(MEI is incredible. The lingering effect is lasting far longer than I expected. It's actually damaging my stomach faster than even the regenerative speed of the Herrscher of Rebirth can keep up.)
Lying on the ground, Elias calmly analyzed his current condition. From a certain rather peculiar angle, he couldn't help but feel deep admiration for MEI's cooking skills.
(Setting aside whether it tastes good or not, the fact that it can leave both me and the Herrscher of Finality in such a miserable state—this level of culinary skill is honestly insane.)
(If treated as a damage-type ability, its destructive power is enough to make one's scalp tingle. Of course, the weakness is obvious too—the preparation time is extremely long...)
Elias had already begun evaluating MEI's cooking from a thoroughly bizarre perspective. At the same time, Abyss Flower fell to the ground beside him.
He could no longer move. Originally, he had planned to ask Durandal to use the Zeroth Power of the holy lance to save him.
But since she was out on a mission, that was clearly impossible.
(Forget it. Maybe I should just die once.)
The dish even seemed to carry hallucinogenic effects.
At that moment, Elias felt as though he were seeing an angel descending—a pink-haired angel with wings, reaching out toward him as if to guide him into heaven.
However, just then, accompanied by an anxious cry, a white figure rushed over. Flustered, she picked up Abyss Flower and activated its Zeroth Power.
"I am the Black from the abyss, I am the White descending from the heavens. Born before Creation, existing beyond Oblivion, I shall grant the fountain of life freely to those who thirst."
(Right. I almost forgot—she can use it too. Though this might make things awkward afterward...)
Cecilia recited the incantation of Abyss Flower with practiced familiarity. As the former strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal and the saintess of the Schariac family, this Divine Key had originally been her weapon.
"Divine Key, Abyss Flower—Zeroth Power: Heilige Lanze Welwitschia!"
With Cecilia's invocation, the white blossom of creation bloomed upon Elias' body.
This was a supreme healing art that repaired life from the genetic level upward, restoring even the dying to full vitality. As long as a person still had a single breath left, no matter how severe the injury, it could be healed.
While that alone was not enough to counter MEI's dark cuisine, once it resonated with Elias' own Authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth, it at least managed to lock his health in place.
"Whew... thanks, Cecilia. I'm finally saved. I was already mentally prepared to die once."
"...Let's go to my place and let you rest first. What exactly did you eat? Even the Zeroth Power of Abyss Flower couldn't heal you in one go."
"If I had to say... a girl's love?"
"Th-that's... terrifying love."
Cecilia supported Elias and brought him to her villa.
St. Freya Academy covered an enormous area. Each teacher and Valkyrie had their own villa residence. As an S-rank Valkyrie, Cecilia naturally received even better accommodations.
Not to mention she was Theresa's close friend.
Elias lay weakly on the sofa, continuing to circulate the power of the Herrscher of Rebirth to heal himself, smiling wryly.
"Ah... it's been a long time since I've had a near-death experience like this. The last time was when I used the Authority of Origin on Elysia's behalf. And there's even a weakness debuff this time—how long is this going to last?"
"For some reason, you sound very accustomed to near-death experiences, Mr. Elias. Is that just my imagination?" Cecilia said as she poured him a cup of hot water—the universal remedy.
"Just call me Elias. 'Mr. Elias' sounds strange. I wasn't exactly a model student in the past anyway. But... thinking about it carefully, I really don't take death that seriously anymore. After all, I can't really die."
Elias took a sip of hot water.
For him now, death was not that different from a minor injury.
Because of the abilities derived from the Shesha Honkai Beast, Elias already possessed almost unlimited resurrection.
Even Mobius, who shared Shesha's metamorph gene, did not revive as perfectly as he did.
Her resurrection required enormous amounts of Honkai energy and caused her body to grow younger each time. If she revived too many times, she might regress into a child—or even into mere cells.
But with the Authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth, Elias could offset that price. He could manipulate his own biological cells and freely control the growth of his body.
