Honkai's Thousand Laws, Kidnapping Kiana at the Start

"..."

Silence.

After a long while, Su Jue spoke, "Sorry, for letting you see a joke."

A hint of pain flickered in the young man's grey eyes. Kiana suddenly understood why he had turned back to pick up the loose change even though he knew it was dangerous. Her mind was a bit hazy, unsure how to comfort Su Jue, but the young man adjusted quickly. After quietly wiping his reddened eyes, he returned to his previous demeanor.

He took out a key from the inner lining of his clothes. That inner pocket was entirely stitched, and it seemed to be specifically prepared for hiding things.

He pushed open the door, and with a creak, the dim room came into Kiana's view. The living room was unlit, with light only spilling from the doorway of the bedroom. A woman was sitting at the head of the bed, diligently knitting.

She hadn't noticed the commotion outside the door at all? Confusion showed in Kiana's eyes.

"That's my mother. She's... deaf and mute," Su Jue's voice was a bit dry. He flicked on the living room light, and the woman, sensing the change in light, looked up. She showed a surprised expression when she saw Su Jue.

"Ah, ah." The woman put down her work and opened her mouth as if to say something, but only meaningless sounds came out.

"Mom, I'm back. This is my friend." Although he knew his mother couldn't hear, Su Jue still introduced her loudly.

Seeing her son bring back a pretty girl, the woman's excited and happy emotions were evident. She busied herself going to the kitchen to boil water for tea.

Kiana looked at Su Jue, who had a smile on his face, and felt a pang of sympathy. She pointed to his shoulder, "It hurts a lot, doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't hurt," Su Jue shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "I'm already used to it."

Chapter 4: The Banquet

Drip.

As the minute hand reached 12 again, it was already nine in the evening. The night had finally fallen into slumber. Even though the city was still under attack by Honkai Beasts, the suburbs were utterly silent. The people living here, no matter how close, found it difficult to reach the central district. What blocked them was not just the cost, but also the human heart.

This world had never been fair.

"Let's eat," Su Jue pushed chopsticks and bowls in front of Kiana. The meal was simple, but it included two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. Normally, this kind of spread was only prepared when guests were present.

The fragrant aroma of rice wafted into Kiana's nostrils, causing her to salivate after a long period of wandering.

At St. Freya Academy, she always liked to freeload off Mei's cooking, and Mei would always wear a helpless expression while silently preparing her portion.

But she had done that...

How long had it been since she last ate Mei's cooking?

She didn't dare to recall, because whenever she did, that splash of crimson would unceremoniously invade her mind.

Lost in memories, Kiana was a bit dazed. When she came back to her senses, she realized that neither Su Jue nor his mother had started eating, silently waiting for her.

"My mother is just worried that her cooking might not suit a guest's taste. She won't eat until the guest starts," Su Jue explained. However, he quickly reacted and added, "I almost forgot, you're a girl, coming to a stranger's house. How can you feel at ease eating food made by others?"

He took a little of each dish from the table and ate it himself before giving Kiana a reassuring smile. "Can you relax now?"

"That's not what I meant." Seeming to realize that her daze had caused Su Jue to misunderstand, Kiana shook her head repeatedly, picked up her rice bowl, and started eating without hesitation.

Although Su Jue's mother had cooked with great care, the food, to be honest, wasn't very good.

The rice was a bit hard, and the stir-fried dishes were slightly burnt. Kiana ate large mouthfuls, the rice mixed with her tears tasting a bit salty, but she didn't care at all.

How long had it been since she last ate a full meal?

Monsters, demons, damn Herrschers...

Their curses never ceased.

Running, hiding, pain...

Like a stray dog, afraid to reveal her location.

"Even if it's not tasty, there's no need to cry," a washed-out white handkerchief was handed to Kiana. Su Jue said with a hint of a joke.

Her face flushed, Kiana took the handkerchief and wiped her face. The rice mixed with tears didn't taste good, but she seemed to have eaten an entire pot of rice.

"Not enough?"

