Blessing

As if sensing the sadness in her captain's voice, Anna felt a pang in her heart, like a sudden blow.

The name "Ander" was familiar.

It was the name of the A-Rank Valkyrie who had been the Snow Lotus Squad's Vice-Captain before Anna, the one who had been "transferred" before she arrived. The incident was deeply etched in her memory, so she remembered.

"Captain?"

Anna called out, concern in her voice.

"It's okay."

Jell offered Anna a smile, assuring her that she was alright, then said softly, "Shall we?"

As if asking for her opinion, Anna nodded quickly.

Unexpectedly, although the church looked imposing, pushing open the heavy doors was effortless. Jell simply placed her hand on them, and with a gentle push, they swung inward,

As if opening to welcome them.

Inside was a spacious and bright church. Rows of simple pews, old but immaculately clean, lined the hall. Solemn, quiet, empty, and lonely. Their footsteps echoed softly in the vast space.

Respecting the silence of the church, neither of them spoke, walking forward in silence.

Jell walked slowly, gently stroking the long wooden pews, her movements tender and delicate. Anna walked beside her, watching as the captain's usual steely composure softened, becoming fragile.

In a daze, Anna felt as if she were walking through a lifetime with her.

Reaching the empty pulpit, Jell paused, looking up at the majestic murals high above, silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed softly and gave a slow, solemn bow to the empty space in front of her.

"When I was little, I used to stand right here, listening to Sister tell stories as grand as hero epics, gazing up at those colorful murals. Back then I was small, not as tall as I am now. I remember thinking, they're so high, so high… I have to crane my neck way back to see the whole thing clearly… And I'd think, if I grow taller, would I not have to tilt my head back so much anymore?"

Captain Jell began to share stories from her childhood, then chuckled softly, self-deprecatingly,

"Looking at them now, I realize they're still so high, still haven't changed much from back then… Heh, I guess that makes sense. Those are heroes from myths, after all… Not something ordinary mortals can easily reach, are they?"

"Captain…"

Anna seemed to feel the sadness and bitterness in Jell's voice, but didn't know what to say to comfort her.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm being disrespectful. Sister never asked us to be quiet in here anyway!"

Jell suddenly laughed again, her usual cheerful laugh.

"You just came at the wrong time. Back in the day, this place could be deafening!"

"Sister loved seeing the kids making a ruckus. She said it was life and vitality. God loves children full of life… Anna, listen to me, what a kind lie that is…"

Jell said, walking towards the left side, her tone calm and detached.

"If there really is a 'God' in this world, it probably just wants us all dead anyway."

Anna's heart ached. She had never felt this heavy feeling so acutely before.

As a descendant of the Schariac family, she knew Schicksal's history well.

Schicksal had once united people in the name of God and religion, to gain strength and resources to fight against the Honkai's invasion. Later, as science and technology developed, and education became widespread, Schicksal slowly but decisively discarded its religious trappings, gradually becoming the purely militarized organization it was today.

Because: God is the enemy.

And humanity had no way to retreat.

Behind the Valkyries' dazzling "mission" and "glory" were etched the unspoken "cruelty" and "burden,"

And "sacrifice."

Rounding the altar from the left, they reached a small door. A wooden cabinet stood beside it, with a few wooden photo frames on top.

Jell gently picked up one, carefully placed the photo she was holding into it, then cradled it in her arms. She took out a key from her pocket, inserted it into the door lock, and turned it twice. With a "click," the door opened.

The moment the door opened, Jell froze.

Anna could see clearly. It was a dimly lit little room, with only a sliver of light filtering through a small window. Rows of heavily lacquered tables, neatly arranged with five photo frames, all identical to the one Jell held;

And beside the photos, identical white candles, already burned down by a third, flickering orange flames illuminating the same sweet smiles in each picture.

"Sister, really…" Jell chuckled wryly.

The only difference was that those smiles belonged to five different girls.

Jell solemnly placed her photo frame alongside theirs. The six girls were reunited.

Jell lit two white candles on either side of Ander's photo, the same warm orange light flickering to life.

"Anna, I want to ask you a favor…"

Jell's gaze lingered on the six photos for a moment, her voice calm and soft as she spoke, not turning around, just gazing wistfully at those familiar faces.

"Captain, anything."

Anna responded quickly, stepping a little closer.

"If… next time… please bring me here, will you?"

Jell still didn't turn, simply pointed to a spot with her hand – an empty space among the photos. Her tone remained calm.

"Just put me there."

