Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

Truthfully, even discounting the time Anna spent unconscious in the hospital after their first meeting, only a month had passed since they parted ways on Coral Island.

Yet, for both of them, it felt like a lifetime ago. For Anna, it was the trauma of a near-death experience. For Lin Wei, it was something far more complex.

"Let me tell you a story, and you'll understand everything." He settled into a chair, gesturing for Anna to join him. "It's about Schicksal…"

"Schicksal…?" Anna paled. "How do you know about Schicksal? Are you… connected to them somehow?" In that instant, Lin Wei felt distant, unfamiliar, almost frightening.

"I don't want to know!" Panic seized her. She grabbed his arm, pleading, "I don't want to know anything… Lin Wei, let's just leave, please!" A chilling premonition washed over her, a sense of dread she couldn't explain, urging her to flee.

If I don't know anything, then nothing will change, she reasoned, trying to convince herself.

"Anna, running away won't solve anything." Lin Wei shook his head gently, his voice kind yet firm. "So, while we have time, let's be honest with each other. Let's start over, okay?"

"…Why are you being so cruel?" Battered by recent events, Anna felt emotionally drained. Her youthful heart, already fragile, felt like it was shattering. Like a child whose treasured possession had been taken away, anger flared within her.

Tears threatened to spill as she choked out, "Couldn't you have just… kept me in the dark, like last time?"

"What if, one day, someone told you the Lin Wei you knew was a lie? That he'd been deceiving you, using you all along? What would you do then?" His voice remained gentle, but unwavering.

"…That wouldn't happen." Anna's heart sank. A horrifying realization dawned on her. She shook her head frantically, desperate to prove him wrong. "You came to this dangerous place for me! If you hadn't shown up, I would be dead… You're not some… some bad person who would lie and use me!"

She finished in a rush, then fell silent, staring at him with pleading eyes, like a child who had misspoken. Is this answer satisfactory? her gaze seemed to ask.

Lin Wei sighed. Her reaction only increased his worry. Don't you know, the more desperately you try to prove something, the more it shows your lack of confidence?

"But what if he showed you this?" His tone hardened, like a stern examiner. He conjured the black lance once more.

"I…" Anna's mouth went dry.

"Or this?" His voice softened, but his actions didn't cease.

The lance dissolved into black mist, then reformed into a magnificent, dark pearl. As it rotated, Anna felt herself lifted, then gently lowered onto the edge of the bed where the child lay.

Lin Wei pressed lightly on her shoulder, and she sat down, stunned.

"See? If he, or something else, showed you what I just did, or even more things you don't know about, could you still convince yourself so easily?" His words were a harsh reality check.

"…Why are you showing me this?" Anna's voice was a mix of confusion, exhaustion, and a simmering anger at being toyed with. "You promised you wouldn't be my enemy. Why are you telling me all this?"

"It's precisely because I don't want that day to come that I'm clearing the air now, while I still can." He shook his head, exasperated yet amused. "You're just too trusting, too stubborn, and you overthink everything… I'm afraid someone might take advantage of you."

They're both Valkyries, around the same age. Why is Rita as sharp as a tack, while Anna is… well, a naive little deer? He couldn't understand the disparity.

"Who are you calling naive and gullible?!" Anna's cheeks flushed. She jumped up and started pummeling his chest, protesting, "You're the naive one! You're stubborn! You overthink everything!" She'd never been called any of those things, and hearing them from him was infuriating. She wanted to bite him!

"Okay, okay, you're right…" He let her vent. What else could he do?

"Well, this is awkward…" he thought, relieved yet amused as Anna's childish outburst subsided. He felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't wanted things to go this way, but as he said, avoiding the truth wouldn't solve anything.

Whether it was to oppose Otto or to guard against the seemingly malevolent Honkai Will, he needed to settle things with Anna. He couldn't leave any openings for his enemies to exploit. Once they returned to safety, he wouldn't have this kind of private, honest conversation with her again.

So, despite her pleas and resistance, he had to seize this opportunity. Did he really want to wait for Otto to twist the truth or for the Honkai Will to implant false memories into Anna's mind before scrambling to fix the damage?

