Seeing Jiang You stop abruptly, Illya was puzzled. When she noticed him staring intently at a distant door, she followed his gaze.
"What's wrong, Jiang You? Is there something wrong with that door?"
"..."
Jiang You hesitated for a moment, then decided that explaining his true circumstances to Illya at this moment wouldn't be a problem.
"Behind that door lies my world."
"Your world?"
Illya didn't immediately grasp his meaning and playfully teased, "Are you a Creator God from some other realm?"
But Jiang You didn't take the bait, his gaze remaining fixed on the door.
"...You're really a Creator God?!"
Illya actually paused to consider this seriously. After all, Jiang You had fought and even defeated Major God-class opponents. That Major God-class servant was currently freeloading at her house. Combined with his Noble Phantasms that transcended the laws of reality, it actually seemed plausible.
Illya's reaction made Jiang You chuckle. "What are you talking about? How could I be a Creator God? What I meant was, the world beyond that door is where I grew up. I'm actually not a servant. I'm still alive."
Jiang You didn't elaborate further, though in a way, Illya's assertion wasn't entirely wrong. The creators—or rather, the authors—of the Type-Moon World and Jiang You were all members of the same species, "human," born on the same world. To them, Jiang You occupied a Conceptual Rank equivalent to a Creator God. But admitting that felt a bit too embarrassing.
"?"
Illya didn't quite understand what Jiang You was trying to say.
"Don't worry too much about it," Jiang You said, gently patting her head to ease her confusion. "To you, I'm just the Jiang You you remember."
"So, want to try visiting my world?"
This might be a way to confirm his recent suspicions. If Illya could actually pass through that doorway... Jiang You nearly chuckled at his own presumption; he was clearly getting ahead of himself. But having come this far, how could he not try?
"Jiang You, the place you grew up? You still haven't explained everything, but... I want to go!"
Illya wanted to understand Jiang You better, and now that she had the chance, she couldn't possibly refuse.
"Then let's go, though I don't know if you can actually make it through."
Jiang You held Illya close as he approached the doorway and pushed it open.
The sensation of passing through water surged around them, and Jiang You's senses began to return.
When Jiang You opened his eyes again, he was back in reality. He pushed open the hatch of the submersible and took a deep breath. Good, Illya wasn't here.
Jiang You let out a sigh of relief, tinged with a hint of disappointment. He chuckled at himself, realizing he'd been overthinking things again—the whole "transmigration" fantasy had gotten out of hand. He took a deep breath and logged back into his game.
"I'm sorry, it seems there's really no way to cross over."
When Jiang You pushed open the door and returned to the Script Selection World, Illya was leaning against the doorframe, waiting for his return.
Her expression was grave, as if she wanted to say something important, but she forced a smile. "...It's okay. You always come back to me, don't you, Jiang You? No matter what happens, I want to stay by your side. In return, promise me you won't leave me, okay?"
"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"
Before he'd logged out, Illya had been full of energy. How could her mood have shifted so drastically after a simple re-login? Is she afraid I'll abandon her? "Don't be sad," he reassured her. "I'll always be with you. I'm sorry for making you worry again. This place is too desolate. Let's go back."
"Mm, let's go back together."
Illya gripped Jiang You's hand tightly, as if afraid he might vanish at any moment.
Together, they pushed open the door to the Prisma Illya World and stepped into that world.
The moment the door closed, two figures slowly emerged from behind other doors.
"Illya now knows the truth. Aren't you worried she'll reveal it to him?" Gaia glanced at the door representing "reality." If they hadn't intercepted Illya at the critical moment, she would have appeared in the place Jiang You believed to be the real world, a place constructed by the Mooncell.
In that instant, all the illusions would shatter, and Jiang You would learn the truth of his isekai. The world would cease to exist, collapsing into a singularity. The entire universe would then be reduced to a single high-dimensional being named "Jiang You," until he either completely abandoned his will or gathered enough power to achieve "ascension," which was actually a return to his original state. After he departed, the universe would begin its evolution anew. But the time required for this process defied calculation.
Either outcome was terrifying beyond measure. The mere realization of this possibility sent the entire universe trembling in fear.
"She won't say anything. If she does, she'll never be able to be with Jiang You."
Alaya disagreed. "We should have done this long ago. With Illya as our cover, the risk of exposure is drastically reduced. At least for as long as Illya lives, we won't have to worry too much about it."
"But that's only a few decades, even if we extend Illya's life. Before then, Jiang You will realize his body hasn't changed at all in all those years. In his perceived reality, that's impossible. Human lifespans... are still far too short."
Gaia still felt the timeline was too tight, but she dared not interfere with Jiang You directly now. If he came up with another wild idea, she feared she'd lose another piece of herself. It was better to let him run wild according to the original Script.
"Let's take it one step at a time. There's always a way."
Alaya believed Illya might persuade Jiang You to stay in this world. Humans, she reasoned, were fiercely protective of their offspring. Although Jiang You wasn't from their world, their shared humanity could make Illya the key to "unlocking" Jiang You's acceptance of this world. The only challenge was how to provide this functionality without arousing Jiang You's suspicion.
"Besides, instead of worrying about Illya, we should focus more on that AI. She's always looking for chaos."
"What can we even do?"
Gaia slammed her fist against the door before her. Since it was a construct of Jiang You's subconscious, even she couldn't budge it an inch.
"Jiang You has anchored her world to this one! We can't exert any influence there!"
"That's certainly troublesome."
Though Alaya leaned more toward Jiang You's interests, she had no desire to see the world destroyed.
"Why don't we make her Jiang You's 'shackles'? After all, to him, that world is reality."
"..."
Gaia was speechless. Was this truly the work of the Pan-Human Consciousness?