Ryu: "Soo..."  He looked directly forwards as he was seated in a cold holding cell, his wrists tied tightly together and an unconscious Kiana laying next to him.  "You might be wondering how we ended up in this situation. Well it all started after Kiana and I met that woman named..."

>Chapter 12: Kallen Kaslana<

???: "Ryu...?"  Their bickering ended as both teenagers looked at the woman in confusion, with Ryu being more confused.

Ryu: "Uh...? You know my name..?"  Her eyes burned as tears began to fall from them. She suddenly ran to him and latched herself onto him, taking them both to the ground, with Ryu releasing a surprised yelp.  "Hah!? What the—"

Kiana: "H-Hey! What are you... Ryu what are you doing to her!?"

Ryu: "Does it look like I'm in control here you damned block head!?"  He yelled but slightly froze as he could feel the woman's tears drenching his jacket. He didn't know why but for some reason he felt somewhat internally... connected to her... and his hand instinctively went to gently stroke her along the back.  "Um... Ma'am... I'm not fully sure what's going on, but could you at least tell me your name?"

???: "Don't you remember me, Ryu...?"  She asked as she slowly sat up, straddling him as she looked down at him with red, tearful eyes. But then she smiled.  "I'm Kallen. I'm..."  She gulped as she held back a cry before she gently wiped her tears and stared deep into his golden ones.

Kallen: "I'm your girlfriend, along with Sakura."

There was a deafening silence for a good minute or two before Kiana was the one to break it.

Kiana: "EEEHHH!?!?"

Ryu: "I-I'm sorry... Huh?"

Kiana: "You never told us you had a girlfriend, Ryu!"

Ryu: "Well I never knew I had a good-looking woman as my girlfriend!"  He blurted out before covering his mouth. Kallen blinked in surprise before blushing deeply as she looked away, while scratching her cheek.

Kallen: "O-Oh my..."  Ryu held his head and sighed before sitting up, with him now coming face to face with the elder Kaslana on his lap.

Ryu: "Um... I'm sorry, Kallen Ma'am. I do not think I'm the same guy you've recognized me as..."  He said as Kallen slightly froze and looked at him.  "I may have his exact name, Aikawa Ryu... However, even if that were the case, I don't have any recollection of being with you nor with this 'Sakura'."  He said honestly.

Kallen was silent for a good while, taking in what he said. To her, he was a splitting image of the man she knew... from his appearance to his name... to even his personality and the connection she could feel she has to him... She slowly looked down while gripping her arm.

Kallen: "I see... I'm sorry."  She said as she slowly got up off him.  *thoughts*  "But everything about him... Sure he might be slightly younger looking, but everything about him is as I remember... Wait... Maybe he lost his memories when he.. died...? But that wouldn't explain why how he even came back..." 

As the elder Kaslana was stuck in her mindscape, Kiana who had managed to push aside everything that happened, noticed the expression of Ryu. He looked... conflicted, confused and he was holding his head. Kiana felt... concerned for him, which was a rare thing.

Kiana: "Are you okay, Ryu?"  She asked in a soft tone of genuine concern. Kallen also took notice of this and looked at him. Despite what he had just said to her, she couldn't help but drop by his side and gently help him up onto his feet.

Ryu: "I... I don't know anymore... So many weird crap's happening to me... Dreams, this feeling in my heart... And now, for some reason, everything that Kallen just said to me... I don't feel like she was crazy or anything. *sighs* I don't know Kiana..."  He said, his blackened hair shadowing his eyes. Kiana found herself walking to him and placing a supporting hand on his shoulder. 

Kallen and Kiana's thoughts: "Ryu..."

Ryu: "But we can worry about that latter."  He said as he smiled and looked at the two white-haired ladies.  "Right now, we have to figure out all of this."  He said before turning to Kallen.  "I assumed you saw us falling from the sky, hence why you came running here, right?"

Kallen: "H-Huh? Oh yeah. It was a surprising sight for me as well."  She said as she had a slight laugh. Kiana just looked at Ryu, growing more concerned for him but before anything else could be said, footsteps began to rapidly approach them.  "Ah! My escorts have arrived to pick me up."

