Flashback Clip 1: War/Authority

Beyond the main plot, in this town from five hundred years ago,

As mentioned in the previous chapter, the consciousness of five hundred years ago exists as a projection. All sorts of fantastical scenes appear within it. The town, being an open-world exploration map,

Naturally allows players to uncover countless hidden side stories. Although... Kiana and the others were surprised by the frequent appearance of Susanna, who often messed up and caused trouble, and they cast her curious glances...

She really had a lot of tasks,

She did so poorly and still wasn't fired. She must have a rich family... definitely...

Meanwhile, Susanna in the real world was covering her face with her hands, blushing furiously. It seemed she was trying to emulate an ostrich, burying her head in the sand.

She felt so embarrassed!

She hadn't made that many mistakes! It must be an exaggeration, definitely!

Raven was noncommittal, glancing at her across the table without speaking. From an embarrassing perspective, she seemed to be the senior...

After clicking on the clip, a part of the flashback was triggered.

A memory called War.

In the pre-dawn light, two tents were set up, and a conversation between a man and a woman could be heard. Based on the content, it was clear that this was a moment before the end of the civil war.

There was no romantic atmosphere in the air, only the chilling presence of death and the howling wind.

"Octavia. The weapons we arranged to be transported a week ago. Have they arrived today?"

A refined voice spoke, the air thick with the scent of blood, a testament to the brutality of the war.

Now, the war was nearing its end.

"We had all the logistics personnel arranged..."

"...It's time to launch the final attack..."

The man's voice was muffled by the wind, but his repeated instructions clearly indicated that the next moment was crucial.

If they won this battle, more people would join their cause, until they tore through the darkness above.

If they won this battle...

"Octavia, don't rush to answer me... You and the students from the monastery must also be prepared. You are all Stigma Awakened, and if the enemy uses Honkai energy weapons..."

"...Once you reach the front lines, any one of you could face the risk of sacrificing your life."

"So, as the squad leader, you must repeatedly remind everyone—"

"Don't get excited on the battlefield, don't panic, everything must be handled rationally as in the drills."

"Only by doing so, will you be able to maximize your chances of survival on the battlefield, where flesh and blood fly."

The voice was soft, with a warm undertone of concern. He truly didn't want anything to happen to her. She was someone he and Kallen both had a connection with, and he didn't want to see her perish on the eve of victory.

But unfortunately... this battle was crucial, and he needed to focus on command. And Octavia... needed to be on the battlefield as a backup.

The wind rustled, and the girl didn't speak, but her eyes must have been filled with conviction.

She understood what she was fighting for.

She needed to do this.

Even though she understood the dangers, understood how insignificant life would be at that moment,

She had already put her life on the line when she made this choice.

"...As the commander of the army, in necessary situations, I would still choose to push you into danger without hesitation."

The man sighed, feeling powerless.

"Because this is a righteous war."

"The sacrifice of any one of us is a reward for the vast majority of people."

His voice held a hint of weariness and helplessness. He still encouraged everyone, but compared to his later speeches, his words now carried a genuine sincerity.

At this time, he couldn't achieve the coldness he would later possess, nor could he be indifferent to life.

Perhaps a tiny hope for Kallen's resurrection still lingered? Or maybe the years of shaping had left him with a warmth for emotions?

"Teacher... since we joined this war with you, every classmate has already put their life on the line."

The girl lowered her head, her voice a faint sob in the wind. But when she looked up, her eyes shone like brilliant gems.

She was a warrior,

She would protect everything about the people. Her teacher and the Saint had taught her that.

Therefore... this couldn't be wrong.

"..."

"Octavia—I know..."

"But... you are all the Saint's children,"

"You... not a single one of you can be lost."

His voice was firm and resolute. He wouldn't let anyone leave again, especially not the traces left by Kallen.

Never!

[Memories of a medieval battlefield?]

