In the stream, the frame held on that empty church.
Kiana let Theresa take her by the hand, one step at a time, toward the exit.
She didn't look back. But everyone watching knew.
Her heart was still out there on that snowfield.
The screen slowly faded to black. Elysia blinked, and blinked again.
"Wait, what?!"
She lunged toward the screen, eyes wide as dinner plates, her whole face saying she refused to believe it.
"That's it? What happens next? How can it end here?!"
[Chat erupted: That's seriously all we get?!
I was right at the best part!
Someone find the writer!]
Elysia clutched her head and let out a wail. "You can't just stop there!"
She couldn't finish the sentence. She just stared at the darkened screen, looking thoroughly betrayed.
[Chat kept flooding:
Miss Fairy, breathe! We want to know what happens too!
This cliffhanger is going to give me a heart attack]
Elysia drew a long, steadying breath and pulled herself together. She turned to the camera and managed a smile, though it came out a little pained.
"Alright, that's all for today's stream."
There was still a faint note of grievance in her voice. "We'll pick it up tomorrow. We are absolutely finding out what happens next."
[Chat scrolled past: See you tomorrow, Miss Fairy!
Hope you dream about Kiana tonight!]
Elysia waved at the camera and cut the stream.
Back in the studio, Arthur sat at his desk, a freshly brewed cup of tea warming his hands.
The scent drifted lightly through the air.
He took a sip, a faint, easy smile playing at his lips.
His phone buzzed. A familiar name lit up the screen: Kiana.
He answered, and before he could say a word, a rapid-fire string of questions came through.
"Captain! What happens next! Does Kiana get to see Cecilia again? You didn't actually kill Cecilia off, did you?!"
Arthur listened to the rush of questions, and couldn't help laughing.
"Kiana," he said, unhurried, with a teasing lilt in his voice, "aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"
Silence on the other end.
"Huh?"
"You're spending time with your parents. How do you have time to worry about game storylines?"
Arthur took another calm sip of tea.
Kiana's voice took on a distinctly guilty quality. "I was just, you know, asking in passing."
"In passing?"
"Okay, fine! I couldn't help it!"
Her voice swung back toward indignation, though the confidence behind it was clearly shaky. "Whose fault is it for ending it there? Who could just let that go?!"
Arthur laughed.
"Don't worry, there's more coming. But right now, go be with your parents."
A beat of quiet on the other end.
Then Kiana's voice came through again, softer, a little different from usual.
"Yeah."
"Go on."
"Okay, I'm hanging up."
"Take care."
The call ended. Arthur looked at the dark screen, and the smile at his lips deepened.
Not far away, Stelle and March 7th were crowded together, sneaking glances his way every few seconds.
The moment they saw him put his phone down, they swooped in.
"Captain! Was that Kiana begging for updates too?"
"It was," he said with a nod.
"So did you tell her what happens?"
Arthur looked at the two of them and smiled without a word.
Stelle and March 7th exchanged a look, then sighed in unison.
"I knew it," March 7th said, drooping. "The captain was never going to say."
"Whatever, whatever." Stelle waved it off and tugged March 7th back toward their seats. "Let's find something else to do."
"Like what?"
"Check the DMs."
Stelle pulled up the backend. "Maybe some players left us messages."
March 7th nodded and opened hers too.
The moment the inbox loaded, they both froze.
"There's... that many?"
The screen showed an almost unbelievable number: 999+.
Stelle swallowed and tapped the first message.
"Where do I send a knife to the writer?"
Stelle: "..."
March 7th: "..."
She opened the second.
"Will Kiana be happy in the end? Will she? Please tell me she will."
The third. "I cried all night after today's update. You owe me."
The fourth.
"Is Cecilia coming back? Is the child in the diary Sirin? What is Otto actually trying to do? When does the next chapter drop?"
The fifth, the sixth, the seventh...
Every single message was full of something: anticipation, worry, heartache.
And a deep, genuine tenderness for Kiana.
Stelle and March 7th read through them without speaking for a long moment.
Then Stelle laughed, quietly.
"March."
"Mm?"
"Look at this." She gestured at the screen. "All these people, waiting to find out what happens next."
When Arthur pushed open the door to Room 501, the apartment was dark.
He didn't turn on the lights. He just crossed to the window and stood there, looking at the window of Room 502 across the way, equally dark.
Cyrene wasn't home tonight. Phainon's gathering, she'd probably gone early to help set up.
