CHRONONAUT | Honkai Impact

Chapter One: One Timeline

A/N: my memory sucks so much that I had to reread my first chapter to actually remember what I wrote myself. 

Formatting:

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

"Herrscher of the Void Speaking"

'Herrscher of the Void Thoughts'

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"You have been staring at that line for a long time now, is it really that interesting?"

Turning around and meeting the indifferent eyes of the Void Queen, Mei just shook her head.

"Not everyone can be as boringly indifferent as you are."

The main timeline was glowing in a bright color of light orange, but there was no light or shadows cast by it. Upon closer inspection, each small segment had a still-framed image on it to contextualize the major event at that point. There were also several branching timelines that seems to already have deviated from their main timeline, one way or another. 

Walking down her porch, she stopped in front of one of the events that fundamentally changed her life. The still-frame image for this particular event was a woman with red hair.

'Himeko'

She reached out and touched the image, which she soon realized was a mistake when it began to pull her in. She hurriedly retracted her hand, with the feeling of being dragged in also disappearing soon after. Instead, she was pulled backwards by her fellow Herrscher, who was now looking at her with eyes that conveyed one message: 'You're an idiot'

"It was a little bit too delayed of a reaction, don't you think?"

"I was merely surprised at how much more idiotic you had become after coming here. I thought you were at rock bottom, after all."

Glaring at the Void Queen, Mei did admit that what she said was correct. Her thoughts were jumbled from the sudden change in environment. She herself also realized that she didn't really know what do do. 

Of course, instead of outright saying it, she instead threw hopeful, tentative,  but not at all discreet glances at the Herrscher of the Void, whom just stared back with a unimpressed look on their face.

Sighing, the Herrscher of the Void began to recount what she had observed while her fellow Herrscher was absorbed in their own observations.

"First of all" pointing at what seems to be the end of the timeline, the Void queen says "the timeline seems to have stopped, or maybe ended as we entered this place"

 "While you seem to have found the way to time travel in a sense, we do not know if we can get back to this place, nor do we know if we would stay in our current forms."

Mei nodded at this, her brain had also began to work on their current situation. Seeing as the void queen had nothing more to say for the moment, she began her train of thought.

"I do have a theory, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. For time to have stopped or maybe paused since our arrival in this space, it might mean that both of us being present in one form or another is integral for time to continue."

Strolling over to the timeline, Mei points at the various images.

"These are all key events in our lives, which means that this timeline, at least, seems to be centered around us."

"Pondering these useless questions isn't important right now." said the Void Herrscher.

Being snapped out of her train of thought, she mentally hit herself over the head.

'Get your head into the game! you're embarrassing yourself!'

Thinking again, Mei comes up with a plan. She wasn't one for complex plans, and this one wasn't any different. 

"How about I go into one, and then see if I can get back or not."

Seeing that the Void Queen didn't seem to have much of an objection, she was about to go touch one segment of the timeline, but just before she touched it, she stopped.

Turning around, Mei says "I don't trust you here alone."

Chuckling, the Herrscher of the Void just says "This timeline has no value to me."

"Have accomplished more of my goal than you have, and I frankly have no use for this unless I can return to the original time we left off at."

Seeing the suspicion melt off of the Herrscher of Thunder's face, she added,

"There are too many unknown variables right now, and I would rather not take the risk myself."

Furrowing her eyebrows at that last sentence, the Herrscher of Thunder turns around and touches one of the images on the timeline, a familiar frame of St. Freya. After all, she had nothing to lose even if she were to get stuck, it would just mean that she would be one of the strongest existences for that time.

"Behave yourself" was all she said, like commanding a dog. 

Unfortunately for her, the Void Queen had no intention of doing so.

After the Herrscher of Thunder disappeared. The Herrscher of the Void lazily floated down the timeline until she reached a familiar image. A child sitting alone in front of a cake. What she said earlier about the timeline having no value was only a half truth to her.

Placing her hand on the image, she felt herself being drawn into it. After all, she had nothing to lose anyway. Even though her so called goals were furthered throughout the years, in reality it was the will of the Honkai

The will of the Honkai was also, coincidentally, something that disappeared as she entered this space between time.

This left her with even more questions that she herself doesn't know the answer to in her life.

Who was she really? Was she Kianna? Or Was she Sirin?

and now,

What is going to be her goal?

She had long been tired of destruction. She was the most destructive Herrscher, but at one point it just becomes, well, boring for lack of a better term.

It was more that there was no longer a sense of satisfaction, and perhaps that was always meant to be.

After all, acts committed on a whim and not of a person's own will can only influence someone so much. 

She had just been executing the will of the Honkai and Sirin's wish for destruction, but at the end of the day.

What did she want herself? or in fact, did she want anything at all?

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A/N: This was mostly a buildup chapter and stuff, hopefully getting into the more interesting parts soon.