"That fairy tale book was the very first birthday gift you ever gave me, Eli. Of course I treasure it. Guess where I keep it now?"
Elysia asked playfully. It was a tricky question—without any hints, who could possibly guess where she had hidden a single storybook?
Just as the pink elf prepared to enjoy the sight of the white-haired boy struggling for an answer before revealing it herself...
"Hmm... is it hidden inside a treasure chest somewhere in the Elysium Everlasting?" Elias guessed after two seconds of thought.
"Eh?! Eli, how did you know?! I was so confident about hiding it—wait, did you see it?" Elysia's lips parted in shock.
She had indeed hidden that fairy tale book inside a treasure chest in the Elysium Everlasting—that private memory domain belonging only to the two of them. No outsiders could enter, and there were certainly no thieves...
Except, perhaps, a certain adorable cat.
Not to mention, the Elysium Everlasting had its guardian—ELF Klein's counterpart, Hero Elias—and Elysia had even asked Vill-V to make her a custom chest that no one but her could open.
To put it simply, storing the book there was safer than any bank vault in existence.
And honestly, there was no place more fitting than the Elysium Everlasting—a world of their shared memories, where she could keep a treasure filled with the warmth of their past together. Even if she ignored its safety, the idea itself was romantic enough.
"Eli, confess! What else did you see? That's a girl's private space, you know!"
"With a reaction that big, it sounds like there's something more than just that book~ Now I'm curious. Maybe I should go treasure hunting in the Realm sometime."
Elias narrowed his golden eyes like a detective closing in on a suspect.
"Eep!" Σ(△|||)︴
Elysia instantly averted her gaze, panic flashing in her eyes.
She would never admit it—that she had also hidden a few... fanbooks featuring Elias himself inside those same treasure chests. They might not be as precious as that first fairy tale book, but to Miss Pink Elf, those were treasures too!
She decided she'd sneak into the Elysium Everlasting tonight to relocate everything.
"Hehe, don't worry, I'm just teasing you. I just figured, knowing you, Ely, you'd definitely hide it in the Realm," Elias said with a warm smile. No hints were needed—when it came to Elysia, he never needed any.
"Ahh, Eli, you know me too well." Elysia chuckled helplessly.
Back when she was deciding on a hiding place, she had spent a long time agonizing over it before choosing the Elysium Everlasting. Yet Elias had guessed it in two seconds flat.
It could only mean that Elias understood Elysia even better than she understood herself.
"Of course I do~ Who do you think I am? There's nothing about you I don't know. Well... actually, there is one thing I still don't."
"Oh? There is?" Elysia tilted her head curiously.
"Yeah. Remember the day we decided to create the Elysium Everlasting and form the Flame-Chasers? You said you had a secret you wanted to tell me—but something came up, and you never got the chance. I still don't know what it was."
Elias gently turned her face back toward him.
"Ely, can you tell me now?"
"Uh... not yet. It's still too soon."
Elysia waved her hands awkwardly, her expression a mix of hesitation and guilt. She had already steeled herself, but she needed just one more day.
Elias squinted at her, clearly dissatisfied.
"Too soon? My dear Ely, we've already defeated the Herrscher of Finality! If this were a movie, we'd already be in the end credits."
"Guh... I'm sorry, Eli! Just give me a little more time—just a tiny bit!" Elysia pleaded, hands clasped together in apology. Her guilt was through the roof.
"Eh~ fine, fine. Tell me when you're ready. I'm curious, but I'll wait for you," Elias said softly, patting her pink hair.
"Eli... you're too good to me..." Elysia whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Hmph~ well, I've got some secrets I haven't told you either, Ely. So now we're even," Elias said slyly.
"What?!"
Elysia's eyes widened in shock, utterly caught off guard. She had thought she already knew everything about Elias.
The idea that he still had a secret from her left the pink elf completely flustered and endlessly curious.
"I really, really wanna know, Eli! Can't you just tell—"
"Nope. Not saying a word."
Elias crossed his arms in an X, shaking his head in mock seriousness.
"Wha~ no way! I can't accept this! Where did the Eli who always spoiled me and granted my every wish go?!"
Elysia blinked her big eyes and pouted adorably.
Elias quickly shut his eyes to block the attack, though, as usual, he couldn't bring himself to truly deny her.
"Alright, alright. How about this: once you tell me your secret, I'll tell you mine. That makes things fair, right?"
