Chapter XI

Bronya met a mysterious youth at the entrance of the Quantum Pocket.
He called himself Joachim, and seemed knowledgeable about this place. Bronya found something familiar about him as well.

Quantum Shadows, strange spawns of the Void, have appeared in the Sea. They are cognitive projections derived from memories of terror.
Basic ATK will hardly deal any DMG, but Joachim told Bronya she has the powers to fight them. Bronya was not aware of that. Perhaps she'll find out more in this journey.

Dr. Einstein postulated the existence of "bubble universes" in the Sea of Quanta. Multiple realities overlap in the bubble to create surreal worlds.
Bronya thought she would arrive at a strange, alien place. She was surprised to find herself in the place where it began: St. Freya High. It felt so familiar... yet different as well. Could this be one of her fantasies?

The instructor for history turned out to be... Cocolia? The Anti-Entropy enforcer ended up as a Valkyrie and St. Freya High teacher in this bubble.
This is just the beginning of many surprises awaiting Bronya.

Schicksal still held onto its North America branch. The 2nd Herrscher was defeated as soon as she entered existence. Cecilia founded St. Freya High, and both Cocolia and Seele became Valkyries.
Tiny differences literally changed the history of this world.

Bronya became a Valkyrie of Far East Squad V to take on a secret assignment. They must evade mech defenses and reclaim stolen Schicksal assets from Anti-Entropy (AE).
The secret organization was founded by ex-Schicksal members. What did they steal exactly?

Everyone was shocked that the "stolen assets" turned out to be a young boy.
The boy gave off powerful Honkai emissions and bore startling resemblance to Joachim as well.

The boy manifested physical weapons out of thin air with Honkai energy alone. The Valkyries defeated the weapons and the boy collapsed in exhaustion.
The Herrscher of Reason of this bubble was defeated in 1955... where did the boy get his powers from?

Seele seemed to be able to predict the future. Bronya soon discovered that Seele did not belong here. This Seele was her friend who disappeared in the X-10 experiment.
Bronya Zaychik and Seele Vollerei were finally reunited.

The boy with Herrscher powers was covered in scars. Schicksal performed horrendous tests on him.
A hell like that could twist heroes into demons. Bronya must choose. It felt oddly familiar to her. But the girl knew she would make the same choice.

Having made her choice, Bronya returned to the Quantum Pocket bathed in shimmering light. Seele was gone... but her diary appeared in Bronya's hand.
This book may be the link between the girls. It allows Bronya to manifest her knowledge and memories into Void shadows...

Joachim finally revealed his identity. He is a fragment of the 1st Herrscher Welt Yang and was charged with standing vigil at the Sea of Quanta.
He didn't mention Yang's whereabouts. Bronya felt something was amiss.

Another bubble universe called to her. Bronya woke up in a windy snowscape...
She didn't expect to see Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse here. She was more astonished when this Otto turned out to be an orphanage patriarch.

Bronya met Seele again in World 2. Joachim believed that she might be in the Sea but her presence was only superposed on the bubble universe.
The orphanage brought back Bronya's memories. She would do whatever it takes to bring Seele back to the real world as she had promised.

Bronya learned of the chasm between Otto and Joachim. Joachim respected Otto, but the priest killed his father.
Bronya felt something similar as well.

The priest gave his cross to Joachim on his final night, but it only gave rise to more pain.
Unable to contain his emotions, Joachim stormed out into the night. The bubble universe changed drastically...

In his final moments, the priest told the children about his past. He practiced the forbidden arts but a Paladin redeemed his soul. He forsook his family name yet guilt clung onto him.
Something had given him strength to go on. Though priest didn't say what that was, his eyes glowed faintly when he mentioned the Paladin.

The boy who grew up in the orphanage decided to take up the priest's burden. He's prepared to face the future no matter how dark or bright it may be.
In the real world, Joachim would never appear in the priest's orphanage. Perhaps something linked Welt Yang to this strange bubble universe.

Joachim told Bronya that Welt Yang used his remaining energy to create this labyrinth as a barrier separating the Sea of Quanta from reality in order to stop the Serpent from escaping.
The bubble universes that Bronya experienced are Welt's cognitive projections upon this world. Joachim believed that Bronya may help save Welt.

Bronya stepped into the last bubble universe and entered the charred battlefields of the 2nd Honkai War. Schicksal launched a final offensive against the Herrscher of the Void. Welt Yang, the sovereign of Anti-Entropy, came to their aid with an army of mechs.
With the exception of Kiana and Mei, the war felt similar to that happened in the real world. But Bronya felt something was amiss...

Human forces and firepower defeated the Void Queen, but the Valkyries found themselves attacked by AE forces. Welt betrayed everyone and seized the Void Powers for himself.
Nobody knew if Welt fights for humanity... or simply became a Herrscher bent on destroying the human world.

Schicksal killed every founder of AE in this world. Joachim was the only survivor. He inherited his hero's name and grew up in fear and terror.
Nobody knew how he survived or why he fought. It seemed that he himself never knew the answer.

The Star of Eden made its choice. Bronya summoned a giant blackhole to engulf herself and the Herrscher, thus ending the bubble universe of fear and despair.
Meanwhile, someone began moving in secret.

Bronya was close to the Core of the 1st Herrscher when Seele appeared. A crimson glint flashed across Seele's eyes.
Bronya didn't expect that the Serpent found Seele first in the Sea of Quanta and led her alter-ego astray. Seele's very existence became a bargaining chip in the hands of the sinister force...