Miss Surtr will ignite the world

If the other party insists on playing hide-and-seek, things will become difficult.

"I should have gone easy on him earlier, look how scared he was."

Surtr couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

This Queen is much more composed than I remembered the Pufferfish Lady.

Perhaps it's because they've been at a disadvantage all along?

There's no other way; things have come to this point, and perhaps it's time to seek help.

This space of consciousness has two masters.

Sirin, and Kiana. If we could get Kiana's help, dealing with Sirin would undoubtedly be much easier.

Having made up his mind, Surtr stepped towards the other end of the consciousness space. Although he couldn't sense Sirin's whereabouts, Kiana's location was clearly discernible.

The soles of her boots touched the invisible ground, and fragments of Kiana's shattered memories swept past her like snowflakes. From her most recent experiences, she retraced her childhood. Her encounter at Chiba Academy, her life as a wanderer before that—the further she went, the more concrete the scenes became, and Kiana's journey unfolded before Surtr's eyes.

Gradually, the surrounding environment began to change.

A biting wind, carrying fine snow, swept across my face, and the crunching sound of the snow being compacted underfoot filled the air. Looking out, a world draped in silver unfolded before me.

Low wooden houses are scattered across the snowfield, and warm yellow lights shine through the windows, outlining the tranquil and peaceful village.

On the edge of the village, a solitary, dark little house stood out conspicuously. That was her destination.

However, as she approached, the scene changed again.

The biting wind and snow vanished abruptly, replaced by a scorching heatwave. A raging inferno shot up from the ground, engulfing the wooden house, its flickering flames licking the night sky.

"Is this imitating the story of Brunhilde? Does crossing this sea of ​​fire mean you can marry the princess inside?"

Surtr joked, but she knew in her heart that this was a spiritual world, and this wall of flames was likely a barrier set up by Kiana in her heart.

Perhaps it was Sirin's doing, but the scene before her involuntarily reminded her of the heinous act of a one-eyed old man imprisoning a Valkyrie.

"Looks like I'll have to play Siegfried today."

With that, Surtr stepped into the inferno without hesitation.

The flickering flames tried to climb the hem of her dress, but couldn't leave a trace. Continuing onward, amidst the crackling of the flames, a familiar conversation drifted into her ears.

"I'm sorry, Kiana... Daddy won't be able to be with you anymore."

She stopped and saw, deep within the flames, a one-armed man holding a girl with heterochromatic eyes, his voice filled with struggle.

This was nothing but a phantom of the past. Surtr averted his gaze and continued forward, finally stopping before the wooden door engulfed in flames.

"咚咚-"

She lightly knocked on the door with her finger.

After waiting for a while, there was no response from inside the house.

Hold the doorknob and turn it gently.

Yes, it's locked. The scenes in the anime are all lies after all.

"Excuse me."

Surtr spoke softly, and as soon as she finished speaking, she exerted a little force with her hand, and the heavy wooden door broke open with a crash. After groping around behind the door for a moment, with a "click," she forcefully pried the metal bolt embedded in the back of the door off.

"Squeak-"

The old wooden door groaned shrilly. When she pushed it open, the raging fire outside seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to penetrate even a little.

Deep inside the wooden cabin, seemingly isolated from the outside world, even the firelight outside couldn't illuminate the pitch-black room. The white-haired girl buried her face in her knees, curled up in the shadows of a corner.

Kiana Kaslana.

This is the name her father gave her.

To be fair, by worldly standards, he probably wouldn't qualify as a good father.

He drinks frequently, often getting completely drunk.

She is completely incapable of doing housework, and the food she cooks always has a strange color and a suspicious smell.

She even tried to teach her eleven-year-old daughter to drink, saying that once she learned to drink, she would teach her how to seduce men. Couldn't it be a woman?

Leaving aside the issue of sexual orientation, what's even more outrageous is that he frequently took his young daughter to dangerous battlefields. While Kiana was happy at the time to fight alongside her father to protect others, a moment's reflection would reveal that those were not places for a child.

However, despite all the problems, Kiana knew that her father undoubtedly loved her.

Even if she is a monster.

When I was twelve, my father suddenly disappeared.

When she regained consciousness, she found herself sitting on a scorched earth, surrounded by raging flames, and the snow-covered land revealed its hideous face.

From that day on, my father disappeared without a trace.

From that day on, she began to have the same dream over and over again.

That affected voice, that condescending gaze, and... the sorrowful eyes in her father's eyes when he looked at her.

But every time she wakes up from the dream, she subconsciously forgets it.

If she forgets, no one will know the truth; if she forgets, no one will discover she's a monster; if she forgets, she can continue searching the world for her father with a clear conscience; if she forgets…

However, what was bound to happen eventually did. Sirin repeatedly seized control of her body, causing these long-buried memories to resurface.

"It's all my fault... If it weren't for me, Dad wouldn't have left... If I hadn't hurt Dad..."

Her tearful sobs echoed in the room. The anger she once felt at her father's sudden departure had now transformed into endless self-reproach.

"Perhaps... I shouldn't have come into this world at all."

Just after she choked out those words, a sound that shouldn't have been heard rang out in the dark room.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Kiana?"

