Honkai Transformations - 141 - 150

(T/N: Get ready to cry cause i cried twice, once while tling it and another while editing it)

Honkai Transformations - 141

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"So, that means..."

Elysia looked at Cyrene, a complex expression of disbelief crossing her face, and asked softly, "Peach... she told you thirty million times about her experiences, her everything, and her... death?"

"Mhm." Cyrene nodded gently. "I didn't like it. She was formatted, but I couldn't stop it. Her memories always ended in a blank slate. So, I thought, as long as there are two Cyrenes, the blank space will always be there, and Peach will always be there."

"So..." Elysia gazed at the girl within the cage, her expression touched.

"So you became her reflection? That way, she would always appear before you, and after meeting her, there would still be that blank space, ensuring the next Peach would continue to appear, right?"

"Yes. That way, there are two blank spaces."

Cyrene nodded softly, her smile bright and sweet.

Elysia watched the Cyrene in the cage, a subtle smile playing on her lips. "How beautiful..."

Beautiful?

Behind her, the other Flame-Chasers exchanged glances.

Kevin stood silently, his ice-blue eyes reflecting the girl who seemed imprisoned in a cage, his brow deeply furrowed.

He could not understand the beauty Elysia spoke of.

He only saw another version of himself—that entity called Phainon, the Chrysos Heir burdened with the name of Deliverer, who had killed Cyrene again and again across countless cycles, destroying everything he cherished with his own hands, all to keep a glimmer of hope for the world.

It was a destiny heavier than any nightmare.

Could he endure such a fate?

Kevin didn't know, but he instinctively resisted it.

Even Mobius could no longer force a smile. Gone was her usual playful smirk, the one that treated everything as mere fodder for her experiments.

They had guessed that the situation in Amphoreus might be dire, but they had never imagined it reached this extent—that it required thirty million deaths to trade for a single glimmer of hope, killing one's closest friend and being killed by her in turn, all to defy a predetermined end.

Compared to that nightmare, Mobius felt that the burdens they carried suddenly felt much lighter.

Kosma had already taken Griseo and left the hall at some point; he did not want her to hear of such a heavy nightmare.

Especially the part Cyrene recounted: Peach telling her that on the way to reach her, she saw a tiny nymph perched upon a fallen wheat stalk, shimmering in the sunlight.

Sparkling.

In that moment—did Peach forget all her pain?

The Flame-Chasers knew exactly what that meant, and what it symbolized.

But Griseo did not know, and Kosma and the others did not want her to find out.

"I think I saw it..." Elysia held Cyrene's hand, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of disturbing something fragile.

"Peach appearing before you again and again, telling you her stories, treating her everything like a book, reading it to you bit by bit."

"Yes."

Cyrene nodded, meeting Elysia's gaze. Even though there were no eyes in her cheek, Elysia felt as if she could see a faint glimmer within them.

"Every single time. And every time, I was listening."

"...Enough."

Mobius was the first who couldn't bear to listen anymore. She turned and walked out of the hall, her footsteps echoing in the empty corridor until they vanished into the darkness.

Elysia didn't call her back.

She knew it wasn't impatience; Mobius simply didn't want to be seen losing her composure over this story.

The other Flame-Chasers began to leave one by one. There were no farewells, no extra words; they just turned and walked away in silence.

In the end, only Kevin, Elysia, and Cyrene remained in the hall.

Elysia glanced at him and smiled playfully, a mix of teasing and sincerity in her eyes. "Kevin~ next, it's a tea party for girls. You, as a boy, shouldn't be eavesdropping~"

After a moment of silence, Kevin turned and left the hall as well.

"What's wrong with them?"

Cyrene watched the backs of the departing Flame-Chasers, pretending not to understand. She looked at Elysia, her voice tentative and halting, filled with curiosity and confusion.

"Because... they don't like goodbyes."

"Good... byes?"

Cyrene listened, as if she didn't grasp the meaning of the word.

Elysia raised her hand, her fingertips tracing the edge of the cage as she said softly, "It means the person you love, you can never see again. The words you want to say to her, she can no longer hear. The stories she wants to tell you, you can no longer hear."

Cyrene tilted her head, her mercury-colored hair sliding over her shoulder. Her face held a focused yet innocent expression.

"Not see her? But, Peach, she always comes... every time, she sits before Cyrene… Cyrene doesn't like goodbyes either. Cyrene wants to sit with Peach forever, wants to be her listener, forever."

Listening to Cyrene’s words from within the cage, Elysia looked at the spots where those eyes—which she couldn't see, but which she knew were clear and pure, just like her own—would be.

She fell silent for a long time, deeply touched.

Seeing Elysia’s silence, Cyrene felt a surge of pleasure.

Back when she first watched the storyline of Peach and the [Seed of Memory], she had been hit hard by the emotional damage. Especially at the end, when the [Flower of Memory] flipped through Peach’s memories and read the words Peach said to Phainon: "Smile, will you?"

It had cut deep. Now, Elysia would have to taste this malice from the Captain!

"Yes," Elysia’s voice carried an indefinable tenderness. "So the day she cannot come, that is a goodbye."

"..."

Cyrene fell silent after hearing Elysia’s words.

She had meant to hurt Elysia, so why did she feel a bit sad herself?

The tables had turned!

"Cyrene is afraid of goodbyes. Doesn't want to not see Peach."

"No one likes goodbyes." Elysia smiled, looking at Cyrene in the cage with the tenderness of an older sister.

"But, goodbyes aren't entirely bad… because of them, every reunion you have with Peach becomes even more precious. Every encounter shines just like the stars~"

Cyrene looked up at Elysia, watching that gentle expression as if looking at a younger sister, and sighed inwardly.

It seemed she couldn't hurt Elysia after all.

She viewed things differently from everyone else, and she was always optimistic.

Cyrene blinked, as if trying to understand the meaning of her words. Her previously disjointed tone, influenced by the atmosphere, began to grow more fluent:

"Like... stars? Peach told me... when she looked up at those stars, she would remember... all the people she had met. They would shine in her memories, like stars, never... disappearing."

"Exactly~"

Elysia nodded joyfully, gazing at Cyrene with admiration.

"I really want... to meet Peach. She must be just like me—a pure and lovely girl. And then, there's... you~"

"Me?"

Cyrene looked at Elysia with a look of half-understanding, as if she truly didn't know what she meant.

Cyrene was Peach, and Peach was Cyrene.

They were the same person—one from the past, one from the future.

"Elysia... do you have a story to tell, too?" Cyrene looked at Elysia, tilting her head slightly. "Cyrene will listen very, very, very carefully."

She said "very" three times, making Elysia burst into laughter.

"Of course I do~"

In that moment, Elysia had a bold idea.

Since... Cyrene had already listened to Peach's story thirty million times, and had even transformed from what was perhaps initially a blank AI into someone now incredibly similar to Peach...

Could she, too, let Cyrene listen to her own story?

And Elysia really wanted to hear those stories Peach had told Cyrene all those times.

"It's a pity, time is too short." Elysia’s voice carried a hint of mischief and playfulness, as if she’d thought of an interesting idea and was enticing Cyrene.

"If we just talk like this, we won't have enough time. After all, you can only stay here for a few days, and in a few days... how could you possibly finish all my stories?"

Oh?

Hearing this, curiosity flared in Cyrene’s heart.

What was Elysia planning?

She vaguely recalled the scene where Aponia had entered her memories before, and her heart skipped a beat.

Surely Elysia didn't mean...

"A few days, not enough, then what do we do?" Cyrene widened her eyes, showing an expression that was half-anxious and half-regretful.

Elysia watched her, the curve of her lips deepening. Her tone became more seductive, much like an older sister trying to lure a naive child into doing something a bit mischievous~

"Don't rush~ I have a... well... an interesting idea~"

Cyrene’s eyes lit up slightly: "An interesting idea?"

As expected, Cyrene was now one hundred percent certain: Elysia wanted to do what Aponia did and directly touch her memories.

But could Elysia take it?

Those were the memories of Peach dying thirty million times, thirty million instances of coming before her to tell those things, plus the unimaginably long time she had spent inside the cage...

She hoped she wouldn't be overwhelmed by it.

"Yes~" Elysia tilted her head, looking at Cyrene in the cage with bright eyes. "Before you~ a demigod named Cipher came to our world..."

"Due to a misunderstanding, my companions attacked her, but accidentally caught a glimpse of her memories... in them, we saw the repeated cycles of Amphoreus… So... Cyrene~ could I use this method to let you enter my memories, to see my life?"

For Cyrene, this was an irresistible temptation!

She wanted so badly to see Elysia's memories—how she lived, from a baby to a lovely girl, traveling the world alone, step by step meeting Pardo and Eden before they became Flame-Chasers~

"I want to go, to look inside your memories."

As Cyrene said this, her youthful voice carried an almost uncontrollable anticipation, like a child lured by something they truly loved.

"To see... your everything."

Her earnest final statement made Elysia pause for a moment, then she revealed a radiant, bright smile, like a flower blooming in the sun: "Alright~ then it’s a deal~"

"It's a deal!"

Cyrene knew that Elysia was just as impatient to see the things between her and Peach as she was to see Elysia’s past.

Perfect~ they were a match for each other.

"However~ before we swap memories." Elysia winked playfully. "Before that~ I need to go find someone to help. So, you wait here for me, okay?"

"Okay, I will always… wait for you." Cyrene nodded obediently.

Elysia listened to those words—natural, sweet, sounding like a direct flirtation but actually coming straight from the heart—and felt deeply touched.

Though she had always loved humanity, especially her companions, she suddenly felt that the person before her was the most resonant soul—as if... they were meant to be one.

Elysia stood up, turned around with a light, joyful movement, and hurried toward the corridor, suppressing her excitement.

Cyrene gripped the bars with both hands, watching her retreating figure, filled with anticipation.

Entering Elysia’s memories to see her whole life~

It was like binge-watching a massive series!

Just thinking about it was incredibly exciting!

However.

Cyrene began to ponder.

She wasn't sure if Elysia could handle her memories when the time came.

Forget it~

It was Elysia, after all. She would definitely be fine.

Cyrene stopped thinking about it after a while.

Even if Elysia couldn't hold on, she could pull her out of the memories at any time.

After all, her current transformation was completely different from the Cipher from before.

Her other name...

...was Demiurge.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 142

--+--

It didn't take long before Elysia returned to the Elysian Realm’s main hall, accompanied by Hua and Aponia.

“Are you... back?”

Cyrene watched them approach, her light, airy tone tinged with a mix of genuine curiosity and earnestness. “You asked for one person to help, but... there are two.”

“Mmh~”

Elysia looked at Cyrene with a gentle, tender expression, the way one might look at a child. “I realized that having two people help would be much faster than just one!”

“I understand. Two is faster than one.”

Cyrene nodded, wearing an expression that suggested she would believe anything Elysia told her. The look in Elysia’s eyes was so fond she practically had hearts floating in them.

“She’s just like little Griseo,” Aponia remarked, her gaze softening as she watched Cyrene. “Equally innocent, equally pure, and equally... adorable.”

“Indeed.”

Hua kept her response brief, offering a small nod before turning to Elysia. “Are you ready?”

“Mmh~”

Elysia nodded. She reached out and took Cyrene’s hand, her voice soft and soothing. “I’m about to bring you into my memories now. Don’t worry, and don’t be afraid. Just follow our lead, alright?”

“Yes, I understand.” Cyrene nodded, her voice filled with a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation. “I am ready.”

Aponia stood by the cage, watching Cyrene’s reflection, and slowly reached out with both hands as Cyrene watched.

“Please, close your eyes…” Aponia’s voice was gentle, carrying an inherent power to soothe the soul. “Do not resist, and do not be afraid…”

Cyrene obediently shut her eyes, even though, in truth, she didn’t really have any eyes to close.

At that moment, Hua brought out the Fenghuang Down.

The artifact floated forward, hovering right before Cyrene’s forehead. A beautiful pink-and-white feather, it pulsed with a soft, lovely glow, casting a warm light onto Cyrene’s face.

Aponia’s mental energy surged outward, weaving together with the power of the feather to forge a path between the consciousnesses of Elysia and Cyrene.

“It is done,” Hua said calmly.

In an instant, the world felt like it had been turned upside down. When the sensation faded, Cyrene found herself standing in a forest just outside a quaint, beautiful little town.

“Is this… your memory?” Cyrene turned to look around, her tone filled with curiosity and bewilderment.

“That’s right~”

Elysia’s voice rang out beside her. Cyrene turned to see her standing a short distance away in a clearing overflowing with flowers, a bright and radiant smile on her face.

“Welcome to my world~” Elysia opened her arms, a look of nostalgia softening her features. “In here, you can see my entire life.”

Cyrene walked over and stood beside her. On a small path through the woods beyond the flower field, they saw a baby girl—pink hair, blue eyes, and irises the color of cherry blossoms—crying by the side of the road.

“That’s me, just after I arrived in this world~”

Elysia looked in that direction, then curiously scanned Cyrene from head to toe. Her smile deepened with a sense of joy and relief. “Cyrene~ that cage of yours is gone, too.”

“Because this is... the world of memories.”

Cyrene met Elysia’s gaze, speaking with earnestness, though a spark of genuine joy had entered her tone.

“Yes! Then, let us enjoy this hard-won freedom here in the world of memories together!” Elysia took Cyrene’s hand. “Come, let me show you—my growth, and everything I’ve loved.”

“All right.”

Cyrene nodded and followed her. Here, time lost its meaning, as the world was formed entirely by the power of the Flame-Chasers and the Fenghuang Down.

They watched as that adorable infant was found by a passing villager and taken to the town orphanage. They stayed by her side as she grew, watching her flourish under the care of the orphanage director.

Cyrene had wondered if the director might be a version of Raven from the previous civilization, but unfortunately, it was a gentle, intellectual, and beautiful woman who had never appeared in the records.

