Kaino felt too embarrassed to rummage through the clothes his little sister had already tidied up just for the sake of searching, so after looking around, he walked over to Siegfried's cluttered computer desk to inspect it.
"Wow, Kaino, how did you get in here?" Hearing Kaino moving things around, Kiana turned around and pouted at him. "Out, out!"
"Hehe, look what I found."
Kaino picked up the USB drive on the computer desk and raised his eyebrows at Kiana as if showing it off.
"Huh, what's this?" Kiana stepped closer to Kaino. "Isn't it just a USB drive?"
"This is Schicksal, practically the place with the fastest internet in the world." Kaino sighed, turned on the computer, and plugged in the USB drive. "Wouldn't it be faster for Dad to download whatever he wanted directly from the internet?"
"Besides, Dad isn't some researcher. He's a warrior." As he operated the computer and checked the contents of the USB drive, Kaino explained to Kiana, "So it won't contain Dad's research materials. More likely, it's the reason he's been so distracted all day."
—Like proof that Siegfried was being blackmailed.
"Is that so? Let me see, let me see!"
Kiana immediately leaned over the computer desk and looked through the files with Kaino.
"What, it's just an Arahato cartoon... But isn't the image quality terrible? Would Dad really watch Arahato with such bad quality? It's his favorite!"
"Could it be a secret file? Maybe something is hidden in the animation? Like a line appearing at a specific minute and second having some special meaning?"
Kaino frowned as he watched the animation, thoroughly confused.
"But then there'd be no need to make the image quality this bad... Wouldn't that just attract attention?"
"Ah, right, I remember now!" Kiana suddenly grabbed the mouse. "I think I saw this in a movie before. Maybe you can do it like this?"
"How could a secret file be handled using a method that even appears in movies? That wouldn't... Huh? Huh?!"
Kaino stared in disbelief at the file format changing after Kiana's manipulations, feeling as though his worldview had been overturned.
What kind of secret file was handled like this?
"It really is a secret file! Looks like Dad has been hiding a huge secret from us!" Kiana's eyes widened as she opened it.
"The Sirin... Project?!" Kaino read out the document title and exchanged a disbelieving glance with Kiana.
"Sirin... Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void born during the Second Honkai War was called that, right?"
Kaino swallowed. Just seeing the title was enough for him to imagine that its contents would be anything but simple.
He had guessed beforehand that whatever had left Siegfried unable to focus all day would not be a trivial matter, but he had truly never expected it to involve a Herrscher—let alone a dead one.
And if this was internal Schicksal data, why had it ended up in the hands of a warrior like Siegfried? If it was not, then why had it ended up in Siegfried's hands?
And this information had left Siegfried dazed for an entire day.
"I have a bad feeling about this..." Kaino let out a breath and rapidly read through the file. After picking out several keywords—reviving a Herrscher, cloning, Schariac replica, insufficient—he fixed his gaze on two lines.
Kiana? Kaslana's genes may provide a sufficiently powerful transplant host for the Herrscher revival experiment.
Test subject K423 successfully awakened consciousness.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Kaino was not bragging, but whenever Schariac was mentioned, nearly everyone in Schicksal would first think of his mother—the wielder of the God Key: Black Abyss White Flower, the Saintess of Schariac, Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie who had perished together with the Second Herrscher to save the world—Cecilia Schariac.
Then there was hardly any need to explain who the so-called Schariac replica in the file was.
In other words, after his mother had sacrificed herself, her genes had most likely been used in research meant to revive the Second Herrscher.
Thinking even more cruelly, if Cecilia had not been left without even a body by the Honkai fission bomb, those people might have even used her corpse for experiments.
And after that Schariac replica had failed to meet their requirements, Schicksal had turned its attention to his little sister.
Moreover, they were using Kiana's genes because of her exceptionally high resistance and adaptability to Honkai energy. If the clone's capabilities still failed to satisfy the researchers...
Kaino only felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest, as though he could not rest until he let out the breath trapped inside him.
"B-Brother?" Kiana had finished reading the file too. She was clearly unsettled as well, and she even called Kaino brother, something she rarely did.
"...Kiana." After freezing for a moment, Kaino exhaled and tried to relax before looking at Kiana with hesitation.
Having one's own genes used for cloning experiments was already an incredibly complicated matter for the person involved.
And trying to revive and control the Second Herrscher... Considering what Dad occasionally complained about to the two of them, Kaino did not think Schicksal was capable of that.
"Let's talk to Dad, shall we?" Kiana turned around and stared straight at Kaino. "No matter what, something like reviving the Second Herrscher has to be stopped, right?"
