Chapter Text
“In other words, as the Honkai likes to do, Parvati’s body exploits the first law of thermodynamics to create what would otherwise be understood as a miracle. This Honkai Beast overcomes the thermodynamic energy barrier to initiate a runaway endothermic exchange with the surrounding environment that disregards its own body temperature. You could think that it’s quite unique among other Honkai Beasts in that it theoretically reduces local entropy, but don’t be fooled— ”
“....doctor?”
“...right, right, I’m getting to it, MEI. In normal circumstances, the ambient air would reach something resembling a temperature equilibrium eventually, however when the water in the air attempts to exchange heat with Parvati’s anomalous body through convection, it cools down seemingly without limit and without altering the beast’s own body functions. Once it appeared on the battlefield, Honkai-irradiated ice formed within minutes, sharing similar properties to Parvati’s own body… Kevin. Are you listening? I already dumbed it down for you, is it still too difficult?”
“...yeah, I’m listening.”
Behind the mysterious doors of a laboratory’s waiting room in the First Institute, an irritated sigh was heard. “No, no you aren’t.” The green-haired doctor who was attempting to finish her presentation passed a hand through her hair, which was tied back in a ponytail, before crossing her arms over her lab coat. “You’re not listening, you’re ogling your girlfriend like a puppy that wants to be pet.”
Kevin had the decency to look embarrassed, but he didn’t deny the accusation. Instead, he openly glanced at the aforementioned girlfriend— a young woman, also clad in a lab coat, who was so pale she looked like she might pass out any minute. Despite this, she smiled at the young man, and likewise, a very simple happiness bloomed on his face.
Dr. Mobius nearly groaned in response to the saccharine exchange, and her following words were equally exasperated. “What I am trying to say, Kevin, is that overcoming the barrier between human and Honkai Beast should grant you similar powers. Parvati’s abilities are the perfect counter to the Herrscher of Flame that’s currently burning down Australia.”
This statement had the intended effect. Snapped out of his girlfriend-induced reverie, Kevin’s expression became serious and grave. Had Mobius cared to look, she would have picked up on pain, deep in his blue eyes, but her attention was already focused forward, to the operation that would be performed in the very near future.
“You have the highest Honkai adaptability on base, and you were the only individual who was compatible with Parvati’s genes,” MEI suddenly spoke, voice partly muted by an anxiety she struggled to hide. “Kevin. I know that what we are asking you to do is… desperate, and most people would say it’s impossible, but if you can prove that humans can gain control over the Honkai directly… Despite these tragic losses and our current helplessness, we will find hope for the future once more.”
After hearing MEI’s little speech, Doctor Mobius’s expression became unreadable. Kevin, on the other hand, nodded with a steadfast look in his eyes. “I understand. I’ll do it.”
The green-haired doctor clicked her tongue. “I must remind you that none of the test subjects survived the trials, nor did their bodies even remain intact through the operation. If we fail, you will die a monster. It’s true that none of them had Honkai adaptability anywhere near yours, but your only chance lies with promising experimentation performed on preliminary samples, and your unparalleled ability to march straight forward and win. Are you willing to give up your humanity over such poor odds?”
Again, he wasn’t truly listening to her. “Even if the chance of success is 0%... I believe in MEI.” His declaration was passionate and full of warmth, dropped in the heavy air of the office without missing a beat.
Doctor Mobius waved at the wall to turn off the screen behind her. The pictures of a black and blue hog-like Honkai Beast faded. “You’ve been sufficiently informed. Sign the consent form and strip for the operation in the next room— wear the gown that’s folded on the table.” Kevin’s signature was deposited without a single second of hesitation. Despite his bravado, however, Mobius’s sharp serpentine eyes caught a slight tremble when he clutched the tablet pen. She immediately knew MEI noticed it too.
Kevin was already in the other room by the time Mobius sent the consent form through to the database. “Close the damn door! Call when you’re ready, I do not need you to flash me and I’m sure your girlfriend thinks the same.”
In the operating block, there were only three people: the doctor, her younger assistant, and a guinea pig. There would normally be more people, more helps in the room— but this was a secretive and highly controversial experiment to perform, and so, as with most of Doctor Mobius’s pet projects, it was seen preferable to keep it to a small committee.
