The golden spear pierced through Finality's heart swiftly and silently. Starting from that wound, more and more cracks spread across the torso and limbs of the giant stone statue that was Finality's avatar.
The gaps between the cracks widened until bluish-purple light spilled out from within. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, yet in what felt like the blink of an eye, the entire massive statue crumbled into grayish-white rubble.
The fragments fell into the sea of stars but didn't stand upon its surface like Michael could, nor did they splash like real stones hitting water, raising giant waves.
They vanished completely, leaving only silent, rippling circles on the star sea.
Conversely, the giant pink figure in the sky dissolved into countless petals drifting down. A small cluster of them fell towards Michael, finally coalescing before him into the form of Elysia, clad in her wedding dress.
"Silly Michael, it's all over now!"
"Over… is it…"
Michael's lips trembled. Looking at Elysia, hands behind her back, a smile blooming on her face, he didn't know what to do.
Or perhaps, the "trouble" they had just dealt with wasn't trouble at all. Setting aside everything else, if the previous ritual hadn't been interrupted, at the very least, Finality's authority would have been completed. Both Elysia and this world… could have survived.
But Michael hadn't thought that far ahead back then. The moment he saw Elysia again, the sacrifice he had resolved to make was instantly thrown aside. His mind was filled with only one thought—
Survive. At the very least… say a proper goodbye to Elysia. The moment this thought arose, it grew uncontrollably, irrationally, wildly in his mind.
And the result was that things could no longer end cleanly.
He had already used the Authority of Sentience once. Now wary, Elysia probably wouldn't fall for it again. How could he convince her, or rather, how could he deceive her, to get the chance to sacrifice himself back?
His face was expressionless, but his mind raced, contemplating and simulating solutions. Yet, it seemed no matter what he said or did, he couldn't bypass Elysia to perform that strange ritual again.
Elysia, on the other hand, naturally guessed what Michael was thinking but merely watched him with a gentle smile, saying nothing.
This only increased Michael's pressure, leaving him flustered, not even knowing where to put his hands.
Seeing his awkwardness, Elysia chuckled, made a fist with her right hand, held it out to him, and asked:
"Guess what I brought for you?"
"I…"
Michael blinked, and suddenly found himself facing an empty space.
"Ely!"
He cried out, blinked again, and found Elysia standing right in front of him, having gone nowhere.
"Eh? What's wrong?" Elysia blinked innocently.
"No… nothing… Did something just happen?"
"Nope! Oh, I asked you, guess what I brought over?"
Michael blinked rapidly again. This time, Elysia didn't abruptly disappear. Perhaps it was just an illusion born from his panic.
As for what Elysia held clenched in her hand…
Michael knew, of course, but he played along with Elysia's cue, deliberately feigning ignorance:
"Hmm? What goodies did you bring?"
Elysia grinned mischievously, opening her palm. A mass of dark purple light floated within—
"Ta-da! The Authority of the Twelfth Herrscher, right here! With this, the Authority of Finality is now complete…"
She stopped halfway, pressing her lips together, holding back a slightly apologetic smile as she looked straight at Michael.
However, Michael didn't immediately take the Herrscher Authority.
"How are things on Earth?"
"Eh? I don't know about that!" Elysia glanced sideways, then scratched her head exaggeratedly. "I was so focused on catching up to you, I didn't have time to worry about Earth's situation. But, the Authority of Origin itself connects all the other Herrscher authorities! Before coming here, I just grabbed this authority along the way."
"Although the Authority is here now, the Twelfth Herrscher on Earth probably won't lose its power instantly. Conservatively estimating, its authority will gradually weaken over the next few months until it dissipates. As long as Mei and the others can hold out until then, we've won!"
"Hmm…"
Michael didn't notice her momentary strange expression. He nodded first, then his eyes widened abruptly:
"The Authority of Origin… Ely, you…"
He bit his lip incredulously, his vision blurring:
"Ely… You heard my conversation with him?"
"Oops! I accidentally let it slip!" Elysia squinted, sticking her tongue out playfully, then unceremoniously shoved the Authority into Michael's hand.
Michael struggled, not wanting to accept it, but the moment the Authority neared him, it flowed into his body like a stream merging into a river, with no possibility of separation ever again.
"Michael, after killing him, the Authority of Finality has already begun automatically transferring to you."
Michael was about to say something, but found himself facing the empty star sea again, as if Elysia had never existed.
He quickly rubbed his eyes. Thankfully, when he opened them again, Elysia was standing right before him, completely still. It seemed it was just an illusion.
She smiled, took a step forward, and gently took both of Michael's hands.
