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473 Feather Dust
🕑 Added 2025-07-17 15:00:15 +0000 UTCSirin had officially joined the Hyperion, and to everyone’s surprise, she was warmly welcomed by the crew.
For a girl who had never truly experienced warmth or love from the human world, this was her first time feeling the kindness of others—a sincere smile offered to her, even in a world as painful and despair-filled as this one.
That day, Kagura was in unusually high spirits.
Originally, her goal had simply been to help Kiana fully master the powers of the Herrscher of the Void—so that this girl, long tormented by that power, could finally learn to wield it as her own.
But unexpectedly, in helping Kiana break through the nightmare of the Herrscher’s grip, Kagura had also liberated the consciousness of Sirin, long buried within Kiana.
Well… all the better this way.
Letting “Sirin,” the lonely girl beneath the title, experience the simple happiness of an ordinary life might just be the best possible ending for the Herrscher of the Void.
And perhaps, this was the outcome Cecilia had once wished for as well.
Because in the end, the true way to defeat the Herrscher of the Void wasn’t by destroying “the Herrscher”—but by saving “Sirin.”
And truthfully… Sirin-chan is just way too adorable!
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Nightfall – Hyperion, Kagura’s Room
K-knock, knock.
“Kagura-oneechan.”
Sirin stood outside Kagura’s door, hugging the Homu plush Bronia had given her.
“Oh? Sirin-chan, you’re still awake this late?” Kagura was slightly surprised by the visit. “Come in, take a seat. Did something happen?”
Sirin stepped inside and sat quietly beside her. Her long purple hair flowed like silk, and her golden eyes sparkled with a gentle light.
She slowly leaned against Kagura’s shoulder and softly said, “It’s all thanks to you that I was able to step out of that frozen, desolate world. It’s because of you… that I found the courage to trust in humans again.”
“Ever since I lost Cecilia, I didn’t know what to do anymore. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be…”
“Hating humanity, wanting to destroy everything—I know those are things only bad kids would do…”
“But everyone I met pointed weapons at me. They all looked at me like they wanted to kill me. I… I was so scared. So, so scared…”
She took a deep breath before continuing.
“But now, it’s different. Because I met you.”
She looked up, gently brushing a strand of Kagura’s silver hair behind her ear.
“Meeting you, Kagura-oneechan… it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You made me feel the same warmth that only Cecilia once gave me.”
“I never really wanted power. I never really wanted to destroy the world…”
“Okay, maybe back when I was the Herrscher, I felt that way a little… But looking back now, whether it was in Siberia or that day with Mei-oneechan and the others, I was just lashing out. I didn’t know what else to do with all that pain.”
Kagura smiled warmly and gently ruffled Sirin’s hair.
“In the war-torn chaos of Siberia, surrounded by hordes of Honkai beasts, Cecilia saw past the title of Herrscher and found you—a scared little girl named Sirin.”
“She was the one who truly saved you. I’m just carrying on her will, walking the path she began, and helping fulfill her final wish.”
She gave Sirin a soft smile.
“But what’s past is past now. Sirin, I hope your future will be filled with peace and happiness.”
“Mm… I’ll always love you, Kagura-oneechan.”
Sirin nodded contentedly. “Oh, right! I have a little gift for you.”
She opened her palm, and a small, elegant feather appeared out of thin air.
It was mostly white, with a faint red tint at the tip.
Though it looked unassuming, it radiated a quiet, formidable power.
“What’s this…?” Kagura asked curiously, examining the feather. “Could this be… a keepsake left behind by a Celestial?”
Sirin nodded. “This feather was left on me by Miss Fu Hua back in Siberia. It’s actually the true form of the Eighth Divine Key—Fenghuang Down. Somehow, it came back to this world with me.”
“I thought so…” Kagura mused. “Fenghuang Down—the Divine Key that manipulates thought, able to erode minds and craft illusions. One of Fu Hua’s signature trump cards.”
“But it’s not just a weapon,” Sirin said with a faint smile. “Back in Siberia, it was thanks to Fenghuang Down that I was able to spend those precious days with Miss Cecilia.”
