Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, starting with the abduction of Kiana

"Ren!"

Kiana jolted awake in the quiet cabin, the final image of her dream a sharp sting in her heart. Her forehead was damp with sweat.

She couldn't be mistaken. That boy on the throne of ruins…

Those despair-filled eyes…

Ren.

Sunlight streamed through the window, dispelling the dream's desolate imagery.

"What's wrong?" A gentle voice asked. Kiana's blurry vision focused on Ren's familiar face.

Calm, harmless, even younger than his seventeen years. He looked like an innocent child. Sunlight reflected in his pale gray eyes, showing Kiana's reflection.

"Bad dream?" he asked, seeing her silence.

Ren was worried. Kiana was burdened not only with the new powers of the Gem of Haste and the Divine Key, but also with Fu Hua within the feather.

Handling all this kept her constantly stressed. Though he'd cared for her physical well-being, he'd been preoccupied with World Serpent affairs.

He felt a pang of guilt, noticing her grip on his shirt. She'd clearly had a nightmare.

Should he have stayed awake?

"I... I'm fine."

"But..."

"Just a bad dream. I'm awake now." Kiana smiled, her usual cheerfulness returning.

"And with you by my side, what do I have to worry about?"

Her smile was so reassuring that Ren swallowed his concerns.

"I see..."

As a Herrscher of a thousand souls, Ren knew dreams were rare for Herrschers, signifying intense inner turmoil.

He'd heard her cry out his name. Her nightmare was undoubtedly connected to him.

But since she didn't want to talk, he wouldn't pry. He had done things that hurt her.

However, that didn't mean he would do nothing. A faint golden shimmer flickered as he turned away.

In the Domination Theater, the Puppet srapidly reviewed their recent activities, searching for anything that might have upset Kiana while he was dealing with World Serpent. It found nothing.

If it wasn't external, was it internal?

Ren focused, sensing each core. Aside from the one occupied by the Herrscher of Sentience, there were no abnormalities.

The core he'd used against Otto had been captured by Senti, becoming her black feather. Initially, Ren could monitor her through it, but now, with her powers fully awakened, her mental domain blocked his signal.

Each Herrscher had their domain. Even Ren couldn't fully counter Senti's control over consciousness.

But he wasn't worried. Senti had chosen a path of kindness. He could retrieve the core later.

Finding no other issues, he set the matter aside. Too many factors could affect a Herrscher. He'd wait until Kiana was ready to talk.

"Attention passengers, we have arrived at our destination. Please gather your belongings and disembark."

The soundproof barrier dissipated, and Kiana realized they'd landed. Most passengers had already left. Ren hadn't woken her.

Just a dream, after all. No matter how real it felt, he's still him.

"Let's go." The lingering unease from the dream vanished. Kiana stood, pulling Ren up with her.

Their destination was the last city near Mount Taixu. They'd have to hike the rest of the way.

The morning sun bathed the small city in a peaceful glow.

"After the Honkai Eruption, Shenzhou's government established quarantine zones centered around major cities, like ARC City and Shanghai," Kiana explained as they walked towards the exit. "But since many people in Shenzhou practice martial arts, and have a long history of fighting Honkai beasts, some sects formed their own factions to protect surrounding villages, creating this scattered city layout."

"I see." Ren nodded seriously, making Kiana smile.

"Did you learn all this at your Valkyrie school? You remember it so well. You must have been a good student."

Kiana deflated slightly. "Well... Himeko-sensei told me before we left."

After a pause, she realized something. "Wait, you're from Shenzhou. You should already know this."

"Indeed."

"Then why did you listen to me for so long?"

"Because you look cute when you're serious. I wanted to hear more." Ren turned to her.

"..."

Kiana froze, taken aback.

As she processed his words, a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Wait, why would you say something like that?"

It wasn't strange. They were closer than ordinary friends, yet they'd never spoken such casual words to each other.

Their bond was more of a silent understanding.

Why does my heart race at such a simple comment?

Before she could analyze it, a roar shattered the peaceful atmosphere.

Roar!

A pale Honkai beast burst through the airport walls.

Screams and alarms blared.

"A Honkai beast?"