"Is... Is this okay, Eden? Makeup... Is it really this simple?"
Elysia leaned forward, her face close to the ornate vanity mirror until her breath fogged the surface in concentric circles.
She tilted her head left and right, feeling... that the two hours Eden had spent on her makeup looked exactly like she wasn't wearing any... No, not exactly the same, but indistinguishable.
"It doesn't feel like the makeup you usually wear for performances, Eden. Isn't it a bit too light? Will it look bad?"
Eden and Aponia stood behind Elysia, one on each side, gently tending to her long pink hair with wooden combs. Hearing Elysia's words, Eden couldn't help but give a wry smile.
"My usual makeup is for stage performances. The stage lights are incredibly bright, hot enough to make you feel flushed all over. If I don't make the makeup heavier, I'd look too dark under them."
"Ah? Really? But I look exactly the same as usual right now? Will it look bad?"
Eden's movements paused. Elysia rarely repeated herself. This was the first time Eden had seen the girl so nervous.
"To be honest, Eden, this is my first time ever wearing makeup."
"Elysia, you already told me that earlier."
"Ah, ah... Did I? Have I said that already?"
Aponia, smiling gently, placed her hands on Elysia's shoulders, guiding her back onto the chair.
"Have some confidence, Elysia. I thought of several makeup looks for you, but in the end, your natural beauty is already stunning enough. Makeup... felt a bit like gilding the lily, really."
Eden's tone held a hint of envy. She had been discovered as a star at a young age, and her managers, flattering her, always praised her natural beauty, saying she looked better without makeup than others did with it. Thankfully, those people had never met Elysia...
After all, it was only just now that Eden truly understood the meaning of innate beauty.
"Waaaah... Makeup took two whole hours. I wonder if Michael will get impatient waiting?"
Elysia tilted her head, her hands restlessly twisting the hem of her snow-white gown.
"Then how about we take the makeup off?"
"Nev... Never mind. It's a rare chance to wear makeup, and on such an important day. Later, there might not be..."
Her words stopped abruptly. Elysia bit her lip in annoyance, then subtly glanced behind her via the mirror. Eden and Aponia didn't seem to have noticed her slip of the tongue, merely continuing to gently comb her hair, heads bowed.
"Oh right, Elysia, I haven't given you your wedding gift yet."
"Ah... Th... This... Doesn't this dress count?"
"That was rushed, after all."
Despite her words, Elysia couldn't detect any sign of being "rushed." From the choice of fabric to the handling of every thread, it was flawless. In the past, even with a private tailor, such work would likely take over a month. Yet Eden had finished it in just one day and night...
No.
Elysia glanced at Aponia—had Eden... really only started preparing the night before last?
"Elysia, look at this!"
Eden turned and took a hairpin from a box—
"Your previous hairpin didn't quite match this dress, so I made a new one for you."
As Eden spoke, she fastened the hairpin into Elysia's hair.
"Looks nice."
She chuckled softly.
"Speaking of which, I have a gift for you too, Elysia."
Aponia also turned, producing a triangular bow tie from somewhere.
"This is..."
"This is the legendary triangular knot. It has neither beginning nor end. Wear it, and you shall be eternal."
"Eternal... hm. Thank you! Aponia! I love it."
Elysia reached out to take the bow tie, but Aponia gently shook her head:
"Elysia, please allow me, one last time, to adjust your collar."
Elysia's hands clenched tightly. Using the mirror's reflection, she looked first at Aponia, then at Eden.
"You... both know?"
Right. Aponia could surely see the future clearly.
Knock knock knock—
Mei gently pushed the door open and walked over to Elysia's side.
"Hi! Mei! How is it, how is it! Isn't Elysia especially beautiful today!"
Mei pressed her lips together, forcing a slight smile:
"Elysia, I have a gift for you too."
"Oh my! You're too kind, didn't we say..."
Before she could finish her polite refusal, Mei leaned down and whispered something in Elysia's ear. A smile quickly spread across her face.
"Aren't you going to give her a name? And a surname? You and Michael... neither of you seem to have surnames, right?"
Elysia started to bite her lip, then remembered the lipstick she had just applied and quickly pursed her lips instead.
Actually, Michael did have a surname—Zaychik. His biological parents were the couple who later adopted Seele. Michael had told her that once.
However... Michael didn't seem fond of that surname. Perhaps it only brought back unpleasant memories?
Best to ask his opinion first!
"What did Michael say?"
"He said... leave things like this to you."
The smile on Elysia's face didn't fade. She asked in return:
"Mei, what name did you and Kevin choose for your child again?"
"Adam. Adam Kaslana."