“Still…”
She looked down again at the feather in her hand.
“My original body was completely destroyed in 2000, in that Siberian battle. This feather should’ve been burned up with it.”
“But somehow, when you brought me back into the real world… the feather came back too.”
"And... Fenghuang Down's consciousness kept urging me to give this feather to you. Kagura-neesan, it seems there's something very important she wants to tell you."
"Oh?" Kagura took the feather in her hand. "Something important, huh?"
The feather shimmered faintly with a soft glow.
Just as the legends described, it held a hypnotic power—an ability to lead one into an illusionary realm.
Of course, while Fenghuang Down was indeed powerful, her abilities couldn’t affect someone like Kagura—especially not when she possessed the Mind Stone.
Unless Kagura willingly allowed it, no illusion or mental intrusion could take hold.
After all, the Divine Key was still just that—a Divine Key.
Compared to the cosmic-level power of the Mind Stone, it was leagues apart.
"Then I'll leave the feather in your hands, Kagura-neesan," Sirin said gently. "I don’t know exactly what this is about, but I hope everything turns out alright."
The violet-haired girl smiled sweetly. "I've finally found a glimpse of happiness... I don’t want to lose it."
“Hmm…”
After Sirin left, Kagura looked down at the feather in her hand.
“So then… Fu Hua-san, what is it you’re trying to tell me?”
She channeled a sliver of energy from the Mind Stone into the feather.
It began to glow, scattering brilliant, shimmering lights into the air.
From those lights emerged the image of a girl—tall and slender, dressed in a white qipao, a crimson feather ornament nestled in her hair.
Though unmistakably female, her chest was perfectly flat.
Her white hair carried a faint red tint, and in her crimson eyes shone a depth and resolve born from witnessing centuries of history—eyes that had transcended the ordinary world.
“Nice to meet you, Kagura Hitomi-san.”
The girl in the qipao spoke calmly,
“I am a fragment of the Eighth Divine Key—Fenghuang Down’s—consciousness. But if you prefer a more familiar name, you may call me Fu Hua.”
“Mhm, Fu Hua. I’ve heard much about you,” Kagura said with a nod. “I heard what happened before... After your battle with the Herrscher of the Void, where did you go? Are you alright now? More importantly—why seek me out?”
“It’s a long story,” Fu Hua sighed, her voice carrying a tired weight.
“First of all, the original me—am not dead. I’m still alive, though… I wouldn’t say fully alive either.”
Kagura raised an eyebrow. “Not fully alive? What does that mean?”
“That’s exactly why I came to you,” Fu Hua replied.
“Otto seems to be trying to use my power, combining it with Stigmata technology, to revive me—the one who wielded complete strength: the Red Kite Immortal. And…”
She paused.
“…And he intends to transform that Red Kite Immortal into a Herrscher using the Honkai energy tech left behind by World Serpent. If the timing aligns, Otto might have already succeeded.”
“...What?!” Kagura’s eyes widened in disbelief. “He’s trying to turn Fu Hua into a Herrscher? Why the hell would he do that?”
Fu Hua sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the Stigmata, or perhaps it’s tied to Otto’s plan to control the Herrschers…”
“Stigmata… and controlling Herrschers?”
At that moment, Kagura recalled something from her time browsing the database at Shencheng Pharmaceuticals:
“When the Will of the Honkai fully awakens, and the final Herrscher is born.
The Stigmata will use the power of the Honkai to reconstruct the fragments from 500 years ago.
Endings will become beginnings, and in a single moment… eternity will be born.”
If Otto could create a Herrscher strong enough—or even control the final Herrscher of the End—then the collective consciousness of every being bearing a Stigmata would converge with the Will of the Honkai.
That would be the realization of Otto’s ultimate goal.
To see her again.
Kallen Kaslana.
The one he lost so long ago... would return.
But in doing so—
The world would be consumed by [The End].
‘Will Otto really destroy the world that Kallen tried to protect before?’
“…Looks like,” Kagura’s eyes darkened, her expression hardening,
“We need to pay the Schicksal headquarters a visit.”