"No, no, no, it's completely enough. It's just that my appetite is... a little bit large..."

"A little bit?"

"..." Kiana felt a bit embarrassed. Regardless, eating four bowls should not be within the scope of a girl her age, right?

Su Jue's mother chewed with a smile, watching their interaction, the corners of her eyes crinkling with wrinkles. Noticing this, Kiana felt even more embarrassed.

Fortunately, the awkwardness passed quickly. After the meal, Su Jue and his mother returned to the kitchen to clean up. Although Kiana wanted to help, Su Jue refused, citing that she was a guest.

Bored, she subconsciously looked around and noticed a few pieces of paper stuck in the gaps of a stool. Carefully, she pulled the papers out from the jammed corners and realized they were likely the ones that had fallen out with the loose change earlier.

"What is this?"

It was a medical record.

It was Su Jue's medical record.

Kiana's education wasn't high, and she couldn't quite decipher the unique handwriting of the doctor. However, from the printed information elsewhere, this medical record had been printed just this afternoon.

No wonder Su Jue, who lived in the suburbs, was in the East District. He had come to the hospital for a check-up.

"The doctor's handwriting is so messy. I feel like my writing is better than these characters."

After repeatedly examining the medical record, Kiana, being a poor student, even felt a sense of superiority. But when she understood the content of the text, the smile on her face gradually disappeared.

There was only one year left, and the initial treatment cost 500,000.

"..."

"Huh? What are you looking at?" Su Jue's voice suddenly came, startling Kiana, and the medical record in her hand almost fell to the ground. But she still caught it steadily, with a confused expression. "These words are written so messily, I can't understand them. Is this your medical record?"

"Yes, I felt a bit unwell today and went to the hospital for a check-up. Fortunately, there are no major issues." Putting down the large medicine box, Su Jue took the medical record from Kiana's hand and placed it in the box, burying it at the bottom. "I'll bandage you. Your wound hasn't stopped bleeding before..."

"Huh? How did it stop?"

Pushing up his sleeves, Kiana placed her fair forearm in front of Su Jue. However, the gauze wrapped around it was not stained red.

As Su Jue unwrapped the gauze layer by layer, he discovered that the cracks on Kiana's forearm had actually stopped bleeding.

After Sirin appeared once, the overflowing Honkai energy within her inexplicably decreased significantly. Coupled with the powerful Kaslana physique, the wounds on Kiana's body, eroded by Honkai energy, were slowly healing.

But, what exactly happened during this period?

"Su Jue, do you know about Valkyries?"

"Of course, I do. They are the most powerful warriors in the world, protecting human civilization. Legends say they can easily kill Honkai Beasts and drive them out of our homeland... Wait, you mean you are a Valkyrie?" Surprise flashed in Su Jue's eyes, and he looked incredulous.

Facing Su Jue's intense gaze, Kiana playfully blinked, implicitly confirming his guess.

"Oh my god, no wonder you could kill such a huge Honkai Beast! No wonder your wound, which was bleeding continuously, healed so quickly." Su Jue, somewhat incoherent with excitement, subconsciously grasped Kiana's hand, as if wanting to study the principle of wound healing. However, he clearly couldn't figure it out; he was just an ordinary person.

Looking at the somewhat excited Su Jue, Kiana hesitated but still asked the question that had been lingering in her heart, "Before, when I lost control... you weren't hurt?"

"No..." Facing Kiana's scrutinizing gaze, Su Jue suddenly became hesitant. But under her persistent questioning, he slowly pulled down his collar.

Bruised handprints extended down his neck, and the veins, which had been fiercely squeezed, showed purple marks.

"It's just a, a small injury." Su Jue tried to force out more words, but Kiana suddenly hugged him.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

Chapter 5: Conflict of Consciousness

Drip, drip. Water droplets fell from the showerhead onto the floor, splashing.

"Mom, you should go rest first."

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

"Hey, she's just my ordinary friend, don't overthink it."

Su Jue's voice from the living room could be heard through the wooden door into the bathroom, causing ripples on the surface of the water in the bathtub.

