Just as the two of them passed through the device,
the screen was swallowed by pure white light.
Another memory seemed to surface.
And this time—
what appeared was a scene Durandal knew all too well.
The roar of engines gradually faded away.
In the girl's memories, the razor-sharp air at high altitude stimulated the sensitive nerves inside her nose..
(So this is the floating island… the central hub of Schicksal Headquarters.)
(Alright—Valkyrie Entrance Exam. I'm ready. You can do this, Bianka!)
Lost in thought, Bianka nearly collided with someone.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
Ahead of her,
Rita turned around and apologized with a gentle smile.
"Oh—my apologies. May I ask, do you need directions?"
"Directions? Well… yeah, I guess that's right. I need to report to Area A51. Do you know how to get there?"
"You're here for the Valkyrie entrance exam, correct? Turn right ahead, then walk straight down that corridor. You'll find Area A51 on either side."
"…Thanks!"
"You're welcome."
Rita smiled—but quickly called out again.
"Wait. That side is left… right is the other way. You've got them mixed up."
"Uh—I know which way is right! I was just… looking around!"
"Pfft. If you don't mind, how about I walk with you to A51? I just remembered I have something to handle in A52—it's right next door."
"Hmph… since you're going that way anyway, I'm not going to deliberately chase you off~"
Bianka lifted her chin stubbornly.
Rita chuckled softly.
"Still, you seem very calm. Two years ago, when I took the Valkyrie entrance exam, I was so nervous I could barely speak properly."
"Really? It's just an exam!"
"I was afraid of disappointing my family. They closed their shop in England just to accompany me here."
"…Well, if you put it like that, maybe I'm lucky in a strange way. After all, ever since I can remember, I've always been alone."
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to take the conversation in that direction."
"It's fine! I can take care of myself. Living in this world isn't a problem for me at all—so why should I envy others?"
[Rita: This is… when Lady Durandal first arrived at Schicksal HQ!]
[Ningguang: So Miss Bianka was already this independent as a child…]
[Jean: Sigh… such a mature child.]
[Amber: Indeed… Lady Durandal has always had this mindset, ever since she was young.]
[Silver Wolf: Tsundere and strong.]
[Keqing: Rita is so gentle too, I'm crying…]
[March 7th: This pairing is way too good—stay together forever!!]
[Paimon: Rita and Durandal really do suit each other~]
[Durandal: Cough… what are you… saying…]
In reality,
Durandal glanced at the chat, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Not because of the praise—but because of those very strange comments.
Rita had indeed been her partner for many years… even her closest friend.
But "a couple" and things like that—
those words were way too weird!!
More importantly—
Rita could see them too!!
On screen,
Durandal herself watched the memory unfold.
As she revisited these fragments, deeper emotions surfaced.
"This was… our first meeting."
"Even though we didn't know each other back then… fate still brought us together through that Sea of Quanta mission."
"After that, we both became S-rank Valkyries, and together formed the Immortal Blades."
"Looking back… without realizing it, we've come so far."
Beside her,
the doll asked:
"So later on, she became a very close friend of yours?"
"Yes. That was the beginning of my Valkyrie career. It was chaotic at first—but in hindsight, it's very precious."
Durandal smiled softly.
Then she suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Wait… why does your voice sound different?"
She turned her head—
The once single, white giant doll
had become several dolls instead.
"Idiot, of course it's because we're not the same one from before!"
"He was different from us—he was a residual shadow directly left behind by someone's consciousness…"
"During his imprisonment, that person constantly longed for his family. We are the manifestation of that longing."
"He's been eroded too severely—so much so that he doesn't even realize that his existence in this space differs from yours."
"But unconsciously, he sent us here. Perhaps he hoped we could take his place… and accompany you on the rest of this journey."
After hearing the explanations from the dolls—each a different color—
Durandal came to a realization.
"So… you, and him… simply put, you're all fragments of someone's memories?"
"Yes. This is the seam where Imaginary Space intertwines—a shadow left behind by someone who challenged himself countless times, only to fail again and again."
"Of course, because of your presence, your own elements have also been mixed in. For example—this sanatorium."
Durandal frowned slightly.
"So you're saying… there was already a connection between me and him?"
"Exactly. The illusion you just left was originally his final remaining memory—the recreation of that home."
"But then you barged in, and your consciousness altered it into the sanatorium."
Durandal fell silent in thought.
"Imaginary Space… creations of consciousness… changing with memory?"
"So where I am now—is this actually someone's Stigmata space?"
"Yes—and no. It should belong to a cursed family, a mark left behind by that bloodline at its very origin."
"That's why we suggest you continue searching for the lost memory fragments. The more you find, the more we can remember."
"Thank you."
Durandal nodded solemnly.
Throughout her life so far,
she had always tried to do everything in her own way—perfectly.
She knew her innate flaws:
hot-tempered, reckless, straightforward, easily carried away by pride.
So she constantly tempered herself, forcing herself to become calmer, steadier, more rational—
until she turned into someone others found difficult to approach.
And yet, she still often felt
that she was far from becoming the strongest warrior.
"Let's move. We should hurry and continue looking for a breakthrough."
Durandal shook her head, cutting off her wandering thoughts.
If you go too long without contacting memory carriers in this space, you will gradually lose yourself.