"Captain!"

Anna's heart skipped a beat, but she feigned anger, raising her voice,

"That's not funny at all!"

Though she spoke loudly, her voice was actually very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the six girls.

"It's a bit sudden, but I can only trouble you, my partner Anna, can't I?"

Jell turned around, a smile on her face, half wistful, half expectant, with a hint of apology. Then she turned back, her voice full of sorrow.

"After all… I'm the last one here."

"I said, don't make jokes like that!"

Anna retorted, annoyed. After hesitating for a long time, Anna bit her lip and asked hesitantly. She worried her question might hurt her captain.

"…They… were they all Valkyries?"

"Mm. We became Valkyries together, then were assigned to different squads. Some died on the battlefield, some… heh, now we're reunited again, maybe that's a good thing?"

Jell nodded. After a moment, she chuckled softly, and said,

"After all, this is a Schicksal-funded orphanage. And most of the kids here are survivors from the Honkai. So, it's only natural for Schicksal to recruit from here, isn't it?"

Anna suddenly turned around, looking outside, towards the direction where she could still hear children playing and laughing.

The souls sleeping here had once played and laughed there too.

"It's not as scary as you think. Schicksal's recruitment is all voluntary."

Jell walked over, gently patting Anna's trembling shoulder, smiling to comfort her.

"We all volunteered. They did too. And so did I."

Tears welled up in Anna's eyes, but she stubbornly looked at her captain, not even sure what she was being stubborn about.

Jell looked at her, fragile yet trying to appear strong, and suddenly smiled, saying with a touch of emotion,

"You really are different from us."

Anna wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, a bit disgruntled.

"What's different? Aren't we all Valkyries? You volunteered, don't make it sound like I was forced into it!"

"You misunderstood, Anna. My apologies."

Jell shook her head, gently brushing Anna's shoulder, as if to brush away non-existent dust, or perhaps to brush away the burden in her heart.

"We're all Valkyries, the same, but also different… Anna, I'm glad we're different."

"Is it just because my last name is Schariac? So you think I'm some kind of pampered young lady?"

Anna felt almost insulted, interrupting her through gritted teeth.

"If that's the case, then you really owe me an apology! Captain Jell Mystel!"

"If we're talking about being headstrong, it's pretty young lady-like, yeah."

Jell glanced at her, putting on a serious face.

Anna immediately deflated, remembering some of the rash things she had done before.

Jell burst out laughing, and said,

"I really like that spirited, energetic side of you. Like a proud rooster—uh, maybe that's not a good way to describe a girl?"

Jell scratched her head, looking a little troubled. Seeing her like this, Anna couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

"Anna, how were the sights we saw on the way here? How did it make you feel?"

Jell stepped back, changing the subject.

"Beautiful, lively, vibrant, wonderful, I loved it."

Anna carefully chose her words, then said a little shyly,

"I've been at HQ since I was little, never allowed to go out. After coming here, I've been constantly running around on battlefields, never had a chance to appreciate the world like today—no worries, no cares, no pressure."

Speaking of this, Anna puffed up her chest slightly, her voice tinged with pride.

"Seeing those ordinary people, living, working, laughing in peace, it makes me feel like all our efforts, all our sacrifices are worth it!"

Jell looked at her spirited expression, nodding gently, sighing in agreement,

"Yes… they are worth it…"

Then she turned away again, looking back at the row of photos, silent.

"Captain?"

Anna was puzzled. Had she said something wrong?

"Anna, you know what? That's what makes us different. What you see is all the beautiful hope, and the longing for the future… That's what I envy about you."

Jell said softly,

"But me, every time I walk through this bustling city, I can't help but wonder—if the Honkai descends on this city, how many people will die? How many will become monsters? And how many will be lucky enough to escape?"

Anna felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn't realized that her captain's world view was such a starkly opposite hellscape!

"Pathetic, pessimistic, depressing, right?"

Jell chuckled, raising her hand to glance at it.

"Someone like me, full of pessimism about the future, actually becoming a Valkyrie, must be a disgrace to Schicksal, huh?"

"No, no way, Captain…"

Anna stammered, at a loss for words. She didn't know why it was like this.

"That's what's different between us… Me, her, and them, we were all supposed to be dead a long time ago."

Jell picked up a photo frame, stroking the smiling girl inside.

"We were all lucky survivors who lost everything in the Honkai—sounds weird to say, right? Because compared to those poor souls who died, I really was very lucky—lucky to have some Honkai resistance, lucky to be rescued by Valkyries, lucky to come to an orphanage, lucky to meet new friends."