"Michael, the road ahead… I'm afraid you'll have to walk it alone."
"No! Ely, let me do it this time…"
"Alright, listen to me, Michael!"
Elysia rarely wore such a serious expression. Although Michael desperately wanted to say more, he unconsciously clamped his mouth shut.
"Origin must return to Finality. This is the destiny of Origin, and also the destiny of Finality."
"Then destiny is bullshit!"
Michael couldn't help but blurt out the curse. But just as he finished, that cool hand covered his face again, seeming… even cooler than before.
So Michael placed his own hand over Elysia's, hoping his cheek and palm could lend her hand some warmth.
"Ely, since you heard my conversation with him, you should know what I wanted to do—let me return to the Cocoon of Finality in your place. You… have more right to live than I do."
Elysia seemed to offer no response, just gazing at him silently, at the pink reflection within his silver-grey eyes.
Just as he couldn't resist speaking again, Elysia preempted him:
"After his demise, are you truly certain this plan is feasible?"
"!"
"Michael, your plan was simply for you to replace me in completing the Cocoon of Finality, allowing him to regain the complete Authority of Finality… But that was predicated on him shouldering the burden of Finality's power. If you do that now, who takes over the Authority of Finality? If no one can wield Finality's authority, then Finality is effectively out of control. Everything you thought you could save will cease to exist."
"Then… can't you?"
"Me?" Elysia pointed at herself, a bitter smile forming. "Michael, I'm not omnipotent, you know. Why do you assume I can definitely handle the Authority of Finality? If you replace me as part of Origin, it's questionable whether my own Authority of Origin could even be retained, let alone taking on Finality. Of course, I don't deny the plan has a chance of success, but Michael, are you willing to gamble? Gamble on your sacrifice, gamble on my future and the world's?"
Michael averted his gaze from Elysia's. He understood, of course, that there was only one truly foolproof method—let the real Origin return, and then let him, already bearing Finality's power, completely take over the Authority of Finality. Then the world could be saved.
"I understand all that, of course, but…"
Undoubtedly, he couldn't accept such an outcome.
"Michael, stop being difficult!"
Elysia's other hand poked his cheek, then cupped his face as before.
"Putting aside everything else, didn't you admit it earlier? Elysia has always been human. Since I am human, do you think my choice to sacrifice myself doesn't carry a hint of selfishness?"
Yes, selfishness. Weren't they both like that?
Both wanted the other to live, yet neither considered the other's feelings. But ultimately, "wanting the other to live" was simply because they had made it the most important meaning of their existence.
And, of course, fear.
Elysia's arms moved past Michael's cheeks, wrapping around his neck, pressing her entire body against his chest.
"Michael, I'm really scared. The thought of losing you, of living alone in this world, it terrifies me beyond measure."
"No, Ely, you won't be living alone."
Michael gently stroked her back, his fingers subconsciously twirling her fluffy hair.
"There are still the Flame-Chasers, there's Mei, Kevin, Mobius, them…"
"Enough, Michael!"
Elysia buried her face in his chest, making him feel the dampness spread across his shirt in that instant.
Consequently, her words came out muffled, laced with choked sobs, which wasn't surprising:
"A long time ago, you told me—for everyone, there are always a few, or rather, always one person… in her heart, there's always someone who is more important than the whole world. And once that person is lost, the entire world loses its meaning. Didn't you teach me this yourself?"
"But it's the same for me, Ely. So…"
"But Michael, I've never asked you for anything, only this once—I'm begging you, Michael, let me go. Let me fulfill my destiny."
"You know it's destiny too!"
Michael shouted the words, holding Elysia tightly in his arms, afraid she would dissipate before his eyes if he wasn't careful.
Instantly, the brilliant star sea blurred. He could no longer track the path of each star, but he still forced himself not to let tears fall, unwilling to cry in front of Elysia again.
"Ely! Living is the rebellion against destiny! If you simply disappear like this, you're just surrendering to destiny!"
"No!"
Elysia hugged Michael even tighter, so tight they could both feel the other's violent trembling.
"Death is surrender to destiny, living is rebellion—that's for you, Michael. For me, the best rebellion against fate is to use the authority It granted me, follow the destiny It wove for me, and then, with my own consciousness, sever the cyclical fate of the world."
"As for you, Michael, your task is to live on bravely, using the Authority of Finality to help humanity overcome the shackles of the Honkai, also as a rebellion against fate, okay?"
"No, I can't accept it!"
"Sigh…"
Elysia sighed softly, somewhat helplessly.
"You can't accept it, I can't accept it, what should we do? After all, I'm a girl, Michael, just let the girl have her way!"
