Seeds on the Ground

Schicksal Headquarters, Sky Island, Third Air Port.

It's still early, and the rising sun has just peeked over the horizon. The sunlight bathes the sky island, while the European continent below is still asleep in the darkness of night.

"Yuno, I'm so sorry for making you come so early to see me off..." Anna, who's waiting for departure at the tarmac, looks at the purple-haired girl with some guilt. Her physical condition isn't good, and she should be resting more.

"It's okay, just wanted to spend more time with you…" Yuno says somewhat reluctantly. Her gaze drifts to the transport plane with its open hatch in the distance. She's a little lost in thought.

If she could, she also wants to board that transport with Anna, so they wouldn't have to separate.

Yuno can't help but think.

Having experienced a devastating disaster, Yuno's soul is fragile and lonely. The changes happening in her body make her constantly feel fear and disgust.

She knows that she is an outsider here.

It was Anna, with her sudden genuine care and companionship, that gave her a long-lost human warmth.

And now, as the friend who brought her warmth is about to leave, Yuno feels uneasy and fearful.

The one who truly craves companionship is actually herself…

"Hey! It's okay, I'll come back during the holidays!" Anna doesn't feel much sadness. She finally received an official appointment. She is excited about her upcoming mission with the Snow Lotus Squad and is eager for the battles to come!

After all, she has worked so hard since she was young for this day!

But she's not stupid. She can see Yuno's reluctance. She feels moved and temporarily suppresses her expectations for the future. She takes Yuno's hand, comforting her. "When I get to my new post, I'll send you a gift, okay?"

After a moment, she adds, "It's not appropriate for me right now since I've just joined an official elite team... How about this, after I settle in, prove myself, I'll invite you to visit, how's that? I heard the scenery in Southeast Asia is very beautiful. I've been in the Headquarters my whole life, so I'm looking forward to it!"

Yuno shakes her head and then nods. "It's a promise."

She still feels uneasy. After all, with Anna gone, she'll be alone here again.

But, looking at the expectations in Anna's eyes, she feels she should stay quiet.

She opens her mouth to say something else, but can't find the words. After thinking for a while, she says, "Be safe..."

Yuno thinks being "safe" might be the most blissful thing in the world.

"Hehe, I know!" Anna doesn't understand that. She takes it as a normal farewell wish.

Just then, the transport plane's signal light turns on and she receives a message on her terminal. She quickly says, "I have to go now! You need to take care of yourself at Headquarters, Yuno! The Valkyries here are all great seniors. You can ask them for help, and stop locking yourself in your room all the time!"

After saying that, she waves goodbye and gives Yuno a hug, who also waves back. Then she smiles and boards the plane. Just before the hatch closes, she raises her arm high, waving one last time.

"She's gone..."

The air currents created by the rising transport ship cause her hair to flutter. Even her eyes feel like they are squinting a little. When everything is calm, the tarmac is empty, making Yuno feel a little empty inside.

Her only friend has left;

Principal Nagamitsu had suggested that she should not use her power excessively. She said that over-relying on such aimless bursts of energy will only make her more controlled by that power,

So she can't go to the training room anymore.

Yuno looks up at the clear blue sky beyond the protective barrier and feels lost. What should I do next?

"Hehe, did you just say goodbye to your friend?" Yuno, who is heading towards the Immortal Blades' base, suddenly hears a gentle male voice. It seems to be talking to her.

Would anyone talk to me on their own? Yuno glances in the direction of the voice, confused. She sees a man in a golden suit walking towards her with a smile.

"You are, Overseer?" Otto is a familiar figure within Schicksal Headquarters. Of course Yuno recognizes him.

He's probably just passing by.

Yuno moves aside, not wanting to block his path.

"I'm here specifically for you, my dear girl." Otto says with a smile. "Don't be nervous. Durandal specifically asked me to take care of her junior before she left for her mission. I've been so busy that I haven't had time to fulfill my duties, for which I apologize."

Yuno looks at the pair of green eyes before her. She feels a sense of insincerity from the man, and says, "Oh," indicating that she understands. Then she turns to leave.

She is not patient and polite with everyone.

Otto's first impression on her isn't good. She hasn't vented her displeasure at him yet, which is already an improvement in her self-control.

Even though he is the Overseer of Schicksal!

"..."

Feeling a bit awkward at being ignored, Otto says, Did I get up too early? I was just given the cold shoulder by one of my own subordinates at Schicksal Headquarters?

Of course, the Overseer wouldn't care about such small matters.

He continues to smile, "It seems there has been a misunderstanding between us. Let me clarify. Other than Durandal and Rita, who were assigned by me, the other Valkyries' transfers are overseen by other people… Ah, of course, as the current Overseer of Schicksal, it's natural for you to blame me. I accept your criticism."

"Overseer, what do you want?" Yuno's heart feels inexplicably irritated, her aversion to him increasing.

"Hehe, as I said, I'm fulfilling my promise with Durandal."

Otto doesn't take offense, speaking calmly, still with a smile.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Otto Apocalypse, the current Overseer of Schicksal. I possess the highest authority to access all of humanity's top technology and information, and I also happen to know a bit about biotechnology and am familiar with the Previous Era's 'Fusion Soldiers'. Perhaps I can help Ms. Yuno with her current predicament…"

Otto stays where he is, not trying to get closer to Yuno. He tries not to put any psychological pressure on her. "Also, please don't misunderstand. I don't intend to ask you to cooperate with any experiments of mine. It's just that a leader should lead by example. Can you give me a chance to avoid being a liar who doesn't keep his promises…?"

Otto isn't lying. He's not interested in deeply researching Fusion Soldiers. That's not his purpose here.

