At the final banquet, the candlelight was dim, and only a few were present.
To ensure the continuation of human civilization, Elysia, a Herrscher, had decided to offer herself up. She would make a most sincere wish upon this tragic world, and in doing so, alter the predetermined course of destiny.
Those who came, did so out of faith in Elysia; those who were absent, refused to condemn her, also out of faith in Elysia.
None of that mattered much to her, however. Hua remained seated in a corner at the edge of the room, watching as the Flame-Chasers bid farewell to the beautiful and radiant Elysia one by one.
Only after everyone else had said their goodbyes could she approach Elysia and do the same.
But strangely, Elysia quickly cut short her conversations with the other Flame-Chasers and walked over to her.
"Hua, can we talk? Alone?"
"Mn."
She didn't refuse. There was no reason to.
Elysia led her to a private room, took both of Hua's hands in her own, and her usual lively, bubbly personality gave way to a quiet solemnity.
"After I'm gone, I'm counting on you to take care of him," she said with utter seriousness. "Hua, can you do that?"
Hearing this, Hua couldn't help but bite her lip and lower her gaze.
He was supposed to be my responsibility in the first place, she thought. At least, that's how it was before the Third Honkai Eruption.
"I don't know," she answered, giving the same noncommittal reply as always. "I'll do my best."
After the banquet, Mo didn't leave with her. Instead, he returned to Mobius's laboratory.
Hua didn't stop him. She said nothing and simply returned to her own quarters.
Soon, they would journey to the moon for the final battle against the last Herrscher. Whether humanity could preserve its last embers depended on their ability to hold off the Herrscher of Finality.
Kevin, Kalpas, Kosma... they were the world's strongest fighters. She, on the other hand, had to rely on the 8th Divine Key, Fenghuang Down, to even unleash most of her own power.
But just holding back the Herrscher of Finality shouldn't be too hard... she thought.
Assuming we have the support of the SELENE.
But if I go... if I bring them misfortune and the plan is interrupted, all for nothing... then Project EMBER will also be...
"Why am I one of the people being sent to the front lines for the final mission?"
"I... I'm someone who shouldn't even be here."
Hua wasn't afraid of death. She was only afraid that the hope humanity had struggled to preserve at all costs would be shattered because of her.
According to the meticulous plan devised by Dr. MEI, the final battle came to a close, and the last embers of humanity on Earth were preserved.
And yet, those who were fated to die were all gone.
The day before the final battle, Pardofelis returned to the Twilight Street, packed all the treasures she had cherished throughout her life into a chest, and buried it in the ground.
She had been assigned a mission that was almost certain death—to open a gate that would allow Prometheus to invade the Will of the Honkai. The Honkai Energy radiation from this gate was potent enough to kill a MANTIS, but Pardo didn't refuse. She had always been lucky, and she thought that if her luck held, she might just survive the massive wave of radiation.
She still died. Hua didn't know if it was because she herself was a jinx.
Before the final battle, Kalpas and Kosma went their separate ways, one to a sanatorium that was already in ruins, the other to a silent, lonely graveyard.
...
Only she remained in her room, doing nothing, staring blankly at the night sky.
Her father hadn't died in the Third Honkai Eruption. Mo had brought him to Mobius's lab and saved him, but under the circumstances, an ordinary person couldn't be allowed to wander outside.
He was placed in a cryo-pod to await the dawn of the next civilization.
With no attachments left, Hua didn't know what she could even do. Everyone else had regrets, things they wanted to make up for. But what about her?
As Hua sat in silence, for reasons unknown, her door was pushed open.
"..."
"Captain Himeko..."
Hua decided to use the time she had left to visit Captain Himeko.
After Himeko was killed by Kevin, who had become a MANTIS, her Herrscher Core was extracted and made into the Judgment of Shamash. Her body was buried in her homeland.
The tombstone bore no inscription.
As a warrior of the Fire Moth, she had indeed saved many people, Hua included.
But later, chosen by the Honkai, she became the Herrscher of Flame and annihilated the population of an entire continent. Her sins were unforgivable.
The people could never forgive her. Securing a quiet resting place for her was the most Dr. MEI could do.
Hua walked up to the unmarked grave, her head bowed in silence. The air around her was thick and heavy, like a briny sea breeze carrying the scent of salt and sorrow.
"Captain, it's Hua. I've come to see you."
"Tomorrow, the people of this civilization will face the Honkai in a battle for survival. I don't know if I'll make it back alive, so I came to see you one last time today."
