-4000 words-
It was nighttime at the St. Freya dorms. Four people sat together around the dining table, appreciating Mei's cooking after another long day. Surprisingly, it wasn't Kiana who was stuffing her face full of pasta—this time, it was Kenji.
Even Kiana looked somewhat surprised. "Was your special training session that tiring?" While Kenji didn't seem to look tired, training with Himeko, Theresa, and Fu Hua must have been hell.
'Or maybe he just healed fast with his regeneration…. cheater.' Kenji was too busy inhaling pasta that he didn't see Kiana glaring at him.
Kenji finished swallowing his pasta before answering her question. "Not really, but kinda? I'm just super hungry, honestly." While it couldn't really be counted as "training," he did get a new insight into how his powers worked. He definitely needed to look into it more by himself, but for now, it was pasta time.
Then, without another word, he went back to devouring his food like his life depended on it.
Mei, who had been watching quietly, was secretly pleased that everyone was eating with such enthusiasm. Kiana had her usual appetite, Bronya ate at her own calm pace, and now Kenji was inhaling his meal as if he hadn't eaten in days.
"Speaking of that, you haven't told us what actually went on during your private training session," Mei said, her tone laced with intrigue as she glanced at Kenji. It wasn't every day that you would see someone get a personal training session with Theresa, Himeko, and, heck, even Fu Hua.
While she did get monitored and tested when she first arrived at St. Freya, she could say that things weren't this… tense, if she had to put it into words. Her power—the Herrscher that was dwelling within her—was dangerous, but Schicksal already knew what they were dealing with. But Kenji's powers were unique, something unknown, and that made him an unpredictable variable.
Dangerous to who? That remained to be seen.
Kenji slowed his chewing slightly, eyes flickering toward her before looking back at his plate. He took a moment to think before answering. "It was… mostly tests. They were just analyzing how my energy works, nothing too crazy."
Bronya, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. "Schicksal does not conduct personal training sessions unless they find something unique. Based on your hesitation, Bronya concludes that they found something significant."
Kenji leaned back in his chair. "Well, if you really want to know… turns out my energy kind of absorbs a shit ton of Honkai energy."
There was a moment of silence before Kiana nearly choked on her food. "Wait, wait, wait. You absorb Honkai energy? As in, you're, like… eating it?" Kiana knew he had an appetite, but this was pushing it!
"Not eating it, no," Kenji corrected, scratching his head. "It's more like… it gets pulled toward me and just kinda disappears. It gathers around my chest area, but I can't access it, so that kind of sucks." He took another bite of pasta. "But it's definitely doing something."
Mei furrowed her brows, her mind already working through the implications. "That would explain why Honkai creatures are drawn to you. If they sense Honkai energy within you but don't perceive you as one of them, it could cause confusion in their instincts. That sounds plausible… right?"
Bronya nodded. "This is logical. However, the more concerning question is what happens to the Honkai energy after absorption. If it does not disperse or corrupt you, then why is it being stored?"
Kenji groaned. "You guys are starting to sound like Theresa and the others." He pushed his empty plate forward and slumped in his chair. "Look, it gathers in my chest. I tried to move it around, but nothing happened. I don't feel stronger, weaker, or anything different. It's just there."
Kiana whistled. "Man, and here I thought I had weird problems."
Kenji shot her a look. "You do."
"Rude," Kiana huffed, crossing her arms.
Kenji chuckled, but his thoughts were already drifting elsewhere. As much as he tried to brush it off, he was curious. Where was the Honkai energy going? Why wasn't he feeling anything different? And more importantly, why wasn't he more worried about this?
After a few moments of silence, he decided there was one person.. or was it right to call her a ghost? A spirit maybe? Who might have answers. He closed his eyes, leaning back into his chair as he reached out internally.
'Elysia, you there?'
Nothing.
Kenji sighed through his nose. He tried again.
'Seriously, if there was ever a time to drop some wisdom on me, this would be it.'
Still nothing.