"Then my child shall be called Eve. As for the surname... Kaslana... Schariac—Eve Schariac, how about that?"
Mei didn't react at first, but after a moment's thought, she grasped Elysia's implication and was instantly caught between laughter and tears:
"Elysia! You... Let them decide things about their descendants themselves. Why should we force our interference?"
"That's true, but Mei, besides Project Ember, didn't you also formulate Project Stigma?"
Mei hadn't expected Elysia to bring that up. Her expression remained neutral, but she didn't know how to respond.
She cast her gaze towards the ornate mirror, reflecting Elysia's face. Elysia smiled faintly, saying meaningfully:
"However, you are absolutely right—let them decide matters of their descendants themselves."
...
Outside, just beyond the door, Michael sat on the sofa, eyes closed in rest.
"You really have good patience."
Kevin sat beside him, his tone ambiguous—was it sarcasm or genuine praise?
"It only happens once in a lifetime. What's waiting a little longer?" Michael sighed leisurely.
Kevin tilted his head, waving a hand in front of Michael's closed eyes:
"This expression, this tone... Are you imitating Su?"
"Mhm."
"...Do you think that's a good idea?"
For a long while, Michael didn't speak again. Kevin couldn't fathom his thoughts, only feeling an inescapable weight pressing down on his shoulders, even affecting him sitting nearby, making it impossible to utter any lighthearted words.
After five minutes... or perhaps ten, when Kevin grew bored and lifted the cup from the coffee table to his lips, Michael suddenly opened his eyes. The heavy atmosphere surrounding him dissipated instantly.
He turned his head, his teasing gaze sweeping over Kevin's face:
"So, Kevin. Such a good opportunity, why not take care of your and Mei's business at the same time?"
"Mmph... Urgh... Cough cough cough!"
Kevin sprayed a mouthful of tea onto his trousers. Though annoyed, he remembered to lower his voice as he retorted:
"What era is this! Do men and women absolutely have to get married just because they're together?"
"You don't want to?"
"Of course, I want to..."
"Then why? I think you just don't dare."
"Aiyah, you don't understand!"
He suddenly slapped his knee, his expression turning solemn:
"It's a man's business! How can you talk about daring or not daring!"
"Then tell me, why?"
"It's not that I don't want to, nor that I don't dare."
Kevin let out a long sigh, hunching over, spreading his hands on his knees. His eyes stared blankly at the lines on his palms, as if seeking a solution to all problems there.
"I... cannot bear that responsibility. At least for me, I can't guarantee I'll live until after the Honkai is defeated."
"If that day comes, and I die before then, I hope Mei can face the future I couldn't reach with more ease. And if we have no future, then dying at the same time and place as the person I love is contentment enough. Why bother getting married?"
Unsurprisingly, Michael shook his head:
"Kevin, are you genuinely clueless or just pretending?"
"Hm?"
"Your so-called, 'If we don't marry, and you die, Mei can face the future more easily,' that's simply impossible."
Kevin stared at his own palms, utterly silent.
"That kind of thinking only makes you feel like you've considered Mei more. But in reality? Kevin, put yourself in her shoes. If Mei were the one who didn't make it to the future, would you integrate into the future more easily? No, you wouldn't. Your thinking is just escapism. You've only managed to move yourself."
"Perhaps."
Kevin shook his head.
He didn't retort angrily, nor did he sink into prolonged contemplation—clearly, he wasn't entirely unaware of what Michael was saying.
But he still chose this path, not because he wanted to, but because his personality dictated it; he couldn't make any other decision.
"Michael, in literature, they speak of tragedies of fate and tragedies of character. But are fate and character really two different things? No, a person's fate is their character."
"Perhaps."
Michael nodded noncommittally.
How exactly did It weave fate? Michael didn't know.
Perhaps It set every node in every life, ensuring each destiny fit together seamlessly. People would meet where the threads of fate intersected and part ways after the threads diverged.
But maybe not. Maybe the so-called weaving of fate was simply setting each person's character?
Driven by character, when faced with choices, he, they, would inevitably make certain decisions, and thus, that became fate.
Which one it was, even Aponia, who could glimpse the threads of fate, couldn't say for sure.
But there was no need to figure it out anymore.
Michael tilted his head slightly. Hua wielded a calligraphy brush, writing couplets full of blessings. Su held small surgical scissors, cutting out lifelike paper silhouettes. As soon as he finished one, Pardofelis, pulling along a still somewhat bewildered Rin, snatched it and plastered them all over the room.
In a nearby corner, Dystopia had Kosma pinned against the wall. Sandwiched between his parents, Griseo held a sketchpad and pencil, rapidly capturing Kosma's predicament.
