"Now's the time, Seele—let's go!!"
Elias didn't hesitate, instantly opening a portal to the real world and grabbing the crimson-faced Seele as they prepared to make their escape.
Time to bail~
A massive surge of Honkai energy condensed, warping the quantum layer and interfering with reality, forming a blue vortex before them—that was their exit route from the Sea of Quanta back to the real world!
"Whew~ Whew~ A bit exhausting... Seele, hold onto my hand tightly, and don't let go, no matter what. If we get separated while crossing, I might never find you again."
"Y-Yes! I understand! I'll never let go of Papa Elias' hand—never ever!"
(Hmm? That presence—is that Dark Seele? Why the sudden switch... and this grip? Eh, whatever. This kind of grip is the most secure, anyway.)
Elias noticed a subtle shift in Seele's demeanor, and that she was now interlocking her fingers with his. He was about to tease her for being bold when—
He froze, a look of sheer disbelief overtaking his face.
Kevin—who had just left to find a place to enjoy his noodles—had returned! And worse, he looked visibly angry and annoyed.
"Crap! Go!"
"P-Papa Elias?!"
In an instant, Elias unleashed everything he had: Herrscher of Wind acceleration, Herrscher of Thunder's electromagnetic propulsion, even time manipulation to speed himself up.
He just needed to step into the portal and shut it behind them. The whole process would take 1.5 seconds at best—3 seconds at worst.
His face went pale.
1.5 seconds was an eternity.
More than enough time for the Flame-Chaser with the [Deliverance] signet to dash in alongside them and return to the real world.
Elias didn't use any attacks to try and stop Kevin—he knew it would be pointless. It would only slow him down.
"Huh?!"
Kevin, too, was stunned.
What was this? A portal to the real world—opened by this boy?
In that moment, he realized the truth.
Elias' earlier request to withdraw his observation from Seele and suppress his awareness wasn't for some intimate rendezvous with the girl.
It had been a ruse to escape back to the real world.
Kevin immediately understood this boy was no mere wanderer of the Sea of Quanta.
How could any ordinary person possibly open a path back to the real world? Even Kevin himself couldn't do that.
"No matter. This may be my opportunity."
Kevin stepped forward, ready to surge ahead.
He still held his half-opened instant noodles in one hand, and though his power was far from full, Kevin Kaslana was still invincible. 1.5 seconds? He only needed 0.5 to beat the clock.
Elias: "Don't come any closer!!"
(What do I do?! Why did this monster come back?! No—focus! I have to stop him somehow!)
Cold sweat pouring down his face, Elias' mind raced through plans, instantly discarding each one.
All his powers were already deployed, but none of them could halt Kevin.
All he had left was his words.
He needed to say something that would crash Kevin Kaslana's brain on the spot.
"ELYSIA ISN'T DEAD!!!"
With a roar like thunder, Elias shouted the words—and Kevin's pupils dilated instantly.
"What?!"
Kevin, mid-lunge, almost stumbled to the ground—but he regained balance a second later. Unfortunately for him, that moment of shock was enough for Elias.
"Now!!"
"Wait! You can't leave!"
Seeing the two about to vanish into the portal as it rapidly closed, Kevin burst forward with incredible speed. But it was too late.
Just as his fingertips were a mere half-centimeter from the swirling vortex, the gateway to the real world sealed shut.
Kevin: "..."
…On the other side, in the real world…
At Mei's house—
Elias, panting heavily, cradled Seele in his arms as he rushed out. Since he'd entered the Sea of Quanta from Mei's house, he had set the return coordinates to the same spot.
"We're… back?"
"Yeah, we're back. Whew—almost didn't make it."
"..."
Seele looked around, dazed, still in shock from their narrow escape.
From the moment Elias tricked Kevin into withdrawing his observation under the guise of doing "something intimate," to their life-or-death sprint through the portal, the entire ordeal had lasted less than five seconds.
Dark Seele had signed off, and White Seele was now in control again.
"Papa Elias, what… just happened?"
