"Silas, these past few days… have you been dwelling on what happened with Vincent?"
Elysia watched him silently go through his shooting drills.
Lately, Silas had been pushing his training regimen far beyond normal, while speaking to them less and less.
Silas set down his sniper rifle and turned to meet Elysia's worried gaze. He let out a quiet sigh.
"Maybe…"
"That wasn't your fault at all, Silas," Pardofelis said. "I mean, you didn't even know you had an accompanying Honkai Beast…"
"True… it shouldn't have been my fault," Silas replied, glancing at Pardofelis. "It shouldn't have been… and yet, it still happened because of me. Vincent's sacrifice wasn't meaningless—but it also shouldn't have happened in the first place."
"But the way you've been lately really isn't right," Sakura said. "Overtraining does you no good, Silas."
Silas fell silent again. Something had been gnawing at him these past few days, something he couldn't quite figure out. He kept turning the matter over in his mind, feeling like he should have been able to do better. But since his rebirth, this had been the greatest destruction he had caused—and it had been because of him.
He was starting to feel lost, almost withdrawn without realizing why. His only solution was to train more—fill his days with drills so he wouldn't have to think so much.
But he knew this couldn't go on forever… and now even Elysia and the others were worried, which meant something really was wrong with him.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Elysia suggested,
"Well, since we don't have much going on right now… why don't we go watch Eden's concert? I haven't seen her in ages~"
"Eden's performing soon?" Pardofelis tilted her head.
"Mm… let me check… Ah, here it is—it's in the city of Puglia, on the Italian Peninsula."
"Puglia?"
Silas's expression turned strange in that instant.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem, Silas?" Elysia asked.
After a pause, Silas spoke.
"That's Lilith's hometown…"
"…"
Elysia wondered if she had just set herself up for trouble.
"…"
Pardofelis froze.
Lilith's hometown?
Sakura's gaze grew thoughtful. If none of them could pull Silas out of this state, maybe Lilith could? But if Lilith hadn't been reborn, would it really be alright to just show up? …No. The moment she imagined Silas going to see Lilith, a dull ache rose in her chest.
Silas rubbed his temples.
"My state lately really isn't right. If it's Eden's music… maybe it could help. After all, music has a way of piercing straight into the heart."
"Then… you're not planning to go see Lilith?" Pardofelis asked cautiously.
"No. I'm not," Silas answered. "I just plan to watch Eden's performance. For now… there's no need to see Lilith."
Truthfully, he probably didn't dare. In his previous life, Lilith was the one he owed the most, and even now, he still didn't know how to face her.
So, just as he had avoided Elysia in his past life, he chose to avoid her now.
If he didn't see her, there'd be nothing to dwell on.
Besides… even assuming she didn't have memories of the previous life, her fiancé was still alive. What business would he have going to see her—other than causing trouble?
Since the topic had shifted away from his mental state, it became easier to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Speaking of which," Silas said, "has Kosma been avoiding Dystopia lately?"
"Actually, yeah… But Dystopia doesn't seem upset about it. She told me that's just how Kosma is," Pardofelis replied.
"Then how about we invite Kosma and Dystopia along too?" Elysia suggested. "Oh, and I remember Kevin and Su are Eden fans as well. Let's call them!"
"Then it's settled! I'll see if I can get Ato to help arrange us the perfect seats. And I need to dress up properly—you can't expect me to go see my dear Eden looking plain~" Elysia said as she left. "Mm, it's been so long since I last contacted her… I hope Eden won't be mad at me."
Silas gave a helpless smile.
That couldn't be helped—after all, to ensure no information about Fire Moth leaked, none of them were allowed to casually contact the outside world.
Just like this time, when they were preparing to attend Eden's concert, each of them had to submit a letter of commitment to the upper management of Fire Moth and wait for approval.
Although Silas always felt that the letter was just a formality.
