Vostok 51.
This small town had little contact with the outside world. It was a peaceful, beautiful haven—like a tiny paradise isolated from the rest of civilization.
And within this quiet town lived two children beloved by everyone: an angelic boy and girl. Years ago, a gardener had found them in the forest and taken them in.
The pink-haired girl was named Elysia—carefree, lively, and mischievous like a tiny elf. Her smile bloomed like falling petals, bringing comfort and warmth to everyone who saw it.
The white-haired boy was named Elias—a name he had given himself. Mature and capable beyond his years, he was smarter and more dependable than anyone else in town. Yet he often seemed unmotivated, always yawning as if nothing in the world could hold his interest.
Elias and Elysia were inseparable. The townspeople would often remark that they had never once seen the two apart. Wherever they went, their hands were always intertwined.
And strangely... Elias only ever smiled for Elysia.
Day by day, time passed peacefully as the two spent their days together in the small, gentle town.
...
One day, under a great tree in the nearby forest—
"Zzzzz..."
"Elias really does love to sleep, doesn't he?"
Little Ely crouched before the sleeping boy, her sapphire eyes sparkling as she admired him like a work of art.
In a field of flowers, the white-haired boy lay in serene slumber. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, casting patterns across his body. The sight was beautiful—almost sacred. He looked like an angel who had fallen to earth.
Elysia stared blankly, entranced. She even tried to control her breathing, afraid that the faintest sound might disturb the perfect, tranquil scene before her.
But...
Thump... thump... thump...
Though her lips stayed silent, her heart refused to.
(Ugh... there it goes again. Maybe if I just sneak one little kiss, he won't notice? No, no! Mother Celia said girls must be reserved... but still...)
Ely's cheeks flushed red. Her heart pounded violently as she gazed at the sleeping boy before her. She wanted to lie beside him, to hug him, to steal a kiss.
She realized she might have fallen for Elias at first sight.
Back in the forest where they first met—when she opened her eyes, before she even saw the world, she had seen him. Elysia thought she must have fallen for him in that instant.
She never wanted to be apart from him. She wanted to cling to him forever, to hear him sing, to travel the entire world by his side. Countless wishes welled up in her heart without end.
Elysia didn't understand why she felt this way. It was as if she had loved him even before she was born—like her very being had already taken the shape of Elias.
"Mm... ngh..."
"!!"
As though awakened by the loud beat of her heart, the pure-white boy opened his eyes. In that instant, Elysia froze—her breath caught, and her eyes filled with little hearts.
Just a sleepy groan, just the sight of those golden eyes opening—yet it was enough to make her heart race wildly. The girl could only think one thing: I'm dying. He's too cute.
"Mm? Ely? How lucky... to wake up and see your adorable face first thing."
"G-Guh! Elias, you're awake!"
Elias smiled faintly, then lifted his arms and pulled the girl into his embrace, rubbing his cheek gently against hers.
That smile—so warm, so radiant, a sun that shone only for her—made Elysia's breath hitch once again.
She felt it was far too extravagant. How could she, of all people, be the only one allowed to see this smile?
This smile, shown to her and her alone, seemed to say, You are the only one in the world who matters to me. (Mobius: "That's just because we haven't appeared yet!")
With that, how could she possibly say what she came here to say?
"Ely, you wanted to tell me something?"
"Uh... give me a bit more time. I swore I'd say it when I came here, but now that I'm actually here, I can't seem to get the words out..."
"Come on, Ely—you can do it."
"Uuuh! It's all your fault, Elias! I... I actually want to leave the town and see the outside world, but I can't bear to part from you! Elias, how am I supposed to live without you?"
Little Ely threw herself into Elias's arms with a troubled face.
A few days ago, while walking through the forest near the town, they had encountered a strange white creature that kept shouting "Chi~ Chi~" (a Chariot-class Honkai Beast).
In that critical moment, Elysia had somehow awakened a mysterious power and defeated the monster.
But ever since that day, a group of strange people had arrived in town to investigate the incident. Through their questions, Elysia began to realize that she was... different.
She grew worried that if she stayed, she might bring trouble to the town—or to Elias.
And so, she began to think about leaving.
Elysia wanted to see the world beyond this little place—to discover who she truly was.
At the same time, she wished to be like the heroine in the fairy tale Elias had once read to her—the girl who traveled to the ends of the world to find her flawless, eternal paradise.
So today, Elysia had come to say goodbye.
