The camera slowly panned, revealing a blue-haired girl in a white dress.
[Holy crap, Seele?!]
[What the—?! This is Seele?]
[No way it's Seele! But Silver Wolf—er, Bronya—called her Seele.]
[She looks so similar, it's gotta be the same actor.]
[Reverse aging? Growing younger? Is everyone just Fu Hua now?]
[Hey, watch it, your words are bordering on personal attacks.]
[This one's called Seele Vollerei. The flying head thing from the Lower District is just Seele, no surname. They're definitely not the same person.]
[Then how do you explain the resemblance?]
[Why can't it be explained? Look at Acheron and Raiden Bosenmori Mei—they're completely different people, but sisters.]
[So you're saying Honkai Impact 3rd's Seele and Star Rail's Seele are sisters too?]
[Who knows.]
[Just watch the story, why fuss over this and that? If you've got time for that, go figure out why Akivili fell.]
[Alright, alright, stop arguing. They're all super cute girls anyway♪]
— —
"Sorry, Teacher Cocolia, I'm late."
Seele's voice was incredibly gentle, tinged with a hint of apology.
Cocolia didn't press further and directly introduced Bronya to Seele.
Clearly.
When Seele saw Bronya, a ripple of emotion flickered in her deep eyes.
Bronya's body trembled, as if she was hoping for something to happen.
But things didn't go as she wished.
"Nice to meet you, Sister Bronya. I'm Seele."
"Hello… Seele."
Bronya sighed inwardly, "Since Mother Cocolia became a Valkyrie, the orphanage doesn't exist, so naturally, there was no X-10 experiment. Of course, this world would have a Seele who grew up normally. Bronya should've understood that."
The mission then proceeded as planned.
The main objective was to locate supplies hidden by someone called "Silver Fox."
Seele, as if she'd read the script, pointed out the possible hiding spot with pinpoint accuracy.
The group quickly converged on the location, which was barely guarded.
It truly lived up to the saying, "The most dangerous place is the safest."
But when Cocolia pulled back the tattered curtain, all they saw was a young boy.
"Joachim?" Bronya thought to herself.
Cocolia and Himeko exchanged glances.
They couldn't understand why there were no valuable supplies, only a young boy.
Joachim, seeing so many people, immediately went into a panic.
With a slight wave of his hands, countless weapons materialized out of thin air behind him.
Fortunately, everyone present was agile, and since Joachim was just a child, he quickly exhausted himself and fainted.
Based on his abilities, Cocolia confirmed this was the power of the First Herrscher—the Herrscher of Reason.
As the group discussed their next move, an alarm suddenly blared.
A large number of armed forces closed in on them.
Himeko made a snap decision: she, Fu Hua, and Cocolia would hold off the pursuers, covering Seele and Bronya as they retreated to safety.
[Teacher Himeko… sigh, she's always like that…]
[No matter where, Honkai Impact 3rd or Star Rail, Himeko will always shield her juniors.]
[Stop it, you're making me think of The Final Lesson again.]
— —
Under Himeko and the others' cover, Bronya, carrying Seele and the unconscious Joachim, could already see the evacuation marker.
At that moment.
Seele suddenly started acting strange. First, she tried to reason with Bronya, urging her not to head to the evacuation point.
Then, her pupils turned a vivid scarlet.
Suddenly, pursuers appeared around them.
Bronya temporarily set aside her thoughts about Seele and began fighting, controlling Heavy Bunny.
Bronya mowed through enemies like a reaper, cutting them down as if they were vegetables.
Seele watched in shock. "How…?! You defeated them?"
She sat on the ground, trembling and backing away.
"It shouldn't be possible. The people of this world… they shouldn't be able to resist them…"
Suddenly, Seele seemed to realize something, her eyes widening.
Bronya, observing Seele's reaction, lowered her weapon and slowly approached her. "From the start of the mission, Bronya had a strange feeling. Whenever we hit a bottleneck, it's like you already knew what would happen next. When you summoned the Quantum Shadows, Bronya was certain.
Seele, you, like Bronya, don't belong to this world…"
In the next moment, the two embraced passionately.
Years of longing melted into their tightening embrace, as if they wished this moment could last forever.
"Sister… is it you? Sister Bronya!"
"Yes."
"It's… really you?"
"Seele, Bronya is right here. After all this time, Bronya has finally found you."
"Sister… Bronya."
Tears streamed down both their faces in unison.
Bronya didn't know how many times she'd dreamed of this moment.
[I'm better suited for plots like this.]
[miHoYo, you know how to write stories, so why are you always obsessed with stabbing us with knives?]
[Waaah, this is too wholesome! I want a hug too♪]
[Bronya finally reunited with Seele.]
[If these two don't get married on the spot, I don't know how this ends. Wait, why did I say again?]
[So, they're a thing in Star Rail, and now they're a thing in Honkai Impact 3rd too? Hmm, I think I get it.]
— —
As if scripted.
Himeko and the others safely reunited with Bronya and Seele.
Cocolia announced that the evacuation point was just ahead, and handing Joachim over to the receiving team would complete the mission perfectly.
She didn't hold back on praising Bronya and Seele for their outstanding contributions to the mission.
"Wait, Teacher Cocolia. This child can't be handed over to headquarters," Bronya said, stepping in front of Cocolia.
"Your reason?"
Bronya didn't respond immediately. Instead, she uncovered Joachim's clothes, revealing shocking scars that caught everyone's attention.
"Burn scars from electric shocks and surgery. He's endured inhumane treatment in Schicksal's labs. Sending him back there is no different from sending him to hell."
Fu Hua then explained the consequences of their actions.
