The seven embers of the past reveal their true forms, and thus, the sacrifice of the present grows near. Behold, for THEIR miracle is beginning to take its true form.
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???
The space within One For All was not the cold, empty void Kenji had first perceived. Now, it was a vast lounge, conjured from the shared memories of its residents, existing in an endless "sky" that shimmered with the light of a thousand distant nebulae.
And in that sky, there was the Screen.
It hung above them like a captured aurora, a massive, live, first-person feed of their new host's life. For months, it had been their window, a crystal-clear broadcast of Kenji Aoyama's world.
Now, it was almost unwatchable.
"Ugh, it's still blurry!"
A long, dramatic groan echoed in the quiet lounge. The voice came from a flickering, orange flame that lay upside down on a plush, velvet sofa, one she had conjured from memory and sheer willpower.
The flame's legs were hooked over the backrest. Pardofelis, even as a spiritual echo, couldn't be bothered to sit upright.
Above her, the screen flickered. The image of Kenji's dorm room was visible, but it was obscured by a thick, shimmering filter, like looking through a pane of rose-pink crystal. Kenji's own voice, as he was currently complaining to Kiana about something, was muffled and distorted by persistent, high-frequency static.
"This is the worst!" Pardo complained, flopping over onto her stomach and burying her face in a cushion. "We finally get a second chance, a front-row seat to a new world, and to our miracle! But the reception is terrible!"
She sat up, her orange flame flickering with annoyance. "We're not stuck, are we? I didn't sign up to be in another box! Especially not one with a blurry TV."
"Reception?"
A chaotic swirl of multi-colored light. Vill-V's flame zipped past Pardo's head, coming to an abrupt stop directly in front of the massive Screen. Her voice was a cascade of overlapping, excited tones.
"My dearest Pardo, this isn't reception! This is a barrier! He is calling to us, see?" She pointed, and on the screen, they could all see the faint, muffled pulse of Kenji's red energy trying to reach them, only to be diffused by the pink filter. "But this... filter... It's actively repelling the signal! How fascinating!"
"Fascinating?" Pardo scoffed, crossing her arms. "It's annoying."
"It's more than fascinating!" Vill-V was literally vibrating, her flame zipping back and forth as she analyzed the barrier. "It's a budding Herrscher Core! One that's instinctively defending its host from us! How does it work? What are its properties? I need more data! Oh, this is wonderful!"
Pardofelis's annoyance slowly evaporated, replaced by a slight alarm. "I still can't believe a Herrscher Core just popped up out of nowhere. We're being locked out by a freaking baby herrscher, amazing."
"Vill-V is correct."
Su's voice emanated from a deep, meditative blue flame nearby. He hadn't moved, his gaze was also stuck on the glowing screen.
"It is not exactly rejecting us. It is defending its host. The energy signature is that of a Herrscher, yet it's too stable. There is something else at play here, and I know you all can sense it too."
Pardo groaned and fell back onto the sofa, pulling a (conjured) cushion over her face. "I guess this isn't too bad. We never thought her plan would even work in the first place, even if not everyone is here, being able to talk with you all again is… nice." She let the cushion muffle her voice. "So, where's our lovely 'host' in all this? She's the only one who's been quiet this whole time. What is Elysia doing?"
/ — /
Elysia
Across the conjured space, near a window overlooking a swirling, starry nebula, the "flames" of the others were gathered. Elysia's vibrant pink light was dim, her form uncharacteristically somber as she watched the static-filled Screen. Beside her sat Eden, her golden aura pulsing with a gentle rhythm. Griseo's pale, multi-colored flame was nearby, quietly observing.
Another flame moved past the sky; it was a compact ember of blue-white light. It lacked the expressive energy of the others. It was focused and pulsed with a steady, dutiful rhythm. This was Fu Hua's echo.
Her ember flared. Without a sound, it zipped from its observation point directly to the massive Screen.
She stopped, hovering in front of the pink, crystalline filter that distorted their view of Kenji. Fu Hua's embers pulsed sharply, as if announcing itself. Then, it pressed firmly against the barrier.
The pink filter rippled, but held firm, repelling the blue-white light.
Fu Hua's ember recoiled, seemingly surprised at the aggressiveness. It tried again, surging forward with more force, pressing against the barrier with all its energy.
She was visibly repelled, thrown back by the Core's passive defense.