Looking at Kiana's unusually resolute sky-blue eyes as she met his gaze, Kaino sighed.
"Yeah."
Frank Exchange
Kaino naturally welcomed the prospect of preventing the Second Herrscher from reviving in Schicksal. He did not know why Schicksal was trying to revive the Second Herrscher, but he did not trust Schicksal in this matter.
Aunt Theresa had told him that Sirin, the Second Herrscher, had become a Herrscher partly because of Schicksal's cruel experiments. Thinking about it that way, there was no telling what inhumane things Schicksal might do to make the Second Herrscher fight for humanity.
By comparison, Anti-Entropy had the First Herrscher fighting for humanity. They should be better at persuading Herrschers.
At the very least, they would not make the Second Herrscher hate humanity even more through their attempts at persuasion, right?
Besides, the replica used in the experiment was a clone of his little sister. If she truly chose to fight for humanity, Kaino hoped she could live a better life—the Sirin Project file stated that the successful test subject seemed to have developed a new consciousness and was not the original Second Herrscher.
"Kiana, Kaino, I'm back!"
At that moment, Siegfried's voice from the entrance interrupted Kaino's thoughts.
"Dad wasn't in the mood to play with you properly today, so I specially bought you gifts to make it up to you. Where are you two? Come out and have a look!"
Kaino and Kiana exchanged a glance. Then Kiana nodded and walked toward the bedroom door, while Kaino sighed and followed behind her.
"Kiana, Kaino? Come out already! You..."
Siegfried was still calling for his two children when he saw them coming out of his bedroom.
"Why are you coming out of my bedroom? Wait..."
Noticing that Kiana and Kaino did not look quite right, Siegfried's face stiffened slightly. But in the next instant, a smile returned to his face. "Ahahaha, Dad's bedroom is a little messy. You must be exhausted from helping me clean it up, right? Here, look at the gifts I brought you! New jerseys and a Karen Fantasy II game cartridge!"
"Dad..." Seeing that her brother had no intention of speaking, Kiana looked seriously at Siegfried. "We know everything. About the Sirin Project."
At those words, the smile on Siegfried's face finally vanished completely.
What appeared in its place was the worry and helplessness that had been hidden beneath that smile.
"How did you..."
"Dad, you were acting so strange all day. Of course we noticed." Kiana spoke as if it were obvious. "And more importantly, they used my genes for cloning experiments, and they're trying to revive the Herrscher of the Void that Mom died together with..."
"This has to be stopped, right? As Kaslanas, we can't just ignore something like this, right? But you hesitated, Dad."
"Kiana, I..." Siegfried hesitated, then slowly exhaled. "That's right. This operation is extremely dangerous. I don't know what to do..."
"Why don't you know what to do, Dad?" Kiana interrupted him. "That organization called Anti-Entropy contacted you because they can't stop the Sirin Project themselves, right?"
Siegfried's USB drive contained not only the Sirin Project files, but also a plan detailing what Siegfried was supposed to do, signed by Anti-Entropy.
"Yes, and for various reasons, they hope I can step forward." Siegfried sighed. "But like I said, this operation is too dangerous. Even if I successfully get that test subject out, if things become urgent and we do not have time to meet up, I might not even be able to take you two with me."
"If that happens, you will remain at Schicksal headquarters as the descendants of criminals. And given Schicksal's madness, as well as your talent, Kiana, they might even use you for some inhumane experiments."
"I can't ignore your safety." Siegfried looked at Kaino and Kiana.
"Is the rendezvous the only problem? That's easy. We can act together!" Kiana thought for a moment before offering her suggestion.
"What? No!"
"No!"
Siegfried and Kaino rejected the idea in unison. They exchanged a glance, then Kaino spoke to Kiana. "Kiana, this is the one thing that is absolutely impossible."
Facing Kiana's look of betrayal, Kaino did not hesitate in the slightest. "That would still be dangerous for you, and you're only nine!"
"Hmph, then I'll be ten next year!" Kiana raised her head. "I count as exceptionally talented even among the Kaslanas, right? Schicksal wants to use my genes for experiments, and in the past, ten-year-old Kaslanas already had to fight."
"That's ridiculous. Absolutely not!" Siegfried cut in. "The past was the past, and now is now. What can a child like you do?"
"I can do a lot! Think about it, it was written in Anti-Entropy's plan, right?" Kiana tried to persuade Siegfried and Kaino. "Security in the core test area is extremely tight. It would be hard for you to get in alone, right? That's why you said the risk was so high."
"But if I'm there, it's different, isn't it? Ventilation shafts, skylights, garbage disposal passages—they can all become routes of entry!"