He opened his eyes, masking his mild frustration.
"You okay?" Mei asked, noticing his momentary pause.
Kenji waved her off. "Yeah, just thinking."
Bronya didn't look convinced, but she didn't push.
Mei stood, starting to gather the dishes. "Well, whatever Schicksal found out, they're not going to keep it a secret for long. If they're pausing your training, it means they're either worried or planning something."
"Yeah I figured it was something like that" Ever since he got his powers, he always wondered what the implications of them were. How the hell did OFA get into this world? Was it linked to how he got here? Were all anime worlds real and can somehow intersect with each other?
With it now being revealed that his powers absorb Honkai energy and act as an extremely effective container. How will Schicksal, Anti Entropy, and whoever it is that's important in this world respond? Kenji had to be ready.
Strangely, instead of anxiety or fear at possibly being targeted by organizations that he knew nothing about, he felt excitement. Excitement at the thrill of fighting a strong opponent, and this motivated him more than ever.
—-
Kenji sat at his desk, the dim glow of the desk lamp casting soft shadows over the pages of his notebook. The rest of the dorm had gone quiet—Kiana had long since passed out, Mei was likely still up reading, and Bronya was probably deep into whatever video game she found interest in. But for him, sleep wasn't coming anytime soon. Not with everything that had happened today.
He flipped open his notebook, the well-worn pages filled with scribbles, diagrams, and notes tracking every discovery and improvement he had made with OFA since he arrived in this world. His handwriting was messy, written in quick strokes from past late nights, marking every new breakthrough, every failed experiment, and every unexplained phenomenon.
He tapped his pen against the paper before finally putting ink to the page.
New Revelation: Absorbing Honkai Energy
He underlined it twice, staring at the words for a moment. The idea still felt surreal. He had always assumed his power was unique, but this? This was beyond anything he had expected.
He started listing possibilities.
OFA is absorbing Honkai energy and converting it into itself.This would explain why he hasn't felt any real difference in his power output.But if that were the case, wouldn't Theresa have noticed some kind of change in energy type during the scans?Nothing on the monitors indicated that the Honkai energy was being transformed, just absorbed and disappearing into his core.Unlikely, unless there's something happening that the sensors can't detect. This is happening because OFA is a stockpiling Quirk.OFA by nature gathers and passes down energy through generations.Maybe it sees Honkai energy as something that can be stockpiled?If that's true, then where is the stored energy going? Why can't he use it?Am I just not able to access it yet?Or is it being stored for something beyond my control?
Kenji chewed on the back of his pen, narrowing his eyes. That thought made him uneasy. If OFA was taking in energy but not letting him use it, then what was it waiting for? Is Elysia blocking him from using it? Are the other users inside of him cutting off his access to it?
Worst case scenario: I keep absorbing until I explode.Self-explanatory.Really, really hoping this one isn't true.Would be an embarrassing way to die.
He sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair before setting his pen down. None of these theories were particularly comforting, but at least he was narrowing it down. He glanced at the notes again, circling the second possibility.
"Am I missing something?" he muttered to himself, staring at the page. There had to be more to this.
His fingers tapped against the notebook, his mind running through every sensation he felt today. The warmth in his chest, the way the Honkai energy didn't fight back when it entered him. The odd sense of rightness that came with it. Shouldn't he be more worried about this?Or had his body already decided this was normal?
Kenji sat back in his chair, tapping his pen against the edge of his notebook as he stared at the mess of notes sprawled before him. His own scrawled handwriting, diagrams that barely made sense even to him, and half-baked theories filled the pages like a chaotic brainstorm of thoughts he hadn't fully processed yet. His mind was still running at full speed, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere productive if he kept chasing every question at once.
He exhaled through his nose, flipping to a clean page. I'll come back to the Honkai energy issue later. There was something else on his mind, something that had been nagging at him for a while now. If he was going to eventually unlock the other quirks within OFA, would he be able to tweak them? Change how they functioned? Was he bound to use them as they were, or could he shape them into something more?
