"Eli, you're just like someone who can see the future—or no, more like someone who came from the future!"
Elysia exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.
She truly felt that way.
Looking back now, she realized that the white-haired boy before her inexplicably knew so many things—like the order and timing of the Herrschers' appearances, and how to respond to their powers.
But sometimes, there were vague parts too. This didn't feel like Aponia's ability to foresee fate—it felt more like a person who had come from a distant future, bringing knowledge of this era's Honkai to this timeline.
"Haah~"
(But it only seems that way. There's no way something that ridiculous could be true, right? After all, being from the future sounds even crazier than me being a Herrscher.)
Elysia yawned. Sleepiness finally began to take over her, but just as she was about to drift off—
"You're right, Ely."
"Hm? What did I get right?"
"I'm a person from the future."
Elias smiled as he confessed.
"???"
Elysia's drowsiness vanished instantly.
Miss Pink Elf sat up abruptly, wide-eyed, nearly falling off the bed in shock.
"Wait—really? Eli, you're not joking? From the future…?"
"No joke. From fifty thousand years in the future~."
Elias spread his right hand, showing five fingers.
"..."
Elysia gasped, trembling slightly. Then she quickly turned over and sat on Elias' lap, placing both hands on his shoulders and staring at him with fiery eyes.
"Be honest! Tell me everything right now! You're not sleeping tonight until you explain clearly! I'll even have Mei postpone the Project Chimera operation if I have to! Oh my god, Eli—you're actually, actually from the future! I was just joking when I said that!"
"Sleep deprivation is a girl's worst enemy…"
"That's for normal girls. With Maheśvara's meta-morph factor, I can stay up all night no problem! So come on, tell me already! I can't stand the suspense, my dear Eli—you kept such a huge secret from me!"
Elysia shook Elias by the shoulders wildly—she already believed him, because Elias would never lie to her.
"Hehe, honestly, I've wanted to tell you for a long time. But didn't you once say that revealing the answer too soon would be boring? You wanted to uncover my secrets yourself, right?"
Elias raised his hand and tickled Elysia's underarm.
Immediately, the Pink Elf's fake-serious expression vanished. She laughed so hard she fell from his lap—only for Elias to catch her in his arms and pull her close again.
He knew all too well where Elysia's weakness lay.
"To be honest, it's been tough holding it in. If you hadn't guessed it soon, I was planning to tell you everything myself."
"I—I was just joking earlier! How was I supposed to know you'd actually be… Oh my god, Eli, pinch me! I think I'm dreaming."
"Oh, sure~."
Elias smiled faintly and pinched Elysia's cheek.
"Eh? It doesn't hurt? Ahaha, guess I really am dreaming! Misteln, come out here!"
Elysia crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling.
Elias couldn't help but laugh at her antics.
"Silly Ely, if you actually felt pain, that would mean you were dreaming."
"Oh, right! Eli would never hurt me."
Realizing that, Elysia gave an embarrassed little laugh, then smiled sweetly as she dove back into the white-haired boy's embrace, rubbing her soft cheek against his just as tender face.
After all, she was Elias' most beloved girl—the one he cherished above all else. Even if the heavens fell and the earth turned upside down, he would never hurt her, not even the slightest bit.
Even if one day his sword were to pierce her chest, Elysia knew—Elias would only ever do it for her sake.
"Alright then, Eli, hurry and explain everything properly! Miss Pink Elf's curiosity has been completely piqued—you'd better take full responsibility now!"
Elysia's eyes sparkled with excitement. A boyfriend from fifty thousand years in the future? That was beyond fantastical!
And if it were true, then their love was nothing less than a miracle that transcended fifty millennia! Elias had come from the other end of time itself—just to fall in love with her…
How impossibly romantic!
It was a thousand, no—a ten thousand times more romantic than any love story Miss Pink Elf had ever imagined! Her heart was racing at full speed as she gazed into Elias' eyes, which gleamed with mysterious light.
What kind of person would Elias be fifty thousand years from now? What sort of identity would he have? Was he still a savior even in that distant age? Did he have… more rivals in love? After all, she sometimes heard him murmuring names like Mei, Kiana, and Bronya in his sleep—who were they? And wait, wasn't Kiana supposed to be his cat?
For the first time, Elysia felt her curiosity expand beyond limit. She had thought that after spending years by his side, she knew Elias completely.
But it turned out—she only knew the tip of the iceberg! The boy she loved carried such a massive secret within him! Compared to that, her own identity as the Herrscher of Origin suddenly seemed insignificant.
Most girls would feel anxious or afraid upon learning that their boyfriend harbored such a great secret. But Elysia was different.
