Chiba Academy, Nagazora City, Far East, Earth
~Raiden 'Mei'~
The rooftop of Chiba Academy, once a peaceful spot filled with warm sunlight and the distant hum of student chatter, had become something else entirely.
The sky, once a clear blue, was now a swirling mass of dark clouds that were exuding a heavy and oppressive aura
Lightning tinged with a red color crackled through the heavens, illuminating the city below in brief, eerie flashes.
The wind howled through the empty courtyards and vacant hallways, carrying only silence where laughter and footsteps once echoed.
Chiba Academy was lifeless now.
'Mei' stood at the edge of the rooftop, the cold wind biting at her skin. She had her head down, ignoring the outside world as if her surroundings didn't exist
Her school uniform was torn, the once neat fabric now ragged and barely clinging to her frame.
Her long black hair was tinted with a purplish color. They whipped in the wind, strands sticking to her face, damp with rain.
Everything about her was so familiar…. Except for her eyes
They were glowing.
-A deep, unrelenting purple.
Sparks of scarlet lightning flickered around her, trailing from her fingertips, snapping at the air like wild, hungry beasts.
Every flash painted the rooftop in harsh red light, casting her shadow long against the cracked tiles.
Her expression seemed cold, cruel, merciless
She took a slight breath, her chest rising and falling as the storm raged above.
Perhaps in the eyes of other people, this girl who has been defined as a Herrscher is a terrifying existence, but in fact, at this moment, she is actually very confused.
".....Who... really.... am I...?"
——She is not the original owner of this body, Mei Raiden.
Only a few hours had passed from the time she gained self-awareness to the time she suddenly began to take control of this body.
Yes, ever since the owner of this body was little, 'she' 'existed'
But it was only a few days ago that she actually started to 'think' and was able to express herself, to take control over this body that she had been a prisoner in for years, unable to gain her freedom, until now
The memories of the girl named Mei were forcefully stuffed in her mind, along with a strong desire to kill and destroy, whispered to her by…something.
She had tried to communicate with the girl named Raiden Mei, but even then, it didn't seem to work. Every time she tried to communicate, that 'desire' of destruction and madness overwhelmed her
-And she didn't know how to communicate with her, so she instinctively talked and acted according to her feelings that were affected by cruelty and destruction
But still-
She had no clear understanding of this world.
Even if she wanted to find someone to communicate with, it was impossible to do so.
After all, at the moment she 'manifested' into this world… There was only that classroom full of corpses, and the only people left around her were those humans who could no longer speak.
Who is she?
She doesn't know.
What should she do?
A voice in her mind told her the answer:
——She is "The Third Apostle, Herrcher of Thunder"
The purpose of a Herrscher's birth is to destroy the humans and their civilization that are polluting this planet.
The voice was very real and sincere, but the girl still doubted the meaning of her existence.
So, since she was born, she has done nothing.
She has always stayed here, in Chiba Academy.
Of course, it seemed that even the mere fluctuations of Honkai energy caused by her birth alone almost destroyed this city and its population
During her stay on the rooftop, she had been continuously browsing the memories of the original owner of this body, the girl named "Raiden Mei".
-The swordsmanship skills acquired through daily practice with that "Homu Sensei"
-Ever since she could remember, she was a proud young lady born of aristocratic origin, always living surrounded by fawning people and endless compliments
-After her father, Raiden Ryoma, was imprisoned for economic fraud, she gradually became withdrawn and moody because her classmates stopped hanging out with her.
-Even more so, they started cursing at her and bullying her
-But…. She met two people she very much cared about
Adam and Kiana
-Even when she was endlessly bullied and abused by her fellow classmates, the girl still cheered herself up, remaining happy with Adam's and Kiana's company
"…"
The 'girl' saw all of Raiden Mei's past joys and pain in her memory countless times.
Every time, those memories were so real, as if 'she' was experiencing them 'herself'
However, those memories did not actually belong to her.
After all, she is not 'Raiden Mei'.
-Even if these deep feelings she is experiencing seem so real…..
"....."
Just thinking of that person made her heartbeat accelerate.
The sound of her heartbeat echoed in her ears. A warm -no- a chillingly hot current swept throughout her whole body as her chest heaved. She felt her stomach tremble with pressure, as if about to explode and sprout countless butterflies upon the world
"...."
Is that what love feels like?
She instinctively tried to reject that feeling, but she just couldn't
After all, when she was just born...she had nothing.
Except for this feeling, the only thing she has is the powerful force that comes along with the "mission" that has been given to her
The girl raised her hand and looked at the red lightning flowing between her fingers.
——The power to control one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, electromagnetism
Anything that she touches now will be reduced to an atomic state by the overly strong and beserk electromagnetism that is tinted with honkai energy..... so she cannot touch anything.
Was this because she was destruction incarnate? Or was it because she didn't consciously restrain her power?
She doesn't know
But, once humans get close to her, they will be infected by Honkai energy and become mindless zombies who cannot communicate..... so she cannot talk to anyone.
She has nothing but a vague mission to destroy humanity.
If there is anything the girl hopes for now, perhaps it is for Adam to appear and talk to her
However, after seeing many other humans showing expressions of pain and fear before their death, she became a little afraid of this hope.
Even if Adam appeared… She is afraid that he would either die, or become her enemy.
'With my current appearance, I am probably a monster in people's eyes'
The fate that these so-called monsters have is to be alienated, shunned, or destroyed by everyone
"....."
'She' bent down, picking up the inconspicuous little 'journal' from the floor
Its outside was… ugly. Its coloring had faded
She opened it, flipping through the pages absentmindedly
Every single page was torn apart, leaving this gift of sincerity ruined and abandoned
Even when those… humans…. tore the notebook and damaged it, Raiden Mei still kept it. Even with its ugly appearance, she still tried to read it
Now though, it is a little more than scrap.
Even if this journal seemed to carry a faint energy that prevented it from getting destroyed by honkai energy, it seemed that it couldn't resist her ruthless 'birth'
"..."
No, she was at fault here
If she could directly control her power the moment she was born, perhaps this little 'journal' wouldn't have turned into scrap
Just as the girl was disappointed by her own lack of control, she felt someone coming to the rooftop.
'Could it be….?'
As she turned around, expectations couldn't help but arise in her heart
'Ah….'
Seeing the person she saw through Raiden Mei's memories and senses, the intense feeling in her heart seemed as if it was about to burst
What should she do?
Those familiar blue eyes, that glistening silver hair…. And that black outfit that made his unique features stand out more
'...'
Time slowed down, her perception blurring, everything felt as if it was in slow motion
And upon seeing this person, a heavy pressure bore down on her, as if something inside her scratched, teared, bit, destroyed theconfinesofherownmind
'Hehe' '...'
She smirked, raising her head, looking intently at him with the same tone and expression she used when speaking to Raiden Mei
After all, that coward inside her is desperately fighting back, trying to regain control of this body. If she didn't get some revenge on that coward, her dignity as a so-called 'Herrscher' would disappear
…..
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A/N:
Did I cook?
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