A Conversation with Kosma

Kosma stood alone on the rooftop of the Fire Moth headquarters, gripping the railing with both hands and gazing at the distant starry sky.

"Kosma." Zhu Yufeng's voice sounded from behind him.

Kosma turned around, and Zhu Yufeng stood beside him, leaning against the railing, looking at him and saying, "Want to chat?"

"...Um."

Zhu Yufeng looked up at the starry sky and said, "Disaster felt that you were acting really strange lately, but she didn't know exactly what was wrong, so she asked me to come over. She said you might come here, so I came looking for you."

Kosma remained silent.

(So, has my recent state become this bad? I shouldn't be afraid. Even when facing the Finality, I never hesitated. But this time... how can I watch Disaster Devi leave again? Just like how Feng tried everything, even the Seventh Herrscher Uriel appeared, but Himiko still... what can I do?)

"According to Aponia, you once asked her if fate is truly unchangeable, and you also said that what you feared even more was that after giving your all, fate would still remain unchanged." Zhu Yufeng continued, "She suggested that you come and talk to me, but in my memory, you never seemed to hesitate to even speak."

"... Feng, even now, do you still look the same as you did during the Tragedy of Binding?" Kosma looked at Zhu Yufeng. "Aren't you... aren't you afraid of repeating the same mistake?"

Zhu Yufeng was silent for a while before saying, "It's undeniable that even now, when I occasionally have nightmares, I still dream about that scene."

Every time he woke up from such a dream, he would break out in a cold sweat and find it difficult to fall asleep again in the latter half of the night. He could not forget the Tragedy of Binding, nor could he ignore the fate that was about to befall him. However, he also did not believe that giving up like Kosma would solve the problem. Only by becoming stronger could he have the right to challenge fate and make it bow down to him.

He had always thought this way, doing everything in his power to reverse his predetermined fate. He wanted to prove that fate was not immutable, and he was willing to pay the price for it.

"... Me too." Kosma looked down at the base shrouded in twilight below the rooftop. "Before the Seventh Herrscher incident, I only had those dreams occasionally. But before the Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Herrscher incidents, I still believed that we could overcome fate and save those we loved and those who loved us... But the Seventh Herrscher incident... up until the Present, I dream of that time almost every day..."

"Then why don't you believe that the Seventh Herrscher incident was just an accident?" Zhu Yufeng glanced at Kosma. "The real Seventh Herrscher is Uriel, and Himiko was just someone Uriel thought was more suitable to be the Seventh Herrscher. Mobius and Mebius both believe that this is highly likely. In our previous life, we were unaware of this because Uriel's plan had already succeeded, and therefore... we were unable to respond in time this time."

"Then why can't the Eighth Herrscher be an exception?" Kosma asked. "We all know that the Eighth Herrscher has no physical form. When the Herrscher Core of the Eighth Herrscher was finally retrieved, it was done through Imaginary Renormalization, in the world of Imaginary Numbers, not in our real world... The Seventh Herrscher could be Uriel, so couldn't the Eighth Herrscher be someone who abandoned their physical form?"

However, the Herrscher of Sentience that Wen Ai possesses is indeed just a consciousness, although she did occupy Hua's body at the beginning... In essence, she is just a one-year-old child.

"It's true that we can't rule out that possibility, but what does that have to do with your the Present state of giving up?" Zhu Yufeng said. "What you see is that Himiko still sacrificed herself for our regret, but you also know that Australia was not completely burned this time. Compared with the situation of humanity in the previous life, we have changed a lot."

"Yes, we've changed a lot..." Kosma lowered his eyes. "But... Maple, what I see is the inevitable departure of those around us... We can change many things, but we may not even be able to change the fate of those closest to us. You might say that this time, you changed Sele's fate, but Sele... we have little connection with her, not even you yourself, when Sele was still human, did you have much connection with her? And Himiko ... I see, in this life, she is still Hua's best friend, Hua's mentor, but in the end... she still left as fate decreed..."