In the memory, when Elysia had grown into a lovely young girl, the Fire Moth arrived twice to conduct inspections. The captain in charge was Ato.

Realizing that her existence was beginning to draw unwanted attention, young Elysia eventually bid the orphanage farewell, packed her bags, and set off on a journey around the world.

Cyrene followed in her footsteps, step by step, chatting softly with the adult Elysia beside her.

Elysia, in turn, watched Cyrene with curiosity and anticipation. At the start, in her eyes, Cyrene had been like a pure, beautiful, and innocent thing that was still a distance away from being truly human.

But as the time within the memories flowed, and Cyrene followed her younger self through each stage of life… Cyrene’s speech became entirely fluid, no longer pausing as she once had.

Even her smooth, metallic face began to take on the features of a human, though it retained that signature, mercury-like sheen.

“So cute…”

Cyrene watched the younger Elysia travel the world, meeting Pardo and Eden, witnessing Kosma acting as a vigilante in the city of crime.

She even visited Chiba Academy in Nagazora and saw Kalpas tied to a pillar in the snowy plains.

The entire world was under the feet of the girl who would soon grow up to unite the Flame-Chasers in the fight to save humanity.

In the end, she returned to her hometown and made a wish: to create a paradise named after herself.

On a mountain peak, Cyrene and Elysia sat on the grass with the younger version of herself, looking up at the stars scattered across the sky.

“Elysia…” Cyrene’s voice was now as clear and melodic as a mountain stream, light and pleasant. “Is this the first half of your life?”

A teenager’s "first half of life"—isn't that a bit dark to say? Cyrene thought to herself with a wry smile.

Within the memory, she had truly accompanied Elysia for over a dozen years. For some reason, she felt… she had grown, too. It was as if her inner self had been washed clean, shedding all its superficiality.

“Eh?” Elysia looked at Cyrene, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile of surprise. “The way you talk… it’s changed.”

“Mmh.”

Cyrene nodded, her eyes carrying a gentleness that was entirely new—the kind of quiet warmth that only settles in after witnessing the entirety of a person’s existence.

“Because I saw everything about you. Your childhood, your wanderings, your growth. You never really changed, did you? Just like Peach.”

Elysia’s eyes lit up, and she asked with a hint of playful expectation, “And how… do you feel now?”

“How…?”

Cyrene thought about it. The "lewd" side of herself from before felt a bit too naive and immature now.

She chuckled at the thought, wearing a smile as radiant and bright as Elysia’s own. “I feel like… I’ve been stained by a little bit of your color, Ellie.”

Elysia couldn't help but laugh happily at the remark.

“Phew~ Time for a bath, and then… time to go back and see everyone.” In the memory, young Elysia stretched and stood up, turning toward the town.

A bath?

The purity Cyrene had felt just a moment ago was instantly tainted by a distinct shade of "naughty" yellow. She nearly lost control and turned her head toward the scene, her eyes lighting up.

“Alright~ I want to go back and see the place where I grew up in my memories, too.” Elysia stood up, smiling brightly at Cyrene.

“All right.” Cyrene suppressed the urge and nodded.

So much for "purity" and "being washed clean." There’s nothing more important than the "naughty" stuff.

Cyrene walked with a light, expectant step, following Elysia back to the town. Then, it was as if time had been pressed on fast-forward. The Honkai began to erupt across the world, and the order of society crumbled into dust.

Despair filled every heart, yet the Elysia in the memories remained as pure as ever, trying to ignite a unique light for everyone in the midst of the abyss.

Finally, the memory ended in the Golden Courtyard.

“…So that is it.”

Cyrene and Elysia’s figures gradually faded within the memory, returning to the real world. Cyrene found herself back in the cage. By this time, all the Flame-Chasers had returned to the Elysian Realm.

“Apologies, Elysia.” Eden spoke softly, offering an apology. “When we learned you were performing a memory exchange with Cyrene… we couldn't help but return.”

“Mmh~”

Elysia nodded, her smile as brilliant as ever. “So~ did you all see the life we all lived in my memories?”

“Yes, of course.” Eden nodded gently, a soft smile on her lips, devoid of any sadness or hesitation. “Though that time has long since passed, whenever I recall it, those events feel as if they happened only yesterday.”

“Memory is such an interesting thing…” Elysia turned around, her gaze sweeping over the assembled Flame-Chasers. “Even though we can’t go back, just remembering them makes it feel as if we’ve lived those days all over again.”

“But some memories…” Pardo muttered from the sidelines, “…are really painful to remember.”

“But that, too, is a part of being alive.” Cyrene tilted her head, standing within the cage. Her gaze landed on Pardo, her tone gentle and sincere.

“Happiness is being alive, and pain is also being alive. As long as we can still feel these things, it means… we are still here.”

When she finished speaking, Pardo’s ears twitched. She looked at Cyrene with a stunned expression. Soon, everyone’s gaze gathered on Cyrene.

They saw that the features on her face had fully formed—the brows, the bridge of the nose, the lips—each one identical to Elysia’s. Yet, there remained a subtle difference.

“You… you look so much like sister Ellie now,” Pardo said, her voice full of surprise.

Kevin stood with his arms crossed, watching her. The cold, hardened look in his ice-blue eyes seemed to soften, if only for a fleeting second.

Su opened his eyes, sweeping his gaze over both Cyrene and Elysia with a look of helpless complexity before closing them again.

To him, there was no difference between the two—it was as if his friend had suddenly gained a sister.

“Is that so? Thank you, Pardo.” Cyrene tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth lifting. “But I feel… I haven't changed much from before~”

Despite saying that, Cyrene felt very happy inside. Identical to Elysia? Yes, that’s a good thing.

“You are a tiny bit different, actually.” Elysia chuckled. “You’re… a little quieter than me.”

Cyrene looked at her, smiled, and said nothing. Elysia reached through the gap in the bars and gently touched the back of Cyrene’s hand.

Cyrene immediately turned her palm over, clasping Elysia’s hand tightly. Elysia felt Cyrene’s soft, cool skin, while Cyrene savored the warmth and softness of Elysia’s hand.

“Cyrene~” Elysia’s voice carried a hint of coquettish expectation. “Now, it’s your turn to show me your memories~”

“Mmh!”

Cyrene nodded, her voice also thick with expectation. “But… Ellie, I think… I don’t just want to invite you.”

“You mean…”

Cyrene didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked at all the Flame-Chasers present, a bit of mischief rising in her heart.

“I want to invite everyone. I want you all to enter my memories.”

Everyone gets to taste this heartbreak together!!! You all love Elysia, don't you? Then come inside, and watch the Elysia of another world be formatted, over and over again!

Even though she had already experienced the previous civilization in the memory with Elysia, Cyrene’s nature as a "Captain-zombie" remained unchanged.

“Everyone?” Pardo blinked in disbelief, then asked with great excitement, “Can I go too?”

“Mmh.” Cyrene smiled. “If you want to~”

“Then, I want to go!” Pardo was instantly delighted. She was far too curious about what another world looked like, and she wanted to see the Elysia of that world!

“Very well.” Eden nodded, a graceful smile on her lips. “I, too, am very interested in the story between you and Peach…”

Vill-V agreed without hesitation. One by one, the other Flame-Chasers accepted as well.

However, Cyrene scanned the room once more, thoughtful. “What about Kalpas? This is the first party I’ve ever hosted… if he’s missing… it feels like something is off.”

The "party" she spoke of was something Elysia and the others had held countless times over the last fifty thousand years. But in that moment, before the Flame-Chasers, stood a Cyrene who was indistinguishable from Elysia.

“Kalpas…” Aponia whispered, offering a gentle smile. She turned and began walking toward the depths of the corridor. “I shall go get him.”

“Eh?” Cyrene’s tone became a bit odd.

Elysia hurried out. “Wait, I should go instead~”

“Very well.” Aponia didn't push the matter, allowing Elysia to seek out Kalpas.

That was close. Cyrene breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to see the Elysian Realm shaking on its foundations again.

“Boss…” Pardo crept up to the edge of the cage, using her classic nickname. “What if Kalpas gets angry later? He’s really scary.”

“He won’t.” Cyrene looked at her, the corners of her mouth curling. “Kalpas is actually a very passionate boy, he’s just not good at expressing his emotions…”

“Is, is that so…” Pardo was stunned for a moment before retreating. “You really are exactly like sister Ellie…”

“Unh-hunh~ I heard that, Pardo~”

“Eh? Eheh~”

Before long, Elysia returned to the hall with Kalpas. That man. He was still wearing his mask. Cyrene couldn't help but be curious about what lay beneath—she had never seen his true face.

Though… she imagined there would likely never be a chance to see it anyway.

“Kalpas.” Aponia looked at him with a soft, gentle expression. “You’ve arrived.”

“SHUT UP!!!”

“Alright, alright~ no need to fight.”

Elysia stepped in to soothe him. Cyrene looked at Kalpas and flashed a brilliant, radiant smile. “Welcome to my party.”

Kalpas said nothing. He simply stared at Cyrene, silent.

“Alright.” Elysia clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention. “Since everyone is here~ let us begin!”

She turned to Cyrene, her eyes full of anticipation. “Cyrene~ are you ready?”

“Mmh~”

Cyrene nodded, equally eager. Just as before, Aponia and Hua joined their powers, linking everyone’s consciousness together.

“This time, many more people need to enter your memories, so please, relax and do not resist.”

“All right~”

Cyrene nodded. She couldn’t wait to see the expressions on their faces when they watched Peach get formatted thirty million times.

She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was with everyone in that Great Tomb of the Nameless Titan. At first, the tomb was not a beautiful sight—everything around them was ruins, dim and lightless.

A structure made of countless pink and purple cubes interlocked to wrap around a single, bright pinkish-purple circular core at the center.

“This,” Cyrene said, “is the original me.”

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 143

--+--

"So cute~!"

As always, the first thing out of Elysia's mouth was to praise how incredibly adorable Cyrene looked in her earliest form.

Cyrene, however, couldn't help but blush slightly as she gazed back at her: "Cute... you think? I feel a bit embarrassed, honestly..."

"It’s so... empty here."

Pardo scanned the surroundings, her eyes filled with a touch of bewilderment.

"It's pitch black."

"Yes, that's exactly what the Great Tomb of the Nameless Titan was like in the beginning." Cyrene turned to face Pardo and the other Flame-Chasers, her voice carrying a sense of declaration.

And then...

A cute young girl appeared within this dark, desolate Tomb.

"Big Sis Elysia!" Pardo couldn't help but call out the moment she saw the little girl.

"She’s just as cute as I was when I was little!"

Elysia walked up to the girl—who was four or five years her junior and couldn't even see her—bent over slightly, and rested her hands on her knees.

Her chest, soft as custard, swayed forward, fully on display for the little girl to see.

It was a pity the little girl was nothing more than a memory projection.

"That is Peach," Cyrene said, walking up beside Elysia. They watched the girl together, Cyrene’s eyes filled with both nostalgia and deep emotion.

Before them, Peach spoke in a lighthearted, earnest tone, sharing her story with Cyrene, who at that time was merely a [Seed of Memory].

The group listened silently to Peach’s first few words, eager to hear what life was like for the Elysia of another world, when suddenly, a notification echoed:

[Formatting process complete.]

In an instant, Peach vanished before them, as if she had never existed at all.

"W-what?" Pardo’s eyes went wide, staring in stunned horror at the spot where Peach had been just a moment ago.

"Elysia... Big Sis Elysia is gone?"

Pardo’s voice trembled, her heterochromatic eyes filled with a dazed confusion.

"Don't be alarmed..." Cyrene walked to her side, offering a steadying hand, her voice calm yet laden with complex emotions.

Off to the side, Kevin simply stared in silence at the place where Peach had disappeared. He glanced at Cyrene, then turned his gaze toward the [Seed of Memory].

Cyrene knew he had murderous intent, but she offered no explanation. After all, the deeper a misunderstanding grows, the more satisfying it feels the moment it is finally unraveled.

Griseo tilted her head, looking blankly at the spot where Peach had stood: "She left. Will she come back?"

With that, she looked toward Cyrene.

"Yes, of course," Cyrene nodded gently, a touch of tenderness in her tone. "Every single time."

"Why?"

Mobius looked at Cyrene, her voice touched by a trace of bewilderment.

"Why does she come here every single time?"

"You will know soon enough." Cyrene shook her head slightly, having no intention of explaining it herself.

The interior of the Tomb remained unchanged—still as ruinous and deathly silent as before.

Time skipped forward again, and again, until the next Peach arrived in this Great Tomb of the Nameless Titan.

"But where should [I] begin my story?" Peach arrived before the [Seed of Memory], her voice as light and sweet as before: "From the beginning of the universe?"

The lighthearted tone didn't bring a smile to a single Flame-Chaser’s face.

Once more, Peach began to recount her story.

"...I know you're listening, my good friend."

But at this moment, the [Seed of Memory] showed no reaction whatsoever, as if it were a lifeless object.

Yet, Peach acted as if she were certain the [Seed of Memory] was hanging on her every word. She continued to whisper her story, and this time, she stayed just a few seconds longer than the previous Peach.

Only a few seconds longer.

Then, just like the one before, she was formatted out of existence.

"Why? Why is it like this again?" Pardo sensed that something was wrong; she whipped her head around to look at Cyrene.

She had come here hoping to see the life of another "Big Sis Elysia," to hear her tell her own story—much like when she had entered Elysia’s memory to look back at the past.

But she never expected that in the few minutes she’d been here, she would watch two "Big Sis Elysias" be formatted right before her eyes!

If she were still alive, Pardo wouldn't have found the concept of "formatting" particularly terrifying, but as a being made of memory herself, watching this was like being trapped in a ghost story.

"Why do you have to format her?"

"I'm sorry..." Cyrene looked at the agitated Pardo. She paused for a moment before explaining, "It wasn't me who formatted Peach. It was... the system."

