Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

They had saved Mei, but now they faced another problem: what to do with her. Bringing her home was out of the question; who knew if she wasn't harboring some kind of danger inside her?

Cortana was adaptable, but her hardware was too limited for the task at hand. The equipment from the Entropy Base, which could have helped assess Mei's condition, had been destroyed when Cocolia and the others evacuated. As a result, Cortana couldn't provide a full analysis of Mei's current state. However, she did detect that Mei's Stigma was slowly releasing energy, which was gradually transforming her.

In the end, they sent a message to Otto, explaining Mei's situation. They informed him that she was a natural Stigma awakener, like Kiana. Otto instructed them to bring Mei to one of Schicksal's bases, which had the necessary medical and research equipment.

After a series of tests on Mei, Otto summoned Ryn and Sparkle to his office. Kiana was sent off to explore on her own.

When Ryn and Sparkle arrived, Amber glared at Ryn before leaving the room. What else could he expect? He'd stolen funds right under her nose—Amber was not one to easily forgive.

Otto sat at his desk, one hand propping up his face while the other tapped rhythmically on the table. He was deep in thought. Mei's condition was an unexpected variable that disrupted his plans. After some contemplation, he looked at Ryn with a wide grin.

"Ryn... you've certainly given me a big surprise. Lei Dian Mei's Stigma is... unique. It's different from yours. Your Stigmas grow stronger as you do, enhancing your abilities over time. But her Stigma was born powerful from the moment it awakened."

Otto paused before continuing. "This immense power comes at a cost—she needs vast amounts of energy to wield it. Lei Dian Mei lacked that energy, which is why her Stigma's awakening nearly killed her. However, she survived. Entropy implanted the Gem of Conquest into her body, creating a delicate balance between her Stigma and the gem."

He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "Do you know what this means? Lei Dian Mei has become the host of the Gem of Conquest. She will become a Herrscher—the Third Herrscher, the Herrscher of Thunder!"

Ryn and Sparkle fell silent. This revelation was shocking. They hadn't known about the Gem of Conquest inside Mei. Was it Cocolia or Ryouko who had done this? Now that Mei was set to become a Herrscher, she would technically be their enemy, but neither of them could bring themselves to harm her.

The room grew tense with their silence, and Otto said nothing further, letting the weight of his words settle.

"So... should we kill Lei Dian Mei now?" Sparkle finally broke the silence. She wasn't particularly close to Mei and had only participated in the rescue at Ryn and Kiana's insistence. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered.

"No... we can't. Mei is a kind girl; we can't kill her just because she might become a Herrscher," Ryn said firmly, shaking his head to dismiss Sparkle's suggestion. He turned to Otto. "You wouldn't have told us this without having some kind of solution, right?"

Otto smiled at Ryn's response, applauding lightly. "Well said. We can't condemn someone for what they might become. But, Ryn," Otto's tone shifted as he leaned in closer, his expression serious, "if Lei Dian Mei does become a Herrscher, an apostle of Honkai, what will you do?"

Ryn hesitated, then touched the Stigma on his hand. "I... I'll wake her up. I'll bring her back. And if there's truly no other way... I'll stop her myself."

Otto observed Ryn with a mix of satisfaction and disappointment. He nodded, then turned his attention to Sparkle. "What about you, Sparkle? What would you do?"

Sparkle sighed, glancing at Ryn. "What else can we do? We can't kill her now. All we can do is wait and deal with the situation when it happens."

Otto's smile widened as he watched the interaction between them. This is exactly what I want—the bonds between you are forming.

"I've always believed that human emotions are the greatest power," Otto said. "Strong bonds fuel powerful emotions, and those emotions can shake even a Herrscher's will. Since you both have such faith in each other, I'll leave Lei Dian Mei in your hands. Don't disappoint me."

With that, Otto allowed them to take Mei away. For now, Schicksal wouldn't offer her much support. Whether they would invest in her future depended entirely on how things unfolded with her Herrscher transformation.

As Sparkle left, Ryn lingered for a moment, a question on his mind. He turned back to Otto.

"Ryouko told me to tell you this: 'Don't use Mei as an emotional anchor for the Herrscher of the Void, and don't make her a sacrifice.' What did she mean by that?"

Otto froze briefly, then chuckled. "Ah, Ryouko overheard my conversation with Siegfried, did she? Emotional anchor... it's a good term. I like it."

He met Ryn's gaze, his tone softening. "You'll understand this in time, but for now, it's better that you don't know. I can tell you this much, though: you may become an emotional anchor, but you will never be a sacrifice."

Ryn frowned, still not understanding Otto's cryptic words. "I don't know what you mean, but... you wouldn't hurt me, right?"

"That depends," Otto said with a sly smile. "If you stand in the way of my plans, I might. The power of the Herrscher of the Void is something I must obtain. Beyond that, I'll do my best to accommodate you."

Otto's expression briefly flickered with what seemed like genuine sincerity, though it only served to make Ryn uneasy.

"You shouldn't be so kind to me... I don't think I've done anything to deserve it," Ryn muttered. "The way you treat both me and Kiana—it's unsettling."

Otto's smile softened. "For Kiana, it's what she deserves. And for you... when I see you, I'm reminded of Joyce. You share the same kindness, the same drive to make the world a better place. But unlike him, you understand the necessity of hard decisions—the sacrifices required for a greater good."

He stood, his tone growing resolute. "I've been grooming you to be our next Overseer."

Ryn stared, dumbfounded. "...I don't even know who Joyce is. But if you're so confident, maybe start by giving me and Kiana some A-grade Valkyrie armor?"

Otto's smile faltered, and with a sharp gesture, he shooed Ryn from the room.

Ryn left, shaking his head. The next Overseer? Yeah, right.