"So... if you're afraid and want to escape, why not just retire, sign a confidentiality agreement, take Disaster to work as a kindergarten or elementary school teacher, and live a peaceful life like that?" Zhu Yufeng asked.

"I don't want to run away, and I never thought of running away." Kosma turned to look at Zhu Yufeng. "I never wanted to be a coward, and I don't lack the courage to fight against the Honkai. I just... don't want to see Disaster leave again and be powerless to stop it..."

Zhu Yufeng looked into Kosma's eyes for a long time before speaking, "Let me think. As long as Disaster doesn't undergo the Fusion Warrior surgery when she becomes the Eighth Herrscher, she won't participate in the Eighth Herrscher's positioning as a mental Fusion Warrior. She won't be trapped in the Eighth Herrscher's dream and fall into eternal sleep. In order to prevent Disaster from Fusion Warrior, you even went so far as to refuse the Fusion Warrior surgery yourself, thus completing a psychological suggestion to Disaster, making her at least outwardly give up the Fusion Warrior surgery. Am I right?"

"As long as the Eighth Herrscher incident is over..." Kosma gripped the railing tightly with both hands, "I will still choose Vishnu as the subject of the surgery... That's all I can think of, all I can do."

"But if fate remains stubborn as you think, you can use this to prevent Disaster from participating in the Eighth Herrscher's positioning plan. However, what if Disaster sees the textual information contaminated by the Eighth Herrscher's memetic weapons?" Zhu Yufeng asked. "If she has undergone the Fusion Warrior surgery, then she won't be without room for retaliation. Isn't the Present Disaster more familiar and reliable than the one you knew in your previous life? Don't you understand each other better now?"

He had previously asked Lilith how she managed to escape the Eighth Herrscher's dream on her own. He only knew that Lilith had discovered her feelings for him within the Eighth Herrscher's dream. Lilith's answer made Elysia was standing next to him, turn half of her face dark instantly.

"Oh, this? More than dreaming, I want to win you over in reality. No matter how sweet a dream is, it's still an unreal illusion. Only you, standing right in front of me, have meaning for me. In other words, I woke up thinking about you the whole time. Aren't you touched? Or, shouldn't you give me a kiss or something? Hmm?"

Cough cough...

This is also part of his daily routine the Present; he's gotten used to it, and so he gets used to it...

Kosma remained silent for a long time before speaking, "... That's right, I do understand Disaster better than before, so... I understand her better now than before. Disaster's longing for a world without Honkai is something she desires more than anyone else. She hopes this war, which is almost incomprehensible to the world, will end soon. She desperately hopes for the era when Honkai disappears or humans and Honkai coexist harmoniously... As long as it doesn't involve defining the Eighth Herrscher, and it's just memetic contamination, then there's still a way..."

Instead of him being unable to do anything when Disaster was involved in positioning.

"Hmm... that is indeed a solution, then I'm relieved for now," Zhu Yufeng said.

"Huh?"

"At least through this conversation, I know you're not running away. You just want to protect Disaster in your own way. How could I possibly criticize such a sentiment?" Zhu Yufeng shrugged. It wasn't that he couldn't understand Kosma's thoughts. Compared to relying on others, it was more reassuring to rely on one's own hands. However... Kosma's current state didn't seem to be preparing for battle. Instead, it seemed like he was... afraid of an unstoppable defeat.

After all, he only had this one chance. If he missed it, it would be the second time he had to prepare for parting.

What Zhu Yufeng was worried about was whether, after this failure, Kosma would fall into the same depression that Kevin had fallen into before... and it was even more hopeless than Kevin's situation.

In their past life, they hadn't had a chance to express all their feelings. In this life, the loss and return of their love has strengthened their bond, making it even harder for him to bear the thought of her leaving.

So I'm not some kind of spiritual mentor, I really can't do this kind of thing... Zhu Yufeng thought to himself, but considering that if Kosma could open up and talk, besides himself and Kevin, could he ask Griseo to come? That Kevin guy... he just felt that he couldn't say anything either, so he pushed himself over.

