Inside the Fire Moth base.
"Anyway, that's how it is. Misteln is my long-lost family. It's really great we could meet again. Everyone, please take care of her from now on, I'm counting on you~"
"..." xN
After Elias finished speaking.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the smiling Misteln. Their eyes were full of curiosity and surprise—none of them had expected Elias to really bring back a "family member."
"Mhm mhm! Elias' family is of course my family too! Misteln Schariac, what a super pretty name! But are you Elias' older sister?"
Elysia immediately started chatting.
As long as it was related to Elias, Miss Pink Elf loved it. Her gaze toward Misteln instantly became especially warm and affectionate—after all, they were all family now.
"Well, I don't know about that."
"Eh?"
"I'm the same as Mast—cough cough, Elias. We were abandoned right after we were born, so we don't know our exact relationship. Maybe I'm the older sister, maybe the younger, or something else entirely. But that doesn't matter."
Misteln smiled and wrapped her arm around Elias' neck, pressing her flawless face affectionately against the boy's cheek.
"What matters is that we're together again now~"
"Mm, yes, that's right…"
Elias shifted his gaze guiltily.
On the way back, he had thought long and hard but still hadn't come up with a better explanation, so he decided to just wing it. Anyway, it didn't sound suspicious.
By making Misteln an orphan too, he could also prevent anyone from digging into her background.
"Feels kind of sloppy… So you two never met before today? Then how are you sure you're really blood-related?" Mobius asked suspiciously.
"That's easy~ Heave-ho!"
Misteln released the power of her Schariac stigma, and Elias also unleashed the same. The two forces of [Salvation] flared together, both driving Honkai energy to shine with identical brilliance.
At once, everyone was speechless. Well, fine—it was clear enough their "special effects" matched.
Aponia nodded in recognition.
"I can sense it. This young lady Misteln's fate is indeed bound to Elias'… though, isn't it bound a bit too tightly…"
The nun revealed a subtle expression.
Up until now, the one whose fate had been most tightly twined with Elias' was Elysia. But Misteln was even more extreme!
She had the same pure white thread of fate as the boy. And rather than being merely entangled, it was like a thin strand had split off from Elias' own line.
That strand coiled around Elias' thread again and again, as though unwilling to be apart even for a moment.
Aponia could not see her detailed future either.
(Normal! From one perspective, Misteln can be said to have split from my stigma—she is basically a part of my own power.)
Elias tightened his grip on Misteln's slender hand.
Since Aponia couldn't see his future, she naturally couldn't see the future of Misteln either, who was essentially his branch.
Their intimacy was only natural.
An example made it clear: Elias and Misteln's relationship was like Seele and Dark Seele's.
Except Misteln was far stronger than Dark Seele by many magnitudes.
Not to mention she had additional abilities—transcription, forcibly awakening stigmas, manipulating Seeds of Ideas, capturing and controlling dreams, spatial manipulation, mental entity projection, stigma body, amplification of Honkai energy…
Other than that, the two had little difference~
(Dark Seele: How is that "no difference" at all?!!)
"Wait, I just realized something. Misteln, you should be able to do what Seele does, right? Enter my body and fight using it with my permission?"
Elias suddenly thought of this and whispered to Misteln, who was already pressing her whole self close to him.
"Of course I can~"
Misteln also whispered softly in Elias' ear, her tone even carrying a hint of pride.
"Everything that Miss Seele can do, I can do too—and even better! After all, although she's a naturally born [Idea] stigma, she's different from me. She isn't connected to the Stigma Space, so in terms of energy and authority, she's far weaker than I am~"
Since the gap between Elias and Seele as hosts was like heaven and earth, the [Idea]s born from them—Misteln and Dark Seele—would naturally have the same kind of gap.
The latter merely used the power of a stigma.
The former could control the stigma itself!
In fact, the original Stigma Project was designed by World Serpent based on Misteln's "transcription" and "dream capture" powers, forming the 16th version of the New Stigma Project!
Her level was absurdly high~ This was a woman who even dared to go easy on the Herrscher of Reason! Though in the end she still lost to Bronya, if she hadn't held back, Bronya would've been crushed long before she could awaken.
"As expected of my Stigma Lady, you're amazing!"
Elias' eyes lit up as he instinctively hugged Misteln tighter. She was truly a treasure! Instantly, he thought of countless new possibilities—many of his shortcomings could now be patched.