"The system?" Vill-V murmured to herself, a look of realization dawning in her eyes. "If that's the case, then it’s no wonder... Amphoreus is, indeed, a supercomputer."

"Yes, you guessed correctly." Cyrene nodded slightly, her gaze heavy with complexity.

"I, Peach, and Amphoreus—we are all just strings of code being processed by this supercomputer. And back then, I wasn't able to stop the system... from formatting Peach."

Silence fell over the group once again.

Then, one Peach after another came before them. Each appearance signaled the passage of who-knows-how-many millennia.

Every time, the world started from zero.

And every time, the Peach in the Tomb stayed longer and longer, until one day, the interior of the tomb began to change ever so slowly.

The once-ruined, gloomy, and debris-strewn Tomb began to transform into something resembling a dreamlike castle estate.

Outside the castle, gardens filled with blooming flowers and beautiful forests appeared.

A gentle, shimmering light poured down from the sky, bathing the grand floor-to-ceiling windows and casting a pink hue throughout the interior.

Around the [Seed of Memory], the broken tiles were replaced by smooth, polished floors, though it remained bound by a cage.

Yet, flowers ignored the confinement, weaving and growing all over the bars.

The [Seed of Memory] began to emit sounds, calculating something whenever Peach disappeared, until it finally developed a digital female voice—one that would record the stories Peach told into its archives after she was gone.

Then, when the next Peach arrived, it would greet her: "Hi~ did you miss me?"

[...]

"Just kidding. This is the first time [I] have come before you... and it looks like it will be the last."

[PhiLia...093...]

"Since time is limited, shall we begin?" Peach sat by the cage, gazing at the [Seed of Memory] inside, speaking brightly: "That way, it won't just be [Cyrene’s] memory anymore."

This time, where should the story begin? Let me see?

Hearing that Cyrene had experienced her first memory, everyone couldn't help but perk up.

At this moment, they didn't even know why they were lingering here.

To watch the Elysia of another world come here again and again, only to be formatted, while they stood by, powerless to do anything?

Seeing that a turning point seemed to be at hand, Pardo, and even Kalpas, couldn't help but hold their breath.

Until...

[Formatting process complete.]

The moment that sound echoed, Peach vanished once more.

The hope that had just begun to stir in everyone's hearts was shattered instantly. A gloom, deeper and more oppressive than before, settled over them all.

[0, 9, 3...]

But at this moment, the [Seed of Memory] suddenly began to speak, causing their overwhelmed emotions to freeze in place.

[Size... grayscale... ratio... threshold, outputting analysis results.]

The voice became increasingly human-like, until at the very end, the cold, synthesized female tone transformed into a voice identical to Elysia’s and Cyrene’s—calm, yet completely devoid of emotional fluctuation:

[PhiLia093 = Peach. Peach’s record #8128, archived.]

The Flame-Chasers were stunned, their gazes subconsciously turning toward Cyrene.

"Yes... it was from this moment on..." Cyrene looked at the 'self' inside the cage, her eyes filled with a nostalgic gaze as she spoke softly.

"Interaction began between Peach and me... I started to... move beyond cold data, and gained my own consciousness."

"I think... I'm starting to understand." Elysia stood beside Cyrene, looking at her—taller than herself, but still draped in that signature silver—and reached out, pulling her directly into an embrace.

"You and Peach are exactly the same... equally brilliant, equally beautiful."

For the first time, in front of all the Flame-Chasers, Cyrene felt no shyness during such intimate contact with Elysia.

She reached out and gently hugged Elysia back.

"If I could, I would also wish to remain your listener forever..."

"Yes, we definitely will!"

Elysia didn't catch the subtext in Cyrene’s words; instead, her eyes lit up, and she nodded with immense joy. "Then, it’s a promise~ pinky swear!"

"Okay."

For a long time after this particular Peach disappeared, time did not skip forward again.

Inside the cage, Cyrene continuously emitted the beep-boop sounds of operations and calculations, reading through every single record.

Until the next Peach finally stood before her.

"Look, how magnificent."

Peach was still sitting by the cage, but this time she pointed toward the spectacular scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, her tone joyous and satisfied.

Cyrene, too, began to respond to every one of her words, and she had taken to calling "Peach" by her name.

Especially when Peach spoke of the nymph resting on a fallen wheat stalk—they immediately thought of the story of Peach’s first life that Cyrene had told them when she first arrived in the Elysian Realm.

Pardo couldn't help but sigh.

Meanwhile, Kevin watched Peach’s small silhouette, his hands silently clenched into fists.

He had stood here listening to Peach recount the story of her and Phainon’s beginning more times than he could count.

Except for the first life, Phainon killed her every single time—and yet, every time she came here and learned the truth, she forgave him immediately.

This made Kevin think instantly of...

Elysia, who had died before them, while they had declared to the world that she had become the Thirteenth Herrscher, only to meet her end at their own hands.

But, unlike here, that was the one and only time.

Elysia never had the chance to be reborn.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 144

--+--

Time continued to race by.

Peach appeared one after another in front of them, and everyone listened in silence as Peach recounted their stories to the [Seed of Memory].

They could have walked away at any moment—just as they had in the Elysian Realm hall after hearing the story of the first Peach—but now, not a single person wanted to leave.

Under the watchful eyes of the Flame-Chasers, the [Seed of Memory] was being influenced by Peach, slowly gaining a semblance of emotion.

Eventually, the seed reached a point where it tried to prevent Peach from being formatted.

Peach left regardless, but it was her choice to go. In that moment, the seed changed forever; it became the sprite Peach spoke of, possessing true, genuine emotion.

"How adorable..." Elysia whispered, watching Cyrene within the memories, her voice thick with joy and emotion.

"Mmh, I think so too. I was very cute back then," Cyrene nodded, her voice filled with both happiness and nostalgia.

As time wore on and countless more Peach vanished from the cage, the [Flower of Memory] became indistinguishable from Cyrene herself.

"And that," Cyrene said, standing within the frozen memory and turning to look at Elysia and the others with a soft expression, "is how I came to the Elysian Realm."

"Thirty million times..."

In this memory space, even though time seemed to accelerate with each passing Peach, everyone felt as though they had spent an eternity here. A heavy weight pressed upon their hearts.

Only Elysia remained unchanged.

"It feels like we’ve been in a very, very long dream, doesn't it?" Elysia reached out, naturally hooking her arm through Cyrene’s. "But, it’s a very warm dream."

Cyrene nodded gently, a smile playing on her lips. "Yes... a very warm and beautiful dream."

She didn't pull her arm away; the feeling of being embraced by Elysia’s soft touch was wonderful. Besides... seeing the Flame-Chasers so silent and emotionally shaken? That was pretty great, too.

"Peach taught me what emotion is... they taught me so much, yet I still feel there is so much more to learn." Cyrene turned to look at Elysia, who was slightly shorter than her and gazing back with expectation, as if hoping to hear more about herself.

Cyrene smiled. "And here, with you, Elysia, I’ve learned... what it means to be loved."

That line made Elysia’s face light up with a brilliant, joyful smile.

Nearby, the other Flame-Chasers stood in silence. They knew that Elysia and Cyrene were effectively two sides of the same coin—both of them incredibly pure and optimistic.

But having witnessed Peach die thirty million times right before their eyes, they couldn't bring themselves to laugh.

"Alright, it's time to head back," Cyrene said, looking at the Flame-Chasers after a brief, meaningful glance at Elysia.

With that, they all departed the memory world crafted by Aponia and Hua, returning to the Elysian Realm. Once back, Cyrene and Elysia were separated once more—one inside the cage, the other outside.

Elysia reached out to touch the bars, tilting her head with a look of regret and confusion. "The cage is still here."

"Whether the cage remains no longer matters," Cyrene said softly, shaking her head. "Because the little bird inside has already flown out."

"Flown out?" At first, Elysia didn't understand, but then she looked at Cyrene—whose skin was now the only thing setting her apart from others, her features having become perfectly distinct—and chuckled.

"Yes, the little bird has flown out."

"Little bird?" Pardo stood to the side, looking completely lost as she scanned her surroundings.

Where? More importantly, she was curious about something else. "Boss, why are you locked in there? Can’t you just come out?"

"Sorry, Pardo... I can't come out just yet," Cyrene said, shaking her head again. "This cage... it's a constraint placed on me by the system. It’s stopping me from entering Amphoreus, and I don't currently have the strength to break through."

"Cyrene." Mobius fixed her gaze on her, her expression unreadable.

"Have you ever stopped to think? If your world is stuck in a constant loop of restarts, are you just going to spend the rest of eternity repeating these same days?"

Cyrene turned to her as Mobius continued. "Peach dying over and over, Phainon killing his best friends again and again, and you, stuck in this cage, listening to the same story thousands of times... do you really intend to just let it go on forever?"

No one spoke. Kevin bowed his head, Su looked down, and Pardo’s tail drooped to the floor.

Elysia looked toward Cyrene, who stared back at them, confused. Why is Mobius asking this? Is it because watching Peach get formatted thirty million times finally broke her?

After all, Mobius’s gift was "Infinity." She could live forever; she could likely never die. But perhaps this endless cycle had made her question the very meaning of infinity. Oh, don't say that!

Cyrene took a deep breath, meeting Mobius’s eyes.

"I have thought about it. Not just me—Peach and Phainon have thought about it, too. But they can’t do anything right now."

"It is precisely because they know they are powerless that this plan exists. Peach is using her thirty million deaths to prevent the world from being completely destroyed."

"Is there no other way?" Mobius’s voice trembled slightly.

Cyrene’s lips curled into a smile—gentle, helpless, and internally, utterly thrilled.

This is exactly what I wanted to see! She never expected Mobius to be the first one to crack! She’d bet on Elysia!

"There is," Cyrene said, nodding slightly. "We just haven't found it yet. But... I think I see a glimmer of possibility." She looked at the Flame-Chasers, her tone filled with excitement.

"Your existence... Cipher... and everything I’ve experienced since arriving in this world—it is exactly the sliver of hope we’ve been craving amidst those thirty million restarts. And I... perhaps one day, I will gather enough strength to shatter this cage and rewrite that tragic story into a perfect one."

"That’s right~" Elysia beamed. "Every time Peach told you her story, you changed, bit by bit. Perhaps one day... you truly will be able to step into that ongoing tale and break the cycle."

Pardo, who had been confused, caught onto the last part, her eyes suddenly brightening. "Break it? We can really break it?"

"Yes, it’s not just a dream anymore," Cyrene confirmed.

Of course, it wasn't a dream. Based on the timeline of her role, the Astral Express would be arriving at Amphoreus soon. And then... Amphoreus was going to explode.

She wondered if she could turn into a member of the Astral Express next time and tell them the planet was gone!

Or better yet, if the Interastral Peace Corporation had printed a copy of her book by then, that would be even funnier.

"But before all that~" Elysia took Cyrene’s hand, her gaze gentle and affectionate.

She looked at this being who was a perfect reflection of herself—everything she defined as perfection—and her lighthearted tone turned earnest.

"You’ve already joined the story of the Elysian Realm. Welcome home, Cyrene."

"..."

Cyrene was stunned, looking down at their joined hands. Even though she wasn't the real Cyrene, a wave of genuine emotion washed over her.

The Elysian Realm had fully accepted her; it was, in effect, inviting her to become a permanent part of its legacy.

"Mmh," Cyrene looked up at Elysia, her smile radiant. "Then, I’m one of you now?"

"Of course!"

As Elysia nodded, the other Flame-Chasers looked at Cyrene with newfound warmth. In their eyes, she was no longer different from Elysia.

They had witnessed her growth within her own memories and knew without a doubt that she stood on the side of humanity.

Especially since she had been shaped by Elysia’s memories—evolving from a stuttering, faceless entity into someone whose voice flowed like a river and whose face was identical to their beloved Elysia.

They had accepted her.

"Oh, right~" Elysia’s eyes sparkled as a mischievous thought struck her. "Since everyone is here... we should have a grand party! It’s the perfect way to welcome Cyrene, after all."

"A party?" Cyrene’s eyes lit up too. "Yes, please! I love parties!"

"Mmh!"

Time drifted on.

A day had passed since Cyrene arrived, another day spent in the memory world, and another day exploring Cyrene's past.

Now, it was the fourth day.

The Elysian hall had been transformed; everyone had brought their favorite things from their own rooms to decorate the space.

Cyrene watched from her cage, curious as everyone bustled about. Even Elysia had stepped away from the bars to help.

Before long, the hall was filled with Eden’s flowers, balloons blown up by Griseo and Kosma floated near the ceiling, and a long table had been set up right in front of Cyrene’s cage, piled high with food and drinks.

There were Sakura’s signature rice balls, a mountain of snacks Pardo had scavenged from who knows where, and a cocktail shaker Vill-V had just finished building, which was currently spitting out neon-colored, suspicious-looking drinks.

"Now this is a party!" Pardo said, dumping a massive bag of snacks on the table, her tail wagging excitedly. "Last time Elysia told Kevin-boss to host a party, we all just sat in the meeting room eating instant noodles!"

Kevin, who was busy arranging various flavors of instant noodles on the table, paused. "What’s wrong with instant noodles? They’re convenient, and they taste good."

Mobius, hovering nearby on her drone, deadpanned, "Indeed."

Kevin nodded in agreement. Su, on the other hand, let out a weary sigh.

Cyrene glanced toward the corner of the hall, where Kalpas stood in silence, watching the festivities with an unreadable expression.

Looks like I won't get to taste the Master's cooking this time, she thought with a pang of genuine regret.

Elysia arrived then, clutching a huge armful of pink flowers, and arranged them in a vase at the center of the table with a satisfied nod. "Mmh, perfect."

"It is a shame," Mobius said, walking over to the cage and tapping the bars. "It would be much better if we could just open this."

