Reincarnate in Honkai as Arthur Pendragon

After a cozy breakfast, they proceeded to gather their things. The snow crunched under their boots as they left the small makeshift shelter.

The sky, overcast, seemed clearer than at dawn. It wasn't raining or snowing, but the clouds stretched like a heavy roof over the white fields. Emilia was the last to leave, making sure not to leave anything behind. Arthur was already a few steps ahead, leading as always, and Kiana walked at her own pace, with her hands in the pockets of her coat and her eyes squinting against the daylight.

Their goal for the day was clear: to reach Novosibirsk before nightfall. An ambitious goal, considering the distance, but not impossible if they didn't stop too much.

"If we don't stop more than necessary, we should arrive with the last light," said Arthur, consulting the map again with a slight frown.

"Are you sure we took the shortest path?" asked Kiana, looking towards a narrow trail that ventured between the snow-covered trees. Her breath formed small clouds in the icy air, and her boots were already covered with a thin layer of frost.

Arthur huffed softly, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "It's the one marked on the map, at least... the most direct."

"Direct doesn't always mean better," murmured Emilia, following behind, her breath coming out in little puffs. Her tone was calm, but her steps had become quicker in the last hour.

The snow began to dissipate as they approached flatter ground. In the distance, amidst the white mist and the gray sky, the lights of Novosibirsk finally became visible, twinkling like fireflies over a frozen river.

"There it is," said Arthur, with a mix of relief and exhaustion.

"Really?" Kiana stopped, blinking as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that the city?"

"Yes," Arthur replied, without raising his voice too much.

They quickened their pace. The distant noise of engines, the reflection of advertisements on fogged-up glass, and the familiar, albeit faint, smell of soot confirmed to them that they had arrived.

The wind blew more gently now, and although the air was still icy, it no longer hurt to breathe. In front of them, the frozen dirt road transformed into a cobblestone street, flanked by old iron streetlamps and low houses with snow-laden roofs.

Kiana stretched her arms up with a groan. "Finally... I can't feel my toes, but it was worth it"

"At least we didn't get lost," murmured Emilia, looking down at the ground as she walked, her hands hidden in her pockets. Her tone remained serene, almost detached, but Arthur noticed how her step became lighter. Maybe she also felt the relief.

Arthur nodded to himself, adjusting the coat over his shoulders while casting a quick glance at his companions. Emilia didn't usually say much, but he had learned to read the small changes: the rhythm of her steps, the tension in her shoulders, even the way her eyes moved as she observed her surroundings. And now, although her expression was the same as always, there was something... calmer about her.

Kiana, on the other hand, walked with small hops on the compacted snow at the edge of the street, as if she had already forgotten the hours of walking. Or she was simply pretending that nothing hurt.

"Do you think we can find a warm place?" she asked, kicking a snowball towards a post. "With hot water and beds that aren't made of wood, is that too much to ask?"

"It may not be too much to ask," Arthur replied, with a slight smile as he spotted the first snow-covered rooftops of the city.

Emilia didn't respond immediately. She just walked beside him, keeping her hands in her pockets. With each step, the air seemed a little less biting, and signs of civilization—a couple of cars covered in frost, an old sign with the name of a store—became more frequent.

Kiana, who was a little behind, quickened her pace upon seeing a wooden sign hanging on a corner. "Is that an inn?" she asked, pointing with her gloved finger.

Arthur squinted and nodded. "It seems so."

They crossed the almost empty street and pushed the door. A faint sound of a bell announced them. The interior was warm, dimly lit by yellowish lamps. It smelled of old bread and dry wood.

The manager, an old man with sunken eyes and a bored expression, looked at them from behind the counter. Arthur approached and spoke calmly, exchanging a few words while counting the bills they had. A few minutes later, they handed them a key with the number "4" hanging from a metal tag.

"Second floor," murmured Arthur, turning around.

Kiana dropped her coat with a dramatic sigh. "I don't care if it's a mattress of stones, if there are blankets, I'll throw myself on it."

Emilia said nothing, but as she crossed the threshold of the hallway, her step was lighter. They climbed in silence, the steps creaking under their damp boots, and as they opened the door, a faint smell of dust welcomed them.

There were three beds. A foggy window. And silence.

Arthur dropped his backpack with relief. "We did it."

Emilia slid gently onto the bed by the window.

Kiana let herself fall backward onto the bed in the center. "I don't know if my back or my feet hurt more."

Arthur leaned against the wall and exhaled. "Probably both."

A few seconds passed without anyone speaking. Then Emilia slightly turned her head.

"Who takes a shower first?"

Arthur looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you want to?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine, besides, you guys probably take longer."

Kiana rolled to one side, her face half-buried in the pillow. "I'm not moving from here. If someone wants to bathe me, they can carry me"

Emilia covered her mouth pretending to cough, without taking her eyes off the fogged glass. "So... Are you going?

He nodded. "Fair enough. I'm sure I smell like a wild animal"

Kiana raised a finger without lifting her head. "I confirm."

Arthur huffed while looking for a towel. "Fine. But if I use all the hot water, don't complain."

