#honkai blanca

[anominous-user]

two frames from the thing im working on because i VASTLY underestimated the amount of time this would take

[weirdw33b]

@anominous-user I wrote this and thought you might like it!

This is a previous era superhero story (with most of the previous era class)

So imagine an au where the flame chasers sealed the honkai at the price of their lives, this is like the "creation story" of Lepidoptera (it means Moth in Latin or something)

Anyways, fast forward to modern day where honkai is sadly still a thing, we meet our main character, aka Kosma, Kosma tells the story of the flame chasers to Griseo as a bedtime story, he also gushes about the superheroes like Deliverance, basically everyone in the flame chasers except Hua, Pardo and Griseo to his dad, Ato (btw, Kosma's adopted, he knows that and he doesn't mind that), and he goes to bed after texting his crush, Dystopia (I ship them together OK?)

Fast forward to Saturday morning when he is woken up by Blanca (his adoptive mother) telling him to hurry up because he's late to his part-time job as a lab assistant, btw, it’s run by Dr Mei, Mobius and Vill-V, he drops off Griseo at the daycare run by Aponia before a long day at work, he also gets a motorbike because Vill-V saw a design of it in his notebook, he names it 'Daybreaker', he also stops by Elysia’s flower shop to get flowers for confessing to Dystopia, once he gets back home he texts Kevin about his date ideas (Kevin also mentions Su in this conversation)

The next day, he goes to the dojo run by Hua’s dad to train. He also goes to band practice (the band's called Classically Rockin'. The members are Dystopia, Kosma, Rin, Hua, and Pardofelis. They're called that because Dystopia includes classical music in their mostly Rock songs). Oh yeah, the studio is owned by Eden, and after that, they stopped by Kalpas, Sakura, and Emile's bakery, Hua, Pardo, and Rin hangs out in Rin's room upstairs to give Kosma and Dystopia some privacy, Kosma confess and Dystopia accepts, they get attack by Honkai and all of the adults, aka Kevin, Elysia, Aponia, Vill-V, Kalpas, Sakura and Mobius all use the excuse of ("*secret civilian identity* told me to protect you!") and sends the teens plus non flame chasers side characters to Su, who heals them up as Bodhi, Kosma gets back home with Griseo (she was saved by Aponia earlier) knowing the fact that the heroes were bullshiting him and figures out who the heroes were, he keeps it a secret because superhero movie logic

Next honkai attack, kids get powers! Woohoo

Now children flame chasers + Rin and Dystopia gets into MOTH, the strongest force against the Honkai

Notes: Ato was a superhero (and part of MOTH) but retired after finding Kosma in a pile of rubble. He and Blanca then decided to settle down with Kosma. A couple of years later, they had Griseo

Rin and Emile all know that Kalpas and Sakura are superheroes, but they didn’t know about the rest

Divine keys still exist due to an imagery tree machine built by the scientists of the team (includes Blanca), but they get stronger after killing a Herrscher and taking their core

In the future, Senti becomes a thing due to a lot of negative build up and takes over Hua's body. After the 'I know you’re in their somewhere fight', Vill-V builds a robot body for Senti to fight in

Klein also exists, but I forgot to mention her. She was sick when Kosma turned up to work. She's a full-time lab assistant who mainly helps Mobius

Blanca is Mobius and Vill-V’s mentor. She helped Kosma to get his job

Kosma is also a lot more confident here, due to this being a silly little au

I also forgot about Himeko, Scrap Hua's dad, Hua's an orphans, and Himeko’s her adoptive mum, Hua owns the dojo, and Himeko helps her run it, it's from inheritance

In the future, they all get a Herrscher level powerup, and they defeat Finality (woohoo!). With very little sad stuff and are seen as heroes in Lepidoptera

Ships: Ato/Blanca, Elysia/Eden/Aponia, Kevin/Su/Dr. Mei, Kalpas/Sakura/Emile, Kosma/Dystopia, Hua/Pardofelis, Mobius/Vill-V/Klein

[zorkaya-moved]

❝  i will never leave you. it will be this, always, for as long as you will let me.  ❞

@decimatcd

Her light and her reason for fighting were almost all gone; the one for whom she fought so vigorously was dead. The small sunshine she worked so tirelessly for, her youngest brother, and then her twin brother. Victor told her to protect Aleksey first and foremost when he got the honkai infection while slowly withering away. Zarina promised to protect the remaining of their family, but what happened? Everyone died. Everyone. No one survived. She killed Victor; she killed Aleksey (no, Aleksey was already a zombie, and Victor was already losing himself).

Zarina felt sick to her stomach. Kalpas' touch brought back memories of the warmth she lost and she felt her nightmare return in full, rendering her feel nauseous and struggling to comprehend exactly what was happening. No, she had to bring back the control. The Honkai energy - the remainder of the Herrscher powers - was still in her body, it would eat her mind away if she gave up. It was getting cold; it hurt. The cries, the screams, but they not the other people. They were hers. It scared her, Kalpas' words scared her. Victor promised the same thing. He said he'll always be by her side, he said it wasn't her fault, he said that she needed to kill them both so they won't suffer the pain of killing her. No, no, no.

As if possessed, she steps forward and wraps her hands around the man's frame. There is desparation, her eyes are wide open and she tries to stabilize her breathing and her beating heart. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt. She doesn't want to lose this warmth, this last spark of humanity and fire that could melt her apathy and her inhumanity away. He will die, too, wouldn't he? If she gives up, if the world will be ruined if anything wrong happens. He will die, and she wouldn't be able to do anything. He will die and leave her, he will leave her, and this promise will be a lie too. He's lying to her face from her perspective, but it only makes her cling to him that much tighter. Zarina doesn't want to kill him, she doesn't want to suddenly come to her senses as she did with Victor's and Aleksey's frozen bodies in her embrace. Zarina doesn't want Kalpas to be the same. No, not even that. She doesn't want him to die, she doesn't want to let go. But he will, he most likely will. And that logic and that deduction hurt her all the more.

