Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

They say there are three stages of growing up: the first is when you realize you're not the center of the universe, the second is when you realize, despite your best efforts, you can't control everything, and the third is when you accept your own ordinariness.

Disappointment, disillusionment, confusion…

The mind matures through hardship, the will strengthens through adversity, the perspective broadens through loss.

Like emerging from a birthing canal, the soul is reborn, transformed.

"The rain of life brings with it mud and mire…" a poet might say, gazing romantically at the storm.

Lin Wei would likely scoff at such sentimentality, kicking the poet out into the rain to experience the "rain of life" firsthand.

Such pretentiousness…

"This world isn't kind, or fair. It won't coddle you," he would say. "We're not given life's nourishment amidst gentle rain. We have to fight for it, claw it from the storm, from the snow, from the very earth itself! Otherwise, we'll be crushed, buried beneath the weight of it all!"

"The harder the world tries to break us, the stronger we have to become, rising from the mud, walking towards the sunlight, one step at a time!"

That was his philosophy. And he believed that everyone who valued life, who loved living, felt the same way.

That's why he made friends easily.

That's why others were drawn to him.

But such understanding wasn't gained through words. It was a journey, a necessary part of life, a trial by fire.

He'd walked that path, Jell had walked that path, and now Anna was walking it, stumbling, crying, learning to stand on her own two feet.

He would have helped her, guided her, but he was unconscious, helpless. She had to do this alone.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Anna ran, Lin Wei's unconscious body on her back, heading towards the only safe direction.

She wasn't afraid of dying. She never had been.

If she could, she would have traded places with Jell, taking on the suicidal mission herself, or stayed behind to fight alongside her.

But she had no choice. Someone had to get Lin Wei to safety. He'd saved them all, and they owed him that much. And Jell had ordered her to live, to continue her journey, her life just beginning.

So, Jell had taken on the most dangerous task, clearing a path for her, sacrificing herself.

And Anna, despite her grief, her reluctance, couldn't betray Jell's sacrifice. She had to run, to escape, to survive.

"I'm sorry, Captain… I'm sorry…" She didn't have time for tears, for grief. She just ran.

Maybe… if I reach Rita, if I regroup with the others, we can come back for her… she thought, trying to convince herself, her pace quickening.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Without a vehicle, she was the vehicle, carrying Lin Wei, his weight a burden, yet also a source of strength, her purpose, her world.

"Lin Wei, you must be so disappointed in me," she murmured, as if confiding in him, her voice filled with self-doubt. "I wanted to be a good Valkyrie, but I keep making mistakes, doing stupid things… I must have caused you and Captain Jell so much trouble…"

Perhaps she only dared to speak so freely because he couldn't hear her, couldn't respond.

"What's right, and what's wrong? It's so… difficult…"

The world outside Schicksal HQ had been a harsh awakening for her, a sheltered bird thrown into a storm.

Her illusions of "Valkyrie glory" had been shattered the moment she'd joined Snow Lotus, her naive ideals crushed by the harsh reality of the battlefield.

She'd desperately tried to prove herself, to cling to her crumbling worldview. Jell, understanding her struggle, had given her time, a chance to recover.

Then, she'd met Lin Wei, and their brief, dangerous adventure had helped her heal, had started her on the path to maturity.

After another conversation with Jell, she'd begun to understand that being a Valkyrie wasn't about glory, but about duty, about responsibility.

She hadn't fully grasped the weight of those words then, only acknowledging them, accepting them.

Then, the accident, the coma.

And when she'd awakened, those abstract concepts had become a harsh reality, a burden she had to carry alone.

Then, Lin Wei's arrival, a brief respite, his kindness and protection both comforting and shameful.

Then, the new threat, his attempt to shield her, her own outburst of defiance.

And now… this.

Ever since leaving Schicksal HQ, the world had been relentlessly testing her, pushing her to her limits, offering no respite. Only Lin Wei and Jell had shown her true kindness, true understanding.

"You might think I'm… terrible, selfish, but…" she said, her voice choked with tears, a confession, a self-judgment. "But right now, running away… it feels… good. Peaceful. Happy…"

Glory, duty, responsibility – they no longer mattered. Even her dreams, her ideals, seemed insignificant compared to the immediate goal – reaching safety, with Lin Wei.

Her duty as a Valkyrie, her desire to protect him, Jell's sacrifice and her hopes for Anna's future – they all converged on a single, all-consuming purpose.

And amidst the grief and loss, a strange sense of calm, of purpose, filled her heart.

This is so… selfish… she thought, a pang of guilt twisting her heart.

"Lin Wei, you must hate me now… you must be so disappointed…"

Silence.

"It's okay. You don't have to say it. I know. You would just try to comfort me, wouldn't you?" She wiped the sweat and tears from her face, her voice firm. "Don't worry, Lin Wei. I'll get you out of here. Even if it kills me."

Silence. She felt a twinge of disappointment, then pushed it aside, her pace quickening.

Manila was a large city. She'd been running for a long time, and she didn't know how much further she had to go. She just kept running, focused on her destination.

Then, she saw them. Honkai beasts. Blocking her path. Her heart sank.

