Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

The trio, Ryn, Sparkle, and Meia, returned to Changkong City. Ryn and Sparkle both understood not to tell Meia and Kiana about the Gem of Conquest. This wasn't the right time; it would only cause unnecessary anxiety without serving any purpose.

Feeling the Stigma on his hand, Ryn waited... waited for the moment of the great Honkai's arrival. His goal was to seize that Honkai energy, ensuring the great Honkai wouldn't cause too much harm and preventing Meia from turning into the complete Herrscher of Thunder.

Changkong City had been an anomaly for years, gradually accumulating Honkai energy. Its subtle signs and unknown source led Schicksal to mostly ignore it. Now, it seemed evident that the area had long been chosen as the site for a Herrscher's descent and the great Honkai.

Schicksal was already implementing isolation facilities across the Far East, progressively approaching Changkong City. They understood that the great Honkai would spread its energy instantly across the entire Far East, causing destruction no one could withstand.

The Schicksal Far East Branch—Saint Freya Academy was responsible for managing the Far East region. But let's be honest, although Schicksal had sent out its notification, Principal Theresa of Saint Freya College didn't make any real arrangements. (Theresa simply ignored Schicksal's directives and avoided handling affairs, preferring to spend her days in her office reading comics. After all, Otto would take care of everything, leaving her free to enjoy the rewards without effort. Since Theresa never even saw the message from Schicksal, she only belatedly sent assistance several days later when the great Honkai struck and was dragged into the emergency meeting.)

As Mei walked home from school, she woke up. Kiana excitedly talked with her about their recent adventures, battling enemies across the land. Meia smiled and assured everyone that she was fine, but deep down, she wasn't feeling well. She often heard strange voices that no one else could hear...

Life continued as usual. Kiana and Mei attended school together, sometimes joined by Sparkle. Meanwhile, Ryn stayed at home, working on game development and studying Stigmas.

During this time, some positive things happened, too.

On December 6th, Kiana and Ryn attended the wedding of the fried chicken shop owner and the coffee shop owner's wife. Not long after Kiana started school, the owner finally overcame her reservations and confessed to the wooden owner. After his initial shock, the owner was overwhelmed with emotion and returned her feelings. Overjoyed, they got engaged, and now they were celebrating their marriage.

They chose a Western-style ceremony instead of a traditional one.

On the day of the wedding, Kiana and Ryn sat together in the church. They watched as the bride and groom pushed open the ornate doors and walked down the aisle covered in petals. At the end of the red carpet, the beautiful, pure-looking bride and the tall, handsome groom exchanged their unwavering vows under everyone's watchful gaze.

In the colored light streaming through the stained glass windows, Kiana noticed that the bride's veil was slightly different from the pure white dress. Curious, she asked Ryn, but he didn't know the answer either.

A kind person sitting nearby explained to Kiana, "It's a Western tradition for brides to wear their mother's wedding crown to symbolize blessings..."

Kiana smiled and thanked the kind person. Then she tightened her grip on Ryn's hand. Cecilia's mother's memories were not her own... so she couldn't be sure if her mother had saved a wedding crown for her... But Kiana now understood something about weddings—she described them as "heartfelt vows filled with blessings."

"Ryn... It's so moving," Kiana choked back sobs. "This must be the most beautiful and happiest moment of anyone's life..." Her emotions overwhelmed her, and Ryn quietly wiped away her tears.

"Indeed... Marriage is the most important day of your life. We'll have a big wedding too, with Kiana wearing a gorgeous dress, walking down the aisle with me. We'll make our vows to each other that we won't regret."

"Then I'll make sure to look my absolute best that day! We'll invite Meia, Sparkle, and our dear old dad!"

"Sounds perfect."

As they fantasized about their future wedding, the event on stage reached the bouquet toss. The innkeeper glanced at Kiana's seat, then turned and, under everyone's watchful gaze, flawlessly tossed the bouquet right into Kiana's arms.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Seeing Ryn and Kiana as if they were already a couple, they showered them with heartfelt blessings. Kiana, caught off guard by this, felt flustered and a bit shy. But when Ryn took her hand, she realized there was nothing to fear. She leaned softly against him, watching as Ryn accepted the well-wishes with a smile. Kiana, in turn, began to smile happily.

Buoyed by everyone's encouragement and her own beautiful visions of the future, Kiana suddenly decided she wanted to try on a wedding dress too. Since her birthday was coming up, Ryn suggested buying her a dress as a gift. So, the next morning, Kiana and Ryn set off for a wedding dress shop.

After listening to the salesperson's enthusiastic recommendations, they picked out a pure white dress. Kiana followed the salesperson to try it on, the dress itself chatting away about all the details of the wedding process along the way.

"Aiya, getting married sure is complicated... Why do I need to wear this corset and high heels too? Suddenly, I don't want to get married anymore..." Kiana kicked aside the glass slipper off her foot, ready to make a run for it. All this wedding business—picking out dresses and following all these steps—seemed way too much fuss. Maybe it'd be better to just elope in the future...

As everyone watched in shock, the salesperson quickly tightened the corset around Kiana's waist as far as it would go. This made Kiana groan and her face go even paler.

I don't know what I was thinking, wanting to wear one of these wedding dresses, Kiana thought. She felt like she might lose her mind.

Just when Ryn and everyone else thought Kiana was about to lose her temper and start yelling, they saw a different side of her instead.

The moment Kiana put on the veil, it was like a switch flipped inside her. Her complaints and frowns vanished. Instead, she smiled softly at her reflection in the mirror. Ryn could see the hidden emotions in her eyes.

"This dress is so long... But it's not bad. It really feels like I'm wearing a wedding gown. Can you take a picture of us to remember this, Ryn?"

The girl holding up her long skirt stood gently before him. Though her movements were still a bit awkward, there was something about it that proved her charm as a young maiden.

Room for a picture.

Ryn took Kiana's hand and quietly supported her, helping her stand steady in those crystal high heels. He smiled and said, "Of course, my most beautiful bride."

Ryn wrapped his arms around Kiana, and the two of them faced the camera with smiles. The shop assistant and Cortana each took photos, capturing this beautiful moment.

When Kiana finally got the pictures, she caressed the smooth surface of one and sighed, "Too bad the crown wasn't the one Mom left to me..."

Ryn rested his chin on Kiana's head and reassured her gently, "Don't worry... Something that important? Siegfried for sure kept it hidden away. We'll find him, and I'm sure he'll bless our marriage."