"It is a little regrettable," Cyrene agreed, but there was no hint of defeat in her tone. "But being able to be here with all of you, enjoying this party... I’m already satisfied."

"Oh, cheer up!" Elysia laughed, walking over and sitting right against the cage, naturally hooking her arm through Cyrene’s again. "Everything is ready, so let the party begin!"

The Flame-Chasers took their seats.

The phonograph brought by Eden began to play a melody from the previous era. Pardo let out a cheer and dove into the desserts, and Cyrene happily reached out to sample the food.

"Everyone, let’s make a toast to our guest of honor!" Elysia held up a glass of neon-colored cocktail.

Is that actually safe to drink? Cyrene wondered, but she lifted her glass anyway.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 145

--+--

The banquet finally reached its successful conclusion.

The odd-colored cocktails were not nearly as difficult to swallow as Cyrene had imagined; on the contrary, they offered a refreshing, fruity zest paired with the gentle buzz of alcohol—the perfect balance.

The remaining two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout these two days, Elysia had been clinging to the side of the cage, keeping Cyrene company with a constant stream of playful, witty remarks.

Cyrene didn't doubt for a second that if it weren't for the bars, Elysia would have been pressed right up against her.

"It seems the time has come," Cyrene said, sitting within her enclosure and gazing at Elysia outside with a gentle, lingering smile.

"Mm..."

Elysia nodded softly, reaching out to take hold of Cyrene’s hand. She gripped it tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, Cyrene would simply vanish.

"Perhaps by the next time we meet," Cyrene said, painting a grand vision for her, "I will have become just like you—dazzling... beautiful, the kind of person who leaves a mark the moment you see her, one you can never forget."

Her voice was thick with anticipation. However, the meaning behind her words caused Elysia’s gaze to flicker ever so slightly.

"But how long will it be until we meet again?"

To date, Cyrene’s transformations had never repeated once. Even Cyrene herself wasn't sure if she would ever shift into this current role again.

"It won't be long," Cyrene said, placing her other hand over Elysia’s grip, their fingers interlaced through the metal bars.

I want to take a bite, Cyrene thought, a manic impulse rising within her. I want to pull her hand into my mouth and lick each one of her fingers, one by one.

"By the next time we meet, Amphoreus will surely be a better place," she whispered.

"Really?" Pardo, standing among the many Flame-Chasers, sniffled, her eyes growing slightly red. In her view, Cyrene going back was purely an act of suffering.

Ever since she learned that after Cipher returned, Amphoreus had been rebooted twenty million times, she felt that the world had no hope left.

Even though Cyrene insisted that the Elysian Realm and the others were the hope for Amphoreus, Pardo wasn't so sure.

They were just data trapped inside a supercomputer; if they couldn't even return to the physical world, how could they possibly help Amphoreus?

"Of course it's true," Cyrene said, nodding earnestly at Pardo. "I am the best proof of that."

"Mm!" Elysia nodded in agreement, a small laugh bubbling up. "Cyrene, when we meet again, if you have new stories, will you tell me them, bit by bit?"

"I will," Cyrene nodded happily.

Watching Elysia’s expectant and sincere expression—as if she truly believed they would meet again—Cyrene felt an uncontrollable surge of joy.

She was already looking forward to the next transformation, or perhaps one further down the line, where she could simply pull out a book titled As I've Written and toss it directly to Elysia and the others to read!

Then she would tell them: Cyrene has been trapped in an endless cycle; after suffering through thirty million lives, after Amphoreus finally found salvation, only to be forced back to the beginning to be slaughtered as Peach three million times over!!

Ah, just thinking about it felt wonderful. Cyrene smiled happily. She could feel that her time was finally up.

"Well then, goodbye, everyone."

Cyrene waved her hand gently at Elysia and the others.

"Goodbye, Cyrene," Kevin said, bowing his head slightly, his calm, low voice echoing through the hall.

"Mm, goodbye." Cyrene looked at Kevin, holding back the urge to say, “Can you give us a smile?” Otherwise, she might have actually seen Kevin shed a few "small pearls" of his own.

She said her goodbyes to the other Flame-Chasers, even Kalpas, who stood at the back of the crowd, unusually devoid of his typical rage, though still cold and stony.

To the very last moment, Elysia never let go of Cyrene’s hand.

Then...

Cyrene and the cage vanished from the Elysian Hall, leaving not a single trace behind.

Elysia held her hand up, the warmth fading rapidly from her skin. After a moment of silence, she pulled her palm to her chest and gave a soft laugh. "Until next time."

"Alright then," Elysia stood up, her gaze burning as she looked at the empty hall, her expression filled with profound curiosity and anticipation. "Who will be the next to arrive in our world?"

"It will be someone related to us," Vill-V said, crossing her arms with a light, earnest smile.

"While this unknown presence was still at the Schicksal Far East Branch, everyone who appeared was linked to the Valkyries of that era."

"So," Mobius said, perched atop her drone, her fair, pink-tinted feet dangling in the air, toes wiggling with the luster of pale pearls. A languid smile graced her face. "The only ones who will appear here are those related to us."

As for Anti-Entropy? They ignored them entirely. The only presence that had appeared in Anti-Entropy was the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, and it hadn't changed a thing.

Oh—except for causing the Anti-Entropy Executive, Cocolia, to change her thoughts regarding the project Kevin was overseeing.

The Flame-Chasers waited in the hall; even Kalpas, for once, didn't storm off. However, after waiting for a while, no one materialized before them.

"That's strange. Based on the timing, they should have arrived by now," Elysia said, pressing her index finger to her lips and tilting her head in confusion.

"Could it be someone like Cipher? Sneaking off to hide while we weren't looking?"

With that thought, Elysia cleared her throat, cupped her hands around her mouth, and called out, "Hello? Can you hear me? One, two, three, one, two, three—we won't hurt you!"

"They aren't here," Kevin said, his brow furrowing. "They are outside, in the Golden Courtyard of the real world."

"Outside?" Elysia tilted her head, surprised. Trusting Kevin’s judgment, they all departed the Elysian Realm, projecting themselves into the real world.

As soon as they arrived in the Golden Courtyard, they saw a figure kneeling in the center of the hall.

She wore a dark blue trench coat that had been torn to shreds; the remaining fabric couldn't cover the wounds covering her body.

Her stylish inner clothes were ruined, stained with blood of unknown origin, and thin lines of red code flickered across her skin.

In her right hand, a sheathed blade was jammed deep into the floorboards, its surface webbed with fine cracks. Her chest heaved violently, her pale, silky hair draped over her shoulders, matted with blood.

She looked like someone who had just barely survived a brutal deathmatch—or rather, someone who had only managed to keep from dying by making it here, though she had exhausted her very last ounce of strength.

"...Mei?" At the sight of her, Kevin froze, his typically steady and calm gaze shattering in an instant.

"..."

The other Flame-Chasers, now projected into the hall, wore varying expressions as they gazed at the figure.

"No, that is not Mei," Vill-V said, watching the figure with wariness. "The energy on her... it is strange! We must absolutely not touch her!!"

"Interesting..." Mobius’s green eyes narrowed as she scanned the figure.

Did she instinctively feel fear? A primal warning that she absolutely must not touch that person? Otherwise, her Infinity... might just vanish into nothingness.

"Kevin! Calm down!"

Kevin started to walk toward her, but the other Flame-Chasers immediately blocked his path.

"She is not Mei; she is a parallel-universe counterpart of Mei!" Elysia had become serious now, her smile fading.

Her azure eyes, flecked with pink stars, were filled with extreme caution. "Kevin... do not touch her. Not yet..."

"She is like... she has been eroded by the Herrscher of Corruption. Everything about her is fading—not just her life or her memories, but... her very existence is returning to the void."

Aponia spoke softly, her beautiful, saintly face etched with pity, though deep within that pity lay a chilling, murderous intent.

While they were holding Kevin back, the figure slowly lifted her head.

Pale hair slipped past her cheek, revealing a face almost identical to Mei’s, though more mature and several years older. She looked at the Flame-Chasers before her.

"..." The moment their eyes met, Kevin saw those blood-red pupils, and in them, a momentary flash of shock and confusion.

She recognized him. Kevin was certain of it. She knew him—at least, she knew the version of him from another world. She was the Mei of another world!

Even if they weren't the versions of each other held in their respective memories, that moment of silent recognition when their eyes locked was enough for Kevin to understand everything.

"Hah... hah..." Acheron breathed shallowly, unable to stand. She was in a "major break" state, hovering on the brink of death... no, she was already sliding into it, an inevitable fate.

As for who had put Acheron in such a desperate plight? A memory flashed through her mind: Irontomb.

The role she had transformed into this time had taken the full brunt of Irontomb’s world-ending strike; she was currently trapped in a state of death.

"Mei... or Raiden?" Elysia walked cautiously toward Acheron, crouching down without reaching out, her face full of anxious concern. "Can you hear me? I am Elysia..."

Acheron shifted her gaze from Kevin to Elysia. Looking at her, Acheron’s realization of the fickleness of fate deepened.

She had been thinking just a moment ago about telling them that Amphoreus had been completely destroyed—that the whole world was gone—if she had the chance in her next transformation.

She hadn't expected to transform into Acheron this time.

How... delightful.

Acheron stared at Elysia, opening her mouth. Her eyes reflected a mix of complex, unmaskable emotions and profound confusion.

It was like seeing a dear friend from the past, a friend who had been long buried, and her mind involuntarily flooded with memories of days gone by.

But when she opened her mouth, she couldn't speak; only a hoarse, wheezing sound emerged, like someone being strangled.

What should we do? The question hung heavily in the minds of Elysia and the others. They desperately wanted to help Acheron, but looking at the strange, flickering red code on her body, they knew the truth.

The moment they touched her, that bizarre force might immediately spread to them, and then... the Elysian Realm itself would perish. And the memories of all the Flame-Chasers within it would vanish along with the realm.

Acheron watched them, clearly at a loss, and sighed inwardly with resignation. The role I transformed into this time is a bit too tragic...

Before, she had transformed into Cipher and missed the chance to get close to the Flame-Chasers, and she was a bit scared of Mobius.

Then, as Cyrene, she had been trapped in a cage and couldn't even have a cuddle. Now, as Acheron, she couldn't even be touched!

How was she, a person who craved affection, supposed to live like this?!

I'll just take a nap, then.

Acheron stopped fighting the exhaustion in her body—besides, she was already out of strength.

She collapsed to the ground, and the blade she had stuck in the floor was returned to its sheath by an unseen force.

Her pale hair rapidly began to dye itself purple from the tips up, transforming into the appearance of the Mei the Flame-Chasers knew.

"What do we do?" Pardo panicked, wanting to reach out to help Acheron up, but not daring to.

"Don't worry..." Vill-V said softly. She clapped her hands.

Throughout the Golden Courtyard, the robots she had manufactured emerged from hidden corners. After bypassing the network, they approached the unconscious Acheron, trying to lift her.

But the moment the robots touched her, they each emitted a shower of blinding sparks before collapsing.

"Well, this is trouble," Vill-V sighed, covering her eyes.

Kevin watched this in silence. He turned his head toward Mobius. "Mobius... are the clones ready yet?"

"Do you think it's easy to create clones of the thirteen Flame-Chasers?" Mobius shook her head, her tone filled with both regret and an understanding of what Kevin was asking.

"It will take a long time... certainly not today."

Kevin didn't know if she was telling the truth, but he didn't know what else to do.

Mei was right there before him—or at least, the Mei of another world—so tortured, on the edge of death, yet he... he could do nothing at all.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 146

--+--

While the Flame-Chasers were still at a loss for what to do, the crimson code flickering incessantly across Acheron’s fallen form suddenly recoiled, diving deep into her body.

She let out a sharp, pained gasp, and then, stillness reclaimed her.

"Interesting..."

Vill-V watched the scene unfold and immediately ordered a machine to approach and touch Acheron. This time, the robot did not malfunction.

"That thing seems to have retreated directly into her body." Only then did Elysia feel secure enough to approach Acheron’s side.

On Vill-V’s command, the robot carefully lifted Acheron and placed her onto the sofa in the Golden Courtyard.

The robots promptly delivered medical supplies that had been deemed unnecessary until now, and the machines began the delicate process of tending to her wounds.

"What is that?" Kevin asked, desperate to understand what Acheron had endured.

Vill-V’s projection glided forward. As she directed the machines to treat the injuries, she simultaneously commanded them to attempt a scan of the red code within Acheron’s body to identify its true nature.

She also possessed a capability that none of the other Flame-Chasers had mastered: Aether Editing.

With a graceful flick of her right hand, a holographic display shimmered into existence, bypassing the underlying logic of the Elysian Realm and projecting directly into reality.

Streams of data began to cascade across the screen as Vill-V worked to deconstruct the strange power plaguing Acheron.

The surrounding Flame-Chasers held their breath, waiting for answers. Mobius, however, watched with a subtle glint in her eyes, a newfound fascination for Aether Editing sparking within her.

"How curious…" After a few moments, the confident, triumphant smile that usually adorned Vill-V’s face faded, replaced by a grave expression.

"What is it?" Mobius drifted closer without hesitation, her eyes locked onto the holographic display. She was equally intrigued by data capable of influencing life itself. "What did you find?"

"That red code... it isn't an energy field, nor is it a manifestation of power," Vill-V said, not looking back as her fingers continued to dance across the interface. "It is simply a program."

"A program?" Mobius’s brow furrowed as she looked at Acheron on the sofa. "Are you saying she is a program, too?"

"Certainly not."

Vill-V shook her head, a glimmer of excitement—like a child discovering a favorite toy—crossing her features.

She extracted a small fragment of the code and projected it into the center of the Golden Courtyard. It was useless, of course; she was the only one present who could decipher it.

"She is a true, living being. As for these codes... while I don’t know their origin, I can see that they are fundamentally redefining existence itself."

"Redefining existence itself?" Mobius instinctively understood why she had felt such dread earlier.

