On August 18, 2008, beneath the Siberian night sky, a small snow-covered log cabin blended into the darkness.
Inside the pitch-black room, a white-haired girl sat beside a stuffed toy, clutching a yellow Houkai Beast plush tightly.
In such a remote place, this doll was her only friend. Before loneliness could completely engulf her, she drifted into sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the warm glow from the fireplace spilled over her cold face.
Above her, an enormous, calloused hand gently stroked her white hair.
“Ah… Dad’s back.”
The girl’s gaze fell on Siegfried’s chest. Beneath his thin shirt were freshly changed bandages, and through them, she could faintly make out the wounds—fresh bloodstains alongside old, scabbed scars.
“Dad… you’re hurt again?”
Kiana knew Siegfried’s injuries came from monsters known as Honkai Beasts. She didn’t understand why, for over two years now, every time he went out to search for food, he would end up fighting these creatures—as if they could never be wiped out.
“It’s nothing. Your dad is the strongest warrior of the Kaslana family.”
Siegfried’s voice was gentle, but his eyes were hollow and distant. Kiana only glanced at them for a moment before curling up tighter.
After a brief silence, she steeled herself and spoke:
“Dad… tomorrow, I’ll fight with you. Because… because you once said that protecting others is the duty of the Kaslana family. I… I’m a Kaslana too. I want to protect you.”
Siegfried shuddered. The emptiness in his eyes was suddenly replaced by a blazing intensity.
“Yes… yes… that’s right… you are a Kaslana… Kiana is… of course… a Kaslana…”
“Dad?”
His disjointed words unsettled her, and she instinctively shrank back.
Realizing his outburst, Siegfried quickly composed himself.
“But it’s dangerous.”
Kiana’s expression was resolute.
“It’s okay, Dad. I’m not scared. You taught me Gun Kata—I can fight those monsters just like you!”
Siegfried patted her shoulder excitedly.
“Alright! Then get some rest now and save your energy. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go out together to find food!”
At dawn the next day, father and daughter stepped out of the cabin after a quick preparation. But before they had even walked a kilometer, dozens of Honkai Beasts surrounded them—all charging straight at Siegfried.
“Dad!”
Kiana drew her pistol, recalling the techniques Siegfried had taught her, and pulled the trigger.
Yet, with no real combat experience, her shot missed, hitting nothing but air.
A surge of frustration welled up inside her. Siegfried had just finished off one wave of Honkai Beasts when another rushed in. Individually, these low-tier creatures were no match for him, but overwhelmed by sheer numbers, even he began to falter.
“Damn it, why are there so many today? No—I have to keep Kiana safe—”
Then he noticed something: the Honkai Beasts were only attacking him, completely ignoring Kiana. A realization struck him—these creatures were being drawn to her.
Without a Honkai energy detector, he had no way to measure the levels inside her. But since she had always retained her consciousness and showed no destructive urges, he had assumed the Herrscher persona hadn’t awakened.
He was right—but not entirely. Kiana exhibited some Herrscher traits, passively generating Honkai Beasts at an extremely low frequency. Yet, lacking both destructive impulses and the ability to wield Herrscher authority, her Herrscher consciousness had remained in a dormant state.
Now, as her negative emotions surged, her Herrscher corruption was escalating.
Understanding this, Siegfried realized bringing her outside had been a terrible mistake.
“Kiana, we’re going back!”
Cutting down two Honkai Beasts in one strike, he reached for her hand—but just before their fingers could touch, one of the creatures lunged, slamming into Kiana and sending her flying.
To the Honkai Beasts, Siegfried—who was slaughtering them—seemed like a threat to their “master.” Acting on instinct, they sought to separate the two.
As the distance between her and Siegfried grew, Kiana’s despair deepened.
“Why does Dad have to fight alone? Why can’t I do anything but watch him get farther away?!”
(Password confirmed. Logging in…)
The moment her negativity crossed a critical threshold, her blue eyes turned emerald green. A terrifying wave of freezing energy erupted from her, spreading in all directions—encasing Siegfried and hundreds of Honkai Beasts in ice.
Just as Siegfried, immobilized, felt despair closing in, another shift occurred. Kiana’s eyes flickered—one green, one red.
With a thud, she collapsed to her knees, as if some force was suppressing the Herrscher of Ice’s power.
Then, a portal materialized nearby. Enoxia rushed out, swiftly projecting her consciousness onto Kiana.
“Just the lingering obsession of a defeated foe—disappear!“
Soon, Kiana’s Herrscher signature faded. Enoxia withdrew her control, and the girl collapsed onto the snowfield, her eyes returning to normal.
Though Sirin wasn’t particularly fond of Siegfried, for Cecilia’s sake, she still saved him.
After confirming no other enemies remained, Sirin teleported to Kiana’s side, examined her condition, and frowned.
“Siegfried… taking a 10-year-old girl with zero combat experience into a frozen wasteland crawling with Honkai Beasts—did he really think of her as his daughter?”
Meanwhile, a dazed Siegfried barely had time to process anything before Enoxia pressed a hand to his forehead, erasing all memory of their intervention. She then exchanged a glance with Sirin.
She knew Siegfried was undeniably a selfless, good man—but as a father responsible for a child? He was sorely lacking. Cecilia had understood this well: between the two, he was the one who needed looking after.
Reluctantly, Sirin set Kiana down, and the two departed Siberia.
When Siegfried came to, he saw the frozen Honkai Beast statues and Kiana unconscious in the snow. One thing was clear—the Herrscher of Ice’s power had fully awakened for the first time.
After checking her and confirming she had only fainted, he sighed in relief, carefully lifting her and carrying her back to the cabin.
