So sweet—
The bond between girls is truly a wonderful thing.
Although the conversation between Eden and Elysia wasn't long, the depth of their affection was boundless.
It didn't feel like a conversation between friends, but rather the daily life of a long-married couple.
Even though Eden has had limited screen time since her appearance, she has made the audience outside the light curtain feel a frantic urge to ship her with Elysia.
Just ask, who in this world besides Eden could make Elysia blush?
At this rate, Eden is about to become the Archbishop of the Church of Elysia across the multiverse.
---o---
Light Curtain Danmaku—
Eri Sawamura: "The beauty of the memory space... what an enviable friendship."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Now this is a true pairing of talent and beauty."
Otto Apocalypse: "Lost in a space of memories? Heh, that doesn't sound like something Elysia would do. What is she planning, or rather... what is she waiting for..."
Aizen Sosuke: "Sometimes, a brief period of silence can lead to the most unexpected results. I am already looking forward to seeing what kind of surprise this person named Aponia will bring me."
Uchiha Madara: "This is why... you intelligent types are so difficult to communicate with. But I think I understand now. The memory space Elysia created within the Holy Grail is connected to the so-called Herrscher of Finality, isn't it?"
Conan Edogawa: "I can't comprehend it... The existence of such a memory space is fundamentally unscientific. What are its principles? And what is Elysia's goal... Is it really that fun to speak in riddles?"
The audience outside was no longer treating the content of the light curtain as mere entertainment. They now saw it as a real event happening in another world at this very moment.
---o---
On the Light Curtain—
"Eden... Eden, my dear Eden, what kind of surprise did Aponia prepare? Can't you tell me?~"
On the way, Elysia's eyes sparkled with curiosity. As a girl with an insatiably inquisitive nature, she desperately wanted to know what Aponia had so mysteriously prepared.
"I'm sorry, Ely. This is a very important matter. In Aponia's words, I cannot tell you just yet."
Faced with Elysia's repeated calls, a slight smile appeared on Eden's lips, but remembering Aponia's instructions, she spoke apologetically to Elysia.
"Oh No need to apologize, Eden. No matter what the surprise is, I'll be very happy!"
Elysia took two steps forward and linked her arm with Eden's left, wearing an adorable smile.
"Hmm... let me try to guess what happened, okay?"
"Of course you can, Ely," Eden smiled. If it were a normal holiday gift, perhaps Elysia could indeed guess it. But this matter... was likely something Elysia would never imagine in her entire life.
Eden thought to herself, which in turn piqued the curiosity of the audience outside the light curtain. Aponia... seemed to be a very mysterious person.
"Hmm..." The young woman pressed a finger to her chin, a thoughtful look on her face. "Did Vill-V and Mobius invent some new strange gadget? They're always creating all sorts of interesting things."
"That's not it." Eden looked at the girl's pensive expression and shook her head dotingly.
"Oh, then... is Kalpas angry again? Or did something happen to Griseo?"
Thinking hard about what kind of gift or surprise Aponia could possibly prepare for her, Elysia couldn't come up with anything.
"That's not it either. Alright, Ely, you don't have to guess anymore. It's a good thing."
Eden gently brushed aside the messy strands of hair on Elysia's forehead. The smile in her eyes hadn't faded since the moment she saw her.
"In Aponia's words, this should be a gift presented to you by 'Fate'."
Seeing the slightly frustrated look on Elysia's face, Eden spoke slowly.
"Mmm... a girl has a very strong sense of curiosity, Eden. I'm sure I can guess it! We still have five minutes before we get to Aponia's place. I will definitely figure it out by then. A cute girl is capable of anything!"
With an unyielding spirit, Elysia said this as if to cheer herself on.
"Alright, alright, Ely. I will listen to every word you say until you guess the answer. Until... the very ends of the starry seas..."
Eden's expression was filled with adoration, her gaze toward Elysia holding an endless tenderness.
It was hard to imagine that such a person was the fourth of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, the most dazzling star of the Previous Era, Eden, the bearer of the Signet of [Gold]!
---o---
Light Curtain Danmaku—
Eri Sawamura: "I'm crying... I don't know why, but even though it's such a warm and gentle scene, I feel like crying."
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "It's the feeling... For some reason, there's always a trace of sadness about Eden. It's like a part of her aura, clinging to her ever since she first appeared."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Eden... really dotes on Elysia. The two of them... are like real sisters, incredibly close."
Kurumi Tokisaki: "What an enviable friendship It makes me recall some past events. However... what kind of surprise can beings constructed from memory prepare for Elysia? It truly makes one curious"
Su: "...If it's Aponia, it must be that..."
Pardofelis: "Hey, Su, why are you acting like a riddler like the others? What surprise did Sister Nia prepare? This broadcast is making me super curious too."
Otto Apocalypse: "Aponia... The strongest psychic-type Flame-Chaser by birth. That ability to see fate is truly incredible. If it weren't for the irrefutable information within the Void Archives, supplemented by other data, I would never have believed that someone could be born with such power in this world."
Einstein: "Wait... see fate, are you referring to?"
Honkai World— In Anti-Entropy's lab, Einstein shot up from her seat, startling Dr. Tesla next to her. Einstein's intellect was among the best in the Current Era, but she was always a step behind Otto in acquiring information, and she lacked his long years of experience, which was why she was often outmaneuvered by him.
