Honkai Impact 3rd: Venris Remnant

Chapter 5

A nice house stands in the middle of a grass field, distant from a small modern village. In that house, a mother reads a book as a small child lies flat on the ground silently groaning. "Mama~ my body hurtss..." The mother puts her book aside, picks up her son's sore body lying on the ground, and places him on the soft sofa.

"fufu~ That girl, maybe I should tell her to hold back on the sparing for awhile," she says, the child turns his body to lie down on his stomach. The girl his mother talks about is the daughter of a retired Valkyrie, just like herself. Both Ruben and her have known each other from the moment they became toddlers. One has big dreams to follow her mother's footsteps as a Valkyrie despite her mother's disinclined thoughts. The other wants to be strong like his father and perhaps awaken the secret "gift" inherited at birth to fight like he did.

Both mothers want their children to have a normal life but their children's stubbornness and other circumstances win them over to give them at least some bit of harsh training, both children have different yet merging goals and both are similarly fatherless kids.

"She wins every timeee, it's not fair," he says, his voice slightly muffled as the sofa covers his mouth.

"Don't always go rushing in with a flurry of attacks Ruben, reading your opponent and stealing the upper hand before they can use them can probably give you a better chance against her." Ruben turns his body again to lie on his back, shuffling his body closer to his mother who continues to read her book.

"Why does she come here all the time though? Her mom was a fighter like you right?" Ruben asks.

"Well, me and Tora do go way back. She does know her stuff, but she also tells me how much fun her daughter Miki has training with you." The mother puts her book aside again and pats Ruben on the head.

"Fun? But we play all the time when we're not training, I'm hardly a match for her anyway."

The mother chuckles, "You're on your own if you want to understand what she means by that, but enough about a girl's heart, did you decide on anything you want for your birthday coming up?" Hearing the reminder of his upcoming birthday only a few weeks away, the child jolts up.

"OH, I-Uh, umm...." Ruben puts a hand to his chin. "I don't know..."

"Oh?~ Most kids would want to spoil themselves on that day." What she means is SHE, wanted to spoil him on that day, the thought of not splurging on her baby boy with gifts for his birthday gravely disappoints her. "Well I do have one gift that you're father wanted me to give you once you're old enough."

"Papa!?" the boy's eyes shine. The mother opens a drawer and holds a small, black, rectangular box. "Now now Ruben, you're not going to see what's inside till your birthday. Can you do that for Mama?"

Ruben shakes his head up and down multiple times quickly, his body is jumping with excitement. He wants to know what's in there. But for now, he will only wait, for it is a gift that will be given to him by his father, the man he never knew but constantly looked up to him.

In the meantime, he just needs to wait.

_______________________

More than a year has passed since Ruben and Bronya broke into a warehouse to rescue their friend Seele. Since that day the trio has become inseparable, never apart. After what happened when Seele pushed them away out of a sudden fear and called them "Demons" the two have promised her never to hurt anyone for her sake again. Although the event has caused the trio to become closer than ever, the lingering memories have put an even greater hold on one of the children than the rest. But time passes regardless, the hold slowly loosens but is still there. The choice was set even before the two left the orphanage, no regrets were made. As long as their dear friend was safe.