[But... we all know, Octavia is already dead. After her death, Otto lost the last bit of restraint he had]

[Otto couldn't even protect a single child, even one connected to Kallen]

[Octavia... seems familiar, like she appeared in the history of rebelling against Schicksal]

[Comment]

-----

"But reality didn't go as planned. Octavia, even if she hadn't perished in Schicksal's final counterattack, still couldn't escape the constraints of her lifespan,"

"She was a prominent figure in the tide of war, but she didn't make a single ripple. Time eventually froze her there, denying her flower-like life a longer future."

"Octavia... she's dead."

Kallen sighed softly, watching the scene in the flashback, her eyes filled with sadness.

That battle, even though she was the victor, the price she paid was already small enough, yet she still lost many familiar faces, making her inevitably feel a pang of grief.

Perhaps it was the will of heaven, fate had shown a glimpse,

Octavia didn't live as long as she did. Instead, she passed away peacefully in her sleep that winter, as her most loyal guardian. Miracles don't happen without reason, but she was considered fortunate in that era. She experienced the turmoil of war throughout her life and finally died peacefully in her old age.

So Kallen only sighed. She just hadn't expected Otto to put his name before hers.

But here, in this world, she could only represent Octavia, and she was only Octavia. Perhaps her slightly cloudy eyes had finally remembered something, but she couldn't speak.

"Otto... Octavia..."

-----

Another flashback, this time after the battle.

Otto Apocalypse stood alone in the grand hall of the Schicksal Cathedral.

Outside the church, the people sang and danced, celebrating their victory.

With the support of the people, he had defeated Lisa Schariac and her puppet Archbishop, Marcel Apocalypse.

He had ended the chaos and unified Schicksal.

Everyone now praised his great achievements.

They lauded him for inheriting Kallen's legacy, purging a century of decay,

Remaking the world, reshaping Schicksal.

In everyone's eyes, he was a victor, a great man, a hero.

—No one thought of him as a weakling anymore, no one thought of him as a clown.

...Except for himself.

He knew he was merely following in the Saint's footsteps.

He knew he just wanted to transform this imperfect world

Into the way she wished it to be.

But... was that enough?

Was this enough for Otto Apocalypse's entire life—

To be worthy of the deceased Kallen Kaslana?

Silent words pounded against his heart. The guilt and reflection within him made it hard to breathe. He had imagined changing any point in the past, praying to alter the Saint's inevitable fate.

But it was only now, after her death, that he had grasped the power to truly change everything.

Truly... ironic.

[If he had chosen to follow the Saint's path back then, followed that black box... perhaps the world now would be the Father's Otto timeline]

[Clown? That mask?]

[Though you're not a clown, at least not now... you might be later]

[I understand Otto's psychology a little better... When someone important dies, it's not something you can just understand. At least Otto has the will to resurrect her...]

[Otto cannot accept a future without Kallen. Guilt and sadness will only grow with despair]

[Comment]

He remembered that day fourteen years ago.

He remembered that forlorn figure.

She was a hero.

A tragic, weak, ill-fated hero.

She had once transformed into a thief, robbing the rich and aiding the poor.

But she could only fight against the ugliness of the powerful alone.

She had fought to seize Pandora's Box,

But unknowingly spread disaster to every corner of the world.

Finally, her resolute gaze, determined to die for her cause,

Tore a gaping hole in his heart.

And on the other side of time, fate seemed to play a cruel joke on her.

By chance, her final figure on the execution platform,

Became a spiritual totem that would be remembered for generations.

Her wish was fulfilled, the god she served finally seemed to answer her plea after her death...

He witnessed firsthand, in the decade after her death,

Those who tried to change the world,

Without exception, all used her banner,

At least verbally, claiming they were inspired by her to fight bravely.

These people ultimately received their reward.

They truly achieved a better tomorrow—

But their "Saint", could only die in despair for the world;

The malice of fate, and his own hateful cowardice at the time...

Had robbed her of the chance to see the dawn after darkness.

That day, she turned and walked away resolutely,

And from then on, she was never truly herself again.

The malice of the world deeply persecuted her,

Forcing her to flee to a foreign land,

Forcing her to give up her life.