Ryu: "Escorts?"  He asked, to which the silvery woman looked back at them seriously.

Kallen: "I advise you both to leave quickly. Ryu, please take the little miss and hide."  She said, her expression turning serious as she clenched her fists while three figures who were covered in those black cloaks with those white masks were approaching them quickly.  Ryu and Kiana instantly could feel it as their expressions hardened.

These people were definitely not the kind of "escorts" Kallen had described.

Kallen: "Especially you, Ryu. You should hide."

Ryu: "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Kallen: "Please! If they realize who... or should I say, 'WHAT' you are... they won't hesitate to rip you apart..."  The raven-haired male watched in silence as a shadow loomed over the older lady's eyes.  "Please... After what happened... I can't lose you again..."

Silence fell over the group from after she said that, with Kiana growing more confused. Ryu on the other hand tried to tap into his memories. It was obvious that Kallen had some connection to him but he couldn't remember what that was. It made him feel awful... but he wouldn't have a chance to figure it out as the group of masked individuals had approached the trio, with Kallen Kaslana quickly stepping before the two teens as she wore a hard expression.

Arthur: "Madam Kallen! Why did you attempt to escape?"

Kallen: "Lord Arthur, I did not intend to escape."  She said as she intentionally used her body to attempt to block Ryu from their view.  "I saw this girl falling out of the sky and I did what I must to save her."  She said, gesturing towards Kiana who looked confused but was wary.

She looked to her male friend and saw that he was in a state of confusion once again... But he could wait until after. She looked back at Kallen and saw a slight look of relief on her face as it seemed like Arthur nor the other two behind him noticed Ryu. However, their attention was grabbed by the other two figures.

Masked Figure 1: "Liar! You are a traitor to Schicksal. Your words carry no truth."

Masked Figure 2: "You were the one who stole the crystal from us 6 moons ago."

Ryu's thoughts: "The 'crystal'..."  He thought to himself as Arthur lifted his hand to silence his subordinates.

Arthur: "Madam Kallen, please make a sincere confession and plead for mercy! Let me intercede on your behalf. I still have the overseer's ears."  He seemed to essentially beg her. However, the silver-haired woman closed her eyes and said firmly.

Kallen: "It won't work. Father has already made up his mind. And... I no longer have any reason to carry on living." 

The moment those words left her mouth, images of a woman with long pink hair and a man with black hair appeared in her mind, their colors slowly fading to black and white. Ryu's eyes widened before he suddenly clutched onto his head as if in pain. However, that couldn't be addressed currently as Kallen was suddenly dragged by Arthur.

Arthur: "Enough talk! Let's go!"

Before he could drag the elder Kaslana any further, he was suddenly sent flying back with a punch from Kiana and Ryu combined, the two of them now stood in front of the silver haired woman.

Kiana: "You're definitely not going to do anything to our savior! And such a cute one too!"

Ryu: "Our Savior...?"  He glanced at her with a deadpan, to which she simply nodded proudly.

Kiana: "Of course! She came to our rescue after all!"

Ryu: "Right... Well as she said, we won't let you treat Ms. Kallen in such a way. You just don't do that to anyone, especially not a beautiful woman like her."  He said, a smile creeping its way onto his face.

Kallen stared at him with wide eyes, a blush seeming to slowly form on her cheeks before her eyes widened in horror.

Kallen: "Watch your backs!"

Instantly, Ryu was the first to react as he looked straight at Kiana, seeing one of the cloaked men behind her and ready to knock her out. Before it could happen, Ryu pushed her out of the way, taking the hit for her and falling to the ground unconscious.

Kiana: "Ryu! You bastards!" 

With a yell, she charged but was easily knocked out with a karate cop to the back of her neck. Kallen just looked on, mortified and with little hope in her eyes as she slowly looked down. That day, not only she was taken away, but so were Kiana and Ryu.

>>Later that Night<<

Ryu: "And that's how we ended up here."

Kiana: "Who the heck are you talking to, Ryu?"  The raven-haired male looked to his side and saw that Kiana had woken up and managed to push herself onto her knees.

Ryu: "Good, you're awake, Tuna."  He answered, which completely threw her off as her eye twitched slightly.

Kiana: "Stop calling me that!"

