{Date: 9/18 - Sunday}
{Time: 10:00 AM}
I began to slowly wake up from my Stasis State, slowly opening my eyes and looking around, noticing I was in the infirmary. I began to slowly sit up and grunted softly, my body still tense from the intense battle against the cloaked man from the stadium. I looked to my side, noticing Orika still in the other bed due to the nurse's request but wide awake, reading a book.
Suddenly, the door opened, entering inside was Saito, Yumeji, Kikyo, Orishi, and a fifth woman I did not recognize. The five women smiled at me due to my eventual recovery. Saito, Kikyo, and Yumeji went to check up on Orika while Orishi and the other woman walked to my bed to check on me.
The woman I stared at had a serene grace and an air of pure beauty to her. She had long, flowing, silver-white hair with a soft, ethereal shine. Her hairstyle included a golden accessory on one side, giving her a mystical look. Her pale complexion and calm blue eyes added to her serene, otherworldly appearance.
She wore a fitted, high-tech, and ornate white suit with gold accents. The design was intricate, with a futuristic, almost armor-like quality, which combined elegance with a sense of strength. The chest area glowed with a symbol or emblem, a marking that looked similar to my Vow of Death.
"Well...you finally woke up, girlie..~ How are you feeling? The nurse said your vitals are still good, but you were in a Stasis State from using too much Spirit Energy at once," Orishi said, looking at the monitor with my health conditions displayed.
I glanced at Orishi then looked at the woman that on the other side of the bed. "I uhm...I'm okay..."
'Why does this woman seem so familiar to me...?' I thought, unable to take my gaze off the woman.
The woman stared back at me, her smile sending a familiar and gentle warmth through out my body. "You seem curious about me. I guess I can tell you who I am since I'm here. My name is Yusa Yukota, Leader of all Valkyrias and the Headmistress of St. Fraskia."
As she introduced herself, a wave of memories flashed into my head. I remembered my father talking about her with the Commander when I was younger. 'Leader...of all Valkyrias..? Yusa..? No...She isn't...'
Yusa rose an eyebrow as she watched me, sensing a shift in energy within me then grunted as I lunged at her, pinning her against the wall. "Whoa, whoa..! Hisumi, what—"
"Shut up..." I squeaked out, my body shaking as I had her pinned against the wall. "Where were you..? Where were you the entire time?!"
Yusa was confused at first then it donned on her, her gaze softening a bit. "Hisumi...what is your middle name?"
"It's Yutoka! It's because you gave me that name and abandoned me to be with Judgement! You left me and my father! You selfish... pathetic...witch!" I yelled out, my voice thick with raw emotions.
Everyone turned their heads to look at us, noticing me pinning Yusa against the wall. Saito quickly walked up to separate me, but this time, Orishi stopped her, shaking her head as she knew this needed to happen.
Yusa looked down at me, gently holding my cheek. "What happened to you..? I remember you as my son...did their experiments..."
"I was killed...that's why I'm like this! They betrayed me, killed me and now I'm a woman...I can't even explain it myself but that's not the point! You... you left me to be tortured, groomed, and worked on like some fucking science project!" I yelled, looking up at Yusa to meet her gaze directly.
Yusa stared at me, shaking her head. "That's not true, Hisu...I loved you so much and I wanted to take you with me when your father and I divorced. He...took you from me. Threatened to kill you if I dared return to get you back. He planned to make you into the Ultimate Weapon against me."
"For years, I've been wanting to save you but...their grips were like a vulture's. I couldn't... not when that Commander was watching over you...and learning that she had betrayed you on a whim...makes me wish I had at least tried," Yusa spoke softly, pulling me into a hug.
Her words hit me like a truck, my eyes wide with revelation. My whole life, I've been told that I was abandoned that Yusa never loved me, but now I realized the truth...that it was my father who never loved me. It all only made sense on why Judgement experimented on me for all these years, it was to make me a weapon against the Valkyrias.
I couldn't help but to hug Yusa back, burying my face into her chest, a few tears streaming down my cheeks. Yusa held me tightly as well, her maternal instincts kicking into overdrive as she embraced me.