The ember zipped back, stopping directly in front of Elysia. She hovered there, motionless, pulsing with a steady, demanding light. She didn't have a voice, but her intention was clear. She was staring at her, demanding an explanation.
"Hua is right to be concerned, friend."
Eden's melodic voice finally broke the silence. She was the only one who seemed unsurprised by the ember's actions. Her golden flame turned to face Elysia.
"We've all felt it," Eden continued, her tone still gentle. "This barrier. This Core. It's been growing stronger ever since you healed him during the eruption in Nagazora."
Elysia's pink flame wavered, but she remained silent, her gaze fixed on the Screen.
"You've been so quiet lately," Eden pressed, her voice losing its gentle edge, showing a more concerned tone. "You've seemed so... stressed... ever since this Core appeared. Is this your doing? Or... is this part of the 'price' you've been so afraid of?"
The question, born of pure concern, seemed to break something in Elysia. The perfect host of the Vestiges let out a long, tired sigh, and her bright flame flickered with a visible, frustrated exhaustion.
"No, Eden... I'm not blocking his connection with us. I wish it were that simple."
She gestured wildly at the static-filled Screen. "This... thing... this Core... This wasn't part of the plan. This is a consequence I never... I never even dreamed..."
Her voice slightly cracked, the stress melting into a raw vulnerability that silenced the other vestiges. This was a side of her they rarely ever got to see.
"Do you have any idea how skeptical I was? When this miracle appeared before me, blessed by THEM? I thought it was just a beautiful hope, another way to preserve our will for future generations. I didn't even know if the rebirth part would work."
Her flame pulsed in a frustrated light. "I thought it would just take our power, our will... maybe an echo of our abilities. I never, ever thought that my essence as a Herrscher would imprint on him and create this!" She let out a shaky breath. "Especially not... not now that I know the price."
Eden's golden aura softened with understanding. She moved closer, her light merging gently with Elysia's. "I understand. I'm sorry, I should not have pressed."
Eden paused, her gaze shifting to the filtered screen. "But an accident or not, the problem remains. The price, as you call it. It is a choice he will have to make… Do you think he will reject it? When he learns what he must do to complete this miracle?"
Elysia was silent for a long time. She turned away from Eden, back to the Screen. They watched the muffled image of Kenji, who was now just peacefully studying at his desk in the St. Freya dorm. He looked so normal. So innocent of the weight resting on his soul.
"No, Eden," Elysia whispered, her voice heavy with a profound sadness. "That's not the problem."
She reached out to the static-filled image on the screen, as if she could feel him through the barrier.
"The problem isn't that he'll reject the sacrifice. The problem is that I know, without a single shred of doubt, that he will accept it. And he'll do it instantly... for all the wrong reasons."
Eden's golden flame stilled. The certainty in Elysia's voice made her realize something. A fact that she, along with the others, had completely overlooked.
"Oh, Elysia... All that time watching him. Ever since he was a child."
The other vestiges went utterly still. They were also beginning to reach the same realization.
"He was so small," she breathed, smiling faintly at the memory. "So lost... and so alone. Yet he grew kind in this world that wasn't his, connecting with others and spreading joy. I watched him turn from a seed into a beautiful flower."
Her flame pulsed weakly. "He's not just a host to me, Eden. He's not just a successor."
Eden's golden aura moved, pressing gently against Elysia's pink flame, embracing her. The other flames slowly drifted closer, their own lights offering a small, shared warmth.
"You should have told us," Eden murmured. "You don't have to carry this alone. Even from back then, we will always have your back."
Slowly, Elysia started to let out a small chuckle. It seemed like Eden's words did the trick. "T-thank you, everyone."
/ — /
The tense, claustrophobic lounge of the void dissolved. The conjured memory shifted, the walls melting away as the "sky" of the Screen receded, becoming a distant, static-filled moon.
In its place, a new memory took shape, conjured by Eden's steadying will. A vast, peaceful field of grass unfolded, bathed in the gentle light of a perpetual twilight. A large, simple round table sat in the center, a place for equals.
One by one, the "flames" of the Vestiges took their seats. Pardofelis, no longer annoyed but visibly confused, slumped into a chair. Vill-V's chaotic swirl zipped around the table twice before settling. Su's deep blue flame pulsed with a calm, meditative rhythm. Griseo's pale, multi-colored flame drifted to her seat, her 'light' quietly observing the 'colors' of the others. Fu Hua's blue-white ember took a spot slightly to the rear of the table.
