"Brother Elias... your color..."
Griseo's small body trembled.
The girl could see Elias' color. As she had always imagined, it was pure white—immaculate and flawless. At first glance, that color made her heart flutter with admiration. Yet...
That pure white had beco faint—almost gone.
In Griseo's vision, countless dreadful hues were covering that once-beautiful white, threatening to drown it entirely.
Those colors were heavy and chaotic, painful and dark—almost all of them the kinds of colors Griseo despised the most.
They were the colors of tragedy.
"How could this be... Brother Elias, no... you can't continue anymore. Your color—it shouldn't be like this..."
"G-Griseo..."
Elias froze, at a complete loss.
This reaction was outside his expectations. In all the previous cycles, Griseo had never responded like this, because he had always hidden it well—only showing the untainted parts of himself.
Elias: "...!!!"
A mont later, realization struck him.
His current color could no longer be concealed by the sa old thods. The countless mories and emotions accumulated across ten cycles had already exceeded his limits—there was almost no white left.
And now, his true self was laid bare before Griseo's eyes.
"...I'm sorry, Griseo. Did I make you see sothing ugly?"
"No, that's not it! Brother Elias' color is beautiful—it's never changed! But it's fading away! You can't do this to yourself, you can't... sob..."
Tears stread uncontrollably down Griseo's face.
She had seen his truth—Elias was carrying the entire tragedy of the Previous Era upon himself.
Alongside it ca endless exhaustion, countless invisible wounds, and the crushing pressure of a journey that had gone on far too long.
Yet, this burden wasn't aningless.
For every ounce of pain he bore, Elias had achieved equally great results—the continuously decreasing casualties of the Previous Era. His suffering had bought salvation.
But Elias could not stop yet.
Because what he desired most had yet to be reclaid.
It was the life of a certain girl—and until he could wrest it back from the hands of fate, the white-haired youth willingly imprisoned himself in the cage called the past, the cage of the Previous Era.
If Elias himself were a painting—
Then to Griseo, it was a magnificent and awe-inspiring one, but also filled with sorrow and beauty. She had never known that her beloved big brother was so deeply scarred.
"Brother Elias, please... stop. Griseo's begging you. I don't want your color to disappear anymore," the girl pleaded, her tearful eyes trembling.
"I'm sorry, Griseo. This will be the last ti."
"No! Brother Elias, your white is almost gone! That's my favorite color! You can't keep letting yourself be stained anymore!"
Griseo shook her head desperately. She didn't understand what Elias ant by the last ti, but she could see his color continuing to fade even as they spoke.
The normally calm, emotionless girl was now crying uncontrollably. Because she could see it—Elias was using his own color as a canvas, painting upon it all the world's tragedies.
"Tell , Griseo—what's happening? What's wrong with Elias?" Mobius demanded urgently.
"Uuu... Grandma Mobius, Brother Elias... he's sacrificing his own color..."
"I don't understand. What do you an? Explain clearly. Elias, you... what have you done to yourself again?" Mobius asked sharply, eyes locked on him.
"..."
Elias remained silent for a long mont. He couldn't reveal the truth about the cycles—such an option had never even crossed his mind. He was stubborn, proud, and unyielding to the end.
Elias had always planned that once everything was over—once he had written the perfect ending to this story—he would erase the cycles, erase the weight he had carried, and act as if none of it had ever existed. He would never tell anyone.
But now, a small girl had peeled away part of that secret.
"I'm sorry, Griseo... just wait a little longer, okay? I'll return to my original color, you can see it, right? The other colors are only sticking to —I haven't lost my true color. When everything's over, I'll wash them all away."
Elias knelt down and gently embraced the trembling girl.
"Really? Brother Elias, your color can really go back to how it was?" Griseo asked tearfully.
"Of course it can. What's this? Do you not believe in anymore?"
"N-no! Griseo believes you!"
Griseo shook her head firmly.
The only thought running through her mind was—if Elias' color couldn't return, she would repaint it herself.
No matter what, she would help him preserve that color—she wouldn't allow the world's tragedies to taint it any further.
"Thank you, Griseo. I like you the most," Elias said softly, patting her head.
"But I'm sorry for making you cry. Heh~ I actually made such a cute girl cry... maybe I deserve to be thrown in jail by the police."
