Thick, dark clouds roiled like an inverted black sea, threatening to collapse upon the city. Lightning tore open the sky like a spatial rift, momentarily bathing the entire city in stark white, followed by a sluggish rumble of thunder.
Then, nothing remained between heaven and earth but the sound of rain.
In a dim room atop Arc City's tallest building, a small, green-glowing figure stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, her vertical, serpentine pupils gazing at the rain-swept city.
Faced with the gloomy, almost apocalyptic scene, a smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of Mobius's lips.
What emotion did that curve hold? It was impossible to say, impossible to articulate. Only she herself could savor the taste of it.
"Hi, Mobius. What are you looking at?"
Miss Pink Elf appeared, so pure and flawless that her very presence seemed to brighten the entire rain-soaked room as she stepped inside.
Elysia was still dressed in a pure and innocent sailor uniform. Her jade-like, beautiful legs, wrapped in white over-the-knee stockings, moved with a light grace. As her pleated skirt swayed, the absolute territory of her thighs gleamed a pristine white.
She walked to Mobius's side and looked at her profile.
"…Emmmm, why do I get the feeling that you look very pleased, Mobius, and yet…"
"And yet what?"
Mobius turned, her expression smoothed over, her face becoming even more expressionless than the little duckling's.
Her voice was as cold as the winter, yet it carried a seductive charm, like a lover's whisper.
"Elysia, don't be so presumptuous. Don't think you know me so well."
"Is that so…?"
Elysia tilted her head cutely, tapping her chin with a slender finger. "In that case~~ let me get to know you even better, Snake-Snake."
"!!!"
Hearing that name, Mobius instantly stiffened as if a snake pinned at its vital point.
She glared fiercely at Elysia, her voice calm yet filled with a ferocious anger.
"You are not allowed to use that name."
"Eh? Why not? Isn't that what Mr. Ye Feng always calls you?"
"Elysia!"
"Hey now, don't be angry. I just want to get closer to you. What bad intentions could a beautiful and kind Miss Elf possibly have?"
Mobius always spoke harshly, but she had never once laid a hand on Elysia when they were alone.
She snorted lightly and turned her gaze back to the downpour outside the window.
The dim world seemed frozen in the depths of the sea, with only the falling rain in motion.
Elysia stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her.
One was voluptuous and tall, the other petite and alluring.
Standing together… they unexpectedly looked a bit like a mother and daughter?
Mobius was currently in her "young loli" form, making her more than a head shorter than Elysia, reaching only up to her chest.
If Elysia were to move any closer, Mobius wouldn't even be able to see her face by tilting her head up.
"You've gotten smaller again, haven't you? Does the phenomenon of [Molting] occur in this world too?"
"It has nothing to do with you."
Not just in this world, but even outside, Snake-Snake could reverse her growth and "restore" her figure.
But the limit of that restoration was her appearance in the Elysian Realm, her "initial appearance upon entry."
Of course, using her authority here, she could also "customize" her form.
But Snake-Snake believed that was ultimately an illusion, a flower in the mirror or the moon in the water, which would be refreshed back to its "initial state" on Monday.
However, a body adjusted through self-regulation would remain as it was, like her current "young loli" form.
Of course, this was absolutely not because Ye Feng favored this appearance, but because she herself thought it was quite nice.
Rebuffed, Elysia still smiled, her bright eyes shining.
"Mobius, what are you looking at?"
Elysia followed Mobius's line of sight out the window.
The sky was a lighter shade of gray than before, but the rain was falling even more fiercely.
The heavy rain pattered down, splashing white droplets on rooftops, streets, and billboards. The ground was a vast expanse of white, as if draped in a layer of ethereal white gauze.
However, without the proper authority, Elysia was unable to "see" it—
The bus stop in the downpour, the drenched silver hair and skin, the rising steam and panting breaths…
Within that small space, like an isolated island far out at sea, the storm raged even more violently.
"The evolution of life lies in [Metamorphosis]," Mobius suddenly said in a low, distant voice, her eyes focused.
"This has always been the direction of Mobius's research."
Metamorphosis held the potential for the "infinite."
If one were to ask who among the Flame-Chasers was most likely to approach the truth, Elysia would absolutely nominate Mobius first.