“We’re going to put you under now,” Doctor Mobius warned. MEI was ready with a mask— anesthetic gas would flood the chamber once it was secured over Kevin’s face. “I remind you this procedure technically has a 0% survival rate. You may never wake up. Any last words?”
Kevin shook his head. “I’ve already said everything I wanted to say last night.” He closed his eyes and MEI lowered the contraption, letting her “boyfriend” inhale the gas. Her hands were trembling from her own nervousness, but Mobius’s gaze seemed to pin the mask in place.
“I want you to try and count to ten,” Mobius announced next, knowing that, considering the potency of the gas and Kevin’s body type, he would pass out in less than seven seconds.
Perhaps Kevin knew this as well. “Actually, no last words but I would like a good night kiss,” is what he said instead of counting, and the next moment he was out like a light. MEI stayed frozen in place. The echo of his joke remained on his face for a moment, a simple shadow of joy and humanity they might never witness again. Mobius suddenly became acutely aware of how young they both were.
She wished she could take his place in that moment, but quickly discarded the thought. Of course, her own cells were the first she tested for compatibility. If she had attempted the operation on herself with Parvati’s genes— nevermind that she would need to rely on MEI or other less competent colleagues to perform the operation— it would be doomed to fail. Kevin… represented their best odds. She shook her head to clear it and swept the room with her serpent-slit eyes.
As if in a trance, MEI kept staring at her boyfriend’s sleeping face without moving. Mobius expected her to lower her head and kiss the boy, but she didn’t move, only touching him with stormy, unreadable eyes. Mobius could imagine what might be on her mind, so she turned away to retrieve her tools and took the opportunity to try and lighten the atmosphere.
“It’s a princess you’ll wake up with a kiss, MEI. Your boyfriend will stay out.”
She lingered over her scalpels, unreasonably extending the moment to grant the two young lovebirds a semblance of privacy.
Yet, she failed to hear any unmistakable sound of fabric that would betray the scandalous act. MEI remained frozen in space. Perhaps she was simply petrified by the perspective of what she was about to do— unable to snap out of her own head to heed her man’s wish. Some people reacted like that. Mobius wouldn’t blame her.
Few were given the opportunity to feel their lover’s literal heart pulsing between their fingers.
Admitting to herself that she could delay the operation no longer, Mobius stopped pretending to pick blades and briskly marched back to the operation table. As she thought, MEI hadn’t moved an iota.
“Come on. Let’s begin.”
MEI nodded slowly. Her gaze slid over Mobius in a distant sort of way that the Doctor didn’t like, but this was neither the time nor place to reproach it.
“Vital signs are still stable. Slight decrease in heart rate, but blood pressure remains within expected parameters. No drastic increase in Honkai radiation levels.” MEI’s voice was monotone, stoicity the only blanket available to her winter-cold anxiety.
This was one reason why Mobius needed an assistant. She thought herself fully capable of performing an operation like this on her own, but she needed both hands and her full attention to graft the cultured Honkai Beast hybrid tissue, and thus ran the risk of losing track of the patient’s information that was helpfully displayed on a nearby screen. In fact, at the moment, she had to hold everything in place until the Honkai Beast’s natural regeneration started the transplantation process and was thus barred from twisting her neck around to check.
Displayed in front of them was Kevin’s wide open rib cage. His heart beat sluggishly, as MEI had pointed out, spelling out an uncharacteristically slow but regular rhythm for the beeping machines.
“Come on…” Mobius muttered, as if her words could cheer the operation into succeeding. She knew it never worked, not even with the stupid students, but she thought to herself that she was still human in these silly kind of ways.
The shift was instant.
Parvati’s body was black and blue, a characteristic shared by all Honkai Beasts that appeared as the result of the aborted eruption of the Herrscher of Ice. Starting from the tissue Mobius was holding, a trail of color suddenly shot out under Kevin’s skin, following a vein all the way back to his heart.
It had begun. “MEI! Be ready with the syringe. If Parvati’s genes get out of control it will at least save your boyfriend’s life.”
MEI’s pale, nervous face twitched, overcome with a distressed frown.
Mobius had no time to question it. There was no more time after that. The infection reached Kevin’s heart.