Bronya's gaze was resolute. She believed that taking Joachim back to St. Freya might not go as she hoped, but sending him to Schicksal would surely turn him into a Herrscher.
[So, this is referencing Sirin's story?]
[Sirin's like, "Where was this energy before?"]
[Sirin's crying in the bathroom.]
— —
Cocolia dropped her stern expression and smiled warmly. "Well said. I feel the same."
"Huh?" Seele was surprised to find there was no time reversal!
In truth, the group had never intended to hand Joachim over. It was all just a test from Cocolia for Bronya.
Fortunately, Bronya passed the test.
Even Himeko couldn't help but praise her. "Well said, Bronya."
Bronya looked up at Himeko. In this moment, she wanted to say the words she never got the chance to. "Teacher Himeko, you're too kind. Bronya only said what she learned from you."
Himeko chuckled lightly. "No need to be modest."
"No, it's not modesty! Bronya is truly grateful to Teacher Himeko.
You've taken care of me so much, so there's something Bronya has to say.
Himeko, you're an amazing teacher, the best teacher Bronya has ever met.
Thank you… thank you for everything."
[Tears are slipping out.]
[Why stab us with a knife here?]
[Bronya never got to say goodbye to Himeko, so she's always felt guilty. She's taking this chance to say everything she wanted to.]
[You never know whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. If you have something to say, don't hold it back.]
— —
After passing with flying colors, Bronya also teamed up with Fu Hua to unlock a hidden ending.
In Cocolia's final report, Joachim was taken aboard the airship back to St. Freya.
Suddenly, a flash of white light.
Bronya found herself back in the familiar Sea of Quanta. "We… came back?"
At that moment, Joachim approached her. "Welcome back. Congratulations on clearing the first world. I think you've already figured out who I am. I'm a fragment of the First Herrscher, Welt Yang, tasked with guarding this place."
Meanwhile.
The story of the first world continued.
Cocolia, holding Joachim's hand, arrived at the gates of St. Freya.
"Where is this?"
"This is St. Freya Academy. You'll live here from now on."
"But… the doctors? If I don't take my medicine on time, they'll get angry."
"They're gone now. Can you tell me your name?"
"W317."
"Not that kind of thing. A name is your symbol, how others call you."
"Can I have a name like everyone else?"
"Of course. That's your freedom."
"Welt… my name is Welt."
— —
Back in the Sea of Quanta.
Bronya received a book, a connection to Seele.
Under Joachim's guidance, Bronya faced her second trial.
…
The wind howled in her ears, followed by a bone-chilling cold.
Bronya opened her eyes to see a blond, blue-eyed man holding a cross to his chest, as if in prayer.
But the barrage went wild.
[It's you! Otto!]
[Why is he still involved?]
[This guy's still alive?]
[I'm not prejudiced, but this guy looks like bad news at first glance.]
— —
Bronya immediately recognized the people present.
There was Theresa, Bishop Otto, and Joachim.
Only then did she notice everyone was gathered around several gravestones.
Suddenly, she felt her hand tighten. Turning her head, she saw Seele gripping her hand tightly.
Bronya felt reassured and squeezed Seele's hand in return.
After a long while.
Theresa and Otto finished their prayers, and the group slowly walked toward a wooden cabin.
Everyone, without exception, hung their heads.
Watching this, Bronya shared her deduction with Seele.
They had just attended a funeral.
Only Otto was an adult; the others were children, and their destination was the only structure in the snowy landscape—a wooden cabin.
This moment felt eerily familiar.
This was an orphanage.
Though Otto was an extremely dangerous figure in the real world, given Cocolia's precedent, it wasn't impossible that this world's Otto might be a good person.
[Is he really a good guy?]
[Probably. The writers are telling us through Bronya's words.]
[Hard to believe.]
[It's not that bad. Cocolia turned good too, so anything's possible in this world.]
— —
Back at the orphanage, Theresa still showed her kindness.
Everyone present was kind.
But the atmosphere felt slightly off.
After Theresa assigned tasks to Bronya and Seele, she went off to cool down alone.
…
Bronya and Seele cherished their rare time together.
They also analyzed the current situation and how to break through it.
Bronya and Seele returned to the orphanage with firewood.
Through their conversation with Theresa, they learned the truth.
"Joachim's father was killed by the priest."
The two were shocked. "How could that be?"
"From what I know, his father was a doctor, researching how to bring back Joachim's mother, who died of illness.
He touched forbidden knowledge."
[Human transmutation?]
[Forbidden trials?]
[Fullmetal Alchemist?]
— —
Theresa continued, "At first, Joachim's father experimented on lab rats, then moved to cats and dogs.
By the time the priest found out, he had already turned to experimenting on orphaned street children…"
"What? How could that be?"
"So the priest killed Joachim's father. And Joachim became an orphan."
Bronya: "So Joachim has always hated the priest?"
"If he truly harbored hatred, that would be a relief. Joachim knew his father's sins and wanted to stop him but was powerless."
After arriving at the orphanage, Joachim worked hard to care for the others.
Everyone thought things would be fine.
Until the day the priest decided to make Joachim his successor.
That's when everything changed.
Joachim couldn't let go of his inner conflict. He feared becoming like the priest or making the same choices, inflicting pain on another child.
Bronya finally understood. "He's running away!"
At that moment, Theresa glanced toward the window. "That's strange. It's been so long; the priest should've returned by now. I'll go look for him."
"We'll come with you."
[This flag—I think I can guess the next plot.]
[Obviously. Snow, no sign of him for so long—something's definitely up.]
[I wanna ask, is there no Honkai in this world?]
[There's gotta be, right? Or maybe…]
[Oh no, a knife's coming!]
[Otto's knife!]