To say farewell to the boy who filled her entire heart—the one she loved so deeply, so helplessly, so hopelessly.
But it was proving far harder than she had imagined.
"Ely, are you saying... you don't want me anymore?"
Elias looked at her with a sorrowful expression, like a small animal abandoned in the rain. The pitiful look made Elysia's heart twist with guilt.
The pink-haired elf panicked, feeling like she'd just committed the greatest sin in the world.
"No! Of course not! I could never! It's just... just—"
"You said you'd marry me when we grew up. Ely, are you planning to break your promise?"
"Of course not! I like you the most! Don't worry—I just want to go see the world for a while. I'll definitely come back!"
Elysia spoke with utmost sincerity.
"No matter what sights I see, or what stories I encounter out there, I'll always come back to this town—to the place where you are. I'll be with you forever, Elias!"
"Liar..."
Elias muttered softly. Then, with a teasing smirk, he reached out and pinched the pink elf's cheek.
"I know how this goes. I've seen enough dramas. When someone leaves their small hometown for the big city, they always end up looking down on their old village. By then, Ely, you'll probably forget all about me, won't you?"
"I-I-I would never do that! I, Elysia, will never in my life fall for anyone other than Elias! I'm absolutely confident about that! So... so please don't hate me, Elias!!"
Elysia was on the verge of tears.
But Elias only chuckled.
He realized that something within him had twisted slightly over time.
Ever since the ninth reincarnation—when he had locked Elysia in that dark room and done all sorts of things—Elias had discovered that he no longer loved only her smile.
He loved every side of her.
Her tears, her sorrow, her panic, her brokenness...
He loved all of it.
"Alright, alright. I'm just teasing. Of course I know you'd never love anyone else. So if you don't want to leave me behind... I'll just come with you."
"R-Really?!"
Elysia's face lit up with joy, but a second later, she grew anxious again.
"But... wouldn't that be bad? I can't just drag you along because I want to travel. I don't want to force you into something you don't want to do!"
"It's fine. I was planning to leave the town soon anyway. My bags are already packed."
Elias ruffled her hair and yawned lazily. He'd grown to love sleeping—it helped him pass the time.
"Eh?"
Elysia froze. Then, realizing she'd been tricked again, she puffed up her cheeks angrily. The expression on Elias's face was no longer sorrowful—it had already returned to his usual bored look.
The pink elf girl pouted, her cheeks puffed like a squirrel storing acorns.
"So, Elias, you were planning to go on a journey without telling me? Are you abandoning me now?"
"Yes, that's right. I don't want Elysia anymore," Elias replied with a teasing smile.
After the seventh reincarnation—the one where he turned himself into a deceiver even more cunning than Vill-V in an attempt to trick Elysia into handing over the power of Origin (and ultimately failed)—Elias had mastered the art of lying. Now, he could tell even Elysia a lie without hesitation.
Though, of course, this pink-haired elf could always see through him by instinct.
But still—
"Waaaah! Bad Elias! Don't say things like that! Even if I know it's not true, it still hurts! Ugh! My heart feels like it's cracking apart!"
Elysia's face twisted into despair, suffering what could only be described as a critical emotional hit.
It was always like this! She knew Elias liked her too, but he sometimes said these mean, mischievous things that sent her into a panic. And no matter how angry she got, he always managed to coax her back to smiles within seconds. He could handle her effortlessly—she never stood a chance.
"Come on, let's go tell Mama Celia goodbye today. Tomorrow, we'll say goodbye to everyone in town too. I'm really looking forward to our trip—where should we go first, I wonder?"
"Eh? 'This time'? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, nothing~ Not telling you, Ely."
"Elias, you're so mean! (But I still love you!)"
That evening, the two went to the orphanage to tell Mama Celia about their plan to leave town together and travel the outside world.
Unsurprisingly, they received permission immediately.
Celia smiled warmly. "If Elysia were traveling alone, I'd definitely be worried. She's so cute that bad people might try to kidnap her and sell her off. But with Elias around, I don't have to worry about her. The bad guys are the ones who should be afraid."
Elias grinned. "Of course. As long as I'm here, not even a god (Herrscher of Finality) could ever harm Ely!"
Elysia giggled. "Elias, that's way too exaggerated~" (≧▽≦*)o
...
System: (Uh, come to think of it, the Herrscher of Finality also retains the memories of all ten reincarnations... poor thing, she's already been defeated eleven times.)