"I feel like I've let you down."
Hua placed a jar of wine before the tombstone. She knew Captain Himeko had loved to drink, so she had gone out of her way to find it. She poured out her heart for a long, long time before finally wiping the tears from her eyes and turning to leave.
On Himeko's tombstone, however, there were clearly words that had been carved by someone. And in front of it, there wasn't just a jar of wine, but also a bouquet of fresh flowers, looking as if they had just been placed there.
After the final battle, the surviving warriors retreated to Earth and entered shelters deep underground to begin their cryosleep, waiting for the next civilization to dawn.
Fifty thousand years later, a new era began. Hua, entrusted by Dr. MEI with "Project EMBER" to pass down their knowledge and culture to the next generation, chose to settle in Shenzhou. She took the new name... Jingwei.
Traveling with her were Fuxi, Nuwa, and the survivor, Mo, who now called himself Mingyue.
Due to the vast differences in time and perception, the group rarely found common ground with the people of this new world.
But emotions always need an outlet, a place to be entrusted.
At the seaside of a certain tribe—
"Mingyue? That name's not that great, you know. Why not use the mythological name I picked out for you? Look, wasn't I the one who came up with Hua's alias, 'Jingwei'? You two would make a perfect pair~" Nuwa said cheerfully, her hands busy kneading a lump of clay.
"The people of this era have a special faith in supernatural phenomena. We can totally use myths and legends to spread the knowledge of our era."
"We can even embellish our actions into stories with a mysterious flair and let them circulate. See? I even made a clay figure of Jingwei. You could call it a figurine, hehe~"
Nuwa lifted her chin proudly, holding up a clay figure with her grubby hands.
In the Previous Era, she never had the chance, but now she had all the time and energy to do what she loved.
Making figures was Nuwa's hobby, along with watching anime and reading manga—she was a total otaku.
She loved using all sorts of materials to create lifelike figures. The thought that these figures would one day be revered as cultural heritage by the people of this era, and that her works would gain countless admirers and be spread far and wide, filled her with boundless energy.
"No matter how good the figure looks, it can't compare to the real person, can it? Nuwa... not counting cryosleep, you're an adult now, right?"
Li Mo reached out and pinched Nuwa's soft cheek, a meaningful smile on his face. Her face was still smudged with mud, and he patiently and gently wiped it clean.
Nuwa flinched, placed the figure on the ground, and shot up, trying to flee.
"What's wrong? It's not like I'm going to eat you."
"Uh... I, I know that, of course! Fuxi and Jingwei are just over there collecting shells!" Nuwa stammered, her face blushing as she frantically tried to think of reasons why Li Mo couldn't mess with her.
To accelerate the formation of an economic system, Fuxi and Jingwei were currently at the shore collecting large quantities of seashells, which could be used as currency by the people of this era, intending to circulate them to speed up civilization's progress.
"Then what are you worried about? Sit down next to me and let's chat."
Li Mo patted the ground beside him. After a moment's hesitation, Nuwa reluctantly sat down next to him, maintaining a safe distance.
With her brown hair, red eyes, and petite frame, Nuwa was the type of girl who would be mistaken for a middle schooler in a crowd. Fuxi was the same.
People always care most about what they lack.
Nuwa kept glancing up, nervously watching where Li Mo was looking.
But Li Mo's gaze remained fixed on the vast ocean before them, without a single interested glance in her direction.
Instantly, a wave of frustration washed over her.
"Agh, this is no fun! No fun at all! I can't talk to you like this!"
Nuwa took the initiative and rested her head on Li Mo's shoulder, letting her guard down.
Li Mo glanced down at her and smiled faintly. "So bold. Aren't you afraid of the big bad wolf?"
Nuwa retorted, "If you dare try anything, I'll go tattle to my sister and Jingwei! Then I'll write all your wicked deeds into the history books for every single person in the tribe to read and condemn! Ages from now, whenever someone in Shenzhou gets caught doing something evil, they'll curse your name too! Hmph! You wouldn't want to go down in history as a villain, now would you, Mo?"
Li Mo replied, "Alright, you're ruthless, I'll give you that. But for now, just call me Mingyue. My name from the Previous Era doesn't mean anything to me anymore."
Nuwa said, "Are you really trying that hard to fit into this era? Because to me, it seems like you're rejecting it."
Li Mo replied, "Oh? Do tell."
Nuwa explained, "Well, look at that, uh, Ji Lin from the Huangdi tribe. The way she looks at you, do I even need to say more? It's written all over her lovesick face: 'I like you, please marry me.' It's not just me; anyone in the tribe can see she's fallen head over heels for you. You've completely stolen her heart."
