Honkai's Thousand Laws, Kidnapping Kiana at the Start

Chapter 22: Uncle

After the girl ran off, the two looked at each other blankly. It wasn't until the cabin door was suddenly pushed open and a man wielding a double-barreled shotgun stormed out that they realized the gravity of the situation.

"What kind of little thief dares to touch my daughter?!" the man, his face full of rough flesh, snarled, baring his teeth. The shotgun in his hand was already loaded, as if he were about to blast some foolhardy individual to smithereens in the next second.

"Sorry, we just stumbled in here by mistake." Before the man could make a move, Su Jue quickly raised his hands. As he spoke, he also tugged at Kiana beside him, telling her not to act impulsively.

Kiana, snapping back to reality, quickly raised her hands to show she meant no harm. However, the rancher didn't think surrendering would get them out of this. "Speak! Why are you on my ranch! Why did you ambush my daughter!"

"No, no, no, we didn't do anything to your daughter. It's just that she was too focused on her painting and didn't notice us," Su Jue quickly explained.

"Are you saying it's my daughter's fault?" The middle-aged man clearly couldn't stand hearing anyone criticize his daughter, and he directly aimed the gun at Su Jue.

Just as things were about to get worse, a small head suddenly peeked out from behind the man. The little girl with blue hair tugged at her father's clothes and shook her head at him. "I'm sorry, Daddy, I was just too engrossed and didn't see them."

Hearing the little girl's voice, the fierce expression on the man's face finally softened. He held the gun in one hand, freeing the other to pat the little girl's head. "Don't be scared, little Griseo. Daddy knows you don't want to hurt anyone, but we need to question people like this whose origins are unknown."

"Quick, tell me, how exactly did you get in here?"

"We got lost..."

Su Jue's words were interrupted before he could finish. The man pressed the gun directly against his face. "Do you think I'm easily fooled? My ranch is surrounded by fences. It's ridiculous to get lost and cross the fence."

Su Jue, feeling somewhat helpless, could only show a look of resignation. It seemed no matter what he said, the man wouldn't believe him.

"Daddy!" Griseo, who had been hiding behind the man, walked out completely and tugged hard at his clothes. "If you keep this up, I'm going to get angry!"

The man, who had been fierce moments ago, immediately deflated. He glared fiercely at the two, finally lowering his shotgun and squatting down to rub Griseo's head. "Don't be angry, little Griseo. Daddy will let them go."

Su Jue and Kiana, relieved, exchanged a glance and slowly lowered their hands. Just then, a grumble came from both their stomachs simultaneously.

"Uh..."

The man, who was still coaxing Griseo, suddenly turned his head and glared at them again.

What, not only did they trespass on someone's ranch, but they also wanted to eat something before leaving?

He didn't say the words out loud, but Griseo heard the sound of their stomachs rumbling and invited them to stay.

"Lost travelers, please rest here for the night," she said, her words poetic, her paint-splattered dress fluttering in the wind.

The two were momentarily hesitant. Although their stomachs were hungry, it felt a bit awkward to freeload. Although their stomachs were hungry...

"Then thank you, little sister." In the end, Su Jue was a bit thicker-skinned and agreed directly.

This naturally drew strong dissatisfaction from the man, but after figuring out who held the highest status in the household, Su Jue had learned to selectively ignore his threats.

"Wait. Although little Griseo has agreed to let you stay the night, your identities still need to be confirmed. Take out your identification so I can see it." Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, the man finally relented, extending his hand to ask for their identification.

This was, of course, a natural request. Su Jue didn't refuse and took out his ID card.

"Su... Su Jue, such a familiar name." The man muttered softly, and after a moment, he seemed to recall where he had heard the name. "Kid, isn't your father named Su Lin?"

Su Jue's face froze, and he slowly nodded.

"So, you're that guy's kid. No wonder." After confirming Su Jue's identity, the man's expression immediately softened.

"How is your father doing?" the man asked hesitantly.

"May I ask who you are?"

"If we're talking about seniority, I should be your uncle."

Kiana was truly surprised that this ranch turned out to be owned by Su Jue's uncle. She had heard from Su Jue that his father had cut ties with his family and relatives for Su Jue's mother, and that he was now in a state of despair due to excessive drinking. She had thought there was no contact left at all, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Thanks to this connection, their freeloading became much more justifiable. However, her own identity hadn't been revealed yet, and the other party seemed to have mistaken her for Su Jue's girlfriend, which troubled her.

She didn't refute it, though. While the two men were chatting about family history at the table, Kiana ended up playing with little Griseo. She could see that Griseo truly loved to paint, even holding her paintbrush while eating.

The mistress of the ranch didn't appear, and Kiana wisely didn't ask about her. Looking at the carefree little Griseo, she suddenly missed her own father.

Seele Kaslana, the one who gave her the name Kiana, and who taught her how to grow into an upright person. During Sirin's previous mental interference, she had constantly said that she was merely a tool used by Seele to control the Herrscher of Void, but Kiana didn't think that way anymore.

