Traveler Gazing Upon the Sea of Stars

"At the end of this story, Elysia, did I... become a hero?"

On the Moon, amid the ruins of civilization, a silver-haired young man leaned against an elevated throne, looking down at the warriors who had come before him.

"I never thought our final enemy... would be you, Feng." Kevin raised his head and looked at his former comrade.

"Feng..." Elysia softly called the young man's name, but... there was no response.

He rose from the throne and coldly watched the final warriors. He raised a hand, and twelve marks appeared behind him, transforming into black wings that blotted out the stars. At that moment, concentrated Honkai Energy erupted, shrouding the entire Moon.

"Hi~ Hello, my name is Elysia. I'm the one who saved you~" The pink-haired girl smiled at the bandaged boy sitting on the hospital bed.

The boy looked at her, then at his surroundings. After a brief silence, he teasingly said, "So... since I have no way to repay you, may I offer myself to you?"

"Huh?!"

The girl froze for a moment, then lightly coughed twice to hide her embarrassment. Putting on a serious expression, she told him, "Though stories about repaying a life-saving favor by offering oneself are common in novels, you can't just learn that sort of thing! You mustn't say something like that so casually! Besides, this is our first meeting, isn't it?"

"This kind of meeting certainly is a first..." the boy said with a low laugh.

What did he mean? Had he met me before, long ago?

The boy did not continue speaking. He turned his gaze toward the window. The weather was wonderful today, and the stars glittered brightly in the night sky.

Everyone knew that Elysia, Fire Moth's outstanding warrior, had an utterly unreliable yet remarkably dependable assistant by her side. This assistant was a survivor she had rescued during a small-scale Honkai incident. From then on, the boy had loudly insisted that he had no way to repay her life-saving favor and stubbornly followed Elysia into Fire Moth. Through his own efforts, he passed Fire Moth's internal assessments and became Elysia's assistant as he had wished.

Whatever Elysia herself thought of it, at least the higher-ups no longer had to suffer headaches every time she submitted a report claiming the mission had been "very simple."

"What? I wasn't wrong. It really was very simple." Elysia sipped her milk tea and looked unhappily at Zhu Yufeng, who was writing the report for their latest mission.

"It was indeed very simple, but only for you, wasn't it?" Zhu Yufeng said without looking up. "If you had sent me into that situation, do you believe that Honkai Beast could have punched me hard enough to beg me not to die?"

Elysia thought for a moment, then said, "But, Feng, Honkai Beasts can't talk."

"Then... how about you beg me not to die?" Zhu Yufeng tilted his head and looked at Elysia.

Elysia answered by lightly knocking him on the head. "It would be better if you acted serious once in a while~ Besides, if I'm there, that sort of situation won't happen~"

"Then how about I put it this way from now on: 'Elysia, don't always judge a mission's difficulty by your own standards. You should know that among Fire Moth's warriors, you're in a league of your own...'" Zhu Yufeng abruptly changed his tone and spoke with solemn gravity.

"Stop. Go back to your usual style." Elysia decided to cut him off. "Being too serious isn't good either!"

The two fell silent for a while. For a time, the only sound in the room was Zhu Yufeng working at his computer and writing the mission report.

After a while, Zhu Yufeng finally spoke. "Could there be a possibility..."

"A possibility of what?" Elysia tilted her head.

The boy's typing hands paused, and then he said, "Nothing. Even I think that possibility is impossible."

You are someone who embraces the world, the flawless True Self who loves all humanity. How could you...

"That Kevin who recently joined Fire Moth is amazing. I never expected him to break both your record and mine so quickly." Elysia poked Zhu Yufeng's head while he wrote his report. "Now you've fallen from second place to third~ Speaking of which, it's such a pity you missed the banquet a few days ago. I saw Kevin there. He really is a handsome boy."

Zhu Yufeng's hands paused on the keyboard, and he raised a brow at Elysia. "Don't tell me you're interested in him..."

Elysia narrowed her eyes at Zhu Yufeng. "Your mind went somewhere strange, didn't it?"

"Heroes appreciate heroes." Zhu Yufeng shrugged. "Before Kevin came along, I was second place, but the gap between us was still enormous. Like the Mariana Trench."

"It's not that exaggerated, is it?" Elysia said with her arms folded. Then she suddenly showed a teasing smile. "Could it be... you're jealous?"

"Yes, I'm jealous." Zhu Yufeng answered decisively.

That left Elysia at a loss. "Feng, you..."

"He's only a rookie who joined Fire Moth not long ago, yet he not only surpassed the strongest Elysia in training results, he even caught her attention. Unlike me, who can only obediently work for her." Zhu Yufeng rolled his eyes.