Dr. MEI?
Elysia wouldn't compare them, but Dr. MEI was too comprehensive. In certain aspects, she lacked Mobius's purity of focus.
There was another astounding genius, but to call her a "sage in pursuit of the truth"... that didn't quite fit the impression she gave.
Mobius crossed her arms. "Elysia, what exactly is [Metamorphosis]? And who gets to define it?"
"Perhaps… no one can define it? Every person, every sapient life form, has its own unique characteristics," Elysia replied, her eyes as brilliant as a sea of stars.
Although she and Mobius rarely had such conversations, every time they did, it was at a "major turning point."
And the [Metamorphosis] Mobius spoke of now clearly had a different meaning.
Even if they weren't perfectly in sync, they could accurately grasp the meaning the other wished to convey.
Snake-Snake's head of light green hair cascaded down to her calves. In this moment, she looked more like an elf than Elysia did. She stared at the bus stop, invisible to her, where the heavy rain washed over the roof and the road, while inside, the air was thick and foul.
Mobius said, "The process of evolution is not beautiful; it can even be utterly foul. But only by experiencing this squalid process can we truly understand the beauty of life."
"…That's judging by the outcome alone. No one ever decreed that the 'process' must be ugly."
"You're wrong, Elysia. It must be pointed out that I do not only look at the results."
Elysia knew that, of course. Even if she couldn't be an "understander" of Mobius like Klein, she would never misinterpret her.
Mobius raised a slender hand. The delicate little hand emitted a faint white glow in the dim space.
Snake-Snake spread her fingers, then clenched them into a fist as if to grasp something.
"Guilt, immorality, possessiveness, longing, a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of dominance… they all intertwine to form a 'cocoon.' And when all these feelings erupt in a single moment—
Such a sweet and dangerous 'fruit.' Don't you want a taste, Elysia?"
The pink elf stared blankly at Mobius. "You mean… the power of the [Contract] is related to emotions? To 'break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly,' one must experience extreme emotions?"
That's not right!
Based on her own personal experience, it was clearly…
And Mr. Ye Feng had confirmed it.
From Elysia's expression, Mobius knew what she was thinking, and she wasn't wrong.
"Mm, that is one method," Mobius paused. "I wonder if Elysia has heard a certain phrase from Shenzhou?"
"What phrase?"
Mobius looked at Elysia's pure, flawless face and gave a wicked smile. "Rì jiǔ shēng qíng."
"…"
Impossible!
How could something like that happen!
Mobius chuckled. "The 'rì' refers to daily interaction. It means that after spending a long time together, feelings will naturally develop. Isn't that perfectly normal? I even grow attached to a scalpel I've used for a long time, let alone another person."
"…?"
"Hmm? Elysia, why are you looking at me like that? What did you think I was talking about?"
"…"
Elysia's face immediately flushed red.
She really felt there was something wrong with her lately; her mind always drifted in that direction.
Could it be true, as Mr. Ye Feng had said, that "I've been shaped into his form"?
Seeing Elysia's flustered state, Snake-Snake couldn't help but straighten her back, finally feeling a sense of vindication.
She hadn't relied on any external force or underhanded tricks, but had simply gained the upper hand through words alone.
Mobius proudly lifted her small chin.
But when her gaze fell upon the bus stop in the rain, her chin lowered again, her eyes filled with a distant gloom.
She harbored a tangled mess of thoughts that she couldn't sort out.
Mobius herself didn't quite understand what she was doing anymore.
"Heehee, are you thinking about your 'Father'?"
Elysia's embarrassment lasted only a second before she was her energetic self again.
Looking at the pink elf's bright smile, Mobius gritted her teeth.
"This is why I hate you so much."
---o---
St. Freya Academy.
The library.
Although the New Year's holiday had just ended, the place was already packed with people.
"Kiana, so you're here."
A transcendentally beautiful girl walked over, her figure light and graceful.
Kiana caught a faint, elusive fragrance, like a lonely flower in a snowy field. She looked up and was instantly stunned.
Whoa! Who is this beauty?
The girl before her had beautiful silver hair. The smooth strands were unadorned, cascading down her back like a waterfall, the ends curling into waves, adding a touch of gentle charm.