Had Jell reached her limit? Were the Honkai beasts from the river catching up? Or both?

It didn't matter. The path ahead was no longer clear.

"Huff… huff… huff…" She stopped, hiding behind a broken wall, catching her breath, thinking.

If Lin Wei were awake, this would be nothing for him… she thought, then shook her head, dispelling the wishful thinking. She had to figure this out herself.

Should I try to sneak past them, like last time? She'd used that tactic to escape the hospital ruins with Wenwen.

But after surveying the area, climbing onto the wall for a better view, she dismissed the idea. The earthquake and tsunami had flattened the ruins. There was no cover.

And the longer she waited, the more Honkai beasts would appear.

She checked her weapons, tightened the ropes securing Lin Wei, took a deep breath, and charged, her blade flashing. Two quick slashes severed the beast's legs, then a final blow decapitated it.

She would have been faster, more efficient, without Lin Wei's weight on her back.

She continued running, encountering more Honkai beasts, dispatching them quickly, pressing forward.

But there were too many. One of her kills attracted the attention of others, their roars echoing through the ruins.

Even monsters communicated.

She gritted her teeth, then began the most dangerous phase of her escape – a desperate race against time.

If not for Jell's sacrifice, this phase would have come much earlier, and they would have both been trapped.

She ran, one arm supporting Lin Wei, the other gripping her blade, dodging and weaving through the ruins.

"I can't give up… I've come this far… I can't give up now…" she thought, her determination unwavering. "I promised Captain Jell… I have to get Lin Wei to safety… I can't let them down…"

But the world wasn't kind. It didn't reward perseverance with mercy. It only threw more obstacles in her path. The Honkai beasts were closing in from all sides.

If she were alone, if she could use both hands, she might have been able to fight her way through. But burdened by Lin Wei's weight, her strength fading, she felt her hope dwindling with every step.

"Huff… huff… huff… heh… hehe…" She chuckled, her voice filled with exhaustion and self-deprecation.

"I'm so… useless…" A Schariac, reduced to this…

Captain, I'm sorry… I've failed you…

She looked at Lin Wei's peaceful face, resting against her shoulder.

Are you having a good dream? she wondered, staring at him, wishing time would stop.

"Roar!" A Honkai beast's roar snapped her out of her trance.

"Don't worry, Lin Wei. I'll get you out of here…" She smiled at him, ignoring the approaching Honkai beasts, then placed her blade between her teeth, its edge facing outwards. She clenched her fist and sliced her wrist against the sharp edge.

A searing pain shot through her arm, the blade stained crimson.

As a Schariac, she'd heard the legends about her blood. And she'd seen its effect on the cat-like Honkai beast before losing consciousness.

"Even if we can't escape…" she continued smiling, her face pale, her bloodied hand gripping the hilt, the blood flowing down the blade, dripping onto the ground. "…I'll protect you until the end!" Her voice was gentle, yet firm, a vow sealed in blood.

She looked ahead, her eyes filled with a newfound resolve, and charged forward, one arm shielding Lin Wei, the other wielding the blood-soaked blade, a whirlwind of defiance.

"Life, death… they don't matter…" Amidst the chaos, she felt a strange sense of calm, a smile returning to her face, a smile she hadn't shown since leaving Schicksal HQ.

"As long as I can protect him, give him back the life he deserves, then it's worth it."

"Is this… what it means… to protect someone? Captain, I think… I understand now…" Her face grew paler, but her smile widened.

"If someone has to die… if someone has to die first… why not me?"

"I'm disobeying orders again. But…" Her eyes hardened. "I have no regrets!"

Her blood, though not as potent as Cecilia's, was still effective, repelling the lesser Honkai beasts.

But she was only human. Her blood, her strength, were finite.

After what felt like an eternity, her vision blurred, her legs gave way, and she collapsed.

"Clang…" Her blade clattered to the ground.

"Is this… the end?" she murmured, sitting up with difficulty, untying the ropes, holding Lin Wei close, gently stroking his face with her uninjured hand. "Did I… hurt you when I fell?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't take you any further… I failed you… you won't blame me, will you?"

Silence.

"The beaches in Manila were beautiful… it's such a shame…" She rocked him gently, a sad smile on her pale face. "The beach on Coral Island was beautiful too… the one where we met… I remember the sunrise… I wanted to see it with you again…" A tear rolled down her cheek, landing on his face, leaving a bloody smear she couldn't wipe away.

"Lin Wei, I'm sorry… I'm not a good Valkyrie… I couldn't protect you… I can't even do this right…"

"If not for me… you would be with Rita and the others… you wouldn't be here… you wouldn't be like this…"

"I'm sorry… it's all my fault…"

Silence. The Honkai beasts were closing in. She couldn't fight anymore. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end, her heart filled with regret.

"Clang!" Just as the Honkai beasts were about to overwhelm them, a massive lance descended from the sky, scattering them like bowling pins.

A golden-haired girl in blue and white armor landed gracefully, another girl with long, lavender hair in her arms. She looked at Anna, who had opened her eyes, her expression dazed.

"Sorry, I'm late."