Coupled with the countless times he had already experienced death, he had grown accustomed to it.
To the point that now... Elias no longer regarded death—the terror that had haunted humanity since ancient times—as something particularly frightening.
"There's no need to fear death. It's merely a brief sleep. At least, for me."
Elias raised both hands lightly as he spoke.
When a person possesses something in excess, they inevitably stop cherishing it. Even he was no exception.
With near-infinite resurrection, it was only natural that he would take his own life lightly.
But that applied only to himself.
He would never forget that others—especially those he cared about—only had one life.
"If Mei and the others heard you say that, they'd definitely feel heartbroken again," Cecilia said softly.
"Everyone just worries too much."
"But you really are the kind of person people can't help worrying about."
Cecilia let out a small sigh.
She had heard plenty about Elias' experiences in the Previous Era.
Thinking back on everything the white-haired boy had gone through, she realized he truly lived constantly on the edge. Always at the center of storms, as though the world itself revolved around him.
As an S-rank Valkyrie, she had faced many life-and-death situations herself. But compared to what Elias had endured, those moments felt almost gentle by comparison.
And so, anyone who knew him inevitably worried about him.
Sometimes, if he disappeared for just two or three hours, people would begin to wonder whether he had gone off to save the world—or someone else—again.
"Cecilia... you have feelings for me, don't you?"
Elias suddenly said, cradling his teacup.
"!!!"
Cecilia trembled all over. The teapot in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp as she hurriedly averted her gaze.
That reaction alone was answer enough.
Lately, she had indeed been troubled by this very issue. Whenever she saw the white-haired boy, she would uncontrollably feel affection for him.
Especially after that accident that had occurred between them.
If she had been an ordinary girl, she might have taken the opportunity to start a relationship with Elias. Given his personality, he would never shy away from taking responsibility for a mistake he had made unintentionally.
But Cecilia was different.
Their positions and identities did not permit such things. Because of that, the uncontrollable affection she felt troubled her more than anything.
"First, let me apologize to you, Cecilia. The feelings you have toward me aren't entirely from your own heart. They're caused by the Schariac stigmata—a forced effect. Something like... a curse."
Elias spoke with clear guilt in his eyes.
"Eh? A curse?"
Cecilia froze.
Elias nodded.
He then explained everything—about Misteln, and about how those who bore the Schariac stigmata would uncontrollably develop affection toward him. Cecilia listened in stunned silence.
"So that's how it is..."
"Mm. Pretty underhanded, right? But I've been thinking of a way to solve this recently. Just give me a little more time."
"...Elias, you're really a good person. You could have chosen not to tell me. No—if it were an ordinary person, I think they definitely wouldn't have said anything at all."
Cecilia's gaze softened.
Though she was a Valkyrie who fought to protect all that was beautiful, she was not naive enough to be ignorant of human malice.
Admitting one's own fault—even if it seemed simple—was something most people could not do. Compared to confession, most would choose concealment.
From this, she could see just how beautiful and noble the white-haired boy before her truly was. And she couldn't help recalling their first meeting during the Honkai Eruption.
Even when he had countless reasons to resent the world, Elias had still chosen to fight for the sake of that single piece of beauty worth protecting. The brilliance of his humanity had once struck her as dazzling.
And so—
"Elias, I don't think you need to worry so much about the stigmata. Even if you leave it as it is, it wouldn't really matter, would it?" Cecilia said with a smile.
"Cecilia, are you serious? If it isn't resolved, you'll keep developing feelings for me against your own will. You might even subconsciously agree to unreasonable requests from me."
"But you wouldn't do that, would you?"
Cecilia's tone was firm.
If it were someone else, they would definitely take advantage of the situation. But she believed Elias would never do something so despicable. Such disgraceful conduct was beneath someone so proud and pure.
"And even if I do feel affection for you, what's wrong with that? It isn't a bad thing."
Cecilia no longer felt troubled.
She decided to accept the influence brought by the Schariac stigmata. After all, it wasn't as though she had developed feelings for a bomb—or for some villain.