"Uh... o-okay..." Elysia hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded in agreement.
Just then—
The door leading to the rooftop suddenly opened.
A Fire Moth patrol soldier holding a flashlight burst into the private little world of the white-haired boy and the pink elf.
"Hmm? Who's up here? Get downstairs and join the—wait, wait—what—Lord Elias?! Lady Elysia?!"
The soldier froze mid-sentence. Upon realizing who he had stumbled upon, his face lit up with shock and excitement. Unfortunately, his voice was way too loud.
So loud, in fact, that the crowd below immediately heard it.
In an instant, countless eyes turned upward toward Elias and Elysia. They became the focus of the entire world—though, to be fair, that wasn't new for them.
"Uh oh. Ely, time to disappear!"
"Oh oh! Hold me tight, Eli! Ahaha~ being too popular sure has its downsides~ Should we at least wave to everyone first?"
"...Fine."
Elias hesitated for a few seconds, then gave a small wave.
"WOOOOOOO—!!" ×N
A deafening roar of cheers shook the air, echoing all the way up to the sky. Even those adrift in the Sea of Quanta could probably hear it.
The moment the people saw the two Flame-Chasers—[Deliverance] and [Ego]—their saviors, they erupted into an ecstatic frenzy. Elias and Elysia could hear the unified shouts of two names:
"Eli Gate!!!" ×N
"Ely Gate!!!" ×N
Both of them froze for a moment—then burst into laughter.
"Ely, looks like the whole world's our fan~"
"Mm! Everyone's so passionate~"
In the end, though, they had to make a quick escape from the bubble world. If they stayed any longer, they'd surely be drowned in the flood of adoration.
Still, Elias's childlike form hadn't gone unnoticed. By the next day, rumors that the two already had a child together spread across the entire bubble world.
...
Back in the real world—
Night had already fallen.
Elias and Elysia returned to the Elysium Everlasting. Though the Golden Courtyard above was quite comfortable, that realm—their Elysium—was the place that truly felt like home.
"Looks like everyone's still celebrating back at the base," Elias noted.
"Forget them for now, Eli—come look at this! Haha~ I can't believe this actually happened!" Elysia said excitedly, pointing in a direction ahead.
"What? Let me see!"
Sensing something interesting, Elias instinctively leaned forward. The next moment, he froze.
In the fountain plaza of the Elysium Everlasting, fifteen adorable, pink-haired figures were locked in a chaotic struggle over one small white-haired figure—who looked utterly defeated.
They were the residents of the Elysium Everlasting: the ELF units modeled after Elysia—Elf Elysias—and the one they were fighting over... was the ELF modeled after Elias—Hero Elias.
Elf Elysia No.1: "I'm getting mad now! I was here first—Elias belongs to me!"
Elf Elysia No.2: "If you're talking about creation order, we were all made at the same time!"
Elf Elysia No.3: "I'm going on a date with Elias! Don't try to stop me!"
Elf Elysia No.4: "You've been clinging to Elias all day! Overly clingy girls will get disliked, you know!"
Elf Elysia No.5: "Nonsense! Elias would never hate us—cute girls like us? That could only happen if the world ended!"
...
Hero Elias: "Everyone... calm down... can we maybe schedule things out fairly? Uh—oh look, I'm detecting Honkai Beast activity over there! Great, I'm saved—wait, no, I mean, duty calls! Oh? It's even a Judgment-level Honkai Beast—perfect! I can fight it for at least a whole day!"
In short—it was a Shura Field!
And not just any Shura Field—a fifteen-to-one ultra-sized Shura Field!!
Fifteen Elf Elysia-type ELF units were all fighting for the company of a single Hero Elias ELF.
In terms of combat ability, Hero Elias was powerful enough to take on even triple-core Herrschers—but right now, he was being completely overwhelmed by a group of non-combat, support-type... or rather, adorably clingy Elf Elysias. His soulium brain was practically overheating.
At that exact moment, Hero Elias detected the data signature of a Judgment-level Honkai Beast appearing within the Elysium Everlasting.
Instantly, he lit up like a man seeing salvation. Grabbing his mini-version of the Judgment of Shamash—Might of An-Utu—he rushed off to battle.
In Hero Elias's mind, fighting a dozen Judgment-level Honkai Beasts at once would probably be easier than dealing with fifteen overaffectionate Elf Elysias...
