"Haha~! My name is Elysia!"
The girl cheered with joy.
In that moment, she received the best birthday present ever. A nameless girl had been gifted the most beautiful name in the world!
Elysia looked at Elias with sparkling eyes, like twin sapphires. The way she gazed at him was as if he were something dazzling.
She reached out and held both of Elias' hands, smiling so brightly she looked like she might cry from happiness.
"Thank you, Elias. This is exactly the name I wanted."
"Elysia... ah, every syllable is just so cute! And... it sounds kind of like your name too, doesn't it? Elysia... Elias... Hehe~ I really like that."
She giggled, savoring the sound on her tongue before leaning in a little closer.
"Can you say my name again? Just a little more?"
Having just received such a perfect name, Elysia was overflowing with the desire to hear it again and again.
Elias smiled and gently patted her head.
"Then answer me, my dearest Elysia~"
"Mm! Elysia will always answer you, my beloved Elias! I really, really like you!"
The elf-like girl smiled like a blooming flower. Elias had always held a special place in her heart—but now, he had become even more precious by a billionfold.
And Elysia had a feeling that from now on, he would only become more and more special to her.
She cherished the storybook in her hands. Her eyes sparkled with longing.
A name that meant "paradise"—Elysia.
One day, she too wanted to set out on a journey, like the story's heroine, to seek out her own flawless paradise, her eternal haven.
"Elysia, this book doesn't just have your name in it. Mine's in here too," Elias suddenly said with a mysterious look.
"Eh? What, what is it?!"
Elysia's face lit up with curiosity and interest.
She immediately read through the book again, word by word, searching for a name that matched the boy before her.
Seeing her like that, Elias couldn't help but smile.
"Well~ even though it's just a backup name, and I'll still mostly go by Elias..."
Elias thought to himself—maybe it was impulsive, but after naming the girl Elysia, he found himself wanting a new name too.
"Everis... As a memento of this journey, and as Elysia's best friend, it does feel like a perfect fit."
As he spoke, Elias pointed to the same final page of the storybook. This time, his finger rested on the word after "Elysium"—the word that meant "eternity."
"Everlasting... Everis. So that's your new name, Elias? Wow, it's amazing!"
Elysia was ecstatic.
"Everlasting"—a word just as beautiful as her own "Elysium."
And when their names were placed side by side, it became the very thing she longed for:
Elysia, representing paradise.
Everis, representing eternity.
Together, they formed what the story's protagonists finally found at the end, the eternal paradise—Elysium Everlasting.
"Haha~ Hahahaha~"
She laughed and dove into Elias' arms, happily rubbing her cheek against his.
Meanwhile, the rest of the orphanage fired off little party poppers. Amid cheerful renditions of the birthday song, they celebrated a day that belonged to Elias and Elysia alone.
Soon after, Celia brought out a huge cake. The orphanage's budget couldn't possibly afford such extravagance—but this was a birthday gift from the town's mayor to the two of them.
Just as said before, Elias and Elysia were the most beloved children in the entire town. And...
"Looks like we can add those names now~."
Celia smiled as she picked up the white chocolate syrup and pink apple jam. With the former, she wrote Elias' name on the cake, and with the latter, she wrote Elysia's.
Earlier, since the girl hadn't yet found a name, the town mayor had left Elias' name off the cake too, to avoid singling anyone out.
But he had still included the two toppings in their respective colors—just in case.
"Elias, Elysia, time to make your wishes."
"Mm!" x2
The two closed their eyes and made their wishes at the same time. Elias' wish was:
May I perfectly clear the story of the Previous Era and break every blade of tragedy.
As for Elysia:
May everyone in this world receive happiness and beauty.
One could say... neither of them were exactly normal children.
After making their wishes, everyone shared the birthday cake together.
Elysia, blissful and covered in frosting, had cream all over her face like a little protozoan. Elias couldn't help but laugh and wiped her cheeks clean with a napkin.
The adults in the orphanage watched the scene with warm, doting smiles. To them, the two children looked like angels—adorable, perfect angels. Total approval!
After finishing the cake, Elysia dragged Elias out with her. Everyone they passed along the way offered them birthday greetings.
"Ah, happy birthday to you both! Come by my shop today—on the house!"
"Thank you, Sister Elise! I will, I will! Also, starting today, my name is Elysia!"
"Elysia? What a lovely name."
"Hehehe, Elias gave it to me! Hi everyone—my name is Elysia!"
Perhaps it was the excitement or the joy, but Elysia was unusually energetic today.