The sick child had inadvertently provided the perfect opportunity to address this ticking time bomb. He couldn't let it slip away.

After her outburst, Anna calmed down, feeling embarrassed by her impulsive behavior. She quickly smoothed out his rumpled collar and sat back down.

"Go on, then, enemy of Schicksal! Let's see what you have to say to a Valkyrie!" She tried to sound composed. "Tell me all your secrets and stories."

His words had made his intentions clear: He was anticipating future trouble and wanted to prevent misunderstandings. It made sense. Now calmer, Anna accepted his explanation.

So, because you don't want to be my 'enemy,' you can make things difficult for me instead? she thought, still slightly indignant. She understood. Something big must have happened for Lin Wei to abandon his usual secretive nature and become so blunt.

Does it have something to do with this Honkai eruption? she wondered, worry gnawing at her, both for her captain and teammates, and for Lin Wei. She might be naive, but she wasn't stupid.

Even prepared as she was, his next words stunned her.

"Do you know Yuno?" he asked abruptly.

"…Yes, she's my friend from HQ." Anna blinked, then stared at him in disbelief. "How do you know Yuno? Is she involved with you too?"

Has he infiltrated Schicksal HQ already? Her mind raced, imagining elaborate conspiracies. I've gotten involved with someone who's actively trying to overthrow Schicksal!

"I do know Yuno, but not in the way you think. I rescued her in Nagazora," Lin Wei clarified, correctly guessing her train of thought. "If I hadn't overheard you mention her on Coral Island, I wouldn't have known you were acquainted or that she was sent to Schicksal HQ." He shrugged. "See? Quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

"When did I…?" Anna started to argue, then remembered mentioning Yuno to comfort a girl from Chiba Academy, hoping to create a connection. "Fine, it happened. But she was sent to HQ by the Japanese Branch. What does that have to do with you?"

"Because I'm from Nagazora too," he replied simply.

"…Are you going to make up another story to trick me?" Anna's expression was a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

"Apart from that photo, I've never lied to you, Anna. I've only withheld information, making things seem… ambiguous, due to various circumstances." His voice was sincere. "Now, I'm going to tell you the whole truth, so you know who 'Lin Wei' really is." He paused, then chuckled, meeting her questioning gaze. "Though this 'truth' might sound more outlandish than a lie…"

"Hold on!" Anna jumped up, looked around, then dashed out of the room. She returned moments later, dragging a chair behind her. She placed it in front of Lin Wei's with a satisfying thud, sat down, and leaned forward, studying his face.

"Alright. Talk. I'm listening."

This girl…

"Let me see… where to begin…" Seeing Anna's renewed energy, Lin Wei felt a little less apprehensive. He gathered his thoughts. "I lived in Nagazora before the 3rd Honkai Eruption."

"Yes, you said you were a survivor," Anna confirmed, remembering his every word.

"A survivor, yes, but not in the way you think. I escaped before the eruption." Explaining "time traveler" would be too difficult. He opted for a different approach. "One night, I dreamed of future events. I saw the Honkai coming to Nagazora."

He paused, letting the information sink in before continuing. "Before I left, I sold everything I owned and used the money to spread rumors online, hoping to scare some people into leaving with me. I don't know how effective the rumors were, but I do know I caught Schicksal's attention…"

"Ah!" Anna gasped. "Then what?" She knew how Schicksal dealt with Honkai-related incidents and couldn't help but feel worried, forgetting for a moment that Lin Wei was sitting right in front of her, safe and sound.

"It should have been a bad thing, but for me back then, it was a blessing in disguise…" Lin Wei rolled up his sleeve, looking at his unblemished arm, remembering how it had been covered in Honkai corruption a year ago. "My Honkai resistance is… worse than you can imagine. Even after escaping Nagazora, I was still infected."

"What? Then what happened? Did Schicksal save you?" Despite her disillusionment, Anna still viewed Schicksal favorably.

"Hardly. I saved myself…" He scoffed, then abruptly changed the subject. "By the way, do you know Fu Hua?"

"Uh…" Anna frowned, racking her brain. "I think I've heard the name… but I don't remember her."

