Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

"I never thought we'd meet like this, my host."

Inside the space of the stigma, two figures faced each other with a treasure chest between them. Seele looked at the person in front of her—identical to herself, except for their eyes.

"You're... you're the voice that's been appearing in my mind!"

"Yes, it's me. I'm a memory etched into the stigma. For tens of thousands of years, I've been passed down through human genes. My purpose is to preserve the strength of previous generations and... the hatred towards 'God,' which is the Honkai."

"I was born from you. I'm the opposite of your will. I'm your stigma consciousness. I... am you.

"My memories sync with yours, but I know more about the stigma on your body. It's as if that knowledge is instinctively etched into my mind.

"That box contains technology, knowledge, and power far beyond anything of your time. But right now, you can't control it. If you open the box, you'll be consumed by what's inside."

"But... Bronya is in there. I have to save her!" Seele protested firmly.

"Bronya? How could Bronya be in there? Are you even listening to me? If you open that box, you could die!"

"But..."

Seele hesitated. She clearly saw Bronya inside the chest.

"You're being childish," Sin Mal's voice rang out. "If you die, I'll disappear too. Don't drag me into this!"

The other Seele transformed into Sin Mal's appearance and threw herself on top of Seele, yelling in Sin Mal's voice, trying to scare her away.

"Little crybaby Seele! You mess everything up. How could you possibly succeed in the experiment? Wake up from your daydream!"

"Sin Mal..." A flicker of confusion and fear crossed Seele's eyes, but then her gaze hardened as she stared at Sin Mal and pushed her away. "Seele... no... I won't be afraid of you anymore!"

The corners of Sin Mal's mouth curled slightly, then her figure shifted again, becoming Cocolia.

"Seele, this experiment is too dangerous. Mommy doesn't want to lose you. Come back here."

Seele wavered, but in the end, she made up her mind to reject the fake Cocolia.

"Mommy... I'm sorry. I've already decided."

"Seele... you've grown up so much." The fake Cocolia stroked Seele's hair like a loving mother, then transformed into the person Seele most wanted to see.

"Seele!" The other Seele changed again, this time into Bronya, and wrapped her arms tightly around Seele.

"Bronya will always be with you, no matter what you do. Bronya will protect you. She doesn't want to see you disappear..."

Seele's eyes widened, tears streaming down her face. She realized now that these visions were conjured by her other self to stop her from opening the box. They were so real, it scared her...

Because these were the true feelings of Cocolia and Bronya.

Seele tried not to cry, though tears still rolled down her cheeks. She was no longer afraid. She pressed her forehead against the Bronya-shaped form of the other Seele, their fingers entwined.

"If... if my experiment fails... then Bronya will have to undergo the test, won't she?"

Seele hugged herself, resting her head against her literal other half.

"Whenever I hid in the toy chest crying, Bronya always held me like this."

After holding each other for a moment, one of the Seeles straightened up, smiling through tears at the other.

"Don't... sorry... these escape words made me feel safe... but this time I won't run away again. I don't want my weakness to hurt Bronya anymore."

Bronya smiled at her, then transformed back into her original form: also Seele.

"Seele, you're such a kind girl. I really don't know what to do with you, my host."

The two Seeles faced each other, then reached out and clasped hands.

"I can't take it anymore. Fine, fine, I don't care what happens next. But Seele... no matter what comes ahead... I'll walk with you. After all... I am you."

Holding hands, the two of them opened the treasure chest. In that moment, light shone, and Seele saw Bronya, as she had wished. Bronya smiled at Seele and said:

"You finally found me, Seele—"

"You finally found me, Seele—"

In 0.2 seconds, the space surrounding the experimental subject began to distort.

At 0.6 seconds, the metallic sphere under her control emitted a brilliant, blinding light.

By 0.8 seconds, the metallic sphere had vanished into the quantum realm. The distortion ceased, and everything returned to an eerie stillness.

In these fleeting 0.8 seconds, Seele Vollerei demonstrated unmatched courage and resolve—the experiment succeeded!

As the data stabilized, Seele awoke. The experimenters sprang to their feet in jubilation, some overcome with emotion, their eyes brimming with tears.

Seele's face lit up with a radiant smile. It worked this time. I protected Bronya.

Cocolia, rushing to Seele's side, was equally ecstatic. As she opened her mouth to speak, the word "Seele" barely escaped her lips before the girl vanished right before her eyes.

Stunned, Cocolia's expression twisted into one of fury as she slammed her hand on the operator's console.

"What happened? Why did Seele's body suddenly disappear?!"

"We're not certain," an operator stammered. "The detector's readings indicate that the experimental subject's molecular structure is disintegrating."

Though it sounded like something out of a fantastical fable, the impossible was happening—Seele was undergoing quantumization!

At that very moment, Seele had not yet fully quantumized, but her figure became invisible to the naked eye. Her inner personality, now manifest, appeared naked, drifting behind her outer self and gently wrapping her in an embrace.

"As expected… your body can't endure the power of the box."

"Seele… soon, you'll vanish from this world."

"...I want to see Bronya one last time..."

"Good. Before you go, let's say goodbye to Bronya. Embrace your strength, Seele."

The inner personality conjured a flowing blue-and-white halter dress for Seele using Honkai energy. The stigmata on her chest stood vivid against her pale skin, while blue stockings with white stripes adorned her legs, wrapping tightly like an embrace.

A delicate hairpin, adorned with sapphires and rubies, appeared in her hair, complemented by three petal-like ornaments in black, blue, and white that glimmered nearby.

Then, the inner personality transformed into a massive scythe—Dingyaobei[钉冶贝](TL:Swallowtail Phantasm?)—and placed it into Seele's hands. Her blue eyes shifted to a deep crimson, yet this time, the outer personality Seele remained in control.

With a graceful yet decisive motion, Seele swung the scythe, shattering the containment vessel around her. Without hesitation, she vanished from the laboratory.