"No! Brother Elias has done so many good things—I won't let anyone hurt you! Oh! Grandma Mobius, do you have any dicine that can make people grow up faster?"
"Huh? dicine to make people grow up faster?"
"Mm! Brother Elias is always the one protecting everyone, but no one can protect him! So Griseo wants to grow up quickly—to protect Brother Elias!"
Griseo declared resolutely, clutching her paintbrush as if it were a lightsaber, standing before the white-haired boy like a little knight.
Elias felt his heart lt completely. He rubbed his cheek against hers, moved beyond words. He had always been the one protecting others—but now, this adorable girl wanted to protect him.
In that instant, his affection for Griseo skyrocketed—like a rocket launch straight to the stars.
"Mobius doesn't have that kind of dicine. If I did, I'd have taken it myself long ago. But I'll wait for little Griseo to grow up. I'll look forward to the day you protect ... but for now, let protect you instead."
"No! Brother Elias needs rest! You're so, so tired—please, go get so sleep!"
Griseo's voice was firm.
Now, she was the second person—after Elysia—who could see through Elias' façade. Her enhanced perception, amplified by Honkai genes, allowed her to glimpse the deep exhaustion hidden behind his smile.
Griseo didn't know how to describe it—but it was a fatigue far greater than anything physical, far deeper than even Klein's after a month of nonstop work. It was exhaustion of the soul.
"Sleep now? Uh, but..."
"If Brother Elias doesn't rest, then... then I won't talk to you for an entire day—no, half a day! Oh! Maybe you'll sleep better with a lap pillow? Griseo will give you one!"
"Ah, um..."
"You always let nap on your lap, so let do it this ti! Wait right here—I'll grab a blanket! Brother Elias, you'd better co over soon!"
With that, Griseo hurried outside. Her art studio was nearby—whenever she grew tired from painting, she would curl up under a blanket and nap on Elias' lap.
As soon as she left, only two people remained in the room.
"..."
"..."
Elias turned his head away, avoiding Mobius' gaze. Her expression had turned dark—dangerously dark.
"Would you care to explain what exactly Griseo ant by that, Elias?"
"Ahem, Mobius, you know . I don't want to lie to you, so... please, don't ask, alright? I'll take care of everything—really."
"I don't believe a damn word of that! Spit it out—everything you've been hiding! Elias, you reckless idiot who always insists on doing things alone! If it weren't for Griseo today, I'd still have no idea—"
Mobius grabbed Elias by the collar, her expression pained.
All she could feel now was an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
She kept berating herself inwardly. How could I not have noticed all this ti? How could I have missed what he's been hiding? Why didn't I do more for him?
"Don't bla yourself, Mobius. This isn't your fault. If anyone's to bla, it's —for hiding it too well," Elias said gently, having already seen through her guilt.
"Do you call that comfort?! And you still don't plan to co clean, do you? Can't you rely on us a little more? What do you even see us as?"
Mobius clenched her teeth, her voice trembling between anger and heartbreak.
"What do I see you as? The people I love," Elias answered without hesitation.
"..."
Mobius froze completely.
Elias pressed a hand to his chest, eting the serpent's erald eyes as he continued.
"You're all more important to than my own life. I once said that Ely was the reason I learned to love this world... but now, Mobius, that's true for you too."
"Elias, you—"
"And of course, there's Griseo, Sakura, i, Eden, Pardofelis—"
"Stop! Those extra nas are unnecessary!"
Watching him count on his fingers, Mobius twitched and cut him off. Elias only smiled faintly and said,
"The truth is, I already rely on everyone a lot. Without all of you, I'd never have made it this far. And right now, I'm doing sothing only I can do. So... just give a little more ti, alright, Mobius?"
"Elias, you really are—!"
Mobius could only sigh helplessly. For the first ti, she almost wished this man didn't care about her so deeply—because when it ca to those he loved, Elias would never let them see his pain. Even if he were covered in scars, he'd still pretend to be fine.
"Then it's settled. I'll take that as your agreent."
"Huh?! Who said I agreed—wait!"
"Not waiting~ Griseo's still waiting for to sleep, you know~"
With that, Elias turned and walked toward the door, leaving Mobius behind in exasperated silence.
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