Inside Nagazora City Airport.
Elias and Elysia were preparing to begin a new journey. This had been the city they'd stayed in the longest so far, but as travelers, their nature was to keep moving forward.
"Elias, Elysia, until we meet again."
"Mm, goodbye Kevin, Su, Mei."
The five of them exchanged farewells in the airport.
When Elysia and Mei hugged each other goodbye, the three boys watching couldn't help but sigh. Though there had been a few minor clashes due to a certain someone, the friendship between girls was clearly still real.
However—
"Ely, why don't you stay a little longer? I haven't even—cough, I mean, there are still fun places in Nagazora we haven't explored! Let me show you around, okay?"
"Nope! I'm traveling the world with Elias—we'll never run out of fun places. And I haven't forgotten how you forced my Elias to stay over last time. Hmph! I won't give you any more chances, Mei-chan!"
"...Ely, you're so stingy."
"Bleh~ You can have everything else, but not Elias. He's my most important person."
The two girls clung tightly to each other—very tightly! As if trying to fuse the other into their own body. Giant vein-bulging stress marks formed above their heads.
Since no one could hear what they were whispering, it just looked like two besties reluctantly parting.
"If you two keep this up, the plane's going to leave without us. Ely, didn't know you'd miss Mei so much. Maybe you should stay in Nagazora a bit longer, I'll go ahead."
"Mei, Kevin, Su—bye! Elias, what are you doing standing there? The plane's about to take off, hurry up, Go Go Go!"
The very next second, Elysia broke out of Mei's grip, grabbed Elias' hand, and dashed for the plane. She even found time to stick out her tongue at Mei mid-run.
"...Girls really are hard to understand."
Elias shook his head with a sigh. Even after living with Elysia day and night, there were still parts of her he didn't get.
But that was fine.
If Elysia was a book, then he had a lifetime to memorize and understand every page.
As the sun began to set—
Elias and Elysia arrived in a new city. As always, they checked into a small inn and got a single room. Elysia was bouncing happily on the bed.
"Finally, it's just me and Elias again~ Mei, farewell forever~!"
But just as the pink fairy was celebrating—
She turned her head and saw Elias holding a white phone she'd never seen before, speaking into it about some incomprehensible theories and formulas.
A bad feeling crept into her chest.
She snuck up behind him, leaned on his back, and peeked at the screen—then her heart instantly sank.
"It's only been a few hours—hi~ Ely."
"Mei! How could you do this?!"
"There's this convenient thing called a smartphone, you know. Hehe~ I'll be disturbing you from now on. Elias, let's keep going. What do you think about this problem here?"
"..."
Elysia was devastated. Mei's clinginess had reached the level of a persistent ghost.
Elias could only smile wryly at the two of them.
Earlier that morning, before boarding the plane, Mei had gone out of her way to buy a phone for him. Just like Raiden Mei—this girl was clearly a financially independent ojou-sama.
After finishing his tutoring session with Mei, Elias took a shower and laid down on the bed.
Only for Elysia to pounce on him like a teddy bear.
"Mei is the worst. I hate Mei the most."
"Ely, lying doesn't suit you. The Elysia I know has always been honest—a girl who stays true to herself. And besides, since we're on a journey, of course we'll form bonds with people all over the world."
"...Elias, you've always felt like you belonged only to me. I can share my flowers, my photos, my time with Mei... but you're the one thing I don't want to share. I don't want to go on this journey alone."
Elysia buried her face in Elias' chest as she spoke.
Maybe at the beginning she could've traveled the world on her own. But not anymore. Traveling shoulder-to-shoulder with Elias had become too wonderful, too full of happiness.
Elysia had come to realize how important this journey was to her. Along the way, she had felt herself changing—her heart growing fuller, her soul shining brighter.
This was a journey to find her true self.
And yet, even such an important journey paled in comparison to being with Elias.
That was a truth Elysia had come to understand:
What mattered most in any journey wasn't the scenery or the experiences—but the person walking beside you.
"Silly Ely, did you forget already?"
Elias gently patted her head with a soft chuckle.
"Eh?"
"The night before we left, we made a promise. That we'd walk this road together, never leaving each other's side, until we reached the end. That we'd find your—no, our eternal paradise. Besides… how could I ever bear to leave you?"
