A few hours had passed since the pink elf made her appearance. The room was left eerily silent. The sounds of slow shuffling were followed by a low groan from the victim. Freya, now once more awake, sat in a daze. Her expression held both confusion and frustration—and other unknown emotion began to stir within her.
She snapped out of her spiralling thought's and snapped her fingers, and her clothes fixed themselves upon her figure. Her messy hair, which fell to her feet, began to move on its own. She pulled a hairbrush from an imaginary space and began slowly grooming her hair into thin streaks. The new pink colour became more prominent as it faded halfway into her natural, clean snow-white.
"A daughter..."
Her mind was still in a daze as she mumbled. After silence settled once more, with only the shallow sound of the hairbrush moving through her white locks, several seconds passed. Then she stood up again with a shallow gasp before her breath slowed once more. In her mind, it felt like several lifetimes of work had been dropped on her without warning. Truly the devil at work, some would say—especially since she would now have to juggle between different roles. If only she could find a successor for the role of the Herrscher of Finality; at least then she wouldn't have to work two—no, three—jobs.
"Eli… about that child. Where… is she?"
At this stage, she still struggled to accept the fact that she somehow had a child. Whether they were truly biologically related or not was another question entirely. Not even a second passed before the pink elf sprouted from Freya's chest. Her spiritual form hovered in front of her, her face still painted with a playful and mischievous tone.
"Go to a lab located on Floor Twelve. Find the lab number—it should be... hmm… seventeen, if I recall. So, does this mean you'll be taking care of our child then, my dear Frey?"
Elysia hovered directly in front of Freya. A tick mark sprouted on Freya's face before she made a shooing motion. Her gaze held a large tone of poor mood. As Elysia's words settled in, Freya took her first steps toward the exit of her little home. Her pale white hand reached for the handle, then paused, followed by the pink elf tilting her head in 'confusion.'
"I'll decide when I see this child you speak of."
She responded. Freya's gaze held a coldness—with a hidden bit of interest. The answer made the pink elf smile knowingly before following Freya like the ghost she was.
As Freya exited, she was met with the familiar ruined corridor. Rubble and caved-in paths laid in many directions: some led to storage areas, others to the now-defunct training grounds that were common during the Previous Era. And then, she began her journey to her new destination, which led far deeper into the facility. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to deal with the nagging of this pink elf gremlin—she thought to herself with some hope, but a tiny, immaculate amount of fear filled her heart as her steps echoed. With each step, she drove further and deeper into the remains of the Fire Moth facility.
Eventually, after a long trek through the area, Freya arrived before a glass double door labelled Lab 0-17. The surprising thing she found was that this area was in incredibly good condition—almost brand new and untouched. She didn't contemplate this strange factor too deeply. With a swift motion, her leg landed a heavy but elegant kick. The sound of glass smashing upon impact echoed throughout the space before silence, of course, returned.
She had kicked through the three-and-a-half-inch-thick bulletproof glass, which had now crumbled into a pile of shards beneath her feet she clearly did this to release some pent up anger. She stepped over the mess she had made, finally entering the lab, which was consumed in darkness. Her hand reached out. A blue aura covered her delicate fingers and, with a flicking motion, the lights bloomed to life. Her vision was filled with a blank whiteness before it settled back to normal.
"So… there… really is…"
She stuttered quietly. At the end of the room lay several pods, but only one had something no somebody within it. The faint outline of a child, around the age of eight, rested unconscious within the pod dressed in a thin gown. Freya's form in a flash appeared before the incubation pod followed by her delicate hand pressing against the glass barrier between them. Her gaze held a sense of being at a loss for words.
"So what do you think? Isn't she cute? After all, she's got our looks."
Elysia broke the silence with a casual but excited tone. Her smile grew as she 'stood' next to Freya, who froze in place. An expression of thought crossed Freya's face. Her hands trembled slightly—whether out of nervousness or anger, even Freya herself wasn't sure. Her gaze locked onto a terminal. Her hand hesitated before reaching out and pressing the power button.
The terminal lit up, and then—
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SUBJECT DESIGNATION: 01
> STATUS: ALIVE ∴ UNCONSCIOUS
> CURRENT STATE: DEEP SLUMBER
> LOCATION: 46.0° N, 10.0° E
> INITIATING ANALYTIC SCAN...
