Guiding Wendy

An illusory katana appeared out of thin air in his hand as the power of Jizo-Mitama was unleashed.

Xing opened the door and carried Wendy out. The newly arrived Valkyries outside acted as though they could not see them, ignoring them completely.

Wendy stared blankly at everything before a terrifying thought surfaced in her mind. In a trembling voice, she asked, "Xing, you successfully fused with the Gem of Stillness and can use a Herrscher's power, can't you?"

Xing fell silent for a second. "I can use a tiny bit. Sadly, just a tiny bit. But it has nothing to do with the Gem of Stillness—it's another one of my abilities."

Xing's mysterious and lofty image rose once more in Wendy's heart.

They encountered no obstacles along the way. Everyone seemed unable to see them, and the two of them left the Oceania Branch without a hitch.

Xing looked at Wendy. "Seriously, this place is so far from the city. Wendy, are you ready?"

Wendy was confused. "Ready for what?"

The tiny cross bracelet slipped from his wrist and rapidly expanded.

"Get ready to fly! Judah, flight mode!" Xing stepped onto Judah while holding her.

The weightless sensation of leaving the ground made the girl scream. Xing flicked her ahoge. "What are you screaming for? Don't make such a fuss."

Is there something wrong with the difference between our worldviews? We're flying! Wait, that's not the important part. How did you get Judah?

Held tightly in Xing's arms, Wendy's petite body rapidly heated up from the close contact. This was the first time she had ever done something so intimate with a member of the opposite sex. Eh, now that she looked carefully, setting aside their eye colors and clothes, didn't he look just a tiny little bit like the principal? Wait, no way, right?

Wendy asked the question that even she found absurd. "Brother Xing, are you the principal's illegitimate child?"

Xing answered calmly, "So you noticed after all?"

Wendy stopped thinking.

Xing burst out laughing. "Just kidding. Do you think the principal could ever get married?"

Wendy came to her senses. "Right. Even if someone wanted to marry her, Lord Bishop would probably secretly get rid of them."

Judah flew higher and higher, leaving everything on the ground far below. It all looked so tiny. The howling wind swept past her ears as Wendy gazed into the distance, a strange flutter stirring in her heart.

Xing asked her, "Do you want to fly? To fly freely and without restraint, like this?"

Wendy answered instinctively, "I do."

She had once possessed a pair of free wings, only for Schicksal to ruthlessly take them away.

The pulse of the wind flashed through her green eyes.

Xing spoke to himself, yet it also seemed as though he were speaking to Wendy:

"Wind is formless. It is free and unfettered, impossible to stop. It is gentle, bringing people coolness in summer, but it also has a violent side. Anyone who tries to imprison it will be punished. So, wind of desire that yearns for freedom, use your gentle yet strong wings to break the shackles of this world."

His words plunged Wendy into deep thought. "But I can't pursue my freedom. If the Gem of Desire leaves my body, it will lose control, and many people will die because of it. Not everyone can wield a Herrscher's power like you..."

Xing pinched her ahoge. "Why can't you control it like I do? Let me tell you a secret—I know several Herrschers who have controlled their own powers~"

Wendy looked up in shock. "What are you talking about? You're joking, right?"

The First Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce—who bore the world in his name.

The Second Herrscher of Reason, Welt Yang—who inherited his will, abandoned himself, and fought for humanity.

The former pseudo-Herrscher of Erosion, Yae Sakura—who had sunk deep into malice, only to ultimately be saved by kindness.

(Her core had already been given to Xing.)

The Herrscher of Thunder, whom he had beaten into submission.

The former Herrscher of Erosion, Hiyokomaru—whose Herrscher personality he had destroyed, allowing her to be reborn, and who now existed as the spirit of Jizo-Mitama.

(Weren't the last two a little off somehow?)

"So—" Xing said with great seriousness, "why can't you become that kind of Herrscher?"

Wendy retorted, "Herrschers are humanity's enemies!"

Xing asked in return, "I willingly became a Herrscher to save the residents of Changkong City. Am I humanity's enemy?"

