The next two days drifted by, peaceful and warm.
Life was going so smoothly that Kallen started to feel a nagging sense of suspicion—the kind of gut feeling that usually ans fate is brewing a massive storm just to ss with you.
But after turning it over in her mind, she couldn't find anything actually wrong.
After all, the main events of Honkai Impact 3rd hadn't even kicked off yet. Kiana and the others hadn't even sat for their Valkyrie rank exams.
With those thoughts in mind, Kallen's nerves finally settled.
During the day, Sakura would take her on long strolls around the academy, visiting the cherry blossom groves and the training grounds. At night, Sakura would whip up sothing delicious just for her.
Occasionally, Kiana would drag Kallen into a gaming session.
However, it was as if so mysterious cosmic force was correcting the tiline—Kallen found herself completely fumbling with the controller, unable to make sense of the buttons.
And then there was... that.
The greatest source of Kallen's silent frustration was the fact that every single night, Sakura would simply hold her as they drifted off to sleep, and absolutely nothing else happened!
It was always the sa: a gentle kiss on the cheek, a soft "goodnight," and then Sakura would be fast asleep.
Kallen was practically itching with restless energy, yet she couldn't find a way to break the ice. She was reaching the point where she wanted to start cursing at the ceiling in pure exasperation.
That lasted until this afternoon...
"Grandpa's back..." Theresa muttered, her small face tight with tension as she looked up. She watched the Brilliant Covenant cruise through the sky as if it owned the place.
Standing beside Theresa, Kallen looked on with a mix of confusion.
What was Otto doing back here?
She had already given him the blood sample. Knowing Otto, and considering the intel she'd dropped, he should be buried neck-deep in research right now.
And yet, Kallen was certain of one thing: Otto was here for her.
A fighter jet detached from the Brilliant Covenant, gliding down gracefully until it touched down on the landing pad right in front of Kallen and Theresa.
Otto stepped out from the hatch.
Only this ti, he wasn't alone.
A young woman followed him—short, silver-gray hair, dressed in a black lace maid's uniform. Her long, slender legs were clad in an alluring pair of black stockings.
Rita Rossweisse.
What is she doing here? Kallen wondered, her suspicion deepening.
"Grandpa, what do you want this ti?" Theresa demanded, eyeing him warily.
Otto smiled, his gaze drifting past Theresa—or rather, not even bothering with her in the first place.
He looked straight at Kallen.
"Kallen, may we have a word? There are so matters of great importance I wish to discuss with you in private."
It must have been truly serious. Otto hadn't even bothered with his usual sches; he had flown straight from the European headquarters just to see her face-to-face, without so much as a greeting to Theresa.
Kallen's expression grew solemn.
Beside her, Sakura's hand instinctively tightened around hers.
"It's okay, Sakura," Kallen whispered, giving the other woman a reassuring look. She gently squeezed Sakura's fingers before letting go.
"Let's go."
Kallen walked toward Otto.
With a slight turn of his body, Otto gestured for her to follow him into the jet.
Kallen didn't hesitate. She stepped inside.
The jet took off imdiately, soaring back toward the massive deck of the Brilliant Covenant. However, once they touched down on the expansive flight deck, Otto didn't ask her to follow him into the ship's interior. Instead, he led her toward the very edge of the deck.
"Kallen."
Otto stood by her side, falling silent for several seconds before he finally spoke. "There is sothing I need to tell you. Sothing... concerning your life and death."
Kallen's heart skipped a beat.
About her life and death?
What could it be? Was Otto trying to threaten her?
No, he wouldn't do that.
Thoughts raced through her mind like wildfire before she finally looked at him and asked softly, "What is it?"
Otto's gaze turned uncharacteristically grim.
"How have these past few days at St. Freya been for you?"
"They've been great. Why?"
Kallen nodded. Honestly, it had been fantastic—aside from Sakura being a total blockhead who did nothing but cuddle at night.
Otto didn't answer directly. Instead, he pressed further. "Have you felt any physical discomfort? For instance... fatigue? Or perhaps a dulling of your senses in certain parts of your body?"
Kallen blinked, startled. She shook her head. "No. Everything feels normal."
Even as she answered, a realization dawned on her. "Otto... is it my body? Was there sothing wrong with the blood?"
Otto nodded, his brow furrowed as he stared intensely at her.
"Kallen, I have to tell you... your current condition is highly unusual. It's dangerous."
Well, obviously, Kallen thought. She still felt a pang of guilt whenever she faced him. If Otto ever found out the full truth about her situation, he'd probably lose his mind.
"In your world, you were resurrected after Theresa—the one fused with the power of the Herrscher of Corruption—consud your blood. You beca a hybrid, part human and part Honkai Beast," Otto's voice grew heavy and complex.
"Therefore, your life is—just as you told —bound to the Theresa of that other world."
Kallen remained silent. The vibrant energy she had regained while living with Sakura and the others began to fade, replaced by a somber shadow.
"Kallen." Otto watched her, his erald eyes swirling with unreadable emotions.
"I've spent the last few days analyzing your blood samples. The results show... every single cell in your body is currently in a state of inactivation."
"Inactivation?" Kallen's brow twitched at the word.
"Yes."
Otto nodded, his voice dropping to a low, hollow tone. "In other words, the only reason your body can still move, think, and feel is because..."
"I haven't realized that I'm actually already dead. Is that it?"
Kallen finished his sentence for him, her gaze fixed on him with a complicated expression.
Otto fell silent.
He stared at her intensely, as if he were genuinely terrified that the mont those words left her lips, she might simply cease to exist.
He had spent days obsessively researching her blood. Every single test yielded the sa result: the blood belonged to soone who had just died. It was only because of the bacterial-type Honkai Beasts within her system that she hadn't collapsed imdiately.
He had reached a grim conclusion.
Taking a deep breath, he fought to keep his voice steady.
Yet, that slight edge of urgency and heaviness was exactly the sa as it had been five hundred years ago, when he stood outside her cell begging her to give up on her ideals.
"Kallen, you are only alive now because you left that world. You broke the tether. But if you were to return..."
"I would die."
Kallen finished the thought for him.
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