The Real Cheat in Honkai Is Alicia! Author: Ashen One Who Didn't Want to Pass on the Fire
Synopsis:
Prometheus's master, inheritor of light, Eden's designated drinking companion, Holy Pope of the Alicia Church, loyal and devoted Gemini... all of these titles belonged to Gwen.
Yet none of them were of any use to Gwen as he faced a crisis even more terrifying than the End destroying the world...
Bianca: The weather's so nice. Let's go train... okay... Zzz...
Rita: Sir, your tea is ready—don't worry, it isn't Lady Yolandale's portion...
Kiana: Gwen, Gwen, let's go on a trip to the moon!
Eden: Shall I play you a tune, my friend?
Alicia: You used my genes, so that makes you mine, darling☆~
Raiden Mei: Obviously... obviously I was here first... Please, my other self!
Otto: My old friend, shall we take a bath together?
Wait, what was with that last one?
PS: That's the final goal. Due to limitations in writing ability, the early and middle stages might not be quite so flamboyant and will lean more serious.
Prologue
"Precisely because life is limited, people fear death, suffer greatly, and thus give rise to sorrow and mistakes."*2
"Then, to prevent new sorrow and mistakes from ever occurring again, all we need to do is keep all time forever suspended in happiness.
That is eternal life, one that will never fade away."
"Even if sorrow and mistakes occur, as long as they can be overcome and a better future can be left to the next generation, that will be enough.
That is eternal life, one that will never fade away..."
"I believed firmly in the power of eternal life, but Luciel did not agree. That was where our differences lay.
And so, we went our separate ways."
Within a space resembling the starry cosmos, a Giant of Light with several blue crystals adorning his body floated quietly in that universe-like expanse, recounting his past to the two humans before him, who were far smaller than himself.
"So you two..."
A sunny young man revealed an enlightened expression upon hearing this.
"Were originally one existence..."
After listening to the giant, the young man compared the appearance of the Giant of Light before him with that of the recently defeated Luciel and discovered that they truly bore quite a resemblance.
"The stronger the light, the darker the shadow.
From that perspective, Luciel and I truly are one."
As he listened to the conversation between the young man and the giant, another black-haired young man floating not far away in that boundless starry space wore the relaxed expression of someone who had survived a disaster. His gaze toward the giant at the center of the stars carried a trace of curiosity—
Having personally faced the being called "Luciel" and felt that fear rising from the depths of his heart, the young man now felt incomparably relieved that his opponent had been defeated.
Yet aside from his curiosity, he also wondered why Ginga's conversation with his human host had included him.
Just as the young man curiously studied them, the giant turned his gaze toward him as well.
"This is something I hope you will remember."
"Hm?"
Still wondering why he had appeared here, the young man froze for a moment before quickly nodding.
"I'll do my best to keep it in mind."
Whether he understood or not, when a big shot spoke, he had better respond quickly.
Seemingly understanding that the young man had not truly grasped his meaning, the giant continued.
"Though you may seem to have been tainted by reality, light still exists within your heart.
And that is also why you were able to gain his recognition."
"..."
Faced with what could be considered praise from the giant, the young man did not answer directly. Only after a moment of silence did he slowly speak.
"Perhaps..."
The giant, who had been observing these young people throughout this period, was not surprised by the young man's state. He merely said gently.
"Perhaps you do not know this, but I can sense another will within you. It is an existence even more beautiful than the most beautiful flower in the universe.
I believe that even if you have already fallen into darkness, you, who were chosen by such a will, can still walk the right path."
"Another will?"
The young man looked surprised.
Before he could think further, however, a streak of light shot out from his body and, in an instant, condensed beside the giant into a Silver Giant no less imposing than him.
"Nexus?"
Seeing the Silver Giant, the young man smiled.
"Congratulations. You've finally recovered."
"..."
The Silver Giant did not speak. He merely nodded lightly, seeming to respond to the young man's words while also affirming something.
After nodding, the Silver Giant turned his gaze toward the giant beside him, whose red body was adorned with blue crystals.
After exchanging a glance with the Silver Giant, the giant nodded, then looked back at the young man and extended his hand. A streak of light followed his motion and flew toward him.
"This is..."
Surprised that the giant seemed to be giving him something, the young man hurriedly reached out and caught it, only to find that it felt remarkably familiar.
As the light faded, the item in the young man's hand was revealed.