"I... I pay attention to you too!"

"Then what kind of girls do I like?"

"Of course, smart and cute girls like me..." Elysia stopped, then knocked Zhu Yufeng on the head.

He had tricked her again!

"If you knock me stupid, who's going to write your mission reports from now on? Kevin?"

"I can write them myself!"

"Do you think the higher-ups' heads aren't shiny enough already? Think of the hair they have no way of saving!"

Elysia burst out laughing and patted Zhu Yufeng on the shoulder. "Then wouldn't it be fine if you said less of that kind of thing from now on?"

"Hiss... What kind of inhumane demand is that? A leopard can't change its spots. This is just how I am, so tell me, do you want me or not?"

"Of course I..."

"Ow! Why was that one harder than all the previous ones?!"

"Because I'm angry!"

The Moonlight Throne and all combat Divine Keys activated Zeroth Power. The light produced by their collision with the Herrscher of Finality's full-force attack enveloped the entire battlefield.

Elysia slowly lowered the hand shielding her eyes. Just as she remembered, the young man who had become the Herrscher of Finality gave her a gentle smile.

As the light faded, they found themselves in a corridor. The young man invited her, "Would you walk with me?"

The hand Elysia should have tightened around her weapon instead relaxed, and her weapon dissolved into particles of light.

She smiled at the young man as well and nodded. "Of course~"

The young man turned around and led the way. Elysia reached out a hand, only to stop midway. Her lashes lowered slightly, and in the end, she dropped her hand and followed behind him.

"Elysia, so you were here." Zhu Yufeng approached Elysia with a document in hand. Looking in the direction she had come from, he said, "Did you just visit Kevin? How's he doing?"

"Lively as ever. Look, he even finished all the fruit I brought him." Elysia raised the fruit basket in her hand. "What's that document you're holding? May I know?"

"Of course. I came to get your signature, after all." Zhu Yufeng handed her the document. "I'm heading to Europe. For quite a long time after this, we might not see each other."

"Europe? Why so suddenly..." Elysia froze.

"Because eggs need to be kept in separate baskets? I don't know either." Zhu Yufeng shrugged. "Europe is short on people, isn't it? The higher-ups looked around, then immediately chose me to go. Sigh, without me, you'll utterly devastate their hairlines."

I had heard that Europe was short on personnel... But why Feng...?

Elysia set down the fruit basket and took the document to read it. There was no prank involved. It was a genuine transfer order, without the slightest trace of falsification.

Elysia signed it and returned the document to Zhu Yufeng. "Why did this transfer order come so suddenly? If there were enough time, I would have wanted to hold you a farewell party."

"Who knows?" Zhu Yufeng took the document. "Then I'll go pack my things and get ready to leave."

"Later, I learned that you had volunteered to go." Elysia looked at the young man.

The young man watched the scenes of the past and explained, "Because Europe truly was short on personnel back then. They needed someone experienced in fighting Herrschers. Kevin and you were both the headquarters' two main forces, and Kevin still needed to stay by Mei's side, so I was the most suitable person."

Elysia turned her gaze to the scene and softly said, "Yes. Because you went there, the European branch later responded and provided support extremely quickly during the Ninth Herrscher and Tenth Herrscher incidents, and they never suffered any tremendous losses."

"It wasn't all my credit." The young man shook his head. "There was Lilith and the others too, especially Lilith. When I had just arrived, there were many things I couldn't handle. Fortunately, I had her."

Elysia's hand slowly curled into a fist.

"There were others at headquarters with experience fighting Herrschers who could have gone, not just you." Elysia said. "And why didn't you discuss it with me..."

"You would have agreed, wouldn't you?" the young man said as he looked at Elysia. "Indeed, I wasn't the only suitable choice, but I was the most suitable one. I could do more over there, and the facts proved it, didn't they? Besides, it wasn't as if we lost contact afterward. You even sent me the mission reports that were rejected and asked me to rewrite them for you."

Elysia fell silent. Yes, they had remained in contact... but how could that compare to Lilith, who had always been by his side?

The scene faded, and the two continued forward.

Other scenes constantly passed by them. Watching them, Elysia said with an indescribable emotion, "It seems you got along quite well with Lilith and the others during that time."

As though he had not heard the emotion in her words, the young man walked ahead without looking back. "Indeed. I dare say there was absolutely no assistant better than Lilith. I don't know how much hair I would have lost without her."

Elysia silently followed behind him. Her gaze landed on the scene of Lilith confessing to the young man beneath the moon. She could not help stopping to watch for a while, then looked toward him. He had not even noticed she had fallen behind, so Elysia could only hurry after him.

