An Unqualified Childhood Sweetheart?

"The first meeting—the start of everything. Even though Otto's journey, spanning five hundred years, began for reasons beyond this moment, it's a memory he will always treasure deeply…"

"Forever!"

Looking at the scene in the game where the two characters first met, Luo Mo felt a wave of emotion wash over him.

It was the first time Otto and Kallen had laid eyes on each other, and it was the light that forever shone in Otto's heart.

It was a light that shone in Otto's heart, piercing through the clouds, scaling the walls, and lighting up his world. It warmed him through countless days and nights.

Even as her face began to fade from memory, her smile remained etched in his heart.

"It was back then, huh? Otto at that time... I was always worried he'd get bullied. After all, he seemed so frail and awkward back then, always on the verge of tears... heh."

Kallen couldn't help but smile, a hint of amusement playing on her lips as she reminisced about that afternoon.

Comparing the scene in the game to her own memories, Kallen found herself overwhelmed by a flood of recollections. Moments she had long forgotten now flickered back to life, each one replaying vividly in her mind.

"Whoa, Otto was really like that?" Kiana couldn't help but comment, a pout forming on her lips.

"He was actually kinda cute when he was little. Why's he so mean now?"

What she didn't say was that she found little Otto to be clumsy and even had trouble speaking properly. How come he grew up to be so smart?

"Little Otto was always tinkering with inventions, always alone, fiddling with something or other," Kallen added, her eyes holding a wistful glow.

She smiled softly, resting a finger on the corner of her lips. "Back then, I preferred running around and playing."

"But later on, his growth was truly astounding. Even his older siblings were surprised by how much he changed, weren't they?"

Vill-V, who always seemed to focus on the oddest details, chimed in.

"How should I put it? Hmm, the scene feels a bit bland. It lacks that impactful feeling. Think about it—this is such a momentous historical event, but isn't it a bit underwhelming?"

Vill-V wasn't interested in the characters' dialogue or the progression of the story.

Instead, she focused on Kallen's entrance—or rather, the lack of a grand entrance.

She felt the scene didn't have the grandeur it deserved and came across as too mundane.

"Looking back, that moment was truly heart-warming. Walking under the spring sunshine, just in time to catch that plane. Both of them met the people who would change their lives... Isn't that romantic?"

Kallen simply shook her head at Vill-V's remarks. The other woman craved excitement and eccentricity, which was evident in the style of the Divine Keys she designed.

But when it came to the initial encounter itself, Kallen had no complaints. It was perfect in its simplicity.

What saddened her was the growing gap between her and Otto, a gap that had become irreparable by the time she realized it.

Their initial goals had always been fundamentally flawed.

From the very start, Kallen's aim was to save the world, a noble yet overwhelming mission.

Meanwhile, Otto, standing in the sunshine, saw only Kallen—a world where only she existed.

"Such a shame..."

Theresa pursed her lips, a flicker of emotion in her eyes. It had been such a beautiful start, and Otto had seemed so kind at first.

"Yeah, such a shame."

Kallen echoed her sentiment, gently ruffling Theresa's white hair.

The beginning of a story doesn't dictate its ending, and this wasn't a particularly happy tale.

-----

The happy memories Otto had cherished started to lose their vibrancy, like a photograph left out in the sun. Their once bright colours faded to a pale yellow, and with that fading came the stark reminder of the truth.

This peaceful scene, high above the world, felt almost heavenly.

Beneath their feet, fluffy white clouds stretched out like an endless ocean, piling up here and there to look like tiny cotton-candy mountains.

Above them, the sky was a brilliant, clear blue that seemed to go on forever. In this vast expanse, there were only two figures: a man with kind eyes and blond hair, and a mysterious golden cube floating beside him.

They strolled leisurely through the clouds, chatting like old friends sharing familiar tales.

"It's not often you take a trip down memory lane like that,"

the golden cube, known as the Void Archives, observed.

"Thinking about your childhood... does it make you regret facing your death?"

Otto let out a hearty laugh. "You know me too well, Void Archives, always the trickster! Didn't I just explain everything to Theresa and the others?"

His voice grew serious as he continued, "I'm choosing to face my end, and I'm doing it willingly. Consider it the grand finale of a five-hundred-year performance... a finale full of a little bit of delightful madness, of course."

As he spoke, a flicker of something deeper, something profound, danced in the emerald green depths of Otto's eyes.

Death?

It was merely a destination he had chosen for himself.

He was ready to embark on that final journey, nothing more, nothing less.

He never saw death as a punishment or something to be dreaded.