"It's okay, sweetheart...you're where you're supposed to be now. Whether you're my son or daughter, boy or girl, it doesn't matter, I will love you the same. I had never stopped thinking about you, now you're here with me again..~" Yusa whispered, stroking my hair slowly.
Orishi and the others watched the heartwarming scene of my reunion with my biological mother. They couldn't help but to smile at us, their hearts tugging at the sight. I couldn't help but to silently cry upon Yusa, missing her in ways I never thought I could.
After a moment, I had finally calmed down and let Yusa go, sniffling and wiping away my tears. I stepped back to sit upon the edge of the bed, thinking about everything. "Sorry for... attacking you..?"
"I don't blame you at all...we've been apart for nearly 10 years. That's enough time for anyone to undergo manipulation," Yusa said, her tone soft and gentle. "If you want...we can talk more over breakfast and I can tell you everything. No lies. No fabricated truths."
I looked up at Yusa, the prospect of spending time with my mother sounding nice to me. I nodded at her, the light in my eyes returning once again. "Yeah, I'd like that..."
Yusa smiled at me, glancing at Orishi and held her arms. "Alright, Orishi, I'll be taking Hisumi off your hands. Also, if Orika is good to go, you can discharge her from the infirmary. Headmistress's Orders."
"You got it," Orishi said, smiling at Yusa with a nod.
Yusa nodded back, glancing at me and gestured for me to follow her. I got off the bed and turned toward everyone else, watching them smile at me before checking on Orika. I followed Yusa out of the Medical Center and toward the plaza area.
The two of us entered the Valk Diner, Yusa getting a table for the two of us. I followed Yusa and the waitress to a cozy booth beside a window and sat down on one side while Yusa sat on the other side. Yusa ordered for the both of us, a nice simple breakfast that we could just talk over.
Yusa watched the waitress walk off then turned her gaze toward me, smiling at me and noticed me staring out the window with my chin rested upon the palm of my hand. "Hisu?"
I took a few moment to respond, taking a deep breath then exhaled through my nose. "It's just all still so surreal to me. Why did you and dad even divorce? I thought you two had a good relationship.."
Yusa let out a soft sigh, leaning back against the booth. "It was at first...up until the point where I was pregnant with you. At that moment our goals didn't align and fights started happening often behind closed doors. He was always for Judgement, hating the Valkyrias due to us being able to wield powerful Spirit Energy."
"The whole reason for this Judgement verses Valkyria war is because of the fact that Judgement wants what we have; Potential, Spirit Energy, the Blessing of the Rulers. They steal our women, draining them of their Spirit Energy and corrupt them just so their leader could have enough power to become a Ruler," Yusa continued.
"You mean the Commander?" I asked, glancing at Yusa.
Yusa nodded. "Hazuki is her name. She was once a Valkyria back when we were first coming up. The original Valks were me, Hazuki, Orishi, and Orishi's sister, who is known as Silent Fox. Silent Fox is her own issue but, Hazuki...she betrayed us first due to the fact she didn't have a Stigma and two, she lacked the Spirit Energy to have the same potential as the rest of us."
"No wonder they were so obsessed with my Spirit Energy...it all makes so much sense now. But what doesn't make sense is why they killed my dad, I guess it doesn't matter since he was a manipulator anyway..." I said with a soft huff.
Yusa reached over the table and gently placed her hand upon my shoulder. "It's all okay now, honey...you're with us now. We will get you back on track and once we do, you'll be ready to face off against Judgement with the rest of the high rank Valks..~"
I met Yusa's gaze, a soft smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Okay..."
Soon, the waitress came back with our meals, setting them down in front of us and smiled at us with a bow. She walked off, allowing us to enjoy our meals. The two of us began to eat and make light conversation.
For the first time in a while, I actually felt some resemblance of actual love as I talked with Yusa, the two of us sharing soft laughs and Yusa telling me of all of her past accomplishments and stories. It felt nice listening to her speak as it was so soothing and nice.
After finishing our meals, Yusa paid for the two of us then we made our way out of the diner to hang out in the plaza. I stuck close to Yusa, like a duckling who just reunited with her mother along the river. I couldn't help but to unconditionally smile as I walked next to her, the void in my heart slowly repairing.