The one she uncontrollably felt drawn to was someone the world itself ought to treat gently. Someone as beautiful as an angel.
Though Elias had described it as a curse, Cecilia no longer saw it that way.
She was certain her feelings had not been misplaced. And even without the stigmata's influence, anyone who truly came to know the white-haired boy would eventually fall for him.
Just like that girl as radiant as drifting petals.
"...Thank you, Cecilia."
Elias let out a quiet breath of relief. A weight lifted from his heart.
Perhaps he ought to have a little more confidence in himself.
Up until now, had anyone ever regretted developing feelings for him? Regretted liking him?
Of course not.
There was even a certain Overseer of Schicksal who deeply regretted not becoming his friend earlier—resulting in his current miserable state of being force-fed dog food every single day.
"But one thing is one thing. I'll still find a way to solve the Schariac stigmata problem!" Elias declared seriously.
"Still that stubborn, huh? Fine then." Cecilia laughed helplessly.
The atmosphere between them gradually softened.
Gone was the awkward tension that had once accompanied their meetings.
They began chatting. Elias spoke about amusing incidents from the Previous Era, while Cecilia shared fragments of her own past. But midway through, she trailed off.
"What should I do? I feel like I don't really have anything worth sharing."
She smiled awkwardly.
By the standards of the Current Era, she was older than Elias. Yet compared to his past—so eventful it could fill a thick adventure novel—she found she had very little to say.
"How could that be? If you've lived this long, shouldn't everyone have dozens—hundreds—of memories worth cherishing for a lifetime?" Elias tilted his head, speaking as though it were only natural.
Cecilia coughed lightly.
"Elias... not everyone can travel through time, start touring the world with girls at the age of ten, save the world, and run off to parallel worlds."
For most people, today was merely a repetition of yesterday. An unchanging routine was the norm.
And for her, that was even more true.
In reality, Cecilia Schariac's fate had long been manipulated by others. As for who—there was no need to say. Everyone knew it was that vile fool.
As the daughter of the Schariac family, her destiny had been sealed from the moment she was born. She was meant to become a Valkyrie of Schicksal.
Later, because of her extraordinary talent, Otto's modification surgery transformed her blood into Holy Blood.
And because of the rarity of Holy Blood, Cecilia was confined to Schicksal headquarters, rarely allowed to see the outside world.
As for whether a certain unreliable Kaslana changed anything...
In truth, not much changed. Insufficient strength, insufficient intellect. In the end, he still could not outmaneuver Otto—and even became a pawn at one point.
"Come to think of it, I was only able to make up my mind to leave Schicksal and join Anti-Entropy because of you back then," Cecilia said.
Elias chuckled lightly.
"You might not believe this, but if it weren't for me, you'd already be dead now."
There was a hint of pride in his voice.
That had been the first time he changed fate.
During the Second Eruption, if he had not transformed into the Herrscher of the Void and intercepted all of Schicksal's missiles, Sirin and Cecilia would both have died, as destiny had ordained.
"I believe you," Cecilia replied softly. "Sometimes I even envy Kiana and Durandal. If I had met you earlier too... maybe I would have had more beautiful memories."
A faint blush tinged her cheeks.
It was only natural. Watching the daily romantic comedy that unfolded around Elias—and the tender dates he shared with Mei and the others—any normal woman would feel a trace of envy.
"So... if I appeared in your past, you'd welcome me, right?" Elias suddenly asked, his tone shifting.
"Hm?"
Cecilia blinked, then nodded instinctively.
Of course she would welcome it. Who wouldn't want to meet someone like him sooner?
Just look at the girls in the Valkyrie dormitory. Their encounters with him had changed their lives for the better.
"Good. In that case, I'm going."
Elias stood up from the sofa. He had mostly recovered by now.
"Eh? Where are you going?"
"To find your past, of course. My system just finished updating. I don't know which period of your past I'll land in—but I'll look forward to it."
Before Cecilia could react, Elias opened his system interface, selected her past, and initiated temporal travel.