"I'm the 'Jiang Qiao disguised as Elysia' you met in the Elysian Realm, remember?" The alluring, fairy-like girl said to Elysia with a sweet smile. "But, by now, you should understand what I truly am, right?"
"After all..."
"You are my original self."
Elysia fell silent for a moment, lowering her head and murmuring, "Yes... I knew it a long time ago. I just didn't want to admit it..."
Just like Elysia's past life—even as she gradually came to understand her true nature, she still acted like a fragile, timid girl, unwilling to accept the truth, deceiving herself internally until the very end. Only when she could no longer bury her head in the sand, guided by her dearest friend, did she finally accept everything.
And in that moment within the Elysian Realm, meeting her past self's 'trace,' a 'shadow' left behind by the Elysia of old, it was, as before, the most turbulent and conflicted moment of her existence.
However, unlike before, someone had cherished this fragile crystal flower so carefully that she hadn't been forced into making a choice like in the original timeline.
And now, having weathered the Honkai—though through somewhat opportunistic means—with his companionship, Elysia had genuinely overcome this hurdle.
Still, that being said...
Seeing her own 'trace' again, hearing her own past self reveal everything, made her emotions incredibly complex.
"Are you the enemy this time?"
"Enemy... Is that how you view your own shadow?" The seductive fairy asked with a gentle smile.
"Well, from a certain perspective, as Herrschers, we are enemies of humanity, aren't we?"
"I won't deny that."
"But I still choose to stand on humanity's side."
"Standing on humanity's side... That's certainly something the old me would say."
"But now, I prefer a more... relaxed approach~" The girl lightly caressed her ample bosom, her tone soft.
"...My past self... I've been meaning to ask, what exactly..."
Elysia stared intently at the 'herself' before her, wary and bewildered. If this 'Elysia' was the one she encountered in the Elysian Realm, she should have been identical to herself, even more mature. But... this time, she had become so enchanting, so blush-inducing—and more importantly, she seemed to be the mastermind behind this incident, leaving even Elysia completely clueless about what had happened.
"Curious? Isn't it obvious?—I've fallen."
"See? Just like how this pink, which originally symbolized a girl's innocence, has been tainted into a purplish-pink~ Don't I look cute all purplish?"
Looking at the 'herself' who made no attempt to hide anything, Elysia felt a strange mix of emotions.
Herself... fallen...
She had never imagined such a thing happening—of course, then again, the Elysia from long ago hadn't imagined meeting another version of herself either.
"What are you trying to do?"
She asked in a low voice. Honestly, the thought of her enemy being her own shadow gave Elysia a headache. Apart from the absurdity of 'fighting herself,' just looking at this altered version of herself made her feel awkward.
But she also felt that, if it was herself, they should be able to resolve this through conversation.
After all, no matter what, the other party was 'Elysia'—therefore, even if she had been tainted and fallen because of something strange, Elysia didn't think such a version of herself could become that bad.
"Hmm~ Asking what I want to do?"
"It's simple. I'm just here to reclaim him." Fallen Elysia smiled sweetly, passing by Elysia and approaching the man in the courtyard who had been watching them. She reached out and gently stroked his cheek.
"...Him... Isn't this just a dream?"
Elysia was stunned by Fallen Elysia's actions.
Her words made the latter pause. A moment later, she nodded.
"A dream? Oh... That's what you think... Well, it's not entirely wrong. This is indeed a dreamscape woven by me."
"But, why do you have the illusion that he is also part of the 'dream'?"
Like toying with a beloved possession, Fallen Elysia posed this question to Elysia with a playful smile.
"Whether it's Eden, Vill-V... or Griseo you saw these past days, everyone you encountered, they are indeed a 'dream,' illusory products of this dreamscape."
"But..."
"He's different."
"Am I right, Qiao~"
"Elysia, she is your past self after all..."
With little emotion in his eyes, only a trace of helplessness, Jiang Qiao sighed, attempting to appease the smiling girl before him.
She continued to smile.
"I don't deny that."
"That's why I initially planned to leave her the fragments."
"I said, only fragments~"
"Qiao~"
"While I was wholeheartedly accompanying you, you left a piece of your consciousness for your original self. That's very mean." Fallen Elysia's tone was light, yet the 'dissatisfaction' and 'resentment' in her emotions were undeniable.
"He's... real?!"
"Heehee~ Just realizing that now?"
"A bit slow, aren't you?"
"Although I wanted to monopolize all of this, he still thinks of you... Even though he knows I wouldn't do anything to you, he still slipped half of himself to his original self while I wasn't looking."
"While spending time with one girl, he's still thinking about another. You also think that's very mean, right?"
Elysia wanted to nod, but—the girl he was with was herself! Personally, she naturally felt there was nothing wrong with that... If he were with another pretty girl while spending time with her, then she'd be angry. From that perspective, she could completely tell Fallen Elysia—You are the other woman.
But... Fallen Elysia was her shadow.
Meaning, if she thought that way, then the other party must also feel the same...
Miss Elysia's little brain short-circuited for a moment.
Of course, there was something even more mind-boggling.
As she watched, Fallen Elysia, while caressing his face, touched the hickey she had left. Then, a smile spread across her face.