Though Elias's main goal in all these reincarnations had always been to save his pink elf, he hadn't spent all that time doing only that. With each cycle, he had developed ever more efficient ways to fight Herrschers.
At this point, Elias could easily defeat any Herrscher prior to Finality—the so-called apostles of destruction were nothing but small fry before him. Only the Herrscher of Finality still offered a real challenge.
But even that had changed.
By the second reincarnation, he was still learning. By the third, he could win comfortably. By the fifth, he could do it flawlessly—without relying on the Moonlight Throne or the Taixuan Eminence.
Recalling the humiliating defeats of the Herrscher of Finality in the ninth and tenth reincarnations, the system couldn't help but shiver. Its master had become truly terrifying.
It felt a strange sense of awe—and fear.
No matter what happened, even if it meant sacrificing Elysia, the power of Origin had to be activated.
If the control of Honkai over Herrschers wasn't broken in the Previous Era, and if the humanity of Herrschers in the Current Era wasn't preserved...
Then, once Elias reached the Second Eruption of the Current Era—the point where he was destined to become the Five-Core Herrscher—his humanity would be erased by Honkai.
And when that happened, even if he didn't want to, he would become a Herrscher of the Honkai side—a destroyer of worlds.
During the Second Honkai Eruption of the Current Civilization—
Kevin was still imprisoned in the Sea of Quanta, and Otto Apocalypse, despite being a genius mastermind, was nothing before the Honkai-side Elias, who wielded five Herrscher powers to their fullest.
Humanity stood no chance.
...
With humanity, Elias was the greatest savior mankind had ever seen. But without it—when stripped of his soul and turned into Honkai's puppet—he was something even more terrifying than the Herrscher of Finality itself: a true Destroyer of Worlds.
Though it had not actually happened, the system's simulation of the future carried a 100% accuracy rate.
System: (Master, I truly hope you've found a way for everyone to be saved... After all, you wouldn't want this bad end cutscene to become reality, would you?)
Elias: "You're so annoying."
On the system's interface, a cutscene appeared.
It depicted a white-haired boy bearing five Herrscher Cores, standing amidst a world reduced to ruin—devastated by storms, flames, black mists, lightning, and falling meteors. His golden eyes were hollow, lifeless—like a puppet controlled by the gods themselves.
After struggling in vain against the Honkai's will to destroy civilization, he was forced to annihilate the world he loved. From those empty golden eyes, a single tear fell.
Elias: (System, nice artwork—but that's not even the style of Honkai Impact. That's Houkai Gakuen!)
Just from that cutscene alone, Elias decided—even if not for his pink elf, then for his little idiot, the chef, the duck, Wendy, and even Anna, not to mention the still-unseen little Shigure—he had to reach the perfect ending.
Hmm... it felt like he might be forgetting someone...
(Welt Yang: "...")
Anyway, if the Herrscher of Origin's power didn't activate, the Current Era really would be doomed. In the destiny Elias had already altered, the first Herrscher of the Void was no longer Sirin—but him. And that fate could no longer be changed.
If Elias ever lost his humanity and became the Five-Core Herrscher under Honkai's control, the end would be inevitable.
Even if Kevin hadn't been imprisoned in the Sea of Quanta, he could not have stopped Elias. After all, Kalpas was powerful—but against the Void's instantaneous spatial transfer, even he would be helpless. You can't fight someone who can vanish and reappear across the world at will.
...
The next day, under the blessing of sunlight and the farewells of every villager, Elias and Elysia began their journey.
While Elysia stood frozen in awe at the vast, dazzling world beyond the town, unsure where to go first, Elias had already marked their route across the world map.
"Hmm... this time, I can finally visit them all. Heh, looks like I'll be able to fulfill that promise after all."
He chuckled softly, glancing at the map.
For someone who retained memories across reincarnations, there was no point revisiting the same places. In each of the ten cycles, he had chosen new destinations every time.
And now, after ten reincarnations, the number of places left unvisited matched exactly what this journey would cover.
He and Elysia's promise—to travel the entire world together—was finally going to be fulfilled, in this roundabout, bittersweet way.
But...
"It's also time to meet everyone again."
Elias narrowed his golden eyes as he looked at the map. Though the routes differed each time, there were always eleven cities he had to visit—those where the Flame-Chasers resided.
"This time... should I visit Mobius first? Or Eden? Maybe Aponia..."
—
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