{Time: 1:00 PM}
Yusa and I returned to the academy building, heading up to her office so I could know where she was during school hours. Once we stepped into the office, I noticed all of her awards from the city and many pictures of her adventures around Japan.
I walked around the office for a moment, admiring every picture and award she had displayed. I couldn't help but to feel impressed, noticing how hard she worked to get here to this point. I turned around and noticed her walking toward a weapon display to grab a katana off the wall.
"I wanted to give this to you when you became of age to learn how to wield a weapon. It's called Bolt Breaker, a katana developed by St. Fraskia's Weapon Engineers back when we were just starting out. It was one of my first weapons before I took up the lance," Yusa said, walking toward me and held out the katana and scabbard to me.
"How I want to give it to you... because it's an extension of me and you have a natural affinity for Lightning," Yusa said, watching me take the weapon from her hand. "Oh, and one more thing."
I looked at the blade in my hand, the blade pulsing a soft cyan color and brimming with lightning energy as I wielded the blade. I looked up at Yusa, wondering what else she wanted to give me. I watched her take a droid figure out of her storage and walk toward me with her.
The Droid was a cute tiny companion with long, light purple hair that flowed down to her back, giving her a mystical and otherworldly aura. Her hairstyle included distinctive, pointed headgear resembling rabbit ears, adding a unique and playful touch to her look.
She wore a form-fitting, high-tech outfit in shades of black, white, and purple, blending elegance with a combat-ready design. The suit featured intricate patterns and armor-like details, giving her a futuristic, warrior-like appearance.
"This is a V.O.I.D System created by Prof. Tesla and perfected by our leading Technician and Engineer Bella Tesla. V.O.I.D stands for Valkyrie Operating Intelligence Droid. These little droids are made to assist Valkyrias. This AI droid is named Genesis, she was my first droid that I'm now gifting to you," Yusa said, handing me Genesis.
Once Genesis was in my care, she immediately activated, opening her eyes and looked around with curiosity. She scanned her surroundings then glanced at Yusa, her purple and blue gradient eyes shimmering with happiness.
"Mistress Yusa, it's been so long since you've activated me again," Genesis said, floating in the air from my hands then toward Yusa.
"I didn't activate you. My daughter did," Yusa said, pointing toward me and smiled.
Genesis turned around and looked at me, her gaze curious and innocent. She floated toward me and hovered around me to take a good look at me. "Hmm, so you activated me? That means you're my new wielder huh?"
I watched Genesis float around me then glanced at Yusa with a raised eyebrow. "So what is the purpose of a V.O.I.D System?"
"We are made to protect Valkyrias and follow a strict code programmed by Bella Tesla! Rule One: Regard any Fallen as hostile and defeat them immediately. Rule Two: Always aid our wielders. Rule Three: Never harm humans or other allied Valkyrias. Rule Four: Survive," Genesis answered, hovering in front of me.
"Exactly as she said. Your droid will be your Support Droid and a Combat Droid depending on the mode you command them to be on during battle. Also, Droids have infinite durability so you never have to worry about them being destroyed. They will only fight if you command them to or if you are in danger," Yusa added, crossing her arms as she looked at me.
I nodded, taking in the information at once then held my hand out for Genesis to land on. I gazed at her and tilted my head to the side. "Can you keep track of other things like my attributes and progress?"
Genesis nodded, her eyes shimmering as she stared at me. "I most certainly can. Ask me for anything and I'll show you. I can keep track of anything you want me to, just give the command."
"Aren't Living Systems just convenient?~ Plus they are rather rare as it's pretty difficult to make them. There are only 13 V.O.I.D Systems in the world so you're one of the lucky Valks to have one," Yusa hummed, walking toward her desk and sat down.
"Anyways, I'll let you rest up for now and let you explore around with Genesis. If you need anything, you know where to find me and what my number is now," Yusa said, beginning to check for any recent reports from the A-Rank Valkyrias.
I nodded then looked at Genesis again, walking off to head to my dorms and relax for the rest of the day. With my new gifts from my mom, I felt like a true Valkyria now and was ready for the real journey ahead.