"Exactly."

The two scientists were fully immersed in their research. Elysia and the others stood to the side, gathering only that this red code operated similarly to an Anti-Organic Equation.

"Um... could you translate that into something I can understand?" Pardo raised her hand, asking cautiously as she watched the two scientists descend into a frenzy of logic.

"In simple terms~" Vill-V turned back to the group, pausing to think. "If you imagine the entire world as a computer, this is akin to a 'format' command. It’s clearing everything within the system."

At this analogy, Elysia’s brow tightened. "That sounds familiar, almost like..."

"Like the world where Cyrene and Cipher reside," Vill-V sighed, her expression growing complex. "The underlying logic of their universe is built on code, and the things inside her are also code—code that interacts directly with life. Which means..."

"She and Cipher come from the same world," Elysia finished the sentence that Vill-V had left hanging.

"Correct."

Vill-V nodded. The room fell into a heavy silence. After the explanation, the mystery of Acheron’s injuries remained, replaced only by deeper worry and confusion.

"She looks... so strong. What could have hurt her this badly?" Pardo stared at Acheron, bewildered.

She could sense that Acheron possessed power beyond imagination—an instinct honed from her days surviving in Sundown Alley.

"She is indeed strong," Mobius agreed, taking up the thread. "The energy readings within her... they already surpass what we saw from Cipher or Cyrene. This means that whoever did this to her... likely has ties to an Aeon."

"An Aeon..." Kevin murmured the name. There was no fear or retreat in his icy blue eyes, only a deep, hardened grimace. A chilling, icy fury began to simmer within him.

"Alright, everyone~" Elysia stepped forward. "There is no point in guessing right now. Let's let Dr. Mobius attend to her injuries, and we can talk once she wakes up~"

"..."

But when she said this, Mobius and Vill-V exchanged a look and remained silent. This quiet tension did not escape Elysia.

"We will speak when she wakes," Mobius said dismissively, offering no further mention of medical treatment.

"Hm..."

Elysia sensed something was wrong but refrained from asking. The other Flame-Chasers began to disperse, returning to the Elysian Realm. Soon, only Kevin, Mobius, Vill-V, and Elysia remained in the hall.

After a long pause, Kevin spoke, his voice low and heavy: "Her injuries... can they be healed?"

"No."

Mobius shook her head, a flash of regret crossing her face. "I am sorry, Kevin. We cannot purge that substance from her. She is drifting toward death, and there is no way to stop it."

"..."

Kevin went silent, turning his gaze toward Vill-V.

Vill-V offered a regretful nod. "I can identify the power, but to save her... it is beyond my reach."

Kevin tightened his lips, offering no interrogation. He knew that if Mobius and Vill-V could save anyone connected to Mei, they would never abandon the effort.

Yet, this sense of helplessness brought back the crushing memories of five millennia ago—watching Mei fade away, unable to touch her, unable to change the outcome.

The frustration and powerlessness burned in his chest like an inferno.

The next day, in the Golden Courtyard, Elysia carefully adjusted the light spilling through the floor-to-ceiling window to match the passage of time outside, transitioning from the brilliant starlight of the night to the soft, refreshing glow of dawn.

As the first ray of morning sun touched Acheron’s cheek, her lashes fluttered.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing irises of deep violet. The first thing she saw was Elysia’s face, looming closer with a bright, joyful smile.

"You're awake!" Seeing the lingering daze in Acheron’s eyes, Elysia’s voice overflowed with unrestrained delight. "How do you feel? Is anything still hurting? Would you like some water?"

"..."

Acheron remained silent, staring blankly at Elysia for several seconds.

As she gazed into those azure eyes, dotted with subtle pink stars, her focus wavered, as if she were looking through them and seeing someone else—someone just as radiant and brilliant.

Observing this, Elysia’s smile faltered for a heartbeat. She pressed her pink lips together, her eyes softening with sympathy, pity, and boundless, accommodating tenderness.

"Do you... know me?" Elysia asked softly, though she already knew the answer.

"..."

Acheron did not reply. The dazed look in her eyes shattered, revealing an underlying haze of melancholy. Her gaze swept past Elysia, slowly scanning every corner of the room.

Kevin stood a few meters behind Elysia. He was not crossing his arms as he usually did; instead, his hands hung stiffly at his sides. His icy blue eyes had not left Acheron since she opened them.

For three seconds, their gazes locked. To Kevin, that moment felt longer than the five millennia he had already endured. But then, Acheron looked away.

She scanned Vill-V, and then Mobius, who sat perched on a drone, her snow-white legs swinging gently in the air. Acheron lingered on each of them for several seconds.

With every face she met, the shadow in her eyes seemed to fracture into finer, thinner cracks.

There was no confusion or suspicion one might show toward a stranger—only reminiscence, as if she were looking at people who existed only in her memories, turning the pages of her own history.

Finally, Acheron’s lips parted, but no words emerged. She withdrew her gaze and sank into silence. Kevin clenched his fists tightly, remaining mute.

"...Where is this?" Acheron asked, her voice low, raspy, and tinged with exhaustion.

"The Elysian Realm."

Elysia sat on the edge of the sofa, her hands folded over her lap, maintaining a posture that was intimate yet respectful of distance.

"To be precise... the reality outside the Elysian Realm. We are memory imprints of people from the past who have passed on or are not currently here. But it is safe. You can rest easy."

"The Elysian Realm..." Acheron repeated the name, as if the words triggered a memory or the scene before her, paired with the name, stirred ripples of the past.

"You know us... don't you?" Elysia looked at her, her voice laced with cautious hope. "I mean... you know us from another world?"

"...I do." Acheron did not deny it. Her voice grew softer, raspy with a hint of sorrow, as if a tender part of her heart had been touched. "In my homeland... there was once a group... just like you."

She paused, as if lost in the act of remembering. "You are very much like them, but you are not them..."

Acheron’s gaze dropped to her own bandaged body, as if verifying the reality of her current state. Elysia did not press her; she simply sat in the quiet, watching her with a complex, gentle expression.

After a long while, Acheron raised her head again, looking out the window at the bright blue sky.

"Where... is this?" she asked again, her voice thick with confusion.

"The Elysian Realm," Elysia repeated, her tone ever gentle. "A place that may not be in the same universe as your original world... You arrived here through something... similar to a Curio."

Elysia used the term 'Curio' as a probe, hoping to discern if Acheron had originated from the same universe as Silver Wolf and the others.

"No, that is impossible..."

Acheron shook her head, her gaze sharpening. "I can feel it... this world... it is still within the same star-studded sky I once knew... I can still feel THEIR presence..."

"What?"

Elysia froze, then a flicker of joy ignited in her eyes. If that were true, then there was a chance she might see Cipher and Cyrene again—even if their current location remained a mystery.

Acheron observed the shift in Elysia’s expression, easily intuiting her thoughts.

"Who is this 'THEY' you speak of?"

"You need not know THEIR name." Acheron shook her head lightly.

After a moment of silence, a calm, puzzled tone crept into her voice. "This universe should have already been destroyed. Why am I here? Why... do you still exist?"

"What?!"

Elysia’s smile vanished instantly, freezing on her face. Kevin’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Acheron did not look at them; she kept her eyes fixed on the blue sky beyond the window, speaking with a calm, bewildered detachment.

"After that final strike, everything was utterly consumed. First, the place where Irontomb was born, then the Cosmic Alliance, and finally... every civilization in the cosmos..."

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 147

--+--

Acheron’s voice was unnervingly calm, as if she were recounting a matter that had nothing to do with her.

As her words landed, the smile that had graced Elysia’s face vanished completely.

Unable to help herself, she rose from the sofa, her gaze drifting toward the spot where, just yesterday, the cage had stood.

After standing for a moment, she sank back down, her hands resting on her knees, her knuckles turning bone-white.

"...That’s impossible." Elysia’s voice trembled slightly. "You said... the universe was destroyed... but we are still here, the Elysian Realm still exists, and the Earth remains... how could the universe possibly be destroyed?"

Acheron did not speak. She simply braced herself, silently pushing herself into a sitting position with movements that were sluggish yet resolute.

Elysia took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

She reached out, intending to help steady Acheron.

Acheron shook her head gently, declining the help. She sat upright on the sofa, her breathing coming in sharp, shallow hitches for a moment before settling back into a calm rhythm.

"I do not know why I appeared here, nor why the universe still exists," Acheron said, her gaze steady as she looked at Elysia. "But... I am certain that everything I spoke of happened, and not long ago."

"..." After a moment of silence, Elysia continued, "Before you... several others from the same place you came from visited our world."

A faint flicker crossed Acheron’s eyes when she heard Elysia mention "the same place."

Elysia pressed on, "Perhaps you know them, or perhaps you have heard of them. There was a young lady named Silver Wolf..."

Acheron listened quietly as Elysia spoke—hearing her mention Himeko, Cipher, Cyrene, and finally, Amphoreus.

Then, she slowly closed her eyes. A trace of weariness crept into her expression, as if she had just confirmed the worst of her suspicions.

"Irontomb was born in Amphoreus."

When Acheron spoke those words, the hall fell deathly silent.

The Flame-Chasers had returned to the main hall of the Golden Courtyard one by one; they had heard the conversation through other means.

Pardo’s tail went rigid, suspended in mid-air, her eyes wide with shock.

Vill-V closed her eyes for a fleeting second, then let out a sigh of helplessness.

Su opened his eyes calmly, a look of profound understanding and complexity in his gaze.

Every Flame-Chaser wore an expression of complicated emotions.

Only Kalpas, who had not come to the Golden Courtyard , was deep within the archives, venting his fury.

"It was only after the collapse of the Cosmic Alliance that I learned the truth of Amphoreus from Himeko of the Astral Express."

Acheron’s voice remained calm as she spoke to the silenced Elysia and the others, as if she were passing a death sentence on the last glimmer of hope in their hearts.

"Amphoreus is a supercomputer known as the [Emperor’s Scepter].”

“The simulated world it runs is Amphoreus itself... its purpose is to serve as an incubator to birth the ultimate weapon against the Aeon [Nous]: the Emanator of Destruction, Irontomb.”

“I do not know how the Cipher and Cyrene you spoke of came to your world, but... whether it is Amphoreus or them, they have all perished along with Amphoreus. The universe... has met the same fate."

After Acheron finished, a long silence filled the hall. Elysia sat beside her, her head bowed.

Her long pink hair obscured her face.

It was the first time Acheron had seen Elysia look so saddened and despondent—not even when she had shapeshifted into other characters, nor before she had "crossed over" from within the game, had she ever seen Elysia like this.

It seemed she had struck a blow deeper than she intended.

"The universe... does it really no longer exist?" After a long while, Elysia lifted her head. Her eyes were red-rimmed, yet they fixed on Acheron with a look of stubborn defiance.

Acheron looked at her for a long time before turning her head toward the silent Flame-Chasers in the hall.

"...In my timeline, the universe has been completely eradicated. All sentient life, all intellectual existence, has ceased to be. I witnessed it all with my own eyes..."

Her voice held no resentment, no anger—only a profound sense of weariness and fragility.

"But..."

A moment later, Acheron looked back at Elysia, her expression sharpening with sincerity.

"I can perceive the presence of Nihility in this universe, and your world is just as real… If everything you say is true... then, perhaps... this world exists on a timeline that precedes all those events..."

As soon as Acheron’s words fell, the hall went quiet for several seconds.

Then, Pardo was the first to lose her composure, her cat-tail lashing out behind her with a sharp whoosh of air: "That means! Everything hasn't actually happened yet?!"

"Then we... perhaps we can prepare in advance," Su said, his expression calm and earnest. "The birth of Irontomb, the defeat of the Cosmic Alliance, and the destruction of the universe... these things have yet to occur in our timeline, but it is not impossible for us to intervene."

"Precisely~" Vill-V crossed her arms, her tone regaining its usual poise as a faint smile touched her lips. "We simply need to... wait quietly. Wait for the travelers from different timelines to arrive."

"Mm." Elysia’s eyes brightened once more. "Since they can come to our world, we can tell them everything. And perhaps, carrying these warnings back to their own time, they can change it all!"

Acheron listened to their words, watching as the heavy, crushing atmosphere reignited with fervent, scorching hope.

She suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Though she watched the Flame-Chasers become swept up in the drama she herself had orchestrated, she knew that if the truth were to be exposed...

"Acheron." Having regained her hope, Elysia smiled brightly and effortlessly, even though her eyes were still a little red.

"Stay here for a while... it’s safe here. The others and I will find a way to heal your wounds."

Acheron did not answer.

She remained silent.

And the Flame-Chasers, who had been excitedly discussing how they might change their fate, gradually fell quiet one by one.

Acheron sat on the sofa, her body held straight despite her grievous injuries.

But her hands had unconsciously clenched tight, her knuckles turning white.

Within her eyes, there was no joy at the prospect of the world being saved, only a deep, weary calm—as if she had already accepted something that could never be undone.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 148

--+--

"...Are you... okay?"

Elysia looked at Acheron’s somewhat off-putting state. The smile on her face faded, replaced by a flicker of unease.

"It's nothing," Acheron said, shaking her head lightly.

It was best not to mention that she was dying just yet; the impact of her saying it herself wasn't nearly as effective.

Acheron prepared to feign a desire to hide her condition, only to slowly reveal the signs of her impending demise later!

Just thinking about it felt surprisingly pleasant!

"No..." Kevin suddenly spoke up, his voice impossibly calm. His ice-blue eyes were fixed on Acheron, as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist, leaving only her in his vision.

When Acheron heard his voice, she turned to look at him. Their gazes locked for a fleeting second.

In the depths of Kevin’s icy gaze, Acheron caught a glimpse of something hidden: a profound, bottomless sense of sorrow and fury.

Kevin had figured out that she was mortally wounded and dying.

Acheron felt a momentary shock, but then a lightning bolt of realization struck her mind.

