Preface: A Letter to Otto
"Kallen, live on——"
A blond man holding a flaming sword descends from the boundless sky, pointing his sword at the incoming Honkai beast. As they collide, a brilliant light erupts, and they both turn into ashes.
She seems to be stunned by the Honkai beast, just staring blankly at this scene. The people she is protecting are in her arms, watching everything that suddenly happens.
In the simple room, the view is somewhat dim. The crescent moon outside the window hangs at the end, and the boundary of the sky that spreads like a flame heralds the arrival of dawn…
"Ah, I don't know how many times I've had this similar dream."
On the bed, Kallen's long white hair cascades down. She is wearing a white T-shirt with a HOMU on it. Perhaps because she just woke up from bed, she looks a bit dazed.
Her hands came out from under the blanket, pushed away the layers of clothes, and rubbed her eyes.
The moonlight has faded, but she doesn't want to turn on the light. Darkness promotes deep thinking. She fell into insomnia again. Similar dreams have occurred many times in 500 years.
Why not get up and write something? She thought.
Speaking of which, who was that? Could that falling person be Otto? She sat up and sat at the desk with a pen in hand.
At this moment, she inexplicably wanted to write a long letter to an old friend.
[Dear, dear friend——Otto]
[It's been many years since we parted, but it seems like we met yesterday. I wonder how you are doing.]
[Looking back, in front of the execution platform that day, a flaming sword fell from the sky and cut off the Honkai beast and my vague past. Was it you? I'm not sure…]
[But it can only be you. Sorry, time is terrible… I almost can't remember you anymore. History, acquaintances, confidants, there are no records about you.]
Kallen pondered for a long time, her pen tip paused above the paper, her fingers moved slightly but did not write.
She hasn't seen Otto since then… 500 years… It's almost 500 years…
Maybe it's better for him to hold destiny. After all, he showed such intelligence from an early age, while she could only watch as destiny fell apart after the second Honkai. But she still didn't understand why everyone would forget him… If he was there, things wouldn't be so bad.
There were no old friends left. Sakura was gone, and her granddaughter and Cecilia were busy at St. Freya, determined to fulfill their own goals.
Maybe Immortal Phoenix can be considered an old friend? But she and her are just partners who help her protect China. The two of them never mentioned that Eastern Expedition at all and did their own things.
[Otto, maybe you should have been the Archbishop of Schicksal... I was forced into this position, and I know I haven't done enough. There are things I couldn't change... If you were here now, 500 years later, maybe you could have made the world a better place, fulfilling our dreams.]
[Do you remember the Immortal who made us fail in our expedition? At that time, Destiny betrayed its original intention and abandoned its people. Its hands were full of sins and fooled its people… I can't approve it. The Immortal directly caused the failure of that Eastern Expedition.
[The Kaslana family also declined at that time… But I can't judge whether she is right or wrong. Maybe Immortal shouldn't be an enemy. Yes, her name is Fu Hua. Now we are comrades on the same front!]
A smile flickered across Kallen's face as she wrote this, but it quickly faded as her thoughts turned to the events that followed.
After her execution, Kallen should have died. But she survived, only to find people everywhere suffering, hungry, and homeless.
The Black Death hadn't destroyed them, but the church's demands had drained them of everything they had. They were powerless against the Honkai, yet they continued to suffer. Was this truly Schicksal? When protectors become oppressors... should destiny continue to exist?
"What should I do?" A voice whispered in her heart.
So, she took a stand. Schicksal saint, the strongest Valkyrie, rebelled against the organization she once served. Luck was on her side. In less than a year, the people rallied to her cause.
Her execution and survival convinced them that she represented the true Schicksal that people hope for.
The crusade against the old Schicksal was a success. Some even switched sides to join her. When facing the last person in power, they begged for mercy. Kallen remained silent. If they knew this would happen, why did they act as they did? She could easily end their lives. None of them were innocent.
But when she faced Marcel and Lisa, Kallen calmly asked them about their brother, Otto.
