Chapter 8: The One Who Should Leave This Body is You, Kiana

In early summer, the sky was a clear, serene blue. A gentle sea breeze blew over the shimmering surface of the ocean, drifting into the office of the headmistress of St. Freya Academy.

The pure white curtains swayed in the golden afternoon sunlight. It was the perfect time for a break.

"Auntie!"

Kiana burst through the door. Theresa, who had been engrossed in reading a comic, jumped in surprise and quickly hid her limited edition of *Homu's Adventures* under her seat. That book couldn't be handled carelessly.

"Kiana, how many times have I told you to knock before entering? And also, call me Headmistress."

From behind the large desk, a tuft of white hair appeared, followed by Theresa's petite figure as she squirmed out. She was wearing the standard-issue nun's outfit of Schicksal, sitting properly in a swivel chair with her white-stockinged legs dangling in the air.

"Auntie, listen to me. I had a really strange dream."

Kiana whirled over to the desk and began talking non-stop, making Theresa's head ache.

"Alright, alright, Kiana, hold on a moment," Theresa said, turning her gaze to Bronya and Mei. "Do you two know what happened?"

After listening to their explanation, Theresa finally understood. Kiana stood to the side, arms crossed in displeasure, her face puffed up as if to say, "What the heck, you're making me look like an idiot."

Theresa narrowed her eyes slightly, resting her chin on her fingers like Sherlock Holmes deep in thought. "Learning information from reality in a dream, and then strange markings appearing on your abdomen..."

Theresa's expression grew serious. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"No, I was called to the teacher's office as soon as I woke up, and then I came straight to you, Auntie."

"That's good. Remember, don't tell anyone else about this."

"Huh? Why? Auntie, you look so serious. You're scaring me."

Theresa opened her mouth but hesitated to speak.

There was a great threat hidden within Kiana's body—the Herrscher of the Void.

In 2010, the consciousness of the Herrscher of the Void had awakened within Kiana.

Although the Herrscher's consciousness was eventually suppressed, the Valkyrie Assault Squad, led by Ragna, was nearly wiped out in the mission to subdue the Herrscher. Only Himeko, who was absent by chance, survived. Kiana's father was also forced to leave her because of it.

However, Kiana had no memory of this.

Theresa had placed Kiana at St. Freya Academy partly to protect her and partly to monitor the potential resurgence of the Herrscher of the Void.

After all these years, was the Herrscher stirring once again?

Theresa suspected that Kiana's dream was most likely a trick of the Herrscher of the Void. But this wasn't something she could just tell Kiana outright; otherwise, she would have explained everything when Kiana first enrolled.

Theresa's mind raced as she considered how to explain this. Her bright blue eyes reflected an unusual wisdom.

She decided on a compromise. "Do you know about the Stigmata Space?"

"Yes, Bronya read about it in a book. It's an awareness space similar to 'virtual immersion,' right?"

"That's right, Bronya. That's knowledge from the second year. What I'm talking about is this: Kiana must have fallen into a Stigmata Space. It's extremely dangerous. It will try to provoke you in various ways, shake your will, and lure you into corruption."

Theresa straightened her back, resting her elbows on the desk and clasping her hands under her chin. The gravity of the situation was palpable...

Kiana looked at Theresa and subconsciously swallowed.

"Auntie, I..."

"But Kiana, there's no need to worry too much. Everything in the consciousness space is an illusion, meant to deceive you. As long as you hold fast to your will, you'll be fine."

Kiana glanced at Bronya, who seemed completely ordinary, and couldn't help but agree with Theresa's words. She couldn't possibly associate this plain-looking Bronya with the voluptuous, tall, silver-haired woman from her dream.

Bronya felt slightly offended by Kiana's gaze, but she had no proof.

So she silently frowned.

"Alright, Kiana, tell me in detail, from start to finish, about everything that happened in your 'dream.'"

"Do I have to tell everything?"

"Every detail!" Theresa insisted.

"Okay. So, when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was you, Auntie, dancing on a desk in the classroom wearing strange clothes."

"What?"

…

On the way back to the Valkyrie dormitory, Mei was deep in thought. From the moment the headmistress hesitated to speak, Mei had sensed that something significant had changed with Kiana, something that Theresa hadn't fully disclosed.

A consciousness space, illusions...

Mei couldn't help but recall the whispers that had haunted her back at Senba Academy. The voices that spoke of wiping out humanity, of destroying the world completely.

And speaking of Stigmata, Himeko-sensei had once mentioned that she had Stigmata as well... though she said it was because of a "gem," but was that also the reason she became a Herrscher?

If Kiana...

The more Mei thought about it, the heavier her heart felt.

"What's wrong, Mei? Hehe, are you worried about me? Don't worry, no demon or monster can harm this lady."

"Kiana, I think you should take this seriously. The headmistress is right; if you ever enter that 'world' again, you must tell me... us."

"Ha, just a mere Stigmata Space illusion, there's nothing to fear."

Kiana was as confident as ever.

Mei gazed at Kiana in the sunset, just like that day on the rooftop of Senba Academy, when she had been infected by Kiana's smile.

Mei softly responded with a "hm."

—

The night was quiet, serene and dim. Kiana felt like she had just fallen asleep when she opened her eyes again. It felt strange. It wasn't like sleeping; it was more like blinking. Just a brief moment of closing and opening her eyes.

The world had changed, as if the sky and earth had been flipped.

"Huh? You're here, Kiana. This timing is quite unfortunate. Or maybe it's just perfect?"

Kiana was confused when she heard a voice from above.

"Where... is this..."

Ah, was she in the Stigmata Space again?

This time, she felt particularly heavy.

Kiana tried to wake herself up.

Her vision gradually focused, and her consciousness slowly cleared.

Finally, Kiana saw the hateful face of Ye Feng, shockingly close. She could even feel his breath and the warmth of his skin.

"Huh?"

Kiana was stunned.

"Ye... Yefeng? What are you doing?"

"Just what you see."

Kiana, now aware of her surroundings and the strangeness of her body, started to struggle.

"Damn it, this feels awful. What did you put in my bed?!"

"Hehe."

"Get out! I hate this."

"You're the one who should leave."

Yefeng, with righteous authority, declared his dominance: "This is my world, Kiana."