounce on him. She moaned back into Seele’s mouth as she experienced some of the most intense orgasms in her life, making her mind go blank as Seele continued, and she lost herself in those red and blue eyes.

Bronya’s pussy tightened around him from her climax, gripping his cock tight as a vise and bringing him to orgasm with her so he joined them in euphoric pleasure. He came hard inside Bronya, giving her all of his cum until he had no more to give, driving her even wilder. Bronya didn’t stop moving throughout the entire experience, making the incredible moment last as long as it possibly could.

Bronya and Seele were so spent they could barely remain sitting up, so they held each other as they continued their kiss, staring into each other’s eyes. Johann lay in silence with them, still unable to believe what they’d achieved together. He was still somewhat hard when Bronya slowly lifted herself off him, exposing him to the cool air, but then she lay down in front of him. With their eyes locked, Bronya took him into her mouth and cleaned his cock, giving it slow, sensual licks, loving their combined tastes. Johann moaned again because of how sensitive he was. Bronya was careful not to go too hard this time.

“I want it, too…” Seele whispered. She got off his face and lay down beside Bronya. She continued where Bronya left off, sucking his cock and licking the cum off it until he was all cleaned up. Then she pushed Bronya onto her back. She kissed her before moving lower and lower until she saw what she wanted: Bronya’s pussy dripping with cum. It turned her on so much. Seele started eating the cum out of her, sticking her tongue inside and swirling it around, Bronya moaning the entire time. Seele teased and licked her clit a few times but mostly focused on sucking out the cum from inside her. When she’d gotten all of it out, she sat up so both of them could watch her swallow it with a smile. 

“You really like doing that, don’t you?” Johann said with a laugh. 

Seele moved over and kissed him. “I love doing anything with both of you.”

Bronya sat up and passionately kissed them both. “What we did was amazing. Maybe I’ll even use it as inspiration for another game…”

"I think that's an excellent idea, Bronya. It'd sell well if it's made by you. "

He was shocked. “Really? I don’t think Welt would approve of that unless you’re starting a new line of games for adults only. Is Studio Reason expanding its scope?”

“It’s for my…personal use,” Bronya replied. She’d let them guess whether she was being serious or not. 

After that, they were exhausted enough to fall asleep in each other’s arms.

—--

The morning light streamed through the windows, waking Bronya up from a pleasant dream. She had dreamed of her past, as she often did, but she was also dreaming of the future that she hoped to see. That future seemed closer than before. 

It was warm under the covers even though she wasn’t wearing anything. She was about to get dressed when a cheerful voice greeted her.

“Good morning,” said Seele. 

Bronya turned around and greeted her with a kiss. “Good morning.”

Seele looked over Bronya’s shoulder. “He’s the last to wake up again. You know what that means…”

They both smirked as they watched Johann’s sleeping face.

“Let’s have some fun before we get up,” Seele said, noting that he was already hard. She reached down and took hold of him, lazily stroking him in his sleep. Seele sped up, moving her hand faster, before she moved under the covers and took him into her mouth. She eagerly slid her mouth up and down, determined to wake him up with pure pleasure. 

"Let me join," Bronya said. Seele smiled and moved herself off his cock, offering it to Bronya, who gave him a blowjob just as enthusiastically. It wasn't long before Johann was moaning in his sleep. 

"He's enjoying you a lot," Seele observed. Bronya backed off to give Seele a turn again. 

Seele happily resumed her blowjob, this time adding her hand in addition to her mouth. Johann must have enjoyed that a lot. He started shaking more as Seele continued.

Bronya took over again, using all the skill she had to satisfy him. They could tell that he was close. 

"Do you want to make him finish, or do you want me to?" Seele asked as she watched Bronya use all her skill to satisfy him with her mouth. 

Bronya paused to answer. "You did it last night. Now it’s my turn.” She took him into her mouth again, sucking and teasing him with skill and experience. She slid her lips back and forth along his length, bringing him closer each time. Right before she brought him to his limit, Johann suddenly woke up, looked down, and moaned in ecstasy as Bronya stroked him hard and fast in her mouth, bringing him to release and making him fill her mouth with cum. She blew him throughout his entire orgasm, making it last as long as she could, Johann moaning her name the entire time. When he finally calmed down, Bronya kept him in her mouth, savouring the taste.

Seele moved up to Johann and gave him a passionate kiss. "That was a nice start to the day.”

"It turns out that sleeping in can be a good thing," said the other Seele.

Still breathing hard, he looked down and made eye contact with Bronya. She got up on her knees and opened her mouth, showing off all the cum he'd given her. Seele went over to her and kissed her hard, sucking the cum into her mouth before they shared it back and forth, finally swallowing it as Johann watched them. 

"Fuck...you two just can't wait, can you?" he laughed. 

"No, we couldn't," Bronya said. 

“Good morning,” Seele said sweetly. “Let’s get ready for the day.”

Chapter Text

The family spent the next few days exploring Salt Lake City. They visited every landmark and point of interest there was to see, including Anti-Entropy’s base situated a distance away from the city, which brought back many old memories for the adults and made many new ones for their daughters. Each night, they returned to E.T. Studio after a day of exploring the city, where Welt, Tesla, and Einstein were more than willing to let them stay for the duration of their visit. Katerina and Marika enjoyed every moment of their trip. Not only was the city itself filled with wonders without end, they were exploring it together with each other and their three loving parents, who were often apart because of how busy they were but rarely spent a moment apart now. The girls had noticed a subtle but unmistakable shift in the way their parents spoke and acted around each other. They hoped they would stay happy this way forever.

When the day came for them to return to Soukai City, they bade Anti-Entropy’s leaders a warm farewell before boarding the Renascent and flying home.

—--

The night they returned home, Katerina and Marika readied themselves for bedtime, which they needed after so many exciting days, but to their surprise, their parents asked if they wanted to see something special tonight. Wanting nothing more than to find out what, the girls followed them up the staircase that led to the rooftop of their apartment. Far below them, the city was alive with lights from other buildings around them and from the cars driving along the streets. Far above them, the night sky was awash with the light of thousands of shining stars. The brightest light of all was the moon, pristine and full, a silent beacon that seemed to call to them.

“It’s so pretty tonight,” Katerina said. She had always loved the night sky. When she had trouble sleeping, she would look out the window and count as many stars as she could until she fell asleep.

“Yes, but what’s so special about tonight?” Marika asked. Like her sister, she was fond of the moon and stars, but she wondered if they were all that their parents had to show them.

Their matushka picked Katerina up in her arms while their ema picked up Marika. They turned to face the full moon. As the girls looked at it again, they noticed both their mothers gazing at it with them. When they looked closer, to their alarm, they saw tears forming in the corners of their eyes. Even more surprising, Ema’s eyes were red, not blue. Red, just like Marika’s right eye.

“Matushka? Ema? Are you alright?” they asked.

“They’re alright,” Father assured them. “They’re just remembering the happy moments they spent with her.” When he spoke again, his voice took on a solemn, somber tone. He joined them in gazing at the moon in the night sky. “Katerina, Marika. We brought you to see the moon tonight to tell you the story of a girl who wanted to be the strongest valkyrie and ended up saving us all…”