She didn't know what had happened.
There was no pain.
She felt as though she were drifting through endless air, untethered from everything.
A voice echoed faintly.
Soft at first.
"Hey… Himeko."
Silence trembled.
"…Wake up… Himeko."
The voice grew clearer. Closer.
Insistent.
Her eyelids felt heavy, but she forced them open.
Light greeted her.
Blue — endless and luminous — stretched in every direction. Countless stars shimmered around her, drifting like slow constellations in a private cosmos.
She was floating.
Suspended in a sea of starlight.
And ahead of her—
A figure stood.
"…Kouga?"
He looked like him.
But not quite.
His hair was no longer red — it flowed in radiant white light. One eye glowed blue, the other crimson. Silver armor encased his body, polished and regal, and a white cape drifted weightlessly behind him.
The figure smiled : "Glad to see you're awake, Himeko."
She stared at him, searching for certainty and ask : "You're… Kouga, right?"
He let out a small chuckle and answer : "Yeah. I'm me. Let's just say… this is my true form."
Her gaze drifted around the endless blue expanse.
Himeko: "Where are we? I remember… the fight…"
Her voice faltered.
Memories rushed back.
Sirin.
The Herrscher of the Void.
Himeko turned sharply toward him : "Kouga! Where's Kiana? We need to—"
Kouga gently raised a hand, stopping her : "Kiana's fine, Himeko. She's safe."
She froze.
Himeko: "Safe… how?"
Kouga: "I gave her one of my crystal necklaces. Trust me — she's protected."
Himeko exhaled, relief washing over her.
Then her expression hardened again.
Himeko: "Kouga… what happened?"
He didn't hesitate.
Kouga: "After you pushed past your limit fighting Sirin… you died."
He said it truthfully.
Himeko absorbed the words in silence.
Kouga continued : "So I did something risky. I separated my soul from my physical body for one second. Long enough to catch yours . Then I sealed both of us inside the crystal necklace I managed to place on Kiana."
Himeko blinked.
She looked around again at the glowing expanse.
Himeko: "Then… what is this place?"
Kouga: "We're inside that crystal necklace. But because my true soul is… larger than what reality usually tolerates… you could also say we're inside my soul as well."
He scratched his cheek slightly.
Kouga: "It's complicated."
Himeko: "I see."
She glanced down casually—
Then screamed.
She immediately crossed her arms over herself.
Himeko: "WHY AM I NAKED?!"
Kouga blinked once.
Kouga: "Souls manifest differently. Some appear clothed. Some don't."
She glared at him.
Himeko: "Can't you do something about that?!"
He sighed.
With a small wave of his hand, light wrapped around her body—
And in an instant she was dressed in her Valkyrie Triumph battlesuit.
She adjusted it quickly, still glaring.
Himeko: "You should've done that sooner."
Kouga: "Noted."
She folded her arms.
Himeko: "So what's so special about this crystal necklace that you're so confident Kiana's safe?"
Kouga floated a little closer, cape drifting behind him.
Kouga: "You remember my different forms, right?"
She nodded.
Kouga: "Each crystal necklace I made contains a portion of my power. If Kiana, Mei, or Bronya are ever in serious danger, the crystal will automatically summon up to five clones of me to defend them."
Himeko's eyes widened slightly.
He continued calmly.
Kouga: "They can also summon the clones manually through sheer will. And if they're ever separated from the necklace… it will teleport back to them."
Silence settled between them.
Stars drifted quietly around their floating forms.
Himeko studied him for a long moment.
Then she let out a slow breath.
Himeko: "You really don't do things halfway, do you?"
A sudden chill crept up Himeko's spine.
Before she could react—
A cold presence brushed her shoulder.
She flinched violently and jumped back, instinctively moving closer to Kouga.
In front of them stood a shadow.
A humanoid silhouette, dark and shifting like smoke.
The only visible feature—
Two glowing blue eyes staring from the void.
Himeko's body tensed. Sweat formed at her temple. Even without Honkai energy, her instincts screamed danger.
She prepared herself for a fight.
But beside her, Kouga simply sighed and tiredly told the entity : "That's enough, Yami."
The shadow known as Yami paused.
Himeko glanced at Kouga, then back at the entity.
The shadow began to laugh — low, echoing, almost playful.
Yami: "Did I give you a fright?"
Himeko didn't lower her guard.
Himeko: "You know him?"
Kouga rubbed the back of his neck.
Kouga: "You could say… he's my inner darkness."
Himeko's eyes widened.
Himeko: "You have something like that inside you?!"
Kouga quickly raised both hands in reassurance.
Kouga: "Relax. Just think of him as… a comedian."
Yami recoiled slightly.
Yami: "Hey! We've been together for ages and now you reduce me to comic relief?"
He crossed his arms and gave an exaggerated huff.
Himeko stared between them, clearly still unsure.
Yami then turned his glowing gaze toward her.
Yami: "So you're the new roommate for a while, huh? Hope we get along."
He extended a shadowy hand toward her for a handshake.
Himeko hesitated.
Very slowly—
She reached out and shook it.
His hand was surprisingly solid.
And cold.
Yami: "Good! With that settled, let's go see your place."
He snapped his fingers.
A tall door materialized in midair — ornate, metallic, glowing faintly at its edges.
Yami swung it open dramatically.
Blinding light poured through.
Kouga gestured politely.
Kouga: "After you."
Himeko narrowed her eyes but stepped through.
The light engulfed her—
And when it faded—
She froze.
Spread out before her was an enormous mechanical skyline.
Towering over everything stood massive structures in their base forms:
Caucasuskabuto Castle.
DekaBase.
Giga Bragigas.
Battle Orion Ship.
Magma Base.
Turbo Builder.
Zyudenryu Bragigas.
And countless others — colossal, majestic, gleaming under an artificial sky.
They stood in silent glory like guardians of a forgotten era.
Himeko slowly turned in place.
Himeko: "…You're kidding."
Kouga and Yami walked past her casually.
Yami told her : "Follow us."
They led her toward Caucasuskabuto Castle.
The gates opened automatically.
Inside was less like a fortress—
And more like a royal residence.
They showed her through vast halls, polished floors reflecting light from crystal chandeliers. A royal bedroom large enough to house a small army. A fully equipped kitchen. Training chambers. Libraries. Balconies overlooking the mechanical horizon.
After some time, they stopped and turned to her.
Kouga: "So?"
Yami: "What do you think?"
Himeko folded her arms and looked around thoughtfully.
She nodded once.
Then asked—
Himeko: "Is there beer and alcohol?"
Silence.
Kouga and Yami slowly turned to look at each other.
Later—
Empty beer cans and bottles littered the royal bedroom floor.
Himeko sat cross-legged in the middle of the mess, cheeks flushed red, laughing loudly with a bottle of alcohol in hand.
Himeko: "This place is amazing!"
Kouga stood nearby, one hand covering his face.
Kouga: "Unbelievable…"
Yami floated upside down in midair, laughing hysterically.
Yami: "I like her already."