Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, starting with the abduction of Kiana

"Maruku, where do I go next?" Sora trudged dejectedly along the makeshift path, the day's worth of scavenged supplies lost to a chance encounter with a Honkai beast.

Exhausted and thirsty, she struggled to navigate the labyrinthine ruins. Her memory, unreliable at the best of times, forced her to rely on the small robot for directions.

"Maruku?"

Silence.

Sora's heart sank. She had lost the robot. Panic rising, she called out again, hoping against hope that Maruku had simply fallen behind.

But there was no response. Worse, her cries attracted another Honkai beast.

"No…" Trapped, Sora abandoned the search for Maruku and ran blindly towards what she remembered as the direction of the shelter.

The massive Honkai beast, unconstrained by the narrow paths, smashed through the carefully explored routes carved out by the children, its pursuit relentless.

In her desperate flight, Sora spotted the shelter. Relief flooded her. Teacher had set traps there. The beast wouldn't approach.

But as she neared the entrance, the wall exploded inwards. The monstrous Honkai beast loomed over her, its shadow swallowing her whole.

Terror froze her mind. She braced for the inevitable.

Just as death seemed certain, a flash of pink filled her vision. A greatsword swung, meeting the mountainous beast head-on, somehow holding its ground.

The ground shattered with the impact.

Sora felt herself being scooped up, carried away from the collapsing debris.

She blinked, dazed. A girl with horns was battling the beast, her small frame surprisingly dominant. Recognition dawned.

"Delta!" she cried.

Delta, initially cold and intimidating, had become a familiar presence in the shelter they called the Nest. Her immense strength kept the surrounding area clear of Honkai beasts, making scavenging safer and protecting the children time and again. Sora and the others had come to rely on her as their protector.

But Sora had never seen Delta like this—with horns and a tail.

Was she even human?

Delta, having dispatched the Honkai beast, caught Sora's expression. Her eyes dimmed, uncertainty gripping her as she stood with her greatsword.

But in the next instant, Sora threw her arms around Delta, reaching up to touch her horns.

"Delta, thank you for saving me!" Sora's expression was open and trusting, devoid of fear.

"But… I look like this…"

"You mean your tail? It's cute! I thought only Teacher had pointy claws, but you have them too!"

Delta had never met this "Teacher," but Sora's affection was unmistakable. It eased the anxiety that had been gnawing at her. Her horns and tail receded. She ruffled Sora's hair, her voice soft. "What happened?"

"The Honk— Oh! Maruku! I lost Maruku! Can you help me find him? I can't do anything without him." Since losing her memory, the little robot had been her constant companion, an indispensable part of her life.

"Alright. Let's get you back first."

…

While Schicksal prepared their experiment in Nagazora, Kiana, having journeyed for days from Shenzhou across the vast ocean, finally arrived.

With both ARC City and Nagazora in ruins, transportation was nonexistent. Fortunately, Kiana, as the Herrscher of the Void, could fly, albeit at a significant energy cost.

The strain on her body was immense, but the inhibitors she had taken from Ren's room before leaving were just enough to keep her going.

"Nagazora… Mei." She vividly remembered rescuing Mei here three years ago, escaping the city with Bronya soon after.

She looked towards Nagazora's outer wall, the barrier that divided the city. They had stood there once, looking out over the cityscape.

Despite everything that had happened, she found solace in the fact that Mei was safe, reunited with the principal and the others. Kiana trusted they would protect her.

As for herself… Kiana's expression darkened as she recalled the wary glances from the Anti-Entropy members. But her resolve quickly returned. Staying away was the best option for everyone.

It was enough to protect Mei from afar, to ensure her safety.

And Kiana had other priorities.

She turned towards the city. Though she had learned of Ren's presence in Nagazora from the Obsidian Concord, she had no specific location. She could only search, guided by intuition.

"The whole city is flooded. It's impossible to see the roads." Seawater stretched in every direction, the air thick with Honkai energy.

As Kiana paused to rest, a loud crash echoed through the ruins, followed by a Honkai beast's roar. A derelict building collapsed.

"Someone's fighting." Kiana's spirits lifted. She raced towards the sound.

Even if the chances were slim, she couldn't ignore any potential lead on Ren's whereabouts.

…

Roar!

The last Honkai beast fell with a final, defiant cry.

Bianka leaped back, cleaning the remnants of the beast from her Black Abyss White Flower.

"Did you learn anything about that girl?" Ren asked.

"No. She ran off before I could question her."

Bianka frowned. "That's strange. Schicksal evacuated everyone three years ago. There shouldn't be any survivors."

"Nothing's impossible. Not all ground personnel are as dedicated as Valkyries." Ren was unsurprised. Not everyone possessed the same sense of duty to save the world.

"In that case, we should return. I need to report this to the Overseer. If there are still survivors in Nagazora, we can't proceed with the experiment." Sheathing her weapon, Bianka turned to Ren, removing the bracelet from her wrist. "Oh, right. You should keep this. Rita said gifts for loved ones should come in pairs, and I…"

"Ren!"

A voice cut through the air. Kiana, her face alight with relief, rushed towards them.

Her gaze fell upon the two of them, then on the matching star bracelets on their wrists.