The studio lights came on right on schedule, and Elysia's figure appeared on screen.
"Good evening, everyone~♪"
She gave a little wave at the camera.
"We're continuing our gaming adventure today! If you missed yesterday's stream, you'll definitely want to stay tuned~♪"
The chat instantly flooded with messages: "Good evening, Elysia!" "Been waiting all day!" "Yesterday's stream had me crying!" "What's the storyline today?"
Elysia blinked and said with a playful air of mystery, "Today's storyline is... a little special?"
On screen, the story began.
At the elevator entrance of the Tower of Babel, Kiana was the first to arrive.
She stood at the control panel, glancing back the way she had come.
Cecilia hadn't shown up yet.
"Perfect timing! I'll get the elevator running first, so when Mom gets here, we can go straight up!"
She imagined the look on Cecilia's face when she found the elevator already ready. Maybe she'd say how impressive that was, maybe she'd ruffle Kiana's hair, maybe she'd say how glad she was to have Kiana around.
Kiana's face flushed slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved up on their own.
She had to make a good impression!
Taking a deep breath, she started pressing buttons on the control panel.
The chat began streaming past: "Kiana's trying to show off!" "I totally get wanting to impress your mom." "Wait, she's not going to mess this up, is she?"
On screen, Kiana's fingers darted across the panel, pressing button after button.
"This one, it's gotta be this one. No wait, maybe that one?"
After a flurry of button mashing, the control panel suddenly let out a sharp alarm.
"Huh?"
Kiana jumped.
A massive red warning box popped up on screen:
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[SECURITY LOCKDOWN INITIATED]
[UNLOCK CONDITION: COMPLETE "KALLEN'S FANTASY"]
Kiana stared in silence.
The chat exploded: "What the heck?!" "Kallen's Fantasy???" "What kind of unlock condition is that?!" "Kiana: what did I just do??"
Elysia couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Pfft, that twist! Who came up with this?!"
On screen, Kiana stood frozen.
She stared at the red warning box, then at the completely incomprehensible control interface.
She was rooted to the spot, as if struck by lightning.
"This is a game?"
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
She had come to do something good, to show her worth.
And now she had ruined everything.
Just then, the soft sound of footsteps came from behind her.
"Kiana?"
Cecilia's gentle voice rang out.
Kiana went rigid, like a kitten caught red-handed.
She turned around slowly, one agonizing inch at a time.
Cecilia had already walked up beside her, her gaze landing on the red warning box.
"Oh?" Her eyes lit up. "Is this..."
The chat buzzed with excitement: "Cecilia's here!" "Kiana is so done, hahaha!" "Wait, Cecilia's reaction seems... off?"
Cecilia stepped closer to the control panel, and as she looked at the game interface, her expression shifted from surprise to delight.
"Kallen's Fantasy!"
Her voice brimmed with undisguised excitement. "I can't believe it's here!"
Kiana stood there, stunned.
"You know this game, Lady Cecilia?"
"Of course I do!"
Cecilia turned to look at Kiana. "It's one of my all-time favorites!"
The chat went absolutely wild: "Cecilia plays video games?!" "Hahaha the contrast is adorable!"
On screen, Cecilia began enthusiastically explaining.
"It's a role-playing game where you control Kallen, the Herrscher of Light, along with her lover Otto and their pet Hom. You travel across the world on adventures together, defeat an evil eastern fox spirit, and ultimately help Kallen and Otto find their happy ending."
She paused, then added, "And it has an online ranked PvP mode, too. I actually came close to reaching the number one spot on the whole server back in the day!"
Kiana stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
Mom... played video games? And almost hit rank one on the entire server?
The chat was going haywire: "Almost hit rank one on the whole server! Cecilia is insane!" "Wait, this game is about Kallen and Otto? Isn't Kallen the one who..."
After finishing her introduction, Cecilia took another careful look at the warning box.
"Hmm."
She nodded slowly, lost in thought. "It looks like we need to clear this game to unlock the elevator."
She turned to look at Kiana, her smile warm and gentle.
"Kiana, do you know how to play?"
Kiana opened her mouth, unsure of how to answer.
Did she know how to play games?
She had gone up against Bronya so many times, even if she had never once won.
But that was a different matter entirely!
"This is really a thing?" Her voice was full of disbelief. "The elevator unlock condition is to beat a game?!"
Cecilia laughed softly and nodded.
"It would seem so."
The chat was losing it: "Peak advanced technology! Unlock condition: play a game!" "Cecilia: this is my specialty!" "Kiana: I accidentally did something wrong and it ended up being exactly what Mom wanted?" "This is truly a Steins;Gate choice moment."
On screen, Cecilia was already rolling up her sleeves, visibly itching to play.
"Come on, Kiana! Let's clear it together!"
Kiana looked at her. She looked at those eyes, bright and gleaming at the mention of a beloved game.
The knot of anxiety that had been twisting in her chest over what she had done quietly unraveled.
Mom looks so pretty.
She thought that, and slowly, a smile spread across her face.
"Okay!" She nodded with conviction. "Together!"
Elysia watched the screen and murmured, "This storyline is just too adorable."
The chat echoed the sentiment:
"Mother and daughter gaming together! This is so wholesome!" "Kiana finally gets to do something side by side with her mom." "It's just a game, but this is the most precious moment they've shared."
On screen, Cecilia and Kiana stood side by side at the control panel.
The game screen lit up, and the figure of Kallen, the Herrscher of Light, appeared before them.
"Here we go!" said Cecilia.
"Yeah!" Kiana nodded.
Their two silhouettes overlapped in the glow of the screen.
A gentle mother.
A happy daughter.
And a game about love and adventure.
This was their most precious time together.
The game screen advanced quickly under Cecilia's nimble hands. Kallen, the Herrscher of Light, seemed to come alive in her grasp: dodging, attacking, and chaining combos in one fluid motion. The little pet Hom would pop up now and then to do something cute, while Otto supported from the side, moving with the elegance of a true gentleman.
Kiana watched with her jaw on the floor.
Mom was way too good at this.
"Careful, there's a hidden stage here."
Cecilia spoke up suddenly, tapping the panel lightly with her finger. Sure enough, a hidden entrance appeared on screen.
Kiana blinked. "What?"
"There's a trick to it?"
"Mmhm, I found it when I was playing before."
Cecilia smiled, her tone perfectly matter-of-fact. "I've cleared this game many times. I remember all the hidden content."
Kiana stared at her, eyes full of admiration.
The chat streamed by in a frenzy: "Cecilia is incredible!"
Then, without looking away from the screen, Cecilia mentioned offhandedly, "By the way, this game was made by Archbishop Otto himself."
Kiana blinked. "Archbishop Otto? Theresa's grandfather?"
"Yes."
Cecilia gave a small nod, a faint smile at the corners of her mouth. "He liked tinkering with things like this when he was young. Kallen's Fantasy was something he put together bit by bit over the course of several years."
A complicated expression crossed Kiana's face.
"So the Kallen in the game, the Otto, and that so-called eastern fox spirit..."
"Are all based on his own experiences," Cecilia said with a smile. "Heavily romanticized, of course."