She recalled that in the Previous Era, Dr. MEI seemed to have suffered just like she did—mortally wounded after donning the Blank Key, her life gradually withering away. And Kevin could only stand by and watch, utterly powerless. He couldn't even get close enough to touch her.

It seemed Kevin’s PTSD had allowed him to instantly diagnose her current situation.

A sense of helplessness welled up in Acheron’s heart.

"You... are dying, aren't you?"

Kevin looked at Acheron, his voice raspy, whispering in a low tone.

"..." Acheron met his eyes and remained silent for a long moment before giving a small nod.

"I am sorry for deceiving you all. It is true—I am dying."

"How could this be..."

As Elysia heard those words, her pupils constricted. For the first time, her eyes—usually brimming with a bright, charming smile—showed an expression of grief and raw, desperate refusal to accept the truth.

"What is... your name?" Acheron turned her head toward Elysia, her voice softening.

"Elysia... my name is Elysia..."

"And you all..."

Acheron then looked at the crowd gathered in the Golden Courtyard. And one by one, the Flame-Chasers began to speak their names.

Finally, Kevin’s low, heavy voice resonated: "Kevin... Kevin Kaslana."

"His name sounds quite similar to yours. You all have left tiny, yet unforgettable moments etched within my memory..."

Acheron’s words were the breaking point for Pardofelis.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks in heavy drops, but she stubbornly pressed her lips together, refusing to let out a sound.

"Mobius, is there truly no way?" Elysia looked toward Mobius, unable to accept the reality, but Mobius simply lowered her head under her gaze. Her small mouth parted slightly, releasing a sigh so faint it was almost imperceptible.

That single sigh was enough to pass a death sentence on Acheron.

After all, Mobius was the one among them with the most profound understanding of the human body—even Su, who had once been a doctor, did not compare to her.

The hall fell silent. Not one Flame-Chaser spoke.

Acheron watched them, slowly rising from the sofa.

Elysia still reached out to steady her. Before Acheron could even think to refuse, her hand had already brushed against Acheron’s body.

And then...

It passed right through.

At that moment, Elysia’s expression froze, her hand still hovering in mid-air, stunned.

So silly...

You’re a memory projection; you can’t actually touch me.

Acheron silently watched Elysia’s hand emerge from the other side of her arm, then straightened her posture. Her clothes had been changed by a robot under Vill-V’s direction the day before—a clean set identical to her original attire. Only the bandages remained, wrapped tightly over her wounds.

"Where is the way out of here?"

Acheron looked at Elysia, her voice soft and inquiring.

"...Do you want to leave?" Elysia looked at Acheron, her voice trembling slightly. "But... I haven't even asked for your name yet... I want to know everything about you. I still want to try to... save you."

"My name is Acheron..." As she spoke the name, Acheron paused slightly. She turned to meet the gazes of Kevin and the other Flame-Chasers. After a brief silence, she continued:

"No... my name is Raiden Bosenmori Mei."

This name was completely different from the Dr. MEI that Kevin remembered.

Yet, it was eerily similar to the counterpart of Mei from this current generation.

"What a lovely name..." Elysia tilted her head, the corners of her mouth curling up as if she wanted to smile, but her eyes were red-rimmed and hollow with sorrow.

This only made her look all the more fragile and heartbreakingly beautiful.

"Because of a curse, my memories are peeling away piece by piece, and my past has become a blur," Acheron said to Elysia, her voice calm and earnest.

Her gaze lingered on Elysia and then swept across every Flame-Chaser behind her. She studied each face carefully, as if trying to identify someone, trying to recall something.

But the curse Acheron spoke of only left them more bewildered.

"A curse? What kind of curse?" Elysia looked at Acheron, asking with disbelief.

"My past..." Acheron’s voice was calm, as if she were narrating a story from a book—one that had already unfolded and could never be changed.

"Most of it is already forgotten... The moment I stepped into the Nihility, that curse was carved into my very body. My memories, my past, everything I have experienced—it is all being slowly wiped away. But there are some things that cannot be erased."

She turned her head to look at the silent figure standing behind Elysia.

Kevin stood there without a word, his hands hanging at his sides, clenched tightly.

Acheron began to tell them of her homeland.

"I remember my hometown. Its name is Izumo..."

Everyone listened quietly as Acheron recounted the tale of Izumo and Takamagahara, listening to a narrative that sounded like a memory, yet was devoid of any emotion.

From the eight million gods to every single Kami.

She spoke of the powers those gods possessed and the blades forged from their remains after they were slain.

These things sounded hauntingly familiar to Elysia and the others.

This was the Herrschers; this was the reflection of their world in another.

"We shattered seventy-three thousand and thirty-three blades, and sacrificed countless lives... only then did we fell the twelve Kami, casting them into twelve Edict Edges. Every wielder of those blades was a hero who saved the nation; they were once my companions."

As she spoke these words, Acheron’s gaze fell upon the Flame-Chasers.

They understood clearly: who Acheron spoke of were simply versions of themselves from another world.

But when she reached this point, Acheron fell silent.

"...And then?" Elysia’s heart sank. She looked at Acheron, a sense of foreboding rising in her chest.

Mobius and Vill-V also reached a sudden, chilling realization.

It had taken the Previous Era a long time to understand that the stronger their technology became, the stronger the Honkai would grow in response.

What, then, had happened in that other world?

How had that situation spiraled?

"And then... the power of the blades began to erode the wielders," Acheron’s voice remained flat. "One by one, they slew the Kami and used their power to protect Izumo, but the power of the gods... would also erode the wielders, assimilating them into monsters."

"In the end... I had no choice but to face my former comrades, who had fallen into ruin, and end them with my own hands..."

The hall was so silent that even the sound of a falling pin would have echoed clearly.

"Finally, the nation of Izumo gathered the broken blades and forged them into two swords. One was named [Origin], and the other... was named [End]."

Herrscher of Origin and Herrscher of Finality?

As Elysia’s heart trembled, Acheron looked at Kevin, meeting his eyes.

In that moment, Kevin instinctively realized that the wielders of those two blades were likely Acheron herself and a version of him from that other world.

A far more ominous premonition surged within him.

"The wielder of [End]... unlike the other eroded warriors who turned into wretched ghosts, he remained clear-headed, always firm, always..."

With every "always," Kevin felt as if his heart were being squeezed tighter.

"...standing on the opposite side of me. Not as an enemy... but as the final threshold that had to be crossed. It was the divergence in our philosophies, and the choice that would determine... the final fate of Izumo and Takamagahara..."

Kevin still did not speak, but he already knew what would happen next.

But he didn't understand.

In the Previous Era, he had always believed in Dr. MEI’s predictions, always treating her words as the only path forward.

Why was the other version of himself so fundamentally different?

"In the end, I killed him." Acheron’s voice held no waver, yet it caused every breath in the hall to stutter.

The Kevin of that other world... was killed by his version of Mei?

Some of the Flame-Chasers couldn't help but let their gaze drift toward Kevin.

They naturally knew how much Kevin and Dr. MEI loved each other; they truly couldn't imagine what kind of choice could drive them to cross blades.

"Not because he had become a monster, and not because I hated him, but because... that was the path we chose. We used death... to complete the final test for either me, or for him."

When Acheron reached this point, her eyelids drooped, and the calm expression in her eyes dimmed, as if, even now, she could not walk away from that scene.

The others looked at Acheron, already knowing who had completed the test.

Acheron told them what she had done after passing the test, and the true reason why she and her world’s Kevin had finally turned their swords against each other.

Izumo and Takamagahara had ultimately perished together.

And she had stepped into the shadow of Nihility, her body being stripped of her past memories every waking moment.

After hearing all of this, Kevin finally understood why his counterpart had turned against Dr. MEI—or rather, against Acheron...

But...

The biggest difference between him and the Hakuhatsu Ki remained: Kevin only ever wanted to be a hero for the sake of one person.

"...Afterward," Acheron closed her eyes. "After everything... I walked toward the cosmos, heading toward the end of the Nihility… I would find THEM, and then kill THEM... but..."

But the universe had been destroyed.

And she, too, was dying.

"But..." Acheron opened her eyes and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window at the sky—a sky that, though fake, still revealed a boundless sense of vitality.

"To be able to save a glimmer of hope for a perished universe at the very last moment of my life... I am happy..."

Elysia said nothing. She only watched Acheron, her eyes red, yet she still tried her best to offer a smile. "Mei... may I call you that?"

"Mhm..." As Elysia called out the name "Mei," the curve of Acheron’s eyes softened slightly.

"Stay... Mei." Elysia reached out her hand, but it still could not touch Acheron. "Perhaps... perhaps there is still a chance to change things? Your wounds, perhaps we can still..."

"...There is no need," Acheron looked at her and shook her head gently. "I am not the person you remember. You have your own cherished memories in your own world... I do not wish for you to exhaust all you have to fight against an irreversible ending, simply because you see a familiar shadow in me. Your journey is still long, and I..."

Acheron paused. Among the Flame-Chasers, Aponia watched her, the killing intent in her eyes long since faded.

She had originally seen the destruction of the Elysian Realm in Acheron, but now, that ending...

Had it dissipated?

The feeling left Aponia feeling lost.

"To be able to pause here for a brief moment and see that you are just as passionate and brave as the people in my memories, as you continue to run toward your own destiny—that is already the best farewell."

The moment those words were spoken, the moisture in the corners of Elysia’s eyes could no longer be held back, and silent tears began to fall.

Su and Hua closed their eyes, sighing in silence.

Vill-V crossed her arms, a myriad of emotions flickering in her eyes, but in the end, she said nothing.

Mobius sat motionless on her drone. She, who was always sharp-tongued, who never believed in fate, who insisted on the pursuit of "Infinity," remained utterly silent.

But then, Kevin began to walk forward. Every step was incredibly steady as he approached Acheron. He looked into her eyes, his ice-blue gaze revealing no emotion.

Or perhaps, because of a certain unshakable resolve, there was no room for any other thought.

"Where... are you going now?"

"I will keep walking, until I reach the end of the Nihility."

Kevin gritted his teeth. At that moment, every Flame-Chaser couldn't help but feel a surge of vigilance.

Kevin had always been the most level-headed and clear-eyed among them. But now, they were all worried that Kevin might be pushed to the point of losing his reason. That, without a doubt, would be the worst-case scenario.

"If this is your choice..." Kevin finally let out a deep, ragged breath, speaking as if he were forcing the words out from between his teeth. "...Then go."

"Kevin?"

Elysia looked at Kevin with disbelief.

"But... could you please wait just a moment longer?"

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 149

--+--

"Wait?"

Acheron looked at Kevin, a trace of bewilderment flickering in her eyes.

What could Kevin possibly want her to wait for? This didn't feel like his style, and the other Flame-Chasers seemed just as confused.

"...What is it you need me to wait for?" Acheron asked, her voice softening, tinged with genuine perplexity.

"Waiting for a possibility." His response only deepened her confusion. A possibility? What kind of possibility? Was there some way for the Flame-Chasers to survive?

Acheron was willing to wait another day, but after that, she had planned to leave World Serpent to attend to some matters of her own.

"...Fine."

With her agreement, she spent the day in the Golden Courtyard, mostly sitting on the sofa, occasionally closing her eyes to rest or gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the fake but beautiful sky.

The other Flame-Chasers drifted in and out of the hall, but Kevin and Vill-V were nowhere to be seen.

Even Elysia was unusually absent from her sight—perhaps hiding in some corner, shedding little pearls of tears. Acheron trusted, however, that Elysia would pull herself together soon.

When evening arrived, Acheron followed a projection of Pardo to a lounge within the base and drifted into a deep sleep.

By dawn on the third day, a knock sounded at the door.

"Just a moment."

Acheron rose and donned the clothes Eden had stitched for her yesterday—a perfect replica of her original attire, sewn using a robot controlled by Vill-V.

Only then did she pull the door open. Standing there was Kevin, holding a tray with a steaming bowl of tomato and egg noodles.

He stood perfectly straight, his face taut, yet his grip on the bowl was rock steady, as if terrified of spilling a single drop of broth.

Acheron looked at him, startled. "You... you came out of the Elysian Realm?" She could feel the vibrant, surging life force within the man before her.

No way. She had transformed twice, desperately trying to persuade them to leave the Elysian Realm, and not one of them would budge. But the moment she turned into Acheron, Kevin couldn't sit still?

"A clone created by Mobius," Kevin said, concise as ever. "Before you arrived... the traveler from Amphoreus helped us. It gave us the ability to craft our own bodies and step out of the Elysian Realm."

Acheron scrutinized his body. She realized that while he was here, he didn't quite possess the full strength he once held.

"It is not yet fully stable, but it is enough to support short-term activity," Kevin added, his tone earnest.

Acheron was still stunned. Mobius’s biological prowess was nothing short of terrifying.

"Hi~" Suddenly, Elysia popped her head around the corner of the corridor, her pink hair cascading over her shoulder.

Her blue eyes, dancing with pink stars, were full of bright, warm smiles. "It’s not just Kevin, you know~ I’ve come out, too!"

"And others as well~"

Acheron remained silent, though her curiosity was piqued. How many of them had actually emerged?

"So many treasures~" At that moment, Pardo came trotting down the corridor, arms overflowing with trinkets she had scoured from the World Serpent base.

Her face, barely visible above the mountain of junk, beamed with the joy of a successful harvest.

"First, try the tomato and egg noodles Kevin made! He spent the entire night researching the recipe~" Elysia walked to Kevin's side, looking at Acheron expectantly.

At this, Kevin looked a bit awkward but continued to gaze at Acheron with determined eyes. "You've been here for a few days and haven't had a proper meal, so I cooked this for you."

Trying to play it cool, Acheron sighed to herself. The lethal charm of a "white moonlight."

"...Thank you." She reached out to take the tray.