"No! You have more right to live than I do!"
Michael didn't know what else to say to salvage the situation, only repeating his previous words.
"What do you mean I have more right to live, Michael? No one has more right than anyone else. Even if you put a great saint and a great villain on opposite ends of a scale, the result is still balanced. The reason you feel I have more right to live is because you love me. But I love you too, so I also feel you have more right to live."
"No, it's not like that…"
"Ehehe!"
Surprisingly, Elysia didn't argue further, but Michael couldn't feel happy.
He instinctively felt something was wrong. Wiping his tears, he looked down, only to see Elysia's entire body radiating a dazzling white light.
The light was ethereal and hazy, making Elysia's form blurry.
Of course, the first thing he actually noticed was the change in temperature, though he hadn't paid it mind earlier. But now…
"So sorry, Michael, I… tricked you again."
Michael's mouth hung open, his breathing shaky and rapid. A thick numbness spread from his heart throughout his body. He felt his own temperature drop below freezing, and precisely because of that, he could still feel the residual warmth of Elysia's cooling body in his arms.
"From the moment I connected to the power of Origin and arrived in this Sea of Origin, there was no turning back."
"What do you mean!" Michael squeezed the words out through gritted teeth. "Don't scare me, Ely!"
"I'm really sorry. As long as I arrive here, Origin's return to Finality begins irreversibly."
"Ha… Huh?"
Michael couldn't even form a complete sentence anymore, but he was determined not to cry in front of Elysia again, even resorting to using spatial authority to lock the tears within his eyes.
But what use was that?
Authority could suppress tears, but not sorrow, nor could it save Elysia.
"Sorry… I was still too selfish… Sorry, I was really afraid of facing the future alone… So, I can only let you go into the future alone."
Elysia apologized repeatedly, her voice choked with tears.
But as she spoke, she broke into a tearful smile:
"Speaking of which, Michael, do you remember Eden's stage play?"
"…"
"The one before the Third Honkai Eruption, in Canghai City, the one we listened to together. Remember the lyrics?"
Without waiting for Michael's answer, she began humming to herself:
"Ah… I know, I actually always knew! Flying bird, do you see these resplendent flowers upon my head?"
"Yes, this is my life, seemingly as brilliant as flying flowers on the surface, yet beneath the flowers lie heavy thorns."
"Its weight forces me to bow my head and walk this path called life. The deeper I walk, the more pain the thorns inflict. Even if I luckily reach the end, I am merely… covered in wounds…"
"But you, you are different. You are the witness, witnessing my efforts and pursuits all along… Distant flying bird! If you truly pity my misfortune, lament my end… Please do not stop for me… Please continue to fly high! Fly over the distant mountains, fly over the distant rivers, fly over the distant clouds and cities, carry my voice, my smile, everything I sought, to a place beyond the furthest horizon!"
"Perhaps you cannot understand my pain now… Ah! Are you shedding tears? Then cry like a child… Cry until exhausted, for this means you have walked from below the stage onto it, transformed from an observer to one who has experienced it…"
"Then, fly! Carry my share with you and fly high! Use your eyes to carry my soul along, to witness, to experience…"
"Ah… You ask if we can meet again…"
"Hehe… Flying bird… If you truly believe we can meet again in the future, then you should fly high without hesitation, along the path we forged, towards the future, towards that true future where we can meet…"
"See, I remember every line of the song clearly, not a single word wrong!"
But Michael's sorrow wasn't lessened; instead, the tragically prophetic lyrics plunged him into even deeper grief.
"Michael, don't you think what happens next is quite romantic? I, as Origin, will return to Finality, and you will become Finality. Meaning, I will forever become a part of your body. From now on, nothing can ever separate us."
Elysia reached out, gently caressing Michael's cheek one last time, then pulled away from his embrace, taking two steps back.
"However, Michael, you're not exactly a flying bird… You are destined to walk alone into the future… Alas, dear Titmouse (Translator's Note: 山雀 refers to various tits/chickadees, small birds), please take my arrow, my flower, and my love, to that solitary traveler!"
Elysia clutched her chest, mimicking Eden's pose as she hummed another line.
"Sorry, Michael. From now on, you'll have to live on alone, lonely. But don't be sad. I will always exist in your heart, never leaving. Isn't that romantic?
"Thank you so much, Michael. Not just because you taught me what love is. It's because of you that I, a Herrscher born, didn't feel lonely or desolate during this journey of over twenty years—don't look at me like that! I'm a fragile girl too, after all. It's normal to feel sad and lonely, right?
