MGSFV?! Chapter 393. Join World Serpent, Embrace a Better Tomorrow—Glory to World Serpent!
"...You're saying, at this very moment, we're walking through that old man's dream?"
Though they walked separate paths, both Mei and Theresa's storylines revolved around one word—dream.
"That's right. It's Hare's specialty. She calls it 'Dreamcatching.'"
The two walked side by side along a dreamworld beach, gazing at the setting sun as they spoke.
It was a scene that carried a heavy sense of déjà vu.
MiHoYo was really... taking players on a full-fledged nostalgia tour.
Players: ...
Thinking about that, they couldn't help feeling tense.
They had PTSD, and it was real.
With all this emotional buildup, it felt like something bad was definitely going to happen next.
What? You think nothing will happen?
You don't trust MiHoYo?
Then we highly recommend boosting your faith in MiHoYo.
Expecting the writers to suddenly grow a conscience is like expecting the sun to rise from the west.
Hokuto: ...
...
Back to the story.
Mei, hearing that what she was seeing came from Hare's Dreamcatching ability, raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds like a power the Herrscher of Sentience would have."
"Right? That's why when that incident happened, the Master sent her to Taixu Mountain."
Hmm?
Come to think of it, the Sentience gremlin's still missing, huh?
Did World Serpent kidnap her?
[#Query: Current status of the Herrscher of Sentience#]
Honestly, people thinking that—do they just not understand World Serpent, or do they not understand the Herrscher of Sentience?
If Hare actually tried to recruit her, she'd probably say—
"Are you stupid?"
And if Grey Serpent was with her—
"You're BOTH stupid!"
Raven soon clarified:
"But she didn't seem too interested in Herrschers...
You know how she is. By the time she lazily showed up, your companions had already resolved the issue."
Good thing they didn't run into each other.
Otherwise, that definitely would've ended in a full-on brawl.
The Sentience gremlin fears no one.
Not even Kevin.
"Schicksal has rotted, Anti-Entropy is useless. Among heroes, only Kevin and I stand supreme."
"In combat skill, I surpass Kevin. Add in Skyfire... we're fifty-fifty."
As for what's really going on between her and Kevin...
Ahem. Let's not go there.
Back in the story—
Mei knew most of what Raven was telling her.
But that wasn't the issue at hand.
"Let's stay on topic. You said all this ties into the Stigmata Project—"
"Blood-soaked sacrifice has turned into gentle dreams."
—Grey Serpent, verbatim.
Within the dream, Raven began explaining everything she knew about the Stigmata Project.
—Think of it as a different kind of Elysium Everlasting.
Emphasis on different.
In one, you have the full stories of thirteen unique individuals—their virtues and flaws laid bare.
Authenticity is the goal.
In the other—
"Old humans" are linked through dreamscapes,
and ultimately become the Stigmata of the "new humanity."
Civilization is no longer passed on through people, but through stigmata.
Just like how Vil-V once told Mei in a memory—
what mattered wasn't Vil-V herself, but her brilliance.
The new Stigmata Project is like stripping out "Vil-V's brilliance,"
then mixing it with something like "Brother Kalpas's combat knowledge,"
to synthesize something entirely new.
Granted, the modern version of the Stigmata Project is much more... "gentle."
It lets "old humans" retain the right to dream.
"The real world will cease to hold meaning for humanity.
Eternal dreams will become their only truth.
They will no longer think in terms of time...
Their dreams will link together, building a miracle that transcends Finality."
[Can someone explain that? I understood like... 'a little bit.']
[It's okay to be confused now. It'll probably be clearer later.]
[Here's my take: Humanity is basically going to 'live in dreams.']
[Honestly... sounds kinda okay?]
[I don't like it...]
[Why not? (Genuinely curious)]
[Let's keep the discussion civil.]
Players clearly had mixed feelings about the new Stigmata Project.
The chat barrage grew noticeably more intense.