Usually, the Kaslanas possessed an apocalyptic talent for cooking, but Kevin was an exception. Rumor had it back in the Golden Courtyard that he had mastered the culinary arts specifically to win over Mei.

As she lifted the bowl, the sweet and sour aroma of tomatoes, the charred fragrance of eggs, and the crisp sweetness of the greens wafted up.

The noodles, boiled to perfection and soaked in the savory broth, carried a rich, wheaty scent.

"Come inside." Acheron stepped back to let them in.

"Only the three of us are out for now," Elysia said with a grin as she entered the room. "But~ in a few days, maybe others will come out to play, too~"

"...Mn."

Acheron sat at the desk and took a careful bite, feeling Kevin’s expectant gaze from the sofa. It was excellent. Acheron let out a sigh of relief; she had been genuinely worried about a disaster.

"Very good," Acheron said, nodding at Kevin. "The taste... is better than I imagined."

"I'm glad you like it." Kevin nodded, the icy mask in his eyes thawing slightly.

This expression made Acheron’s back feel a bit cold. Kevin couldn't possibly be developing feelings for this incarnation, could he? She was, after all, merely an alternate-universe counterpart to Mei.

He likely placed her in the same category as Elysia, perhaps with a touch more concern.

She had already had enough of playing word games with Otto; she didn't want to get pulled into some tragic "ghost and human" romance.

"But... aren't you eating?"

"Nope~ We ate quite a bit last night~"

"That's right," Pardo agreed, rubbing her stomach and looking nostalgic. The pile of treasures she had collected lay in a messy heap on the lounge floor. "Last night felt like I ate a lifetime's worth of noodles in one sitting."

"..." Kevin remained silent, as if he hadn't heard a word they said.

Acheron finished the noodles quietly. When not a single strand or drop of broth remained, she placed her chopsticks on the edge of the bowl and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

She looked up at Kevin, who was still watching her from the sofa with that palpable expectation.

"It was delicious."

"Mn."

After Kevin's brief acknowledgment, Acheron followed up: "You asked me to wait yesterday. Now that the time has come, tell me."

Kevin's expression remained calm. He met her icy blue gaze directly and spoke with simple, piercing clarity: "What you see right now is what I wanted to tell you."

"..." Acheron frowned slightly. She began to understand what he was driving at.

"This body is a clone cultivated by Mobius. While it is not fully stable and cannot fully channel the power I once possessed, it is enough to stand here and touch the real world." Kevin paused, his gaze intensifying.

"Mei, it is not impossible for you to survive. You could do as I did: upload your consciousness to the Elysian Realm and then transfer it into a new body. If you do that..."

"No."

Acheron rejected the proposal without a second thought, her eyes growing cool and distant.

"Why?" Kevin’s tone didn't shift, but Acheron noticed his lips tighten for a split second.

"The curse of Nihility... it isn't as simple as you think." Acheron looked at him, her voice calm.

"From the moment a Self-Annihilator steps into the Nihility, their very essence begins to be redefined, inevitably drifting toward nothingness."

"If I upload my consciousness to the Elysian Realm, the curse will follow. It will spread through the data networks, consuming the entire realm. In the future, that place will be just like Izumo or Takamagahara... either turned into a wasteland of corrosion or... sinking into absolute silence."

Pardo’s tail stiffened mid-air, a look of panic crossing her face. Elysia let out a soft sigh.

"That is only one possibility," Kevin said calmly. "Besides, we could prepare an isolated sector within the Elysian Realm specifically for you..."

"No." Acheron shook her head. "Even then, the curse would cling to me, and Irontomb... its attacks are not so easily evaded. I have no desire to continue living in that manner."

As if, she thought. Uploading her consciousness to the Elysian Realm—or anything similar—could risk ruining her "cheat" powers, and the risk of exposing her true memories was far too high.

Kevin fell silent. Acheron watched him, knowing he understood her meaning. Even Dr. Mei of the previous civilization hadn't uploaded her own consciousness to the Elysian Realm.

Kevin surely understood that mere survival wasn't the goal; it was about the dignity of that survival. Neither Mei nor Acheron would be content to survive as a hollow echo.

The Elysian Realm was a legacy and a place of inheritance for the next civilization, not a sanctuary for those hiding from their fates.

"Alright, alright..." Elysia broke the silence, smiling. "Since you don't want to stay in the Elysian Realm, we won't force you. But... since you're planning on leaving and heading out into the world, could you let us be your guides for a while? Our world might not be as vast as the stars, but there is plenty worth seeing."

Acheron hesitated for a moment, then looked at the smile on Elysia's face and Kevin’s pressed lips. She gave a small nod.

"...Alright."

She followed them toward the exit of the World Serpent base.

Stepping out into the open, seeing the true sky, Acheron felt an involuntary sense of relief. The Elysian Realm was pleasant, but she preferred living under this authentic sky.

They took a World Serpent vehicle to the coast. Standing on the soft sand, Acheron squinted at the jagged reef in the distance, where waves crashed and scattered in white foam.

"Wow~" Pardo darted onto the beach, trembling with excitement as she stared at the small creatures among the rocks. "Wow! Sister Elysia, look! Razor clams! And crabs!"

"Where, where?"

Elysia ran over, holding a small bucket from somewhere, her fair, pink-tinted feet sinking into the golden sand.

The grains of sand clung to her skin like specks of gold, a sight that made Acheron’s heart skip a beat. The two of them began "sea foraging" as if it were their very first time at a beach.

Acheron was left alone with Kevin.

"You are curious about this world?" Kevin asked, standing beside her as she intently watched Elysia and Pardo.

Acheron pulled her gaze away from Elysia's bare feet and the swaying motion of Pardo's "treasures."

"Mn." She admitted it without changing expression. "I have never been here before. I want to know... what your world is like... and why you are all so similar to the companions I knew back in Izumo."

Kevin stooped to sit on a nearby rock, staying silent for a while as if organizing his thoughts.

Acheron stood quietly beside him, watching Elysia and Pardo, who had wandered off to give them space. If I stay a few more days, would I get to see them in swimsuits?

Kevin began to tell her about the Previous Era.

Acheron had entered Elysia’s memories as Cyrene before, but this time, as Acheron, she listened to Kevin recount the history of the Previous Era from a different perspective.

She stood there and listened for over an hour as the sun grew fierce and warm.

When he finished, Acheron whispered, "You have done... more than enough."

Kevin said nothing, though she knew he believed they had failed completely. The previous civilization was gone, Mei was gone, and the versions of him and Su in this world had both fallen into the Sea of Quanta.

In the distance, Elysia and Pardo returned, their buckets overflowing with clams, crabs, and other seafood.

They spent the rest of the day as if on a real vacation, never mentioning the consciousness upload again.

They built a campfire and feasted on the catch, using the trinkets Pardo had collected throughout the day.

When night fell, Acheron slept in a shelter Kevin had built on the sand, drifting into a heavy slumber. All night, however, she could feel that Kevin hadn't slept at all.

Late at night, he had even left the beach, apparently taking an aircraft back toward the World Serpent base.

By the time the sky brightened again, Acheron woke, walked the beach for a while with Elysia and Pardo, and watched as a World Serpent helicopter returned.

But this time, when the doors opened, almost every one of the Flame-Chasers stepped out.

--+--

Honkai Transformations - 150

--+--

Standing not far from the helicopter, the wind generated by the spinning rotors whipped at the stray locks of hair across Acheron’s forehead.

She raised a hand to gently tuck them back.

And in the eyes of Kevin, who had just stepped off the helicopter, there was a flash of dazed bewilderment.

My lady...

No, hold on—I, the great me, feel incredibly cool right now.

Acheron’s gaze rested calmly on the Flame-Chasers, though the emotions churning within her were beginning to stir.

So, the Flame-Chasers have all come out...

Even Kalpas was currently standing on the soft sand, and everyone was wearing swimwear—just like the outfits she had seen the Flame-Chasers sporting in the summer event storylines back when she played Honkai Impact 3rd.

"You..." Acheron watched them file out of the helicopter, her mouth parting in an expression of mild confusion.

She waited for the Flame-Chasers to provide their own answer.

"After Kevin went back yesterday, I asked him to discuss it with everyone~" Elysia stepped out from the side, a bright, expectant smile on her face as she looked at Acheron.

"Since everyone’s bodies have been prepared, it’s only right to come out and give it a try, just to make sure there aren't any issues later on~ So, I figured why not just bring everyone here for a vacation together?"

"I see."

Acheron nodded gently, and then Elysia suddenly pulled two swimsuits out of the luggage Eden had brought, shaking them playfully in front of Acheron.

"It’s not often we get to come out like this, and it would be a shame to just go beachcombing~ So I asked Eden to help prepare two swimsuits for you too. How about it~ Do you like them?"

"...They're nice." Acheron had just nodded when Elysia immediately handed her the deep blue one.

"I knew you’d like this set." A smile of triumph and delight bloomed on Elysia’s face, and she began pulling Acheron toward the back of a large reef.

"There’s a natural changing room over there; I found it yesterday. The wind isn't strong, and the sunlight is just right. Shall we go change over there?"

Acheron, dragged along by her wrist, stumbled slightly, her expression flickering with hesitation and reluctance.

But under the warmth of Elysia’s invitation, she finally offered a look of resigned defeat and nodded.

Whoo-hoo!

Elysia is going to be changing there, too...

Once they reached the shelter of the reef, the cool seawater lapped gently at their calves, their feet sinking into the soft grit beneath the surface.

"Don't be shy~" Elysia’s expression now was as mischievous as a wicked woman’s.

Acheron stood before her, clutching that deep blue swimsuit, her cheeks flushed with a faint redness—resembling an introverted young girl who, despite having been through so much, remained untouched by such worldly experiences.

Elysia had already raised her hands, unbuttoning her top without a second thought, her movements light and casual.

After she shed her top, her short pink hair cascaded over her delicate, porcelain-white shoulders. The morning light filtered down onto her skin, casting a soft, ethereal glow over her upper body.

Especially the sweet-like spots on her chest—she was as beautiful as a painting.

"What, are you stunned?" Seeing that Acheron’s breath seemed to have hitched, Elysia’s eyes crinkled with teasing amusement, though she didn't forget to nudge her along. "It’s your turn to change, you know~ Staring at me like that is going to make me blush."

"..." Acheron immediately snapped back to reality.

She turned around, putting her back to Elysia, and began to undo the buttons of her own clothes.

Her movements were slow, though not out of shyness.

While the wounds on the surface of this body had healed, the Anti-Organic Equation and Nihility within were still constantly eroding her vitality. Even though she had lost most of her senses, that pain remained an inescapable phantom.

"...Does it hurt?" Elysia’s footsteps sounded right behind her, and Acheron shook her head lightly.

"It doesn't hurt. I don't feel it anymore."

A total lie.

Elysia seemed to see right through it.

"You haven't even taken the bandages off yet; let me help you." Her voice was so close that Acheron could feel the warmth of her breath brushing against the nape of her neck.

Before Acheron could respond, Elysia’s warm little hands had already pressed against her shoulders.

Acheron’s body stiffened, but she didn't stop her, a faint blush creeping up her neck.

Elysia’s fingers began to carefully unwrap the bandages, revealing the milky-white skin beneath.

"Does it really not hurt anymore?" Elysia’s fingertips pressed into the skin that had healed—skin that now looked almost indistinguishable from the healthy flesh around it—tracing slowly along the original locations of the wounds.

"…It doesn't."

Acheron still maintained her composure, though her body trembled slightly.

"Liar."

There was a touch of pity in Elysia’s tone.

It really doesn't hurt that much anymore.

Acheron murmured to herself internally.

The trembling was entirely due to shyness and excitement.

"Alright~ Let me help you put on the swimsuit." Elysia’s tone returned to its lighthearted rhythm as she picked up the blue garment, holding it up against Acheron’s frame to measure it.

"Turn around~ Relax a little, I won't eat you~"

Hearing her words, Acheron’s breath skipped a beat.

Elysia seemed to notice, but simply chuckled softly before continuing. "Why~ You’ve already seen me, haven't you? Besides, we’re both girls, what is there to be shy about? Or is it that you’re embarrassed to face me because yours aren't as big as mine~?"

"That’s not it..."

Acheron feigned a look of helpless resignation, pretending to be swayed, and turned around.

Elysia’s gaze swept over Acheron’s body—not lingering, just lifting the swimsuit and gently draping it over her. But Acheron stood there, her eyes slightly vacant as she looked at the Elysia before her.

Because Elysia hadn't put her own swimsuit on yet.

"Lift your arms~" Elysia said in a voice as light and gentle as if she were coaxing a child. Acheron, acting the part of an innocent maiden flushed with embarrassment, turned her head slightly and raised her hands.

The swimsuit slid into place, fitting perfectly.

However, as Elysia’s fingers inadvertently brushed against the soft edge of the fabric, Acheron’s earlobes turned deep red.

"There~"

Elysia stepped back to admire her handiwork, her eyes showing a hint of satisfaction.

Acheron, as if scorched by that gaze, turned away and bent down to pull up her bikini bottoms.

Just as she finished and started to stand, Elysia suddenly pressed against her from behind.

Acheron immediately felt the soft pressure of that embrace against her back.

"...Elysia?" Acheron’s voice grew dry and nervous.

"Shh~" Elysia rested her chin on Acheron’s shoulder, her breath fluttering against the curve of Acheron’s ear.

Is this starting now?

Is it too sudden?

Acheron felt that she still wouldn't be able to refuse, even if it felt overwhelmingly sudden.

A moment later, Elysia’s voice whispered again: "Your swimsuit isn't adjusted right in the back."

Just that?

Acheron blinked, sighing with a flicker of internal disappointment. But the next instant, Elysia’s hands slipped under her armpits, wrapping around to her chest.

Her fingers landed on the edge of the swimsuit, the tips sinking slightly into the gap between the fabric and her skin.