"Brother? What brother?" Lisa's carefully composed face showed a hint of confusion before quickly returning to a forced smile. "Oh, you mean my brother? Yes, Otto, he's doing fine, of course."
Kallen knew she was lying. But it wasn't the right time to press further.
Later, after gathering as much information as she could, Kallen realized that Otto seemed to have vanished from the world. No one who should have known him, or might have known him, remembered anything about him.
No one except Kallen remembered Otto. No one remembered that he had ever existed.
[Otto, do you know? I was terrified. I was afraid that you never really existed. Our childhood, our adventures, fighting the Black Death, playing at being heroes chivalrous thief... those memories are so clear to me. But no one else remembers them.]
[I won't forget you, Otto. My friend, my comrade. They say a person dies three times: when they take their last breath, when they are buried, and finally, when no one remembers them anymore... I don't know why I'm the only one who remembers you, or what I can do for you. But I won't forget you. I promise. A Kaslana never forgets her comrades!]
Kallen rebuilt Schicksal, but she didn't want to be its leader. She wanted to fight on the front lines.
But the world may not turn as you wish; human hearts cannot be tested; cannot be measured; cannot be expected.
After a brief pretense, the new Archbishop of Schicksal turned against humanity once more. They exploited the people, taking even more than the previous leaders had. Bribery, assassination, and other schemes unfolded. Kallen's disappointment grew... until she had no choice but to overthrow them again.
The people trusted her more than any Schicksal bishop in the past. From then on, she was both saint and archbishop of Schicksal.
[Otto, the era of the Apocalypses leading Schicksal is over. But those who followed have brought even more suffering. As a saint, I... had no other choice. Otto, I've lived for 500 years... Can you imagine what that feels like?]
[Throughout those years, I've learned time and time again that when someone truly wants to change the world, they realize how insignificant their own power is. Our actions as young revolutionaries were naive. It's laughable to think that our efforts to rob the rich and help the poor amounted to so little, compared to a single document signed by us now.]
[I haven't been out in the field for a long time. The strongest Valkyrie has been off the battlefield. I gave my weapon to Theresa. Oh, speaking of Theresa, she's an Apocalypse. The last one, in fact. But strangely, I feel a deep connection to her.]
[So, I decided to adopt her as my granddaughter. Partly to raise the last of my friend's family, partly to silence the gossip about her.]
[Every time I see her, I see my younger self. So kind, so innocent, so... idealistic. She founded St. Freya's School, likely inspired by Cecilia, the former strongest Valkyrie. It's naive... to dream of changing the world.]
[But... who hasn't had dreams like that?]
A bitter smile crossed Kallen's face. Every member of the Kaslana family was a warrior. It sounded noble, but it had its consequences. Many didn't have children, or couldn't raise them before they died. Even Siegfried, in this generation, was like that.
Maybe she wasn't the same passionate Kaslana anymore. She had to think about the bigger picture, make difficult choices, and learn to judge.
Growing up was painful.
But Kallen showed a smile on her face because there are already more Valkyries inheriting
As for herself... well, there was always a price to pay for trying to change the world.
Still, Anti-Entropy, the Oceania branch, and the looming shadow in the darkness... Kallen had a lot to worry about.
[...I hope to hear from you again.]
[Yours truly, my friend - Otto]
[Signed - Kallen Kaslana]
Kallen carefully folded the letter, sealed it, and placed it in her drawer. But she didn't write an address.
There was no one to send it to.
Writing the letter didn't take long, but it had stirred up old memories. Without realizing it, the first rays of sunlight filled the sky. The warm light heralded a new day.
Time is always moving forward.
"Time to get to work," Kallen slowly stretched out, and her pajamas outlined a beautiful curve.
"Archbishop," her secretary called from outside the door, "there's a novel I think you should read. It mentions the name of a friend you've spoken of often."
Kallen had flagged Otto's name in Schicksal database, though it was more of a hopeless wish than an expectation.
"Oh? Which friend?" Kallen asked as she changed clothes, her mind racing. Fu Hua? Welt? Einstein?
"Otto."
"What? Otto?" Kallen exclaimed in disbelief.
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edited, thank you for reading this
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