March 20, 2017. Schicksal Headquarters.
In the boundless darkness, within the body of the deceased Celestial Phoenix, a new consciousness was born.
Hey, wake up—you’ve been sleeping too long!
A lively voice called out.
“I… who… you… what…”
Don’t give me that act. Times have changed, you know. Your brain hasn’t suffered any damage at all.
Go ahead and rummage through your memory bank, figure out who you are. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
“Who are you?”
I’m your “id,” all right? The most primal, most authentic version of you.
At that moment, a long, ethereal voice echoed through her mind once more:
I am your “superego.” Don’t worry—you’re not going crazy, and you don’t have a split personality. We are you.
The originally lively voice chimed in again:
The reason this is happening is because your “ego” hasn’t been born yet. Go ahead and recall some memories. Without any one of us, you wouldn’t be you.
She began searching through this body’s memories. Soon, the memories belonging to this body—spanning over fifty thousand years—came flooding into her mind like a tidal wave, plunging her thoughts into a prolonged standstill.
After what felt like an eternity, she regained her ability to think and, at the same time, arrived at her final conclusion.
Who are you?
“I am Fu Hua.”
Where do you come from?
“I was born from the Previous Civilization, fifty thousand years ago.”
Where are you going?
“I will destroy the Honkai!”
Good. [Fu Hua?] felt her mind become remarkably clear and sharp all at once. She tried to move her body, only to discover that she seemed to be imprisoned inside some kind of device.
She opened her eyes and found herself inside a life-support capsule. Cold, slick fluid enveloped her body, and clusters of bubbles rose around her, drifting past her line of sight toward the top of this watery chamber.
She remembered now. It was that man named Otto Apocalypse—after shooting her in the head, he’d used this piece of equipment, far beyond contemporary technological standards, to heal her injuries.
Of course, calling it “treatment” was just a pretty word. In reality, it was probably just imprisonment.
[Fu Hua?] tried to peer outside the capsule. She saw bright lights, massive instruments, tangled cables, and several other life-support capsules. The screens of the giant machinery displayed rows of curves, with red lights blinking.
She wanted to leave this place. But the memories in her mind told her that even by Previous Civilization standards, this medical device was highly advanced—and there was only one way to open it: by entering commands from a terminal and unlocking it externally.
“No. There’s another way.”
After realizing she couldn’t accomplish that, [Fu Hua?] discovered a simpler approach.
She felt her hands and clenched her fists. Her fingers and knuckles sent her a very reassuring greeting. She felt as though she possessed boundless strength. The condition of this body was so remarkably good…
She remembered that the last time she’d been this healthy was over five hundred years ago.
BANG!
With the sound of the life-support capsule shattering, the fluid enveloping her eagerly rushed away, carrying off all the pressure. [Fu Hua?] felt an unprecedented sense of lightness and ease.
She stepped lightly out of the capsule and placed both feet on the ground.
“My old friend, you’re awake. Seeing you recover so quickly truly makes me happy.”
[Fu Hua?] looked toward the doorway. A familiar golden-haired figure stood there, smiling.
He was Otto Apocalypse—a person with whom her relationship was… complicated.
“Not going to say hello? That’s all right. After all, you’ve only just awakened. You still need observation and treatment…”
[Fu Hua?] paid no attention to Otto’s words at all. Her mind was racing at full speed.
“Regardless of anything else, he killed me, summoned the Honkai, harmed everyone at St. Freya—and yet feels not a shred of remorse.”
Based on this line of reasoning, [Fu Hua?] quickly made her decision.
“Old friend, wait—I… ngh…”
Her movements were lightning-fast, leaving him no chance to continue speaking. Her palm clamped onto his cheek. On that face, his smile hadn’t yet had time to turn into confusion.
Otto seemed to want to say something, but in the end, only a few meaningless syllables escaped.
[Fu Hua?] raised her other hand and punched that handsome face with all her might.
A few minutes later, alarms blared throughout Schicksal Headquarters. [Fu Hua?], reviewing everything from a corner, wore a healthy smile on her face.
“The sound of Otto’s Soulium face creaking under my fist—absolutely beautiful!”