Wendy was left speechless.

"Power itself is neither good nor evil, but the people who wield it are. Just as this world has no absolute good or evil, there are only opposing positions and differing ideals. Schicksal's contributions to fighting the Honkai cannot be erased, but beneath its glamorous exterior lie countless sins. You'll understand someday—some things have no right or wrong, only choices."

Wendy said nothing, but she suddenly felt that the air around them had grown much colder. "Aren't we flying a little too high?"

Xing chuckled. "That's what makes it fun."

Wendy suddenly had a bad feeling. The next second, her premonition came true—Xing released his grip and threw her down.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Wendy screamed as the roaring wind intimately caressed her entire body. The intense weightlessness triggered her survival instincts, and immense fear filled her heart.

Xing recalled Judah and fell freely beside her. "How does it feel? Exciting, right?"

Furious, Wendy bit down on the finger he had extended to poke her. "Exciting my ass! Hurry up and hold me again!"

His skin had clearly felt soft, so why couldn't she bite through it? Wendy nearly shattered her teeth, yet Xing looked completely relaxed, almost angering her to death.

Xing pulled his pale, uninjured finger—now only stained with a little saliva—from her mouth, poked her cheek, and asked, "How's the view?"

Watching the ground rush closer and closer, Wendy's face turned deathly pale. She clung tightly to Xing beside her and shut her eyes.

Xing's gentle voice sounded beside her ear. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Her words soothed the girl's fear. Wendy slowly opened her eyes and felt the wind around her. Birds flew past them, occasionally skimming through wisps of cloud. Xing held her hand, their fingers intertwined.

She suddenly wanted to fly.

Coming back to her senses, Wendy realized the ground was close at hand. "We're landing!" The girl's scream tore through the sky.

Purple currents gathered behind Xing's back, forming wing-like blades. Xing safely landed on the roof of a building while holding Wendy, who was clinging tightly to him with her eyes shut. "There, there, we're safe now. Honestly, why are you so timid?"

As he said that, someone's legs were trembling. The last time he had taken off in Changkong City, the situation had been too urgent for him to pay much attention. But now... if Wendy had not been beside him, he probably would have been screaming nonstop too.

Wendy opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that they were safe. Then, overcome with embarrassed anger, she punched him on the head. "You scared me to death!"

"Hehe~" Xing tried to play cute and get away with it.

Wendy rewarded him with another punch. "Hehe my ass!"

Xing lightly bumped his forehead against hers. "Did that make you feel a little better? Did it let out some of the pressure in your heart?"

Qingtuan froze for a moment. Now that he mentioned it, after Xing's little stunt, she really did feel much more relaxed.

Xing suddenly remembered something. "Oh no."

"What is it?"

Xing had a headache. "I forgot to bring your wheelchair out."

Wendy went frantic. "Then what are we supposed to do?!"

"No choice. I'll just carry you like this. Nobody can see us anyway." Xing shrugged. He had strength to spare. "I heard the North Island is famous for its hot springs. Let's hurry over and soak for a bit."

Wendy looked dazed, her body immersed in the warm spring water. The comfortable sensation almost made her think she was dreaming.

Beside her, Hiyokomaru happily splashed water around, only for Yae Sakura, whose face had been splashed, to smack her on the head.

Half an hour ago, Xing had conjured two living people out of thin air right in front of her and had them take her to a hot spring. He told her not to tell anyone about the two of them, or he would erase her memories through physical means.

He really was curious. He could be like an ordinary boy, thoughtfully taking care of her, yet he could also bring countless surprises at any time. The ordinary and the mysterious coexisted within him. Which one was the real him?

Wendy's head slowly sank beneath the water. Hiyokomaru looked on curiously. "Big Sis, why does she like soaking her whole body underwater?"

"Idiot, she accidentally sank! Xing said her legs aren't convenient. Hurry and pull her up!"

Fortunately, the two of them rescued her properly. Otherwise, the future Herrscher of Wind would have nearly drowned in a hot spring.

Wait, where was Xing?

Inside a clothing store somewhere in New Zealand...