Elysia and Eden sat last. Eden's golden light was a warm, reassuring presence beside Elysia's, whose own pink flame had steadied, though it still wavered with a quiet, lingering guilt.
"Alright, Elysia," Eden began, her melodic voice grounding the assembly. "We are here. We are listening. Please, don't bear this burden alone. Tell us everything."
Elysia let out a slow breath before a grateful smile touched her lips. "Thank you... all of you. I know I've been acting a little out of character for a while… Turns out not being a herrscher anymore does things to your personality." She looked at each of them. "This miracle, this new chance... It's not a perfect continuation."
She paused, letting the words sink in. "If our plan succeeds, if he... makes the choice... we will not be reborn as what we were. We will come back, but be far, far weaker. I will no longer be a Herrscher, and we will be... shadows of our former strength. I suspect a B-Rank Valkyrie's level of strength, at best."
The revelation stunned the group into a brief silence.
Pardofelis was the first to react. "Wait, B-Rank?" Her orange flame flickered wildly, all pretense of laziness gone. "How could we be so weak?" The idea seemed to horrify her more than the barrier had. "Elly, what's the point of a new life if I can't even... y'know, survive? Or swipe a few... I mean, protect myself?!"
"But—!" Elysia quickly added before Pardofelis could freak out more. "I am almost certain that it would be possible for each of us to train and get back to our former strength… Or close to it… Probably…"
Pardofelis did not seem amused. "…I guess it's not that bad. Compared to our other projects, OFA is another tool we could use to fight the honkai. Something a little more… hopeful."
"I agree with Pardo, the possible utility of OFA is nearly limitless. Even if we experience a power regression," Vill-V, on the other hand, was analysing what this could mean. "The consciousness of a MANTIS and a Herrscher, contained within a B-Rank form… There are too many unknown factors, I need to look further into the matter."
"To be reborn... but diminished." Su's calm voice cut through Vill-V's excitement. His blue flame pulsed thoughtfully. "A profound concept. But it does not solve the first, most immediate problem. How could a weakened echo of your essence create a Core that is powerful enough to block all of us? Even if we are weakened, a newborn Herrscher Core should not have this level of power."
"He's right," Vill-V responded. "It just doesn't add up. An imprint, even yours, Elysia, shouldn't have the power to manifest a Herrscher Core! Unless... unless, OFA was amplified."
"Well, you're not wrong about that part. OFA was amplified." Everyone waited for her to continue.
Elysia's voice was quiet, almost reverent. She looked up, not at the Screen, but past it, as if gazing into the infinite, imaginary void beyond their conjured world.
"As you already know, when I first connected with OFA, I saw its memories. Its origin," she explained, her voice taking on a far-off tone. "It was supposed to be destroyed in its original world. But it wasn't. It was flung into the Imaginary Sea, a 'Path' that had lost its end, drifting for... who knows how long."
Her flame brightened with a note of awe. "But its core purpose... the memories it held, the people it connected... the fate it defied... it was so strong that it caught THEIR gaze."
Pardofelis raised an eyebrow. "THEIR... gaze? I remember you talking about THEM briefly, but I still can't wrap my head around it."
"An Aeon."
"An Aeon?" Griseo's flame pulsed with curiosity. "What... what 'color' is an Aeon, Elly-neechan? Are they bright?"
Elysia's flame seemed to soften. "I can't say I remember, but it was very, very bright. I don't know which Aeon it is, nor do I know THEIR name. But they gazed upon this power, this power of connection, and they blessed it. Their gaze changed OFA. It amplified its very nature, giving it the ability to cross worlds... and strong enough to reach me, and to create this." She gestured at the distant, static-filled Screen.
Vill-V was the first to recover. "So the Core is dormant? And it's rejecting us?"
"Yes," Elysia confirmed, her gaze returning to the table, now firm with resolve. "It's him, but it's not awake. I think it's instinctively rejecting us because it sees us as a foreign power, a threat to its host. He's at war with himself about something, and he doesn't even know."
She looked at each of her friends, her "flame" burning with a bright, new hope.
"He has to learn to control it. To accept it. He must harmonize his two powers. Only then can he connect with us."
Eden's golden flame pulsed in understanding. "A difficult path for him to walk alone."
"Yeah, it will be," Elysia agreed, turning her gaze back to the screen. Her voice was soft, but laced with an unshakeable faith in her chosen.
"All we can do is wait... and hope he finds the way."