Elias pulled the delicate girl into his arms, whispering their original vow softly into her ear.
Elysia squinted in delight as his voice tickled her ears. She instinctively rubbed against him like a cat inviting its owner to play.
And as his words sank in, the worry on her face vanished, replaced by a smile more dazzling than any flower.
"Sorry, Elias. That was a silly thing for me to say."
Of course—they'd never part.
Instead of wasting energy worrying, she should be thinking about where they'd play tomorrow… and what they'd eat.
They would walk this road together until the very end. And that road was called life.
Its final stop… was death.
Only death could ever separate their hands. But even that—would never touch them.
"It's okay. Good night, my dear Ely. It's late—we should get some rest."
"Mm. Good night, Elias. Let's meet again in our dreams."
Their foreheads pressed together.
Their gazes lingered on one another, gentle and full of warmth.
And finally, they closed their eyes—reluctantly, but peacefully.
Both silently wished to find each other in their dreams… and that the first sight upon waking would be filled with the other's presence.
...
After that, Elias and Elysia continued their journey.
Day by day, year after year, their footprints spread across the world, marked by countless encounters.
They met a girl who dreamed of becoming a classical music star, chasing art.
They met a boy who dreamed of being a hero of justice, working as a vigilante.
They met a dazzling magician—no, perhaps an inventor?—whose performance was nothing short of miraculous… and many, many others.
So many encounters, the number could no longer be counted.
Elias and Elysia had been touched by the kindness of strangers—warmed, moved, encouraged by them.
They had also suffered baseless malice—deceived, used, betrayed.
They had slept in five-star hotels—and curled up on park benches.
They had played music on the streets to scrape together travel funds—and been caught up in endless trouble.
This journey may not have been smooth.
But it was vivid. And it was beautiful.
If life were a book, with each day representing a single page—then for most people, each page would look like a copy of the last, barely changing.
But for Elias and Elysia, every page brimmed with new stories, new encounters, new scenery. Just a few years together had yielded a life more colorful than most people could ever dream of.
And during that time, the two of them slowly grew up together.
"Elias, do I look pretty today?"
Inside a clothing shop in one city, a girl in a white dress with pink trim, wearing a straw hat, turned and asked the boy before her.
Every customer in the shop turned to look at them. One was breathtakingly beautiful, the other strikingly handsome—as if a princess and prince had stepped straight out of a fairytale.
Elysia's wavy pink hair was tied back in a ponytail. Years had passed—she had grown from a girl into a young woman: elegant, radiant, and with a figure anyone would envy. Her smile alone could topple kingdoms.
"Ely, you're the most beautiful, no matter what."
Elias offered a sincere compliment. He too had grown, from a boy into a young man. His snow-white hair flowed behind him, and his golden eyes radiated both nobility and warmth. His experience as a traveler lent him a quiet maturity.
Together, the two of them seemed to light up the entire room. People silently screamed in their hearts: What a perfect match!
"But why the sudden urge to buy new clothes today?"
"Ah~ well, we're about to report in to the organization, right? Gotta make a perfect first impression."
"Is that really all it is?"
"...I also wanted you to tell me I look cute."
"Hehe~ Now that's more like it. My Ely is the cutest girl in the whole world."
Their sweet, casual conversation made the other customers beam with indulgent smiles. Ahh, they'd never seen such a perfect, shippable couple—adorable, loving, and a joy to watch!
Some customers also noticed that both Elias and Elysia wore silver badges—each emblazoned with a moth wreathed in flame.
The two of them had officially joined Fire Moth.
As for why—that went back to three years ago…
...
At the time, Elias and Elysia had been about to head to their next destination when they were caught in a sudden transportation lockdown. All flights and buses to the next city were canceled.
Most people would've just waited for it to be lifted. But not these two.
To them, this was a rare chance—a chance to relive the early days of their journey, when they had traveled to their first city entirely on foot.
For two people who could go wherever they wanted, as freely as birds in the sky, a simple travel restriction wasn't going to stop them.
So Elias and Elysia spent two days walking. They crossed forests, climbed hills, waded through rivers—and made their way cheerfully to the outskirts of the next city.
And then they saw it.
A war.
Boom boom boom boom boom—!