"It's hard to explain right now, but one thing's certain: we can't let Kevin Kaslana return to the real world."
"…Seele doesn't understand everything, but if you're doing it, then there must be a reason."
She turned to gaze out the window.
Seeing the bright sunlight and the bustling street beyond, Seele found it hard to believe they'd truly returned. Was this really the original world? Not just another world bubble?
She felt strangely detached—perhaps because aside from Elias, none of her other familiar companions were here.
If they'd returned to the House of the Hearth instead, maybe it would've felt more like coming home.
"By the way, Papa Elias… who is this Elysia person you mentioned earlier? A friend of yours?"
At her question, Elias froze.
He paused for a moment, then replied quietly.
"That statement earlier… was a lie."
"A lie? You mean that person is already…"
"No. I'll make that lie a reality."
Elias' tone was resolute.
He wasn't someone who liked lying—especially not like that.
But a man stands by his word. If he had spoken it, then he would make it truth.
Seele stared blankly at him, still shocked that her beloved Papa Elias would ever lie.
But as soon as she heard his vow to turn that lie into reality, her gaze softened.
That sounded just like him.
"Hmm? Elias, you're finally back."
"Mei? You're already up and walking?"
"…It's been three days. I'm fine."
Mei, her face tinged with red, walked over—instinctively squeezing her slender legs together.
She was, after all, a Herrscher now. Her recovery rate was exceptional.
"Uh… is that outfit what I think it is? You're outta power?"
"W-What?!"
"Nothing, nothing… just looks pretty unique."
Elias' eyes trailed over Mei's outfit—she was dressed in the iconic [Shadow Dash] battlesuit from the game, colloquially known as the "out-of-power mode."
"Well, Herrscher imagery tends to be pretty exaggerated, so I wanted to go for something a bit more relaxed... but it ended up like this. If you don't like it, I can change."
"Not at all. It suits you perfectly, and no matter what you wear, you always look good, Mei."
Elias smiled as he spoke, and upon hearing the compliment, Raiden Mei's expression relaxed.
"By the way, St. Freya Academy has been urging us to report in soon. Kiana called like a dozen times yesterday asking when we're going."
"Tell them I'm done with my business here. We can head over today."
"Huh? Papa Elias, you're not going back to House of the Hearth?"
Hearing that Elias wasn't planning to return to the orphanage but was instead heading to some place she hadn't heard of, Seele instantly panicked and quickly asked.
Elias raised his hand and gently patted her head to reassure her.
"I will go back, just not now. Sorry, Seele—there are still things I must do. I'll have to say goodbye to peaceful days for a while. As long as the Honkai isn't eradicated, how can we talk of home? There are many problems waiting for me."
"Then... then I want to come with you!"
"Sure. I was planning to invite you anyway. Besides, your sister Bronya is already there."
"Really? That's great!"
Hearing that Bronya was also at this so-called academy, Seele immediately looked relieved.
With the three most important people to her all together, no matter where she went, as long as they were there, it was home.
And the word "academy" filled Seele with curiosity. At House of the Hearth, it had always been Elias who taught them.
Those times were wonderful, but if possible, she really wanted to experience a real school too.
Elias gave her a thumbs-up.
With how diligent and serious Seele was, she'd definitely leave a certain lazy paramecium—er, Kiana—in the dust.
"Right, I haven't introduced you two yet. This is Mei, Raiden Mei, my very important girlfriend."
"And Mei, this is Seele Vollerei. Just like Bronya, she's one of the daughters I adopted. Ah, but from now on, you can't call me Papa anymore, Seele. After all, I'm only a year or two older than you now."
"..." x2
Mei and Seele looked at each other awkwardly and exchanged a soft hello. It was clear at a glance that they were both kind and gentle people—but their positions made things... delicate.
"Papa Elias has a girlfriend? Ehh?! No way... Dark Seele, what do we do?!"
(You idiot, Seele! I told you to make a move back when we were at House of the Hearth! But no, you didn't listen, and now look—some other woman snatched him up!)
