Elysia's memories.
"Be gentle, Mobius♪~"
Elysia lay comfortably on the operating table, smiling brightly as she addressed Mobius.
"I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to pain, you know~"
"..."
"In that case, I'd rather enjoy seeing you in agony."
Mobius shot back.
"Ah, Mobius, you mustn't take advantage of the situation to be naughty~"
Elysia blinked at Mobius, a hint of playful allure flickering in her eyes.
Of course, having known Elysia for so long, Mobius was utterly immune to such antics.
...
"But why does it have to be "Maheśvara"?"
"I want to see if the little sister will harm the big sister."
A dangerous glint flashed in Mobius's eyes.
"Oh~ So Mobius still doesn't want to fail, after all~"
"And also, is there a little bit of care for me in there, too♪~"
Hearing this, Mobius pursed her lips, not intending to respond.
The operation began.
...
Elysia's consciousness gradually sank.
And then snapped back to clarity in an instant.
She opened her eyes to see Mobius performing the surgery on her.
Suddenly, everything before her brightened, and her surroundings transformed in a flash.
Thick smoke billowed in an instant, revealing Kevin locked in fierce combat with the Seventh Herrscher before her eyes.
'Could that be...?'
The girl's heart began to understand.
As her steps continued forward.
Within the Sixth Herrscher, the pervasive black mist.
The Fifth Herrscher, the unmelting eternal ice, and the white-haired man walking alone within it...
Elysia sharply realized these were not her own memories.
The Fourth Herrscher, the howling gale...
The Third Herrscher, the thunder and lightning...
She was getting closer.
Elysia arrived again at the time of her reunion with Vya.
She saw the little girl slowly crawling out of the 'Maheśvara,' her gaze burning intensely as she looked at her.
An infinite wave of tenderness welled up in her heart.
Moving further forward.
The Second Herrscher, the first Herrscher Elysia had ever faced directly. She still didn't quite understand the look in that Herrscher's eyes when it regarded her.
The First Herrscher, endless artillery fire and chaos...
And what scene lay before even that?
Elysia knew she had always remembered it clearly.
She saw...
A boy playing baseball with his father in the yard.
A girl making a vow in prayer at a church, seeing a falling light in the night sky...
A girl sharing a record with her after a performance.
A magician inviting her to be an assistant.
A man tied to a pillar.
A big sister leaving home to live with her younger sister.
A couple talking about preparations for their daughter's future.
And many, many more. Countless people she had met.
...
Until she arrived at Elysia's origin.
Her very first memory.
Here, she had her happiest childhood.
Walking further forward, Elysia watched herself grow smaller and smaller, becoming an infant in swaddling clothes.
That first, loud and clear cry...
Elysia became light.
She soared into the sky.
She was a single strand within the symmetry breaking.
Before she fell, she heard it.
'May you become a child of man.'
'Go and interpret the beauty known as human nature.'
...
By now, Elysia already understood.
But her path was not yet finished. On the road towards becoming human, she walked further and further.
Without end.
Elysia opened her eyes.
As she opened them, the ceiling of the laboratory came back into view.
Elysia felt a subtle change in her body...
Pink hair, longer than before, cascaded down to the floor...
Faint pink light shimmered around her.
Mobius was looking at her with a complicated expression.
"Mobius♪"
"Why are you staring at me so intently~ I might get shy, you know~"
"..."
Mobius didn't speak, only smiled faintly.
It was a long while before she finally spoke.
"I should have realized it sooner."
Perhaps she hadn't wanted to consider that answer. Who knew?
"Elysia, oh Elysia, what am I going to do with you?"
Mobius studied her.
"Perhaps getting a little closer wouldn't be so bad either~"
Elysia's smile grew even brighter.
Her crystal-clear eyes moved, breathtakingly beautiful.
Elysia slowly walked closer to Mobius.
"What are you doi..."
Elysia gently flicked Mobius's forehead...
Before Mobius could fall, Elysia softly caught her in her arms.
"Just keeping a secret safe for a cute, beautiful girl for now~"
"Mobius~"
"Hehe♪~ I wouldn't take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state, you know~"
Elysia gently placed the unconscious Mobius in a chair, draping a white lab coat over her.
…
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