"And then, lucky to be chosen to become a Valkyrie, to fight, to sacrifice, to save more 'lucky ones' like me…"

Jell gently touched each photo in turn, murmuring softly,

"And then, calmly waiting for the postponed death to return…"

"But… but…"

No, Valkyries shouldn't be like this!

Anna's heart screamed, but the words became weak and retreated before she could say them aloud.

"Our world died a long time ago. That past is too heavy, overwhelming us, leaving us with no strength to step into that hopeful future…"

Jell suddenly chuckled softly, speaking self-deprecatingly.

"I used to think, this is just how the world is—humanity constantly losing cities and land to the Honkai's invasion, constantly dying. And we Valkyries, just desperately running around in one ruined, dying wasteland after another."

"No… that's not true…"

Anna murmured, finally managing to say it, but her voice was full of hesitation and confusion.

If the Valkyries' inner worlds were all like this, was there any point in fighting so hard?

"Yes, you're right, Anna, I'm wrong. It's not like that."

Jell smiled, patting her shoulder to show agreement.

"The appearance of Durandal-sama made me suddenly realize, Valkyries can actually live like that!"

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with yearning, like when she looked up at the murals as a child, saying with emotion,

"That figure, descending like a celestial being, that power that sweeps away everything… It suddenly made me understand—humans really can rely on themselves to fight against the apocalypse, just like the heroes in myths and epics, proudly soaring into the heavens, standing shoulder to shoulder with so-called 'gods'… It's truly something to aspire to…"

"Captain Durandal… she's not some god! She's a Valkyrie just like us, just like you, a Valkyrie who grew up step by step from an orphanage!"

Anna wanted to try and convince her captain.

"I know, I know. Durandal-sama's file and background, every Valkyrie in Schicksal probably knows it by heart, right?"

Jell smiled.

"But that's just how this world is. Some people are strong, some people shrink back… Unfortunately, your captain is just a weakling like that."

"But…"

Anna was about to speak when Captain Jell stopped her with a finger to her lips, then chuckled softly.

"Some people can carry the past, and march even more strongly towards the future. But some people, like me, are just hopelessly tripped up by their past, unable to step into that future that may never come! All I can do is help others move forward better."

"I can only go this far! But you're different, Anna. You don't have a past like ours. You're like a vibrant seed. My end point is just your starting line…"

"Stop talking…"

Anna's tears flowed like a river. The girl in front of her seemed to be covered in cracks, barely pieced together, struggling to stand in this world.

"Anna, didn't you ask me why I was so calm and indifferent about the Valkyries who died in human experiments? I think I said, 'As Valkyries, sacrifice and death are inevitable, to be expected'… Did I remember that right?"

"…Yes. Back then… I even thought you were angry at me because of that."

Anna said, feeling wronged.

"Really? I'm so sorry then…"

Jell smiled, walking to the empty space reserved for herself. She lit a candle there too, holding it in front of her, admiring the flickering flame.

"Schicksal saved us, so we fight for it, sacrifice for it, and finally return our lives to Schicksal. It makes sense, doesn't it?"

Anna shook her head desperately, sobbing uncontrollably.

"No… no, it's not like that…"

"We were already supposed to be dead, so we're not afraid of death!"

Jell gently placed the candle in front of the empty space. It flickered alongside the other candles, in unison, as if agreeing with her words, embodying the fighting spirit of these Valkyries.

"Vice-Captain Ander's sacrifice was to make it so more Valkyries wouldn't have to sacrifice, to let more people who were supposed to die live on! She was like that, and so am I. That's the answer for us Valkyries, the reason we fight, the reason we sacrifice!"

Jell gently comforted the weeping Anna, speaking softly.

"Don't be sad for us. We're just fighting for the same mission, but in different directions, aren't we?"

"But… but…"

Anna choked on her words.

"It's okay if you don't understand, Anna. You're different from us. Your future shouldn't stop here. Your future should be like Cecilia-sama, like Durandal-sama, to become a Valkyrie as strong as them; to stand tall, to be resolute, to lead humanity forward."

Jell offered a gentle blessing.

"So, as your Captain, I order you: no matter when, no matter what happens, you must live on, keep moving forward, keep fighting, keep being strong, keep being proud. No matter what, never give up."

"And then, in place of those who have already sacrificed, lead those of us who haven't yet, together towards that future everyone hopes for…"

"Team Member Anna, do you understand?"

"Waaah… Yes!"