All she felt was excitement, curiosity, and a racing heartbeat. The boy before her seemed ever more dazzling, ever more enigmatic!
She had thought he was merely a radiant sun—
—but now she realized, he was an entire sea of stars.
Anxious? Afraid? Not even slightly! Elysia only felt she was the luckiest girl in the world.
Because she knew—no matter what hidden side Elias had, she would love him all the same.
"It's hard to explain everything in one night," Elias said, watching the girl in his arms grow too excited to sleep. Relief softened his eyes.
He believed that no matter who he was in this era, Miss Pink Elf would love him. But even if there was only a one-in-a-billion chance that she might not, Elias still couldn't help but feel nervous.
For Elysia, he wished that even that one-in-a-billion chance didn't exist.
"Oh? You can't explain it all in one night? That's great! That just means it must be a long, colorful story. No worries—we have plenty of nights ahead of us!"
Elysia jumped out of bed and quickly made herself a cup of coffee. Normally, she hated bitter drinks, but to hear Elias' story, she could handle even the darkest brew!
Slurp~ "Alright, Eli, I'm ready!"
"Oh, then I'll start with this—don't be too shocked, Ely."
"Mhm! I won't be. Miss Pink Elf has undergone professional emotional training, you know. And honestly, I doubt anything could surprise me more than learning you're from fifty thousand years in the future." Elysia took a calm sip of coffee.
"True. Compared to that, this is rather minor… Actually, I'm a Herrscher."
"Pffft—!"
Elysia instantly spat out her coffee. Thankfully, she managed to turn her head in time, splattering only the floor.
"Cough, cough—wait, wait—Eli, pause! Give me a second to process—cough—my god…"
"It's fine. Take your time," Elias said gently, patting her slender back.
Even after clearing the coffee from her throat, Elysia had to take several deep breaths before recovering.
"O-okay, continue. You're a Herrscher?! How—how can you be a Herrscher? That's… unbelievable! I swear, this has to be a dream—or no, not even a dream could be this ridiculous!"
As she spoke, Elysia pinched herself hard. The sharp pain that followed only made her expression twist even more in disbelief.
"Eh? Is it really that shocking? I thought coming from fifty thousand years in the future was the more surprising part. Being a Herrscher isn't such a big deal—we've already met, what, a dozen of them? Wait, no… a thousand and nine, actually."
Elias gently rubbed the spot where Elysia had pinched herself.
As he did, a random thought crossed his mind—he suddenly remembered a manga he'd read in his previous life called Traveling Beyond the Year 3000. He wondered if the two protagonists, separated by time, had ever reunited in the end.
Well, he certainly didn't have to worry about that. After all, since they'd never been separated, there was no need for a reunion.
"What's wrong? Does Ely mind that I'm a Herrscher? In that case, come here—let me borrow Fenghuang Down and erase that part of your memory."
Elias mimed summoning the Divine Key, Fenghuang Down. If Elysia truly disliked his Herrscher identity, he honestly thought he might throw away all his Herrscher Cores.
"How could I mind that?! Eli being a Herrscher is totally fine—actually, it's amazing! It's just that… even though I can accept it, it's still such a huge shock!"
The savior who had rescued the world countless times from the hands of Herrschers… was actually a Herrscher himself? That was the ultimate "enemy and hero are one" twist!
Elysia was sure that if Elias ever announced this publicly, at least half the people hearing it would faint on the spot.
But instead of fear, all she felt was excitement.
So many questions she'd once had were suddenly answered.
Like why she always felt such a strange sense of kinship with Elias—it turned out they were truly the same kind of being. Both Herrschers.
Yet, that only sparked even more questions.
If he was a Herrscher, then how could he retain his humanity? How could he fight for humanity instead of against it?
Elysia felt like a little cat was pawing at her heart—her curiosity was overflowing! And the faint worry she'd once harbored—that Elias might like her less because she was a Herrscher—had completely disappeared.
(Haha~ Elias is a Herrscher, I'm a Herrscher—we're perfect for each other!)
"Oh, right," Elias added casually. "I'm a Seven-Core Herrscher, by the way."
"???"
At that moment, he stopped concealing his aura.
The powers of the Herrscher of Reason, Herrscher of the Void, Herrscher of Fire, Herrscher of Rebirth, Duo Herrscher of Wind, and the Herrscher of Ice—each one radiated around him.
"Alright… fine… sure… at least that's slightly less shocking than you being from fifty thousand years in the future and a Herrscher."
Elysia pressed a hand against her chest, thinking maybe she should go ask Mobius for some heart medicine. So that's why Elias was so powerful!
Seven Herrscher Cores? That was downright absurd!
