Darkness, darkness, and more darkness.
The newborn miracle was enveloped by a tide of heaviness, silent and soundless, as if gradually devouring the remnants of will, the remnants of perseverance...
But how resilient must a will capable of bearing the power of Finality be?
Could an experience of walking the mortal realm for fifty thousand years ever be erased?
All of this had long since seeped into every inch of his flesh and skin.
At this moment, the tenacity displayed by the latent will within his body was something even that mysterious existence found helpless.
Unable to guide across, unable to devour, unable to erase...
"a...k e n a z...h a g a ...i s a..."
After vaguely uttering a few syllables, the existence seemed to carry an extremely regretful emotion.
It could only cast him down along with that broken body, letting it drift in the "Sea."
An unknown amount of time passed...
Time held no meaning on the scale of the "Sea," but surprisingly, even though that body was broken to such an extent, it could still drift safely in the "Sea."
Whether it was the occasional "spray" bursting forth from the "Sea," or the ripples caused by "Leaves" falling into the "Sea," none could affect that broken body in the slightest.
After another unknown period, the "Sea" welcomed an unexpected visitor.
It was a blue sphere of light. Looking closely at its center, it seemed to be enveloping a human figure.
The sphere of light streaked through the "Sea" like a meteor, skillfully dodging the "Leaves" floating on the "Sea's" surface.
But compared to those "Leaves," that broken body was far too small.
After all, in terms of sheer size alone, how could a person compare to a dead world?
Thus, this "Sea" journey of the sphere of light, which should have had no surprises...
Had an accident!
A car crash!
Such a distant concept. But when the sphere of light truly collided with that broken body,
it realized that even in the Sea of Quanta, such terrible situations that should only exist in the human world could occur.
Thump!
A dull sound rang out.
The figure originally enveloped by the sphere of light suddenly suffered such a violent impact and was instantly thrown out.
Falling into a certain bubble within the "Sea."
In its place was that broken body.
A cuckoo occupying a magpie's nest!
The sphere of light panicked, but its pre-set trajectory could not be altered.
Forget retrieving its original host; now it couldn't even discard this broken body.
"My host! The host I spent three years picking! Wuwuwu~"
The sphere of light couldn't help but let out a mournful cry. But what's done is done; it could only carry this body towards its original destination.
...
On a cold snowy plain,
"...So that's my origin story, host. Could you at least say something to show you're listening?"
The system inquired of the man in a voice bordering on collapse.
It was truly going crazy. Not only had its originally chosen host flown away, but this icy man before it had also been sitting on a rock for an hour.
Without uttering a single word in response to it.
Keep in mind, it had expended great effort just to repair this guy's surface body.
God knows if this guy's body was made of gold? It completely drained the system dry.
And even that wasn't a full repair; at most, it was just some superficial patching up to make him look less miserable.
The man silently rose from the rock and spoke his first words upon arriving in this world.
"You, who are you?"
He slightly organized the information in his mind. After such a long period, his brain needed time to re-process that vast and complex memory.
"System! I've said it seven times! System!"
Feeling the voice in his head growing increasingly frantic and agitated, the man posed another question.
"Where is this place?"
"You impolite bastard, shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking others questions?"
By the Machine God! How did it end up with such a host?
The man fell silent. The true [Kevin] had naturally dissipated after entrusting the power of Finality, going to the resting place of his comrades.
Now, he was merely another miracle born from the long-accumulated beliefs within this broken body.
If not for a stroke of luck, he would likely have slept forever in the Sea of Quanta.
"Kevin, no..."
The man crossed his arms but quickly denied his own statement. Then, after pondering, he added another sentence.
"Kevin Kaslana."
He understood that perhaps he was born because of him, but he was not that [Kevin].
Whether it was Project EMBER or Project STIGMA, how humanity's future would develop had nothing more to do with him.
As one who had been defeated, who had yielded the divine throne and future to others...
Kevin was no longer just Kevin. The name Kaslana had regained its meaning once more.
Please allow him, this newborn being, to temporarily borrow his name.
No longer the "Savior" bearing humanity and Finality; in this land far from Honkai, he would become "human" once again...
"...Perhaps."
This newborn being, who hadn't felt confusion even after bearing fifty thousand years of immense memories, now abruptly experienced this emotion.
"...Hey hey hey! Are you even listening to me or not?!"
"Continue."
...
Through the explanation of the entity calling itself "System," he gained a preliminary understanding of this continent named Terra.
For example, their current location.
Ursus!
"...Here, is this a 'Leaf' on the 'Tree'? Or a 'Bubble' on the 'Sea's' surface?"
So-called worlds—Kevin had witnessed countless over fifty thousand years.
Regardless of which period a world was in, they were all simply categorized into these two types.
"Oh? Didn't expect you to know quite a bit. Well, someone who can drift in the 'Sea' for so long and finally bump into this system probably isn't an ordinary person either."
For the first time, System felt that bumping into this guy before it might not be purely bad luck after all.
"But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This place doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of either 'Tree' or 'Sea.'"
"I see."
No wonder he sensed no Honkai energy here. He could only convert a small amount through the "valve" opened within his body when he bore the power of Finality back then.
But even the internal energy within this place's Imaginary Space was extremely scarce. Probably because it was too far from both the Sea of Quanta and Imaginary Tree.
However, after simple repairs, some power had returned. Not much, but enough for now.
"By the way, Kevin, are you really going to wander around this snowy plain dressed like that? You'll definitely get arrested as a pervert!"
System's tone was strange.
To call Kevin's attire beggar's clothes would already be an exaggeration. They were just a few strips of cloth, barely covering his body.
It was hard to imagine that in this freezing ice and snow, there existed someone almost naked yet still alive and well.
He calmly glanced at his attire and surprisingly agreed with System's opinion for once.
Extending his hand, azure-blue light enveloped his body.
A Fire Moth combat uniform in black, white, and blue materialized out of thin air—shoulder armor, gloves...
"Holy Machine God expletive cool! How did you do that?"
Oh my god! It, as an omnipotent system, actually couldn't understand the principle behind those actions at first glance!
"A crude application of Herrscher of Reason authority."
Now fully clad in combat gear, Kevin completely shed his initial sense of confusion.
His physique was well-proportioned, as if maintaining a man's most perfect golden ratio.
Beneath his white short hair was a face once praised by former academy classmates as "princely." His sky-blue pupils held an air of authority within their calmness.
That authority ran far deeper than the gaze of someone long accustomed to high positions. It was something formed only after witnessing humanity's rise and fall and historical changes.
At least most humans did not possess a lifespan as long as his.
An ordinary rock beside him somehow gave off the feeling of a throne.
Collection:
[Seeker's Robes]
Effect: Defense +20%, Arts Resistance +10. Within 8 seconds after using a skill: +3 SP per second.
Description: Fire Moth combat uniform. A custom cold-proof and fire-resistant version exclusive to Kevin. Although the style is generic, the person wearing this clothing has endowed it with an entirely different meaning.
[Ice Rock Binding the Savior]
Effect: Enemy and Ally Movement Speed & Attack Speed -45%.
Description: "Kevin, why are you sitting in a place like this?"
"..."
"Hurry up and leave with us. You'll catch a cold like this."
"No... I can't leave here."
"Why?"
"..."
"?"
"I'm stuck..."
"Huh?"
"My back, elbows... In short, everything is stuck."