Chapter 6 Herrscher of Void
Midnight. January 28, 2000. Babylon Laboratory. Siberia.
Leticia sprinted at the speed of a train until she arrived at Babylon.
"Miss Leticia, we've been waiting for your arrival," a woman dressed in a lab coat said, approaching Leticia and handing her a guest ID.
Accepting the ID, the two walked inside the laboratory. "Where is Hisashi?" Leticia asked, wondering where her husband was.
"Mr. Hisashi is playing with the kids," the woman explained, guiding Leticia to Hisashi's location.
Once they arrived, they saw a little girl with long purple hair listening to Hisashi teach.(Image here)
The purple-haired girl noticed Leticia looking at her, she smiled brightly, and shouted, "Big sister Leticia! You came to visit."
"It's been a long time, Sirin. How are you doing?" Leticia greeted the little girl, patting her head.
Hugging Leticia, Sirin smiled and said, "I'm fine, but the others..." Sirin looked at the ground, knowing what happened to her friends.
Leticia smiled sadly and carried Sirin. Suddenly, she vanished and arrived behind the woman wearing the lab coat, swiftly rendering her useless with a neck chop.
"Now's our chance, Hisashi. A Honkai eruption will happen here soon, and we can use this opportunity to escape and save little Sirin," Leticia said to her husband. They had always wanted to rescue the children, but it was useless if the others holding the kids captive could catch them within a second.
Hisashi nodded, "Let's go to my lab first. I'm going to do something to speed up the Honkai Eruption while releasing a cure into the air to prevent the people in the town from getting corrupted by Honkai."
Leticia listened to his explanation and smiled warmly, "This is the main reason why I love you," she said, proud of her husband.
Hisashi chuckled as they ran in the direction of his lab, ignoring the others as if it were a natural occurrence.
Due to their frequent running around with Leticia carrying Sirin, it seemed natural to the other researchers that they were playing with the kids.
It was Hisashi's idea to create a camouflage once they got a chance to escape with Sirin, as she was the only one who survived the experiment.
Arriving inside the lab, Hisashi asked, "By the way, where's Rei?"
Leticia set Sirin down. "Cecilia and her husband visited the house and explained to me that a Honkai Corruption would occur here soon. You and I can only remain here for a year, so I decided to let him go with them," Leticia explained. She knew well that her husband was dying due to Honkai Corruption corroding his body.
Despite awakening a strange eye ability, it couldn't be denied that his lifespan would only last a year.
Hisashi nodded in understanding. "He can live there peacefully. Cecilia and her husband are among the strongest people around the world." As a researcher of Schicksal, he knew the identities of his wife and her relatives.
Sirin looked confused and asked, "What do you mean by remaining here for a year?"
Hisashi and Leticia exchanged a sad smile. "Listen, Sirin. My wife and I are going somewhere that you and my son can't go. When you're older, you'll understand," Hisashi explained, patting Sirin's head.
Sirin nodded, choosing not to question further.
Leticia hugged Sirin tightly. "Sirin, if you meet my son, please take care of him and treat him like a little brother, even though he may seem more mature than you, okay?"
"Okay, I promise," Sirin cheerfully agreed, raising her hand.
"It's a promise," Leticia confirmed, sealing their agreement with a pinky promise.
With everything settled, Hisashi announced, "We can leave now. I've opened all the passages in the laboratory."
Standing up, Hisashi allowed Leticia to carry him, with Sirin walking in front.
As a Valkyrie and a member of the Schariac family, Leticia possessed immense strength, easily able to carry multiple people without breaking a sweat.
As they made their way, Hisashi remembered something and asked, "Did you give Rei the pendant I created?"
Leticia nodded. "Yes, I already gave it to him."
"Good," Hisashi replied as they arrived inside the battleship.
But their escape was halted by a man in a lab coat. "Do you think we would let you go that easily?" he sneered, pointing a gun at them.
As more soldiers arrived, surrounding them with weapons raised, the couple realized their escape wouldn't be so simple or so they thought.
Smirking, Hisashi looked at them and said. "Initiate Protocol Project Araya."
A holographic image of a little girl with white wings and a strange symbols materialized at the edge of the wings and above her head a yellow halo appears, surprising everyone in the room.(Image here)
As they watched warily, the hologram focused on Hisashi.