With the warning appearing,
Durandal quickly resumed her exploration across Schicksal's vast sky harbor.
What tightened her chest was this—
Several memory fragments she touched next
had already become blurred, unreadable.
Fortunately, each fragment dispelled some of the surrounding fog, buying her more time.
After finding a memory fragment related to Theresa,
the multi-colored dolls seemed to recall something—
But further exploration was still needed.
Then—
The next fragment they discovered
made everyone's hearts jolt.
"Clap—clap—clap—clap—"
A familiar sound of applause echoed.
And the one who always made such an entrance—
could only be that man.
Then came Otto's voice.
"You really did come back."
"That's good. Meetings like this help clear misunderstandings between us."
"Oh? Have I rendered you speechless? My apologies—that would be my fault."
"How about this—let's skip the pleasantries and discuss the most important matter directly, shall we?"
"First, I'd like to express my deepest regret regarding Cecilia. We both know… under those circumstances, Schicksal had no choice."
After a brief silence—
as if the other party had spoken—
Otto continued.
"I know, I know. Even so, I still want to apologize to you."
"Now then, let's get to the heart of the matter. I must admit—I once wanted to kill you."
In an instant—
even Durandal was stunned.
All viewers were shaken by Otto's blunt confession.
"Oh my, you seem surprised."
"Is it my murderous intent from yesterday that surprises you… or my honesty today?"
"But none of that matters anymore. Your daughter—Kiana—will become Schicksal's strongest warrior in the future."
"And I don't wish for her to lose both parents at such a young age."
"Besides, you seem to be controlling that power within you quite well lately. Should I praise your astonishing willpower…"
"Or is it because you're now living together with your daughter?"
"Ah… you could say that. After all, I wouldn't want you to accidentally kill your own biological daughter."
"You know—this wouldn't just be a family tragedy."
"It would be a loss for all of Schicksal… and for all of humanity."
Finally—
The furious man slammed the table and rose!
"That is NOT for you to decide!!"
With that roar,
everyone finally heard his voice clearly.
A voice all too familiar.
Siegfried Kaslana.
Kiana's father.
Cecilia's husband.
"Oh my, my apologies, truly. I was only discussing matters objectively—didn't consider your feelings."
"You—!"
Siegfried breathed heavily, seething.
Otto, though apologizing in words, remained frivolous in tone.
"Calm down, calm down, my dear Siegfried. Siegfried Kaslana."
"Kiana is your flesh and blood—and also Schicksal's most precious asset."
"In this regard, our interests are perfectly aligned!"
"As long as she grows up healthy, we can continue cooperating in mutual trust… can't we?"
With Otto's mocking, playful voice,
the memory fragment ended.
Durandal rested her chin on her hand.
"This was the Overseer… and Kiana's father. Sometime after the Second Honkai, I presume?"
"That blond man is awful! How can someone be so self-centered?!"
"Such people may not be rare… but I agree with you."
"Overseer Otto… regardless of merit or fault, he is an extremely cruel man."
"And yes—he is the one who cast me into Imaginary Space, trapping me here."
Durandal didn't refute the dolls' evaluation.
On Otto,
they were in full agreement.
"I'm mentally prepared to keep fighting him—until he can no longer destroy the world."
"But… he never does anything meaningless."
"There must be a deeper need driving him—why he keeps provoking me and others today, even personally taking action."
One of the dolls blurted out:
"Hey! You just said he hurt you—and you're still speaking for him?!"
"I'm merely stating facts."
Durandal's expression remained calm.
"He openly declares his intent to destroy the world, uses force to evade questioning, even turns against his own Valkyries rather than reveal the truth… there must be another reason behind it."
"I'm angry and confused as well—but stopping him from committing irreversible evil against the world matters more."
"That man is exactly this kind of person… and from past experience, he has also shown me favor and guidance."
"Let's go. Whatever memories lie ahead… we must face them all."
Just as Durandal and the dolls felt—
The chat, too, was flooded with renewed hatred toward Otto.
This man—
every time he appeared,
he precisely stabbed everyone's deepest wounds.
Openly admitting murderous intent toward Siegfried was bad enough—
But threatening him with Kiana's future?!
And yet Otto never intended to let Kiana grow up by Siegfried's side to begin with!
[Tesla: Damn it… Otto is unbearable every time he shows up!!]
[Honkai · Himeko: Using Kiana's mental well-being to threaten Siegfried…!]
[Raiden Mei: Despicable.]
[Kiana: ]
[March 7th: The moment I heard that clapping, I knew something was wrong!!]
[March 7th: That kind of flashy, disgusting entrance—only Otto would do that!!]
[Otto: Tsk tsk, am I really that unpopular?]
[Otto: Still… what Bianka said was genuinely heartwarming.]
[Durandal: I was only stating facts.]
[Rita: Lady Durandal has always been like that.]
[Furina: How heartbreaking it must be for Siegfried… facing his wife's killer, unable to take revenge, forced to think of his daughter's safety…]
[Bailu: Durandal is just too nice!]
[Jing Yuan: No—she is simply… extremely rational.]
[Tesla: The more I watch, the more I'm convinced Otto isn't human!!]
[Silver Wolf: +1]
[Beidou: Agreed!]
[Hu Tao: Definitely not human!!]
[Paimon: He's a Hilichurl!!]
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