To be honest, there weren't many effective ways left in this world to attack Elias. But spiritual attacks, like Fu Hua's Taixuan Eminence, could still affect him.
Now, with Misteln, even that shortcoming was completely gone.
With an [Idea] protecting his spirit, even the great Herrscher of Sentience wouldn't be so "great" anymore.
"Being able to do these things is only natural. After all, I'm an [Idea] born from my Master's power~"
Misteln spoke proudly.
The boost she gave Elias far surpassed one or two—or even three or four—Herrscher Cores! After all, [Idea]s were an extreme existence on par with Herrschers themselves.
"When I enter your body, all of my abilities are available for you to use as well. It's just a pity that in this era stigmas haven't yet been developed, so there are no Seeds of Ideas we can manipulate. Otherwise…"
Otherwise, even Elias' one "weakness"—his lack of numbers—would be filled.
An ordinary Seed of Ideas was equivalent to a Chariot-class MANTIS. But if Misteln wished, she could control tens of thousands of Seeds of Ideas without issue!
Reality wasn't like a game—she wouldn't just summon four little minions with one skill.
"Sluurp—! (o﹃o)"
Elias swallowed hard. Wait, she could really do all that? Misteln was too overpowered! And also…
(Mother-in-law, you really missed out big time!!!)
Elias couldn't help but feel sorry for Cecilia in the original story.
She had died too early and missed out on this huge cheat! If Misteln had been around, she could've soloed all of Schicksal!
Even if Otto had been kicked in the head by a donkey, he would never have picked a fight with an [Idea] who could form an army by herself, who was immune to spiritual attacks, who could manipulate stigmas, and who was practically unkillable.
Not to mention, Misteln could completely counter normal Valkyries! Artificial stigmas were still stigmas, just weaker ones. She could easily shatter them.
"Hehe~ Let's try it next time!"
"No problem!"
Elias was already daydreaming. After all, he intended to push forward the Stigma Project—but of course not the same as the original. There was no need to sacrifice all humanity for some so-called completion plan.
Wouldn't it be better if he just became the Herrscher of Finality himself?
With this body modified by the Will of Honkai, not becoming the Herrscher of Finality would be a waste!
More importantly, stigmas had to exist! They were a cornerstone of the current civilization's fight against Honkai, and Misteln's abilities made them even more essential.
Without a stigma system, several of her biggest moves would basically be disabled.
"Cough, cough! You two should wrap it up already."
Dr. Mei's eye twitched as she watched Elias and Misteln clinging to each other for so long.
"Eh?" "Hm?"
Elias and Misteln froze for a moment before realizing—this wasn't a private setting but a public one. Their little round of intimate whispers had been witnessed by others.
"Elias, no 'forbidden stuff' allowed, okay?!"
Elysia looked visibly flustered.
Even if you two were long-lost "family," there had to be a limit! She subconsciously smacked her lips—Elysia really hadn't expected that even she would be force-fed dog food one day.
Hugging, whispering—did they even remember that Miss Pink Elf was standing right here? Couldn't they at least include her?
"Cough, cough! You're overthinking, Elysia. That kind of thing doesn't exist between us!"
"Really?"
"Really, really! Absolutely true!"
Elias nodded at once and hugged the lonely Pink Elf comfortingly. At the same time, he added in his heart:
(Family may be true, but it's also an excuse. After all, Misteln isn't even human. So even if something like that ever happened, it wouldn't count as 'forbidden stuff'!)
"Alright then. Elias is solid when it comes to bottom lines."
Elysia finally felt relieved. Her gaze toward Misteln softened again. A bit of intimacy was fine—so long as she wasn't given a green hat, everything was good!
"I look forward to working with you, Misteln. I'm Elysia, but just call me Ely. By the way, this super pretty name of mine was given by Eli himself~ Oh, and since Eli and Ely sound the same, you better pay attention~"
The elf girl reached out her hand warmly to the stigma lady, both showing goodwill and subtly asserting her special status.
"Hello, Elysia~ I already know about you. I look forward to working together as well. And yes, it really is such a beautiful name. But… I'm the same, you know."
"True, Misteln's name is really nice too! Huh? It even kind of matches mine—what a coincidence. Looks like we're destined to get along really well in the future!"
Elysia had no idea what Misteln truly meant.
"Hehe~ of course."
