Honkai impact 3rd: [The Mission - System]

A/n: Ed, Ooh~ Ed. This is how you do it.

Ed: Yes, yes, as you say so. But are you still on quotes?

A/n: Yes, as an author. I also read so, please give me something to read and not just harem-brain-dead girls. I wanted something similar to "Rhodes island psychologist".

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The night stretched over Nagazora like a vast, silent ocean, the moon casting a cold silver glow over the towering buildings. The streets were quiet, save for the occasional flicker of streetlights buzzing against the wind. A sharp breeze cut through the city, sending scattered newspapers tumbling across the empty sidewalks.

Through the dimly lit roads, a lone figure dashed forward, moving so fast that she was nothing more than a blur against the neon-lit skyline.

Kiana's breath came out in sharp puffs, her arms locked tightly around Ayin's unconscious body as she carried him on her back. His dead weight wasn't making things easy, and her legs were already starting to burn, but she wasn't about to slow down.

"Ugh, I swear, you better not be enjoying this, idiot…" she grumbled under her breath, shifting his weight slightly to keep her balance. "What the hell do you even eat? Steel bars? You're way heavier than you look!"

She took a sharp turn into a quieter street, her boots skidding slightly on the pavement. The cold wind bit against her skin, causing her to shiver, but she shook it off.

Then—

"WOAH! WHAT THE HELL?!"

A shocked yell cut through the air as Kiana dashed past a small convenience store with a semi-attached restaurant. Near the back entrance, a worker had just stepped outside, holding a trash bag, only to freeze as Kiana blitzed past him at inhuman speed.

The man stood there, eyes wide, mouth gaping as he tried to process what he had just seen.

"A g-ghost?! No way! T-That looked like... Wait, did I just see a girl?!" His voice cracked as he blinked rapidly. He shook his head, gripping the trash bag like it was a lifeline. "Nope. No. I'm just tired. Way too tired. I need to stop taking night shifts…"

Kiana, completely oblivious to the absolute existential crisis she had just caused, kept running.

After weaving through a few more empty alleys, she finally reached a quieter part of the city, a district lined with older apartment buildings. It was a place people barely paid attention to, which was exactly why she had picked it.

The area had that weird mix of being both too quiet and slightly eerie, with a few dim streetlights flickering weakly. A couple of parked cars lined the road, but the windows of most buildings were dark, either everyone was asleep, or the units were unoccupied.

Kiana exhaled, slowing down slightly as she approached a small, two-story rental house tucked between two taller buildings. It wasn't run-down, but it had that unmistakable "no one really cares about this place" vibe. The previous tenant had moved out just two days ago, though Kiana didn't exactly know that she had just assumed it was free real estate.

"Home sweet borrowed home," she muttered as she reached the front door, carefully adjusting Ayin on her back.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a makeshift lockpick because, of course, she didn't have an actual key. With practiced ease, she jiggled the lock, nudging the door open just enough to squeeze inside before closing it behind her.

It wasn't a total dump. There was still running water, decent furniture, and even some leftover snacks in the fridge. The previous tenant must've moved out in a hurry, and Kiana had graciously taken advantage of the situation.

As she stepped in, she let out a tired sigh "Ughhh, finally…" She rolled her shoulders. "You have no idea how much of a workout you just gave me, dude."

No response.

"You better appreciate this, buddy. I'm risking my future as an upstanding citizen for you." She grumbled, dragging Ayin's unconscious body across the floor before unceremoniously dumping him onto the couch.

She straightened up, cracking her back. "Ugh, i repeat. You're heavy as hell! What are you made of, lead?"

Ayin's body twitched. His breathing was uneven, sweat dripping down his forehead. Kiana's teasing expression quickly turned serious.

"Hey… You good?"

No response. His body was burning up—unnaturally so. Kiana's brows furrowed as she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Holy crap, you're boiling! What the hell did you eat? A nuclear reactor?"

She rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a clean towel, and drenched it in cold water. Jogging back, she slapped it onto his forehead, only for his body to violently jerk in response.

"Whoa! Okay, bad reaction, BAD reaction!" She yanked the towel away, watching as his body convulsed before going still again.

Kiana took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Alright, Kiana, think. Think, think, think! What do we do when a random guy starts melting from the inside…?"

She glanced at the first-aid kit she had stolen borrowed from a convenience store earlier.

"…Nah, painkillers won't fix that."

She paced around, hands on her hips. "Ughhh, I am NOT cut out for this medical stuff! Mei's the one who's good at this! I just punch things and hope they stop moving!"

She stopped, pointing at Ayin accusingly. "Hey, idiot, wake up and fix yourself! I didn't just haul your heavy butt all the way here for you to die in my stolen—I mean, borrowed apartment!"

Silence.

Kiana groaned and flopped onto the coffee table, staring at him. His face was pale, his body twitching occasionally, and for once, she felt completely out of her depth.

"…Tch. You better owe me big time for this, dude."

She leaned back and stretched. "Alright, if this gets any worse, I might have to drag Mei into this mess… Or maybe find some kind of—"

Before she could finish, a pulse erupted from Ayin's body.

Kiana's instincts flared, and she barely had time to react before an invisible force exploded outward. She flipped over the couch, hitting the floor with a grunt as the entire room trembled. The coffee table skidded back, and a few dishes from the counter shattered.

And just like that, everything went still.

Kiana peeked over the couch cautiously. Ayin lay there, breathing evenly, the unbearable heat now gone.

"…Okay. That was NOT normal."

She slowly stood up, dusting herself off. "Great. Now I'm stuck with a half-dead dude who explodes randomly. Perfect."