What was even more striking was her figure. Though petite, she gave off an impression of exquisite curves. But upon closer inspection, Kiana would realize with a start that she had no curves at all… so where did that feeling of curvaceousness come from?
"Kiana?"
The silver-haired girl tilted her head. Her lips were adorned with a fresh touch of vermilion, vibrant and alluring.
"Is there something strange on Bronya's face?"
"Bronya… you're…"
"The Valkyrie assessment is coming up soon. Bronya also needs to come to the library to review her lessons. I can't go all out in combat practice, but Bronya doesn't plan on losing to anyone in academics."
"No, it's not that…"
Kiana's head was buzzing as she stared at Bronya.
Her signature spiral twin-tails were gone, replaced by long hair with naturally wavy ends.
Could a simple change in hairstyle bring about such a world-altering transformation?
Kiana could barely recognize her.
If the Bronya from before was a flower bud… no, a flower seed, then the Bronya now was like a tender pink sprout that had been thoroughly irrigated by rainwater.
She wasn't like this when she left this morning… eh? Wait!
Kiana remembered. Bronya had slept in again today.
She had probably only just woken up.
Could it be that sleeping in has a beautifying effect?
Bronya sat down next to Kiana. Her smooth skin was as translucent as jade, with a tempting pinkish hue.
Her gaze was gentle and limpid, as clear as water, and still carried the lingering afterglow of something.
Just looking at her made Kiana feel slightly tipsy.
Extremely captivating.
"What is Kiana looking at?"
Bronya leaned her head over.
Kiana snapped back to her senses, feeling the urge to slap herself.
She had actually been mesmerized by this little squirt Bronya?
Kiana, oh, Kiana, what are you doing!
The knightly spirit of the Kaslana family is about to be tarnished!
Bronya paid it no mind. She looked at Kiana's notebook, which was covered in dense formulas.
With just a glance, Bronya generally understood it all.
The Little Bug was mainly trying to prove the fx-model concept within the quantum tide-imaginary space theory, as well as the counter-directional deduction of the quasi-numerical linear model on the quantum collapse theory.
The Little Bug used the f(e)⅔ propulsion theory to demonstrate the application process of quantum fluid in imaginary space.
Bronya thought the Little Bug's method was excellent. It transformed the unconstrained uncertainty equation into a nonlinear dynamical system, then used linear stability theory to obtain the characteristic equation. After discretization, it performed a matrix transformation to calculate the critical imaginary values under different waves.
"Huh, Kiana was able to deduce it this far? What a genius idea."
Bronya praised her sincerely, with none of her previous sharp-tongued rivalry.
Kiana was still in a state of utter confusion, more baffled than if she had been asked to solve a math problem a year ago.
She lowered her voice. "I am the Herrscher of the Void, you know. Isn't this kind of knowledge just common sense?"
The notebook contained content on mathematical analysis or the functional analysis of quantum-imaginary numbers. Judging from the symbols and expressions, it might involve:
Homodirectional subspace, defining the properties of the quantum wave function and the integrability conditions of its derivatives.
Imaginary-quantum inequality, possibly describing the boundedness of particles derived from imaginary numbers.
Honkai transformation and related properties, involving the analysis of a function's properties in the frequency domain.
Bronya said, "None of this will be on the test, will it?"
"Hmph, my goal is the sea of stars."
Otherwise, wouldn't all the shock she endured while studying with Ye Feng have been for nothing?
Since that dog Ye Feng had forcefully crammed all this knowledge into her brain, she had to make damn good use of it!
"Mm, keep it up. You can do it, Kiana."
"Keep what up, you big-headed ghost!"
Kiana grabbed the silver-haired girl's shoulders. "Bronya, what's wrong with you? Did something happen to you?"
"Nothing at all."
Bronya replied gently.
Right now, she just felt an unprecedented sense of ease, as if she could accomplish anything.
"That's strange. Why does Kiana ask that? Oh, are you talking about Bronya's hairstyle? I just wanted to try something new occasionally. There's no need for Kiana to make such a big fuss, is there?"
PS: ε=(′ο｀*))) Sigh, still haven't fixed my sleep schedule.