The white-haired girl pointed at one outfit after another. "This one, this one, and this one. I'll take them all."

The attendant beside her wore a respectful expression. This young lady bought clothes without even looking at the prices. She was definitely rich!

"Hmm, Sakura's size should be around this. Crimson Prison Beast is still small, so I'll pick the same size as Wendy. Wait, Wendy seems to have developed pretty early." Although Qingtuan was about the same height as Bronya, when it came to figures... Bronya could go cry in Fu Hua's arms for eight years, then laugh at Fu Hua after those eight years.

Xing looked at the clothes filling the store and felt dazzled. What if he bought something they did not like? To avoid arousing suspicion, she had specifically activated her Stigmata transformation before entering the clothing store.

(Current appearance: Kallen Oath. Full Stigmata activation: Kallen's Song.)

Just as she was getting a headache over it, she accidentally bumped into a black-haired woman.

Xing hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." A pair of familiar red eyes entered her sight. "Why is it you again? I've come all the way here—how did you find me?"

Raven, who had come shopping after finishing her mission, said, "I'm the one who wants to ask why it's you again!"

The locator Raven had implanted in Xing when he underwent the super-transformation surgery had more or less broken during their last encounter. Of course it had—after suffering through so much abuse, it would have been stranger if it had not broken. She could no longer track Xing's location, and she swore that this time, she had really just happened to pass by.

The girl looked wary. "Did that Dog-headed Strategist send you? If you want to fight, come with me somewhere deserted. I'll definitely oblige!"

Raven looked speechless. "Who the hell is so bored they'd fight you? Stop blocking me from buying clothes!"

"You really just happened to pass by?"

"Really. Believe it or not. Hey, kid, didn't I remember you liking men's clothes? What, have you finally figured things out?" Raven became interested and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Want big sis to teach you a little about being a woman~?"

The warm breath Raven exhaled brushed against her ear, making Xing's heart stir. Raven's aggressive words frightened her even more, and she hurriedly backed away. "Not interested. Stay away from me!"

Rita Rossweisse, the Vice-Captain of Schicksal's S-Rank Valkyrie squad, the Immortal Blades, had been in a terrible mood lately. The mission Otto had assigned her last time had gone unfinished due to special circumstances. Although Lord Bishop had not blamed her and had even given her several days off to let her body recover from Judah's effects, she still felt she had made an unforgivable mistake.

Rita wandered listlessly through the clothing store. "This one would be good for Lady Durandal. This one is quite cute; Lady Theresa should like it. And then, hmm?" A strange sound reached her ears.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll..."

"Or what? Come try this skirt on. Big sis guarantees it'll suit you better than the one you're wearing!"

"Don't come over!"

Why did that sound so much like the conversations between herself and Lady Theresa? Rita turned her head with interest, and then saw the mission target she had failed to capture last time.

There was an old saying in Shenzhou: search high and low in worn-out shoes, only to find it without any effort. My chance to redeem myself has come!

Rita quietly took out her terminal, snapped several photos, and sent them to Otto. The movements of an S-Rank Valkyrie were so swift that neither of the two noticed anything unusual.

Schicksal Headquarters...

Otto had been leisurely sipping green tea when he suddenly received a message from Rita. The moment he opened it, he sprayed a mouthful all over the screen.

In the photo, Raven had cornered the flushed Xing against the wall. One hand held a dress, while the other was braced against the wall beside Xing's head—in plain terms, a kabedon.

Otto was so furious he nearly smashed another office. "Rita, if you don't explain this clearly, this month's salary is gone!"

Author's Note—

Current ages of the main cast: (The information here comes from Youhui's Honkai Impact 3rd First Anniversary Official Setting Artbook)

Kiana: 15 (December 7, 1998—counted as Clumsy Goose's)

Mei: 16 (April 13, 1997)

Bronya: 13 (August 18, 2000)

Xing: 10 (Just assume the Kaslana plus immort—Shenzhou bloodline made him grow faster)

Wendy: 13

Reader group (QQ): Order Emissary Archives 747357176