"I see." Lin Wei nodded, returning to his story. "Otto Apocalypse himself sent Fu Hua to investigate me. I felt truly honored."

The mention of "Otto Apocalypse" shocked Anna. As a Schariac, she knew the weight that name carried. "And then?"

"Then? I gave her a reason she couldn't refuse to help me…" He kept it concise. "I convinced her to help me return to Nagazora, where I defeated a Herrscher from the Previous Era. I obtained their Stigmata and, as a result, a new Divine Key."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Anna was losing it. She grabbed his collar, shaking him. "Can your stories be any less believable?! I understand every word individually, but together, they make no sense!"

Herrschers, Stigmata, Divine Keys… what was he talking about? Were Herrschers that easy to defeat? I'm a Valkyrie! I fight the Honkai! You can't fool me!

"I knew this would happen…" Dizzy from being shaken, Lin Wei conjured a black feather. "See for yourself."

He imprinted a slightly edited version of his memories from the battle with the Herrscher onto the feather and touched it to Anna's forehead. Her shaking stopped abruptly, her eyes glazed over as she processed the images flooding her mind.

Hmph, mind movies? I can do that too, he thought smugly.

"It's… real…" Moments later, Anna came back to herself, wiping cold sweat from her brow. She stared at him, incredulous. "How… how did you do it?" Just witnessing the memory was terrifying. This man had actually lived through it. That was a Herrscher!

"You mean implanting the memory, or fighting the Herrscher?" He twirled the feather between his fingers, a smirk playing on his lips. "The former is thanks to the Divine Key. The latter… well, any scrub can do that."

"You!" Anna sputtered, grabbing his collar and shaking him again.

After venting her frustration and fear, she stopped, her expression a mix of awe and bewilderment. "Is… is that your past?"

"A part of it," he confirmed. "Just a part, but the most important part. It's because of that experience that I'm able to stand here today."

"Is that so? Then why are you telling me this? Showing me this?" She gestured at the feather.

"One reason is to teach you something: Herrschers aren't invincible, especially those existing only as consciousness. They're all bark and no bite. I did it, so can you!" He looked her straight in the eye, his voice serious. "Remember that!"

If he remembered correctly, in the original timeline, Anna had lost to the Herrscher consciousness in a battle of wills, choosing to end her own life while she still had control. It didn't have to be so tragic.

Whether or not Anna became a Herrscher in this timeline, this was a necessary precaution. He truly didn't want this kind, naive girl to meet such a grim end.

Of course, Anna, unaware of the original story, didn't understand his intentions. She just blinked at him, her large eyes filled with confusion. Why are you telling me this?

"Just remember it," he dismissed her unspoken question. It didn't matter if she didn't understand now. If that day ever came, this knowledge would serve its purpose.

"As for the other reason…" He stopped twirling the feather, holding it up close to her eyes, a sly smile spreading across his face. "It's for our esteemed Overseer, who might one day try to read and tamper with your memories. A Key of Sentience ? Who doesn't have one of those?"

He scoffed. "He shouldn't bother with such pointless tactics."

Otto was a dangerous enemy. Lin Wei couldn't gamble on him never discovering Anna and her anomaly. It was practically impossible.

In fact, Anna's unique situation practically guaranteed she would become a pawn in their conflict, a weakness for Lin Wei and a tool for Otto.

It was infuriating, but he had to accept it. Anna's feelings for him were genuine.

Her pure, unadulterated care, trust, and reliance… this freely given affection made it impossible for him to reject her. She's done so much for me. What more could I ask for?

By the time he'd realized it, it was too late.

Even if he distanced himself, the moment Otto discovered Anna's anomaly, he would use her against him. Could he really pretend not to see it? That would make him no better than Otto.

I should never have gone to that damned Coral Island! He cursed his past self. Would he really stoop to Otto's level, resorting to self-deception and avoidance, only to regret his cowardice later, dragging the whole world down with him to pay for his mistakes?

He held immense disdain for such behavior and refused to become that kind of person.

Since some things were unavoidable, he had to take preemptive measures.

A disadvantage, you say?

I eat those for breakfast! he thought fiercely, flipping off the sky.