Kindness, integrity, proof of being human – these were all thanks to the existence of such good qualities. Even if she was ultimately just a substitute, just an experimental subject named K423, everything she had experienced, everyone she had met, were real.

Thinking of this, she looked up and secretly glanced at Su Jue's profile. That thin boy, he was the one who gave her strength, allowing her to break free from the vortex of the Herrscher of Void.

He was real, and that was enough.

Chapter 23: Photograph

The night grew deeper, and unknowingly, the bright moon climbed into the night sky. Through the dappled leaves, it cast a ground full of shimmering fragments of jade.

The ranch wasn't very large. It was more like a paradise built specifically for little Griseo than a ranch. When everything fell silent, the insects hidden in the grass began to rustle and play their music.

The evening breeze brushed past the wooden plank of the swing, making the branches creak. Kiana held the swaying swing and gently sat on it. Griseo, in the distance, had put down her drawing board and picked up a more portable sketchbook. She looked at the starry sky, her pen scratching noisily on the rough draft paper.

Seeing that the girl wasn't paying attention to her, Kiana quietly tiptoed and sat on the swing, swaying with the evening breeze like a child who hadn't grown up, a happy smile blooming on her face.

The swing swayed faster and faster, and the smile on the girl's face grew brighter, like a chirping bird about to take flight. Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of the boy leaning against the wall with one hand on his chest. Her face flushed, and the swing slowly stopped.

"I was just curious, definitely not because I was having too much fun!" Kiana was a little embarrassed at being caught playing with children's toys. She had just celebrated her 18th birthday not long ago, and in all aspects, she was already a full adult, yet here she was, playing on a swing like a child.

With a faint smile on his face, Su Jue wrapped his bandaged hand around his neck and leisurely walked over to the swing.

The girl understood his intention and moved aside. The two then sat together on the narrow swing, creaking and swaying with the wind.

"Oh, right, this is for you." Suddenly remembering something, Kiana took out Su Jue's broken phone and handed it to him.

However, Su Jue shook his head and didn't take it.

"You can keep this phone for now. You've been wandering for a long time, have you ever thought about calling your family?"

"Family..." The word suddenly barged into Kiana's mind. She murmured it softly, then looked up at the night sky.

"I've almost forgotten what family is like. When I was just 12 years old, my dad left me and went away on his own."

"I don't know where he went, or why he was hiding from me. From that moment on, I kept telling myself, Kiana, you're not a child anymore, you have to live on your own."

"As I grew older day by day, I never heard from him again. Until now, even his appearance has become a bit blurry." The girl let out a wry smile. She unconsciously fiddled with the orange and white star hair accessory in her hair. "During the time I lived alone, I was fortunate enough to meet many friends. Back then, I was like a naughty child, clumsy and lazy, hoping that one day my dad would see my disappointing self and come back for me. But Dad didn't come back. Instead, they were all willing to tolerate me and help me gradually step out of the darkness."

"That time was my happiest."

Quietly listening to the girl's monologue, the two looked up together, gazing into the distance. The same starry sky was reflected in both pairs of eyes.

"But then, some accidents happened. I did irreversible things to them, committed unforgivable sins."

"I chose to escape, I couldn't even muster the courage to apologize to them face-to-face. I didn't dare to meet their gaze, afraid of seeing the hatred in their eyes."

"I ran away like a cowardly child. I thought I had grown up, I should have grown up..."

The two leaned against each other on the narrow swing, and the story hidden deep in the girl's heart was slowly revealed.

"What about your mother?" Su Jue asked softly.

"I don't know... I don't know." Confusion, pain, sadness, and complex emotions continuously washed over Kiana's memories.

When she was little, the stories told by her father, Siegfried, were her best way of understanding the world. Back then, she didn't understand the meaning of the word "mother." She only listened to Siegfried describe the woman he deeply loved, Cecilia Schariac, over and over again.

The man tirelessly recounted every detail of his life with Cecilia. With these stories, Kiana gradually pieced together a perfect image of a woman in her mind.

She was Schicksal's top Valkyrie, a proud daughter of the battlefield, the most perfect family member, and the mother of the girl named 'Kiana Kaslana.'

But, Kiana Kaslana, was this name truly hers?

"Dad told me that Mom had become a star in the sky. As long as I missed her, I just had to look up at the stars, and she would be looking at me too."

The sky was filled with twinkling stars, which one belonged to her?

Kiana quietly turned her head and looked at the young man. She found him gazing intently at the starry sky.

Perhaps the night view was truly beautiful today.

Griseo had left at some unknown time. Only the two of them remained on the grassland. Even the sound of insects gradually faded away. Only the evening breeze tirelessly brushed through their hair, as if wanting to carry their story far away.

"Sometimes, I really envy you. Although your dad has become a bit unreasonable, your mother is truly a perfect mother." After finishing her story, Kiana smiled. "The food she made was delicious. You might not have noticed, but every time she looked at you, she had a look of happiness. I think this is the true pampering of a mother towards her child."