And it was precisely in this most tragic part of her fate—

That he, a man struck by the arrow of longing,

Played the role he should never have played, the clown.

[If so-called help doesn't bring happiness to the one being helped, is it truly help?]

[Otto's obsession was simply too strong. He only cared about what he saw, ignoring Kallen's feelings]

[As he said, they were both too young and inexperienced back then, both in heart and in strength...]

[Comment]

"Yes, the original plan wasn't what it ended up being;"

"Yes, he was flustered and confused, manipulated by his own sister;"

"But that doesn't change the cold, hard fact—"

"It was the Honkai beast he unleashed that killed her."

"It was his own self-righteousness over the years that slowly killed her."

The man's weak voice dissected himself, cold and unforgiving, in the hall where he was alone.

His heart was bleeding, but he couldn't feel the pain.

The overwhelming despair that came with the relaxation after victory almost crushed him completely.

"No matter how he turned the Saint into his faith after that—"

"That human named Kallen Kaslana..."

"Will never wake up from her cold coffin."

"The passion he loved, the stubbornness, those lips, thin and perfect..."

"Everything, will never wake up from that cold coffin."

"Unless time could flow backwards,"

"Unless the dead could be resurrected..."

Otto Apocalypse stood alone in the grand hall of the Schicksal Cathedral.

Outside the church, the people sang and danced, celebrating their victory.

He closed his eyes, letting tears stream down his cheeks.

He knew, at this moment, he was the only loser among them.

"A failure, unworthy of anyone's sympathy, destined for hell..."

His final words were barely audible, his lowered eyes dull, his fists clenched tightly. A crazy idea had begun to take root in his mind.

Time... flowing backwards... the dead... resurrected...

Thus, Otto's long and vast journey of five hundred years had begun. He understood that no one had ever walked this path, there was no record of it in any book.

But he had no other choice.

-----

"So, was it at that moment that fate began to turn?"

"Was it at that moment that he confirmed his goal?"

Mobius said with a touch of emotion, her questioning tone filled with certainty. This was already an accepted fact.

He truly was a madman, for a dead person, he was solely focused on resurrection, walking a path never before heard of.

Kallen's mouth opened slightly, but she had no words. A sigh escaped her lips.

She perhaps owed Otto too much.

She didn't feel much anger. Otto had merely done what he wanted to do, even if he had gone a bit overboard, and she couldn't see the full picture.

But she also knew how difficult his journey had been. Even though she had never asked, she didn't want to see him harm so many people for her sake...

But a complex expression did appear on her face,

She knew that he had no interest in power, yet he was willing to march forward simply to prevent the Saint's name from being tarnished.

But after his true victory, after ascending to the Archbishop's seat, his heart was filled with despair. As he said, he was at the beginning of a long and dark journey.

It was a complete victory, yet he felt only sorrow and sadness.

This moved Kallen.

After her victory, she hadn't grieved for anyone excessively. Though she had felt a pang of sadness looking at the blood-soaked battlefield and the comrades she had lost along the way, she hadn't been heartbroken.

She was only concerned with how to change Schicksal's direction.

But Otto... after his victory, he only cared about himself. Kallen pursed her lips, her fingers trembling slightly.

"I... didn't do that well either. But back then, I was cowardly and gave up..."

"Though I ultimately succeeded in changing Schicksal, if it weren't for you, Otto, it might have been a question mark..."

Her lips twitched, the words unspoken in her heart. As she looked into Otto's heart, she couldn't help but be lost in thought.

She had blamed Otto for releasing the Honkai beast, blamed him for his black death human experiments, blamed him for his compromises and manipulations behind the scenes.

But she had never doubted Otto's heart. If anyone could help her unconditionally, assist her in fulfilling her wishes, Otto was the only one she could think of.

She just... thought her comrade was easily led astray.

But perhaps she had forgotten that he had always followed the path she had walked. Everything he did was ultimately for her.

For Kallen, he would do anything, even if it went against her wishes.

He just wanted Kallen to be alive, but that one thing, he could never achieve.

Octavia/Vera Gallery.PNG