A Story That Exists Because of You

Spread outward, spread farther, until every corner of the world was filled.

One day, She fell from the sky. People looked up in awe, and so they saw the stars.

I was a Herrscher, but I also wanted to become human... just like... Her.

Fortunately... there was still room to turn everything around...

Countless memories surged into her mind. Some were very familiar, while others left no impression at all. For a moment, her mind fell into chaos.

"? Wasn't I in Siberia? What is this..."

It would be a stretch to say that the scene before her had little to do with Siberia. It was more accurate to say that it had absolutely nothing to do with it.

The buildings before her were rather bizarre. Towers rose amid rubble and ruins. The rubble and ruins coiled around the towers, interweaving into structures resembling birds, as though proclaiming themselves the center of the world.

Sakura trees bloomed between the buildings, their petals drifting in the wind as if dyeing the entire sky pink. A solitary moon hung at the edge of the sky, as though embedded in the scenery.

A clearing stretched out before her, paved with neatly cut stone tiles.

"This is... the Sea of Quanta!? But Ancestor Kevin is still squatting in the sea, so how did I get here..."

"Hi there. How are you feeling?"

A familiar voice rang out. She could not help looking around, but she never found its source.

"It sounds exactly like Elysia's voice from my memories... But this illusion is pretty realistic."

Enoshia was certain that if this were the real Elysia and she saw her current appearance, the first thing she would do would be to ask why Enoshia looked so much like her. Then she would confidently claim that it was because she had such a good foundation that she looked beautiful no matter what color she became.

Without needing Enoshia to say anything, she would come out and snuggle up to her on her own. How could the famous lesbian of the Sea of Quanta hide her face in front of a girl who looked just like her?

Of course, the most important thing was that she was the Herrscher of Corruption. The Herrscher of Corruption in the original Sea of Quanta was certainly detestable, but there was no denying that she was powerful. Aponia herself had declared that within the Data Space, the Herrscher of Corruption was practically Finality.

Yet until the voice of "Elysia" appeared, she had been unable to locate it. That could only mean that this was not the Sea of Quanta at all.

"If only this weren't an illusion." Enoshia shook her head helplessly and shouted, "You aren't her, and you can't become her. Just like another version of me from a different world, you're merely a poor imitation."

"Elysia" was not angry. "That's right. This is a dream formed from a person's innermost desires. What you desire most is to go to the Sea of Quanta and meet the real Elysia. But as the Herrscher of Corruption, you are practically omniscient and omnipotent within the Sea of Quanta, so it was easy for you to discover that this wasn't the real thing."

"Oh? You neither denied it outright nor flew into a rage."

The illusion had admitted on its own that it was fake, which surprised her. Normally, once someone realized that what lay before them was fake, if they did not immediately wake up, the illusion should continue tempting them until they became trapped in it.

But... persuading others to sink into a dream was something Elysia could never do, no matter what...

"Because I'm an illusion created from the Elysia in your memories. I'm like a character made by a programmer. Every word and action must follow my code. A character without knees to pretend with can never jump, no matter how intelligent it is." Her tone was utterly frank.

She possessed entirely independent thoughts and was not controlled by anyone else. Compared with an illusion, she seemed more like a new life-form created by reading someone else's memories and making a derivative work from them. That was quite different from the way the Herrscher of Reason deceived people's minds. Still, it did make her more realistic. If the real Sea of Quanta had not been a Data Space, if she had not been the Herrscher of Corruption, and if Elysia had not been so special, she might really have fallen for it.

"Won't you come out and meet me?"

"There's no need. Since I'm different from the Elysia in your memories, I don't need to meet you in her appearance and make you feel as though Elysia had been severely written out of character."

Her level of awareness was considerably higher than that Herrscher of Corruption's.

"Tell me everything you know."

"Quite greedy, aren't you? But I'll tell you everything honestly. After all, the real Elysia would always respond to your expectations, no matter when... Hmm, where should I begin... I know. From your perspective, I'm indeed an illusion created by the Herrscher of Frost from your memories."

As a creation of the Herrscher of Frost, "Elysia" did not know much. For example, despite being the Herrscher of Frost, she possessed powerful regenerative abilities and could create illusions. Naturally, she knew nothing about these critical questions.

Even so, Enoshia still obtained quite a bit of information. For example, the reason her voice was Elysia's was that Elysia was the person Enoshia most wanted to see at that moment. The person one dreamed of depended on one's greatest desire.

"One last question. How do I leave?" She had remained here for so long after regaining consciousness, so there was clearly a special condition for leaving.

"Without outside interference, the most common way is for the person you most want to see to disappear from the world of the illusion... In other words, killing the person you most want to see with your own hands."

Enoshia could not help clicking her tongue. This inexplicable ability was truly terrifying. Even after realizing that it was fake, killing him or her with one's own hands would probably require immense courage. Thinking of this, she could not help worrying about Sirin, Shub, and Old Yang.

The people most important to them were already gone forever. If they were to see the dead again, they would probably wish even more desperately for time to stop at that moment.

"Looks like you've finished asking your questions. Then my reason for existing has come to an end as well." "Elysia's" voice was calm, but Enoshia sensed that something was wrong.

"You're going to..."

"The real Elysia sacrificed herself for the possibility of the next civilization. I'm not her, but my values should be no different from hers. If sacrificing myself can increase the chances of those who come after escaping their predicament, I'll do the same... Though perhaps, as an illusion, I can't really call it a sacrifice?"

Her voice was filled with confusion, yet it was also incredibly resolute.

"Compared with an illusion, you seem more like an Elysia from some World Bubble far removed from the Eigenworld. Though we're worlds apart, some things within us are the same."

Though Enoshia could hear only her voice and could not see her, she could feel that she was smiling from the bottom of her heart.

"Thank you. Although my life was incredibly brief, and it was impossible for us to form any deep bond, I still managed to help you. Even if an entire life could be sketched out in only a few strokes, it would still be a story that exists because of me. I think that's what the Elysia in your memories taught me."

"Mm... In a way, we could be considered the same kind. Once you find the part you're missing, you'll understand what I mean."

As "Elysia" sacrificed herself, the entire illusion collapsed in an instant. Everything around her turned pitch-black. In one direction, sunlight seemed to be shining through. If she kept walking that way, she should be able to return to the Siberian snowfields.

But after thinking it over, she decided that, as the Herrscher of Corruption, causing trouble inside the Herrscher of Frost would clearly allow her to play a greater role. So she deliberately went the opposite way and entered the Herrscher of Frost's body in the form of possession. The surroundings immediately turned pitch-black once more.

She did not know how long she had walked before she saw several faint points of light. They seemed to be a few half-closed doors.

Just as Enoshia was about to step forward and take a look, one of the doors suddenly opened, erupting with astonishing radiance. Enoshia instinctively covered her eyes.

When the light faded, another person appeared before her: Welt Yang, the Anti-Entropy Sovereign, who had just finished doing sit-ups.