When she casually looked back, she found that the path they had walked had already vanished.

The two walked together for a while longer before Elysia suddenly spoke. "Feng, did you ever... like me?"

"I still like you now." The young man stopped and turned back with a smile. "I've always liked you, Elysia."

"No... What I mean is... among your feelings for me, was there ever... the kind of feeling you had for Lilith?"

"Hmm... Didn't you reject me many times?"

When had I ever rejected him? And many times at that? You never even confessed... Wait, could it be...?

"My head is nearly stupid from all your knocking." The young man turned around and continued walking.

"With the way you put things, who would..."

"Because I'm actually a very cowardly person. I couldn't properly say things like that... I also knew that once I seriously said those words, you would have to answer, wouldn't you?"

"..."

"If that happened, wouldn't it become difficult for me to even remain by your side? Once a confession is spoken, there is a risk that the relationship can never return to what it was before. I... didn't have Lilith's courage."

"..."

"Elysia, I once wondered why you, as a Herrscher, a Herrscher born that way, loved humanity so much."

Elysia's pupils contracted. She had never told anyone that secret, so how did he... And it seemed as though he had known for a very long time.

The corridor reached its end. There stood a door adorned with stars. As the two approached, it opened automatically. The young man stepped through it, and Elysia followed him inside.

Beyond the door was a boundless sea of stars.

"This is..."

"Perhaps you've forgotten, but I have never forgotten that night. I have never forgotten that sky of stars you and I once gazed upon together, nor the people beneath the stars of this world."

The young man looked up at the starry sky in his memories, his eyes filled with longing. Elysia looked at him, but could not find her own reflection in his eyes.

"You're here, Feng~" Elysia waved at Zhu Yufeng. "What do you think of the place I chose? We can see the stars overhead, and we can overlook the whole city too!"

"Indeed. The weather is nice tonight as well, so we can see the stars very clearly." Zhu Yufeng came to Elysia's side and looked up at the sky full of stars.

"Right? This is the highest point in the city. And not just the stars—look over there. That's a plaza. With all those lights shining, it's lively tonight too~ And there, the park is lovely at night as well~"

Zhu Yufeng quietly watched Elysia lean against the railing and point out every part of the city. The city lights reflected in Elysia's eyes like the brilliant stars in the sky.

He simply watched Elysia, helplessly laughing to himself.

This was Elysia...

He withdrew his gaze and, following Elysia's line of sight and introduction, began to appreciate the city he had never paid attention to before.

All at once, he understood Elysia's thoughts a little better. It turned out that this era he had labeled "cold, heartless, and beyond saving" could have such warm moments too.

His former perspective seemed to have been too narrow.

"Would you be interested in hearing me tell a story?" The young man drew back his gaze and looked at Elysia.

"Of course. As long as it's a story you tell, I'll listen to it seriously until the end." Elysia smiled.

There was once a boy who loved a game very much. He loved a character in that game named "Elysia." He grieved for her story and admired her flawless purity. He wanted to change her ending, to let her continue her story and continue witnessing the brilliance of humanity in the new era.

He also wanted to become a hero, a hero who could save those thirteen Flame-Chasers.

Perhaps some supreme being in the dark had heard his wish. When he woke from a dream one day, he had somehow transmigrated into the game's world. Though unfortunately, he began by being buried beneath rubble alongside a certain monkey.

And at that moment, the girl he admired pulled him from beneath the ruins.

Thus began his story in that world.

In everyday life, he spent every day with the girl, laughing and fooling around. Gradually, he came to understand her more deeply than he ever had in the game, and he realized that he had truly fallen in love with her as well.

But she had already labeled him as "unreliable," and she was the "daughter of God" who loved all humanity. Perhaps his feelings were fated to bear no fruit.

He had originally thought that continuing like this would be fine. He could stay by her side as her assistant and experience and witness this Flame-Chasing journey alongside her.

Yet that conversation beneath the stars changed his mind. For the first time, he began to notice the people he had regarded as NPCs. For the first time, he truly looked at this world.

He began learning to see and accept the world as she did.

In the end, he finally understood this world's beauty. He decided to do something for it—not merely for his own wish, but also to protect the world she loved.

Thus, he voluntarily went to the branch that urgently needed talent, turning to a new page in his story. There, he met a group of dependable new companions, the future Thirteen Fallen Angels, and he also met the girl whose soul resonated with his own.

She had once hated this world too. Looking at her was like looking at his past self. He accepted all her sins and confessed his identity to her.

He had been redeemed because of Elysia, and because of that, he went on to redeem Lilith.