> BIOFORM TYPE: HUMAN
> GENDER: FEMALE
> ESTIMATED AGE: 8.27 EARTH SOL CYCLES
> HEIGHT: 129.4 cm
> MASS: 27.3 kg
> GENETIC STABILITY: HIGH
> CELLULAR BEHAVIOR: QUIESCENT
> CONSCIOUSNESS STATE: LOCKED IN SLUMBER PROTOCOL (INTERNAL STASIS TRIGGERED)
> VISUAL FEATURES:
> — HAIR: LIGHT PINK AND WHITE
> — EYES: OCEAN BLUE
— STIGMATA: HOLY MARK
> — UNIQUE TRAIT: UNCLASSIFIED
>> BLOOD ANALYSIS – INITIATING DEEP GENOMIC TRACE...
> — HONKAI ADAPTABILITY INDEX: 98.9%
> — HERRSCHER FACTORS PRESENCE: HIGH ATTUNEMENT RATE FOR BECOMING A HERRSCHER
> — STATUS: STABILIZED HERRSCHER-EMBRYO HYBRID
> DNA COMPOSITION:
> > FREYA.F-01 (MATCH: 53.2%)
> > ELYSIA.O-01 (MATCH: 47.8%)
> > CHIMERIC ORIGIN — COMPOSITE GENOME TYPE (AEONIC-HUMAN-HERRSCHER FUSION)
> > EMBRYONIC NOTES: ARTIFICIAL CONCEPTION DETECTED – BIRTH UNDOCUMENTED
>> CREATION TIMESTAMP: ██ ■ █ █ ██ █ █ █ ERROR █ █ █ █ ░ ░
>> CLASSIFICATION: SUBJECT 01
>> STATUS: BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY ∴ ASLEEP
>> DESIGNATION: HIGHEST PRIORITY ENTITY
>> EMOTIONAL IMPRINTS DETECTED ON SUBJECT CORE
> WOULD YOU LIKE TO RELEASE SUBJECT 01? (Y/N)
> SELECTING...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So she really is our child… to think such a thing could happen or ever happen this world truly can hold many surprises."
Freya let out a soft chuckle as her finger hovered above the Y button. She began to hesitate. Her breath became shallow. Her eyes unfocused. Her gaze looked up at them.
Freya had no experience with parenthood—nor had she ever thought of pursuing it. Behind her, the pink gremlin stood, arms behind her back, waiting for Freya's choice clearly radiant the not responsible feeling. She didn't interfere—not even a word to persuade her. Silence fell upon the small lab. Elysia quietly came behind Freya, resting her head upon Freya's shoulder before whispering in an innocent but soothing voice:
"My dear Frey… the choice is yours. After all, I can't force you, can I?"
Her words pierced Freya's heart like knives. Truths she didn't want to hear. Freya sucked in a long breath. Her once-hesitant hand now pressed firmly on top of the Y button. With the smallest force, her finger descended.
There was no turning back now. Even if she did flee, she would surely be hunted down and forced to pay child support by the cosmic police. This decision was final—and would mark the beginning of Freya's journey into parenthood. She would face new emotions—some good, some bad. Some could say this was her "canon" event within this world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> INPUT RECEIVED: **Y**
> PROCESSING COMMAND...
> LOADING...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, all she had to do was wait.
Her usual aloofness and coldness wiped clean from her face. Her brows furrowed as she watched the liquid within the pod slowly drain, revealing the child who still lay deep in sleep. Several seconds went by before the crisp sound of the pod opening rang out. The child fell forward in one swoop.
In a panic, Freya reached her arms out to catch her. Luckily, the fall wasn't big enough to cause harm—but after catching the girl, Freya's heart churned. Her lips pressed together in contemplation.
Her gaze locked onto the small form of the girl she now held. The child's snow-white hair wrapped around Freya's arms, the pronounced pink tips catching the light. Her face was a perfect mix of both Freya and Elysia—though the profound sense of contempt in her expression was unmistakable.
"Well, isn't she just adorable, my dear Frey…"
Whispered Elysia, smiling warmly and casting an affectionate gaze toward the child who rested snugly in Freya's arms. The long white dress draped over the petite girl's body. Only the shallow breaths of the child filled the silent room.