Emilia let out a small laugh, brief and contained, as if it had escaped without permission.

"Use all the hot water and you'll be the one sleeping by the window."

Arthur paused dramatically upon hearing that, turning his head slightly over his shoulder. "Cruel and effective threat."

Kiana murmured from the bed, barely audible. "I second the motion..."

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll be quick. Just enough to look human again."

He took the towel and entered the bathroom. The sound of the closing door was almost instantly followed by the gentle flow of water.

Kiana yawned, curled up in a corner of the bed. Emilia kept looking out the window, without moving.

"Do you or me later?" murmured Kiana.

Emilia replied without turning around. "Go ahead. I am not in a hurry"

Kiana nodded with a lazy gesture.

They both fell silent, only the sound of the bathwater breaking the calm.

XXX

The hot water ran down his back like a silent relief. Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, letting the steam envelop him. He felt his muscles slowly relax, as if his body remembered that it didn't always have to be on alert. He leaned a hand against the bathroom wall and sighed.

"Tomorrow..." he thought quietly. "First, see if there's anything decent to eat in this city."

They had arrived just before nightfall, with no time for much more than securing a place to sleep. The warmth of the shower was a luxury they couldn't afford every day, and Arthur knew it. If things went well, maybe they could stay there for at least a couple of nights.

"We need to look for thicker clothes, Emilia needs better boots... and Kiana has been wearing the same coat since we met." He rinsed off the soap slowly, his expression serious as he mentally reviewed each need.

But above all, he couldn't forget the true reason for this trip: to find Kiana's father.

Arthur leaned his hands against the bathroom wall, letting the steam envelop his face. It was easy to get distracted by fatigue, by the cold, by the small problems of everyday life. But the goal was still there, as clear as the first day.

They didn't know where it was. No one knew. Just a vague farewell.

Arthur didn't have the answers, but he had one certainty: he wouldn't let her search alone.

Tomorrow they would continue moving forward. Another city. Maybe more questions, perhaps a clue. They just needed a bit of luck. And stay together.

He sighed, rinsed his face, and turned off the shower. Outside, they were waiting for him. And also what would come next.

Arthur came out of the bathroom with his hair still damp, the towel draped over his shoulders, and the steam dissipating behind him. The room was dimly lit, barely illuminated by the faint light filtering in from the street through the fogged glass.

Emilia was curled up by the window, hugging her coat as if she still needed more warmth. Kiana was in the other bed, half tangled in the blankets, one hand hanging off the edge.

Arthur smiled faintly. I suppose the bath can be postponed.

Fatigue had been quietly overcoming them, as if they all understood that, for today, that was enough.

He left the towel on a chair and sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the two of them for a moment longer. He felt strange, calm. Almost as if everything were fine... even if just for a moment.

He turned off the light, lay down without making a sound, and closed his eyes, letting the calm envelop him.

Tomorrow they would continue. But for now, they had a safe night. That was enough.

XXX

The morning had begun gray, with a low fog clinging to the streets like a persistent veil. Arthur closed the door carefully, taking one last look at the room where Emilia and Kiana were still sleeping. He didn't want to wake them. Not yet.

He adjusted his coat and set off down the silent street. His breath froze as soon as it left his lips. He walked a couple of blocks until he came across a small sign illuminated in blue: NetPoint – 24-hour Internet. A corner cybercafé, shabby but open.

Upon entering, the artificial heat and the hum of old fans enveloped him. There were a couple of people scattered in booths, some with huge headphones, others just browsing. The attendant didn't even look up when Arthur left some coins on the counter.

He sat at the farthest station, turned on the machine, and typed slowly. The keyboard had stiff keys, and the monitor barely flickered.

First, he looked for the obvious: Honkai.

Kiana had talked to her about it, on one of those nights when sleep was slow to come and words weighed less. She hadn't given many details, just the essentials: that it was something dangerous. And that her father, along with her, was fighting it.

But he didn't explain how, nor why. He didn't even call it an "organization" or a "creature." Just "the Honkai."

Arthur typed the term and received...

Nothing.

Neither in conventional engines, nor in alternative ones. He tried different combinations, different languages. It was as if the word didn't exist.

He tried again with synonyms: "causeless disasters," "non-human entities," "energy anomalies." The only thing he found was noise: vague pages, science fiction theories, and conspiracies with more memes than facts.

Nothing useful.

Arthur sank into the chair at the cybercafé. The fluorescent lights buzzed above his head. The other computers remained silent, empty. The receptionist was sleeping with his head resting on an old keyboard.

This time, he changed his strategy. Instead of searching for "Honkai," he wrote something more general: "secret organizations with military power."

Schicksal.

Anti-Entropy.

Arthur opened a link with the word Schicksal in the title. A supposed religious order, with headquarters in Europe and Asia. Without direct public presence. And yet, somehow... too connected.

Another site spoke of Anti-Entropy: an organization with technology beyond commercial means, responsible for unconfirmed incidents in large cities. There were mentions of mechs, advanced drones, even "bio-armored warriors" in notes marked as supposed conspiracy.

This definitely had to be associated with the Honkai, because these organizations didn't exist in their world.