The roar of artillery was deafening, nonstop. But the target wasn't human—it was a single floating figure in the air.
Alone, yet undaunted, that figure weathered a blanket of firepower with terrifying strength. Human weapons had no effect.
With a mere wave of her hand, she conjured firepower equal to mankind's own—destroying tanks, jets, and soldiers with ease. But…
That would be her final moment.
Just as Elias and Elysia arrived, they witnessed her end.
A cluster of tactical nukes descended from the sky—utterly obliterating the lone figure.
"Wh-what... what was that...?"
Elysia stood frozen in shock.
In their years of travel, they had seen many things—even wars. They had once volunteered as battlefield medics, saving many lives.
But that war had been something else entirely.
It wasn't a war between humans.
It was a war between humanity and a god!
"The First Herrscher… has finally descended. Ely… this is the Honkai—the ultimate trial humanity must face."
Elias had spoken those words, heavy with emotion.
The Herrscher of Reason from the Previous Era had been born. Unlike the Herrschers of the Current Era who chose to fight for humanity, this one was the embodiment of destruction—the executor of the Honkai Will.
The Honkai had truly arrived in this era.
And its debut did not disappoint. A mid-sized city and its surrounding regions were wiped off the map. Fire Moth, already established by this point, spent two full days and nights exhausting the Herrscher's Honkai energy before finally delivering the finishing blow with a tactical nuke.
But the cost was devastating.
Until now, Fire Moth had only fought Honkai Beasts. This was their first time facing a Herrscher wielding divine authority.
The Herrscher of Reason had constructed a military force rivaling humanity's, annihilating nearly 90% of the Fire Moth forces deployed to the scene—even after reinforcements arrived.
"Elias… tell me, what exactly is the Honkai? And what are Herrschers?"
Elysia could barely process what she'd witnessed. Instinctively, she turned to Elias for answers.
And Elias did not hold back.
Everyone who witnessed the Honkai had the right to understand it. And even though she had never seen a Herrscher until now, she and Elias had encountered and dealt with plenty of Honkai Beasts during their travels. She already had some awareness.
Knowing her well, Elias understood that if he didn't explain it clearly, Elysia would throw herself into danger to find out.
So he told her the truth.
"The Honkai is a trial—a disaster. It's an existential crisis threatening the survival of humanity. Herrschers are its apostles of destruction. If we do not overcome the Honkai… humanity and its civilization will perish."
"!!!"
The revelation stunned Elysia. Her mind raced with disbelief and confusion.
"Elias… how do you know all of this?"
"Me? Ely, you might not believe it… but I came into this world for one reason: to help this civilization defeat the Honkai. That's my mission."
"Ah…"
As he spoke, Elias recorded the time, location, and appearance of the Herrscher of Reason. He had no intention of surviving everything in a single run.
Thanks to his "Rewinder EX" trait, he could return over and over again. The most important thing now was to gather information.
In the game, there had been very little data on the Previous Era Herrschers—especially the early ones. Their time and place of emergence were unclear, making preemptive action impossible.
To achieve a perfect ending, Elias needed to collect everything he could during this loop—and maybe the next few. Only with that knowledge could he aim for minimal or even zero casualties.
As he documented everything, Elysia came to a decision.
"If that's the case… then let this mission include me too. I won't let this beautiful world be destroyed by something like the Honkai or its Herrschers."
"Ely…"
"After all, I'm the heroine of this story, aren't I? Isn't it only natural that I fight to save the world I love?"
Elysia's tone was resolute. As someone who adored the world and everything beautiful within it, she could not accept what she had just witnessed—the destruction, the loss, the cruelty.
And since this was Elias' mission… then it was hers too!
"Excellent. Then Ely—let's fight to protect everything beautiful in this world!"
"Mm! To protect everything beautiful in this world!"
Elias wasn't the least bit surprised. He knew she would choose this path.
A girl who loved the world so deeply—who still hadn't found her ideal paradise—could never allow the Honkai to destroy it.
From that day forward, they became Honkai hunters.
Their journey was no longer aimless. Now, wherever there were signs of Honkai—they went.
Now, they had joined Fire Moth.
Elias: "But that doesn't mean our journey has ended."
Elysia: "That's right! It's just entering its next chapter!"
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