"Leaving your mark on him~ A nice idea... That's certainly something I would do."
"However—"
"Now, he belongs to me."
Her tracing finger swiped across, and under Elysia's direct gaze, the light-colored hickey gradually faded—although it seemed like an insignificant thing, for some reason, she still felt a sense of displeasure... like something that belonged to her had been taken away. Even if it was by another version of herself.
Or perhaps, because it was by another version of herself?
With other girls, she might feel annoyed, but if it was another version of herself, watching a pretty girl with her exact face doing things that should have been done by her, taking what belonged to her... it was incredibly complicated!
"Stop!"
Feeling vexed, Miss Elysia tried to stop Fallen Elysia's actions, but as she approached, an invisible wall seemed to appear between her and Fallen Elysia and Jiang Qiao, making it impossible to get through.
"No can do~"
"I told you~ Right now, he's mine, so even the original can't take him away from me~"
Fallen Elysia's playful tone and increasingly bold actions, practically flaunting her possession, angered the already irritated Miss Elysia even more.
She gritted her teeth, glaring at 'herself'—she could usually vent her frustration on the mischievous Jiang Qiao, but now... while venting on Fallen Elysia seemed fine, she... was her shadow. Getting angry at her was, in a sense, getting angry at herself.
This internal frustration, the feeling of being stifled with nowhere to vent, made Elysia furious. She wanted nothing more than to pull out her Crystal Bow and blast through the barrier, but this was a dream, Fallen Elysia's dream, and she couldn't use her powers.
Subconsciously, she looked towards Jiang Qiao.
If it were him, he would definitely respond to her, right?
—Leave that bad Elysia!
She wanted to say those words.
But, the moment she thought this, Fallen Elysia seemed to sense it, stopping her movements and slowly turning her gaze towards Elysia. Her smile now carried a hint of 'anger.'
"Sorry... Please wait here for a moment." She cupped the face so close to her own, gently tapping it, then spoke softly, yet with a touch of seriousness, "Elysia's matters must be resolved by Elysia herself."
The next moment, without giving him a chance to speak, she waved her hand—his figure vanished from the spot, and the invisible wall obstructing Elysia disappeared as well.
"You... Give him back!"
Seeing Jiang Qiao disappear, Elysia panicked, shouting angrily at Fallen Elysia.
"Give him back?"
"That's not happening~"
"After all, the current me wants to keep him all to myself~"
"Even if it's you, even if you're the original, I won't budge."
Angered by Fallen Elysia's blatant 'monopolizing' and terrible idea, Elysia gritted her teeth, refusing to back down.
"I won't let you have him all to yourself!"
"Naughty Jiang Qiao is mine!"
Although saying such words made her feel a little shy, as such direct emotions had always been hidden deep within her heart. Even if she thought this way, even if she considered him her possession, out of consideration for appearances, Elysia had never said such words directly. However, when faced with the straightforward, monopolizing Fallen Elysia, perhaps because of the situation, she completely let go.
The latter smiled and softly said:
"Want to snatch him away from me?"
"Can you even do that?"
"Hmm~ Indeed, you probably could."
"As long as that's what you wish for—no matter the circumstances, he'll definitely respond to you, right?"
"So, will you do it?"
Her smile faded, replaced by a calm stare directly at Elysia.
The latter had initially been quite proud and smug about the former's words, but facing Fallen Elysia's provocative question, she instantly abandoned her initial thought of calling for backup, requesting an effortless victory.
No... Absolutely not!
Even though she noticed the goading in the other's words, Elysia understood something even simpler—if she actually did that, she would have already lost, no matter what.
After all, this was a matter between herself and Fallen Elysia vying for naughty Jiang Qiao—in other words, a competition between Elysia and Elysia. And she should have the upper hand; she was the original Elysia, while Fallen Elysia was merely a trace of Elysia's existence, a shadow left behind.
Under such circumstances, asking naughty Jiang Qiao for help would mean a complete loss for her as Elysia, wouldn't it?
She came back with him specifically to fight alongside him, shoulder to shoulder, but needing help to even handle her own affairs... Absolutely not!
Moreover—
The other party was also Elysia.
Elysia knew clearly that even if Fallen Elysia was just her shadow, they held equal weight in that rascal's heart.
Naturally, she had no objections to this, and even felt a bit of happiness—if naughty Jiang Qiao truly viewed Fallen Elysia as inferior, then even if she was happy he chose her, she wouldn't be happy because he didn't choose Fallen Elysia. She might even feel a little uncomfortable.
Furthermore, making naughty Jiang Qiao choose between herself and Fallen Elysia... Elysia, understanding what that truly meant, had already resolved to never let such a thing happen.
It might be the best option for herself and Fallen Elysia, but absolutely the worst, most agonizing option for naughty Jiang Qiao.
Therefore, whether for herself or for naughty Jiang Qiao, she clearly couldn't do such a thing!
"Heehee~ It seems you understand well."
Sensing Elysia's thoughts, Fallen Elysia's smile, which had held a hint of anger and coldness, thawed like melting snow, returning to the familiar Elysia smile. She spoke to Elysia with a gentle lilt.
The latter returned an equally competitive smile:
"Of course."
"After all, this is a matter between Elysias, which must be settled by Elysias themselves!"