An immeasurable number of years later...
Click—Hiss—!
As the hibernation pod opened, a rush of cold air poured out.
From within emerged the figure of a person.
"Is it time? Is Prometheus here?"
"...Vice Captain Chang Yuan, Sister Prometheus has gone to carry out another mission. Dr. MEI and the others requested it after they woke up."
Instead of Prometheus, the response came from a somewhat naive voice.
Turning his head, Chang Yuan saw the slightly dull-looking Skadi.
"A mission that requires her to complete? I see."
Indeed, that task could only be carried out by Prometheus. After all, Skadi, despite being a super AI on the same level as Prometheus, seemed too naive to handle it.
Although Chang Yuan didn't know how much time had passed, it felt like only a moment to him.
It felt as though Elysia had only left yesterday.
Every time he thought of this, a sharp pain shot through Chang Yuan's heart.
But then he noticed something soft beneath his left hand.
He remembered that the hibernation pod shouldn't have any soft padding. Curious, he looked down.
What he saw made his pupils contract in shock.
"E-Elysia..."
Looking at the figure beside him, Chang Yuan uttered her name in disbelief.
No, Elysia had definitely sacrificed herself. He had seen it with his own eyes. It couldn't be fake.
But if that were the case, who was the person before him?
If the hibernation pod had been opened, he would have noticed. Yet he had no memory of someone being placed inside.
Reaching out, Chang Yuan touched the pointed ears of the figure, even pinching her cheek.
It felt real, exactly like Elysia. But this was impossible.
Unbeknownst to him, the once-glowing pink crystal flower had dimmed again.
The light that had made it shine had long since merged into this body.
So now, even if Chang Yuan took out the crystal flower, he wouldn't notice anything unusual.
In the next moment, Chang Yuan suddenly felt a strange sensation in his mind.
It seemed he could control this body.
Instantly, he thought of a possibility. Back then, the Honkai Beast gene he had fused with was from the Twin Stars, Asura.
At the time, he hadn't gained any special abilities, but it was called the Twin Stars for a reason.
It could split into two.
"But shouldn't it have split into another version of me? Why is it Elysia? Or is this the heavens' way of letting me use Elysia's form to see the world on her behalf?
Hah, the heavens' pity is both tragic and hateful, yet also joyous. Why couldn't they have pitied humanity earlier, allowing us to defeat the Finality?"
Fate had never been fair, and this moment was no exception.
But remembering his promise to Elysia, Chang Yuan calmed down.
He then tried to control the other body—the one that looked exactly like Elysia.
In the next moment, the Elysia who had been lying beside Chang Yuan in the hibernation pod sat up.
She opened her eyes, and they were exactly like Elysia's. Chang Yuan couldn't help but reach out to gently touch her face.
As the main body, Chang Yuan could also feel the sensations of this clone.
It was a strange feeling, but Chang Yuan didn't care.
"She's... so beautiful..."
Pressing his forehead against Elysia's, Chang Yuan savored this fleeting moment of false peace.
But it didn't last long. Chang Yuan soon stood up, ready to leave. However, he then noticed that Elysia, being his clone, was completely naked.
"Skadi, help me find a Fire Moth uniform that Elysia used to wear."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Everyone knew how important Elysia was to Chang Yuan.
So, everything Elysia had left behind had been preserved, all to give Chang Yuan some semblance of peace.
Soon, Skadi brought over a Fire Moth uniform that Elysia had worn during missions.
She didn't understand why Chang Yuan needed it, but she obediently followed his request.
After receiving the uniform, Chang Yuan handed it to Elysia.
Taking the clothes, Elysia began to put them on.
Surprisingly, she did so with great familiarity, likely because she had often taken them off.
"E-Elysia!"
Seeing the pink-haired girl, Skadi took a few steps back in disbelief.
What was this? Something was wrong. She clearly remembered that all the clones had been destroyed, and the original Elysia had sacrificed herself.
So, what was this before her eyes?
Moreover, the artificial Herrschers had been diligently patrolling and protecting all of humanity.
She had no memory of Chang Yuan's hibernation pod being opened, nor of any clone entering hibernation with him.
"Hmm~? It's me, Skadi. Didn't expect this, did you~?"
Hopping out of the hibernation pod, Elysia walked up to Skadi and pinched her cheeks.
At this moment, the clone Elysia was indistinguishable from the real Elysia.
Skadi couldn't tell the difference, as this was exactly the kind of thing Elysia would do.
"Hahaha, Skadi, Elysia never actually died. See, she's been by my side all along."
Chang Yuan was now bordering on madness.
He used the clone to desperately play the role of the lover he had lost, endlessly imitating her until he became her.
There's a saying that describes Chang Yuan now: After she left, I became her.
But this time, Chang Yuan wanted to change.
He didn't want the Elysia who loved everyone. He wanted an Elysia who selfishly loved only him.
Even if it was wrong, even if it was fake, he would still do it.
"...That's great! Elysia, you're alive! I'll go tell everyone."
At this moment, Skadi had noticed something was off, but she didn't point it out.
Perhaps giving Chang Yuan a spiritual anchor wasn't such a bad idea.
Once a person has a spiritual anchor, they gain the motivation to keep living. Skadi believed that everyone else would also choose to remain silent if they saw this.
Chang Yuan and Elysia had done so much for the Previous Era, but the Previous Era had also owed them too much.
One had saved countless lives in the Previous Era through foresight, while the other, as a Herrscher, had helped humanity defeat countless Herrschers.
Yet all the Previous Era had given them was endless pain and the separation of lovers. This was a debt that all of humanity in the Previous Era owed them.