That was fine. He could use a little time alone.
Ding.
The familiar electronic chime rang through his mind.
Arthur didn't move, just kept his eyes on the window.
Detecting that host has completed core objective: successful development and initial launch of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Evaluating beginner mission completion...
Evaluation complete: exceeded all targets.
Distributing rewards...
A translucent blue panel materialized before him, scrolling through figures: downloads, active users, review scores, trending metrics, reach of fan-created content.
Every single number was something he wouldn't have dared imagine two months ago.
Congratulations, host. System Development Assistance Module (Basic) has been unlocked.
Upgrading core system functions...
Upgrade complete.
The text on the panel shifted.
Then, "Hey! Boss!"
A bright, impossibly chipper voice went off like a firecracker inside his head.
Arthur's hand went very still.
"Boss, boss! Look at me, look at me!"
The cold rows of text and numbers on the panel vanished.
In their place was... a cabbage?
"Ai-chan, reporting for duty!"
She threw up a peace sign. "Starting today, I'm your one and only personal assistant!"
Arthur: "..."
He stared at the little thing bouncing around on the panel, and said nothing for three full seconds.
"This is the reward?"
Something complicated moved through his voice.
"Of course it's a reward!" Ai-chan planted her hands on her hips, looking absolutely certain of herself. "I'm the most advanced system assistant personality ever! I can help you manage tasks, monitor data, analyze the market, and even keep you company when you're bored! My feature set is incredible!"
She paused, then blinked at him.
"And," she added, "I'm also very cute!"
With that, she cupped her own face in her hands and pulled an exaggeratedly adorable expression.
Arthur: "..."
He watched the little cabbage head bouncing around on the panel, and his mind drifted back through everything: the studio that had nearly gone under, the story of Honkai, and a dream he couldn't forget.
The Sea of Quanta. The Hyperion. Consciousness mapping. And those figures flickering at the edges of memory.
He thought of the version of himself in the dream, wearing a captain's uniform. He thought of words that had never quite left him: to save the world drowning in the sea, and to find out why I'm even out here fighting.
The studio had made it.
And now his system had turned into an adorable cabbage head that called him Boss.
"Boss?"
Ai-chan tilted her head, watching him. "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you not like Ai-chan?"
Her little face crumpled, and tears started pooling in her eyes.
"Wuu, Ai-chan is so pitiful. Rejected the moment she was born."
Arthur looked at her, and then he laughed, quietly. It was a light, easy thing, carrying a warmth even he hadn't noticed was there.
"No, I was just thinking..."
"Thinking what?"
"That this really is a reward."
Ai-chan's eyes lit up instantly.
"Really, really?! Boss likes Ai-chan?!"
"I do," Arthur said, nodding. "I like you."
Not quite what he'd pictured, admittedly. He'd half-expected something a little more dignified.
But watching that little cabbage head bounce around, listening to her chatter away, he found he didn't mind at all.
"Then, Boss!" Ai-chan waved her arms with great enthusiasm. "What do we do next? Keep making games? Break into new markets? Oh, oh! Ai-chan can help you monitor the competition! Scott's out of the picture, but the Interastral Peace Corporation might still have someone waiting in the wings."
"Hold on." Arthur cut her off. "Slow down."
Ai-chan blinked and obediently went quiet.
Arthur was silent for a moment.
"First, let's finish the rest of the storyline."
"And then, and then?"
"Then, the day after tomorrow, I'm going to see some old friends."
"Old friends?"
Ai-chan's eyes brightened. "Is it Phainon? And Mydei? And Cyrene? Ai-chan knows them! They're in the system files!"
Arthur paused.
"You already know about them?"
"Obviously!" Ai-chan puffed up proudly. "Ai-chan inherited all of the system's data! Including the host's memory fragments, though they're still a bit patchy."
"Boss?" Ai-chan asked, carefully.
Arthur turned his gaze back to the cabbage head.
"Ai-chan."
"Present!"
"From here on out, I'm counting on you."
Ai-chan went still for a moment.
Then her face broke into the biggest smile.
"Leave it all to Ai-chan!"
Arthur turned and walked toward his room.
He slowed as he passed the wall, and stopped to look at the photos pinned there.
Childhood friends posed together. A university graduation. Those familiar faces, looking quietly back at him.
He smiled, just barely.
"Goodnight," he said.
Then he walked into his bedroom and closed the door.