Beyond the Elysian Realm, there is freedom. Mobius had always believed this.
The Flame-Chaser who bears the Signet of[Infinity]should not be confined to a single corner of existence.
Mobius wanted to journey endlessly down the path of life, a grand undertaking impossible to achieve within the Elysian Realm.
Her very instincts, her thirst for knowledge, urged her onward. She had to leave this place.
Even a snake without wings must soar toward a vaster sky.
The current Elysian Realm had undoubtedly become an obstacle for Mobius.
Aponia gazed at Mobius's determined eyes, and she already knew.
"Even[Infinity]can only yield to[Fate], is that it?"
Mobius's brow furrowed slightly before her lips curled into a bewitching and dangerous smile.
"Aponia, do you know why everyone hates you? Why they avoid you like the plague? That detached, all-knowing attitude of yours, as if you've seen through everything... it's truly repulsive."
Faced with Mobius's cold sarcasm, Aponia remained unmoved. She was always like this, devoid of sorrow or joy.
"This is the way of[Fate]. Even if one tries to obstruct it, it will always flow in a 'singular' direction, irreversible. Just like now, Mobius. Every word you speak, every thought you have, every action you take, is flowing toward its designated destiny."
Aponia paused for a moment. "Besides, it's not as if no one likes me. Little Feng... will always love me."
"Little Feng? Oh my, oh my~ What an intimate name. Other than that irritating fellow, I don't think I've ever heard you call someone in such a tone. And to think you'd actually bother to explain yourself over something like this. Little Feng~ Hehe, heehee, this is getting more and more interesting. Is this 'Little Feng' the being who helped you leave the Elysian Realm?"
Aponia nodded, then shook her head.
This act of both nodding and shaking her head would have surely left the Tuna completely bewildered: So which is it?!
However, Mobius was Mobius. She seemed to instantly grasp the crucial point.
"I see. Was your departure from the Elysian Realm some kind of coincidence? An event that is difficult to replicate?"
"Mobius can always precisely articulate the myriad phenomena of the world."
Mobius narrowed her eyes. "This could be a bit troublesome."
Mobius didn't think Aponia would lie.
Their relationship was indeed not a good one, but there was no need for deception in their exchanges.
But for science, an occasional anomaly was sometimes anything but a beautiful thing.
Aponia briefly explained the process of her entry.
"Prayer?"
When the mind and body are empty, one's consciousness will fall into that place.
Aponia couldn't freely control when she exited, but she could enter voluntarily.
The Tuna and Mei, however, could not. They hadn't yet mastered the technique. They had to wait until they were sound asleep.
"You say 'prayer'... but that's just the 'meditation' you psychic-type MANTISes often use, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
Mobius's beautiful, bewitching snake-like eyes flickered.
"Teach me."
"...I can."
"Oh? So readily?"
"There are but two outcomes to teaching you meditation. But regardless of whether you enter that world or not, you pose no threat to Little Feng."
"Hehe, to think I'd be so underestimated."
---o---
Time slipped by quietly.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Kiana and the others received their custom-made Valkyrie battlesuits. Their mission, scheduled for two days later, was to explore the Ruins of Jiuyou.
Finally able to get to the front lines, Kiana was naturally ecstatic.
What made her even happier were the numbers on her lower abdomen, which were still above 90.
This feeling of already foreseeing her "victory over Ye Feng" was more exciting to Kiana than even qualifying as a B-rank Valkyrie.
'Hmph, hmph, what should I make that giant bastard do when the time comes? A naked dogeza apology? Nah, that's boring. Make him lick this young lady's toes?'
Kiana was so lost in her joyous fantasy that she didn't even hear Theresa calling her name.
Beside her, Mei secretly tugged on Kiana's clothes, and only then did the Tuna snap back to reality.
"Huh? What?"
Theresa crossed her arms and said in a solemn tone, "This is your first combat mission. You must remember what you were taught during training. Never act alone. If you encounter anything unexpected, report the situation immediately..."
"I know, I know, Great-Aunt. If we run into danger, we just have to beat it all up."
Theresa leaped up and knocked Kiana soundly on the head. "My silly niece, you still haven't understood a thing!"
---o---
On the other side.
Ye Feng wasn't particularly invested in his bet with Kiana.
He just wanted to flirt a little, to tease the Tuna this week. That was where the real fun was.
Besides, it was impossible for him to lose.
[Time limit is one week.]
But Ye Feng could slow down time, or even stop it completely, and reset the numbers directly to zero.
—Ye Feng had said he wouldn't apply any status effects to Kiana, but he never said he wouldn't apply them to the "world."
As long as Ye Feng wished it, Kiana would never reach the reality of seven days.
Besides, even if he did lose, it didn't really matter. Making the Tuna happy for a bit wouldn't be so bad.
What he would ultimately do depended entirely on his mood at that moment.
And today, Ye Feng's mood was simply wonderful.
"Snakey actually came in."
He had heard from Aponia two days ago that Mobius was thinking of entering.
He wasn't sure if it was the meditation Aponia taught her that did the trick, or if she had just "accidentally" fallen in.
He'd have to test it out when he got the chance.
But for now...
...
Early morning.
Brilliant morning light streamed into the bedroom, illuminating the specks of dust dancing silently in the sunbeams by the window.
In the girlishly decorated room, upon a large pink bed, a young woman with long, dark green hair was curled up like a graceful snake.
Her delicate, jade-white feet had slipped out from under the hem of her long skirt, basking in the soft light filtering through the window, glowing with an alluring sheen. Everything seemed tranquil and beautiful.
Knock, knock, knock!
A light knocking sound came from the door.
"Mobius, time to wake up."
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and Mobius opened her eyes.
'Where is this...'
An unfamiliar ceiling.
A warm and lovely bedroom.
And, from beyond the door, a gentle call, like that of a father.
"Father..."
Mobius didn't know why that word suddenly came to mind.
Mobius's father had been a doctor in his early years. After being infected with the Honkai disease, his personality changed drastically, and he often beat and cursed her.
On Mobius's ninth birthday, after enduring another beating from her father, little Mobius left home. She swore that she would never let humanity become disgusting monsters like her father, and she set a goal to help humanity achieve evolution.
Therefore, in Mobius's memory, "Mother" was a distant concept, while "Father" was synonymous with "monster."