Eden gave a light laugh: "Mei, do you remember what I once told you?"
"This is a secret guarded by only a few of the Flame-Chasers. I'm sorry, but without their permission, I cannot reveal everything outright."
"More than a talisman, it is a token—a key… sealing an unknown chapter of the past within this brilliant array of colors."
Mei remembered this very clearly: "It was… that final banquet?"
"Of course I remember…"
"That is only natural. The Elysia within the Elysian Realm never truly experienced what happened that night."
"So the only ones who could bury it here… are the others."
Eden said: "The four who personally attended the banquet… also the four who watched her leave this world that night."
"That banquet was one Elysia prepared for her own farewell. She arranged everything for it—including, of course, her own final act as a Herrscher."
"We will never forget what happened that day. Because of that, we preserved those memories and divided the key to unlocking them into four parts."
"Now the four crystal flowers have gathered. This means all the keepers of the secret have acknowledged your will."
"So… the time has come to bring everything from back then into the light once more."
"Miss Mei, the rest… is all entrusted to you…"
Eden took her hand. The radiance of the crystal flowers intertwined, weaving together the most precious memories of the singer at the end of an era.
"Please… be sure to bring Elysia… bring our hope back into this world."
Awakening from the hazy past, what Mei saw was Eden holding her golden wine glass, reclining gently against the sofa.
Tiny motes of light drifted from her body, merging into the scattered specks of memory light within the memory space.
Everything seemed no different from their first meeting in the Elysian Realm, yet…
…this was the end.
Mei hesitated before speaking: "Eden…"
"May I… ask you one last question?"
Eden said: "Of course, Miss Mei. All the time I have left… belongs entirely to you."
Mei said: "There is one thing I simply cannot figure out no matter how hard I think…"
"At the moment when Fire Moth was falling apart and she herself was under suspicion and facing life-or-death, in order to unite the remaining people, Elysia voluntarily became the Thirteenth Herrscher and stood on the opposite side of humanity…"
"In the end, she sacrificed herself to bring the world back on track…"
"This is the history I could deduce from the Elysian Realm archives and the scattered words of the Flame-Chasers… but…"
"But…"
"…"
"…is that really what happened?"
"Leaving aside how she could voluntarily become a Herrscher or how a single sacrifice could suddenly awaken everyone—if that truly was Elysia's final fate…"
"Then why was the entire history of the Thirteenth Herrscher… erased and turned into something wiped from record?"
Eden said: "Miss Mei… you really are very clever."
"You've already noticed that this account contains many inconsistencies…"
"Because it is only an account—one fabricated to explain to others and to future generations why she left."
"And there is only one explanation that can turn all those inconsistencies into something reasonable…"
"That is the truth you have been searching for all along."
Eden smiled.
"…Is that so?" Mei felt her heart suddenly clench. The answer she had been pursuing all this time was already rising to the surface. "So…"
Memories of the past flooded back—those casual, offhand conversations had already hinted at the truth long ago.
"Yeah… maybe I really did tell a very big lie. The only lie of my entire life."
"After all… even I get scared, you know."
"Mmm… I wonder how I did? What will everyone think of me…? Judging from their reactions, the result should have been good, right?"
"Otherwise… there wouldn't have been an Elysia in the Elysian Realm…"
"…Haha, thank you, Mei."
"To meet you in this way… I really feel so lucky. You've given me… the gift I always longed for but never dared to hope for."
Elysia's fragmented words now connected into a single thread, guiding everything toward the one and only answer.
"So… Elysia…"
Mei found it hard to believe such an answer. It completely contradicted her initial impression, yet it was also the answer she had been seeking all along—the one question she could finally ask only now.
She opened her mouth, and after a long pause, the words came out: "…She was never actually the Thirteenth Herrscher, was she?"
"Mm." Eden gave a gentle nod, confirming it: "Thirteen was a false number."
"She told the world a lie… simply so that, at the moment of parting, she could finally speak the truth to the people she loved."
"Miss Mei, I'm very glad… that in the end, you found the answer yourself."
"This is what you have been searching for all along—the final secret buried within the Elysian Realm."
"Elysia, the second Flame-Chaser, bearer of the Ego inscription—this girl who loved everyone so deeply…"
"She was born a Herrscher."
"…"
The sorrow in Mei's heart surged like an unstoppable spring: "So… this is the truth?"
"No wonder Kevin suffered so much. No wonder Mobius called her a traitor. No wonder someone like me made her feel such joy…"
"If all of this is real, then the true self beneath her smile…"
"…must have been so lonely… so sad…"
The moment this answer was revealed,
audiences across the entire nation were stunned.
The official chat group exploded instantly.
"AHHHHHHHH why is the answer like this, why did it turn out this way—Elysia was never pink-cutting-black! She was always this beautiful!"
"Traitor… what traitor? Mobius was just being stubborn with her words."
"So that's how it was… no wonder Kevin kept inviting Herrschers to join World Serpent from the moment he appeared. No wonder World Serpent was so interested in fully-feathered Herrschers like Mei… it was all so Elysia could see it, wasn't it?"
"So… every time Elysia responded to Mei, always appearing happily in front of her—it wasn't for any ulterior motive. She was just genuinely happy to see someone like herself, right?"
"No wonder… no wonder Elysia kept saying she and Mei were the same kind. She never lied once."
"Who the hell was calling Elysia pink-cut-black before? Now that she's actually been cut open, why are you all crying?"