Yuno looks at Otto, thinks for a moment, and can't find a reason to refuse, so she nods.

...…

The Schicksal transport ship flies fast and smoothly. At a standard cruising speed, it only took a few hours to reach the skies over the Philippines from the Mediterranean.

It's said that if the ship went full speed, it could reach the Far East Branch from the Headquarters in just 45 minutes.

But Anna doesn't care about that right now.

The real world is more surprising and overwhelming than those technical specifications—

Upon arriving at the Snow Lotus Squad's base, Anna doesn't see a welcome ceremony with flowers and applause, nor does she find the pleasant and welcoming team environment she had expected. There are no hugs, no smiles, just heavy feelings of dejection and oppression...

"What happened?"

Anna is embarrassed by the heavy atmosphere the moment she walks through the door. She even pulls out her communicator to check her letter of appointment and current location. "This is the Snow Lotus Squad, right? I didn't come to the wrong place?"

Anna looks at the Valkyries in the room. They're all sitting in their corners, looking glum. She can't help feeling uneasy. Do the Valkyries here not welcome me?

"The new team member has arrived, so buck up. Don't let them misunderstand." A slender but imposing girl with short, light blue hair walks out from a room in the back. She scolds the other Valkyries with a stern face, then walks towards Anna, who's looking confused and lost. She gives a helpless smile.

"Welcome, Valkyrie Anna Schariac. We've been waiting for you for a long time... I'm sorry, we should have had a proper welcome ceremony. I apologize."

"Ah, no, no, no…" Anna quickly waves her hands, feeling relieved that they welcomed her. She asks cautiously, "This is... What happened, senior? Has something bad happened recently?"

"No need to be formal, just call me Jell. I'm the current captain of the Snow Lotus Squad." Jell takes Anna's luggage and leads her into the base, introducing each team member. The Valkyries put on a brave face, greeting Anna as they are called out.

But Anna is still confused. She sees the newly introduced team members return to their previous dejected expressions, so she can't help but ask, "Captain, what's wrong with them…?"

Jell sighs and says, "It's not a big deal. You've been transferred here from Headquarters as a Deputy Captain, so the previous Deputy Captain, Navin, was also just transferred as a result. The team members are just unwilling to part with her."

"Ah? This... I... I'm sorry... I didn't know..." Anna is tongue-tied. She feels like this is all her fault.

"No, Anna, we don't blame you." Before Jell can speak, another Valkyrie stands up to explain. She is about to say something more, but stops when she receives a warning look from her captain. She purses her lips and sits back down.

Another Valkyrie, who didn't see the warning look, continues, her voice tinged with sorrow, "It's just that the Deputy Captain received orders to go to the Third Research Institute for experiment research…"

"Experiment research?" Anna is confused. The Third Research Institute is located in Northern Europe, not at Schicksal Headquarters. She doesn't know anything about it.

"Those who go there are all A-rank Valkyries, and… and no one has ever returned alive…"

Those words feel like a thunderbolt hitting Anna's heart. She understands what those words mean.

Valkyries, even A-rank Valkyries, are just lab rats?

How could this be?

How could this be allowed?!

Anna looks at the captain next to her in disbelief. This world is completely different from what she had imagined. She feels lost.

"Dying on the battlefield fighting against the Honkai and dying in a Schicksal lab, they're all the same, aren't they? That's a Valkyrie's mission. A mission to sacrifice themselves for humanity's future!" A third Valkyrie says, and her tearful voice delivers another blow to Anna.

Anna feels like she is suddenly having a nightmare. She feels disoriented as if in a dream.

How could this be? Anna feels her heart ache,

The Schariac family training she received since childhood, the strict training, the vision of Schicksal, the future of humanity, the Valkyrie's mission...

Mission, honor, victory, triumphs...

Everything was so glorious, so pure like an angel.

Anna has always yearned to become such an angel and worked hard to achieve it.

But now, having just left the ivory tower of the headquarters and entered the real world, she suddenly finds that behind these beautiful facades are many things she didn't know before.

This harsh reality was shown to her in a very shocking way.

It wasn't blood and death but a naked coldness, a ruthless declaration of the truth that "Valkyries are simply worthless expendable resources."

Anna doesn't know how to describe her feelings. Countless words are stuck in her throat, and she doesn't know what to say.

She only feels that the previously shining world she saw has suddenly become much darker...

...…

In an unknown corner of the world, Grey Serpent is tending his fields, focused, as if the soil beneath his feet is the greatest artwork in the world.

It seems that every Grey Serpent has their own hobbies…

The news of Lin Wei contacting Anti-Entropy has quickly been discovered by Grey Serpent. He's a bit surprised that things didn't go as he had expected—he was still hoping that the protagonist would be struggling with Schicksal's pursuit and search.

Jumping out of the chessboard and contacting Anti-Entropy is indeed unexpected.

But it doesn't matter. Grey Serpent is happy with this.

"Once a seed touches the ground, there are only two possibilities: either it dies and decomposes, returning to the soil, or it grows roots and sprouts unstoppable, until it becomes lush and leafy."

Grey Serpent doesn't dislike Lin Wei and Anti-Entropy's unexpected alliance.

After all, enough "accidents" are an important guarantee of the continued evolution of life…

He's even looking forward to what other surprises Lin Wei, who's still in the snake's eye, can create?

"I'm telling you, you bastard! You've toyed with us Anti-Entropy members all this time, and you're just hiding here, playing house?"

In an ordinary residence in Singapore, there's a loud bang as a red-haired "girl" with twintails punches open the door, storming in with a pale face. She points at the computer on the desk, trembling with anger.

"You're actually here playing a game?"