Himeko also said: "We definitely have to drink later."
Eden: "…"
Eden originally wanted to try explaining a bit to avoid any misunderstandings…
But the moment Kalpas opened his mouth, she understood that no amount of explanation from her would make a difference anymore.
After all… Kalpas was living proof, basically type-casting himself.
She could only turn her gaze back to the television.
At this moment, Elysia was closing her eyes: "Mmm… this doesn't feel right either… What about this way?"
Mei asked curiously: "What are you doing with your eyes closed?"
Elysia said: "Huh? Mei? Your radiance is just as dazzling as mine, brighter than this gem—how could I possibly not see you?"
Mei said: "You're closing your eyes, of course you can't see."
Elysia nodded and said: "Exactly, I still can't see anything. That's why I'm even more curious—how does he manage it?"
"He?"
Sensing Mei's confusion, Elysia immediately said excitedly: "Ah, you're interested too, right? Want to try it with me?"
Mei decisively said: "I'll pass!"
Elysia chased after her: "Aww, don't go! I was just kidding."
"…"
Mei was instantly speechless.
Elysia laughed: "Alright then. As an apology, let me introduce you to an expert in this field: [Bodhi] Su, the Flame-Chaser with the greatest wisdom among the thirteen."
"Hmm… at least everyone except himself thinks so."
"He's always kind to visitors. I think you'll get along with him very well."
"Ah, right—if you manage to figure out how he can see things with his eyes closed, be sure to come back and tell me!"
And so…
Mei entered the Elysian Realm once again.
Just as Elysia had said, she arrived in front of an ancient Bodhi tree.
Irreversible time flowed silently.
From the Bodhi tree, another leaf fluttered gently down.
"Welcome, visitor… Raiden Mei. I have already sensed your arrival."
Mei asked: "You know my name?"
Su said: "In this Elysian Realm, all things are born from cognition. From the moment you entered this world, you became part of that cognition as well."
"Nice to meet you. I am the Pioneer, the seventh Flame-Chaser. However, I would prefer you simply call me by my name—Su."
Mei said: "So you're the MANTIS crowned with the Signet of Bodhi."
Su said: "Titles are merely external. There's no need for them to influence your perception. We are both seekers of the Way. Since we share the same will, addressing each other by name is sufficient."
Mei said: "I thought using the Signet titles was some kind of rule—Elysia seemed quite insistent on it."
Su explained: "Elysia has her reasons for insisting. Titles held necessary significance at the founding of this group, and it was her foresight that secured our continued existence."
"But for you, we are merely shadows of the past, and the causality between us has long become lost history. There's no need to cling to cumbersome formalities. You have more important matters to pursue."
He opened his palm and sent a fresh leaf drifting into the distance.
"Visitor, if you wish to question that sealed past, follow this Bodhi leaf forward. It will guide you through countless paths of fate to the road the Awakened once walked."
Mei watched the leaf float in a certain direction as the path gradually extended.
This completely different approach made her curious, so she asked: "You're not going to give me a test?"
Su said: "Suffering is a trial; tranquility is also a trial. Your test has already begun and will continue forever. Perceive, listen, feel—every pause, every step you take, will temper your true self."
"One day, the answer you seek will manifest from within your heart. And I, together with this heaven and earth, will witness your path."
Mei wanted to ask more.
But she found that Su had already vanished.
She could only step onto the path ahead.
When she came back to her senses, she was already in the Elysian Realm's main hall.
Elysia was waiting nearby: "You met him, right?"
Mei nodded: "Just as his title suggests, he's someone truly transcendent."
Elysia pressed: "So he really recognized you? Even with his eyes closed the whole time?"
"…" Mei was speechless.
Elysia said: "Aww, I'm just curious. During your conversation, did he call you by your name?"
Mei said: "He called my name the first time, but afterward he addressed me as 'visitor.'"
"Oh… he did the same to you too?"
Elysia suddenly realized: "Oh… I get it. He keeps his eyes closed… so he actually doesn't know who he's talking to, right?"
"He's afraid of calling the wrong name and getting embarrassed, so he just calls everyone 'visitor'… Yeah, that must be it!"
"…Mmm… maybe not quite."
"I really want to know… How does Su do it… Could it be his ability as a MANTIS?"
This time, Elysia showed an agonized expression Mei had never seen before.