In fact, he was determined to show the Saint in his life the true meaning of life and all its vibrant colours, even if it meant reaching the end of his own.

"...I can't help but think you're using this 'destination' talk to hide your true feelings. You're nervous, afraid..."

Otto chuckled softly. "Perhaps you're right. It's only natural to feel a bit of nerves and a touch of fear. I've lived quite a long life, after all."

"And when you've been running a race for as long as I have, it's normal to feel a rush of excitement as you approach the finish line."

He continued his stroll through the clouds, his pace relaxed and unhurried. He neither confirmed nor denied the Void Archive's observations.

The truth was, Otto was indeed nervous, and yes, a little afraid. But it wasn't the fear of death that gripped his heart, nor was it regret gnawing at his soul.

His only concern was whether he would achieve his goal, whether his five-hundred-year journey would culminate in a beautiful ending.

"...Didn't you ever hope for more?"

"Why not? If it's just 'hope'."

Otto smiled, but then sighed, reflecting on his journey and his regrets.

"You must understand, my dear Void Archives," Otto said, a hint of melancholy in his voice, "some things are impossible, truly impossible, right from the very start."

He paused, letting the weight of his words hang in the air between them.

Then, as if extending an invitation to a hidden world, he continued, "If you're interested in that... then why not accompany me on a journey through the depths of memory, old friend?"

"Before others inevitably clash with us, we still have time."

Otto sighed softly, his words tinged with a sense of helplessness, a reflection on the events that had already transpired, and on the weaker version of himself from the past.

[Yeah, if it's just hope, if it's just a dream, who doesn't have one? But we live in... reality, after all]

[A person's character is their destiny]

[It feels like a last-minute sightseeing tour before death, doesn't it?]

[He never feared death, only a world without Kallen. In a world without light, the emptiness inside him would consume him completely]

[Comment…]

-----

"Where are those two... even?"

Elysia stared at the screen, unable to make sense of it.

If it wasn't the Sea of Consciousness, then where was this place?

And if it's the Sea of Consciousness, how come there's a Void Archives? It's the first Divine Key, right?

"Void Archives has a power similar to a Divine Key, and since it's bound to Otto, it's not impossible... I'm more concerned about whether the Void Archives you designed is that intelligent."

Mobius said, somewhat perplexed.

She also cleared up Elysia's confusion, pointing out that she and Vill-V shouldn't have made such a mistake.

Void Archives already possessed a vast amount of knowledge, so it was normal to restrict its intelligence and design its core logic.

The fact that it needed to find someone who could use it was a clear indication, but how did it end up going off the rails later on?

Transforming into Otto's shape... Mobius sighed in exasperation.

"Of course not, but who can guarantee that time will always be on our side? Look, didn't Ling appear because of an accident?"

"And... Void Archives is just a core shell now. Who can tell what happened?"

Vill-V sighed in resignation.

She had seen the core of Herrscher of Domination that Kevin had given her, and all she could say was... well, good luck to him, and may he rest in peace...

"True, with the two of us around, we don't need it to cause any trouble."

Mobius nodded, turning the page on that chapter and dismissing the existence of Void Archives. One less nuisance was a good thing.

-----

The scene around them shifted abruptly, like turning a page in a history book. 

Gone were the fluffy clouds and endless blue sky. In their place materialized a vision of Otto's past, a flashback rendered in the style of an ancient aesthetic.

Towering green mountains, dotted with crumbling ruins. The two figures standing on the outskirts of the scene were engaged in an anxious conversation.

The Otto and Kallen here were now adults, their figures no different from the ones behind them. The boy and girl had embarked on their own life paths.

But clearly, their minds were still shrouded in fog, as evidenced by their current predicament: the Eastern Expedition.

The scene taking place before them was a memory from just before that expedition.

Kallen, her brow furrowed with concern, hesitated as she looked at her friend.

"Otto," she began, her voice filled with worry, "You've never seen a real battlefield before... Are you sure about this?"

His health wasn't exactly the best, and what if something unexpected happened on the battlefield?

She couldn't help but worry for him.

Otto, however, maintained a calm smile and chose to persuade Kallen in her own way.

He was determined to join the Eastern Expedition, not as a warrior, but as a trainee medic.

If he couldn't fight alongside her, he could at least use his knowledge to help her and others in need.

Seeing the hesitation still lingering on Kallen's face, he spoke again, his words sincere and heartfelt.

"Remember? When we first met as kids, you told me—"

"That when we grew up, you'd take me with you to save the world."

Kallen still frowned, but not about Otto wanting to join the expedition. Compared to Otto's eagerness to follow in her footsteps, Kallen was more skeptical about the necessity of the Eastern Expedition...