Misteln's flawless smile never wavered, but inwardly she added:
(Of course my name is nice—it was also given by Master. That's what I meant by 'the same.' Looks like you misunderstood, Elysia~)
Misteln couldn't deny her heart felt very happy. Having broken free from the curse of being just a stigma, she was grateful and delighted for her new existence.
Compared to being just an unconscious mark on Elias' back, this form—touching, speaking, embracing in human shape—was intoxicating.
And to her surprise…
Though she was the embodiment of [Salvation], her personality was actually greedy. Now that she had the human form she had never dared to dream of, she wanted even more.
For example—surpassing the Pink Elf before her!
(From the very start, I have the advantage. After all, only Elysia and I have names given personally by Master. And compared to her, I know him far better!)
Just thinking of this, Misteln unconsciously puffed out her chest, rivaling Ely's own striking charm.
Because she was Elias' stigma, she knew everything that had happened to him. She knew her dear Master had traveled from fifty thousand years in the future to the Previous Era.
And she wasn't just a separate being—she could also be considered Elias' own ability. Which meant…
(If Master ever travels through time again, I'll be able to follow him too! That kind of overwhelming advantage—no one else could possibly have it~)
At the thought, Misteln's smile grew even brighter.
Though it seemed like she had just stepped onto the starting line…
Her starting line was practically at the finish. Maybe even one step away! After all, her affection level was already maxed—Elias could never hate his Stigma Lady~
With her innate vast knowledge, Misteln immediately found the perfect word for herself—life's winner!
Though she wore the face of a saint, her heart brimmed with little schemes. She was already considering whether she should "ascend the throne" tonight.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"Mei, I heard the branch in Mutaru has come up with something interesting lately—combat puppets and such. And you've also been researching artificial intelligence, right?"
Elias counted on his fingers. By this time, Soulium technology should have become fully developed, gradually moving from the field of weapons into the realm of robotics.
"Hm? You mean Prometheus?"
Mei was a little surprised Elias would bring this up, but after a thought it seemed natural. After all, the savior before her was still a boy—being interested in robots was perfectly reasonable.
"I've had too many matters to deal with recently, so I decided to create an AI assistant to help me with my work. It's nearly finished. Elias, do you want to come see it when it's done?"
"Yes!"
Elias nodded without hesitation. Misteln had already appeared—if Prometheus didn't show up soon, it would be too late.
He couldn't wait to see what the robot version of Bronya would be like. Last life, since it was only a game, he had no chance. But this time he definitely intended to find her charging port!
And then there was the combat puppet technology…
Elias: (I'm going to custom-order a hundred Elysias!)
...
A few days later.
After successfully joining Fire Moth, Misteln caused quite a stir. When she teamed up with Elias on missions, wherever they went, Honkai Beasts en masse dropped dead.
Mobius: "…Something's definitely off."
Clever as snake, she immediately saw the extraordinary nature of this Stigma Lady. Even though Misteln's performance was flawless enough to fool most, she was still too unusual—there was a distinctive "inhuman" aura about her.
On the very day she joined the team, she even showed off in the training field—thrashing Kevin terribly.
The [Idea]'s combat style was dazzlingly elegant, full of special effects. She could fight at both range and close quarters. At present, without Judgment of Shamash and not yet transformed into a chimera, Kevin could only be one-sidedly beaten down.
"Mei, what do you think of Misteln?"
"What do I think? She's Elias' family, isn't she."
Facing Mobius' questioning while busy with finishing Prometheus in the lab, Mei answered casually.
"…You can't seriously believe that."
"Of course~"
Mei replied with a look of utter certainty.
"Mobius, your curiosity is too strong—you want to figure out everything. But to me, Misteln's identity doesn't matter at all, because Elias said she's family."
As the pinnacle of human intellect, how could Mei not see the truth? But just as she said, there was no need to care.
No matter how mysterious or suspicious Misteln's origin, the moment Elias vouched for her, she became trustworthy. After all, this was the credibility of the savior himself.
"Tch! Fine. But Mei, for a scientist, you sure understand these little twists and turns of human nature."
"That's because you're too blunt, Mobius. Intelligence alone isn't enough—you need emotional intelligence too~" Dr. Mei said proudly.
"Heh~ Emotional intelligence? Who was it that appeared after Elysia yet still hasn't risen in status? I'm dying of laughter."
Mobius mercilessly delivered her jab.
Mei's hand trembled, dropping Prometheus' radiator onto the floor. Then she calmly pushed up her glasses.
"…Mobius, you won't have a budget next month."