Lights in a Starless Sky - A Honkai Impact 3rd Fanfiction

Act 4: Aspiration

The Command Center stood in silence as the Overseer made his way over to Durandal, Rita and Perceval. "Well my Valkyries, how did Perceval do?" Otto sloshed the wine in his glass as Rita prepared to give a report "Master Perceval was excellent in gathering data on the situation and formulating optimal plans. But when it came to combat, he was exceptionally risky and put himself in unnecessary-" Durandal cut the maid off "If I may, Overseer?" Otto was puzzled at first then turned his head and gave an accepting gesture, Durandal continued "Perceval performed on a level that is far beyond any ordinary foot soldier and Valkyrie, In his albeit reckless approach, he saved me from the Honkai Beast we encountered." Perceval turned his head away in shame "But for that, I am grateful. With training, he could be a great asset in our fight against the Honkai." Perceval's face lit up with delight at Durandal's appeal, the Overseer nodded as he considered the thought. "I certainly agree." He turned to Perceval "What say you, Perceval?" He didn't even need to consider the thought, his response came as naturally as breathing "I'll do it. I will become a Knight of Shicksal." Otto pet Perceval on the shoulder, then turned to sit back down in his swivel chair "Well said. In regard to your training, I will put in a notice for St. Freya." Perceval raised his eyebrow "St. Freya Academy? The school for Valkyries?" Otto handed a datapad to his assistant Amber "Yes. You will get the best training there, I will put in a good word for you to my granddaughter." Perceval scratched his head and turned to Durandal "His granddaughter?" She nodded "Theresa Apocalypse is the principal of St. Freya, as well as its founder." Perceval smiled, just as hard working as her grandfather huh? He thought to himself. "What is your granddaughter like, Overseer?" Perceval put his hand to his chin "You'll find out soon enough." Otto stood from his chair and handed Perceval the datapad he received from Amber "Here is your Orientation Guide and map." Perceval scanned the information "So when do I depart?" Otto threw Perceval a keycard "Tomorrow morning at 9. Use this to access the Hangar, in the morning there will be a jet waiting for you. You are all dismissed." 

Shicksal HQ Research Division: Weapon Development

Thanatos was burning hot. Even 5 hours after he used it to stun that large Honkai Beast it was still hot-to-the-touch, not to mention, due to the intensity of the flames; the bold red of the blade was coated in jet-black ash. Perceval continued to polish the sword's edge, putting his entire body weight into each scrub. Until after several minutes, the blood red coloring was finally visible. He took the blade in his gloved hands, the edge had dulled significantly and the fuel canisters were beyond any sort of repair; at this point, it was just a stick. Perceval sighed heavily, then again, he only spent a few months developing the sword. He glanced over to the prototype battlesuit he had been developing, at his old branch he spent more of his break time on it than any other of his side projects. The mechanical door to the room swung open with a small hiss, and through it, came Durandal. She walked up beside Perceval "Impressive work you've done." She glanced down to the sword in Perceval's hands, it sparkled like it was brand new "That's only the half of it, Durandal." He laid it on a small stand and clamped it in place "The blade has dulled from the intense heat, and the fire system is beyond fixing." He picked up a small whetstone "I need to at least make it combat effective, or else it will be just a very expensive stick." He began to run the stone over the edge, buffing out the rough surface to reveal a flat, sharp edge. Durandal looked on as he diligently switched between slow, controlled runs and fast, wild waves. 

"Perceval, Rita was correct about you." As Durandal spoke, Perceval's concentration wavered. He stopped his sharpening and turned to face her "I know." He picked up the sword and held it to his face, observing the work he had done thus far "But when you were in danger, I just... Moved." Durandal raised her eyebrow as Perceval laid the sword down on its other side "You mean you moved on instinct?" Perceval ran his hand over the gem that laid at the sword's hilt "Yes. Before I realised anything, I was in the air holding your lance." The events of the fight played through his mind. He felt remembered the feeling when he was told to run; the utter sickness in his stomach that plagued him when Durandal asked him to abandon the fight, he could feel his insides churn by just thinking about it. "The Overseer has told you of my condition, yes?" Perceval turned to face Durandal as she looked into the corner of the room "Separation Anxiety, was it?" Perceval's stoic expression turned glum for a moment "Yes." He ran his hand over the flat edge of the blade "It really came into play during that fight when you... Told me to run." Durandal noticed the color slightly drain from his face "I think of everyone here at Shicksal as a friend, not just a teammate or coworker." She was surprised by his comment. Perceval had only been at HQ for two days, yet he considered the people there his friends. He turned to face her after placing the sword down. "I would never forgive myself if, due to my hesitation, one of my friends were to die. That's why I did what I did." She smiled "I'm glad about that." Perceval scratched the back of his head, then extended his hand out to Durandal. "Let's get along well, Durandal." She paused a moment before shaking his hand. "Yes. Let's do our best, Perceval." He chuckled, the infectiousness of his laugh was undeniable to Durandal. He clearly was different from others she knew in the field. "You should turn in for the night, it's getting quite late." Perceval nodded. "Yeah, and I have to go to St. Freya tomorrow." Durandal made her way towards the door, and it shut with a clank behind her. He stretched his arms and yawned, his drowsiness catching up to him. He made his way back to his assigned room, and looked at his reflection in the mirror of his bathroom. He adjusted his hair  slightly, so that the part was more symmetrical in his brown locks. He splashed his face with some cold water, the drops of water running down the back of his neck, sending a chill through his spine. As he collapsed onto the single bed, he looked up at the ceiling and let some thoughts run through his head.