Before the Eleventh Herrscher incident, Rovoc and Admiralty had calculated the exact time of Finality's arrival. They found a path leading to the Imaginary Tree.

Finality's arrival was inevitable, but its vessel could be chosen.

Thus, after the Eleventh Herrscher descended, they hastily formulated a plan. The Fallen Angels would use themselves as keys to open the gate to the Imaginary Tree for him.

They would steal Honkai's authority and forge for him a staircase to godhood.

"What was the plan's chance of success... back then?" Elysia softly asked.

"Almost zero." The young man shrugged. "But I believed Lilith could do it. I trusted her more than any so-called data."

Elysia looked at the young man without speaking.

When had I fallen in love with him? When we laughed and played together in our daily lives? When we worked together with perfect understanding?

She had once thought that if one day he stopped joking, she might agree to him.

But... she had only left a trace in the first half of his life. The latter half did not belong to her.

After the Ninth Herrscher incident, he and Lilith openly confirmed their relationship. Heaven knew how she had endured those days. She wanted to know the details, yet found herself unable to ask.

During the Eleventh Herrscher incident, the Fallen Angel Squad was wiped out. Only afterward did she have another chance to spend time with him, but... their relationship seemed unable to return to what it had been.

After finishing his story, the young man looked at Elysia and smiled. "Congratulations. If Honkai was an examination, then humanity passed this test. From now on, Honkai will no longer occur in your world. Congratulations."

"What about you? Are you... leaving?" Elysia asked.

The moment the words left her mouth, she knew the answer. She merely held onto a faint hope, hoping he would deny it, hoping he could stay.

"Yes, I... will be leaving soon." The young man nodded. "Lilith and the others are still waiting for me. I'll be the one to put an end to the Thirteen Fallen Angels' story. What comes next will be your story."

"Could you... not go?"

The young man gently shook his head. "There is a price for deceiving 'Her,' but that price is not unacceptable to me. Or rather... 'very simple'?"

That's only simple for you.

She wanted to say that, but suddenly remembered that he had once said something similar to her. In the story of his life that he had never been part of, she had also done what she believed was simple, something only she could accomplish, and paid what she believed was a simple price.

"When you made this decision, were you... ever afraid?" Elysia softly asked. "Betting everything just to leave at this moment?"

"Of course I was afraid, Elysia." The young man smiled. "How could I not be? Once I died, I would never see the people who loved me and the people I loved again. But... I wasn't that afraid either, because this was something I was doing for everyone I loved and everyone who loved me. For all of you, for the world, I had to do it."

But... I don't want you to...

The young man looked to the stars again. Far away lay the other shore to which he would return. Light gradually covered his body. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Elysia and asked, "Elysia, at the end of this story, did I... become a hero?"

"Of course. You are undoubtedly humanity's hero, our hero, and... my hero." Elysia answered.

"That's good... Thank you, Elysia." The young man showed a relieved smile. "I don't think any recognition could make someone happier than yours. Being able to meet you was wonderful."

"I feel the same, Feng. I feel the same..."

"Then... goodbye, Elysia."

"..."

She did not want to say goodbye. There were still so many things she wanted to tell him, but she knew that whether she said them or not no longer mattered. In the end... she had become merely a passerby in his life.

She took a deep breath and used all her strength to give him a radiant smile. "Goodbye, Feng..."

The young man waved at her. He became light and headed toward the place where the stars were.

The scene changed once more.

Elysia looked around. Eden and the others stood at her sides, while Kevin stood quietly where the End had vanished, gazing out at the distant stars.

"He's gone," Kevin said.

"Yes, he's gone." Elysia walked over to Kevin's side.

"He... was never humanity's enemy." Kevin withdrew his gaze. "Yet we only truly understood what he had done at the very end... Tonight, there is no Herrscher of the End here. The one resting here is only a noble and proud warrior of Fire Moth—the first and last Fallen Angel, a traveler who gazed upon the stars, our friend, Feng."

"When... did you know?" Elysia asked softly.

"On the path of fighting Honkai, we are always forced to face choices we cannot do anything about." Kevin crouched down and placed a Fire Moth badge on the ground. Its owner had already departed, yet it still gleamed brightly at this moment.

"The dead carve a path forward for the living, and the living sing requiems for the dead." Kevin rose and left. "His life needs no one's judgment, and no one is qualified to judge it."

Elysia lowered her head to look at the badge lying quietly on the ground. After a long while, she raised her eyes to the starry sky and murmured a farewell to the young man once more: "Goodbye, my love I once missed..."

When her eyes held only him, he had already turned his gaze toward the boundless stars.