In the world of Honkai—
Izumi's sudden removal of Cecilia had caused a ripple effect.
Countless variables shifted.
Countless possibilities collapsed.
And yet—
Somehow, the world corrected itself.
Even without Cecilia, the "flow" of fate was forcibly stabilized by a certain unseen will.
The timeline was repaired.
And thus—
Kiana Kaslana was still born.
However—
This Kiana had no connection to Cecilia whatsoever.
...
Meanwhile, in Izumi's world—
Cecilia lay quietly on a medical bed inside Aogiri Aika's research facility.
Aika leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"…Interesting."
"There's a very peculiar kind of energy inside her body."
Her fingers danced across a floating interface as countless data streams flowed.
Something entirely new—
Something she had never encountered before.
That alone was enough to excite her.
Izumi, standing nearby, simply smiled.
"That should be her unique power."
"Honkai energy."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
After all—
He knew exactly what kind of existence Cecilia was.
Aika froze for a moment.
"Honkai energy?"
"What kind of power is that?"
"A new world's energy system?"
Her expression quickly turned annoyed.
"…Why didn't you bring more samples back?"
"Seriously, don't you know how to collect 'souvenirs'?"
"You just brought back a girl instead?!"
Izumi fell silent.
…That was actually a fair point.
After thinking for a moment, he pulled out a card.
A faint glow gathered in his hand.
This—
Was a Transfer Card.
A tool that could copy and grant abilities.
Izumi had several of them.
Since Aika wanted something to study—
He might as well give her something worthwhile.
A surge of white light flashed.
The power of the Herrscher of Reason—within Izumi—was copied onto the card.
He casually tossed it to her.
"Here."
"Study that."
"And when she wakes up, explain the situation."
"I'll leave it to you."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
The research room, filled with strange fluids and instruments, was not exactly his preferred environment.
Aika, meanwhile, caught the card and pouted.
But she quickly activated it.
In an instant—
A new power surged within her.
Her pupils shrank slightly.
"…Analysis. Reconstruction."
"I see…"
"As long as I understand something, I can recreate it?"
Her lips curled into an excited grin.
"So that's how he builds things like warships…"
She raised her hand—
And casually constructed a handgun out of thin air.
"…This is amazing."
Soon, multiple CAD devices materialized around her, deploying layers of modern magic formulas.
Her eyes gleamed.
"How interesting…!"
"That idiot should've given me this earlier!"
Despite her complaints—
She was already completely absorbed in her research.
At that moment—
Cecilia slowly opened her eyes.
"…Where am I?"
Her voice was soft, filled with confusion.
She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Then suddenly sat up.
Aika glanced at her briefly.
"Oh, you're awake."
"It was Izumi who saved you."
"And just so you know—this isn't your world anymore."
"You're in another world."
"If you have questions, go ask him."
"He's the one who brought you here."
She pointed casually toward the exit before returning to her work.
Cecilia froze.
"…Another world?"
Her mind struggled to process it.
Impossible.
And yet—
Something felt undeniably real.
Slowly, she turned her head toward the window.
And then—
Her pupils contracted.
Outside—
Was a completely different world.
The research facility was built along the branches of a colossal tree.
From the window, she could see—
Endless skyscrapers stretching into the distance.
Multiple celestial bodies hanging clearly in the sky.
Strange floating constructs resembling chess pieces drifting in the air.
Everything—
Everything—
Was different.
"…So it's true…"
Her voice trembled.
She slowly stepped out of bed.
Following the pathways along the tree branches, she walked outside.
Below—
A vast plaza spread out.
Further down—
An enormous city thrived.
People lived—
On a tree.
The sheer scale shattered her understanding of reality.
"…This…"
"…This is unbelievable…"
...
As she descended along the path—
She soon spotted a group.
At the center—
A young man.
Surrounded by several young girls, laughing and playing.
And a few stunningly beautiful women nearby.
That man—
Was Izumi.
He noticed her immediately.
"Oh, you're awake."
"How are you feeling?"
Cecilia took a deep breath.
Then stepped forward—
And bowed deeply.
"…Thank you for saving me."
Izumi waved it off casually.
"Just happened to be passing by."
"Saw you getting blasted away, so I picked you up."
He smiled slightly.
"I'm Izumi. Nice to meet you."
Cecilia straightened up and nodded politely.
"…Cecilia Schariac."
"Please take care of me."
The others nearby observed her with curiosity.
After brief introductions—
The atmosphere eased.
Izumi then began explaining this world.
The rules.
The system.
The laws governing everything.
As Cecilia listened—
Her eyes slowly lit up.
"A world… where everything is decided by games?"
She whispered softly.
A world without war.
Without killing.
Without endless destruction.
"…What a peaceful world…"
A faint sadness crossed her face.
"If only… our world could be like this…"
Her voice trailed off.
In her world—
There was only conflict.
Honkai.
War.
Endless suffering.
But here—
Everything was different.
And for the first time—
Cecilia felt something she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Hope.