Kiana stood beside Theresa, listening, but with every word her heart sank a little further.
"Kill the Second Herrscher."
Simple to say. But in truth, how impossibly hard a thing to do.
The comments started buzzing: "The Herrscher of Wind we fought before was such a pushover, this one's probably about the same, right?"
"You're way too naive. This one's obviously the real final boss."
On screen, the story pressed on.
Kiana and Siegfried's group had barely reunited when an urgent transmission crackled through the communicator.
A Valkyrie squad had spotted signs of the Second Herrscher, but almost immediately, a second message came in from a different sector.
Another sighting of the Second Herrscher.
"Two locations at the same time?" Theresa's brow furrowed.
Siegfried's expression darkened. "A double, or an illusion. The Second Herrscher is playing us."
"One or the other. We'll have to split up."
Siegfried gave a casual shrug, his tone as breezy as ever. "Looks like we're parting ways again, just when we got back together."
"But there's no other choice."
Theresa looked at him. "I'll take that side. You take the other."
"Fine."
The comments grew tense: "Split up? Isn't that the oldest horror movie mistake in the book?"
"Theresa's got Kiana with her, so at least that side should be okay?"
Theresa's intention had been to leave Kiana behind. After all, she was a girl of unknown origin. She knew the Kaslana gunplay techniques, but no one knew the true extent of her abilities.
Kiana disagreed.
"I'm going." Her voice was quiet, but the certainty in it was absolute.
Theresa looked into those blue eyes and said nothing for a few seconds.
"All right." She gave a single nod. "But stay close to me."
On the way to their destination, Theresa walked ahead and Kiana followed. They moved in silence, the only sound the soft crunch of snow beneath their feet.
Theresa glanced back. Kiana's head was down, her gaze unfocused, like she was somewhere far away.
"Kiana."
Theresa slowed her pace and fell into step beside her. "What's wrong?"
Kiana didn't answer.
"If it's really too much, you can" Theresa chose her words carefully. "You can wait here for us. It's all right. You don't have to push yourself."
"It's not that."
Kiana lifted her head suddenly.
"It's just, I'm worried about Mom."
Theresa stopped.
"Worried, about Lady Cecilia?"
Kiana nodded. Her voice came faster now, as though she was working to hold something back.
"Didn't you say, Theresa, that Lady Cecilia's body never fully recovered after giving birth to her daughter a year ago? So I'm worried, if Lady Cecilia ends up facing the Herrscher of the Void..."
She couldn't finish. But her eyes said everything.
Comments streamed past: "Wait, hold on. This timeline means Cecilia gave birth to Kiana just one year ago?"
"So Kiana is only one year old right now?!"
Elysia watched the girl on the screen, her eyes burning with quiet intensity, and something tender and complicated settled across her face.
"Silly girl," she murmured. "She knows it's all an illusion and still can't help worrying."
Theresa looked at Kiana for a long moment without speaking.
Then she reached out and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Kiana."
Her voice was softer than usual.
"Siegfried and I will give everything we have. We'll finish off the Second Herrscher within half an hour."
"And don't let that easygoing act fool you."
She paused. "He's more desperate than anyone here. Cecilia is the woman he loves most."
Theresa looked at her, then seemed to remember something.
"Actually, Kiana. Do you know why Siegfried insisted you go with me, and refused to let you come with him?"
Kiana looked up, confusion filling her eyes. "Why?"
Theresa's gaze drifted to the vast white snowfield stretching out ahead of them.
"Because the moment that man lays eyes on the Second Herrscher, he's going to activate Holy Flame Judgment."
The comments exploded: "What's Holy Flame Judgment?"
"Wait, what happens when he activates it?"
"Yes. Holy Flame Judgment."
Theresa's voice dropped low. "Once it's activated, everything within range is consumed by fire. And the one who activates it, even they cannot escape being consumed."
Her eyes came to rest on Kiana's face.
"He didn't want you caught in it. That's why he made sure you'd be with me."
Kiana went quiet.
She thought of that man. The one who was always smiling, always easy about everything, never seeming to take anything seriously.
The one who had held her hand and walked with her through the wind and snow when she was four years old.
The one who had taught her how to shoot, how to fight, how to protect the people who mattered.
The one who, before he disappeared, had said to her: "Kiana, Daddy has to go take care of something. Be good, and wait for me to come back."
So this was who he had always been.
The comment section went quiet. The few that drifted past were nothing but strings of ellipses.
"So that's how it was..." Kiana murmured, her voice barely audible. "You stupid old man..."
Theresa had meant well.
She had wanted Kiana to understand that Siegfried wasn't as unreliable as he seemed.
She had wanted to put her at ease, to let her know that someone out there was even more desperate, even more determined than she was.
But the comfort had the opposite effect.
It left Kiana's already unsettled heart even more unsettled than before.
Not long after, the two of them reached their destination.
There was no trace of the Second Herrscher. Only a scene of devastation, wreckage scattered across the snow.
The color drained from Theresa's face instantly.
"No." Her voice went sharp. "The Valkyrie squad here was already wiped out long before we arrived. That transmission was faked by the Second Herrscher!"
She spun around, eyes snapping toward the other direction.
"The Second Herrscher isn't here. She's with Siegfried!"
The comments erupted: "Oh god. It was a trap!"
Theresa was already running. Kiana sprinted close behind her, her heart hammering so hard it felt like it might break through her chest.
"Hold on, you stupid old man."
Minutes later, Siegfried's voice came through the communicator.
"Theresa, I just heard the operator's report." His tone was unhurried. "Sounds like the Second Herrscher is heading my way?"
Theresa called out between breaths: "Siegfried! Hold on for ten more minutes! I'll be at your side in ten minutes!"
Silence from the other end. Just a second.
Then Siegfried laughed.
"Ten minutes? Theresa, you've fought the Second Herrscher before, haven't you? How long did you last?"
Theresa's stride faltered.
"Four minutes."
"Four minutes."
His voice stayed level. "I can already see the Second Herrscher. Looks like I need to hold out twice as long as you did."
"Siegfried!" Her voice went razor-sharp.
"Avoid direct confrontation as much as you can! Pin her down! Just hold on until I get there!"
"A holding action? That's not really my style, Theresa."
Comments flooded past in a frenzy: "Siegfried, what are you doing!"
"What I want is not to just barely survive against the Second Herrscher."
Something in Siegfried's voice shifted, steadied.
"What I want is to kill the Second Herrscher right here."
Theresa stopped dead. All the color left her face, white as the snow around her.
"Siegfried! Were you planning from the very beginning to activate Holy Flame Judgment and take her down with you?!"
Two seconds of silence.
Then his voice came through again.
This time the easy carelessness was gone. What remained was something that sounded like farewell.
"Of course. Goodbye, Theresa."
He paused.
"Oh, and take care of Cecilia and Kiana for me."
The line cut out.