Kallen: "You two are hot-headed. Not like I'm surprised, you've always been like that, Ryu."  The two teens looked towards the elder Kaslana, who was bounded to the wall by chains.  "Lord Arthur taught me the fighting arts. There's no way either of you can beat him. Maybe you, Ryu could beat him, but it would mean exposing your true self..."

Ryu: "You're talking about my nature of a Herrscher, right?"  He asked, with a slight hushed tone as Kiana looked at him, with a slight look of worry. From how Kallen was making it sound, they would have instantly executed Ryu if they learned that he was a Herrscher. She understood the danger that Herrschers possess but she knows Ryu...

Kallen: "Yes... Thankfully, none of them figured that out yet."  She sighed in relief before looking at them with a small smile.  "They probably think you and the young miss are just two teenagers I met just a moment ago. They'll let you two go by tomorrow morning."

Ryu: "I see..."

Kiana: "But what about you?"

Kallen: "Well, I guess I'll be here for a little while longer."  She said with a bitter smile. Ryu was silent at this as he took time to process things. As he was, Kiana struck up a conversation with her elder.

Kiana: "Oh yeah, I'm Kiana! What should I call you? Madam Kallen?"

Kallen: "Just call me Kallen, little miss!"

Kiana: "So why are they locking you up at this place, Kallen? And why did you call yourself Ryu's girlfriend earlier?"  She asked. Kallen blushed out of embarrassment and slightly glanced away while Ryu flinched a bit, though he was curious too and looked at the woman. With a deep sigh, she answered.

Kallen: "Well the two topics are related, believe it or not... First, I was here for stealing something."

Kiana: "Really? I can't believe it! A nice lady like you is definitely not a thief! Unlike some brat who always eat cakes that Mei baked for me..."  She muttered the last part while Ryu glanced at her.

Ryu: "Says the glutton that takes tries to steal the food I end up cooking."

Kiana: "I have no idea what you're talking about!"  She turned away with a 'hmph' while all Ryu did was facepalm with his tied hands.

Kallen: "To be honest, I actually did steal things..."  She continued.

Kiana: "Oh, I know! You're like Robin Hood! You steal from the rich to give to the poor!"

Kallen: "If you want me to be very honest, I didn't do that either. The thing I stole is a powerful artifact that evil people could use for their selfish ends."  That caused the two teens to become surprised, mainly from the term 'powerful artifact'. Kallen then looked at Ryu with a pained expression.  "And the second reason why I'm here... Is because I fell in love with both Aikawa Ryu and Yae Sakura... But now..." 

She looked down at her lap, her silvery hair shadowing her eyes that were one filled with resolve. Ryu and Kiana both feel silent as it seemed like what happened clicked in their minds. Ryu suddenly grunted as he held his head, with Kiana instantly looking at him.

Kiana: "Ryu!"

Ryu: "I'm... I'm fine..."  He shook his head as the younger Kaslana had scooted over to his side. He slowly looked at Kallen.  "If what happened is what I think happened, I'm sorry Kallen..."

Kallen: "Don't be..."  She shook her head before closing her eyes.  "We've bantered long enough. Time for you two to get rest."  Before they could even think about taking Kallen upon her offer, a guard's voice startled them. But what he said shocked them.

Guard: "Ryu! Your wife's here to bail you and your daughter Kiana out!"  There was a deafening silence as the two slowly looked at each other.

Ryu and Kiana: "Wife? Daughter?"

Guard: "Hurry it up!"  The two quickly got up and approached the now opened cell door, where the guard was.  "That's it! Move along! I don't want to see either of you again!"  They were about to leave but Kiana quickly turned back to Kallen.

Kiana: "Kallen! What about you?"

Kallen: "Don't worry. I'll be fine."  She smiled at the two.  "Now go and return to your loved one, the both of you."  She spoke. Ryu said nothing and stared at her but couldn't say anything as the guard instantly pushed the two out.

Guard: "'Nuff talking! Move along and get out of 'ere!"

Kiana: "Stop pushing! Grr... Stupid bastard..."

???: "Ehem! Apologies my good sir. My idiot Husband and spoiled darling must have caused a great deal of trouble!"  The two looked towards their right as they were instantly treated to the one who bailed them out...