In-game—
After explaining the basics,
Raven suddenly invited Mei to have a drink with her—
a final farewell.
Mei didn't decline.
Guided by Raven,
they wandered deeper into this surreal dreamworld.
In a few steps, the scenery changed.
From a peaceful seaside sunset,
to a storm of blizzards and chaotic, unnameable phenomena.
The surrealism and entropy were visually stunning.
So stunning, players wondered if the writers were okay.
Whoever visualized this probably...
needed therapy.
After a while—
"Ah, found it. Right here."
Raven stopped in front of a familiar building.
"This is... Arc City?"
Seeing the structures triggered old memories for Mei.
"More accurately, it's Arc City as dreamed by certain Followers of the Serpent."
"Followers of the Serpent...
Jackal once bragged that they'd infiltrated every industry on Earth—hundreds of thousands strong.
...So she wasn't lying."
Yeah, no kidding.
In fact,
those hundreds of thousands were elite professionals.
There was even that one Bank of England executive
who wired billions to World Serpent—
then committed suicide.
So it's hard to say how a normal person would even view World Serpent.
Probably like...
a certain kind of cult.
World Serpent's dominance wasn't just about strength—
it was also thanks to Stigmata.
When the Stigma's power vastly outweighed a person's mental fortitude,
resisting World Serpent became virtually impossible.
[Okay, World Serpent is even scarier than I thought.]
[Obviously! Long live World Serpent!]
[Wait... OUR World Serpent???]
[Tsk. Since you've uncovered us... fine! Join World Serpent and embrace a better tomorrow! Glory to World Serpent! 🐶]
[GLORY TO WORLD SERPENT!] *n
...
Elysia saw the stream chat take a chaotic turn.
She was going to say something—
but Raven's next words caught her attention.
In-game:
"Alright, enough about Jackal and Grey Serpent.
Let's head to my old spot here and share a drink."
Raven beckoned Mei along.
"...You weren't joking?" Mei blinked.
Drinking in a dream? That's... classy. ()
Raven replied casually:
"Hmm? Please, Mei—have I ever joked about drinking?"
That line jogged Elysia's memory—
She remembered how Raven once invited Mei for a drink before.
Back then, she served her a glass of milk—
claiming it was "sterilized and non-fat, perfect for underage bar hoppers."
Health-conscious drinking fairy Griseo approves.jpg
Revisiting that moment now brought a new perspective.
Some scenes hurt.
Some made you laugh.
But both stayed with you.
Elysia loved that feeling...
And was eager to see what Mei would do next.
Sure enough—
Mei remembered too.
So... she ordered a glass of milk.
"...Heh. You really do hold grudges."
[History repeats itself.]
[Pretty sure Mei doesn't even drink. 🐶]
[Is Mei not of legal age yet?]
[She's 20 now.]
Raven teased her—
but her hands were already mixing the drink.
Soon—
she set a glass down in front of Mei.
"Here you go—
Rainbow Children's Milk.
100% natural coloring, DHA-enriched with plant calcium.
Guaranteed to support your healthy growth."
This black raven...
Yeah, gotta give her props.
This was great.
More of this, please.
[Okay but real talk—
that rainbow milk looks tasty in the CG.
I kinda wanna try it.]
[If someone actually marketed this, people would probably buy it.]
[Shh, don't let MiHoYo hear that... they'll actually make merch.]
[Isn't that... a good thing? 🐶 (serious)]
As players laughed at the exchange,
Mei drank the rainbow milk in one go.
"The texture was surprisingly smooth."
"You can compliment me more, you know."
"Heh."
Their eyes met—
and Mei asked:
"By the way, Raven—
in a dream, is taste really something we feel through interaction?"
Looks like we're back in lore mode.
"...Still sharp as ever." Raven replied.
"Put simply, Mei—
What you just tasted was probably my sense of taste...
Or rather, the taste from my memory."
[Now we know why Mei's so sharp.
It's all the trauma from Elysium's riddle demons.]
