The Untouchable One

She looked at the expressionless young man before her and said, "Feng, why are you taking Kevin's cold, brooding handsome guy route too? You're one of the poster boys for Fusion Warriors now, after all. It wouldn't be good if your image overlapped with Kevin's. Smile a little, okay?"

In her memories, he did not smile often either, but his features had always been gentle. They had never been as stiff as they were now, as cold as Kevin's. If Kevin's gaze carried melancholy, then Feng's was simply cold.

The young man froze for a moment, then seemed to try raising the corners of his mouth. But that smile... was truly hard to describe.

Even a fake smile would have looked better than that expression.

She furrowed her lovely brows, stepped forward, and pinched his cheeks with both hands. Then she took half a step back and said with satisfaction, "Now that's what a smile looks like. What was that expression just now? Don't tell me your surgery's side effect was making you forget how to smile?"

Maintaining that expression, the young man reached up to touch his face, as though he wanted to memorize it. Even his gaze upon her softened as he said, "Yes... I forgot how to smile. What a terrifying side effect... Thank you, Elysia."

"You're welcome. We've always been friends, after all!" she said with a smile. She wanted to tell him that their relationship would never grow distant just because he had been too embarrassed to face her and hidden away at the European branch for nearly a year.

The young man looked at her tenderly, just as he had in the past, but she felt as though something was missing.

"Then... Elysia, did you come to see me for something?" he asked.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." She took out an invitation and placed it in his hand. "To encourage Kevin to recover soon and overcome his depression, I've specially organized a banquet exclusively for Fusion Warriors!"

The young man lowered his head to look at the invitation, his smile turning somewhat helpless. "I understand. I'll attend. After all, Kevin can't keep wasting away like this."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Feng, why do I feel like you're different from before somehow?"

"Am I?" The young man blinked. "Maybe... I've finally matured? Or perhaps becoming a Fusion Warrior made me more handsome?"

She gave him a once-over. "You are a little more handsome than before..."

But something still felt off...

Oh, right. Before, whenever he saw her talking with Kevin, his expression had always been strange. He had also spoken rather sharply to Kevin. But after returning from Europe this time, he had gone to apologize to Kevin first, and the two of them got along well now?

Feng really had become more mature.

That was what she thought.

"Then make sure you come on time~" She waved at the young man before going off to find the next Fusion Warrior and deliver another invitation.

The young man continued watching her with a smile, saying nothing.

On Kevin's birthday, the young man arrived as promised. His gift for Kevin was a pair of exquisitely crafted bracelets, one for Kevin and one for Mei. Even she was surprised. "Feng, since when did you have such good taste? What a beautiful pair of bracelets."

Even Kevin's usually expressionless face revealed a hint of surprise. "Feng, you..."

"Take them." The young man placed the gift box containing the bracelets into Kevin's hands. "May you and Mei hold hands through every hardship and overcome every obstacle together."

"Thank you, Feng." Kevin solemnly accepted his gift. "You must have put a great deal of thought into these bracelets, didn't you?"

The young man froze, then said a little sheepishly, "Well... it wasn't really my idea. I only paid for them. Lilith helped me choose them. I've never had much confidence in my own taste. If you like them, then I'm relieved. Sorry they weren't chosen by me..."

Lilith was the assistant the young man had brought back from the European branch.

"That's all right. Mei and I have both truly received your goodwill." Kevin put a hand on the young man's shoulder and looked toward Mei.

Mei nodded gently as well, indicating that the young man need not mind.

She suddenly remembered the gift the young man had sent her over a month ago. "Feng, the necklace you gave me before... Lilith chose that too, didn't she?"

"Y-yes," the young man replied. "What's wrong? Don't tell me... you didn't like it?"

She hurriedly said, "How could that be? Lilith has such wonderful taste. I really like that necklace~"

Though... she would have preferred a gift chosen by the young man himself.

"That's good." The young man nodded.

Then, until the birthday banquet ended, the young man merely stood in a corner, silently watching everyone chat and laugh. After all, he had always been shy and disliked speaking in such lively settings.

That wouldn't do. Next time, she would have to throw him a birthday party too and turn Feng into a cheerful boy as soon as possible. That was what she thought.

But in the end, she never got that chance.

During the Eighth Herrscher Incident, Lilith fell into slumber after being affected by the Eighth Herrscher's genetic-factor weapon. During that time, she watched the young man seek out Mobius again and again, all so Lilith could awaken. To be honest, she was unexpectedly unhappy about it, though she did not know why.

She still remembered the scene of the young man confessing to her.

Come to think of it... should she give him an answer? But she felt that the time had not yet come. She did not even know whether what she felt for him was truly called love. A hasty answer like that would surely not do.