Seeing that Siegfried was beginning to be persuaded, Kaino quickly interjected, "Anything you can do, I can do too. And I'm your brother. If someone has to do it, it should be me!"
Then Kaino looked at Siegfried. "Dad, listen to me. We should contact Aunt Theresa first, then..."
"What can you do?! Your body is so weak!" Kiana suddenly shouted. "If anyone has to go to Big Auntie, it should be you. Anyway, I..."
"Anyway, if you go, I'm going too. If you go in by yourself, you probably won't even recognize the route!"
"Kaino, you—Fine! Then we'll go together!"
"Enough, Kiana, Kaino," Siegfried interrupted. "This isn't about who goes and who does not. The most important question is, after choosing to stop this plan, how can I possibly be responsible for your futures?"
"Whether you remain in Schicksal, leave with me, or go with someone else, once I act against Schicksal, you will carry the burden of being criminals' descendants. Or you'll have to hide from place to place with me."
"So what will happen to your futures? Your mother would never want you to live like that. Yes, we are all Kaslana warriors, but I am also your father. I want you to grow up safely and healthily, with a happy childhood."
"But if we don't do this, can we really grow up healthy?" Kiana gazed at Siegfried. "No matter what, we can't turn a blind eye to this, can we? Even if we don't act, can we still face the Kaslana name? Can we still face our own hearts?"
"I... " Siegfried hesitated, then nodded. "All right. We'll stop this plan. But you have to act together with your brother and listen to him, understood?"
"Also, you both have to listen to me regarding the overall operation. If we reach a critical moment, you must obey me no matter what."
A Smooth Operation
Ten days later, on the outskirts of Klostern, at the waste yard of Schicksal's core experimental area.
A middle-aged man in a protective suit was pushing a waste container around the yard.
After a while, the man looked around, then patted the waste container in front of him and said in a low voice, "Kiana, Kaino, you can come out now!"
The man was Siegfried in disguise.
The next moment, the lid of the waste container was pushed open, and two white-haired heads popped out.
"Whew, we finally made it. I was practically suffocating in there."
Kaino complained as he climbed out of the waste container.
The two of them had been crammed into a sealed waste container together. And while it was not yet midsummer, the temperature was still far from low. The inside of the container had been unbearably stuffy.
"Hmph, you can't take it already, Kaino? If you give up now, it'll be too late!" Although Kiana felt hot and stifled as well, she was unwilling to pass up this chance to tease Kaino.
"All right, all right, Kiana, Kaino, move quickly!" Siegfried urged. "Someone may pass by at any moment."
"Got it, Dad. You need to hurry too!" Kaino nodded, took the saw from the waste container, and led Kiana toward the waste entrance.
"Got it. You two remember to avoid the cameras and patrols too!"
Kaino was the first to climb over the waste entrance. After sweeping his gaze around, he turned back. "No footsteps and no cameras. It's safe here!"
"Okay, I'm coming too!" Kiana nodded and hurried over the waste entrance as well.
"Let me think... East, west, south... That window, Kiana." After confirming their direction, Kaino pointed south. "Our planned location—though there are still two turns ahead."
"Okay, stay close, Kaino." Kiana nodded, crouched low, and walked ahead, with Kaino following behind her.
After reaching the designated spot, Kaino handed the saw forward to Kiana, and she began sawing through the window.
This sort of physical work was not suitable for Kaino, so he kept watch in every direction.
"Done. Now we just wait for Dad... Ah, Dad's here!"
A while later, Kiana whispered.
Outside the window, a white-haired figure rapidly approached, then climbed through it.
"Nicely done, Kaino, Kiana!" Siegfried quietly praised them. "Did you encounter any danger?"
"No. The operation went exceptionally smoothly. We didn't encounter any danger at all. I'm seriously wondering whether Schicksal's patrol officers are on vacation today." Kaino replied.
"Good. Then stay close to me. We'll head to the laboratory immediately."
Siegfried nodded, took a map from his clothes, checked it, and then led the way.
"This should... be it?" After turning several corners, Siegfried looked at the door beside them. He took out a magnetic card prepared in advance by Anti-Entropy and a Judgement of Shamash. "There may be people inside. I'll go in first and check."
Siegfried gently pressed the magnetic card against the scanner, then immediately burst through the door. But soon, his voice came from inside.
"There isn't a single person here... Looks like even heaven is on our side. Come in, Kiana, Kaino."
Kaino and Kiana entered the laboratory together, then carefully closed the door.
With no staff present, many of the large devices in the laboratory had been shut down. Only nearly a hundred Incubation Pods stood alone throughout the lab, each containing a white figure floating within.
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