I walk this lonely world, silently submerged at the bottom of the sea, waiting for civilization to cycle time and time again.
All things are born from the sea, and in the end, they are submerged in the sea.
I have watched humanity appear, watched them build civilizations, and watched those civilizations meet their end…
I am not human. I am destined never to integrate with them, unable to personally experience their joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness.
Even though heaven gifted me a child, I could only send her into human society, to let her personally experience the joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness of being human, to understand the true meaning of being human.
I am a beast. I have witnessed societies built on the propagation of a species, civilizations built on love.
But I do not understand what love is, because I am a Honkai Beast. I am… Maheśvara.
Kukulkan held Ryn's shoulders, shaking him vigorously, wanting him to explain clearly that her soul had not been charmed away by Vita at all.
Why the need for an explanation? So what if Kukulkan's soul was charmed away by Vita, so what if she fell for Vita?
What does that have to do with me?
Maheśvara didn't know, didn't understand. She and Kukulkan were not a couple, so what did it matter to her who Kukulkan liked?
Perhaps it did matter?
Because when she heard Ryn say that Kukulkan had been attracted to someone else, she seemed to experience what humans call heartache, a chilling of the heart.
But, watching Kukulkan anxiously explaining, desperately wanting Ryn to take back his words, wringing her hands and pacing in place, Maheśvara's heart didn't seem to ache so much anymore.
Recalling the times she and Kukulkan spent together, when she said she wanted to travel but was afraid of being lonely, so she insisted on taking her along to see this resilient world properly.
Although along the way, every day was filled with troubles and funny incidents because Kukulkan was unfamiliar with the places and her way of thinking was very different from humans.
But it seems, she had always been by her side, patiently explaining things to her, telling her the right way to do things, and then dealing with various troubles together.
Such a foolish person, even if she were seduced by that woman Vita, would probably be despised and kicked away after a few days, right?
So… it wasn't that Kukulkan fell for her, but that she was the one who first fell for this foolish girl, Kukulkan…
Maheśvara didn't even notice the corners of her mouth turning up in an irrepressible smile. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz as she whispered to herself:
"Foolish Kukulkan, I think, I might have started to like you…"
But no matter how soft Maheśvara's voice was, as long as she spoke it, none of the people present could have missed it.
Kukulkan, who was lying on the ground in regret, feeling like there was nothing left in this world to live for, shot up from the ground upon hearing Maheśvara's whisper.
In disbelief, she covered Maheśvara's hand with her trembling one, looking at Maheśvara's somewhat evasive eyes with both tears and laughter.
Then, the great sun god, the winged dragon, Kukulkan, became so nervous she started to stutter.
"Th-th-that… did-did-did… you-you-you… s-s-say… you-you… like-like me?"
Maheśvara's face immediately turned red, and she quickly turned her head away, not letting Kukulkan see her expression.
"N-n-no! You heard wrong! I said… I said I like Elysia!"
"But Elysia is your adopted daughter, and I'm Kukulkan…"
Kukulkan looked at Maheśvara, confused. She had clearly heard Maheśvara say the four syllables 'Ku-kul-kan'.
Could she have misheard?
Seeing Maheśvara completely stiff, shy and motionless, while Kukulkan was lost in the question of whether Maheśvara had said she liked her or not.
Ryn covered his face and sighed helplessly. Honkai Beasts will be Honkai Beasts. Both sides are interested and have feelings, so why be so proud and dishonest? One idiot and one tsundere. Without outside help, they'd probably not confess their feelings until they were old and gray…
So, Ryn gently nudged Kukulkan, then pointed at Maheśvara, then at his own mouth, and made an 'X' sign. Then he pointed at their now-held hands, which Maheśvara hadn't pulled away.
He mouthed to Kukulkan: "She's being dishonest! Her body's reaction is very honest!"
Kukulkan nodded in sudden realization, then held Maheśvara's hand and lifted it slightly.
Under Ryn's gratified gaze and Maheśvara's curious watch, wondering what Kukulkan was about to do…
Kukulkan pulled Maheśvara's hand and thrust it into her own mouth…
"Huh?!"
Ryn's eyes almost popped out. He was completely stunned by Kukulkan's outrageous move.
Golden liquid mixed with crimson blood flowed from Kukulkan's mouth, staining Maheśvara's white cloth garment and dripping onto the ground.
Maheśvara's eyes widened, her small mouth slightly agape as she looked at Kukulkan in alarm. Reacting quickly, Maheśvara immediately froze, afraid that her movements would cause secondary harm to Kukulkan.
"What are you doing! Let go!"
Kukulkan didn't say much, just closed her eyes slightly, using her body to guide Maheśvara's hand through her oral cavity and into her body, searching for something inside.
Suddenly, Kukulkan's face contorted in pain, because Maheśvara's hand had touched something…
Then, Kukulkan opened her eyes, looking at Maheśvara with infinite tenderness. She connected with Maheśvara through telepathy and said softly to her:
"Did you feel it? This is my most important core…"
"Are you crazy! Let go! Why did you materialize your core! How can you be so reckless? If the core shatters, you will really die!" Maheśvara also shouted at Kukulkan telepathically.
To displace her own core in such a way and place it in someone else's hand. How was this different from a human letting someone pull out their heart through their mouth!
What if her hand trembled and she shattered the core? Kukulkan would really die!
"Hehe… This is all what Boss Ryn taught me…"
Upon hearing Kukulkan say this, Maheśvara instantly looked up and glared at Ryn, as if questioning why Ryn would be so irresponsible and joke with Kukulkan's life.
"I'm not! I didn't! That's not what I meant!!!"
Ryn was completely numb. He knew Kukulkan's thought process was different from a human's, but he didn't expect it to be this absurd! He had only said that Maheśvara was being dishonest! He didn't tell her to let Maheśvara pull out her heart from her mouth!
Maheśvara retracted her glare from Ryn and looked nervously at Kukulkan.
"Don't say anything else for now, just let me pull my hand out first… This is really dangerous!"
"Don't… Maheśvara, wait a moment. My heart isn't that fragile… Let me finish what I have to say, okay…"
Kukulkan stopped Maheśvara's attempt to leave. She knew Maheśvara was very anxious and panicked, afraid of accidentally killing her.
But Maheśvara actually didn't know that she was different from the Honkai Beasts of this world. She had dozens of cores, and five or six of them were equally important. At worst, she'd let one shatter… she wouldn't die.
"They all say to speak from the heart. Maheśvara, aren't we doing that right now? Can you hear the voice coming from my core…"
"Mmm…"
"I… like you very much too! Maheśvara…"
"Mmm…"
Hearing Kukulkan's affectionate confession, Maheśvara should have been very moved and happy, but in this current scene…
She couldn't feel moved at all! It was even a bit horrifying!!
"Let go, you idiot!"
"*Blech—*"