After Lilith awoke, she held a birthday banquet for the young man before Elysia could, using repaying him as an excuse. Naturally, she invited Elysia as well.

But she had not expected that it would be the only birthday banquet of his she would ever attend.

Because afterward, at Lilith's suggestion, the young man formed the Thirteen Fallen Angels. Every one of his birthdays became an internal team-building event for the Thirteen Fallen Angels.

She had expressed her dissatisfaction to him, but the young man said somewhat awkwardly, "I... don't really like overly lively atmospheres. If there are too many people, I find it uncomfortable instead. Besides... if I were really inviting people, there would be too many people I'd want to invite."

Then why not invite only me? She wanted to say that, but ultimately did not. What he said did make sense, and besides, she and he did not share any special relationship...

"Sorry, Feng. I... may not be able to give you an answer right now. Could you give me some time?"

"Is it because I'm not a hero like Kevin?"

"Why would you think that? Feng, you are yourself. You don't need to become anyone else."

"But... I understand. Sorry, I was too presumptuous."

"It's all right. I don't mind."

"But I'll still work hard to become a hero. After all... I really do like you, and I want to receive more of your attention, just like Kevin does..."

"Mm, then let's make a promise. I'll keep watching you too, until you become the hero you want to become. Perhaps by then, I'll know my answer."

"...I understand."

And so, just as promised, she truly watched over him and paid attention to every piece of news about him.

She was happy for every victory he achieved. Though it was somewhat regrettable that whenever her birthday came around, he always had a mission and could not attend, his gifts always arrived on time.

Sometimes, while chatting, she would mention something she had seen in a place where the young man was currently carrying out a mission. When he returned, he would bring her a signature local specialty from that place.

Once, she jokingly said, "I heard that place produces glittering gemstones. Many of Eden's collections came from there. How about bringing one back for me too?"

To her surprise, the young man replied seriously from the other end, "All right."

Then he truly brought her back a gemstone of exceptional quality and appearance.

For all her jokes and whims, the young man always chose to indulge her. She had asked him why, and his answer had been, "Because you deserve it."

She thought that if things continued this way, perhaps one day she would be able to confidently answer his feelings.

Until after the Ninth Herrscher Incident ended, she saw Lilith attending a banquet in full dress and walking alone toward the garden. Driven by curiosity, she followed and saw him, who rarely attended any banquets, as well as Lilith's confession to him.

Just like when he had confessed to her.

She thought he would refuse, because they had made a promise. But... she recalled that so-called "promise." She had not actually given the young man a definite promise, and he had only said that he understood. They had not truly agreed on anything. At the same time, there was a difference between "you deserve it" and "you deserve me doing this for you."

In other words, the latter could be understood as him doing those things because she was someone he loved, while the former meant that she deserved them simply because she was Elysia.

Suddenly... she no longer had the confidence to keep watching...

"Besides, spying on someone else's confession isn't good behavior." That was what she told herself.

But only a few days later, she saw the young man and Lilith each wearing sun-and-moon earrings. His earring was on the right, while Lilith's was on the left.

She wanted to ask the young man why he had accepted Lilith, but she did not know from what position she could ask. After all, if he and Lilith truly loved each other, what identity did she have to question him?

"Lilith may have spent more time with you, but I don't think I understand you any less than she does," she thought unwillingly.

Then came the Eleventh Herrscher Incident, the one that hurt her the most.

It was the first time he chose to oppose her. He stubbornly led the Fallen Angels in an attempt to carry out Vill-V's plan. To stop him, she could only find the other Fusion Warriors and decide to launch the operation first.

As long as they defeated the Herrscher of Binding before he arrived at the battlefield with the innocent civilians, they could stop him.

They should not gamble innocent lives on a plan that was only theoretically feasible, because countless realities had already proven that theory was not necessarily correct.

But there was still a small glimmer of hope in her heart. It was a battle in which no one knew whether they would survive. If he still cared about her... he would surely hurry back, wouldn't he?

The facts proved that he did hurry back, and at the same time, he completely buried every part of their past.

The Fallen Angel Squad was almost entirely wiped out in that battle. Only he survived.

He sat in the morgue where all the Fallen Angels had been laid out for an entire night. At first, she wanted to speak and try to comfort him, but he merely said in an almost icy tone, "Elysia, please let me... have some peace and quiet alone."

She wanted to stay. At the very least... she was still his friend... right?

"Come on, Elysia. Let Feng have some time alone," Kevin said, pulling her away with unusual forcefulness.

From then on, she never saw him again. Or rather, she never saw herself in his eyes again.