How about... we go find Su and see? After all, Su is facing a similar problem to Kosma. His mentor, Dr. Spasi, also sacrificed himself during the Eighth Law incident to protect Su, who was locating the Eighth Law...

However, protecting Dr. Spasi seems a bit easier than Disaster...

After thinking for a while, Zhu Yufeng said, "I won't interfere with your choice, but you should pay attention to your recent low mood and not let Disaster worry about it. She knows that even if she asks you, you won't be willing to tell her, let alone that you can't bring yourself to say it."

Zhu Yufeng reached out and patted Kosma on the shoulder. After thinking for a while, all he could say was, "Keep it up."

He couldn't say anything more. He understood Kosma's feelings, but they were not the same individual after all, and naturally their feelings and thoughts would be different.

Anyway, the crux of the problem has been found. If his brain isn't working properly, then let's activate the external brain, Lilith...

On the other side, Kevin was on the phone with Su: "Su, according to your speculation, Kosma is hesitating Disaster Desdovia's situation, so what about you... regarding Dr. Spasi's situation..."

"Because fate is predetermined, but Schicksal is unpredictable." Su's voice was calm and reassuring. "We did what we could. Even if fate cannot be changed in the end, our actions will not be meaningless. We tried, and even if we failed, it is still better than giving up and passively accepting our fate. Do your best and leave the rest to Schicksal, that's all there is to it..."

Kevin silent. Could he interpret this as Su having already attained enlightenment? He had originally thought that Feng's emotional intelligence might not be enough to persuade Kosma, so he wanted to try and see if his brother Su could enlighten Kosma. But now it seemed... even if he succeeded in enlightening him, Kosma... was probably already close to becoming a monk...

Hmm... it's still a bit hard to imagine what it will be like...

Zhu Yufeng arrived at the Mobius Laboratory. At this time, the surgery on the Hen Fusion Warrior should be almost over, right?

"Feng, did you come to see Hen too?" Blanca asked, holding Griseo's hand. "The surgery has gone very smoothly so far. Dr. Mobius said there won't be any problems at all. This guy always makes me worry..."

Zhu Yufeng glanced at Griseo again, but little Griseo seemed a little reluctant to talk to him and went to draw by herself.

Zhu Yufeng tilted his head. Did he not do anything? Why has Little Griseo been so reluctant to talk to him lately? He remembered how Hen had pulled him aside with a serious expression before his surgery. He thought Hen was going to say something, but it turned out he was asking him and Elysia to take care of Griseo and Blanca if he were not around.

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

So... you pulled me aside so seriously just to say this? You're still making plans and shipping your favorite pairings even on your deathbed, huh? Truly worthy of being the Pope of the Maple-loving Party...

Seeing Zhu Yufeng's inscrutable expression, Hen chuckled and scratched his head, "It's just that Griseo seems closer to you... You yourself are quite popular with kids. Speaking of which, you recently brought back that Astaroth... Although it's fine that you agreed to take over Astaroth's guardianship as her older brother, don't neglect little Griseo..."

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

He had always treated Astaroth as his own sister. Although he didn't have a sister before he transmigrated, who could refuse a white-haired, red-eyed, and obedient sister? So, there was nothing wrong with him wanting to raise a sister. He had also treated Pardo as a sister in the beginning.

Hen sighed softly. As Griseo's biological father, how could he not see his daughter's feelings? It was like the older brother next door, who had been taking good care of her, had suddenly brought home a younger sister from outside, so he was taking care of her less. Of course, a child would feel disappointed and even competitive.

In addition, Kaede would usually tutor Rin with her homework at Sakura's place, and Lilith seems to have a younger sister as well. With Astaroth's addition, little Griseo has even more competitors... Originally, little Griseo was supposed to be the child Kaede took the most care of, but now Astaroth has surpassed her?

Let him sort things out. Feng has a lot of rivals around him. Elysia and Lilith are vying for a title, Kevin is vying for a title with Nahamah and Abaddon, and Little Griseo is vying for a title with Astaroth and Rin...

Sigh... There are really not many of his juniors who can give him peace of mind.