As for Mobius and Vill-V, because they were considered dangerous individuals by the upper management, they weren't restricted from leaving merely due to security leaks — it was more out of concern for the safety of others.
So the two of them probably wouldn't be able to go this time anyway, not that anyone could be sure if they were even interested in the concert.
The approval from the upper management came quickly, and Ato also managed to get tickets for the event. The group immediately packed their luggage, boarded a plane, and set off for the city of Puglia.
Kevin had originally wanted to bring Mei along, but Mei insisted on pulling Mobius into a discussion about the Tachyon Dragon, so he had no choice but to give up.
As for Kalpas, no one expected him to appreciate music — even now, he was still out on missions hunting down and exterminating Honkai beasts.
For him, battle was simply his everyday life.
After arriving in Puglia, Elysia immediately went backstage before the performance to find Eden.
When Eden saw Elysia, she was a little surprised.
"Elysia? Why are you here?"
"Of course I came to hear my dear Eden sing~ It's been so long since I've seen you. You're not mad at me for not visiting, are you?" Elysia gave a playful smile. "Oh, and guess what? This time, I even brought Silas with me."
"Silas?" Eden blinked, then smiled. "So… you two have resolved your differences?"
"Mm…" Elysia's beautiful brows drooped. "Yes, that's true… but right now Silas's mind is completely occupied with fighting the Honkai."
"If it's him, that doesn't surprise me," Eden replied with a hint of helplessness in her smile. "Elysia, resolving the rift is naturally the first step to repairing your relationship. You don't have to rush."
Elysia pouted. "But Kevin keeps taking every opportunity to push Silas to go find Lilith."
"Kevin?" Eden narrowed her eyes slightly, then comforted her. "Don't be discouraged, Elysia. You should believe that the bond between you and Silas isn't as distant as you think. In fact… he might even understand you better than I do."
"You think so too, huh?" Elysia said with mild frustration. "When Silas and I had that long talk earlier, I really did realize that he seemed to know me very well… but I don't know him well enough."
"That's fine, Elysia," Eden said gently. "We have a long future ahead, don't we?"
Elysia nodded and broke into a smile again. She stepped forward to hug Eden.
"Mmm, that's my wonderful Eden~ I feel like I've regained my endless confidence again!"
Just then, a voice came from outside the door — the agent's voice:
"Miss Eden, Young Master Lancott and his fiancée, Lady Lilith Atagina, would like to meet you. Do you have time right now?"
Atagina?
Elysia froze. That surname… could it be Lilith? Wait — Young Master Lancott's fiancée? Thanks to Kevin, she was starting to feel genuine PTSD.
But if she had a fiancé, then it shouldn't be Lilith… After all, Lilith had never mentioned having any fiancé.
Eden also showed a trace of surprise — she knew more than Elysia did. In the previous life, she had already heard that Lilith Atagina possessed outstanding musical talent. This time, it should indeed be Lilith herself who had come. But… did she also have her past-life memories? And as for this fiancé — Eden had never heard of him.
"Let them in," Eden said.
The door opened, and a sunny blond-haired young man and a silver-haired young girl entered the lounge one after the other.
Elysia's pupils shrank slightly, but she quickly made her expression return to normal. No mistake — it really was Lilith.
The blond young man was the first to bow slightly and say,
"Adams Lancott. I am truly grateful, Miss Eden, that even while meeting with your friends today, you would still take the time to see me and my fiancée. Thank you very much."
Lilith's gaze lingered on Elysia for a moment before she smiled and said,
"Lilith Atagina. A pleasure to meet you. Miss Eden is indeed as elegant and graceful as she appears on the posters. I just didn't expect that Miss Eden's friend would also be so beautiful — I almost feel ashamed in comparison."
Eden replied with a smile, "You flatter me, Miss Lilith. Your beauty is as dazzling as the full moon. Please, have a seat, Miss Lilith, and you as well, Mr. Adams. May I ask what business brings you both here today?"
