"Liuli, what are you doing here?" Seeing the familiar figure so suddenly, Mei stopped in her tracks, her face etched with surprise.
The collapse of the Elysian Realm had caught everyone off guard. Mei had assumed Liuli, left behind in The Deep, had met a grim fate. She hadn't expected her to reach the Eternal Paradise even earlier than herself.
Hearing Mei's voice, [Kiana] turned around, a teasing smile on her face. "Long time no see, Leader Mei. I thought you'd get here sooner."
"..." The title "Leader" made Mei pause. She huffed, retorting irritably, "Stop joking. You know better than I do who the real leader of The Obsidian Concord is."
[Kiana] just chuckled, unfazed. "Don't be such a stranger. We fought side-by-side once, didn't we? Besides, you are the leader in name."
Mei didn't pursue [Kiana]'s banter further. Her gaze fell fully on Liuli.
Although much time had passed since the battle in Nagazora City, Liuli seemed utterly unchanged. When Mei first entered the garden, she'd seen a lone figure sitting in a gazebo, chin resting on her hand, gazing into the distance. For a moment, Mei had even thought she'd mistaken the person.
Following Liuli's gaze, Mei saw only a Ferris wheel glittering with neon lights. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Mei felt like she could see someone riding it.
Dragging her eyes back, she asked curiously, "Since you're here, you must have woken up a while ago, right? I'm curious, how did you find the Eternal Paradise? And what did you mean about me arriving earlier?"
"Before I answer your questions, I want to ask you first, Raiden Mei: what was your purpose for entering the Elysian Realm?"
"Purpose..." Mei fell silent for a moment. Her goal had been simple, really: follow the clues left by 'Pardofelis' and rescue Liuli along the way. Beyond that, it seemed she was just following The Obsidian Concord's plan, searching piece by piece for her own answers.
But what were the answers she sought? Honestly, she didn't even know herself.
Seeming to notice the uncertainty in Mei's eyes, [Kiana] shook her head slightly. "Whether you want to uncover the secrets of The Obsidian Concord or increase your strength, you ultimately need a goal of your own."
She produced two teacups from somewhere and, picking up the teapot from the white jade table, filled them with black tea. She gestured for Mei to sit.
Mei hesitated but eventually sat down opposite her.
Smiling with satisfaction, [Kiana] lifted her teacup and took a delicate sip, only to spit it out the next second. "Tch, this is awful. I'm really not suited for this stuff."
It was clear she was trying to imitate the elegant, mature women often seen in anime, but even though she had grown, [Kiana] was still, fundamentally, the Kiana of old.
"You need to filter black tea. Just stuffing leaves into the pot directly is bound to taste bad," Mei couldn't help but point out. "You have to choose the leaves first..."
She stopped mid-sentence, remembering she wasn't here to teach tea brewing, and fell silent.
Nodding, [Kiana] casually pushed the teacup aside, a smile playing on her lips. "Remembering the steps for tea is simple, but figuring out your own purpose is difficult, isn't it?"
Mei was speechless.
Still smiling, [Kiana] gestured for Mei to follow her gaze. They were at a high vantage point in the garden, looking down towards where the rift had opened earlier.
In the garden below, the Flame-Chasers had already begun exploring the surroundings. Like Mei, they seemed to be experiencing this place for the first time.
"The Thirteen Flame-Chasers. What kind of people do you think they are?"
Mei recalled her experiences over the past weeks and tentatively replied, "A group of... incredibly strong, but eccentrically natured MANTISes?"
"You're not wrong. From a normal person's perspective, their personalities seem rather extreme. But have you ever considered why they developed such personalities?"
"..."
"People are often imprisoned by their pasts for their entire lives. These Flame-Chasers, having survived the destruction of their world, endured far more than you can imagine. The personalities you perceive are, in essence, a microcosm of their entire civilization."
"What are you trying to say?"
Drawing her gaze back, [Kiana]'s eyes landed on Mei. "Do you remember your experiences in middle school?"
Mei's breath hitched, a flicker of imperceptible pain crossing her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it, asking neutrally, "You seem to know me very well."
[Kiana] just gave a mysterious smile, offering no answer. Her appearance had been altered, differing somewhat from the Kiana of her youth, so she wasn't worried about being recognized instantly.
She continued, "Childhood shadows follow a person for life. Even if you've moved past them, they can still cause sharp pangs of pain occasionally. It's the same for them. The Flame-Chasers you know were once just ordinary humans.
They couldn't escape the Honkai's devastation, so fighting against it became the only thing they could do, until finally, they became the thirteen surviving heroes."
"So fighting the Honkai was their purpose. Even if forced upon them, it was this shared conviction that allowed them to stand together."
"Are you trying to say my goal should also be fighting the Honkai?" Mei asked quietly.
"Of course not. I already said they had no choice, whereas you still have the right to choose." [Kiana] waved her hand dismissively, looking towards the distant sky. "Remember why I told you The Obsidian Concord was founded?"
"...To support Kiana in becoming the savior."
"Correct. That is The Obsidian Concord's goal." [Kiana] smiled mysteriously. "More accurately, it's his goal."
His? Did she mean that enigmatic member of the organization?
"An existence that should have been drowned in the Sea of Quanta, pursuing what might seem like a ridiculous goal, crossed tens of thousands of years, ultimately leading to the formation of The Obsidian Concord. A group of warriors bearing deep psychological scars eventually became heroes.
Raiden Mei, have you noticed what they have in common?"
"They all have their own purpose?"
[Kiana] stood up, her gaze falling on the hand Mei used to hold her weapon.
"Exactly. The answer is already clear. What you are searching for is a reason to keep fighting.
Whether it's the Flame-Chasers or The Obsidian Concord, they simply made choices based on their own standpoints. And you, Raiden Mei, shouldn't just follow in their footsteps. Instead, after reading their stories, you must make your own choice.
That is the answer you seek."
A gentle breeze rustled through the garden, carrying swirling petals. Amidst them, Mei seemed to hear Elysia's voice echo faintly.
"She is a Herrscher, and she is human. To make her own choice as a human—that is the meaning of the Herrscher of Human's existence."
"REN, this is our wager."