Before the journey began, Elysia already had a feeling—it would be a dreamlike adventure she would rember for the rest of her life.
But after the journey started, she realized she had still underestimated it. Under Elias' guidance, she experienced a blissful trip that would forever change her life.
During their travels, Elysia saw nature's most beautiful scenery. She experienced kindness born from human goodness, yet also endured persecution born from human cruelty.
Of course, the latter was always resolved by Elias.
"Thank you, Elias. Without you, I'd be so lost whenever those things happened—I'd be confused, unsure what to do, and probably suffer so much… I'd even miss out on all these sights. Haha, I really love traveling with you!"
On the train bound for their next destination, Elysia leaned gratefully against the white-haired boy's chest. She could feel herself growing fonder and fonder of him.
Click!
Along with the sound of a cara shutter, Elysia captured the most beautiful mont of the day. She then placed the photo into a pink album, smiling in satisfaction.
Taking a photo each day to preserve its most beautiful mont—this had been her habit since the first day of their journey.
Elias glanced at the album in Elysia's hands. In his Imaginary Space, there were already eleven such albums neatly kept.
The system had at least shown a bit of rcy.
It preserved the ntos from each reincarnation—precious keepsakes filled with mories between Elias and the Fla-Chasers. Like Elysia's photo albums, Eden's golden chalice, Sakura's forget--not flower, Kalpas' mask, Kevin's limited-edition instant noodles, and so on...
"There's no need to thank , Ely."
"True~ But it still feels strange sohow. Elias, you seem so used to traveling," Elysia said curiously.
When they had first set out, she was completely at a loss about what to do, but Elias had already led her decisively toward their chosen destination and handled everything perfectly.
No matter what unexpected events arose, Elias always found the best solution.
But what surprised Elysia most was that—even when they reached a foreign country—Elias could speak the local language fluently, despite the fact that neither of them had ever gone to school!
(Ely: Wait, I thought we agreed to be illiterate together!)
All in all, Elias was like a seasoned traveler who had already explored the world many tis, taking Elysia across continents to see all the beauty it had to offer.
"What's strange about that? In your eyes, I've always been incredible, haven't I, Ely? My secrets are more nurous than the stars in the sky—you might need an entire lifeti to uncover them all."
Elias leaned against the window, resting his chin on his hand as he admired the sunset outside. The crimson-gold sky reminded him of the skies above the Elysian Realm, stirring a wave of nostalgia in his heart.
"That's fine. I'd gladly spend my whole life on you, Elias—because I like you the most!" Elysia said without a trace of hesitation.
Bathed in the golden glow of dusk, the white-haired boy before her looked divine and untouchable. For a mont, Elysia's heart skipped a beat—but even as she lost herself in that sight, her fingers instinctively pressed the cara shutter again.
Elias' lips curved upward slightly, and he reached out to rua the pink-haired elf's head.
"Ely, guess where we're going next."
"Hmm... Nagazora City?"
Elysia studied the map for a mont before answering. It was a baseless guess, but she sohow felt confident about it—certain that she must be right.
However, Elias shook his head. That had been the answer during their last cycle, though back then, Elysia had guessed Dusk Street instead.
"Wrong again. Actually, we're going... here."
"..."
Elysia fell silent in disbelief. Elias had turned the map over, and the destination he pointed to was halfway across the world—at a place whose na she couldn't even pronounce.
She had a strong suspicion she'd actually guessed right, but Elias had changed the destination on the spot just to keep her from guessing correctly.
"Eh? This city is way too far, isn't it? I don't believe it. This doesn't fit the pattern you've always followed when choosing our next destination. Also—why did you just say 'again'?"
"Ely, patterns are made to be broken. And as for 'again'... you must have misheard."
"..."
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. But our next destination really is this city. There's soone very important to there—I have to go see her."
Elias gazed gently at the city marked on the map, tracing the na of that city with his fingers. Seeing his expression, Elysia was too surprised to speak.
In the past, Elias had only ever looked at her with such tenderness. Elysia couldn't help but wonder—just who could this person be, to make her beloved Elias care so deeply?
"Soone very important to you, huh? How important, exactly? Compared to ?"
"Hehe~ About the sa as you, I'd say."
