Chereads / Honkai Impact 3rd: The Uninvited Guests / Chapter 3 - The Dream is a Lie

Chapter 3 - The Dream is a Lie

*yeyo, Meritas here, cooking with Lithnox this time. Welp, finna keep this short. Enjoy this silly little piece of fiction, and do drop your opinions, and maybe some reviews if you wish to help us out. As always, peace out, and Deus vult*

Whispers, darkness, and a patch of glowing white light to boot, bringing to life something that shouldn't have existed in the first place, an amalgamation of sorts born of darkness. It spoke to him, its voice silencing the hushed tones that surrounded them both. 

The ringing sound in his head slowly came to a halt as his vision adjusted to the dim light in the room, only to come back stronger. 

"Wait, it's not in my head," he muttered, looking around the area. The place was unknown to him, an area far different from the confines of his room. Red lights danced across the otherwise dark area, the steel walls cold, just like the floor he was on. 

With a bit of vertigo that washed away, he stood up, once again looking for a clue about where he was. Abduction didn't make much sense, considering there was nothing of value to be gained from such a hassle. 

"Is this some kind of dream? Hallucination? I did go for a bit too long without sleep, so I guess that's it," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. The numb feeling threw his senses off, in turn fueling the idea of a dreamed existence. 

"Guess I'll just look around and see what the hell is happening." 

With a few leisure steps, he walked across the room, noticing some signs that said 'CAUTION RESTRICTED AREA' but he couldn't care less. It wasn't the first time that reading in a dream occurred for him, and it surely wouldn't be the last. His first attempt was at flight; alas, it failed—the usual case, no matter how many attempts were made. 

"Damn it, let me just walk around, then. Maybe something interesting will happen." 

Frustration mounted his feelings, and yet he didn't give up yet. It didn't take long for him to notice the odd platform planted further back into the room, centered nicely on the floor. A good dozen arm-like steel machinery surrounded a platform, looking similar to what superheroes used to equip their expensive battle suits. 

"I'll be damned. It's a combat dream, huh? Sheesh, let me just," he exclaimed, all eager to try it. No second thoughts, nor hesitation, just pure gas as he settled on the platform. Fiddling with some type of control panel, he got it to start, and the steel arms that surrounded him quickly began... undressing him? 

"What the fuck is this shit!?" he shouted, but it was too late. They restrained him, and thus his shirt flew off, then his pants, leaving just his shoes and briefs on, exposing his skin to the chilly atmosphere in the room. 

"Oh, great, you wanted me naked, damned perverted machine. Now what?" 

Welp, now the machine was going to dress him up in a tight-fitting latex suit, which clung to his body a bit too tight. Lucky him, being tall with a thin frame saved him from asphyxiation, yet his poor manhood was in a rather ill predicament. The feeling was a bit too real, so he could only wonder what the hell he was doing in his sleep. Most of the time, things that he felt in dreams related to idiotic movements done in his sleep. 

"Ok, seems like the diddy machine stopped touching me. Now what, huh?" 

Welp, the sassiness in his voice quickly died out as it set itself into motion once more, grabbing out a vast array of high-tech pieces and placing them on his body, each one fitting to him forcefully, like a second skeleton. 

"Exoskeleton-type shit? Let's go; I like this dream already." 

Instantly, regret came. His eyes fell below to a strange device that was placed between his legs, damn near castrating him in the process. His buttocks were squeezed with more force than a black hole could ever hope to generate. It saved him millimetrically. 

"Dream or not, don't try to cut my balls off, machine!" 

He was quickly shut up as the rest of the components made their way to his body, adjusting themselves on him like he was some kind of stand made to host it. A strange thing looking like a futuristic VR headset covered his eyes, and a thick cable was inserted into the heavy steel box on his back. 

"Ok, damn, this shit should pack some power, right? Looks dope as fuck," he chuckled, inspecting himself as the machine finally allowed him to move. With a few steps, he was off, only to stare in awe as a machine handed him a slick sword, a Zweihänder with a thicker blade. He was over the moon. 

"I sure will hate myself when I wake up cuz of losing this baby. Anyway, I guess I should now go explore, right? The alarms did stop ringing, but still..." 

The silence in the room was uprooted by a heavy puffing noise from a pressure system. The steel doors opened, revealing a red-haired woman with a large bust, her frame nearly butt naked except for the stockings that she still wore for some reason. In her stride, she took her panties off as well while he watched, the sword in his hand. The latex suit sure was going to strangle his schlong off. 

Their gazes met, or at least hers with whatever visor he had on. The swarm of emotions that got the woman at once was many, yet she wrestled them all into submission, instead shifting into a fight-or-flight state. 

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" she asked, her voice sharp. Still, the figure was familiar, and he found it funny how instead of scrambling to cover herself, she was closer to getting into a fighting stance. 

"I'll be damned, that's one cool dream. Major Himeko herself, all naked in front of me," he said calmly, deciding to play a bit into a role thanks to the dream going down an odd route. 

Her gaze, however, was threatening, the situation at hand clearly tense. He was happy that she couldn't see his eyes, since they were fixed on the most obvious target for a guy. 

"Oh, honey, I'm not here to play games," she talked back, still thinking of a way to tackle the situation. Instantly, she switched gears, shifting to a sexier approach. "How about you play nice and take off that suit, would you? I'll make it worth your time," she said in a low, sweet voice, trying to play his heart like some wannabe genius running DOOM on a toaster. 