"If you really wanted to blend into this era, wouldn't it be good to become a couple with Ji Lin and form new bonds?"
"Even if she turns to dust a hundred years from now and you leave to find another partner, no one would blame you."
Li Mo mused, "You have a point. Maybe I should give it a try."
Nuwa shot back, "You damn scumbag! Dr. Mobius was right, you really are a fickle, womanizing man!"
Li Mo protested, "Hey, hey, wasn't that your suggestion? And isn't that term usually used for women?"
Nuwa huffed, "I was just saying! I didn't think it would expose your true colors."
Li Mo sighed. "Emm... the quantum nature of a girl's questions is truly legendary. Alright, I'll stop joking around. I have no intention of getting together with her. Ji Lin is just my student. Besides, you and Fuxi are way cuter than she is. And what's more... how long can Ji Lin live, anyway? She's not a MANTIS."
After Li Mo finished, Nuwa lowered her head and glanced at the clay Jingwei figure by her side, a faint, dim light flickering in her eyes.
"But... Mingyue, Fuxi and I aren't MANTISes either."
"..."
With that, Li Mo and Nuwa fell into a long, heavy silence.
After a while, Li Mo stood up, walked behind Nuwa, and hugged her. "So, you see, I have to hurry up and win you all over while you're still young. Otherwise, when you get old and frail, I won't have any desire left."
Nuwa exclaimed, "...You monster! Please go die. Right here, right now, immediately!"
Nuwa struggled with all her might, but as an ordinary person, her strength was pitifully weak against a MANTIS. Li Mo held her firmly, his arms unmoving.
Li Mo said, "By the way, Nuwa, have you ever heard of an anime? It's kind of about me."
At the mention of anime, Nuwa's interest was instantly piqued. Forgetting to struggle, she turned her head, her eyes shining with curiosity. "What anime? It's about you? Were you a voice actor or a producer?"
The moment Nuwa turned her head, Li Mo stole a kiss on her cheek.
He leaned in close to her ear and whispered teasingly, "Scum's Wish."
Nuwa: "..."
"Sometimes I really want to call the cops..."
"You scumbag of all scumbags!"
Nuwa thrashed wildly, bucking up and down, swaying left and right. It was hilarious; she couldn't break free at all.
Li Mo even had the nerve to mock her. "Stop resisting, it's usele—Whoa, are you part dog?!"
Before he could finish his taunt, Nuwa bit down hard on his arm.
She knew she couldn't kill him, so she held nothing back, using all her strength to try and tear off a piece of his flesh.
So hard...
Damn it, why is this guy so hard?!
I can't bite through! I can't bite through at all!!
Stubbornly, Nuwa refused to let go, even as her teeth ached fiercely.
A pained expression appeared on Li Mo's face. He wanted to push her away but was afraid of hurting her.
"I was wrong, Sister Nuwa! I just regenerate quickly, that doesn't mean I'm made of steel."
"It really hurts! I was just..."
Realizing he'd almost let something slip, Li Mo abruptly shut his mouth.
Nuwa finally released her grip, a glistening thread of saliva stretching from her pearly white teeth to the bite mark on Li Mo's arm.
"If you don't talk, I'm biting you again," Nuwa threatened, showing no mercy. She grabbed his arm with both hands and opened her mouth once more.
Li Mo sighed in resignation, raising his other hand in a French-style salute.
"What's there not to say? I just stole a little kiss. It's not like you're going to hunt me down and exterminate me for it, are you?"
"Stole a... a-a-ahhh... Why won't a scumbag like you just die?!"
Nuwa ground her teeth, then lunged forward and bit down again, right on the same spot.
Li Mo winced in pain. While the injury was trivial, it didn't mean he couldn't feel it.
"I already confessed! Why are you still biting me!?"
Nuwa let go, her tone exasperated.
"I wasn't going to bite you after you confessed. But if I didn't, seeing that smug look on your face would just piss me off. The more I think about it, the angrier I get, so I have to bite you back! Remember this! If you ever dare to tease me again, this will be your fate!"
Emboldened by her status as an ordinary human, Nuwa warned Li Mo without reservation.
But to her surprise, after hearing her out, Li Mo simply offered his other arm.
"Really? Then go ahead and bite now. Consider it a deposit for next time."
"By the way, can I choose the spot? I saw in a gacha game that you get a selector after 300 pulls. Could you..."