[These dreams are insanely high-level.
Really impressive.]
[But that also means...
you'll never know what it would've tasted like to you.]
...
After Raven's explanation,
Mei nodded slightly.
"I see.
Sharing memories and sensations through dreams...
It's a fascinating experience."
Raven smiled.
"See? Falling peacefully into dreams
can still bring a few small joys, right?"
Mei gave her a look.
"Raven, don't tell me—
after all this,
you're trying to play spokesperson for World Serpent?"
"Of course not."
Raven shook her head without hesitation.
"You're giving me way too much credit."
"It's just that..."
And then her tone shifted.
"This last drink... is almost finished, isn't it?"
"..."
"Yeah."
The BGM faded.
The dream bar fell eerily silent—
as if even the ticking of the world had stopped.
Until both glasses were empty.
They were ready for what came next.
The scene changed.
They had stepped outside.
"Come to think of it,
this is where we first met, isn't it?"
Raven looked around Arc City and remembered.
[Damn, Flash Assault PTSD unlocked.
Grinding that fight was actual pain.]
[Honestly, I barely remember early Raven anymore.
Her later story arc completely overwrote it.]
[Yeah, after that island boom-boom event,
Raven's stock went way up. (lol)]
[Hey now—Cioara has a knife and she's sharpening it.]
Still, players were focused.
[Wait, are they gonna fight again?
Why did I say "again"?]
[Because in Honkai,
"Goodbye" = "Let's fight."]
"Probably.
But back then, we weren't focused on each other."
"...Knew you'd say that.
Typical spoiled lady who never lets anything slide."
Raven smiled, then asked:
"So?
How's life been these past six months...
dancing with serpents?"
Happiness?
Players pondered that question with Mei.
It wasn't easy to say...
They'd danced with serpents—
and fairies too.
So...
Yeah.
There had been moments of real happiness.
Those memories.
Those laughs.
The wild imagination of the Pink Miss Mobius...
Hard not to smile.
But—
"It's hard to say.
But at least... I made some friends."
[Even if only Raven survived (pain).]
[Why do I feel like Raven's days are numbered too?]
[Even if only Raven survived (pain).]
[Why do I feel like Raven's days are numbered too?]
[The moment Mei starts saying things like "at least I made some friends," someone's gonna get sacrificed, I'm telling you.]
But in the game—
Raven didn't say anything immediately.
She looked at Mei quietly.
"That's good to hear."
"After all, you've always been that kind of person."
"...?" Mei blinked.
"The kind who won't turn away from this world—
no matter how much pain or sorrow it carries."
"Even if," Raven continued,
"that means you'll have to shoulder it all yourself."
That wasn't necessarily a compliment.
But coming from Raven—
it held weight.
Mei didn't respond directly.
Just looked ahead.
As the camera slowly zoomed out—
the two stood side by side under the ruined Arc City skyline.
Silent.
The lighting of the dreamscape dimmed again.
"...Time's up, huh."
"Yeah."
"It's time we woke up."
And with that—
Raven turned and began to walk away.
Just like their first meeting—
without warning, without a formal goodbye.
Only this time, Mei called after her.
"Raven."
The other stopped in her tracks.
"...?"
"We'll meet again."
"..."
Raven turned her head slightly.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Thunder Queen."
Mei didn't smile.
"This time... it's not a promise."
"It's a wish."
——[Honkai Impact 3rd]Main Story Interlude: Dreaming Towards Tomorrow——
——END——
[...]
[World Serpent... actually has warmth in it.]
[Raven... I'm really about to cry.]
[The writer didn't throw in a death this time—how touching is that?]
[Long live World Serpent! (tearfully)]
[Raiden Mei and Raven, streaming from pilipili, drinking and dreaming—cheers (crying into milk)]
[This chapter was really well done—dreams, memory, connection... beautifully written.]
[Say no more. I just want to go back and listen to Feathers of Millennium one more time.]
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