Ryu: "...Bronya...?" 

Bronya Zaychik. However, the outfit she wore was... interesting to say the least. With her closing the parasol she held over her head, she bonked Ryu on the head with impressive force, causing him to grunt and hold his head.

Ryu: "Ow!"

Bronya: "You idiot! Don't you know how worried you and our spoiled little brat made me!? I nearly fainted!"  While Kiana just stared with the biggest deadpan she's ever had, Ryu sweat dropped, knowing Bronya's plan but hearing her say all this took him off guard.

Ryu: "Um... I'm sorry..."  He said while scratching the back of his head, but Bronya just crossed her arms and scoffed while looking away.

Bronya: "Hmph. Not good enough."

Ryu: "Geh!"  He was taken aback and unsure of what to do since he's never really been in this situation before. He has dealt with a slightly moody Bronya before but that was when they were living in Cocolia's Orphanage. But now...

He sighed deeply. He looked around before approaching the silver-haired girl before leaning down to her slightly and gently placing a light kiss on her forehead.

Ryu: "Better?"  There was a brief silence as Bronya quickly faced away from him, her cheeks suddenly heating up and turning a light shade of pink but she quickly nodded.

Bronya: "Y-You are forgiven..."

Ryu: "Goodness you're such a child sometimes..."  He facepalmed but couldn't help but laugh a bit on the inside. He then looked back to the still confused Kiana.  "C'mon, Tuna. Let's get out of here before they throw all three of us in there."

Kiana: "H-Huh? Oh right! U-Um..."  She scratched the back of her head.  "D-Dad..."

• • •

Ryu: "Eh!?"

Kiana: "S-Shut up, pervert!"

>>Short Time Skip<<

After Bronya successfully managed to bail Ryu and Kiana out, the three of them were walking through the marketplace and they were discussing this entire Kallen situation.

Kiana: "Bronya, this tutorial VR is weird and super dangerous. I fell and almost died yesterday."

Ryu: "Yeah... That was not fun at all... But this is how advanced VR has become."  He sighed and shook his head.

Kiana: "They even had this boss called Lord Arthur who can't be beat! And didn't you say that these are VR Elements? Why can I touch them? And why can they knock me out?"  She questioned. To be honest, Ryu couldn't blame her as in all the times he went into VR worlds with Bronya, this never happened before.

Ryu: "For once, I'm with her. This had never happened before. Does it have anything to do with that Golden Cross she touched?"

Bronya: "Most likely. This is a hidden sector of the memory archives open only to members of the House of Kaslana. And it has hyper realistic interactive feedback settings. The Bronya has to apply advanced programming and exploit logic bugs to access this place. Ryu was most likely dragged in because he made physical contact with you just as you were sent in."

Ryu: "Huh... That does make sense..."

Kiana: "I guess being a Kaslana does have it's perks."  She said, picking up an apple from a stand.  "So, about that lady Kallen... I wish I knew more about her."

Bronya: "Kallen Kaslana?"

Ryu: "Kaslana huh..."  He hummed and stroked his chin before it clicked.  "Ah! You mean 'The' Kallen Kaslana! The 29th member of the Kaslana Family, right?"

Bronya: "Da."

Kiana: "WHAT!?" AMAGAD! She's a Kaslana as well!?"

Bronya: "Da. The Bronya expected you to know her since she's your ancestor."  With a wave of her hand, multiple digital screens appeared in front of them.  "Here is the info about Kallen Kaslana. It was in the History exam..."

Kiana: "Let me see!"  She stepped forwards to the screen before her eyes widened in surprise. There it read...

Kallen Kaslana

Born in 1452 as the eldest daughter of Francis Kaslana, the 29th Kaslana Dynasty.

At 16 years old, Kallen passed her trials and became the captain of the Valkyries, the Anti-Honkai Military Force of Schicksal. Kallen spent the next 8 years battling the Honkai, defeating and sealing away more than 1000 Honkai Beasts. Schicksal commended her valor by commissioning the "OATH OF JUDAH". A weapon that only Kallen could wield.