"Silence, woman," he said calmly, unimpressed. No way he'd trade his cool sword for whatever bullshit she was offering. "Now, tell me, where's the threat in question? I heard the alarms ring, so surely there's some kinda danger out there, right?" 

She was stunned, cursing under her breath at the twist in the situation. 

"Look, I don't care who you are, but don't think you're walking away after this, alright? Now hand back that suit before I—" 

He simply walked past her, his steps casual and unbothered, the cable connected to the exoskeleton snaking on the floor after him. His eyes danced around, taking in the sight of the halls, empty and cold, with reinforced metal all around. He began running, leaving Himeko behind. Instead, he aimed for the large doors that started opening as he got closer. Stepping out, he saw the scene: Mei herself, floating in the air with Kiana in her arms. 

"Oh, I see how it is. This was the battle in Nagazora. How come I remember it all so vividly? Been a while since I read the manga, but whatever," he spoke casually, looking up in the sky. Mei's hand reached out his way, honkai energy gathering up in an ominous sphere. 

"Insect! How dare you oppose me! I will reduce you to ashes!" 

His head was fixed on her, the sword at his side held firmly. With a smirk, he rode on his high horse, taking the stance of the hero wannabe that he had always desired to become. 

"Who are you calling an insect, you slave to the Honkai?!" 

As the condensed energy beam came his way, the energy from the Nexus system fired up, charging his exoskeleton to the maximum, fuelling his strength leagues above what any normal human could achieve. Just like Himeko had done in the manga, he tanked the strike, yet the strain on his untrained body was felt rather well. The pain jolted his mind awake, and he realized it only then... 

That was no dream. 

"Shit!" 

Pressure built on the blade and his arms as the attack kept pushing, yet he stood his ground, putting faith in the engineering that went into making the weaponry he was using. Like fireworks going out in the middle of the night, the clash turned into a mini sun, blinding and terrifying. 

"WARNING! FUSION REACTOR OVERHEATING! SHUT DOWN IN 10 SECONDS" 

The warning rang loud in his ears, and he realized at once that, just like Himeko, he wound up using up too much power for that stunt. Taking powerful attacks like those head-on wasn't a good idea, and yet saving the ship itself was of importance too. 

"Admirable. I never expected you to last this long. But that only makes you slightly better than the insects I've been killing," said Mei, or more likely the Herrscher. Her lips curled up into a sinister smirk, oozing with pride and overbearing confidence. "You bore me. Time for you to disappear.

As she prepared for another strike, Kiana stirred in her arms, leading to the familiar scene of her breaking the condensed Honkai energy that formed Mei's wings in that moment. 

He turned around, knowing the crisis was averted, but the fatigue was slowly getting to him. He saw Himeko, now slightly more covered with whatever coat she could find, watching the scene unfold. Happy was the last thing she was in that moment, yet seeing Kiana's feat impressed her too, subtle as the hints of that emotion were. 

"I guess this is over now, right? I used the Nexus in your stead, so don't worry." 

She shook her head, stepping closer, eyes glaring. 

"Are you insane? I don't even know how to wrap my head around you." 

Armed personnel quickly came to her side, their weaponry trained on him. 

"Oh, guns... how nice. I do you a favor, and you pull up with the whole damn killer squad on me. Do women not appreciate a knight in shining armor in this day and age? Tsk." 

His words only seemed to make her angrier, but she did relent and motion for everyone to lower their weapons. 

"I guess you're just some stranger with weird passions." 

She stepped closer, yet the caution was felt in every movement. Instead of trying to do anything to further anger her, he simply grabbed the sword by the middle, slowly, and turned the handle her way before offering it up. With a raised brow, she grabbed the sword, handing it away to some underling, who shuffled back. 

"Who are you?" she asked, watching as Mei and Kiana's bodies slowly descended, both of them out cold. 

He simply glanced at her, taking off the visor, somehow managing to pull the move off without embarrassing himself, and spoke calmly, against the thudding rhythm of his heart that threatened to break out of his ribcage. The dark blonde strands of hair on his head were glossed with sweat, the reality of the situation dawning on him in an emotional cocktail of pure bliss, joy, and bitterness at a world left behind. 

She studied him intently, quickly rating him in her mind with the ease of a woman who knew what she wanted in a man. Good jawline, soft lips, a nose perhaps a touch larger than her liking, hazel eyes, the need of an improved skincare routine, and maybe a better haircut too. 

"I'm just a guy. Call me Mark," he said calmly, holding her gaze as he put the visor to rest under his armpit, holding it steadily. There was a moment of silence as they just scanned the other, his tired eyes staring into hers, fighting the annoyance and intrigue she held. 

"Mark? Well, you're not that bad, but you sure love to stick in the wrong things. Also," she leaned in, whispering in his ear. "It's not like you get to just walk away after seeing me naked, you know?" 

With that, she disconnected the cable that kept the exoskeleton going, and the weight of it all began pressing down on him. Somehow, he could stand, albeit barely. 

"What the heck was that for?" 

She laughed, watching as her men gathered around him. 

"To make sure you don't run away. That thing you have on is important, and you still owe me answers. I'll question you myself, so be good and wait, alright?" 

Thus, the Schicksal personnel simply grabbed him and forcefully carried him someplace else, away from the hustle and bustle, with their guns trained on his head. 

"Great. Well, make sure to dress nicely, alright? I'll wait in whatever cell these guys tuck me into." 

She crossed her arms, resting her palm against the tips of her fingers, mumbling to herself. The whole situation was unexpected, and it made no sense. Some questioning would perhaps clear things up.

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