"If I pulled out the Cores from all the Divine Keys and fused them into me," Elias said with a grin, "I could turn into a Twelve-Core Herrscher right now, just for you."
"Unbelievable…"
A Twelve-Core Herrscher, plus a Vipralopa-level MANTIS—possibly even a Chimera tomorrow—and maybe even a [Palatinus] someday.
That kind of power could probably crush everything before the Finality itself. Even if the Herrscher of Finality appeared, Elias might be able to fight it alone for a while.
If he had grown the same way Kevin had in the original timeline—building strength from the Previous Era into the Current Era—then maybe Project STIGMA and Project Ember wouldn't even be necessary. He could just brute-force victory himself!
"Calm down, Ely. I wasn't born a Herrscher. I gathered all these Cores one by one. It wasn't easy at all, trust me. Let me tell you about it."
"Not easy? Really?"
"Everyone starts out weak, Ely. I was no exception. At the beginning, things were rough~."
And so Elias began recounting his story to her. It was far too long to finish in one night, so he only got as far as the Second Eruption (Sirin) and the Third Eruption (Raiden Mei).
Elysia was completely entranced.
Unlike the unstoppable savior of the Previous Era, the Elias of the Current Era had endured tremendous hardship to become a Herrscher. Hearing his struggles brought tears to her eyes.
Especially when he described the Second Eruption—how he had taken the place of the girls, lying again and again on the experiment tables to protect Sirin and the others. By then, Elysia was crying outright.
(Uuuh… my poor Eli, my dear Eli—you've suffered so much. No wonder Mobius was so difficult for you to deal with at first, no wonder you hate human experimentation so much.)
Elysia felt a surge of anger and grief. She could hardly hold back her killing intent—she almost wanted to cross into the Current Era right now, storm into the Babel Tower laboratories, and destroy every last human experimenter inside, then rescue the young Elias lying helpless on the cold testing table.
But at the same time, she was also struck by another thought.
"That girl named Mei… she's so pitiful, but also… so enviable! I can't believe I wasn't the first one out !"
"Technically speaking, Ely, you were the first—from a timeline perspective."
"Mm~! Right, that's true! My advantage still stands!"
Elysia clenched her small fists and cheered herself on. Sure, the girl named Mei might have been the first to confess her love to Elias in the chronological sense—but!
Her decade of constant companionship, their unbreakable bond, far surpassed any competition!
Even in this brand-new era fifty thousand years later, Miss Pink Elf was still the undefeated, absolute heroine!
...
"Haah~ I'm getting sleepy. Let's stop here for tonight," Elias said, glancing at the window. Dawn's first light was beginning to peek through. He figured he could still rest for a while—though with his current physique, he could go months without sleep and be fine.
Still, with the crucial Chimera procedure coming up, he needed to be in perfect condition.
"Mhm, I'll tell Mei and the others to postpone the surgery until the afternoon. You go ahead and sleep first," Elysia said gently.
She had heard enough for one night—more than enough, in fact. She needed time to digest it all.
Her beloved boyfriend was even more incredible and extraordinary than she had ever imagined. Elysia's heart was overflowing with joy.
Then, as she looked at the white-haired boy whose eyes had closed for barely a few seconds before he fell asleep, she couldn't help but stare in a daze. His sleeping face seemed to hold an indescribable charm—something that made it impossible for her to look away.
Elysia quietly lay down beside him, resting her head near his shoulder. To her, it was like admiring a masterpiece—a living work of art she could never tire of.
(But… why is it, I wonder? In Eli's time, the Herrschers all retained their humanity, all chose to fight for the world. The Honkai didn't make the same mistakes again. That means… someone in our era must have changed something…)
Elysia suddenly froze. Her eyes widened slightly as she raised a hand to her chest.
(Could it be… me?)
If there was anyone in existence who had the power to rewrite the rules of the Honkai, it would be her—the Herrscher of Origin, the one who could wish upon the world itself.
In terms of pure power, she was nowhere near Elias, the Seven-Core Herrscher. But in another sense, her authority—her level of existence—was far higher.
After all, she was the Origin that stood opposite to Finality.
"This is… wonderful…" Elysia whispered softly.
Of course, she knew how great the price would be for wishing the Herrschers to regain their humanity—to free them from the bondage of the Honkai. But Elysia was happy that she could be the one to make it happen.
The boy she loved so deeply would one day become a Herrscher—but he would never be bound by the Honkai. He would remain the radiant, kind-hearted Elias she adored, the one whose humanity shone brighter than anyone else's.
To think that she could help him in this way filled Elysia with warmth.
Smiling gently, she gazed at Elias' peaceful sleeping face, leaned closer, and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.