"Because… because… she really has been cut open, and we can't put her back together… my Elysia."
"Wuwuwuwu… I'm crying so hard. Earlier Mobius also said the answer Mei had been searching for was in the hall. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it was referring to Elysia all along."
"I finally understand why Kevin cared about Elysia so much. In that hopeless era of the Previous Civilization, every Herrscher was an enemy—yet Elysia stood on humanity's side, helped everyone defeat Herrschers, and in the end even made Kevin personally kill her so that the fractured humanity could unite on one front. How could he not be heartbroken? My heart hurts so much."
"Why… why do the final answers have to hurt me this badly? I'm really going to cry, but everyone really is so wonderful. I love them so much."
"AHHH damn director, why can't you just give the Flame-Chasers a better ending?!"
"…"
Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
In the rest room.
Kiana was already in tears: "So… when Kevin invited me to join World Serpent, it was for this reason? Why did I refuse?!"
Bronya was also tearful: "Bronya… in the Sea of Quanta not only rejected Kevin but even scolded him. Bronya is such a big jerk. Bronya should have gone with Kevin to World Serpent."
Durandal gently wiped her tears: "The answer we had been seeking all along was this. Elysia never lied from the very beginning. She was so perfect, so sincere… and we actually doubted her…"
Rita felt some regret: "How could I have doubted her? From the start, she was the most trustworthy person."
Elysia was deeply moved.
She looked at Eden beside her: "Eden… my dear Eden, I'm really so touched. I'm a little worried… is this making me sound too perfect?"
Eden gently patted the back of her hand and said softly: "This is how Hessian sees you. In his heart, you have always been this flawless. Perhaps he really succeeded—everyone who watches Honkai Impact 3rd will fall in love with you."
"Mhm mhm~"
Elysia nodded vigorously and looked at Hessian beside her: "Thank you, hubby…"
Hessian smiled and said: "Wife, don't get too emotional yet. There's still more to come."
"Okay~"
Elysia was genuinely overjoyed.
She went straight to Hessian's side, letting him hold her, and only then did she feel at ease to continue watching the plot.
The others were also deeply moved by this segment of the drama. They didn't continue to bother Hessian and chose not to disturb their atmosphere.
On the television,
Eden continued speaking: "If it were Elysia, she would probably say it like this…"
"It isn't sorrow, but a kind of joy. Joy for the happiness once possessed, and anticipation for the miracles that will still appear in the future."
"Look, Miss Mei—your arrival… is exactly the miracle she had been waiting for."
"As for loneliness… Elysia really was a girl who feared being alone. Like a crystal flower—beautiful, flawless, yet also extremely fragile."
"She loved humanity so deeply… and wanted so much… to become human herself."
"That was the cross she carried throughout her life—and in the end… the destination she reached by transcending fate."
"So… Miss Mei, please go in our place and witness that ending."
"Elysia will be waiting for you behind that door. And your journey will finally bloom at the end of all memories…"
"With this, the final task of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers here… is complete."
"…" Mei's heart felt unbearably heavy: "I understand."
"Thank you, Eden. I promise you."
Fairy Ellie said excitedly: "Oh! Is hide-and-seek about to start? I'm so looking forward to it!"
"I've never lost at hide-and-seek, so we'll definitely find her, right? Definitely!"
Mei nodded: "…Yes. Definitely."
Eden looked at the two of them and smiled gently: "It feels like it's been a very long time since I had such a relaxed moment. It reminds me of the days when I first met her."
"Whenever she had free time, Elysia would come find me. Back then, we would sit together like this, sharing a drink. One glass of wine could keep us talking all day."
"Even if it was just aimless chatter, it still felt completely fulfilling."
"How nostalgic."
"Unfortunately… this time I have to say goodbye to her early again."
"But although I won't be able to watch the final curtain with Elysia… I believe this time…"
"She will still give us the most beautiful ending… right?"
"Then please allow me to sing one last song as your send-off, Miss Mei…"
"Using the song she loved most…"
"Elysia, my friend…"
"May you and I never part. May time… remain forever in this moment…"
Eden's singing slowly rose. As a major star—both in Honkai Impact 3rd and in the real world—she had countless fans. Her voice was the very symbol of this era.
As the song flowed gently upward, sorrow rose in countless hearts. Everyone seemed to see the end of the Previous Era.
But this song did not finish. It stopped abruptly…
Mei looked at the wine still remaining in the cup in front of her—as though it were waiting for someone to complete the unfinished melody.
And behind her.
The final door stood there.
A door forged by the sacrifice of countless people.
A door condensed from memories and longing.
It gathered everyone's final wish before reaching the end—
And now, at last, it opened.
Mei had no time for sorrow.
She had to move forward.
"I'm ready."
"Come, Elysia. Show me everything from that banquet."
"And… all of you."
Mei stepped through the door.
The final banquet. Memories poured out like a spring, unfolding before all the viewers.
"Alright, from now on let these stay by your side as Elysia."
"Even if I leave, these four crystal flowers will never wither. So…"
"Everyone… smile, okay?"
"Come, Vill-V." She handed the crystal flower matching Vill-V's color to her.
"I'm sorry… I really told a huge lie. I hope the 'Thirteenth Herrscher of Self' story doesn't cause you too much trouble."
"After all… I'm such a special existence… telling the truth would probably only cause even greater chaos."