1477 CE: Kallen stole a Honkai Energy Crystal being researched by Schicksal. She fled to the far east where she fell in love with Yae Sakura and Aikawa Ryu, two suspected Herrschers, the former being corrupted by said energy crystal while the latter was said to have Herrscher powers locked away inside of him. Both the Crystal and suspected Herrschers were destroyed in the same year, severely hampering Schicksal's research efforts. A severely wounded Kallen was later apprehended by Schicksal.

She was then returned to the European stronghold to answer for her crimes of theft. During the trial, Kallen Declared: "The Herrschers are innocent, and I was in love with them!" Those who witnessed the trial believed that Kallen had gone insane. The trial council sentenced Kallen to death by hanging. And that was her fate.

At the conclusion of this story, Kiana was left more confused about the whole Ryu situation.

Kiana: "So what she said about Ryu was true then?? But then... how..."

Bronya: "The Bronya speculates that the Aikawa Ryu in the history was Ryu's ancestor, and he was just named after him."

Kiana: "Huh... That does make sense... But even then..."  She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.  "Executing for falling in love with a Herrscher? But Herrschers are humans, too. They may be misled by the Honkai, but that doesn't make them monsters! Loving a Herrscher is definitely not a sin!"

As she said this, her mind showed images of Mei, both when the Herrscher of Thunder's persona took over her and when it wasn't. Then images of Ryu and even Ame appeared, both when their Herrscher powers activated and when they didn't. Ryu was silent, mainly because he was fixated on the stuff, they just read...

Ryu's thoughts: "Kallen Kaslana... Yae Sakura... Aikawa Ryu... What..."  As he was dealing with that, Kiana suddenly brought up the idea to save Kallen.

Bronya: "Save her? The Bronya must remind Subject Kiana that this is a Data-Generated VR World. The real Kallen is already dead for 500 years."

Kiana: "But you know that these people are wrong!! We must rescue her or something! Bronya, tell me the location of the execution!"

Bronya: "Nyet! Nyet!"  She was waving her closed parasol like a mother telling her kid 'no' but Kiana persisted.

Kiana: "I don't care if this is VR or not! I will NOT stand idle and watch her die like this! And neither will Ryu! Right Ryu?"  The two girls looked to the young male who was clutching his head with a look of pain on his expression. Only then, the two dropped the subject and instantly ran to his side. 

Kiana and Bronya: "Ryu!"

Ryu: "So that's how it is huh..."  He whispered with a heavy sigh as he could hear Nakith roaring. He slowly stood up straight.

Kiana: "Huh? What is??"  She asked confused but he responded by shaking his head.

Ryu: "Nothing... But you are right, Kiana."  He said, taking her by surprise. He slowly smiled at her, with a slight glow in his eyes.  "Even though this isn't real... Leaving Kallen to die like this would leave a bad taste in my mouth. I know my... ancestor might have hated himself for not being able to save her or Yae Sakura... I know that feeling..." 

He said as the image of Seele appeared in his mind, followed by Bronya laying in that medical bed after getting corrupted by the Honkai and losing her legs. Bronya immediately knew what he meant by that as she suddenly felt her heart hurt a little. Loosing Seele took a toll on Ryu and she knew how bad in shape he was after learning of the damage she sustained to her legs and brain.

Bronya: "Ryu..."  He then looked at Bronya.

Ryu: "It might not make a difference, but you know how much I hate not doing anything, Bronya."  The silver-haired girl was silent before relenting.

Bronya: "...Da. The Bronya shall initiate careful planning. We don't have any weapons or equipment in this VR Setting. Ergo, if the Bronya plays a game, the Bronya must beat the game."

Ryu: "Heh... Of course. I've still got Nakith with me, so we'll have nothing to worry about."  He said with a confident grin.

Kiana: "READY YOUR WEAPONS!"  She screeched, pumping a fist into the air.

Bronya: "The Bronya already said we have no weapons..."

Ryu: "Hah... Well at least she's enthusiastic. Let's do this."  He said with a smirk as heh looked off into the virtual sky. His smile then faced a bit as the same images from earlier flashed through his mind.  *thoughts* "Kallen Kaslana and Yae Sakura huh... Well, explaining this all to everyone is gonna be... confusing as hell..."

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