Midoriya had done incredible things with OFA, but Kenji always felt like there was more that could've been done with those quirks. If Midoriya had been given more time, would he have reached the true peak of its potential? Would Kenji be able to do what he couldn't?
He pressed the pen to the paper, writing the words: OFA Quirk Evolutions?
His eyes flickered to the first ability he had unlocked: Danger Sense.
"Alright," he muttered to himself. "How far can this go?"
Right now, it acted as a passive warning system, his personal sixth sense, alerting him to incoming threats before his conscious mind even registered them. But did it have to stop there? Could he force it to evolve beyond just a reactionary ability?
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. This world isn't like Midoriya's. OFA exists here, in a place where the laws of physics, energy, and even reality can be manipulated by Honkai. Could that same flexibility apply to his quirks?
"If it can sense danger, then what qualifies as danger?" he mused aloud, scribbling the question onto the page. "Does it judge based on my instincts? My subconscious? Does it have its own criteria?"
If he could figure that out, then maybe he could adjust what it considered a threat. But what if he didn't stop there? What if he could force it to sense life itself?
He quickly wrote it down. Danger Sense as a life signature detector? If he refined it, he might be able to track enemies before they made a move, not just react to immediate threats. That alone could be invaluable in battle.
Then, a more ambitious idea hit him.
What if it wasn't just about sensing danger, but also directing attacks toward it?
His pen stilled. He could feel his heart rate picking up slightly at the sheer potential of it. If Danger Sense was already reacting to threats before he did, then why couldn't he take it a step further? What if I could program it into a targeting system?
"Danger Sense Magnetism…" he murmured, testing the idea aloud. If his quirk could identify hostile intent, then maybe—just maybe—he could force his attacks to home in on those sources, locking onto an enemy's life force like an automatic guidance system.
That thought alone made his skin prickle with excitement. If he could get it to work, it wouldn't just make him more reactive—it would turn him into a seeking missile in battle.
He grinned, underlining the words Experiment ASAP before moving onto something that had been bothering him for a while now, his so-called "Healing Factor."
He drummed his fingers against the desk. "Alright, what's going on with you?"
He was positive that none of the previous OFA users had a regenerative ability, so where the hell did it come from? Elysia. That was the only explanation he could think of. She had helped him overclock his healing back during the Nagazora Eruption. But had she done more than just boost it temporarily? Had something changed in his body after that?
He started writing again.
"If my healing factor keeps improving… Does that mean I can't die?" He said it like a joke, but the words sat uncomfortably in the air. He could survive injuries that should've put him out of commission or even straight up killed him. His body was able to adjust to the strain of OFA much faster than Midoriya ever did. 'Thank goodness for that, blowing off all my limbs does not sound fun.' If he kept growing stronger, what would be the upper limit? Was there even a limit at all?
He scribbled a few more thoughts: Can I control it like Elysia? Speed it up consciously? If my body can regenerate this fast, could it one day prevent death entirely?
Then, the more unpleasant questions followed.
Unknowns: What if I heal wrong? What if I mutate? How does my regeneration really work?
His hand stilled on the notebook as a more disturbing thought crossed his mind. What if this isn't a quirk at all? What if this was something else entirely—something that had merged with him when he entered this world? Elysia definitely knows something about this, but he wasn't getting answers from her any time soon.
"Could I be turning into something else?" he muttered under his breath, staring at the words on the page. The idea seemed ridiculous, but… was it?
The room was silent, save for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. He leaned back, rubbing his temples. He needed answers, but there was no one he could ask. Schicksal didn't have the answers. Elysia was being vague as always. That meant he had one option left.
I'll have to figure it out myself.
He exhaled sharply before closing the notebook. The thoughts wouldn't leave him alone anytime soon, but he had done enough theorizing for now. He'd start testing his limits. Whatever was happening to him, he'd make sense of it.
Even if he had to push himself to the absolute edge to do it.