The explosive sounds of stir-frying erupted from the kitchen, pots and pans clashing violently—not that such rough noises were necessary, but the chef was Kalpas, after all.
Turning his head the other way, Sakura stood with her back to everyone, leaning silently against the balcony railing, gazing up at the false starry sky. Vill-V stood beside her, holding the Third Divine Key, seemingly showing off her design.
And Mobius sat at the other end of the sofa, motionless, like a snake shedding its skin—for some reason, she was alone; Klein was nowhere to be seen.
Ah, right. Michael had just sprung her from confinement.
"Kevin, you know that not long ago, yesterday to be precise... I had an argument with Mei."
"Mhm."
In the past, regardless of the specific reason, Kevin would have undoubtedly sought Michael out for a serious discussion.
But now, he lacked the mood. Mei hadn't revealed the specifics of Michael's plan, but he could guess.
Holding such a wedding at this critical juncture, Kevin felt none of the "festive" atmosphere at all.
Especially after hearing Michael's earlier advice to him, he didn't see this as a wedding; it felt more like a tragic farewell.
"Michael, what exactly are you planning to do?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Mhm."
Michael took a deep breath. Mimicking Kevin, he stared at his own palm. After a moment, he spoke slowly:
"Actually, I'm not sure myself exactly what can be achieved. If everything develops as I speculate, perhaps the Honkai will simply disappear? But, if everything I'm thinking is wrong, just my wishful thinking, then perhaps nothing will happen at all."
Michael paused after saying this—he instinctively felt these words were incredibly familiar, exceedingly familiar.
With just a little thought, he effortlessly found the source of this phrase...
Hm? Weren't these Elysia's own words before she dissipated?
Was it coincidence?
Or was it simply because the task at hand was similar, leading him to unconsciously voice them?
Michael himself couldn't be sure.
"Kevin, there's something you might need to prepare yourself for."
"?"
"If... If I truly fail to achieve anything. Then, given the current momentum of the Twelfth Herrscher, destroying humanity wouldn't be difficult. But attacking HQ won't be easy either. Especially after Mei lifted the restrictions, more than four-fifths of the personnel left HQ, and those remaining underwent strict screening."
"Even if I fail, I will find a way to weaken the Twelfth Herrscher. Coupled with Mei's wisdom, I believe you will eventually defeat it... But, facing Finality, forgive my bluntness, I don't believe your current selves have the possibility of overcoming Him."
"Of course, Mei thinks so too, which is why there's Project Ember, Project Stigma, Project Everlasting Sand, Project Ark. But essentially, they are all about leaving hope for the future to defeat the Honkai..."
"Project Stigma is now my responsibility," Kevin suddenly interjected.
"Mhm, I know."
"You don't seem surprised?"
"I expected it. After all, if this project were placed in Su's hands or mine, it would be equivalent to abandoning it."
"...So, if what you're doing fails, then you..."
"You will either see me alive after defeating the Honkai, or, after tonight, you will never see me again."
"So what you want to tell me is..."
"If, unfortunately, the second scenario occurs, then... the next era is entrusted to you."
"I..."
"Elysia, I entrust her to you all as well."
Kevin's lips trembled slightly, then he nodded heavily.
"Right, you've all synchronized your memory data, haven't you?"
"Mhm."
"If... if I ultimately fail, forget it... That's not important anymore."
This last sentence left Kevin utterly confused. He was about to ask for clarification when the room door suddenly opened. Eden and Aponia emerged, holding the hem of Elysia's dress on either side, with Mei following behind them.
"Elysia..."
Michael stood up immediately. The others also gathered around, chattering noisily.
Their eyes met. The words Michael had been composing for so long vanished, leaving him speechless.
And Elysia merely giggled, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly to hide the fact that her gaze had never left Michael.
The people around them were cheering loudly. Michael couldn't even remember clearly what happened next, what was said...
When he came back to his senses, Aponia had pressed a radiantly sparkling ring into his hand, and Eden, smiling gently, presented Elysia's left hand to him.
Things having reached this point, it would be inexcusable not to know what to do.
He gently lifted Elysia's hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
But then he became dizzy again, unsure of the next step. Aponia had to take his left hand and offer it to Elysia, who just as gently slipped a ring onto his ring finger.
Then, she smiled slightly:
"Hey! Michael, the promise from long ago, it's fulfilled!"
"Mhm."
The seed planted in both their hearts long ago, though it had sprouted and grown tender shoots, only today, twelve years later, finally bore fruit. It felt like time had been wasted.
But thankfully, it wasn't too late. They still had a chance to be together.
Yes, they were married, though it was an incredibly simple wedding.