"That's..."
The sunny young man in front of the giant saw the object in his hand and immediately revealed a surprised expression. His hand instinctively reached into his pocket and pulled out an identical item.
"Dark Spark?"
Looking at the device in his hand, which was almost identical to the Ginga Spark held by the sunny young man beside him except that its gray patterns had turned pitch-black, the young man immediately guessed its possible identity.
"But... it seems to have already been purified?"
As he spoke, the young man looked at the two giants in confusion.
"Nexus bears Noah's mission and cannot grant you the key you deserve, so he asked me to help purify this Dark Spark as the key to unlocking the light within you."
Meeting the young man's questioning gaze, the giant confirmed his guess and explained.
"Light is a bond, an inheritance, and growth.
As long as you can remain true to yourself, darkness will forever be nothing more than your shadow."
"..."
Hearing this, the young man froze. Looking at the thing he had desired most when he first arrived in this world, he found himself at a loss for what to do.
"Gwen!"
After hearing the giant's words, the sunny young man on the other side smiled and called the young man's name.
Gwen looked toward the young man not far away and saw him wearing a bright smile as he waved the Ginga Spark in his hand, which was almost indistinguishable from Gwen's purified Dark Spark.
"Looks like you'll have to work hard with me to protect this world from now on.
I'll keep a close eye on you and won't let you fall into darkness."
"Wait until you've graduated from your chuunibyou phase first, Hikaru."
Gwen smiled in response, but lightly shook his head.
"Besides, protecting the world will probably still have to rely on you."
"Hm?"
The sunny young man immediately looked confused.
"Didn't you just..."
"Hikaru,"
At that moment, the giant before the sunny young man—Ginga—spoke up and interrupted him.
"He is not from this world.
After protecting this world from destruction, he must return to his own world."
"?"
The sunny young man looked surprised.
"So Gwen, you're from another world.
Then remember to bring me more pictures of the beautiful scenery in your world next time you come back."
"Don't worry, there'll be plenty for you, great traveler."
Seeing the bright smile on the young man's face, Gwen also smiled and nodded.
"I hope this power can help you."
Watching the two young men talk and laugh, Ginga offered his heartfelt wish.
"It will."
As Gwen spoke, he turned his gaze back to Nexus before him. After looking at each other for a moment, they slowly nodded together.
"It definitely will."
Thanks, I'm in Fire Moth, but It's Fifty Thousand Years Later
"Are you still there, Prometheus?"
After returning once more to the empty base, Gwen looked around and confirmed that no unexpected changes had occurred before speaking.
Prometheus did not make Gwen wait even a second. A petite silver-gray figure appeared out of thin air before him.
Her silver-gray hair, somewhat reminiscent of a certain Bronya, was braided into two Roman curls behind her head. The mechanical hairclip on her head, the mechanical joints on her body, and her somewhat illusory figure all revealed her nonhuman nature.
"You disappeared for twenty-four hours."
This was one of the many underground bases left behind by Fire Moth before the End destroyed the world. The girl(?) was called Prometheus, an artificial intelligence program responsible for maintaining this place.
A childish voice carrying both a milky sweetness and a hint of mechanical stiffness rang out. Prometheus's emotionless red eyes gave Gwen considerable pressure.
"Exactly twenty-four hours, zero minutes, and zero seconds."
"Sorry for making you worry, Prometheus."
Less than an hour earlier, Gwen had faced a terrifying being that had ambushed and seized over half of the Land of Light, fighting monsters and alien beings in a great battle—and he had nearly been beaten to death by that being.
Yet when faced with Prometheus's somewhat vacant eyes, Gwen still inexplicably felt guilty.
After all, from Gwen's perspective, Prometheus had treated him very well. Aside from crossing the limits of an AI, she had done almost everything she could. Facing someone who had been kinder to him than anyone but his parents, disappearing without a word for an entire day was indeed rather hard to justify.
"I was not concerned about you. I was merely stating a fact."
Prometheus's voice did not fluctuate in the slightest, yet for some reason, Gwen felt as if he could see a trace of deliberately feigned disdain on that indifferent little face that should not have displayed any emotion.
"Rather, with you gone, I can save myself a great deal of trouble."
Looks like I'm exhausted enough to be hallucinating.
Gwen muttered inwardly, but his expression did not change as he smiled.
"Then I'll have to trouble you again from now on, Prometheus."
Before you continue