"!!!" ∑(ΦдΦlll)
Elysia's brain froze completely. Soone as important as her? Elias actually had soone like that?!
(For real? How do I not know about this? Weren't we supposed to have grown up together?!)
"That's way too suspicious! Since you said that, I have to et her myself—I want to see just who this amazing person is, the one worth crossing half the world for!"
"Hehe, I think you two will get along quite well. But before we go, I still need to prepare sothing. We've got... two days left." Elias glanced at the calendar as he spoke.
The days he rembered were always special—like the dates when the Herrschers of the Previous Era had first descended.
But the day two days from now held a far greater aning to him—one he could never forget.
...
Two days later, they arrived in that city.
Elysia curiously looked around, finding nothing particularly unusual.
Yet, although it was their first ti here, Elias moved through the streets as if he had been here countless tis before—familiar with every turn, effortlessly leading her to their destination.
"We're here. This is the place."
"Eh... really?"
Elysia blinked, half-suspicious that Elias had brought her to the wrong address.
Before them stood a rundown private pharmacy.
Despite it being dayti, the doors were tightly shut. Dust covered the ground and the shelves near the entrance—it was clear the place hadn't been cleaned or opened in a long ti. It looked abandoned, perhaps closed down for years. No patients in sight.
"Let's go, Ely. We don't have much ti—we need to rescue her quickly."
"Eh? Wha—what do you an?"
Elysia tilted her head in confusion.
But, as usual, the cryptic Elias didn't explain further. Instead, he simply pushed open the pharmacy's creaking door and stepped inside—holding a fairly large birthday cake in one hand.
...
In the deepest room of the pharmacy—
A barefoot green-haired girl walked across the cold floor. Her na was Mobius. The girl's body was frail and delicate, as if it could break with a single touch. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the filthy, cluttered room around her.
She moved with practiced familiarity, taking a bottle of painkillers from the dicine cabinet.
It was a powerful analgesic. Once taken, it didn't just block pain—it dulled every sensation. But the side effects were severe; prolonged use could cause nerve paralysis and cognitive impairnt.
"When this dose runs out, your release—or death—won't be far, Father."
Mobius tightened her grip around the pills, murmuring to herself.
Of course, she wasn't taking them herself—nor was she trying to poison her father. The bedridden man had instructed her to do so while he was still lucid.
He knew full well the drug's side effects. But compared to the unbearable agony he endured every mont, he would rather lose his senses entirely. The agony of the Honkai disease had already driven him past the brink of endurance.
"..."
On the bed, the markings of Honkai corrosion had already spread up to the man's neck—a clear sign of the disease's final stage.
The man's body was thin, his eyes hollow. After years of taking painkillers, his nerves were severely damaged, his cognition impaired—he seed to have even forgotten how to speak.
"Take it."
Mobius handed the pills to the emaciated man lying on the bed, her eyes filled with a cold, detached pity.
It was not the gaze a daughter should direct toward her father, though this man indeed deserved pity.
Mobius' father had once been a renowned pharmacist. He had a beloved wife, but she passed away shortly after giving birth to Mobius.
Even so, the man didn't collapse under grief. He continued to live actively, devoted to his work and to developing dicines that could save others.
He also tried his best to fulfill his duties as a father.
At least at that ti, he was a good, compassionate doctor and a decent parent—beloved by many in the neighborhood... until he was stricken with Honkai disease.
When Mobius thought back to what he had been before and after his infection, the contrast was so stark she could hardly recognize him as the sa person.
After being corroded by Honkai energy, her father changed completely. When he realized that all his knowledge and skill couldn't cure his own disease, his gentleness turned to rage, his optimism to despair. The man beca grotesque.
He abandoned his private pharmacy, spending his days bedridden, living off painkillers. He beca decadent, hopeless, and violent—eventually turning that violence against his own daughter.
He showed Mobius the ugliest side of humanity.
"You look disgusting. I... will never beco a human like you!"
Mobius stared straight into her father's eyes as she spoke.
How laughable.
How ridiculous.
How pitiful.
To fall so far just because of a disease—to beco so wretched, so broken, so stripped of emotion, mory, and even the pride and dignity that defined humanity!
