Night fell, and snowflakes drifted silently onto the ruins of the training ground.

She sat by the crumbling metal wall, clutching a medal she had won long ago. She held it tightly, examining it intently for a long time, but couldn't recall how she felt when she first wore it. She only remembered that she had longed to be an important person back then.

A breeze swept through the ruins, bringing a faint chill. Kiana pulled her coat tighter, not from the cold, but from an inexplicable emptiness spreading through her chest. Lately, she'd been having frequent dreams. The world in her dreams was pure white, without sky or ground, only a blurry shadow standing in the distance, watching her.

She closed her eyes, but saw a burning wasteland, and a girl standing at the edge of the world. The girl had the exact same face as her, but wore a cold, all-encompassing smile.

"You're too weak, Kiana."

She raised her hand, a faint light still lingering at her fingertips—the power she had just pulled back from the brink of despair—but this power no longer belonged to her. Once, she had always believed herself to be a warrior, someone capable of protecting everything. But now, the scarred streets and her fallen comrades told her that protection doesn't always guarantee victory.

"...Who am I?"

She whispered the question to the empty world. There was no answer, only a faint headache exploding in her mind. It was as if something was gently tapping at her consciousness from the depths, again and again. She tried to ignore the unease, telling herself it was just fatigue. But when she closed her eyes, the white world reappeared. This time, the figure was no longer distant, but stood before her, its golden pupils devoid of warmth, filled only with endless indifference.

"You finally heard me."

The voice didn't belong to Kiana, yet it resonated from the depths of her heart.

"You think this body is yours?"

Past memories flooded back like fragments—crying, loneliness, despair, and shadows she had never wanted to confront. The pain in her chest deepened, quickened, as if tearing her soul from her body.

The shadow curled its lips into a slight smile.

"My name is Sirin."

Its gaze was cold, merciless, and as abyssal as a deep well. In the darkness, a whisper echoed like a hollow shell:

"Finally...free."

In the real world, Kiana's eyes snapped open, golden light replacing the original blue. The Honkai energy in the air began to surge, as if welcoming a true master.

And her consciousness was being pushed, bit by bit, into the depths of darkness...