The Trap

"Here it is." Theresa held the communicator in her hand, carefully comparing the red dot's position on the screen.

They stood on the grounds of a sprawling campus. It had many similarities to St. Freya Academy, but after years without maintenance, Senba Academy's gate had been covered in thick ivy. Only the two characters for "Senba" could still be made out amid the sea of green leaves.

"I never thought I'd be able to come back here!" Kiana sighed at how unpredictable life could be, while taking in her surroundings. The sun had risen, and they no longer needed lights to see everything around them.

"So you and Yae Sakura were both students here?" Sheng Jiu asked Kiana enviously, gazing at the vast campus.

"Hehe, that's right! This place used to be so much fun. I'll tell you—"

"Okay, okay, save it for later. You two wait outside. The battle below will be dangerous, and you can't get involved." Theresa waved her hand, interrupting their chatter.

"What? Auntie, we want to fight too! We can help!" Kiana hurriedly tried to defend herself.

"No, Kiana. You promised to follow orders. Sheng Jiu, please keep an eye on her and don't let her wander off."

Sheng Jiu gave her an OK sign. "Don't worry, Principal. I'll make sure she stays put."

"Hey! Stop messing up my hair!"

Theresa looked at the detector in her hand and cautiously stepped through Senba Academy's gate. The grounds were utterly still, eerily quiet. With Judah on her back, Theresa slowly climbed to the second floor. Then she heard the faint sound of someone sobbing.

Theresa slowly unfolded Judah and drew out a spear, then carefully opened the corridor door.

The corridor was filled with strange, thorny vines. Wrapped around them were numerous desiccated corpses that had long since been drained dry. Unlike the naturally mummified corpses Sheng Jiu had seen in the orphanage, these had clearly died after being drained of their nutrients.

Theresa slowly peeled back the vines, following their winding trail to where they began.

There was a huge mass of slowly writhing vines, with a girl caught in their midst. She wore a tattered school uniform and sobbed softly.

So she was the one crying. Theresa glanced at the detector. The red dot on its screen was now flashing rapidly. It seemed the girl named Yuno was their target. Theresa read the name on the girl's name tag, put away the detector, and walked toward the newly awakened Pseudo-Herrscher.

"You're the new Herrscher, aren't you? Sorry for the wait. Let me end your suffering." Theresa walked toward the girl among the vines, spear in hand.

"Please... kill me!" Yuno reached out with a bloodied hand, two streams of tears running down her cheeks.

"Your body's been corrupted by Honkai Energy, but your mind is still intact... It must be painful. I'll put an end to your suffering."

Looking at the girl before her, tortured to the brink of death, Theresa sighed with pity. She raised her spear and thrust it toward the girl's heart.

"Thwack!" The spear pierced the girl's body, but stopped just before it could pierce her heart.

Theresa was bewildered. A powerful force pushed back from the tip of the spear, and though she tried to pull it free, she couldn't budge it.

Then a vine behind Theresa suddenly pierced her left shoulder. It lifted her up and hung her in midair.

"Hehehe... Hahahahaha! You fools! I knew you'd come to destroy me! Why am I always the one who gets blamed? My mother has always hated me, and my classmates all avoid me. What did I ever do wrong?"

The girl who had seemed so pitiful just moments before now laughed maniacally.

"It's fine. I've already killed everyone who hated me~ And I've gained power beyond anyone else's. I'm the one who was chosen!"

More vines pierced Theresa's body. She endured the pain and raised a hand toward the side.

A huge object suddenly flew over from a distance, smashing apart the vines wrapped around Theresa.

"Don't underestimate me!" Theresa held up Judah and prepared to attack Yuno.

Just then, a wave of weakness spread through her body. Theresa staggered and collapsed to the ground. "...My body... I can't move... Was I poisoned?"

"Hahahahaha! Stop struggling! You've already been poisoned by the vines. You won't last much longer. Just lie there and become my nourishment!" Yuno snarled and lunged at Theresa...