This wasn't what humans should be. Just the thought that there were others like her father in this world made Mobius feel sick with disgust.
She would never accept it.
Humans should be proud, strong, beautiful, immortal—even if they had to fight the gods themselves, they must never lose! Just like that blurry white figure she often saw in her dreams.
At that mont, an ideal and an obsession were born within Mobius' heart: she would make humanity evolve.
"Father, you're beyond saving. If you had faced your illness head-on, fighting to the very last mont without depending on drugs, then even if you lost in the end, at least you would have kept your pride and dignity as a man. But... you gave up."
Mobius could feel flas rising in her heart.
"You chose to rot away, to abandon your pride as a human, to stop struggling for life! Humans like you—I will never acknowledge!"
Mobius clenched her fists, her eyes burning with anger and rejection.
The man on the bed contorted his face into a furious snarl. He looked as ugly as a dying, stray old dog. His eyes seed to say, 'How dare you talk to like that? I should have left you as a stain on the wall.'
Overco by sha and rage, the man sat up, trembling as he raised his hand to slap his daughter across the face.
But Mobius showed no fear—her eyes were still full of defiance and mockery.
"Go ahead. Hit . Once you're done, we'll be even."
Even if it ca to a fight, a man in the late stages of Honkai disease could hardly win against the young Mobius. But she decided not to resist—considering it a small repaynt for being born.
And she wanted to rember the pain that was coming—to let it etch into her heart the vow that she would never beco such a human.
Still, she instinctively closed her eyes.
Just as she gritted her teeth, bracing herself for the blow—and as the man's trembling hand was about to fall—
"Beating your daughter? What kind of scum does that?"
"Eh?"
A third voice suddenly cut through the silence of the room.
Mobius opened her eyes to find a white-haired boy standing before her. He had firmly caught her father's wrist, and no matter how much the man struggled, he couldn't break free.
"Hey, little snake, I've co to find you."
The white-haired boy turned his head and gave Mobius a gentle smile. For a brief mont, that cold, suffocating room seed to grow a little warr.
Mobius froze instantly.
She was certain she had never t this boy before, yet an indescribable sense of familiarity welled up within her. His figure overlapped perfectly with the vague white silhouette she had so often seen in her dreams.
"Y-you... who are you?" she stamred.
"? Just a passing ally of justice. Anyway, we can talk later—after I deal with your old man."
"Ahhh! Aaaah! Let go—aaah!"
"Tch. You scream as horribly as ever. Let's get this over with quickly, just like always."
Elias gave Mobius' father a look of utter disgust, set the cake he'd been carrying onto the table, then pulled a vial of crimson serum from his pocket and unceremoniously jabbed it into the man's chest.
Mobius' eyes widened in shock.
Before her eyes, the dark Honkai marks that covered almost her father's entire body began to fade, visibly receding from his skin.
She knew how her father had searched the entire world for a cure, finding nothing. Yet this white-haired stranger had just pulled out an effective redy as if it were nothing.
"I—I don't feel pain anymore... The marks... they're gone? I'm cured? I'm cured! Hahaha! That damned disease—it's really gone!!"
Under the serum's effects, Mobius' father rapidly regained his sanity.
He looked over his body in disbelief, confirming that the traces of Honkai corrosion had truly vanished—and then burst into wild laughter.
However—
"Don't celebrate too soon."
Elias cracked his knuckles, his golden eyes glinting coldly. He released the full weight of his suppressed aura, and the oppressive force instantly snuffed out the man's fleeting joy.
"I didn't heal you just to let you off easy. How else would you clearly understand your mistakes? Do you even realize what day it is today, you bastard? It's the little snake's ninth birthday!"
"On this day—more important than any other—you dared raise your hand against her? You're the worst excuse for a father I've ever seen in this tiline!"
"Now then... are you ready to repent?"
Elias spoke coldly, then seized Mobius' father's right arm once more. With a rciless grip, he controlled it—and made the man slap himself across the face, again and again.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
The sharp, echoing sounds of slaps were so loud they could be heard even outside the building. Elias showed no rcy, striking until Mobius' father's face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition.
By technicality, this man might have been considered his future father-in-law—but... when had any of Elias' father-in-laws ever t a good end?
—
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