"But… Michael… But! 'Tragedy is not the end, but the beginning of hope.' If you truly cannot accept all this, if you truly believe we can reunite in that distant future, then boldly do what you want to do! Elysia will always support you, because Elysia believes in you—See, I knew you'd think that way. So, I'll clear some obstacles for you too!
"If you really make that decision, I truly won't blame you. It's just… if Herrschers appear again in the future, if they can be as free as you and I, please be sure to let me know, okay? I'll be very happy!
"Because I'll know they won't have to endure the difficult choices our era faced. Because I'll know the footprints we left in the world eventually became a guiding light for someone else on a future day…
"Ah! Right, when we decided to form the Flame-Chasers, everyone had to choose a 'Signet' for themselves. How about mine is called 'Ego'?—Signet of Ego, the Flawless Human, Elysia… Oh dear! Does that make me sound too narcissistic? Oh my, oh my! It's always when it's time to say goodbye that I feel there are so many things I wanted to do but didn't…"
But Michael's eyes were already too blurry to see anything but simple blocks of color. All sounds became distant and unreal.
Seeing this, Elysia could only shake her head helplessly, flicking away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"Alright, Michael, don't look like that. We still won't say goodbye, because I believe in you… I believe we will surely meet again."
"However, I know you're also afraid of being alone… You're also afraid of loneliness… So, during this time when I can't respond to you, let this accompany you in my place!"
Elysia extended her gradually stiffening arm. With a gentle pinch of her fingers, a brilliant pink crystal flower bloomed in her hand.
"Michael, remember that song, the one that's been passed down through human civilization for countless years? I've never heard you sing it. I really want to hear you sing it for me just once, okay?"
Michael pressed his lips together and nodded. He quickly wiped his tears, doing his best to suppress the sob in his voice as he sang:
["This is a story from long, long ago:"]
["One day, She fell from the heavens. People looked up, and thus they beheld the starry sky."]
["The stars and moon sent forth the Daughter of God; she wished to become humanity's companion."]
["The great winds became her chariot; the four seas settled as her gardens. Birds carried seeds of goodness in their beaks; myriad flowers wove hymns of love."]
["Thus she was born into the world, walked the earth, grew up with humanity, sprouted with the world."]
["And now, the time of the end is near."]
["And now, the time of departure has come."]
Elysia tilted her head and smiled, continuing Michael's song:
["Let us bid farewell now, beautiful world."]
["Henceforth, the stars shall shine brightly, because I once was here."]
["Henceforth, myriad flowers shall bloom, for I have never truly departed."]
["Please weave my arrow, my flower, and my love into seeds of new life, carry them to the withered earth."]
["Then, let them blossom into the eternal and flawless... Flower of Humanity."]
...
I...
Elysia put her hands behind her back again. The brilliant crystal flower floated before her. Her eyes crinkled in a smile as she murmured one last time:
"I really wish… time would flow a little slower… the flowers would bloom a little more… that would be nice."
She opened her eyes, looked at Michael one last time, apologized one last time:
"Sorry, this isn't the happiness you wanted…"
"Ely!"
Michael lunged forward violently.
The two steps between them were so short, short enough that Michael's physical speed could cover the distance even faster than using the Authority of the Void.
But when he tried to pull Elysia into his arms one last time…
He embraced nothing.
The girl he had wanted to save from the very beginning had now scattered into multicolored points of light. If she could see this, she would surely be pleased.
"Oh my! Even when Elysia dissipates, she dissipates so beautifully!"
But such a voice was destined never to sound again.
The scattered points of light seemed like lost souls, wandering aimlessly in the brilliant river of stars. Michael frantically reached out, trying to grasp back every speck of light that composed Elysia, but wherever his hand swept, the points of light always maintained an imperceptible yet unreachable distance.
"Hhh… Hhh…"
Tears instantly broke through the dam constructed by the Authority of the Void, streaming down his face.
And above his head, unnoticed by him, the myriad stars began a slow yet determined rotation around a single point. Correspondingly, the tiny threads in the night sky, visible only to Aponia, gradually disappeared, as if a hand arranging the stars was erasing the predetermined future, one thread at a time.
Michael wiped his tears dry. Before him remained only the crystal flower left by Elysia.
Suddenly, he felt a scorching heat emanating from his chest. Though only for an instant, something had definitely merged into his body, becoming one with him.
Then, he picked up the crystal flower, using the translucent crystal to examine his own changes.
He discovered that within his silver-grey eyes, the pupils, originally round and unremarkable, gradually elongated, becoming pink, elongated ovals with slight diamond-like corners.
"Ely…"
His vision cleared only for that instant before blurring again.