However—
"Ely, you know what to do."
"Yup~ Here comes my arrow—Oath of Wind and Moon!"
The mischief-loving couple, who had been secretly watching the chaos unfold, decided to stir the pot even more.
Elysia immediately drew her Whisper of the Past and fired a single glowing arrow toward the data-born Judgment-level Honkai Beast.
Though it was only one shot, the beast—being merely a data entity—couldn't withstand it. Because Elias and Elysia were the absolute administrators of the Elysium Everlasting, they could freely rewrite or interfere with anything within it.
After all, this paradise was built entirely from their shared memories, giving them total control over its contents.
The newly manifested Judgment-level Honkai Beast happened to be a certain infinitely regenerating serpent—no, Shesha. Yet under Elysia's arrow, infused with the will to delete—
Shesha: x_x!
The creature that could've kept Hero Elias busy for hours simply vanished on the spot.
Hero Elias: "Where's Shesha?! My beautiful, giant Honkai Beast Shesha—where did she go?!"
Elf Elysia No.1: "Oh my~ I don't know what happened, but it seems the Honkai Beast's been dealt with. Since that's over, how about we continue our date?"
Elf Elysia No.7: "No way! Elias should rest with me!"
Elf Elysia No.10: "While no one's watching... maybe I'll just quietly carry Elias away..."
Elf Elysias (in unison): "Over our dead bodies!!" ×14
Hero Elias: "Once upon a time, a Judgment-level Honkai Beast appeared before me—my one hope to escape this Shura Field—but I didn't treasure her. If the heavens would only grant me one more chance..."
Meanwhile, the two culprits watching from the shadows were nearly dying of laughter.
Elysia and Elias clutched their mouths, trying not to make a sound and ruin the spectacle.
"Pfft! I can't believe it turned out like this."
"Haha! Yeah, this is priceless!"
Back when they wanted to add more liveliness to the Elysium Everlasting, Elias had suggested that Elysia release all fifteen Elf Elysias she'd accidentally ordered in bulk.
Letting those adorable elves coexist with the dependable Hero Elias ELF made the paradise feel more vibrant.
But now, it had led to this chaotic, hilarious scene.
Since the Elf Elysias and Hero Elias were modeled after Elysia and Elias respectively, their relationship settings naturally paired them together... except—
Now there were fifteen elves... and only one hero.
Fifteen Brides, equally divided!
Because the Hero Elias ELF fully inherited the real Elias's "habit" of spoiling Elysia, he couldn't bring himself to refuse any request from the Elf Elysias.
If there had been five or fewer of them, he could have managed. But...
There were fifteen.
Hero Elias: "Question—how am I supposed to hunt Honkai Beasts and accompany three Elf Elysias on dates in different locations, have dinner with two, rest and sleep with another pair, and help four of them with mechanical maintenance—all at the same time? I don't have a clone function!"
Thus, it could be concluded that in the Elysium Everlasting, the busiest one would no longer be the tireless Klein... but the overworked Hero Elias.
As a side note, among the fifteen Elf Elysias, the one most dissatisfied was the version in charge of the archives—Elf Elysia No.1.
Elf Elysia No.1: "Waaah! Just what have you done, you heartless hero?! I was here first! Elias was supposed to belong only to me! This is the worst! I don't want to share him with all the other mes!"
Elysia: "Ah~ finally, someone who understands how I feel. I didn't want to share Eli either, but before I knew it, Mei, Mobius, Sakura, Aponia, Vill-V, even Mei again—they all just kept showing up one after another."
Elias: "So that's why you made your own ELF copies of yourself go through the same thing?"
Elysia: "Ehehe~"
Elias: "...Six."
The two of them continued watching from their hiding spot for over two hours, finishing several tubs of popcorn.
Only after the poor Hero Elias had promised to go on a date with each and every one of the Elf Elysias did the Shura Field finally come to a temporary close.
Of course, this was far from the end.
Given that the ELF units could operate for at least a thousand years on a single full charge—and with proper maintenance, their operational lifespan could easily exceed fifty thousand years—
It could only mean one thing: this chaotic love battlefield would last for over fifty millennia!
Elias: "Looks like our Elysium Everlasting will never run out of entertainment."
Elysia: "Yay~ I'm confident I can keep following this rom-com for fifty thousand years!"
Hero Elias: "...Damn it!"