That's right. Seeing fate, a psychic-type Flame-Chaser... that Aponia... had she broken through the other wall?
---o---
On the Light Curtain—
The camera panned from Elysia and Eden to another location.
It was a place resembling a church, quite spacious, with many people gathered.
Upon closer inspection, all of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, except for Elysia and Eden, were present.
Even Mobius and Kevin, who were in the laboratory earlier, had received the news and arrived here before Elysia and Eden.
Of course... the troublemaking Grail's consciousness had also been brought along, but it had no role to play right now.
In the center of the church, a woman in a nun's habit with blue eyes and long brown hair drew everyone's attention.
It wasn't just because she was standing in the very center, looking more like the leader than Kevin, the Number One. More importantly... her attire and appearance, though clearly very suggestive, did not stir a single disrespectful thought in the minds of the audience.
Logically speaking... Aponia's figure was indeed alluring. Her impressive assets were far superior to Elysia's, and coupled with her high-slit nun's habit, she would have countless lechers across the myriad worlds drooling.
Yet, despite this, when the camera turned to Aponia, no one could muster a single disrespectful thought. It was as if an unseen force was influencing them.
The feeling was incredibly strange. One's usually vigorous "little brother" was now as listless as if it had just gone through a breakup.
Could this be the ability of this Flame-Chaser? The power to prevent anyone from feeling desire towards her?
"...Aponia. What you just said, is it true?"
In the vast, empty church, Kalpas, the Flame-Chaser who despised Aponia the most, was surprisingly the first to speak. This showed just how shocking Aponia's 'surprise gift' was.
"Kalpas, if you wish to verify it, you can trigger an Artificial Collapse right here. That way... I imagine you will be able to test the boundaries of this world."
Aponia spoke calmly. Her voice seemed to possess a special magnetism, making all who heard it subconsciously want to obey her words. The weaker one's will, the greater the influence.
"Aponia is right. I can feel it. We... are indeed confined within some kind of specific space."
Kevin stood his ground, quietly sensing the changes in the space. With his strength... he didn't need to trigger an Artificial Collapse to perceive the world's borders.
"In other words, the 'us' that currently exists was created from Elysia's memories?"
Beside Kevin, a man with his eyes closed calmly stated something that utterly shocked the audience outside the light curtain, as well as the Grail's consciousness within the image.
'Created from Elysia's memories'... What did that mean? What did that mean?!
They... had realized they were memory constructs? How was that possible? This was too ridiculous! How could a memory itself realize that it is a memory?
And... why were they so calm?! Weren't they shocked at all? Even if they were memory constructs, they should still have self-awareness! Was no one surprised by the fact that they were false memories?
The audience outside, and the Grail's consciousness, were on the verge of going insane. What kind of freakish people were these?
One must understand, this was a memory space created by Elysia based on her own memories. All the people and environments within were equivalent to anime characters created by a manga artist.
For them to realize they were memory constructs was like characters in a manga realizing they were created beings.
Even that might have been acceptable. But for these people to continue chatting as if nothing happened even after realizing they might be created beings—wasn't this mentality just completely off the charts?
Or... did these people simply trust Elysia that much, believing that even if she created them, she had a reason and a purpose for doing so?
---o---
"Tsk~ Although I had my suspicions, it's still incredible to have it confirmed. So, should we tear apart this false world and go see what the new world looks like?"
Mobius said with a wicked smile, her snake-like pupils glinting with a bone-chilling light.
As the Flame-Chaser of [Infinity], Mobius would forever walk her own infinite path, and the status of a memory construct was an obstacle to her.
However, with her abilities, given the right conditions, she could escape this memory space and become a true living being.
"Mobius... to speak your thoughts aloud here, aren't you afraid we'll stop you?"
Beside Mobius, a plainly dressed, gray-haired young woman stared at her with sharp eyes, her fists already clenched, ready to strike at any moment.
"Oh, Hua, look at you. Even after learning you're a false existence, your personality is the same as ever~"
Mobius sneered dismissively. Although she couldn't beat Hua, given Hua's personality... they wouldn't fight. As long as Mobius hadn't yet taken action, Hua would absolutely not make a move against her.
Instead, the ones she needed to be wary of... were Kevin and Kalpas nearby. As for them... Mobius could neither defeat them nor reason with them... or more accurately, they wouldn't pay any mind to her words.
"That's enough, Mobius. I believe you won't do that. I... do not wish to ask you to do anything."
Aponia said slowly, putting heavy emphasis on the word "ask." After all... given Mobius's pursuit of infinity, if it came into conflict with Elysia, it wouldn't be surprising whichever she chose.
"If we want to know what exactly is happening outside, it seems we can only learn it from it," Aponia said in a slow tone.
Then, she slowly walked over to the Grail's consciousness, which had been under the watch of Kevin and his Judgment of Shamash. She spoke in her gentle yet stern voice:
"Being from the outside world, please tell me everything you know..."
---o---
Author's note:
ps: Writing about Hua suddenly reminded me that during the novel's preparation phase, a reader suggested having Fu Hua transmigrate into a Xianxia or Wuxia world.