Time flowed quietly onward.
After a long while, Michael finally stopped crying.
He was different from the other Michael. For the other, saving Elysia was the only desire approximating reality he could possess within the falsehood.
But Michael was different. In his twelve years existing as a person, besides Elysia, he had shouldered other burdens, other responsibilities, made other promises.
He still had things left undone, things he had to do—since he ultimately failed to save Elysia, he absolutely had to save this world.
Fortunately… the Authority of the Twelfth Herrscher was already here. He didn't even need to do anything; humanity would likely win.
He put away the crystal flower and tried to summon a gate leading to the real world before him.
The gate appeared quickly. He stepped through without hindrance.
The surrounding light was somewhat dim. He keenly sensed the pervasive temporal turbulence around him.
"Is this… beneath the Finality Crater?"
He leaped upwards, returning to the human-built base named "New Atra." It was deserted, only the oxygen generators continuously pumping out air.
And at his feet lay a bow named Flowery Corolla.
Michael's breathing grew heavy. Tears welled up again, but he didn't let the sorrow linger for long. Instead, filled with hope, he looked up towards Earth.
Then he froze—
"If you really make that decision, I truly won't blame you. It's just… if Herrschers appear again in the future, if they can be as free as you and I, please be sure to let me know, okay? I'll be very happy!"
"Please weave my arrow, my flower, and my love into seeds of new life, carry them to the withered earth."
He finally understood why Elysia had rambled incoherently at the end.
So she knew all along…
Because Michael, now standing in the same position as her, could only see a withered planet.
Sickly yellow clouds enveloped the entire sphere. The small areas occasionally visible were a deep, oppressive black. Not a trace of green or blue remained, making it impossible to distinguish oceans from land.
He tried to sense Earth with his authority, but found not a single human presence on the entire surface.
"Heh… Hehehehe… Didn't… make it in time?"
He gave a bitter laugh, his knees buckled, nearly collapsing under the weight of reality.
Finally, he could bear it no longer:
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
He let out an anguished howl, but the sound, traveling beyond New Atra, was cut off by the endless vacuum. No one could hear, and no one could answer him.
Seconds later, the air within New Atra suddenly began to churn around Michael. A fierce wind howled, seemingly accompanying his cries. Everything within sight was quickly obscured by the storm, but he seemed completely oblivious. His mind was consumed by a single thought—
He had failed to save Elysia… and he had failed to save the world.
Everything he hoped for didn't exist. Everything he sought had left him. His existence became meaningless, just like the other him who had met his end not long ago.
"But… fine… Let it be as you said, Elysia. Let us reunite in the future. No, we will surely meet again!"
A small, blackish-red dot appeared above his head, and then rings of white light spread outwards from it.
His pupils began to change. Pink was instantly replaced by blood-red. The four corners of the oval shape sharpened, then stretched horizontally and vertically until they formed the shape of a cross-shaped star.
Simultaneously, violent tremors came from beneath the Finality Crater. Golden branches actually crossed the distance between the real and Imaginary, breaking through the ground of the crater. They grew relentlessly upwards, forming a colossal golden cross twelve thousand meters above the Finality Crater.
Michael's body floated up again, this time under the pull of his own power, by his own will.
Two golden nails of light shot through the void, piercing his wrists, pinning him to the center of the cross like a crucified criminal. Another streak of elongated golden light tore through the boundary between the Imaginary and the real—it was the spear previously made from the Imaginary branch.
The spear's sharp tail stopped before Michael's neck. He involuntarily tilted his head back, gazing at the devastated black Earth, his Adam's apple bobbing forcefully.
"I am the First Herrscher, Michael, Herrscher of Reason. I will also be the Thirteenth Herrscher, Herrscher of Finality… This too… is the Beginning is the End."
He hesitated no longer. The sharp tail of the spear cleanly pierced his neck. Gushing blood dyed the spear, along with the cross behind him, red.
The spear continued to pierce deeper. Correspondingly, blood-red fibers grew out from beneath Michael's skin, radiating outwards around his body, then intertwining, until they enveloped him in a massive cocoon.
Between the Earth and Moon, a colossal figure solidified from illusion. It was a pure white, naked human form, most strikingly marked by the white halo above its head and the pair of blood-red, cross-shaped star pupils. This was Michael's truest form at this moment, the form of his soul.
He reached out his hand. The pitch-black Earth seemed smaller than half a basketball in his palm.
He looked at this planet he had once tried to save. His blood-red eyes held no pity, no unwillingness… all emotion faded to nothing.
Then, he cupped the Earth in one hand… and slowly closed his grasp.