(Author's Note: The previous chapter will probably pass the review tomorrow. Sob sob sob. I rarely write something wholesome/sunny, but it got rejected because the 'yang energy' was too strong.)
Eating, bathing, and sleeping with Dr. MEI.
Eating, bathing, and sleeping with Eden.
Eating, bathing, and sleeping with Fu Hua.
Eating, bathing, and sleeping with Sakura.
Carrying Mobius to eat, bathe, and sleep.
This was the mundane, ordinary daily life of Elysia, one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Fire Moth.
Otto watched all of this in silence.
And then, he attained enlightenment.
Eden is number one, Elysia comes second, MEI and Sakura are tied, and Mobius is last.
As for Fu Hua... the Shenzhou Flatboard is not qualified to participate in the competition.
My old friend, you were hopeless even fifty thousand years ago.
However, Otto now had a rough idea of what memories were contained within the Elysia (Middle) Stigmata.
It was Elysia's shared life with the Flame-Chasers in the Fire Moth. These experiences were the most precious treasures of her life.
In her, one could not see Kevin's coldness or Fu Hua's numbness; instead, she embraced every day with sincerity and passion.
She did everything according to her own whims, free and unrestrained, seemingly out of place in the position of Deputy Chief of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
Yet, this maiden who faced the world with a smile was the core figure who gathered and held these thirteen people together.
Without her, the Thirteen Flame-Chasers might have fallen apart long ago.
However, she really didn't seem to have any sense of crisis. She spent every day eating her fill, sleeping, playing, and beating up Kalpas. One couldn't tell at all that she was a MANTIS who had experienced the "Tragedy of Binding."
Otto watched the pink-haired maiden rise from her slumber. She stood before the mirror, shedding her pajamas to change into the uniform designed by Eden.
It had to be said, she was an exceptionally beautiful girl.
Her devastatingly beautiful face was gentle and enchanting. Her silvery-gray starry eyes shone with a brilliance that would never fade. Her pale pink hair fell naturally, tied into a ponytail at the back of her head.
Between the strands of hair, one could see her elf-like, spirited ears.
The custom-made uniform fit her graceful, inviting body perfectly. It seemed like an extension of her snow-white, jade-like skin, outlining an astonishing beauty along her curvaceous figure.
If Eden could be called a beauty capable of toppling a city, then Elysia was a beauty capable of bringing calamity to a nation and its people.
Even Otto felt his heartbeat accelerate slightly looking at the girl in the mirror.
So, Miss Elysia...
Who are you going to shower with next?
Ahem. Otto merely wanted to learn more information about the Previous Era.
But Elysia kept looking at herself in the mirror. A trace of curiosity and confusion flashed through her beautiful eyes. Otto paid it no mind, simply admiring the beautiful girl in the reflection.
"Who are you?"
Elysia revealed a puzzled expression as she asked aloud.
Chunibyo?
Otto thought to himself. People from the Previous Era are indeed quite chunibyo; this can be seen from many of the names they used.
However, as Otto looked into the silvery-gray eyes reflected in the mirror, he suddenly had an illusion.
It looked as if Elysia was looking right at him.
Otto felt this illusion for no reason. This is a Stigmata memory. These are things that have already happened in the past. All of this is a false phantom.
How could I possibly be discovered by someone in a memory?
"Are You... a God?"
"Lord God, are You inside my body?"
But then, Elysia leaned against the mirror, looking at her own reflection, and spoke in her sweet, melodious voice.
Lord God?
Otto was confused. The feeling that Elysia was looking at him grew stronger.
This... how is this possible?!
"A few days ago, when I hugged MEI, that was when You descended, right, Lord God?"
Holy shit!
Otto was numb.
Miss Pink Elf continued.
"My name is Elysia. Lord God, you can call me Ellie. That's what my companions call me."
I am Kozo.
Otto's thoughts were running wild. He tried to use this method to distract himself because he didn't believe such an absurd thing could happen.
The Stigmata memory has become sentient!
"Kozo?"
To Otto's horror, Elysia's lips moved, and that name came out of her mouth.
Wha-@#$E@#%@%@!?
"So Your name is Kozo, Lord God? That's truly a strange and peculiar name, but perhaps that is just how Gods are," the seemingly innocent maiden said.
"But why do You stay inside my body?"
"After entering my body, why haven't You spoken? Why have You only been watching these past few days?"
"Are You observing us humans?"
Elysia pressed a finger to her lips, revealing a look of curiosity.
Otto was organizing his thoughts. It seemed Elysia could truly perceive him. Could this be a change brought about by his acquisition of a portion of the Will of the Honkai's authority?
Suddenly, a playful urge rose within him.
He didn't think this had the power to change the past.
But treating it as a side show for entertainment seemed not bad.
"No. I am merely... observing my future wives."
Otto spoke slowly. Elysia's lips parted, and the words were spoken through the maiden's own mouth.
But the confusion on Elysia's face only grew.
"Lord God, why 'future'?" she asked in puzzlement.
"Because... I come from the future. Through the future, I am looking at the past you, looking at my wives," Otto said slowly.
"You come from the future?"
Elysia pouted.
Aside from MEI, it seemed none of the Fusion Warriors in the Fire Moth had anyone they liked.
If he had said 'wife' in the singular, she might have thought it was Kevin.
But since he added the plural, it couldn't be Kevin.
"Then, Lord God, since You know the future... did we defeat the Honkai?"
And who does 'wives' refer to?
Eden was very likable; surely even a God would like her, so it was possible.
Mobius pursued infinity and eternity; it was indeed possible she might bow to a God.
As for MEI, HUA, and SAKURA, it probably wasn't them.
"You failed."
"The Fire Moth was destroyed by Finality. Very few of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers survived. Humanity lost."
Otto directly spoiled the ending.
Hearing the words coming from her own mouth, Elysia fell silent for a moment.
"Humanity... lost, huh."
Elysia hadn't expected to receive such an answer.
A trace of sorrow flashed in her eyes.
"Then, did the remaining Flame-Chasers become Your wives, Lord God?"
"Have you heard of human sacrifice?" Otto asked.
Elysia thought for a moment and spoke cautiously. "The ritual of offering humans to Gods?"
"Correct," Otto said. "Humans offer pure maidens to the Gods to pray for calm seas and tranquility."
Elysia looked at herself in the mirror, sudden realization dawning on her.
"The wives You speak of... are the maidens humanity offered to You?"
"Heh."
Otto merely chuckled.
He didn't deny it, but he didn't confirm it either.
He said indifferently, "HUA is one of my wives."
Otto felt he still had a chance to capture Fu Hua in the future, so he didn't feel he was lying.
"HUA!?"
To be honest, Miss Pink Elf was truly surprised.
"Then... what about me?" she asked again.
But Otto didn't answer that question directly.
He wouldn't lie.
"Hey, lovely Miss Pink Elf."
"Are you willing to become my wife right now?"