One night, Ryn, who was in the lab debugging a chip, suddenly received a message from Elysia.
Ryn glanced at his phone to see if Little Ely was just complaining out of boredom again.
After seeing the content of the message, he immediately lost his composure and quickly made a video call to Elysia.
Seeing Elysia packing her things in the video, Ryn hurriedly shouted, "What the hell? The Honkai is breaking out right now, why are you running around! Don't you know how dangerous it is outside?"
"I know, I know~ But I've already finished learning everything here, so there's nothing more for me to learn by staying! My journey is to the sea of stars! The Eternal Paradise is still waiting for my arrival!"
"That's not happening either. My research here is almost finished. Wait for me to come back and we'll go together!"
"Bleh. No way. Dad, you're like an old man, you walk too slowly. Following you, it would take three days to cover the distance I'd walk in one. By the time I grow up, I might not even be able to find where the Paradise is."
"I told you long ago that thing doesn't exist. You'd be better off enjoying the scenery along the way with me."
Elysia placed her hands on her hips, pouting with a little anger. "No! The Paradise definitely exists! Even if it doesn't, I'll create one!"
"Alright, alright, I'll fly back tonight and spank you. A Honkai eruption just happened, a Herrscher was just defeated, and the social situation is so tense... Elysia, listen to me, stay at home for now!"
"No, I'm a grown-up now! I want freedom!!"
"You haven't even reached the age requirement for elementary school! A grown-up, my foot!!"
"I'm six years old! I've reached it!"
"If I say you haven't, you haven't!"
"Hmph! What Dad says doesn't count! Only what Elysia says counts!" Elysia pouted angrily, but soon she giggled happily and said:
"Hehe~ I've already found Mother Maheśvara and asked her to accompany me. So you don't have to worry, Dad! If you must stop me, then can you bring Mom here to stop me?"
Elysia gave Ryn a playful wink and then hung up the phone.
Holding the disconnected phone, Ryn sat in his chair, head down in deep thought.
If I could actually call Kiana over, you two jesters together would be even more unmanageable...
Elysia was a Herrscher who had not yet fully awakened, and Maheśvara had left a hidden measure on her, blocking Elysia's "door" to the Imaginary Space.
But all Maheśvara could do was conceal and delay; Elysia's awakening was only a matter of time.
Even when Elysia was still at the orphanage, she had unconsciously awakened once, causing fluctuations in Honkai energy that were observed by a group of people who came to the small town to investigate.
Absorbing Honkai energy and completing an awakening. This should have been a normal process for a Herrscher...
But if the Honkai hadn't become active yet, was this normal for the world?
Whether Elysia gradually absorbed the surrounding Honkai energy or directly absorbed a large amount to fully undergo Herrscher transformation...
This would lead to an imbalance in the world's Honkai energy concentration, creating a gradient that would cause the Honkai energy to flow, ultimately activating it globally and triggering a Honkai eruption.
Ryn didn't mind Elysia being the first Herrscher, but Ryn couldn't let Elysia be the first Herrscher to trigger the Honkai.
If Elysia knew the true meaning of being the First Herrscher, Ryn was afraid she wouldn't be able to accept it, that she would start to deny her own existence...
Because that silly girl Elysia was so kind, just like Kiana. She would be willing to give her life to save even just one person, let alone the world...
So, after Ryn learned that Elysia would unconsciously absorb Honkai energy, he had been feeding her his own Honkai energy, letting her absorb his instead of the free-floating Honkai energy in the surroundings.
It wasn't until Elysia could control it well and no longer unconsciously absorbed or released Honkai energy as she did when she was little, that Ryn felt at ease leaving her to search for Cortana.
And in secret, he continuously instructed his straw doll clone to plant suggestions in the little boy's mind until he became paranoid, eventually triggering the Honkai and becoming the First Herrscher.
It could be said that the beginning of the Previous Era's destruction was something Ryn had implicitly allowed, or even single-handedly caused...
It was just that this fact, aside from Ryn himself, would never be known by anyone else.
Ryn sat in his chair for a long time before finally picking up his phone again to send Elysia a message.
"I suspect you're lying to me and planning to run off on a trip by yourself! Send me a photo of you and Maheśvara, or I'm flying back right now."
"You stinky old dad, just you wait~"
A while later, Elysia sent a photo.
The first thing that caught his eye was a big headshot of the quirky and energetic Elysia, taking up two-thirds of the screen.
Elysia was hugging a figure completely wrapped in a white robe, revealing only a face that was remarkably similar to Elysia's—Maheśvara.
Maheśvara had a sour, bitter look on her face, with unhappiness written all over it.
Looking at Maheśvara's appearance and attire, which had hardly changed between fifty thousand years ago and now, Ryn finally acquiesced to Elysia's idea of continuing her travels.
Anyway, as long as she didn't run into an overpowered cheater like himself or Finality, Maheśvara was already invincible in this world.
Besides, Maheśvara could sense good and evil, so now he didn't have to worry about anyone causing trouble for Elysia, nor did he have to worry about Elysia meeting some scumbag who would lead her astray~
Ryn happily approved Elysia's request to continue her journey and transferred a large sum of living expenses to her.
Both Ryn and Elysia were happy now, but Maheśvara felt as awful as her expression suggested, as if she had eaten shit.
Not long ago, Elysia ran to the seashore and kept shouting "Maheśvara," "Maheśvara." Maheśvara thought for a long time in the sea, not understanding who Elysia was looking for. Finally, when it was about to ask Elysia who Maheśvara was so it could help her look, it realized.
Wow, so Maheśvara is me!
How did I not know my name was Maheśvara?
"Long time no see. What brings you to me?"
Maheśvara gently shrank its form and floated on the sea in front of Elysia, revealing its head to look at her.
"Hehe, Mother Manta Ray! I missed you!!"
Elysia took a flying leap from the embankment onto Maheśvara, then lay on its back and spread her arms to hug it.
"I missed you too, child."
"Mhm, I missed Mother Maheśvara too?"
"..."
Maheśvara fell silent for a moment, then asked Elysia, "Maheśvara...? Is that a name you gave me, child?"
"Huh? Why do you say that? Isn't that your name, Mother Maheśvara?"
Elysia blinked in confusion, then seemed to remember something, patted Maheśvara's back, and said happily:
"Mother Maheśvara, I have a name now too! My name is... Elysia! The Eternal Paradise, a dreamy Elysium!"
"Elysia... a very beautiful name..."
"Maheśvara is a very nice name too~"
"Whatever Elysia likes to call me is fine..."
"Yay! Mother Maheśvara! Dad said that the more powerful Honkai Beasts can turn into human form. Can you turn into a human? Let's go find the Eternal Elysium together!"
"I probably can... but I've never taken human form before. Is there a certain way Elysia wants me to look?"
"Then... look like me!"
"?"
"Because, Elysia is a girl as cute and beautiful as a flower, you see?"
Elysia proudly placed her hands on her hips, holding her head high like a swan.
"Besides, if you look like me, Mother Maheśvara, won't we look more like a mother and daughter or sisters when we walk down the street? Isn't that right?
Good mother, please say yes. Please, oh please~
Maheśvara: "..."