"Have you ever thought about reconciling with your father? As long as you're with your family, you can overcome any difficulty."

As long as family is by your side, life will never get worse.

This was the belief held in the girl's heart.

"Yes, I will."

He smiled, as warm and gentle as ever, his smile seeming to infect the girl beside him. After completely pouring out her heart to the person beside her, the long-suppressed emotions seemed to have dissipated.

Together with the young man beside her, they swung on the swing, higher and higher, the starry sky almost within reach.

"I don't have many rooms here, so you two will have to share one for now." After tidying up an empty room, the uncle handed two pillows to Su Jue.

The girl's face flushed. Even though she was accustomed to a life of wandering and wasn't picky about accommodation, this was the first time she would share a room with a boy.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle."

After thanking him, Su Jue consciously spread the extra quilt on the floor. He patted the bed and said to Kiana, "I'll trouble you to sleep on the bed tonight."

"Uh, it's actually fine if we share, I mean, you definitely... wouldn't be able to beat me." The girl seemed to find a reason for her words, mumbling softly, "You definitely wouldn't do anything rude, right...?"

Seeing the conflicted girl, Su Jue smiled, not intending to force himself onto the same bed.

"Alright, let's get some sleep. You must be tired too." He was the first to lie down on his makeshift bed and fell asleep quietly. His sleeping posture was very standard; when lying flat, he was as still as a corpse.

"Okay." Seeing that Su Jue had said that, Kiana naturally couldn't bring herself to ask him to sleep with her. So, she turned off the bedside lamp and, like him, slept fully clothed.

Late at night, Kiana, who was sleeping soundly, vaguely heard a knock on the door. Her brow furrowed tightly. Could Su Jue's uncle's family be problematic?

She didn't move, quietly waiting for the malice in the darkness to arrive, until she heard Su Jue stirring and getting up. He opened the door and walked out.

Her heart suddenly felt a little empty. If, if Su Jue was just lying to her and wanted to do something bad to her, how would she interact with him?

Thinking of this, she also got up and quietly went to the bedroom door, eavesdropping on the sounds in the living room.

"Little Jue, is the girl who came with you really your girlfriend?"

"Uh, why do you ask?" Caught in a lie, the boy's voice sounded a little nervous.

"Look at this photo. Some people say she's the culprit who plunged this world into chaos, and this photo was taken in Sky City... She looks a little familiar."

"..." Silence.

"Uncle, you're mistaken. She isn't... I'll take her away tomorrow, you don't need to worry."

The moment Kiana heard about the photo, her heart skipped a beat. Schicksal was searching for her everywhere. If her whereabouts were captured on camera, it was highly likely they would soon corner her.

There was no more movement from the living room. Kiana returned to her bed, but the things she had overheard kept replaying in her mind.

As it happened, Su Jue's phone was still here. She opened it and began searching for the latest gossip in Sky City.

Soon, she found the photo. Based on its location, it seemed to have been taken when they crossed the checkpoint during the day. More than half of her face was clearly exposed, and Su Jue's identity also seemed to have sparked baseless speculation among netizens.

When she refreshed again, the photo was as if it had been deleted. Her heart sank. To have the news suppressed in such a short time, the photo had probably already been placed before Otto.

Click.

The sound of the door opening echoed. Kiana quickly closed her eyes. By the time Su Jue's breathing had gradually evened out, the young girl had made up her mind.

Chapter 24: Forces Stirring

The next day, before the sunlight even graced the grounds of Schicksal headquarters, this colossal war machine, much like its master, was already prepared to confront Honkai.

A simple white lace hair accessory, delicate light brown short hair, and a well-tailored black and white maid outfit. They, along with a pair of long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings, abruptly walked into the futuristic Schicksal Center. If an outsider were to see it, they might not think it was the heavily guarded Schicksal building, but rather a maid café filled with seductive allure.

However, none of the passing staff dared to harbor any impure thoughts, because the enormous scythe behind the woman was too distinctive and too intimidating. Everyone knew that the only person who could freely enter and exit Schicksal and wield a scythe as a weapon was Schicksal's chief combat maid, the S-rank Valkyrie—Rita Rossweisse.

"My Lord Bishop, do you have any instructions?" Rita's voice was crisp and capable, a stark contrast to her alluring appearance.

With a tick from the communicator, an elegant male voice emerged. It was Otto, the Bishop of Schicksal.

"Three days ago, Sky City detected two Honkai Energy fluctuations with a very short interval. Although the source of the Honkai Energy outbreak was not found, some speculate it could be a sign of the Herrscher of Void's appearance. And yesterday at midnight, someone uploaded a photo, allegedly discovering the Herrscher of Void's trace."

"Your mission is to find her whereabouts."

The photo was immediately transmitted to Rita's device. After a few seconds of review, she confirmed that the figure had a high probability of being K423, who had been missing for nearly three months. She immediately responded, "As you command, my Lord Bishop..."

"However, the angle of this photo is somewhat peculiar. It's likely someone deliberately took it."