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

Act 28: Purpose

Three Weeks After: Gym, Shicksal HQ

He still heard the clashing swords in his ears every time he fell into dreams, the fight playing on repeat over and over again. Perceval manifested the white sword in his hand as he stood facing the training dummy, the Divine Key still feeling unfamiliar in his grasp. He opened with a diagonal slash down to the left before swinging up into a horizonal slice, with a step to the right and back to gain some distance for his next manoeuvre. The Knight brought his blade low to the ground, slicing upwards with a spin into a downwards cleave with both hands on the sword. Perceval took a moment to catch his breath, standing up and resting on his sword. His breaths were long and drawn out, the Stellar Wind battlesuit still being a point of adjustment for Perceval's fighting style. The Knight stood up and dissipated the sword, making his way out from the gym. He only went there in the first place to work his exhaustion in, as soon as he and Durandal went to bed, he was unable to sleep. Perceval willed his Stellar Wind battlesuit off him, revealing his grey tracksuit pants and bare chest as he stepped back into his and Durandal's room.

 The Valkyrie stood at the window, her fingers resting gently against the glass. The Knight walked up beside her and put his hand around her waist, gazing worryingly at her. "Hey, are you doing alright?" There was a short pause before she answered, the Valkyrie still staring out towards the starry sky. Durandal turned around to face Perceval and took hold of his hands firmly, her expression was softly frowning, eyes darting towards the ground. "I can't sleep, I've been unable to for about a week now." The Knight only nodded in response, he felt the same way. The entire spectrum of events that occurred over the entire 'Divine Key' incident weighed over them for so long, the revelations unveiled within Su's trials still radiating in their ears. Perceval was the most shocked out of the both of them, the fact that his whole being present with Durandal had altered an entire timeline was simply earthshattering. The Knight gently squeezed the Valkyrie's hand, looking up into her soft sapphire eyes. "Come on... It's cold out..." The two returned to bed, crawling under the thick sheets and holding each other in their arms. Durandal looked up at Perceval, the Knight's gaze drifting off into the distance. "... Perceval, what are you thinking about?" The aforementioned man snapped back into the present, noticing his spacing out. Perceval shuffled closer to the Valkyrie, resting his head gently on her shoulder. "I'm... I'm still conflicted... About my purpose here..." Durandal frowned gently, caressing her lover in her arms. "Darling... Turn around, face your back towards me." The Knight obliged and faced himself away from her. The Valkyrie rested Perceval's head against her chest, wrapping her legs around his and pulling the two into a tender cuddle. "Perceval, I believe I once told you that even if you never made it to Nagazora where I saved you, I would still find you. Because I know that somewhere deep down, I was always waiting for someone like you." Her voice was no quieter than a whisper, Durandal's arms snaked around the Knight's torso to find his hands; which he kindly moved into reach of the Valkyrie's fingers. "It doesn't matter to me if you don't truly belong here, nor does it matter to me that this timeline is altered because of you being here. The only thing thing that matters to me is that you are here, that I'm yours, that you're mine... That I love you, and that you love me." Perceval smiled softly, his heart beginning to race again; a feeling of warmth swelling in his chest, the kind that made him always fall even deeper in love with the Valkyrie. The Knight looked up to Durandal, to his lover, with a light red tinting his cheeks. "Thank you... Thank you, Darling... My Bianka..." The Valkyrie blushed softly too, the fact that Perceval always referred to her as his and his alone making her so incredibly elated. She reached down and pressed a gentle kiss on his ear, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "You're welcome... My Perceval..." Durandal cuddled tighter against the Knight, basking in his warmth as she began to fall asleep. Perceval gently squeezed her hands as he yawned softly, his gaze directing to Durandal's sleeping face. "Good night... Bianka..."