"*Hic*—Hehe, this ability is so convenient. I'll never have to worry about being hungry again~"
After getting a free breakfast from the cafeteria, Kiana, with a full and bulging belly, rubbed her stomach while holding a bun and soy milk, happily munching as she walked towards Ryn's house.
Ryn and Mei were definitely still at it. It would be boring to join the battlefield now. She'd wait until Ryn was done and gone, then go pick up the pieces of Mei.
Hehehe, Mei would surely be exhausted by then, with no extra energy to discipline her, and even less able to resist her evil clutches.
But for now, it's better to hide out at Ryn's place. Grand-aunt might still be hunting her down for skipping class!
Since Kallen, Yae Sakura, and Judah lived at Ryn's house, Theresa rarely went there. After all, those three treated Theresa like a child, and Theresa had no adult demeanor in front of them.
Except when Kallen got into trouble again and Theresa had to clean up the mess, only then would Theresa regain her authority as the Principal... Otherwise, she would just be held in their arms, her short legs dangling, unable to touch the ground.
The thought of Theresa's face turning beet red and steaming with embarrassment every time she was held by Yae Sakura or Kallen made the corners of Kiana's mouth curl up.
"Grand-aunt always acts so strict in front of me, but at other times, she's actually very cute and childish~" Kiana said to herself with a chuckle, popping a whole bun into her mouth.
Kiana was so giddy from her new power and a full meal that she didn't notice Theresa had walked up behind her and was silently following her.
Theresa had been following Kiana for some time, observing her condition. Seeing Kiana so happy, Theresa had already let down her guard and was about to sneak away without disturbing her.
But then she heard that Kiana's happiness was due to her embarrassing moments of being held like a child by Yae Sakura and the others. Theresa silently took the Faux Oath of Judah off her back.
"Is that so? Then why don't I act a little childish in front of Kiana too!"
"What?! Grand-aunt, what are you doing here?!"
"Kiana, let me give you a taste of Judah!"
Kiana quickly crossed her arms to block the Judah that Theresa was swinging down. Although she knew Theresa wouldn't hit her for real, getting hit by the half-ton Faux Oath of Judah would still leave a bump, at the very least.
"I get beaten without this power, and I still get beaten with it. Then what's the point of having this power?"
Kiana opened a portal at her feet and fell through, dodging Theresa's "loving blow".
Theresa's attack missed, and she immediately deployed Judah, revealing its thirteen chained lances.
The next second, Kiana appeared behind Theresa and tapped her shoulder a few times.
"Grand-aunt, guess where I am?"
"Heh... I'm not guessing. Faux Oath of Judah, bondage mode!"
Seeing the situation turn sour, Kiana tried to pull the same trick and run. But Kiana didn't know how to manipulate space yet; she could only open a portal and had to walk through it herself...
How could a weak physical body compare to powerful super-technology.
Kiana had barely taken half a step before the chains of the Faux Oath of Judah had wrapped around her body, tying her up.
"Hey, hey, Grand-aunt, you're cheating, that's not fair..." Kiana, wrapped up like a dumpling, started rolling on the ground.
"Stop rolling! Don't you care that the ground is dirty, Kiana..." Theresa grabbed the chain, stopping Kiana's rolling. "If your clothes get dirty or torn, Mei will have to mend them. She's already tired from her daily studies and taking care of all of you. Don't cause Mei any more trouble, you idiot Kiana."
"Hehe, you too, Grand-aunt..."
"Enough of that. Come with me, I have something to tell you."
Theresa led Kiana by the chain, dragging her towards the restricted area. Halfway there, Theresa seemed to remember something and turned to look at Kiana.
As Theresa expected, Kiana was sneakily preparing earplugs...
"Kiana! I'm not going to scold you, this is serious! Don't you dare wear earplugs and pretend not to listen!"
"Oh..."
———————————————
Two hundred meters underground at St. Freya High School, on the path to the restricted area, Kiana and Theresa, one big and one small, walked one after the other.
"Wow, I never knew there was such a huge place under St. Freya High School!"
Kiana was like a curious baby, looking and touching everything along the way, fascinated by the murals and compartments. If Theresa hadn't been keeping a close eye on her, Kiana would have probably run off to see what was hidden in some room.
"Yes, this place was built by my grandfather for some experiments. The seawater and the isolated island could effectively contain Honkai energy leaks. The secluded location also reduced interference from the outside world.
St. Freya High School was built on these ruins in recent years, so I'm not very familiar with many things in this restricted area. Kiana, don't run around and touch things, it would be bad if you triggered some taboo."
"Oh. But if that's the case, and you're not familiar with this place either, Grand-aunt, why are we here?"
"Because here..."
Theresa led Kiana into a tall, empty hall. In front of them, a massive, solid door blocked the way.
Theresa brought up a command console and entered a triple password. With a click, the heavy door slowly opened, revealing what was stored inside.
"Because here... lies the secret of your birth, Kiana."
Kiana looked through the door. An endless path stretched before her, lined on both sides with countless rows of bio-pods.
The dark corridor was deep and quiet, with only the faint glow of the electronic instruments on the pods.
Theresa pressed the switch for the warehouse lights, clearly revealing the scene inside to Kiana.
Most of the pods were empty, containing nothing... but Kiana's vision blurred. Even though the pods were empty, Kiana could almost see what was once stored inside...
The figure of Durandal... the figure of Mother Cecilia... the figure of big sister Kallen... and finally, her own figure...
Kiana stared blankly at the rows of empty pods, her mouth slightly agape, wanting to say something but unable to speak.
"It's fake..." Kiana shook her head, banishing the phantoms from her mind.
"Kiana..." Theresa reached out to grab Kiana, but Kiana shook her hand off.
As if wanting to verify something, Kiana ignored Theresa's warnings and ran towards the few pods that still contained something.