"Initiate transfer coordinates XXXXXXX and activate Eruption," Hisashi commanded, and a deafening roar echoed outside.
The animals in Siberia began mutating into giant monsters, bringing destruction wherever they went.
The laboratory walls crumbled, and a massive dragon emerged, breathing fire and eliminating the other researchers and soldiers.
Though many perished, Hisashi, Leticia, and Sirin remained unharmed.
Sirin glanced at them, recalling how they treated her like a guinea pig.
'They treated you like a guinea pig, yet you choose to rely on the power of a mere lizard to kill them? Why not use my power and eliminate them,' a voice echoed in Sirin's head, causing her discomfort.
'Do you want to take revenge with your own hands? Do you want to make them pay for what they did to you and your friends? I'll give you the power to exact justice,' the voice persisted, intensifying Sirin's headache.
Remembering Hisashi's advice about not talking to strangers offering gifts, Sirin proudly resisted.
'...' the voice fell silent, leaving Sirin relieved that she had listened to Hisashi and Leticia's warnings.
The couple observed Sirin's strange behavior, their concern growing as Honkai energy suddenly enveloped her, yet it had no effect on her.
"I suppose coming here was the right decision after all,"
As the voice echoed, Hisashi, Leticia and Sirin tensed, but before they could react, Hisashi was pierced by a spear from behind.
"HISASHI!" Leticia cried out, devastated by the sight of her husband's lifeless body, and she glared at the masked man responsible.
*clap*
*clap*
*clap*
The man clapped his hands mockingly as Leticia tried to punch him, only to find herself striking empty air.
"Where do you think you're punching? Has having a family dulled your senses?" the man sneered, effortlessly pinning Leticia down when she attacked again.
Sirin, seeing Hisashi's lifeless form, felt overwhelmed with grief.
"Why... why does everyone close to me always die?" Sirin cried, her heart heavy with loss.
'Because you're weak,' a voice whispered in Sirin's mind.
"It's always like this... my friends," Sirin murmured, recalling the other children who suffered experiments like her.
'Accept me, Sirin. I'll give you the power to revive your friends.'
"My mother," Sirin whispered, remembering her mother's loving care.
'I'll revive your mother when you have my power.'
"My father figure," Sirin muttered, thinking of Hisashi's brave attempt to protect them.
"I'll revive him if you accept my power."
She glared at the masked man, consumed by hatred.
'I'll give you the power to kill this man,' the voice promised.
A light enveloped Sirin, transforming her attire into a purple dress, and a void opened, hurling a spear at the masked man, shattering his mask.
But even with the mask broken, the man remained unfazed, laughing maniacally.
"Hahaha! Show me, Herrscher, how you'll revive him now!" the masked man taunted.
Sirin remained composed, setting Hisashi's body ablaze, surprising the masked man.
"Why didn't you revive him?" he asked, bewildered.
"I can't," Sirin admitted. Despite gaining power, she understood her limits.
Surprised by her honesty, the masked man's interest waned.
As Sirin disappeared, she sent the masked man flying, and Leticia regained consciousness.
"Big sister Leticia, are you okay?" Sirin asked, noticing something unusual about her.
Leticia smiled warmly, patting Sirin's head. "I'm glad you didn't succumb to becoming a Herrscher."
"I won't listen to a stranger," Sirin explained, unknowingly outsmarting the Honkai.
As if the wheels of fate takes a new turn a new bubble was created within the darkness showcasing a new bubble of possibilities emerged, altering fate's course.
"Big sister Leticia, something feels off about you. I healed your body, but it doesn't feel right. How can I save you?" Sirin asked earnestly.
Leticia smiled, touched by Sirin's concern. "Can you follow Hisashi's plan?" she asked.
After an hour of discussion, Sirin nodded. "I'll follow Big Brother Hisashi's plan."
Leticia chuckled. "I'm glad little Sirin has matured, but now I feel old. Looks like I miscalculated my time, I'm not good a math after all."
Sirin giggled at Leticia's joke, hugging her until she passed away.
With a heavy heart, Sirin placed their bodies in a pocket dimension.