Freya's eyes lit up with something new—and then, in an aloof tone, she asked:
"Does… she have… a name?"
The question was important. She didn't know how long the child had been in stasis—or whether she had ever even been given a name to begin with. Elysia responded with an innocence smile before responding to Freya's question.
"Well, as her mother, you should hold the responsibility of naming her, my dear Frey after all pretty girls naming pretty girls isn't that just a amazing idea?"
This answer made Freya pause in deep thought. Her eyes glossed over the small form of the child—delicate little hands, a peaceful sleeping expression. The similarities between herself and the pink elf made it difficult for Freya to even begin describing what she was feeling.
After a few moments of consideration, she spoke in a quiet tone which held some new anxiety.
"Her name will be... Diana Schariac. I think it will fit... well, I hope so at least."
The name Diana—a Roman name meaning goddess of the hunt, moon, and childbirth. Additionally, it was often associated with divine maidens. It suited her well enough in Freya's eyes. After all, she was technically a divine being, if one counted a Herrscher as such.
"Hmm... I think that's a cute name, my dear Frey. Diana. Indeed, an name truly fit for a beautiful girl."
Elysia spoke cheerfully, showing her acceptance of the name. This sudden response made Freya's heart settle—just a bit. Though the new feelings and emotions still crept into the back of her mind, the newly named daughter hadn't stirred. Her soft breathing and the slow rise and fall of her chest indicated a peaceful dream.
Now, the only real problem was finding clothes for Diana.
But the true question was—where to find some?
Most of the rooms within this ruined facility of the Previous Era lay in disrepair. The only solution Freya could think of was to use the remnants of the Herrscher of Reason's power still lingering within her body—to construct clothing. Of course, using a power of 'god' to craft clothes wasn't the intended function of the Herrscher of Reason's abilities.
Though in Freya's mind, exploiting these remnants was only practical. After all, once Herrscher's began to descend again, her connection to their powers would be severed. For example, when the true Herrscher of Reason eventually returned to Earth, Freya would lose all access to that power—unless that Herrscher was killed, or unless she managed to replicate their core using her systems. Even now, the Herrscher of Corruption technically still existed, merely trapped within a purple cube lost to time.
At some point, she figured, she could go retrieve the unfinished Divine Key of Corruption—once she journeyed outside. Her main targets were still either Void Archives or the Abyssal White Flower. In the Previous Era, she had accidentally hurled the Abyssal Flower hard enough to send it between the Earth and the Moon, in an attack that had killed her own Honkai beast companion.
However, the divine key had vanished afterward.
She suspected it fell somewhere near the Mariana Trench, though she'd never confirmed it. On the other hand, Void Archives was crucial to her ability to replicate Herrscher cores. It was a fundamental piece of her system—a key she couldn't afford to ignore.
With these thoughts in mind, she didn't hesitate for even a moment. Her usually aloof personality was replaced by a far more concentrated gaze.
In an instant, divine garments formed around Diana's small body.
The white silk replaced the thin, hospital-like gown the girl had been wearing. Freya's blue eyes briefly turned a deep crimson red—only for a moment—before fading back into their usual vibrant blue with bright pink star-like flecks.
"This should be enough... I believe these will be far more... as you call it, comfortable. And cute, I suppose."
Diana was still sleeping peacefully. The child's innocent appearance cut a sharp wound into Freya's heart.
It was time to return to her home.
Her arms already ached from holding Diana, and the growing, smug grin of the pink elf didn't help the minor headache blooming at the back of her mind.
Within her thoughts, only one thing stood clear—"So this is what it feels like… to feel responsible for someone."
Faint, quiet, but undeniable.
The weight of it pressed into her chest, unfamiliar and heavy. She knew—deep down—that she now bore a responsibility she couldn't truly ignore. Even if some part of her wanted to back out, to pretend it wasn't real… she couldn't. Not anymore.
The ever-grinning pink elf, and now the quiet echo of a new subconscious—their voices, their presence—kept her in check. Her choices had already taken root, and now… there was no turning back.
A long rood rested before her a path that would likely change her being as a hole.