Seeing her like this, it was clear she wouldn't figure it out anytime soon.
And after entering the Elysian Realm so many times in a row, Mei's spirit was feeling a bit fatigued.
She decided to first chat with the Flame-Chasers in the hall and see if she could gather some information.
She asked every Flame-Chaser she encountered in turn. Although talking to some of them was extremely difficult, she managed to obtain at least some information.
Now she needed to piece together these fragmented pieces.
"The existence known as the Will of Honkai—what exactly is it? Seeking the answer to this question was my original purpose for coming here."
"But… after arriving, I realized that what Kevin wants to show me goes far beyond that."
"The Elysian Realm… carries memories of every kind. Though scattered and fragmented, they can still connect into a complete history."
"They are real scenes that once existed in the past—the legacy left by those who fought Honkai until the very end. If I can understand the meaning of this heritage, what I gain will be far more than just the answer to one question."
"But so far, all the memories I've seen remain on the surface of events. The paths leading deeper all stop at the same name—"
"—Mobius!"
"There's no doubt this is someone's careful arrangement. Guiding her across this wilderness toward the node she has designated."
"It seems I need to give her an answer—tell her that I'm ready to face the owner of that name."
"…"
"Elysia, it's time we talked again."
Mei walked straight to the break room, because Elysia had once said that if she had anything to discuss, she could come here directly.
In the spacious break room, Elysia was sitting there as usual.
"I sent everyone else away. Looking at your expression, you have something private you want to say to me, right?"
Mei nodded: "I want to talk to you about Mobius."
Elysia said: "Mm-hmm, I figured."
"How much do you know about her now?"
Mei said: "Mobius is also a MANTIS, designation CM-003. Along with Kevin, SAKURA, and you, the four of you formed the original MANTIS unit."
Elysia nodded and confirmed: "That's right! Let me guess who told you… Kevin? Hmm… unlikely, he rarely brings up things from that long ago."
"Then it was SAKURA? Possible. She's very gentle with visitors and always grants requests. Am I right?"
Mei looked straight at Elysia: "She only told me the designation. The rest—you told me yourself."
"Haha~" Elysia smiled sweetly: "I thought you didn't remember. Looks like you really paid attention to what I said. I'm so happy~"
Mei didn't take the bait and continued: "From all the signs, it seems she was in charge of some confidential research at Fire Moth. Including… the creation of MANTIS."
Elysia nodded and said: "Mm… you're close, but not entirely correct."
"'Creation of MANTIS'… that wording is a bit misleading, since the birth of this technology was the result of many people's combined efforts."
"But when it comes to its application, Mobius's enthusiasm was indeed much higher than her colleagues'. So a more accurate way to put it would be 'manufacturing MANTIS.'"
"Anyway, you're already very close to the truth, so I'll give you this one. Make sure to thank me properly~"
Mei continued: "Just some rumors, but it seems you and her don't get along."
Elysia said: "Don't get along? How could that be? Everyone here treats each other as important comrades."
"Mobius might be a bit unique, but I've known her since I joined Fire Moth. We've always been good friends."
Mei said: "Everyone… really? You said the Flame-Chasers weren't united."
Elysia said: "Aww, I phrased it poorly and made you misunderstand. On certain issues, we did have disagreements. But those were just different choices stemming from different standpoints."
"It was our shared ideal that brought these thirteen people together, and that has never changed."
Mei continued: "A MANTIS who survived the tragedy of restraint. Without a doubt, Mobius is also one of the thirteen Flame-Chasers."
"In that case, the Elysian Realm must have preserved her memories as well."
"That's the meaning of its existence here—to record all the stories and pass them on to future generations, whether they are history in the sunlight or secrets in the shadows."
"And Mobius… everyone warns me about her existence, yet avoids speaking directly about the person behind that name."
"Unlike the rest of you, she is an existence born from the shadows."
"She is the dark side of Fire Moth."
Elysia said: "Correct!"
"Aww, I didn't expect you to think this deeply on your own. Compared to the Herrscher of Thunder, maybe you're better suited to be the Herrscher of Reason."
Mei said: "I think I understand why you hid her."
"What happened on this land in the past may be far more complicated than I—or the people of this era—ever imagined."
"But precisely because of that, I must step into true history and confront those sealed pasts."
