Honkai Impact 3rd: I picked up a Seele at the start of the game.

"..."

A chaotic and noisy sound rang in my ears, as if a viscous liquid was enveloping me. In the ebb and flow, I vaguely felt proof of my own "existence," but I could not escape this drowsy mystery.

Then let us wallow in it.

Breathing is like the tide, rising and falling, sometimes suffocating and sometimes refreshing.

Consciousness is like duckweed, rising and falling, its whereabouts unknown.

He had a great dream.

In my dream, a pink-haired girl held up a bouquet of pink flowers and smiled at him, saying, "Today is my birthday, but it's also your day. These flowers are for you; may we always move forward together, and be happy forever!"

He remained silent.

The bouquet of flowers was placed in the girl's living room. Interestingly, although it was just an ordinary bouquet, it remained vibrant for ten years without fading.

-

In her dream, the pink-haired girl finished her travels around the world and sat down alone on the rooftop, dangling her plump legs. She looked down at the bustling city below, biting into a bland white bread, lost in thought.

She suddenly asked, "Hey, isn't it beautiful?"

He remained silent.

The girl's eyes sparkled with a unique light, beautiful and dazzling, crystal clear and moving. She murmured, "I've experienced so much in this world—people's kindness, courage, wisdom, diligence, trust... as well as cruelty, cowardice, foolishness, laziness, deception..."

Her hand unconsciously tightened around the bread bag, and she continued to mutter to herself, "But people like these still make me incredibly happy. Because, no matter what, everyone is moving towards a better tomorrow."

Alicia swallowed the last bite of bread and smiled at him: "God, is this what you want me to see?"

He remained silent.

I'll take that as your agreement!

The once naive girl has now grown into a young woman, but her expression remains as innocent and naive as ever.

She said, "After that, I tried to join the Firemoth. The organization that once searched for us was the predecessor of the Firemoth."

"...Aren't you afraid?"

Aren't you leaving Vostok-51 because you're afraid of being discovered?

"You finally spoke!" The girl seemed very happy, smiling brightly. "It's not that I'm afraid of being discovered, but I'm afraid of implicating the orphanage and everyone in the town. Once I join the Firemoth, maybe no one will bring this up again?"

Who knows? Anyway, you're always so optimistic.

He remained silent.

Only when the sun had set and all sunlight had faded from the world did she finally have enough of the human realm. With a leap, she left this place like an elf.

-

In her dream, the beautiful girl finished a day's battle and dragged her tired body to the rooftop. She stared blankly at the ruined city below and the warriors sweeping around, while biting into the energy meal of the Fire-Chasing Moth.

She suddenly asked, "Are you Honkai?"

He remained silent.

The naive teenage girl has grown into a graceful lady, but she still looks childish, with her arms wrapped around her knees, much like a wounded little animal.

She murmured to herself, "I know I'm very different from humans. I possess special powers and great talents, a flawless physique that ordinary humans don't have, and..."

“In fact, I have a very, very special identity.”

As each Herrscher screamed the word "God" before perishing in a fit of rage, Alicia's intuition and perception couldn't help but remind her of him.

If I am the daughter of a god, then he must be the god, right? But what god are those Heralds calling for?

Or perhaps, they are completely equivalent. He is the sole god, and I am the Herrscher?

Having witnessed the Herrscher and the destruction of the city, Alicia felt as if her heart was being squeezed, making it difficult to breathe.

"...It has nothing to do with you."

He finally spoke: "The Honkai was born because of me, but I am not the Honkai. The Herrscher arose because of me, and I was born because of the Herrscher... That's all."

"You are Alicia, that's enough."

The girl smiled faintly: "If that's the case, does that mean that sooner or later I'll become like them?"

To transform into the hate-filled, violent, and ruthless Herrscher? To recklessly destroy everything once loved?

"You are Alicia."

He repeated it again, and then fell silent.

"..."

Yes, I am Alicia, the eternal paradise, the flawless haven...

Muttering this word, the girl, exhausted both mentally and physically, fell into a deep sleep on the rooftop. When she awoke again, she had already been taken back to base by the Fire Moths.

-

In her dream, for some unknown reason, the beautiful girl suddenly understood.

She apologized for her doubts from a few days ago, then straightened her back, said her name, and smiled.

He remained silent.

Alicia continued to tease Mebius, Me, Gretchen, Hua, and so on, just as usual. Here, we can thankfully note that Blanca is already married.

