Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

"Caw… caw…"

Two night crows perched on a bare tree branch, emitting harsh caws.

A night breeze rustled the branches, startling the crows into flapping their wings. The commotion also caught the attention of the two men in black stationed at the entrance of the mansion across the street.

For a split second, everything stopped: the crows, the men in black, the breeze, the swaying branches.

Then, with a collective sigh, the two crows fluttered their wings, circled, and returned to their perch.

"That scared me… thought someone was coming…"

"Yeah, did you feel like time slowed down just now?"

"Must have been a hallucination, though I did feel something…"

"What are you two babbling about!"

The tall and short men in black simultaneously removed their earpieces, trying to escape the deafening voice.

"Ugh… Seriously! What are those guys doing inside? They've been searching for two days, and still haven't found it?" The tall man rubbed his hands, stomping his feet to stay warm.

"Didn't they haul a bunch of boxes out of there yesterday? That's what Liechtenstein was looking for, right?"

"Yeah, but what are they still looking for? ... Whoa!" The tall man's voice rose, prompting the shorter one to quickly cover his mouth.

"Shhh… I heard there's still a letter they haven't found—a handwritten letter the young master wrote to that old man. Can you believe that old geezer? He gets Honkai disease and doesn't tell his family. The young master would probably have given him some medicine if he'd said something. But no, he died the same day the letter arrived."

"It's just a letter, why is it so hard to find? And why a letter anyway? Can't they use email?"

"How would I know? Anyway, they still haven't found it. Oh, I also heard email leaves traces online, so important communication is usually done through letters. Hmm, I heard that the family had an adopted daughter who's still alive, and who ran away right before we arrived. According to the team leader, they're just waiting for her to come back. If she's doesn't show up by tomorrow, they'll start actively searching for her. Maybe that girl knows something?"

"Caw… caw…"

A night breeze rustled the branches. Crows took flight, startling the men into a state of alert.

"Who's there--"

The word trailed off, as did the sound of the crows flapping their wings.

A heartbeat later, the crows, startled once more, circled and returned to their perch, but then were scared off again by the beam of a flashlight.

"Huh… no one? Maybe we're just being paranoid?"

"Yeah, maybe?"

"But that bird was spooked twice. It can't be a coincidence, right?"

"Ugh, whatever! Just stand guard! The young master isn't going to give us a raise for catching anyone, right?"

"Probably not…"

"Then that's that!"

"Lay back and do nothing!"

On a nearby rooftop, Mikael leaned casually against the railing, bored.

Su stood beside him, mirroring his posture, but occasionally looking through his binoculars, seemingly anxious.

Mikael chuckled, sipping his warm wolfberry tea. "What's wrong? So impatient? I thought doctors were supposed to be calm and collected."

"I'm not usually this bad…"

Mikael tapped his finger lightly on the railing. "Speaking of which, Kevin was even more agitated the first time he went to the battlefield."

"Huh? Kevin's first time on the battlefield… was that in R'lyeh (Ruruye)? I remember he boasted to me about it."

"What did he say?"

"He said he used a machine gun and a single-person railgun to badly injure a super-strong Honkai beast, and then you guys came along and finished it off."

"That idiot… He was yelling so loud, I could hear him clearly on the sea hundreds of meters away. As for the single-person railgun? Mei just grabbed whatever she could find in the cockpit when they ran out of machine gun ammo."

"Hahaha!"

Su laughed, but his face quickly fell.

He glanced at the clouds blocking the moonlight, then turned his gaze towards the mansion.

"You really trust that girl? Ah… No, that's not what I meant. It's just… this waiting without knowing what's happening on the inside is making me anxious."

Mikael wouldn't tell him that he had secretly used his powers twice already, from over a thousand meters away, to help Sakura hide her presence.

"Speaking of which, Pardofelis would have been better at this kind of infiltration mission… Sakura's stealth training is really more for assassinations…"

So that was why those two minor slip-ups could hardly be attributed to Sakura's lack of ability. If she was allowed to unleash her full power, those two men in black would have already died before the crows even took flight.

But Pardofelis was a civilian, and Mikael wanted to avoid putting her in danger. And as for Sakura…

Of course, he wouldn't tell Su any of this either. Instead, he said, "If it were Kevin on the mission, you'd feel better, right? To me, Sakura is completely reliable—"

"Oh? You're back?"

"Mmm."

The cool, quiet voice came from behind him, a chill running down Su's spine. He sensed her return.

"Sakura…"

"Ah… sorry. My apologies. I'm not very good at controlling my powers yet."

The chill receded as quickly as it had come, returning to the girl's body.

Su took a deep breath, then turned to face the girl, still finding it difficult to look anywhere other than her long, slender, pink ears.

Sakura was looking at Mikael, waiting for his next order.

But Mikael, after his initial greeting, didn't say anything.

Finally, he spoke, his tone colder than the frigid air, "I'm sorry, Sakura."

I'm sorry? What did that mean? Su's gaze shifted back and forth between them.

He didn't know what had happened between them, but he'd studied psychology. He instantly recognized that Mikael was carrying a great burden of guilt, forcing himself to speak in such a cold manner. He did that to show his strength, or perhaps to hide his vulnerability.

Did the girl understand?

She simply shook her head. "You don't need to say that. I don't believe you made any decisions that you need to apologize for, Mikael… Brother. You must know that if I didn't agree, Mobius couldn't force me."

"But you weren't…"

Enough, the words died in his throat. He knew, deep down, that he'd known all along that this was inevitable since he'd introduced the concept of the fusion soldiers a year ago.

That was the path of fate, unchangeable.

If he wanted to be cynical, he could comfort himself by saying: "As long as we defeat the Honkai, it will all be worth it."

But Mikael couldn't say that.

It wasn't that he wasn't cynical enough. It was that he didn't believe they'd have a happy ending.

"Enough. What did you find inside?"

"Not much. And it's not like they were all fighters, and the guards were sloppy. Their main focus was on the letters between Seele's parents and the Liechtenstein family, especially a handwritten one from the 'young master.' They seem to be worried about Seele."

"Hoo… good. So Seele's out of danger." Su took a breath, then tensed.

"But then that begs the question… what's their purpose in coming here? What are they really looking for?"

Mikael and Sakura exchanged a glance. At the mention of the Liechtenstein family, and then the Honkai disease…

Both had a sudden understanding.

"Su…"

"Yes, Mr. Mikael?"

Mikael and Sakura turned to him, pity evident in their gazes.

"The truth you seek… might be quite cruel…"

"?" Su's expression was a mixture of fear and anticipation.

Mikael touched his nose. Should he tell him directly?

No, that kind of truth would be unbearable for a doctor who had done everything he could, only to watch his patients die one after another.

Instead, he shifted his gaze to Sakura. "Did you find anything else?"

"Uh…"

Sakura hesitated for a moment before taking two framed photos from her pocket.

"What's this?"

The frames were clearly damaged, as if someone had forcibly pried them open. The guards had obviously examined them, so they shouldn't contain anything incriminating.

But as Mikael looked at them under the dim neon light…

His casual gaze turned to shock, and then, to a mixture of complex grief and sorrow.