"So that's the cause and the whole process. I've explained my side. Now—do either of you have anything you want to explain to me?" Silas asked, looking between Elysia and Mobius.
He straightened his posture slightly. He wasn't nervous—he hadn't done anything wrong, so why should he be? Absolutely no reason to feel guilty.
Mobius parted her lips slightly. Strange... Why did she feel guilty? Logically, he was the one at fault here! A sideways glance at Sakura, who had her face half-covered and looked for all the world like a shy schoolgirl, told her there'd be no help coming from that direction.
So she could only speak herself.
"It's not that we wanted to hide it from you. But… Silas, since you now know that nearly all fourteen Flame-Chasers may have been reborn, tell me—what do you think about that?"
"If everyone's been reborn, then shouldn't we work together to find a way to fight against the Honkai, to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past?" Silas asked in puzzlement. "We're practically prophets of this era. We know when the disasters will happen—so isn't it only natural that we should try to stop them, or at least reduce the losses?"
Mobius fixed her gaze on him.
"Silas… is that truly what you think? Even if we know the future's fate—how exactly are we supposed to change it?"
Silas fell silent. How should he put it… In his mind, no matter what they did, this era seemed beyond saving. But even so, he still wanted to try.
Perhaps this era wasn't worth it—but Elysia was worth it. Those comrades who had once chased the fire alongside him—they were worth it.
He had already fought once as a "prophet." He knew firsthand how difficult it was to change fate. Sometimes, there were things that knowing wouldn't help you prevent.
Like the Third Eruption, which they all knew would center on Changkong City. But how could they convince the authorities? How could they arrange an evacuation? And if, because of the evacuation, the Third Eruption didn't happen in Changkong City after all—then what?
In the end… his conclusion was that they had no choice but to wait for it to happen there.
"Or…" Mobius murmured, "we could implement Dr. MEI's Stigmata Project—linking all human consciousness into a shared dream—"
"I will never allow that to happen!" Silas's voice rang firm and final. "Even if the Stigmata Project is the plan with the highest success rate, I will never allow it to be executed. Civilization should be defined by humanity—not the other way around."
He knew the Stigmata Project well—and he could never accept its redefinition of civilization.
If everyone remained in their own dreams, living their ideal lives… what difference was that from being dead? The people you spoke to, the world you lived in—it would all be an illusion.
To him, it was like Gijera's pollen—a beautiful extinction. If Mobius decided to move forward with it, he would stand against her without hesitation.
If the project's "surface" plan of comprehensive human selection was all it was—he could accept that. Natural selection was the law of nature. But to "evolve" humans into a hive-like collective consciousness? Sorry—but he would never acknowledge that as human evolution.
He would rather fight to the death, and die as a human—as himself.
"Then what do you think we should do?" Mobius asked, eyes locked on him.
Silas drew in a deep breath. His voice was low and heavy.
"The Chimera Project…"
"No!" This time, Mobius was the one to respond without hesitation. "Do you want it to be like previous life? Like in the last era—where we had to watch you shoulder the fate of the world alone, unable to do anything to help… countless sleepless nights of regret—do you want to go through that again?"
"Necessary sacrifices—"
"They weren't necessary!" Her voice cracked. "Silas, do you think this world hinges on you? Do you think it can't go on if you're gone? Don't flatter yourself."
Silas pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
The truth was… with or without him, the result would be the same. They had never defeated the Finality—only survived in the Cocoon of Finality, waiting for the next era.
Elysia looked like she wanted to speak, but Mobius shot her a glare. Now was not the time for her to interrupt.
They had laid their cards on the table. And Silas… needed to be hit with this reality.
Otherwise… otherwise she would have to watch him—
She never wanted to experience that feeling a second time.
To hell with saving the world—right now, all she wanted was to save the boy in front of her.
But then, to her surprise, Sakura spoke:
"The world… can indeed exist without Silas." Her voice was quiet, yet carried the weight of centuries. "But I only know one thing—I can't live without him. In the last era, if it weren't for him, I would never have had the chance to truly understand Rin, never had the chance to be a proper sister… If not for him, I wouldn't have even had the opportunity to say a proper farewell to Rin."
A pause. The air grew heavier.
"To the world, maybe his presence or absence is just the difference of a few more dead, a little more war, a little more chaos… but to me, without him… I can't even imagine what kind of despair my future would hold…"
Mobius: "..."
Are you trying to discourage him—or confess to him?!
Elysia: "..."
Wait—this… this isn't how this was supposed to go! No, she had to say something too, or her Silas was going to be stolen away.
"You're right, Doctor." His voice was steady, but something flickered beneath the surface. "To this world, it doesn't matter whether I'm here or not. I can't save it—and it doesn't deserve to be saved by me."
Mobius's breath hitched. "Then why—?"
"Because…" He exhaled, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "As shameful as it is… you are worth it. All of you."
Silas tilted his head back, as if gazing into the starry sky above.
"They once lived pridefully until the very end."
"Traveler, you must press forward as the witness of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Walk along the footprints to witness the flame-chasing crusade. In the end, you will go beyond the graves and create a future we could not reach!"
Even after all these years, he had never forgotten the emotions and regrets of that moment…
Perhaps this was arrogance—arrogance in believing he had the right to save those thirteen Flame-Chasers.
Before crossing over, as an ordinary person named "Silas," he was at most one of the countless players moved by the story of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
But now… since he had come to this world, shouldn't he leave his own mark upon it?
He had no family, no ties. All he had were their stories.
He could choose to cling to life… but what meaning would that have?
To live until the next era, only to once again watch the story of the Elysian Realm unfold, powerless to change anything?
"I'm sorry. I, too, have a secret—one that you may never know, one that may remain forever hidden from you. Compared to all of you, that secret is insignificant." Silas smiled faintly.
"But there's one thing I can tell you for certain: I will never give up fighting the Honkai. I will never give up standing against fate. Even if… everything I do seems utterly meaningless in your eyes."
He picked up the training spear, his grip steady as he spoke with quiet determination:
"I have already witnessed despair. I have faced—no, understood—the cruelty of fate. I cannot promise that anything I do will succeed... but I can promise that I will fight for it. I may still end up with nothing... but at the very least, I will leave proof that I was here."
"You—!"
Mobius glared at him; fists clenched so tightly her nails drew blood from her palms. Why...? Even after everything she said, he still—!
Silas, do you know… the more you shoulder everything alone like this, the more it makes my heart ache, the more it makes me unable to face the future you will have to face.
Silas looked at Mobius calmly.
This was his resolve—just… the resolve of a self-important man who thought too highly of himself.
At that moment, Elysia spoke.
"Then, at the very least during this journey, let us walk beside you. Let us share in this story with you."
She stepped in front of Silas and wrapped her arms around him.
"You are, and always will be, my most beloved. So this time... let me stand beside you. So… this time, let me stay by your side, to witness your story, to share in your struggle. Even if, in the end, you change nothing, no one will be able to laugh at you."
"…Do as you please." Mobius turned her back to them, hiding her expression.
Sakura said nothing—or perhaps, her hand gripping the hilt of her blade was her answer.
In the unfinished Spiral Workshop, Vill-V set down her eavesdropping device and leaned back in her chair.
"So, in the end, I'm nothing more than a fool… one who can't even save a single person…"
________________________________________
15+ advanced chapters available on Pat/NoobyIdiotka