She took Elias with her to announce her name to everyone in the town. And in return, the two of them received birthday blessings from every single person.
Eventually, night fell—signaling the end of a wonderful day.
"Zzzzz..."
Elysia's energy was finally spent.
"She probably knew this would happen and dragged me out anyway, huh? Good grief~ I just can't say no to her."
Elias carried Elysia on his back as he walked back to the orphanage. Her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck.
And in her sleep, she mumbled—
"My name... is Elysia... hehe~"
"Heh~ looks like you really do love that name. Sweet dreams, Elysia."
"I... love Elias... the most..."
"Yes yes, I love you most too~"
Hearing her mumble in her sleep, Elias found that he couldn't stop smiling. Being told such sweet words by such a pure and elf-like girl—who wouldn't be happy?
And at that moment, Elias made up his mind.
Even if not for anyone else, for the sake of the girl he now carried on his back—
He would save the Previous Era. No matter how hard it was, he would reach the happy end.
...
Time passed day by day. In the blink of an eye, Elias and Elysia had been living in the town for over three years.
Though many traveling visitors had expressed interest in adopting them, Elias and Elysia turned them all down—much to the townspeople's collective relief.
After all—
Monopolizing angels like them would've caused a riot.
And on this day—
"Ely, what do you want to do today?"
Elias looked helplessly at the pink-haired bundle draped over his back, interfering with his reading. With his right hand, he absentmindedly stroked her pink hair. With his left, he lifted a piece of bread and fed her.
"Ahm~! Mmm~ So good!"
Elysia instinctively bit into the piece of bread Elias offered, silently praising the cook's ever-improving skills.
"I haven't really decided what I want to do today... but I feel like taking a walk in the forest, checking out the bookstore, maybe fishing by the riverside. So many things I want to do."
"Then go ahead. But if you keep clinging to me like this, you won't be able to go anywhere," Elias said.
"Hehe, but the most important thing is—I want to spend today playing with you. So come with me, okay?"
Elysia pleaded sweetly. Elias looked at the girl helplessly, silently blaming himself for not being more cold-hearted—he always lost to her cutesy attacks.
He closed his book and lightly tapped her on the head with it. She immediately shut her eyes and stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Fine, I give up. I'll go with you."
"Yay! Elias, you're the best!" Elysia clapped in delight.
"Ugh, see? This is what spoiling you too much does. You always get your way." Elias rolled his eyes and gave her cheek a gentle pinch.
But even though his plans always got derailed, Elias didn't mind—it was truly fun spending time with Elysia.
Still... it was too much fun, and that was the problem!
Elias mentally reviewed how his last month had gone:
Day 1: Fishing with Ely by the river.
Day 2: Forest adventure with Ely.
Day 4: Spent the whole day in the bookstore with Ely.
Day 5: Self-reflection. Elias, how could you let yourself go like this? What about your training schedule? Remember what the sages said: Reflect on yourself thrice daily! You can't fall any further! The world still needs you to save it!
Day 6: Absorb Ely time...
...
And so on, for the entire month.
When Elias finally realized it, he saw that more than 90% of his time was spent beside a certain pink-haired girl. This mischievous pink elf kept stealing his time with her joy and cheer.
His strength-training plans kept getting delayed day after day. As a result, the "Save the Previous Era Project Plan" he had drafted... was still just a title.
Sometimes late at night, Elias would resolve to change—
"I have a great mission to save the world! I can't let myself go like this! I have to take a firm step forward now! First step to defeating the Honkai is..."
Quit Elysia.
Elias: "Yeah, might as well let the Honkai kill me."
He seriously couldn't quit.
Looking at the girl beside him holding his hand, ready to stroll through the forest together, Elias could only console himself:
"Eh, whatever. The Previous Era is still pretty peaceful. It's been three years and the Herrscher of Reason hasn't even shown up. I guess I can delay a bit longer. Worst case, I'll just reboot the cycle. So... what should I play with Ely today?"
When it came to slacking off, he was truly lightning fast.
Watching the flower-like brilliance of the girl next to him—
Elias found himself wishing this moment could last forever.
Let it become eternal.
However—
Some things come whether you want them to or not.
As Elias and Elysia walked hand in hand through the forest, chatting about the day's happenings in town—a sharp, piercing roar suddenly echoed in the distance.
"Kyaa! Elias, what was that sound just now?!" Elysia jumped in fright and instinctively hid behind him.
"Ely, go back. Now..."
Elias narrowed his eyes, face turning serious.
Even though he hadn't encountered the Honkai in over three years, he could never forget—
That was the roar of a Honkai Beast!
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