Scenes from memory continuously surfaced.
It was after school on a certain day.
She ran into Himeko.
Himeko looked at her expression and asked with concern: "Do you have something on your mind, Kiana?"
Kiana hurriedly shook her head: "No!"
Himeko said with a smile: "Oh? Your expression clearly doesn't say that. Kids shouldn't have so many worries. Come on, tell me honestly!"
With that, she stepped forward and pinched Kiana's ear, letting the pain replace the worry on her face.
Kiana struggled and shouted: "Ugh... don't pinch my ear. I'm not some kid. When I was 12, that stinky old dad of mine abandoned me and ran off alone."
"From that time on, I told myself, Kiana, you're no longer a child. Now you have to learn to live on your own."
Himeko laughed: "So Father's Day is here. I didn't expect the idiot Kiana to have sentimental moments too. I'd say, you're much happier than me. After all, your father made you understand the true face of life early on."
"And I... until I was 19, I still naively believed my future was rose-colored."
"At that time, I believed my life was a road with intersections everywhere, full of infinite possibilities. I wanted to become an extreme adventurer, wanted to do marine biology photography, wanted to travel the world looking for good men to date... hehe."
"At the very least, after graduation, I could go to my father's research institute and research topics related to Honkai energy applications with him."
Kiana was very surprised: "Auntie Himeko actually thought about becoming a scientist? Then why did you ultimately choose to become a Valkyrie?"
Himeko said with emotion: "Because life isn't a script we can paint however we want. My father died... eroded by Honkai energy, becoming a monster that lost its reason, showing no reaction even to its own daughter's cries."
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked that question." Kiana lowered her head.
Himeko continued: "To seek answers, I abandoned everything and joined Schicksal's Valkyrie troops. For my age at the time, becoming a Valkyrie was a bit too late."
"However, I met a person. She said to me, 'The things you want to do, it's never too late no matter when you start. What's important is to begin doing them.'"
"So I joined her squad. That person would always nag on and on after battles about plans for the future. She said she wanted to become a gardening teacher after retiring, teaching kids to plant some flowers and grass."
Kiana hurriedly asked: "Did that person become a teacher?"
Sadness that Himeko couldn't suppress welled up in her eyes: "She sacrificed herself in one operation. After the squad disbanded, I remembered her words and applied to come here."
"Sometimes I think, I became a Valkyrie to prevent more daughters from losing their fathers, but what I'm doing now seems to make more fathers lose their daughters."
"Those girls who could have had ordinary jobs, could fall in love, even get married, yet became Valkyries. They gave up a lot for this, not just their own lives."
"Is doing this... worth it?"
Kiana thought for a moment and answered: "Uh... I don't know if it's worth it or not, but some things have to be done by someone."
"Just like that stinky old dad told me, people from the Kaslana family can't help but get their blood boiling when they see innocent people suffering, wanting to lend a hand."
"Pfft... what kind of idiot father is that..." Himeko smiled: "However, Kiana, your dad still left you some precious things. Maybe, fate made them leave so we could learn to cherish the people around us?"
"For example, Teacher Himeko really dotes on you!"
"Hehe, to further prove my doting on the idiot Kiana, how about a one-on-one training session!"
Thinking of these things.
Kiana involuntarily revealed a slight smile. In the end, it was called after-school training, but Himeko had actually drunk too much and couldn't even lift her sword.
In the end, she exhausted all her strength to carry the listless her to the bedroom.
In the instant the door closed, she didn't know if it was an illusion, but on Himeko's sleeping face, she saw that girl who, at 19, still believed her future was rose-colored.
The scene from memory jumped again.
It came to Kiana's first real combat mission.
Himeko, wearing battle armor, said seriously to everyone: "Before executing your first real combat mission, I want to remind you once again: besides staying alert to the enemies in front of you, you must also constantly pay attention to your comrades' conditions."
"Because they are not only comrades providing you support, but also have the possibility of unfortunately becoming monsters. Every Valkyrie faces this risk in battle."
"We gain powerful combat strength through Honkai energy, but we may also be backlashed at any time, lose our reason, and become monsters that want to destroy everything."
"As long as you are fighting as Valkyries for one day, you must be prepared and ready to face this worst outcome."
"If one day, your comrade goes out of control due to Honkai energy... you must end her life without hesitation!"
Kiana raised her hand and asked: "If the one who goes out of control is Teacher Himeko, do we have to do it too?"
Himeko nodded and answered: "Even if it's me, you absolutely cannot hesitate. Wanting to protect the life of an out-of-control Valkyrie will only cause more sacrifices. If you don't understand this, I won't let you step onto the battlefield."
"I... I understand." Kiana said with dimmed eyes: "Then if one day, I... I mean if, if I go out of control, Auntie Himeko, you must..."
Himeko directly interrupted her: "I won't let that kind of thing happen."
"Huh?"
Kiana looked up in astonishment, looking at Himeko in disbelief.
Himeko continued: "As your instructor and captain, I will do everything I can to protect every one of you and won't let you fall into danger."
Kiana hurriedly shouted: "Th-this... what kind of sly statement is that!"
Himeko smiled and said: "This is my principle. Alright, prepare for landing. The mission is about to begin."
The scene was suddenly burned by flames.
Himeko's smiling face gradually disappeared under the flames, turning into her broken appearance in the final lesson.
Kiana also cried out in question: "You said it! If a comrade loses reason and is controlled by Honkai, you must end her life without hesitation, but why... why you..."