It was later learned that after Alicia fell into a coma, everyone assumed she had collapsed from exhaustion during the battle. Back at the base, many people came to visit her, even Mebius secretly came to see her, though he hid well, Alicia still discovered him.

Everyone likes her.

Although she had that identity, no one knew the truth. Under these circumstances, the "human" named "Alicia" was indeed loved by many people.

------

------

In my dream, that scene played out again. (The End of Alicia in the previous cycle)

"..."

"To exist in the form of a human being, to live like a human being, to experience the complex emotions of human joy, anger, sorrow and happiness, and to embrace all of this with love."

"I am a Herrscher, and I am human... but also a beautiful girl as dazzling as a falling flower?~"

"..."

"Peace is joy, and only then can there be life in the world."

"I finally understand what the Elysian realm I've been searching for truly is."

"..."

"I will bestow upon you the blessing of humanity. I hope that the Herrscher will no longer be a symbol of destruction and resentment, but will be able to receive the redemption of love, just as I have."

"I will bestow upon you the radiance of humanity. I hope that the gods can truly hear our voices and bring spring breezes, sunshine, and sweet rain to the world."

"..."

"We made a promise, okay? This time, you're not allowed to lie to me again! Otherwise, I'm really going to lie on the ground and cry my eyes out!"

"……it is good."

"Well then, see you in the future! ~ I don't know how long I'll have to wait, but I'll keep waiting!"

"……Um."

"Let's call the protagonist of that story Yun Fu Yu, right? The clouds drifting aimlessly in the wind, the rain condensing and falling back to earth. And most importantly, Fu—heh heh~ you're not the protagonist, I am!"

"It's up to you."

"However, I guess you'll eventually leave me, won't you? That girl named Seele seems to be very, very important to you."

"……Yes."

"...That's strange, I have a feeling that something of mine has been stolen."

"..."

"Alright! Omnipotent gods, may you answer one last question for me?"

"it is good."

The girl pondered for a moment, then said, word by word, "If everything we've experienced is false, if everything we've experienced can be altered and repeated under your will, then what is the meaning of our existence? What is our will worth?"

Are we merely puppets of the gods, to be manipulated at will?

"...You have two questions."

"!!!...Don't change the subject!"

He sighed, and for the first time, instead of avoiding the topic, he answered earnestly:

"A flower in a mirror, the moon in the water, the world is hazy, but my heart remains unchanged."

"..."

She eventually believed it, smiled, and accepted it calmly.

"I will always love you all, and I will always remember you all. The last love I can give you is to dedicate the rest of my life to saving you all—for this, I will do anything."

"And you are my last pillar of support, the anchor that keeps me from losing myself in that chaotic ocean of cause and effect."

She took one last, longing look at the human world and made a wish: "I will return when the fireworks of the human world are lit again."

Then, he resolutely devoted himself to it.

……

But in the end, all people know is that

When the mountain flowers were blooming, she smiled in the bushes.

That most beautiful and special color in my memory will never come back.

------

"...!!!"

The dream ended abruptly.

Yun Fuyu wiped away her inexplicable tears and, amidst the strange looks from Mebius and Klein, smiled and said she was fine.

"Perhaps... it was just a beautiful dream that I didn't want to leave."

"..."

(End of this chapter)

------

Do you remember the fairy tale Alicia told?

There are two different endings: "The gods grant her a chance to save everything," and "The gods ignore humanity, and she angrily usurps the gods."

In fact, both endings are correct, and both actually happened.

At the end of the first cycle, the supreme god was born, granting her a second chance. In the second cycle, He discovered the far more severe consequences, and thus remained indifferent. The usurper, Erinis, was born.

※Important Note※ But after Seele got involved, the story changed again in the second playthrough, as mentioned above—Alicia went to do something and never came back.

※Important Note※ Combined with the ending of the previous chapter, where he said, "Alicia, I am not as good as you," it's clear how heavy the price Alicia paid was, a price even the highest god wouldn't accept. (In other words, even though Alicia usurped the throne, after bearing this price, she still "can never come back.")

Therefore, both endings are correct and both actually happened. They are different manifestations of different timelines, and also an integral part of a larger plan.

~

And now, the third cycle begins again.

The real Alicia from the 'past timeline' is the Alicia who appears in the next pre-civilization era. The real Alicia from the 'present timeline' has already embarked on her journey and will be seen again in the 'future'.

I will return when the world is bustling with life again.

Stay tuned.