Crossing her arms, she eyed him warily. "If you turn into some kind of Honkai zombie or whatever, I swear I'm drop-kicking you out that window."

With a sigh, she slumped onto the couch next to him, her eyes still on his face. Whatever was happening to him, it wasn't over yet.

And for some reason, she had a feeling that she had just gotten herself into something way bigger than she ever wanted.

Honkai impact 3rd: [The Mission - System]

A dull ringing echoed in Ayin's ears. His eyelids felt heavy, his limbs sluggish as he stirred awake. The first thing he noticed was the dry, suffocating air filled with dust and the faint scent of burnt wood.

He blinked, his vision unfocused at first, but as he slowly sat up, reality began to sink in.

The room he was in, if it could still be called that, was half-destroyed. The walls were cracked, chunks of the ceiling had caved in, and what remained of the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust. The left side of the house was completely demolished, exposing the broken framework and allowing the harsh daylight to spill in.

Ayin frowned, his heartbeat quickening.

"...Where the hell am I?"

He didn't remember coming here. The last thing he could recall was

His thoughts froze. The pain. The unbearable burning inside him. The moment his body felt like it was being ripped apart.

But now, the pain was gone. Or at least, mostly gone. His body still felt sore, but nothing compared to the agony from before.

His brows furrowed. "What happened…?"

Slowly, he pushed himself up, dusting off his clothes as he took a cautious step forward. As he moved, the floor creaked under his weight, unsettling the loose debris scattered across the ground.

A strong gust of wind blew through the ruined house, carrying even more dust with it. Ayin instinctively raised an arm to shield his face, coughing slightly.

"…Great. Now I feel like I just woke up in a post-apocalyptic novel."

His lips twitched slightly at his own joke, but that small amusement quickly faded. Because he knew what happened in those kinds of stories.

He froze for a second, glancing around the ruins of the house. "…Crap. Did I just flag myself?"

Shaking his head, he brushed the thought aside and focused on his surroundings. Getting distracted was not an option.

The house, what was left of it looked abandoned. But it didn't look old. The damage seemed fresh, like something had torn through it not long ago.

He needed to find something, anything to defend himself.

His eyes scanned the area, stepping carefully over the debris as he searched for anything remotely useful. A piece of wood, a metal pipe—hell, even a half-broken chair could work if he had to fight.

As he moved further into the wreckage, his gaze was drawn to the outside. Through the broken wall, he caught a glimpse of what lay beyond the ruined house.

And his breath hitched.

The entire city was in shambles.

The streets were heavily damaged, cracks running deep through the pavement. Collapsed buildings lined the horizon, their skeletal remains standing against the dull gray sky. The wind howled softly, carrying with it a mix of sand and dust, swirling through the air like a ghostly presence.

Ayin's grip on the wall tightened.

"…What the hell happened here?"

The world outside looked like it had been through hell. Like an apocalypse had already come and gone, leaving nothing but remnants of a broken civilization.

And the worst part?

He had no idea how he ended up in it.

His muscles tensed. This wasn't normal. And if the ruined city was anything to go by, he was in for a hell of a time figuring out what had happened.

For now, he needed to move. Staying in one place wouldn't do him any favors.

Taking a deep breath, Ayin stepped forward, ready to find answers and more importantly, a way to survive.

Ayin stepped forward cautiously, his footfalls barely making a sound over the dust-covered floor. He didn't know where he was, but standing around wouldn't get him answers.

As he reached the front of the ruined house, a sudden gust of wind howled through the air, carrying another wave of dust and sand. Ayin instinctively shielded his face, squinting through the haze.

Then, he saw it.

A silhouette.

His breath hitched.

Through the swirling dust, a faint, humanoid figure stood in the distance. The form was unmoving, obscured by the constant winds shifting the sand across the ground.

Ayin froze.

A sinking dread crawled up his spine as his mind immediately went into overdrive.

_Wait. Wait. WAIT. I know this scene. I've SEEN this scene before._

It was in the movies, in the games and even at the horror stories.

_They ALL end BADLY for the guy in my position._

His instincts screamed at him. _Run. Run NOW._

His fingers tightened around the makeshift weapon in his hand. His mind clashed between denial and pure, raw fear. _It's fine. It's probably just, just a trick of the light. Yeah, just a shadow, nothing to panic over._

Then, the wind finally died down.

The dust settled, drifting gently to the ground.

The silhouette became clear.

And reality punched Ayin straight in the gut.

Standing right in front of him was a zombie girl.

Her body was mangled, torn in places, her clothes barely hanging onto her rotting form. Her posture was unnatural, like a puppet with half its strings cut, swaying slightly with the breeze. Yet she stood.

Ayin's blood ran cold.

"NOPE."

His entire soul screamed inside his head as he barely held himself back from physically freaking out.

_No. No, NO. This is NOT happening. This is NOT happening._

He did NOT sign up for this.

First, agonizing pain. Then, waking up in a post-apocalyptic nightmare. And now—A GODDAMN ZOMBIE?!

He had always wondered what it would feel like to be in one of those horror movie situations. Now?

He wanted to grab his past self and slap the hell out of him.

Shaking slightly, he tried to keep his breathing steady. Panicking would get him killed. The only good news? The zombie wasn't facing him.

_Good. Very good. Let's keep it that way._

Slowly, Ayin took a step back, gripping his weapon like it was his last lifeline.

"…Okay, okay. Don't panic. Don't scream. Don't think about how your life has turned into a horror survival game. Just—just slowly walk away and—"

The zombie twitched.

Ayin's soul nearly left his body.