Upon exiting the tunnel, he was greeted by a field with many flowers on the ground as standing in the center were the two people in question.

Owl, and the Herrscher of Ice, Ana Schariac.

"Owl!" He shouted.

The boy turned around and was shocked.

"Alex? How'd you manage to find us?" He asked.

The Herrscher would also turn around, seemingly ready to attack Alex as Owl stepped in front of her.

"Wait Ana stop! He's on our side." Shouted Owl as the Herrscher would calm down.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief as he turned back towards Alex.

"Thank god you're here. Getting past that Valkyrie defense force was rough. I need a huge favor from you." He said.

"What is it?" Asked Alex.

Owl would then walk forward and stand before Alex as he held both of his hands and bowed, uttering a request that Alex found unbelievable.

"Please Alex. For my sake, take Ana away from here and help her tame her powers."

Alex almost wanted to believe that Owl was playing some kind if poorly timed joke with what he heard.

"W-What? Wait hold on what're you saying?" He asked.

"Look at me kid. I'm falling apart even more and more as the hours go by. My body can't handle the cold much longer. This is as far as I can go for Ana." Said Owl as he looked back at her. "Mei Raiden would end up catching her if she continued with me by her side. I'm slowing her down. Please Alex. Take her away from here. I'll try and hold off Mei for as long as I can. It's the last thing I can do."

Alex heard the pleading tone in Owl's voice as he was pratically begging for his help.

The boy was conflicted as just couldn't leave Owl here to die.

Hell he refused to even consider that a plausible option.

"Owl. I understand but I'm not gonna leave you here to die. We're all gonna get out of here toget-."

Before Alex could finish speaking, the Herrscher spoke however shockingly it wasn't the usual mumbling grunts.

"Chen...............Tianwu......."

It spoke normally, and in Ana's voice.

The two boys were shocked at this as Owl quickly turned back around and approached her.

"A.....Ana....?" He said, still in disbelief.

"Chen......Tianwu...." She said again, much more coherently this time.

"A-Ana......Ana....you're finally back! This.....this is wonderful! You did it! You really did it!" Exclaimed Owl, pratically overjoyed at this as even Alex was surprised at this sudden outcome.

"Thank you.....for staying by my side......" Said Ana, giving a small smile as she spoke in a soft tone.

"T-That doesn't matter right now. Ana you.....you've finally defeated the Honkai within you....we can finally head back and show everyone that you're human again. There's no need to run anymore. Let's go! I'll bring you to the World Serpent."

Despite this clearly being a triumphant moment for Owl, Alex couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something else going on that Owl wasn't yet aware of.

Ana would simply shake her head no at Owl's proposal.

"No.....you've done enough already..." She said.

"Enough..? W-What do you mean.....?"

"Chen Tianwu...........please..........let me die......."

BGM: Musique pour la tristesse de Xion from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Alex and Owl were dead silent at hearing the words Ana just let out.

"D-Die......?" Was all Owl could mutter after minutes of silence. "Stop fooling around, Ana.......I won't let you......."

"I can't........fight it.......not anymore.....my memories are.....peeling away...this is all the time I.......have left......I've used the last bit.....of my strength....." Said Ana.

"Ana....no........this can't be true....." Pleaded Owl, refusing to believe nor accept what Ana was saying.

"Chen....it's enough....please.....let it end....at least.....let me...die as a human........"

"N-No..........NO! There must be some other way Ana! Don't give up!"

"I'm sorry........you must....let me go..."

Ana would go quiet as she then snapped her fingers, suddenly trapping Owl in pillar as the boy was unable to move.

"A-Ana!? Ana what're you doing!?" He shouted.

The girl simply approached Owl and placed her forehead against his, a tear running down her face.

"Goodbye......Chen Tianwu...."

Ana would float past Owl's ice tomb as she now directed her attention towards Alex.

"You led him here to say goodbye.......didn't you......?" Said Alex.

Ana would simply nodded as she stepped down onto the ground.

"Alex Mustang..........I really appreciate all that you did to help Owl..........that's why I want you to kill me........" She said.

Alex looked at her for a moment before turning his attention towards his sword as he contemplated this.

"Your weapon can..........absorb Honkai Energy right......? I felt it back during........the first battle.......please....take all the energy I have left.....and kill me....."

Ana now stood before Alex, fully accepting what was to come.

"Alex please! Don't do it! She still has a chance! Let her live!" Shouted Owl as the boy looked at him, seeing the tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry Owl....." Said Alex as he stepped back and aimed his strike. "She's suffered far too long, and sometimes to end a person's suffering, you're better off ending their life."

Alex would coat the sword, and delivered a powerful slash right down and across the front of Ana's body.

The girl didn't fight back at all, in fact she even resisted the urge to do so.

She fell back onto the ground, laying in a bed full of flowers as lots of blood began to leak out from her body and form a puddle on the ground.

Alex walked over to her side and knew that she was no far too crippled to do anything, and that it was time to put her out of her misery. To end her suffering.

The boy would raise his sword, ready to deliver the final blow before he heard the sound of ice shattering apart.

"STOP!"

Alex looked to the side and was met with a hard punch from Owl right to the cheek as the boy was knocked down to the ground and away from Ana.

The boy held a hand to his cheek in pain as he stood up to see Owl standing between him and Ana, his cyborg body pratically in critical condition now due to forcing himself out of the ice trap as tons of sparks were flying from it and the body itself began to blink red as if it were a time bomb.

"Owl. This is what Ana wants. If you really cared for her, then you'd acknowledge her dying wish. She doesn't wanna suffer anymore." Said Alex however Owl was having none of it.

"I don't care! I know Ana can still fight back! I know she's stronger than this! I still believe she has a chance and I won't ever give up! I said this to Mei Raiden, and I'll say it to you. If you wanna hurt Ana, then you'll have to get through me first!" He shouted.

Alex knew that he wasn't gonna be reasoned with as he sighed and got into a battle stance.

"Fine then. So be it." He said as Owl would begin to stagger his way over to Alex, clearly on his last legs.

BGM Ends Here

Owl though wouldn't make it to Alex as he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

He noticed blood spilling out and dropping onto the floor as he saw Alex hold an extremely shocked expression on his face as he looked directly at his body.

Owl would slowly look down and what he saw horrified him.

He had been stabbed by an ice shard, directly through his chest.

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Chapter 11: Complete