And after that, the birthday gift she sent him was returned for the first time, untouched.

To replace the Thirteen Fallen Angels and continue serving as hope for those who remained, she proposed establishing the Fourteen Schicksal system. But in the end, her proposal was rejected, and only the Six Schicksal were permitted.

Later, he personally negotiated with the higher-ups, and only then were the Fourteen Schicksal finally established. Yet their establishment had not been simple either. He refused to become the leader she had proposed, and he was not even willing to serve as deputy leader.

He also continued refusing to meet her. All news was relayed through Kevin and Mei.

At least... he had agreed to the Fourteen Schicksal system, hadn't he? That was what she thought.

Soon, it was her birthday again. She wondered whether he would still be like before, sending her a gift even if he did not appear in person.

That day, the sky darkened especially early. She waited from sunrise until sunset, watching the clock declare that the day had passed. Yet in the end, she saw nothing from him.

What followed immediately was the Twelfth Herrscher Incident, the event that made her finally understand her own feelings.

To protect Ling, he had been struck by Honkai Energy Jamming Bullets fired by soldiers already crushed by despair. This made his body, already riddled with wounds, deteriorate even further, and he nearly died.

Only then did she learn what kind of pain he had endured all this time. Only then did she learn that there had been someone who needed comfort even more than Kevin. Only then did she realize... she loved him.

When she finally saw her own feelings clearly and looked back, the young man he had once been was no longer where he used to stand.

She placed her hand against the operating room window, wanting to touch his pale face as he lay there with his eyes tightly closed. But it was not only the glass that stopped her. There was also the vast distance that no longer allowed the two of them to draw close.

Qianjie and Sakura left. She did not know what they were going to do, nor did she care. Looking at the various instruments inside the operating room, she had never resisted someone's departure so fiercely.

Yet at a time like this, all she could do was watch.

Only after she saw his vital signs return to normal did she leave, having stubbornly stood outside the operating room for an entire day and night. She did not go rest. Instead, she went outside Fire Moth's base and raised her head to gaze at the starry sky she had once gazed upon with him.

"Elysia... you... need to rest." Eden's voice came from behind her.

"It's all right, Eden. Only now does he have the chance to rest properly for a while. Compared with him... this is nothing."

"Elysia..."

"Let me have some quiet time alone, Eden. All right?"

Standing alone beneath the stars, she thought about many things.

She remembered the birthday banquet she had held for Kevin. She had once wondered whether his side effect really was not forgetting how to smile, but... Mobius had strictly forbidden every attempt she made to access his various medical records. She had only told Elysia that it was part of Project: Ascend to Divinity, and that she had neither the need nor the authority to know.

But... why was Lilith allowed to know...

She thought for an entire night. When dawn arrived and sunlight pierced her eyes, she made up her mind to hold one final banquet.

She wrote thirteen invitations, but ultimately sent only one. No matter what, she wanted to see him. Even if there would be no answer anymore, even if he hated her, she wanted to tell him her belated answer.

She could not even deliver this invitation to him herself.

She dressed up carefully for a long, long time. At the place where the banquet would be held, she arranged the fireworks they had once promised to watch together again. She also carefully prepared a crystal flower in the same color as his signet.

Then, she waited for the guests to arrive.

Vill-V, Aponia, Eden...

And finally Kevin, who came carrying his invitation. The moment she saw the invitation in Kevin's hand, her heart nearly broke. Why was he unwilling to see her even one more time?

Whether he loved her or hated her... she only wanted to see him once more.

"This is what he asked me to tell you: 'Those who attend do so because they believe in Elysia, and those who leave do so because they believe in Elysia and refuse to join the crusade.' He has always believed in you," Kevin said.

She did not need him to believe in her!

She only wanted him to appear here!

In the very end, she wanted to give that crystal flower, which belonged only to him, to Eden and ask Eden to pass it on to him for her. But she gave up in the end.

"Tell me, at the end of this story, did I... become human?"

"Of course. Isn't the answer obvious?"

"Tonight, there is no Thirteenth Herrscher here."

"There is only Fire Moth's proud warrior, sleeping eternally here."

"The Flawless One, Elysia."

"Yes... because I became human, I came to have someone I loved, and because of that, I felt sorrow and shed tears... Tell me, would he cry for me as he did for Lilith back then?"

"..."

"Ha... I know. He wouldn't cry for me, because I am the one who caused Lilith and the others to die... a Herrscher... But when did he begin leaving me? Wasn't I the first one he loved, the first one he met?"

"Elysia..."

"...From then until now, I never truly met him again. What a pity..."

The distance between them had once been so close, but in the end, he became untouchable.