The Third Honkai Impact: Chapter 34 You are the Herrscher of the Void, and so am I.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Kiana?"

A voice that shouldn't have been there suddenly rang out in the quiet room.

Immediately afterwards, there was a soft snap.

A warm flame flickered in the darkness, softly illuminating the girl curled up in the corner of the bed. Surtr stood there, gazing at Kiana, whose tears were still wet on her face, keenly sensing that something seemed to have changed about her.

"Surtr? You, how did you get here?"

Kiana's eyes widened, her voice filled with astonishment and confusion.

"Because a certain lazybones kept lying in bed and refused to wake up, I had to come in and wake her up myself."

Surtr looked at her meaningfully.

"Did Surtr come here specifically to see me?" Kiana's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible anticipation.

"Half and half."

Surtr took a few steps closer and sat down next to the other person.

"Tell me, why are you hiding in a place like this all by yourself?"

This question seemed to touch Kiana's most vulnerable spot. She lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion: "Surtr, I... I've discovered I might be a Herrscher."

"Oh, tell me something I don't know."

Surtr nodded, his reaction as calm as if he knew the sun would rise again tomorrow.

Kiana was momentarily speechless at this overly calm response. But then she thought, isn't Mei a Herrscher too? Perhaps this identity isn't really that special.

After a brief silence, feelings of self-blame welled up again.

"...I also cut off my father's arm and killed many people. The Kaslana family should have been the protectors of the people, but I...I seem to be just a murderer."

"So you chose to hide here?"

Surtr watched Kiana fall into self-doubt and realized that he had wronged Sirin.

"..."

Kiana's silence has already given the answer.

Escaping reality is a common form of self-protection for children. Surtr didn't intend to scold her. Although she looked like a young girl, she was probably only about eight years old.

How do you counsel a girl who has fallen into a state of withdrawal? Having never had any similar experience, Surtr obviously couldn't offer any gentle or considerate advice. Her only strength was laying bare the stark truth before her.

"Are you planning to hide forever and let Celine continue to control your body?"

"Cirin?"

Kiana seemed unfamiliar with this name.

"It's you, the one with the golden eyes. She's a mischievous girl; she caused trouble as soon as she woke up, and it took me a lot of effort to subdue her."

"Is she awake again? Surtr, are you alright? How's Dad?!"

Upon hearing this keyword, Kiana suddenly became excited and leaned forward abruptly. Perhaps because she had been squatting for too long and her legs were numb, she lost her balance and fell directly into Surtr's arms.

Surtr gently caught the white fluffy ball that pounced on him, his tone softening.

"Since you're so worried, why don't you go out and see for yourself?"

"But... Surtr, wouldn't it be better for everyone if I disappeared from this life?"

Kiana's voice held a hint of hesitation. Perhaps if she didn't exist, none of the tragedies would have happened.

This idea made Surtr frown in displeasure. She gently pushed Kiana away and flicked her forehead hard with her finger.

A sharp "smack" echoed in the room. Kiana, rubbing her reddened forehead, looked up and met Surtr's unprecedentedly serious expression.

"Self-sacrifice is not a behavior to be encouraged."

She looked into the other person's eyes and spoke earnestly.

“If Siegfried had truly wanted to do that, you would have been dead years ago. But he ultimately chose to let you live, willing to be injured himself to protect you. Are you now going to let all his efforts go to waste?”

"..."

Kiana fell silent.

She thought of Siegfried before he received his name, that man who was like a walking corpse. Remembering her father's promise, she could easily imagine what he had gone through.

"No matter what you do, start by striving in the most ideal direction, and you'll feel more relaxed afterward."

Surtr softened his tone, essentially stating the same principle as "aim high and you'll get somewhere in the middle."

"I won't say things like 'Don't be afraid of causing trouble for those around you.' Since you know you'll cause trouble for others, then try your best to do things well. If there's really no way, then make up for it double later."

Of course, Surtr knew very well that some things could not be made up for, but it was obviously not appropriate to say such things now.

"But Sirin is so strong, I don't even have the strength to resist..."

Kiana's voice wavered; Surtr's words seemed to have an effect, and she began to try to think for herself.

"There is no need to be afraid, and there is no need to resist. This body is shared by you and Sirin. What she can do, you can do as well. She is the Herrscher of the Void, and you can be the Herrscher of the Void too."

In Surtr's view, as two sides of Sirin, they should be equal.

"I... am also the Herrscher of the Void?"

Kiana was stunned.

"Of course. The core is within you, so why can't you use it? Perhaps your past experiences have made you wary of this power, but as many anime say, power itself is neither good nor evil; the key lies in the person who uses it."

Surtr crossed his arms and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Moreover, you have already witnessed the devastation of the Honkai. The Honkai in the future will only be more severe. Whether it is to fight against the Honkai or to stop Sirin within you, you must master this power."

Surtr's words were very straightforward.

She has always disliked roundabout ways of doing things.

Kiana already possesses the qualifications to wield the power of the Herrscher of the Void, so why does she have to use such an extreme method to unleash her potential?

That would just be asking for trouble.

Kiana looked down at her hands.

"I am also the Herrscher of the Void."

This thought had never crossed her mind. Due to past memories and an instinctive resistance to the Honkai, she had always rejected the identity of a Herrscher.