After three days of fruitless search, Kiana felt extremely depressed. She did not eat during those three days. She used the [Two Phase Art] to convert the surrounding energies into spiritual qi.
The moment she did so, her surroundings got turned into a place filled with thick spiritual qi. Hints of dao rhymes swam across the blue mist that turns liquid at every turn.
The middle fourth grade spirit vein could accommodate a Golden Core cultivator. It posed no problem to sustain Kiana's needs. She can even actively attract the external energies to further increase the vein's grade.
This discovery did not dispel her depression. Kiana searched the boundless imaginary space and found nothing. It only worsened her mood.
That was when she went back to Earth. She wanted to ask for help. She chose not to resurface on Shenzhou, but on North America. She heard from Shi Tian about Anti-Entropy's base.
Recalling Sirin's impression of Welt Yang is enough to seal the deal. She would rather work with Welt Yang than a bastard like Otto Apocalypse.
"Hm…"
Kiana discarded some ordinary items from the storage ring. It happened when she took them out inside the imaginary space. Be it clothes or a baseball bat, it randomly broke. Only the ones with spiritual qi survived.
On her hand is her phone. The moment she turned it on, a lot of notifications rang. The storage ring freezes and isolates inorganic things from the outside world. Time is frozen inside. The phone's battery was retained.
The corn farm surrounding her did not make up for a good place to settle things. It did not affect her mood, however.
Kiana silently opened her phone. She wanted to go through the gallery when she noticed something.
"A message..?"
Her heart dropped. The sender is none other than Shi Tian.
Kiana swiftly opened it to take a look. It consisted of a ten minute video.
She immediately saw Shi Tian in the middle of a forest. She could tell it was during their time in Shenzhou. The camera angle indicates the phone is floating with the help of his spiritual consciousness.
"Ahem. This is a timed video. It is scheduled to be sent two days later. It means nothing if I can delete this. If not, something bad happened."
"..!"
Kiana was startled at his words. Shi Tian knew he might disappear during those two days!
"Anyways, listen carefully, Kiana. The things I am about to say are important." He stared. "There's a good chance you will recover your memories. Foundation Establishment can bring back a damaged mind. We should have fought against the Herrscher inside you by then."
As if predicting her wide eyes, the Shi Tian inside the video showed off.
"Surprised? I can feel your stupefied look across the screen."
"How did he…"
"Ahem. I predicted something bad would happen. Don't worry, I can handle the Herrscher. She should be sleeping peacefully now. If not, eh, this video loses all meaning."
Shi Tian's face changed between coolness to a slight fluster. The price of this aura farming session is high. One wrong prediction is all it takes. It shows his confidence to resolve things.
Fortunately, he succeeded in all of them.
"Nope. I won't record this again." He muttered to himself. "Back to the topic. The Herrscher inside you is no trouble. We can throw that off the window. The next important thing is… if I am gone… in any
Kiana had a feeling he was talking about death. Her heart tightened at the thought of it.
"This world is not simple. The presence of honkai subverts everything. The more terrifying fact is… there is a will above that controls such force. It intends to destroy humanity."
"God…"
Kiana possessed Sirin's memories. The most vague of them all is her encounters with God. Sirin believed in God strongly, yet she could not recall much about their meetings.
"That is when Herrschers come to play. They are the chosen apostles who will destroy humanity on the Will's behalf. Earth's civilization fifty thousand years ago was destroyed because of them. However, it also brought a change. Herrschers are given a chance to betray the Will… to fight for humanity."
The more Shi Tian talked, the more surprised Kiana became. His knowledge regarding the honkai is off the charts. It is not something he should know.
"His Master… Why didn't she help him?"
Kiana's resentment towards his nonexistent Master grew.
"...given a criteria to select from. People with insane honkai adaptability have a chance of being chosen as a Herrscher. Experiencing the dark side… having a dark mentality is another huge plus…"
Shi Tian did not dilly dally and went straight to the point.
"In short, I might be chosen as one. This feeling grew stronger when it emerged eleven days ago. Us immortal cultivators… We have a vague sense of danger. It's just that… mine felt so tangible. I can feel a disaster coming. It's not fully the Herrscher thing. It's a problem on my side... on immortal cultivation."
Those were his true thoughts. This impending danger manifested in the form of heavy worries. Shi Tian resolved the worries when he created the fifth level of [Blade Mantra], yet he still felt uneasy. His mind is warning him about something bad. It is no longer his worries, but something else.
"I realized I cannot delay things. I have to help you resolve your biggest problem before this disaster strikes." He explained before continuing, "I hope it was resolved. I hope this video can be canceled by me later… that everything goes back to normal. Those are the best seven months of my life."
"..."
"But if it doesn't… Let's proceed with things for the future. First, you can ask for help on Anti-Entropy. This is Doctor Tesla's contact number. Use it to connect with them. They are good allies when it comes to fighting the honkai."
Everything else that followed is reminiscent of a last will. Shi Tian talked about things that will help Kiana fight against the honkai.
It also contained a bit of his "willfulness" that prevents the known tragedies from occurring. The X-10 Experiment and Himeko are one of the few examples.
Unknowingly, Kiana reached the end of the video. These ten minutes felt like a good minute. It brought back the feeling of casual talks with Shi Tian.
"...Well. I don't know how to end this. Just be you. Do what you think is right. Fight for it when necessary. Destiny can be shaped by our hands." He hesitated for a while before adding, "You can set tomorrow ablaze."
That marked the end of the video. Drops of liquid began to rain on the screen.
"Hick… You trust me… Hick… too much…"
Nobody heard her sobs.
It does not matter.
Kiana knows what she needs to do now.
"To become uber strong… to protect others..!"
Her footsteps began to parallel Durandal's.
*****
A/N: Shi Tian's PoV will come next. Kiana's character development is done...
PS: Bonus Chapter.