T/N: Huge shout out and thank you for marcus bruguera for giving me your support, I really appreciate it, thank you.
Even taking one step forward did not guarantee peace.
On the contrary, that was when the real test began.
Staying in place at least offered some comfort to one’s own heart.
The life one experienced might be incredibly difficult and painful, even leading one astray.
But at least it would not plunge them into an even deeper and more desperate abyss.
Moving forward, however, was like being pushed by an invisible force, or like a moth drawn to a flame in the darkness.
No matter what the final outcome might be, that single step forward carried the risk of falling into a greater abyss and facing an even more terrifying disaster.
Because taking that first step required the least confidence and certainty.
If the result was not what one hoped for, if it was not as beautiful and pure as imagined, then the outcome would devour the one who took the chance.
Until a mind that surpassed all limits delivered the only surprise.
That unparalleled human intellect, perhaps the greatest in history, regained control of the body and completed the scan in an instant.
Then, her silver-grey eyes suddenly brightened.
It was as if pink petals had drifted into them.
They reflected the image of the young man before her, just like the day they first met.
Like a ray of light in the abyss, it pointed to the only path of escape and proved that this world was not entirely cruel and hopeless.
“This invitation…”
“I’ll accept it.”
The young man picked up the card with his index finger.
He tilted his head slightly, a clear and encouraging smile on his lips.
“I just wonder how long I’ll have to wait for your birthday party.
If it’s too long, I might hold a grudge, you know~?”
“Ah…?”
The outcome seemed too astonishing.
It far exceeded the young woman’s expectations.
For a moment, she was left speechless.
Her cherry-like lips parted as she tried to say something appropriate, but only fragmented sounds escaped her throat.
Even in her most beautiful fantasies, she had imagined a long and difficult struggle.
She never thought it would be this easy to take Edward away from Elysia.
“Now you have no room to refuse.
You’ve successfully brought in a completely useless freeloader, and I’m quite grateful.”
Edward lightly wiggled his index finger in a playful taunt.
This was nearly his highest level of skill.
The tension dissolved instantly.
The young woman did not hesitate for even a second.
“Of…
of course not.
I absolutely, absolutely won’t abandon you, Edward.”
“That would be perfect.”
“From now on, I’ll be relying on you for my meals.”
“But don’t worry, I do have some money.”
The young man mirrored her action, placing a hand on his own chest.
His eyes curved slightly with a hint of playfulness, yet his expression was almost as serious as when he had asked to travel with Elysia before.
It was just as solemn.
It was just as serious.
There was no difference from their previous journey.
It was another step toward a new life, another departure from the present, another attempt to build something based on someone else’s feelings.
Only this time, perhaps he would not be ignored or treated coldly.
Nor would he continue to hold back Elysia’s steps toward freedom.
The young woman clearly had many important things she needed to do.
Perhaps, like the protagonists in fairy tales, she was born with a destiny only she could fulfill, monsters that only she could confront.
If traveling together would slow her down, would he not become a burden?
It was better this way…
She had agreed.
She had actually agreed.
It was a possibility she had not even dared to dream of.
The moment she voiced her request, she had already foreseen a tragic ending.
She lacked the courage and mental strength to face the abyss, and yet she could only stand there.
But the young man had agreed to such a bold request.
He chose to step away from that flawless, dreamlike girl who seemed like a fairy, and instead extended a hand to this insecure and powerless young woman.
After saving her, he even accepted her presumptuous invitation.
Even though she was the one who had been saved and helped, she still shamelessly tried to ask for more.
It was simply dreamlike…
For Vill-V, today already felt like a beautiful dream.
It made her want to pinch her own thigh just to make sure it was real.
===
[You, who were recording Edward receiving gifts, suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of suppression.
You looked up and saw the young man chatting and laughing with Vill-V.] [This is a very ordinary thing.
You have no right to control the young man’s social circle.] [Although it feels a bit uncomfortable, the truth is that their interaction is largely because of your own choices and actions.] [After so many times, even the most uncomfortable situations must be accepted.] [It’s just…] [For some reason…] [This time, you felt a much stronger and more suffocating sense of suppression, as if something irreversible and deeply regrettable was about to happen.] [Therefore, you decided to put down what you were doing and leave the gift recording to someone else.]
She unconsciously bit her lower lip, and a trace of doubt appeared in her pink-blue eyes.
Why did she feel this way?
Weren’t the regrets she had always tried to mend mostly about the townspeople and those scholars who would cause future tragedies?
Those who were forced to leave before they could show their talents, or those who suffered undeserved disasters because of Honkai energy?
Although it might not be right to say so…
Why did she feel so sad and suppressed?
Her time with Edward had not been that long, had it?
The young woman, still overwhelmed by the current disaster that had claimed tens of millions of lives, truly treated this as nothing more than a simulation, a simple game.
Since it would not affect reality, she used this game to make up for past regrets and explore other possibilities.
Compared to a second life, this was perhaps closer to how a player would approach it.
Standing from her own perspective, Elysia felt somewhat conflicted.
Her dreamlike blue eyes gazed at the young man in the distance.
Understanding between people was never easy.
Even with complete immersion, even if they would one day converge and become as one, their different experiences would still cause slight differences in their views and thoughts for a while.
[At this moment, one thing was far more important than communicating with those around her.] [You can no longer suppress your inner feelings and continue talking with others…
or with those you do not truly want to speak with.] [Option 1: Go see Edward immediately!] [Option 2: Go see Edward immediately!!] [Option 3: Go see Edward immediately!!!!]
Why…
why were they all the same?
The options appeared, yet it felt as though they had not.
Because all three choices were identical: go see Edward.
The only difference was the number of exclamation marks.
This situation was not entirely unexpected.
The options generated by the world’s development and emotional changes could not possibly override the entire world and one’s psyche.
If there was a period where, due to irresistible external threats or disasters, all thoughts converged with no room for choice, then having three nearly identical options was not impossible.
But why were they exactly the same?
Why precisely at this moment?
Her thoughts were in chaos, like a storm tearing through a library.
Even the usually flawless young woman struggled to process what she was feeling.
Perhaps because of a fundamental difference, her current experience felt unusually strange.
Even with a certain degree of empathy, such shared emotions would be diluted or altered due to different experiences and emotional impacts.
The joy of changing the world and potentially solving the first two disasters, the happiness of saving lives, and the satisfaction of making up for past regrets…
Richer experiences would naturally lead to different priorities among simultaneously felt emotions.
What if there was a difference?
200 Stones
And so on