Acheron couldn't help but tense up, letting out a faint, stifled sound.

"Elysia?" Her voice carried a trace of confusion and tension.

It was as if she couldn't understand why Elysia was doing this, yet she found no urge to pull away.

"Relax~" Elysia whispered in her ear, her fingers tracing along the edge of the fabric until they reached the top, where she gave it a gentle tug.

Acheron’s knees buckled instantly; had Elysia not been holding her from behind, she might have slumped to the ground.

She had lost most of her senses.

Therefore, the sensations that remained had become vastly more acute and intense.

Especially in this form as Acheron, where she relied on intuition and instinct to keep her ego intact against the curse, she had become many times more sensitive than an ordinary person.

"Elysia… what… what are you doing…" Acheron’s voice was fragmented, marked by suppressed gasps.

"Just adjusting your swimsuit." There was a note of satisfied, playful mischief in Elysia’s tone as her breath moved from Acheron’s ear to her neck, her lips lightly grazing the thin skin there. "It was stuck. If we don't fix it, it’ll be uncomfortable when you swim later."

As she spoke, her fingers retracted, giving Acheron a moment to catch her breath.

"Done~" Elysia pulled back a few steps, looking at the flush now covering Acheron’s skin, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Oh my~ Mei, how did you get so red all over?" At this moment, Elysia acted as if she had only just noticed the change, her voice filled with feigned surprise.

"You're just asking to tease me."

Acheron looked back, shooting a shy, frustrated glare at Elysia.

"But... you don't seem to hate it when I do this, either." Elysia watched Acheron’s bashful, flustered expression and asked in a soft, gentle voice.

Acheron didn't reply. She only stared at Elysia, the corners of her eyes turning a faint, vibrant red, looking like she’d applied eyeshadow, lending her a bewitching, breathtaking beauty.

"Hurry up and change. Don't let everyone wait for too long."

At this moment, caught in her "fluster," Acheron seemed to possess a bit more of the vitality of the living. Her gaze swept past Elysia, and she turned her head, heading out from behind the reef as if fleeing for her life.

This left Elysia feeling a tiny bit disappointed, yet she smiled with a sense of relief.

She had assumed that Acheron, under the erosion of those two bizarre forces, had lost every shred of human emotion, and that she only looked at them because she saw shadows of her past companions in them.

But now, Acheron’s vivid emotional fluctuation made Elysia’s heart feel increasingly comforted and happy.

Deep within Acheron, there was still a part of her that remained human; it was simply buried very, very deep.

Elysia began to look forward to the possibility that, through constant contact and stimulation, she might convince Acheron to change her mind about her original intention.

Unfortunately, Elysia was completely wrong.

After stepping out from behind the reef, Acheron saw Pardo and Griseo piling up a crooked sandcastle on the beach, while Kosma squatted nearby, staring blankly at a crab tucked away in a pit.

Eden and Aponia, those two mature ladies, were busy opening their picnic baskets and arranging the items one by one on the sand.

Every time they leaned over, the curves traced by their swimsuits revealed a breathtaking sight.

Every Flame-Chaser was occupied with her own task. Watching the scene, Acheron felt a slight sense of trance.

What a beautiful sight this is...

"What are you standing there for?" Elysia, now dressed in her own swimsuit, walked up beside her and took her hand, whispering with a smile: "Alright~ Let's go over and enjoy ourselves properly~"

Acheron let herself be led over without resistance.

But just as they were about to reach the group, Elysia added in a soft, playful tone: "Oh my~ I wish you had helped me just now. I feel like my swimsuit isn't quite adjusted right either~"

"..." Acheron’s face flushed slightly, and she gave Elysia a frustrated, bashful glare, looking tense as if she were worried someone else might overhear.

The sight made Elysia burst into a happy laugh, as if she had discovered a treasure.

In the distance, Kevin was hard at work setting up the barbecue grill, unaware of anything that had just transpired. It wasn't until he saw Acheron and Elysia walking over that he cast his gaze toward Acheron, his eyes remaining as calm as ever.

And then...

The whole day was quite pleasant.

Although Kalpas had come, he spent the entire time sitting under a coconut tree, watching the distant sea without saying a word.

This left Acheron, who had wanted to taste Kalpas's cooking, feeling a bit regretful.

Later, as a bonfire was lit on the beach, the fire crackled, sending embers spiraling into the night sky and illuminating the faces of every Flame-Chaser gathered around the flames.

Pardo skewered the seafood she had scavenged from the shore onto iron rods, setting them over the fire to roast.

Sakura sat beside her, sprinkling seasoning evenly over the seafood.

Fragrant aromas wafted into the air.

Eden hummed a ballad from the Previous Era with her eyes closed, adding a touch of aesthetic filter to the sight of the gathered Flame-Chasers.

Elysia poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to Acheron, who was sitting next to her.

"Mei... you're leaving tomorrow."

"Mm." Acheron nodded gently, reaching out to take the cup.

"Can’t you stay?"

"..."

Acheron didn't speak, continuing to watch the flames dancing in the bonfire.

A flash of disappointment crossed Elysia’s eyes, but she wasn't discouraged.

She planned to find an opportunity later that night to be alone with Acheron, and by any means necessary, she would try one last time to make Acheron agree.

As time slowly ticked by, the bonfire began to die down.

The Flame-Chasers returned to the wooden cabins they had built during the day.

Acheron did the same, retreating to a cabin by herself.

Just as she was preparing to rest, however, the wooden door was knocked by a steady, heavy force.

Acheron, who had been lying on the bed with her eyes closed, opened them, a flash of vigilance in her gaze.

She could sense the aura outside the door.

It was Kevin.

Yet, within Kevin’s aura, besides the lingering sadness and sorrow, there was something else—a newfound firmness?

It seemed he was planning to do something.

Acheron sighed softly, climbed out of bed, and walked over to open the door.

Outside, Kevin looked at her, his expression calm, yet his eyes burning with determination.

Why is he so bent on making me survive?

Acheron found it hard to understand.

"Can you come with me to a place?"

Kevin looked at Acheron, his voice calm and serious as he asked.

"...Fine."

Acheron met his gaze, her own look equally steady.

She didn't ask where they were going, simply following Kevin as he walked into the distance.

There, a World Serpent transport ship was docked. Only, the transport ship’s hull was emblazoned with the Anti-Entropy insignia.

As she boarded the transport ship alongside Kevin, the stern of the vessel spewed fierce flames, slowly ascending before speeding off into the distance.

Back at the camp, Elysia and the others, having heard the commotion, immediately rushed out of their rooms. Watching the departing transport ship and seeing the open doors of Acheron and Kevin’s cabins, they realized what had happened.

"...Kevin?"

Elysia gazed at the disappearing transport ship, anxiety flaring in her eyes.

She had already planned to go find Acheron once everyone else was asleep.

"Quick! We have to follow them!"

"...Apologies, Lady Ego, the Lord has refused to allow you to follow. He said he will ensure Lady Mei remains in this world."

When Elysia and the others returned to the base, they heard Gray Serpent saying this with a respectful but resolute tone.

At that moment, they understood intuitively that Kevin might be planning to do something that none of them would approve of...

Meanwhile, on the transport ship, Acheron and Kevin stood together, looking out at the scenery of the sea.

Time passed quickly; half an hour felt like a blink of an eye.

Below them lay a city—or rather, a ruin. Streets were submerged by seawater, and abandoned vehicles lay half-drowned, their chassis corroded with rust.

Empty skyscrapers stood tall above the water, their glass curtain walls shattered in large sections, either from a lack of maintenance or the ravages of monsters, exposing the dark, hollow floors within.

They stood as cold as tombstones.

"This is Nagazora," Kevin said, standing beside Acheron, his voice calm and serious. "Fifty thousand years ago, it was here, just as it is now."

Acheron watched the ruins in silence.

How truly pathetic...

This city once held millions of lives, and a single Honkai outbreak had claimed them all.

Now, there was probably nothing left but the few dozen children in the [Nest], as well as Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and their companions.

Honkai, what exactly do you take life to be?

"Why bring me here?"

"Because I don't know where else I can take you." Kevin kept his icy blue eyes fixed on the ruins below, his gaze still carrying heavy shadows.

"I want you to change your mind." Kevin turned to look at Acheron, speaking frankly: "Because I cannot watch you walk toward death and do nothing. In the past... I watched MEI walk toward death step by step, and I was powerless to stop it... Although I know you are not her, I cannot bear to watch you die as she did, provided there is even a sliver of possibility."

"..."

Acheron met his gaze, letting out a silent sigh in her heart.

It seems the PTSD I’ve given Kevin is quite significant.

Since that’s the case...

Next time I see him, I’ll provoke him a bit more and tell him that the universe was saved again, but because Acheron was summoned to this world, she actually died.

And so, the universe manifested a new Acheron.

I wonder how excited and happy he’ll be when he finds out about that later~

"You should know that I am not the person in your memories." Acheron looked at Kevin with a calm expression. As the transport ship slowly descended toward the roof of a skyscraper, the two of them stepped off.

The transport ship didn't linger, hurriedly departing into the distance.

Standing on the edge of the skyscraper, Acheron looked down at the city, continuing softly: "In this universe, there are countless similar yet different worlds, and countless similar yet different people..."

Kevin listened quietly, gradually coming to understand...

Acheron had met many people on many planets who were just like the Flame-Chasers, yet lived entirely different lives.

To her...

What kind of existence am I?

"I, too, have walked alone... encountering old friends on strange planets, seeing their figures overlap with my past..."

"In your eyes, what does this sense of déjà vu mean?"

Acheron watched Kevin, asking calmly and earnestly.

"..." Kevin didn't answer; his gaze remained steady.

To him, Acheron was the only person he had seen in these tens of thousands of years who was similar to MEI, someone who shared experiences comparable to his and hers.

But to Acheron, he was merely one of the countless Kevins she had encountered.

"Longing, desire, memories..."

Acheron’s voice was as calm as water, yet every word struck precisely at the deepest cracks in Kevin’s heart.

"You are looking at another person through me. That person has been dead for fifty thousand years, yet you are still standing in her shadow, having never walked out."

Kevin’s hands tightened slightly, and he closed his eyes.

"I am not her." Acheron’s voice continued to calmly twist the knife into Kevin’s heart. "You know it too, that I am not her, yet you still hope to find some kind of continuation in me. This isn't a plea for me to stay, Kevin."

"This is a farewell to your past—a farewell you haven't finished yet."

"And you, what do you care about? The person I am, or everything about me that resembles her?"

Acheron’s voice remained calm and restrained: "If it is the former, you should let me leave. If it is the latter, you chose the wrong person from the very beginning."

With these words, Acheron completely severed the connection between herself and MEI.

However, Acheron couldn't help but think of Raiden Mei.

If, in the future, Mei were still to become the true Herrscher of Thunder, and she failed to stop everything that was meant to happen... then when that Raiden Mei stood before Kevin...

Kevin would likely have quite a breakdown.

"How can you say these things so calmly?" Kevin opened his eyes, looking at Raiden Mei, something seemingly shattering in his gaze.

"Because I have seen too much."

Acheron turned, facing Kevin, their eyes locking—her purple gaze was profoundly deep.

"I have seen countless 'you's on countless planets... they all have their own names, their own lives... you are just one of many I have met on this long, long road. Not the first, but perhaps the last..."

"...I do not wish for me to be the last."

Kevin’s voice grew deeper. "You say you have seen countless versions of me, but every Kevin you have encountered, in no matter what world, would not watch the person he loves walk toward death and do nothing. Even if he knows it is not the same person, even if he knows that such an attempt to hold on is meaningless."

As he spoke, Kevin stepped closer to Acheron, his hands behind his back, hidden under his cloak. When he pulled them out again, the Might of An-Utu had appeared in his grasp.

Acheron: ?

She was somewhat surprised. Shouldn't the Might of An-Utu still be in Siegfried’s possession in this timeline?

Could it be...

She thought back to the last two days, when Kevin would always disappear for a while in the evenings.

I guess... Siegfried must have taken a beating.

"So..." Kevin’s tone remained calm and firm, "I am not holding onto MEI. I am telling you... I am just telling you that you can refuse to upload your consciousness to the Elysian Realm, you can refuse any method that allows you to survive in another form."

"But if you are truly determined to face death, then use your blade to tell me that your resolve is worthy of your path."

The Might of An-Utu in his hands collided, flames spreading along the weapon, and the Greatsword of An-Utu manifested in his grip.

Not using Shuhadaku of Uriel?

Acheron was slightly puzzled. But feeling the hollow aura within Kevin’s body at this moment, she understood.

Kevin had not yet truly regained the peak power of his past.

Yet, the moment the Might of An-Utu unfolded, the very air above the skyscraper seemed to evaporate in an instant.

Orange-yellow flames surged from the greatsword, and even the sky was dyed a deep, crimson red.

Acheron looked at him, not retreating, but raising her hand to grip the hilt of the blade at her waist.

In an instant, the long blade named Naught let out a resonant tremor, as if something that had been slumbering for a long time was beginning to wake.

Kevin moved in a flash, his greatsword carving an arc through the air, the scorching flames descending vertically toward Acheron’s head.

What would happen if I just walked head-first into it right now?

The thought flickered through Acheron’s mind, but she ultimately did not do so.

Naught was gently drawn from its sheath.

Click.

With just that single, light sound, the entire world seemed to suddenly lose its color—including the flames on the greatsword.

"I weep for the departed, tears falling like rain, filling the crossing river..." Acheron’s long hair turned a pale hue at a speed visible to the naked eye, a tinge of blood-red staining her eyes before transforming into tears that slid down her cheeks.

"Rushing in like the tide, leading you back home..."

Kevin’s figure, frozen in the midst of his strike, stalled in mid-air.

A blood-red shadow of a blade instantly robbed him of all perception, dragging his consciousness deep into a void where even death did not exist...

--+--

Weekly Polls Batch 2/2