What would infinite regression and a rational monster do when combined together?
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine loops. Did you arrive at an answer?"
Aleph asked her. The latter just so happened to finish drinking the coffee in her hand.
"Gods are unimaginable."
That sentence encapsulated everything she discovered during her loops. Parallel Mei had to undergo a hundred loops to call forth the power to summon her 'parallel self'. Upon reaching the thousandth-mark, she could call out hundreds of selves to descend into her location.
She had to go through so much trouble to gain something every Aeon possessed. They could control their manifestations over all parallel universes existing on the Tree. It is one of the 'loopholes' Aleph planned to use to break free from this parallel universe.
If it weren't for the fact that this parallel universe (Lostbelt) was completely isolated by the Imaginary Tree from the outside, Aleph could have simply used his Error authority to interact with the outside world, thus easily breaking Finality's test.
"No matter what we do, with the things in our grasp, it's impossible. Our best hopes lie in someone from Earth accepting the Cocoon's power."
"Hm. Kiana."
"She's our only way out."
Aleph did not deny her claim. It is the truth. Earth had limited possibilities when it came to fighting against the honkai. Even if five of the Flamechasers succeed in becoming complex information lifeforms, it remains lacking in the face of the Cocoon.
They are half-finished products.
The Cocoon of Finality is the complete product.
'Infinite possibilities. It's not impossible to bring most of the geniuses to godhood.'
Aleph's guilt wasn't merely from his disappearance.
His presence itself meant infinite possibilities. He can actively shield everyone from Aeons' influence. He can grant them power systems of other worlds. He presents the unimaginable amongst all the other unimaginable things.
So long as Aleph existed, all five of them would have become gods within the last fifty thousand years.
"Everything will become fine with your presence. It's time for me to leave."
Mei no longer had her previous flat voice. Aleph heard a sense of trust and relief from it.
Just as she stepped forward, Aleph took hold of her hand. He pulled her to his side, causing their lips to meet.
It ended there.
Mei's startled look made it difficult to associate with the ruthless regressor who tried nearly everything to win during the Previous Era.
Now, she is the eighteen-year-old Mei who has been attending Chiba Academy.
A tinge of joy appeared on her pupils as they narrowed down.
Aleph met her ecstatic gaze. He saw through everything she wanted to convey.
'Mobius did not like cruel partings…'
Mei is different in that regard. She 'rationalized' it as a fulfillment of her wish.
After all, she found him.
Buzz-!
A wave of dark blue swept through everything. Aleph saw the surroundings turn into a familiar dark blue.
Tick.
He looked at everything in a daze. It was not just sadness. There is something that urged him to never let something like this happen again.
It became a driving force behind his existence.
"Aleph."
He looked back and saw Mei. It was as if everything that happened inside the Sea of Quanta was a dream.
It was not.
"She left me with a library."
Unlike her usual self, the Real Mei spoke succinctly.
Aleph understood what she wanted to express—the parallel Earth's struggle wasn't meaningless.
Before he knew it, Mei was already in front of him. Her arms dragged his face to her shoulders. It was his turn to get comforted.
The familiar scent assaulted his nose. It was more than enough to let him daze out. Even the creation of the Spirit Realm with his true body was halted momentarily.
Silence ensued between the two. Aleph did not move from his position, and so did Mei.
After an unknown amount of time, the two separated.
"Let's talk more later. Mei left a huge gift."
He saw Mei's look of 'It's completely normal'. Indeed, any version of Mei would have done the same. That's the way she is.
Aleph was about to leave when she asked something.
"Did you bring Hua with you?"
"Yes..?"
"As expected." She nodded. "Have you done it already?"
Hearing this familiar set of words, his body nearly froze.
"No, no. Nothing happened between us."
'Not for now.' He muttered inwardly.
"It will happen sooner or later. I won't mind having the order rearranged."
Mei cast a knowing look at him. The latter froze this time.
Just like Herta or Ruan Mei, he could not fully read Mei's mind. Heck, he falls short even on Mobius and Hua. Only, Hua is more readable compared to the others.
'Was this the peculiarities of a genius? They do fit on the Genius Society's criteria…'
Aleph bid her farewell with a final kiss. Mei seemed a lot more uplifted after that.
"Who should I visit next…"
He looked beyond the dark blue backdrop. The place he met Mobius was inside a Stigma Space created by the network of Mobiuses. It existed within the imaginary space.
Su and Mei, on the other hand, are located within the Sea of Quanta. Mei's presence was at an all-time low, to the point her 'infinite regressions' remained unnoticed by the rest.
The remaining two survivors within the Flamechasers are located above ground. They aren't as elusive as the rest.
Only…
'Vill-V.'
Aleph remained at a standstill after he saw how Vill-V ended up. He recalled how it went in the original history. An evil persona of her emerged after everything she went through. The rest of Vill-Vs are unable to confirm the presence of 'Evil Vill-V'. Everyone thought they were messing with each other upon seeing strange things "Vill-V" had done—eating another persona's snack, working on strange projects, and so on.
"That Vill-V is a twisted version of herself. An agglomerate of grudges. Regrets…"
Vill-V herself wasn't aware of her existence. By the time she knew, everything was going downhill for the Elysian Realm.
Perhaps it was due to the changes, but Aleph saw everything play out differently. She is maintaining the normal operations of the Elysian Realm.
Only…
'How am I going to deal with her?'
Vill-V's normalcy was caused by something else—and that something else is Aleph. Her full attention was enough to warrant the Elysian Realm's collapse. If that same level of attention was placed into a single person…
'I'm sorry Kevin. You'll have to go last.'
…all sorts of crazy things could happen.
*****
A/N: There goes the double chapter for today. This should continue for an entire week if I don't trip over.
Then again, for some clarifications. This Lostbelt isolates the ones inside from the outside. Meaning, the Aeons of this Lostbelt can't contact their "Real Selves" on the Real Universe. Similarly, they can't use their power to influence the Real Universe. The same goes for Aleph. The reason why he met Real Mobius and Realm Mei is due to them being projections. They can't influence this Lostbelt. They are literally "thin air" given form. The only thing they can do is to touch Aleph, nothing else. That's the "gift" mentioned by Mei. This was supposed to be explained later, but I might as well clarify it early on.
Anyways, that's a long yap. Remember the MEI in game? Her yap did satisfy my cravings for Honkai's lore, but it was tiring to read. I wanted to bring that same sensation here...