Kiana submerged herself completely in the water, leaving only half of her face exposed.

Small bubbles escaped from her lips, bursting on the water's surface and tickling her nose.

Tap, tap.

The footsteps grew closer, and Kiana suddenly felt nervous. What was she thinking, coming to someone's house to take a bath?

"Miss Sirin, I've placed clean clothes by the bathroom door. Although they are mine, I've washed them many times. I couldn't find any women's underwear for now, so you'll have to make do. I'll go to the store to buy some as soon as it's light tomorrow."

Su Jue's voice was very close, separated only by a wooden door from the bathroom.

Kiana, who was bathing, curled up, feeling as if she were exposed naked in front of someone.

She didn't dare to speak. Fortunately, Su Jue left immediately after putting the items down. It was only after his footsteps faded away that she let out a long sigh of relief.

Sirin...

Sirin...

In the end, she still didn't dare to tell him her real name.

Confirming that there was no activity around, Kiana's tense nerves gradually relaxed. During her two months of wandering, her mind had been like a constantly tightening spring, and at any moment it could snap completely.

The warm water seeped into her limbs, making her feel much more comfortable. Kiana squinted her eyes contentedly, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

Ever since the Herrscher of Void awakened, both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had been offering rewards for Kiana's whereabouts. She dared not stop anywhere, nor dare to reveal her real name. In fact, it was only today that she had truly eaten a full meal and taken a hot bath.

Her snow-white hair spread out in the water, and water droplets rolled down the strands. Kiana leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her eyes slightly narrowed, Su Jue's voice replaying in her mind.

"I don't hate my father, because when I was young, it was indeed he who brought my mother and me here." The young man teased the little paws of Xuexue. Even though the redness and swelling on his face had not subsided, his eyes were still clear and bright. "Sky City wasn't a city of technology back then, and everyone lived a very hard life."

"My mother couldn't hear or speak. After my maternal grandparents passed away, she had to live alone. Fortunately, she still had two acres of land back home. Although life was tough, she was still young then and could barely support herself. Later, someone targeted her inability to speak and tricked her into coming to Sky City at that time."

"If my father hadn't saved her, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"After that, they got married, and I was born the following year. Everyone ostracized my mother, mocking her behind her back for not being able to speak and for being unable to find work. My father worked tirelessly, earning money, and cut off ties with his relatives."

"That was the happiest time for my mother. Dad's career gradually stabilized, and he saved money to buy this house. I was still learning to speak, and my mother's deafness and muteness were not inherited by me. She smiled every day."

"Later, Schicksal? Anti-Entropy? I don't know who they are. I only know that after that, Sky City became a city of technology, with a large influx of new populations. Those who didn't understand technology were driven out of the city, and my father lost his job at that time."

"He also desperately tried to learn electronic technology, but every time he applied for a job, he couldn't produce the qualifications they looked for."

"One piece of paper blocked everyone's path to advancement."

"Later, he took up heavy drinking, and learning electronic technology turned into online gambling. Everything changed."

"But I don't hate him, because I know it's not his fault."

Kiana: "Then whose fault do you think it is?"

"I don't know." A hint of confusion flashed in Su Jue's eyes before he quickly hid it. "What about you? A Valkyrie protecting the world, why are you here?"

Why?

Why, even though she was just an experiment, did they act so convincingly?

Why, even though she had done nothing, was she hunted and wanted.

The surging thoughts echoed in Kiana's mind. What had Su Jue done wrong? To endure his father's scolding, to suffer from a terminal illness.

"Don't you know very well?"

"Schicksal, that man named Otto destroyed everything."

A wave of dizziness washed over Kiana, and her vision turned pure white. A black and white maze inverted itself in the sky.

Confusion, anger, fear, guilt.

These emotions intertwined into countless chaotic riddles, completely drowning Kiana.

"Herrscher of Void!"

Her golden right eye felt a burning sensation. Sirin's consciousness began to erode Kiana's mind once more.

"You are lost, you are in pain."

"You are tired."

"Hand this body over to me."