Adams and Lilith sat down one after the other. Though they shared the same sofa, Elysia quickly noticed Lilith deliberately keeping some distance between herself and Adams.
Could it be… Lilith actually doesn't like her fiancé? No wonder she never once mentioned this Adams after joining the Fire Moth.
"It's like this—" Lilith's voice was soft and gentle, which immediately caught Elysia and Eden off guard. "I composed a piece myself, but I feel there's something off about it. I was hoping Miss Eden could give me some advice."
This… gentle, almost fragile way of speaking—was this really the Lilith they knew?
Lilith took a stack of handwritten drafts from her bag and handed them to Eden, who accepted them and began reading carefully.
Meanwhile, Lilith turned to Elysia and asked in that same soft tone, "I never got the chance to ask your name before. Would you mind telling me?"
Elysia paused for a moment, mostly because the Lilith before her felt so disconnected from the one in her memories that she almost couldn't adapt. But she still smiled and said, "Hello, my name's Elysia. I'm glad to meet you. And hey, we're both beautiful girls—no need for formal speech between us~"
"Ah, so… does that mean I can be your friend?" Lilith's voice held a trace of delight. "Elysia… I think I've heard that name before. Isn't it the name of the 'Everlasting Paradise' in that story? It's so beautiful…"
Wow, this woman really knows how to talk! Elysia thought. She could see and feel that Lilith genuinely meant it.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Elysia replied warmly, "It is nice, right? I came up with it myself~ And of course, I love making friends with pretty girls."
"That really makes me happy." Lilith reached into her bag again and took out an ornate hairpin. "As a token of friendship, I'd like to give this to you."
Adams seemed surprised. "Lilith, isn't that your favorite hairpin?"
"It's fine, Adams," Lilith said with a smile. "After all, I really do like Miss Elysia."
Adams said no more.
Elysia was a little surprised, but to reciprocate Lilith's kindness, she reached into her own bag and used Honkai energy to create a crystalline flower. "Sorry, I didn't bring much I could give as a keepsake today. You won't mind this crystal flower, will you?"
Lilith's smile grew even brighter. "No, I love it. Thank you, Miss Elysia."
"We're friends now, so really—no need for formalities."
While the two girls chatted, Eden finished reading through the score and handed it back to Lilith. "Miss Lilith, what were you trying to express with this piece? The overall tone is low and heavy, yet not sorrowful. The entire composition feels full of solitude and struggle… If I must point out something, I'd say these few sections could have their pitch lowered just a bit more."
Adams was puzzled. Low and heavy? Solitude and struggle? Was Eden talking about the same piece he'd heard Lilith perform before?
Lilith accepted the score, studied it seriously for a moment, then stood and bowed. "Thank you very much for your guidance, Miss Eden. This was something I composed on a whim after reading a certain work."
She glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. "It's about time for you to take the stage, isn't it? We'll take our leave now."
Adams quickly stood as well, bowing to Eden. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with Lilith."
As the two left, Elysia and Eden exchanged a glance. How to put it… This Lilith was just so different from the one they remembered.
Elysia had been subtly watching Adams too. While she and Lilith were talking, he had first glanced around the décor of the dressing room, but then his eyes stayed on Lilith the whole time. It was obvious he loved her deeply.
And yet… he seemed completely unaware that Lilith felt nothing for him. From Elysia's perspective, while Lilith would occasionally glance at Adams and smile, there was no emotion in her eyes at all—like she was just playing a part.
"If it were Silas, would he know the inside story?" Elysia wondered. She still felt a twinge of jealousy when thinking about how close Lilith and Silas had been in the previous era, but that didn't mean she couldn't be friends with Lilith. After all, they were both beautiful girls—why wouldn't they be friends?
Putting aside Lilith's past actions, Elysia actually found her quite likable. Though the contrast from her memories was jarring, she could feel Lilith's sincerity when speaking to her.
Ah… I really want to ask her what's going on… Oh well, asking Silas would work just as well~
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