—-
(1 Month Later)
The observatory hummed with energy as Kenji and Himeko clashed in the sparring arena, the impact of their blows echoing through the reinforced chamber. Theresa watched from behind the glass, arms crossed, her expression neutral despite the sheer intensity of the fight before her. Every strike exchanged sent shockwaves through the reinforced flooring, the sheer power behind them making even the monitoring systems flicker occasionally.
Kenji lunged forward, his body a blur as he aimed a high kick at Himeko's side. She sidestepped with ease, her movements refined from years of experience. But Kenji wasn't done—he switched his output to a higher percentage for just a split second, forcing his leg to twist midair with a burst of speed that caught Himeko off guard. The impact landed squarely on her ribs, sending her skidding across the arena floor. Regaining her footing with a quick flip, she turned her gaze towards him, a crazed grin spreading across her face.
"Not bad. You're getting better at switching percentages mid fight!" she called, her stance shifting lower as she prepared to engage again.
Theresa's gaze flicked to the monitor beside her, scanning the fluctuating vitals and power readings. Even though her expression remained neutral, she couldn't ignore the reality in front of her. He improved fast.
In just one month, Kenji had made staggering progress. After his first controlled training session, he had barely taken any breaks, constantly pushing himself, refining his power, and seeking out more challenges. Even though he whined after classes, or how much he said he was lazy, his actions spoke otherwise. Getting great scores in physical and written tests, constantly trying to better himself, and overall just being a nice person. His presence was also felt by the students of St Freya, she didn't even want to think about all the gossip she heard surrounding Kenji living with Kiana, Bronya, and Mei. 'The minds of the young are terrifying'.
His dedication had been infectious, even motivating Kiana, Mei, and occasionally Bronya to join him in training. His relentless work ethic… no, his obsession had transformed him into something more refined.
Every night after classes, when he didn't have controlled sessions, he would be out training with his friends just until it was curfew and they had to go back to their dorm. The kid didn't stop, didn't waste a second, and it was paying off in ways Theresa hadn't anticipated.
The results of his training were outstanding.
From barely managing 40% before, Kenji had already gained control over 50% of his output—something she would have considered impossible for someone who had just started learning to regulate his power. 'It's because he has a plan now.' He wasn't just throwing himself into fights aimlessly and no longer following training routines designed for the ordinary. He was learning from people who had dealt with the unnatural before, warriors who knew how to fight in a life or death situation.
People like Himeko.
Theresa turned her attention back to the fight as Kenji launched a flurry of jabs, forcing Himeko to step back. She effortlessly dodged, weaving between his strikes with minimal movement, before her leg shot upward in a counterattack. Kenji barely managed to throw his arms up in time, but the sheer force of her kick sent him skidding backward. His heels dug into the ground, and he shifted his power slightly—momentarily boosting his strength just enough to regain balance. His recovery was faster, smoother. He has been learning to adapt mid-fight and it shows.
Himeko grinned wider. "That's more like it!" She surged forward, her fist whistling through the air. Kenji pivoted, slipping past her strike, but Himeko was already twisting, catching him in the ribs with a sharp knee strike that sent him rocketing into the ceiling with enough force to shake the entire observatory. A low thud resonated through the glass, and Theresa pinched the bridge of her nose.
'What battle junkies…'
Theresa knew that Himeko had taken a liking to the kid. He was a normal person who suddenly gained unnatural power, but decided to do good with the power he was given. Someone who was willing to break his body over and over just to save others. And despite his power, he was still a bright, lively presence. She had to admit that Kenji had grown on her too.
'Especially since he is the one I usually find getting into shenanigans with Kiana' Oh the amount of times this month where she had to scold the two for breaking school property, sneaking out of curfew, and blowing up the dorm after Kiana somehow convinced him that the dorm could handle a 40% unrestrained punch.
Kenji peeled himself off the ceiling, flipping mid-air before landing in a low crouch. He rolled his shoulders, exhaling sharply before looking up at Himeko with a lopsided smirk. "Alright, that one definitely hurt."