"Elysia, I need Mobius's memories."
Elysia said: "Mm… with you asking me like this, how could I possibly refuse?"
"Come on, get ready. Let's go."
Watching the two enter the Elysian Realm—
At Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company,
in the break room,
Mobius's face was dark as she stormed up to Hessian, glaring at him furiously: "You said I'm the dark side of Fire Moth? That I've always hidden in the shadows? That Elysia hates me? That all the actors are wary of me?"
She was already annoyed enough when Hessian made her wear a chest binder during rehearsals to make her chest look smaller on screen, and even dressed her up like a little girl!
She never expected that after sacrificing so much, she'd still be portrayed like this!
And it was lines spoken during a conversation between Mei and Elysia.
This made her absolutely furious!
She wanted to strangle and bite this bastard right now!!
Hessian coughed once: "This is just TV. Any similarities are purely coincidental."
Mobius could no longer hold back and directly grabbed Hessian by the neck: "Coincidental?! Where is this coincidental?! Is my chest really that small? Coincidental my ass!!"
"Cough cough cough…"
Hessian looked pleadingly at Eden and the others.
They all pretended to be watching TV and completely ignored him.
He could only turn to his wife Elysia for help.
Seeing that Mobius had already vented enough, Elysia said soothingly: "Alright~ Mobius, actually I think he put so much effort into your plot because he cares about you the most~"
Mobius pointed at him: "Cares? This is caring? Look at what he wrote me as! Is that who I am?"
Kalpas decisively chimed in: "Yeah, I felt exactly the same back then."
"Get lost!"
Mobius snapped at him.
Kalpas muttered: "I suddenly think Director He didn't get it wrong. Even I have to be wary of you now. You really are the dark side of the Flame-Chasers!"
Those words pissed Mobius off even more.
She felt like beating Kalpas too!
Hessian hurriedly coaxed: "My friend…"
"I'm not your friend!" Mobius glared at him irritably.
Hessian said: "No no, you're my best friend. Only with our friendship could I set you up as such a villain. It's for the plot, and it's for my needs—everything is for this show, for the company."
"…"
Mobius knew this guy was bullshitting her.
The others also knew Hessian was bullshitting.
But his reasoning wasn't exactly wrong…
If he had set any other actor up as such a villain, it would probably make them unhappy or have other thoughts.
But she was different.
Because only her authority was above Hessian's, and only she could get away with strangling him like this without him being able to do anything about it.
"Hmph!"
Mobius snorted coldly: "Don't think I'll forgive you just like that. If the audience doesn't like this chapter or it gets bad reviews, I'll bite you to death!"
Hessian said: "How about you just strangle me instead? I'm afraid if you bite, my wife will get upset."
Mobius glared at him: "I can't be bothered with you. Just watch the damn TV!"
Hessian didn't provoke her any further.
After all, he knew he was a bit in the wrong.
He turned back to the television.
On screen, Mei followed Elysia deeper into the Elysian Realm.
At the same time, she was collecting and using all the Signets Elysia had given her.
"Next up is the final test."
Elysia walked ahead of Mei, turned back to face her, and a pink bow appeared in her hand: "This should be the first time I've drawn a weapon in front of you. How is it? Doesn't the bow suit me?"
"Sometimes, I step onto the battlefield myself too. This is my favorite one—the color matches this uniform perfectly, and there are lots of elegant little details."
Mei looked at her and said: "So this is the test you mentioned, right?"
Elysia smiled: "Haha, don't be nervous. I don't mean to stop you. I just want to add a little more blessing to your upcoming journey."
"Courage, wisdom, beauty… you already have everything you need to face Mobius. But out of a sense of responsibility, I want to give you one more small gift."
"For example, some experience fighting against a Flame-Chaser."
Mei frowned slightly: "You mean Mobius is my enemy?"
"Mmm… how should I put it?" Elysia thought for a moment and said: "Enemy? Not really. Flame-Chasers and successors should never have that kind of relationship."
"But Mobius can't help but cross boundaries sometimes, and our Miss Mei is just so eye-catching."
"So, think of it as sharing some little tips for getting along with her—let's have a relaxed and pleasant conversation between girls, okay?"
Mei said: "It seems I don't have any other choice. Fine. For me, this is also an opportunity—to properly see what kind of person the second one who once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kevin really is."