She didn't believe that war was ultimately an effective means of saving the world.

"You know," Kallen said, "the threat of Honkai has been rising and falling for years. It's thanks to Schicksal's involvement in running different countries that disasters like the Black Death were stopped quickly."

She paused, her voice filled with uncertainty. "But... by getting involved in things they shouldn't be, Schicksal has become distracted. It's like they're losing focus."

"Your father used to be so concerned about people suffering. He used to personally check every year that the help sent to different places was the right kind."

Kallen grew more frustrated and confused with each word.

What she believed in and what she saw happening in the world didn't seem to match up. She struggled to understand.

She didn't understand many things...

why the Eastern Expedition, why they weren't helping people after disasters, why the kind man she knew had changed so much.

Why?

"But now? His desk is overflowing with palace secrets, and the time he spends meeting with spies every day has encroached on the time you two used to spend together."

"This is all wrong, abnormal, isn't it?"

Kallen looked hopefully at Otto, hoping for a confirming answer.

She was pondering the problems of society, from the perspective she could see, but she didn't know right from wrong, or rather... she needed her companion's affirmation at that time.

"..."

Kallen's eyes dimmed, and she pursed her lips. She felt even more lost.

"Otto... I don't have any guarantee of victory in this battle. I just want to bring you... and all the soldiers back safely."

"You can do it, Kallen, I believe in you."

Otto's encouraging voice rang out, but he misjudged her emotions.

He thought she was just pre-battle jitters, needing encouragement, but he glossed over the real issue.

...

Uncharacteristically, Void Archives' voice held a hint of emotion, a mix of mockery, curiosity, and hope.

"She's looking for deep spiritual guidance from you," Void Archives said, "but you're avoiding the question."

The simple expression on her face was so clear that even it could accurately recognize it.

"Indeed. As expected of the Key of Revelation, your answer is quite accurate."

Otto offered a word of praise, a hint of resignation in his calm gaze.

"Treating someone like they're superhuman, even a perfect being... that kind of pressure can be really dangerous emotionally,"

"See, I'm not a qualified childhood sweetheart, am I?"

"I didn't expect you to be so objective in your self-assessment."

Void Archives replied in its emotionless, calm voice.

Its assessment was quite objective, and everyone who had watched this part of his journey thought the same. He had indeed missed out on so much back then.

"——If I can't even do that, how can I be sure that I can provide a second life for another person, for someone different from me?"

Otto smiled thoughtfully, not minding the seemingly mocking tone of the other.

He had regretted it countless times in his heart.

[Too bad, at the time he needed strength the most, he was at his weakest]

[Tsk, no wonder it turned into Otto's shape, it even talks just like him...]

[Otto would make a mistake like that?]

[Otto used to be such a good guy...]

[Comment…]

-----

Honestly, everyone watching was surprised by Otto's story. It was something anyone could see, a question that couldn't be answered worse, but there he was, answering it just like that. 

It just goes to show that when you care too much about someone, you tend to lose your composure.

"He really isn't a qualified childhood sweetheart, is he? He's so scheming when he's trying to screw someone over, but he's all timid when it comes to himself..." Theresa grumbled.

Her hatred for Otto stemmed from that initial "Grandpa" remark, followed by a string of devious plots. Sure, she was his granddaughter... but he didn't hold back a bit when executing his plans.

Honestly, she was a little scared of him.

But with Grandma by her side, he was just a regular guy, Theresa comforted herself.

"But he's the only childhood sweetheart I have, little Theresa. How can you compare who's more qualified?"

Kallen chuckled as she watched Theresa. The This girl couldn't hide her expression at all.

"Hmph, he seems so unreliable."

Theresa shook her head, a complex mix of emotions swirling within her.

On the one hand, she acknowledged his feelings for her grandmother. On the other hand, she was terrified of his methods.

Though his performance in the game was subpar, it actually gave her a sense of relief. At least he wasn't ambitious from the start.

"But he's always stood by my side, even when facing the immortals of China. And that corrupt Schicksal, whether in prison or on death row, the only person I could trust was him."

Kallen replied with a smile, feeling a bit mischievous.

Her feelings for Otto were even more complex. She wasn't sure if what she felt for him was love.

But he was undeniably important to her.

"Whew... yeah, no one cares about Grandma more than him. But did he really exist in history? Did you maybe erase his records, Grandma?"

Theresa looked at Kallen's smile, suspicion creeping into her voice.

"Maybe I did. I think little Theresa is missing a childhood sweetheart like that."

"Stop it, Grandma—"