"Don't go, Kalpas. I don't want you to go," she utters, her tone trembling as her soul continues to crack and slowly come so close to shattering. It hurts, but he makes it better, his presence keeps her stronger and still keeps her as [Zarina]. She doesn't want to let him go. She doesn't want to lose this warmth, this presence, this promise, but in this age - they've long lost the ability to promise such beautiful things. Elysia was gone, Sakura was gone, Blanca and Ato were gone, Victor and Aleksey were gone. So many left. "Don't leave me alone. Don't go where I can't reach you. Please, Kalpas, everyone else left... And you will leave too..." Will she fall apart entirely? Or will she be able to carry on? Or will she would want to just try and kill herself altogether? Or will she asks Mobius to end her life? She doesn't know. "But take me with you. Just don't leave me behind. I don't care about mankind, the world, the future... just don't... don't disappear and leave me behind."

[zorkaya-moved]

"Lady Zarina.. if something were to happen to me, promise me you will save and protect the others. Please."

@etherealguard

It's as if a memory suddenly resurfaces with the power of a tide. She is no longer in the same room as Dan Heng, instead standing in the underground facility with HIMEKO by her side as they watch the soldiers train. They will become MANTIS soldiers to fight Herrschers with them all. Kevin is there, he's already shown to be the best candidate. Those men and those women will die, most likely. So many of them if not all of them will die and then there will be a next batch.

HIMEKO's hand on her shoulder feels heavy at that moment. Zarina doesn't care for the recruits and she doesn't care about those who will die but she does care about those she chose to care. The fight against Honkai will end in their full annihilation or their victory at the cost of majority of humanity. But it's the words that make Sokolova raise an eyebrow and look at the red-head with a light frown: If something happens to me, make sure to train them well; protect them in my stead, Zarya.

Back then, she was still a late teen, soon turning twenty. The people who looked at her were fascinated and amazed at this girl's combat experience and hre strategizing. There was nothing she couldn't do when it came to fights, survival and knowing how to protect oneself. A true talent, a prodigy. Her brother was injured while protecting their youngest brother and their parents perished from Honkai beasts' attack.

It's now she's back to the room with Dan Heng, his serious gaze does not befit one that HIMEKO wore then. But they both had one similarity: they were ready to go and not come back. Why did she remember that now? This memory has been lost to the countless others made. The Flamechasers are long gone, all of them aside from Hua and even then she doesn't remember anything, not anymore. They're all gone. Gone, gone, gone. And she's left alone and once again asked to look after others. Why can't she finally be the one to ask another to watch over others and finally be laid to rest? Let her step forward to finally meet her end. The fate and destiny of humantiy laid on her shoulders for fifty thousand years.

"N...o..."

Immediately, she shuts her lips tight and looks away from the other. Her arms are crossed under her chest as she shows a flicker of emotion, but a negative one. There is an obvious pain to her golden gaze as she suppresses the thought that decided to show itself out of the left field. Zarina doesn't want to look at his face. It reminds her of Elysia, it reminds her of HIMEKO, it reminds her of Kevin, it reminds her of MEI, it reminds of ... Ato and Blanca.

Look after Griseo, please. We know Mobius is watching her, but in the field... if it ever comes to it, please look after our daughter.

Ato. Blanca. They all failed you. She failed you. Griseo may not even be alive at this point. It's been fifty thousand years since Project ARK lost contact with their base. Humanity was reborn and restarted. But right now? No, no, no. Why does it repeat again? Why is she asked something like this? All over again.

Why ... do all these heroic people ... always put their hopes onto her and then go off to die?

All of them. Every single one of them. And they all left her. They left her to live and go on. The last hero who could kill her and promised to kill her (and who had the worth to kill her) also died. Kevin, why did you not kill her off before you started Project STIGMA. Her head hurts, her head hurts so fucking much from those memories resurfacing.

The screams, the agony, the zombified brothers. The unimaginable pain. The voice in her head. The agony, the fear, the erasure of one's self, the fight. The operation table. The light of lambs, the excruciating pain, the screams of thousands echoes in her head. Destroy humanity, end this civilization, become the weapon.

–Lady Zari—?

A hand reaches out to her, a zombified human looks at her in that moment. Victor? No, she needs to get herself back together, but instead she...

"NO!" She slaps his hand away, her voice echoing for a moment. The shocked expression crosses the faces of both. Zarina didn't expect herself to lose it. Has she ever shown him any emotion so bright and colorful? Any veteran from war will speak of how it changed them. Fifty thousand years behind her shoulders leave an exhausting weight. Families, friends, kids. How many does she have to watch die? Dan Heng reminded her of her son, a face she'd long forgotten. But that look... it reminds her of HIMEKO, of MANTIS soldiers, of more.

Zarina is silent for a second. She stares at the young man with blank confusion, shock and surprise. He's not a zombified human. He's alive. He's here. He's not one from Earth. He's not suffering from Honkai disease. He's not going to fight Honkai. He's...

"Dan Heng." She brings her hand to her face, massaging the bridge of her nose. "I apologize... I... I'll see what can be done. I need to... I need to step away." Her headache is worsening. The memories bring back the pain and the pain brings back the Herrscher powers. Sokolova stumbles away, trying to not let Dan Heng see her face. "Make sure to come back."