In the mental space, Dark Seele was grinding her teeth in frustration, her initial favorability for Mei plummeting to zero.
With her hot-blooded and explosive personality, she was already considering whether to find an excuse to throw hands.
But the aura of the Herrscher of Thunder radiating from Mei made her realize she'd probably lose. That made her even angrier.
(It's fine! There's still a chance! As long as they're not married, there's still hope. Plus, this development actually benefits us. Don't forget—Father is now practically our age!)
"Y-Yeah, you're right. But... calling him something other than Papa... that's gonna be hard."
Seele looked visibly troubled. She was so used to calling him Papa Elias that changing the habit felt impossible.
But to say she wasn't happy would be a lie.
Looking at Elias, now appearing around eighteen years old, she felt overwhelmed with wonder. Her gaze stayed fixed on him, unwilling to look away for even a second.
Although being a daughter was already a blessing, Seele couldn't help but think—people should always strive for more. The shared dream of all the girls at House of the Hearth, "Marry Papa Elias one day," now finally seemed possible!
(Seele, I suggest you hurry up this time. I'm sure our dear sister Bronya has already dashed onto the track. We can't fall behind again!)
"What? Bronya-sis too?!"
(Of course! Who in House of the Hearth doesn't want to be the one to flip the script and chase down our dear papa? Bronya's had that intention for a long time!)
Dark Seele grumbled in their shared mental space.
White Seele was perfect in every way—except for being too naive. The battlefield of love is harsh, and even the closest sister can be a rival.
Meanwhile, Mei was also deep in thought.
"This girl named Seele is one of Elias' daughters too? Come to think of it, Kiana also called him dad at some point... Could it be that Elias actually likes that kind of thing? Ugh... I wouldn't be against it, I guess."
As a Yamato Nadeshiko from the Far East, Raiden Mei had surprisingly high tolerance for unusual dynamics.
Still, rather than exploring new... relationship types, Mei thought it was more urgent to improve her physical fitness. The memories from two days ago replayed in her mind, and her cheeks turned bright red.
"...How long are these two going to keep holding hands? What are they even thinking?"
Elias watched the two girls, still locked in a handshake and blushing furiously. He couldn't make sense of it... A woman's thoughts would always remain a mystery to men.
It's not like he was the great Herrscher of Sentience or anything—he couldn't read minds.
...
Meanwhile, in the Sea of Quanta—
"Elysia isn't dead. She isn't dead..."
Kevin, the man once capable of crashing the Final Herrscher for twelve hours, now found his brain crashing from just one sentence.
The idea that Elysia—killed by his own hands—might still be alive shook him to his core.
He could hardly remain calm.
That moment of helplessness, of watching her fade, was one of the greatest regrets and sorrows of Kevin's long life.
"If only it were true."
He clenched his fists tightly. He had witnessed her death with his own eyes. That moment had been over 50,000 years ago.
Kevin knew there was a 99.9999% chance Elias' words were a lie.
But even if there was a one-in-a-million chance—just the tiniest sliver of possibility—he wanted it to be real.
...
Suddenly, Kevin smiled. He raised a hand to his face, lips curling upward by several pixels.
Today truly was a good day.
He had learned so much—about the present civilization, about how Herrschers had developed humanity, and even that Elysia might still be alive.
Though he couldn't leave the Sea of Quanta yet, Kevin felt a strange satisfaction.
"Well, back to my noodles."
Kevin looked down at the instant noodles in his hands.
By the way, the reason he had rushed back just as Elias was about to open the return portal wasn't because he saw through Elias' bluff...
It was because...
Kevin discovered that the instant noodles Elias gave him had no seasoning packet.
When he opened the lid and found it missing, Kevin's face darkened.
So he'd turned back, ready to confront Elias about this culinary crime...
Only to catch them mid-escape, with Elias sneaking off with Seele.
Kevin: (No seasoning packet is one thing, but breaking out without me? I'll remember this betrayal.)
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