Theresa sighed, finally reaching for the microphone, her voice cutting through the speakers.
"Hey, I said to spar, not to break the damn observatory!"
Both Kenji and Himeko froze mid-motion, their heads snapping toward the glass where Theresa sat, unimpressed. They exchanged a look before awkwardly lowering their stances, looking more like misbehaving students than trained warriors.
"Uh… my bad?" Kenji offered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Himeko chuckled, stretching her shoulders. "Can't help it. Got into it a little too much."
"I can tell. Just don't make me give you a pay cut for the repairs." Theresa muttered, rubbing her temples before leaning back in her chair. Her eyes flicked back to the monitors, her expression unreadable.
'Kenji Aoyama… many have set their sights on you. So please… get stronger, quickly.'
Because the world of Honkai was so ever cruel.
---
Kenji wiped the sweat from his forehead as they made their way toward the elevator, Himeko walking beside him while Theresa trailed just a step behind. His muscles still burned pleasantly from their sparring match, the adrenaline slowly ebbing from his system. He always loved this feeling—the aftermath of a good fight, the tangible proof that he was improving. The thrill of getting stronger was intoxicating, and the fact that Himeko, a seasoned veteran, was starting to acknowledge his potential only added to the satisfaction.
"You're growing fast, Kenji," Himeko commented, rolling her shoulders. "At this rate, you might actually be able to go all out without breaking yourself, and, who knows, maybe even give me a real challenge."
Kenji smirked, his eyes glinting with competitive excitement. "Oh? You think I won't? Alright, next time, I'm not holding back."
Himeko chuckled, the sound rich with amusement. "I'd like to see that."
Theresa watched their exchange with a small smile. Himeko really has this teacher-disciple thing down, huh? It was strange how naturally she had taken to mentoring him, as if it was something she was always meant to do. Seeing them interact like this, it was hard not to think about how things could have been different. If Kenji had ended up in Anti-Entropy's hands before St. Freya got to him, she couldn't even begin to guess what they would have done with him. .
But there was something more pressing they had to discuss.
"Kenji." Theresa's voice cut through the lighthearted banter, making both of them stop and turn to face her. "We're not doing any controlled training next week."
Kenji blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what? Why?"
Himeko, however, quickly caught on and let out a knowing hum. "Oh yeah. That."
Kenji's curiosity only grew at their vague response. "Okay, you can't just say something like that and not tell me what's going on." He wasn't a fan of vague answers, especially ever since Elysia had stopped talking to him. Granted, they had only spoken once or twice, but still. She was literally inside him, yet now she was radio silent? It was a little annoying, but he figured she had her reasons.
They stepped into the elevator, the metallic hum of the machinery filling the brief silence before Theresa continued. "Because next week, all trainees will be brought to the field with an experienced Valkyrie to see how things are done in the field."
That immediately got Kenji's full attention. His tiredness from sparring vanished in an instant. "Whoa, so we're already doing official mission stuff?"
Theresa chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Not exactly. These are low-risk operations—mostly observation-based. It's to help students understand what it means to be a Valkyrie… or, in your case, a Knight."
Kenji could barely hide his excitement. 'Finally, something outside of training rooms and sparring sessions!' Ever since he stopped being The Night Runner, be had been dying for an opportunity to go out again, to see how his improved skills held up. But before he could ask about the specifics of his assignment, Himeko raised a hand, cutting him off with a smirk.
"No, we're not telling you what you're going to do, and no, you're not going alone. You'll be going with your team," she clarified, watching his reaction with amusement. "But I will say that you already know the person you'll be following. Just try to keep up with her."
Kenji frowned slightly, running through the people he knew at St. Freya. "Wait, I know them? That narrows things down, but—"
The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss, and Himeko stepped out first, throwing him a glance over her shoulder. "You'll find out soon enough. Just don't embarrass yourself."