Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

Alicia's "memory" watched helplessly as another version of herself clashed with another version of Velvet, showing no mercy or compassion, as if she were dealing with filthy insects. Even the concept of enemies could not fully explain this; it was clearly a cruel attack by one person on another.

One-sided, without any response, without any confrontation, without any rebuttal, because another self is still voluntarily asleep.

Knowing everything clearly, having the ability to speak out, and being able to stop this pain—at least the person who desperately wants to bear it should bear it themselves.

No.

Absolutely not.

Sleep, sleep, it seems that sleep is the only option, no matter how much one pleads or commands one to one's friends or acquaintances.

The other self seemed to only want to close its eyes, as if it only wanted to prove in this way that it had 'died' and no longer had to bear everything.

—Even if this slumber is actually just an escape.

This shouldn't be, absolutely not. Alicia/the fairy should never and would never do something so meaningless.

It's not about interrogation, not about criticizing this behavior, not about denying the actions of another version of yourself; it's simply about what it literally means as "wrong."

Anyone else might be unaware of Alicia's situation due to their abilities, but she, Alicia's "Memory" is absolutely not.

Because no matter how much she has changed compared to herself, no matter how different her path has been, no matter what blows she has suffered, no matter how crazy and desperate her life has been, the underlying color of 'Alicia' has always been exactly the same. No matter what she has experienced, it is impossible to cover up the most basic form - that flawless pink.

Goddesses from the stars and moon, fairies from paradise, are never the humans that humans yearn for, and that is why there is no negativity about them.

The underlying principles will not change. This is not about persistence or adherence, nor can it even be described as a set of values. It is the most fundamental part that constitutes an individual.

Even the most solemn promises pale in comparison to this, and even a tenacious commitment that could last for 50,000 years can be distorted without one realizing it.

The only thing that matters is the base color, the most basic color. It is something that only fairies, the original Herrschers, can possess, and it is something that can never be changed.

Although I don't know why, there are many aspects of my other self's inner world that are impossible to explore, even more so than the fact that I love everyone.

The heart, which should not be completely exposed, is often shrouded in mist and battered by surging seawater. Trying to explore it will only leave you facing towering waves, unable to do anything before being helplessly slapped to the shore, or even swept directly into the sea by a single wave.

The desire to pursue the essence of paradise, the love for humanity, and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for loved ones, even one's life, are unquestionable, unchanging, and unshakable. No one in this world can shake these qualities.

Since they are still willing to sacrifice themselves, still willing to give up this primordial life, this endless power, this life that can still exist in the world for billions of years even if some end comes, even if the world is destroyed and reincarnation happens again and again.

Jiangcheng...

She's clearly a very important person.

In my memory, in all my memories, I can find the figure of that boy, whether it is a fragment or a trivial detail.

Even if it's just a slight ripple, like a girl on the beach taking off her socks, barefoot, and lightly testing the temperature of the seawater with her fingertips, only to be accidentally hit on the calf by a thin wave.

Even Eden, as a close friend, could only occupy a portion of her life when she came to the Firemoth and met it after the Great Collapse.

That name belonging to Jiangcheng is scattered everywhere, scattered in everything, scattered in every fragment, young, old, mature...

Waves are very fragmented things. Every time they surge in the ocean, they break up the original order and then reassemble it, without rules or patterns.

If this characteristic were applied to memory, it would be like putting a complete memory into a shredder, where fragments would be evenly distributed one by one.

Even in this situation, Jiang Cheng could still appear in every fragment, and even a fragment that lasted only a moment could still etch the face of that young man.

This can no longer be described by probability. Even the closest people will have periods of brief separation.

Jiang Cheng must be a very important person, right?

Then why...

Should we remain silent or choose to escape?

'Me'?

You're clearly pretending to be asleep!

……

"Stop wasting time. What happened after I died? What went wrong that made you like this?"

Please, tell me.

"What exactly happened in Jiangcheng?"

The voice was almost pleading.

From calm questioning to extreme interrogation, from angry roars that gradually subsided, the voice itself fell, turning into an extremely humble plea.

Even in the end, they were powerless; even their final cries could not awaken the truth from the falling fairy's mouth. It was all meaningless. Even geniuses are not like gods, who can part the endless sea with a wave of their hand. They can only make meaningless cries or use some instruments to try to find that tiny trace of humanity in the boundless abyss.

The khaki boots finally took their first step forward, followed by a second and a third, moving forward step by step until they were close to Alicia, just one step away from the fairy lying on the ground like Sleeping Beauty.

Alicia's hands, which were clasped together at her chest, were lifted up, and Velvey pulled out a feather from somewhere and gently rubbed it against her fair, soft flesh.

There was no movement, as if it were truly dead; such a sense alone was insufficient to convey emotion through the endless surging sea.

Then continue.

Without hesitation, Vilvi's silver-gray eyes began, under everyone's gaze, to tickle in a manner that bordered on childish.

A swan-like neck, smooth armpits, and even the removal of delicate shoes to reveal the tender soles of the feet protected by exquisite fabric.

Her slender, willow-like ankles were overlooked, and her pearl-like fingertips were ignored, as she touched the fairy's private parts without hesitation.

Even gods, though not pure and flawless, have damp sweat. On their smooth skin, glistening water droplets appear when rubbed, and even steam rises, turning a blush of white jade.

It's still meaningless.

Even in this way.

Even the most intense areas, which are barely touched even by a gentle tickle, cannot cross the abyss or traverse the endless darkness.

They even used some minor weaknesses that Jiang Cheng would occasionally mention unintentionally, weaknesses that Alicia absolutely must not be known to others.

These actions, which in theory would surely make fairies laugh and roll around on the spot, or even shed tears, are now meaningless. It's as if you're facing a statue made of cement and steel. All of this only proves that conventional methods are pointless.

What happened to Alicia was far more terrifying than anyone could imagine, and could not be filled in by mere, baseless fantasy.

Without knowing how dark the abyss is, or how heavy the ocean is, any speculation is essentially an insult.

Undoubtedly, the fairy of the past can never return. She has been transformed into a fallen princess by incomprehensible and unimaginable pain. Perhaps the best course of action is to let Alicia lie here.

Perhaps this despair has reached such a point that even bringing it up is a form of self-inflicted harm. The echoes of those terrifying memories are like sharp weapons piercing a heart already riddled with holes and stabbed countless times. With each beat, the already broken heart is wounded once more.

——It doesn’t matter.

It's wrong to hurt victims in the same way and forcibly reopen their wounds, no matter how wrong it is.

Since this method alone cannot awaken Alicia, then we might as well use some more extreme and drastic means.

Since the decision has already been made, then dive to the bottom and choose to escape. The price of stopping halfway will inevitably be suffocation and drowning.

Unlike others, unlike those who could choose to leave from the beginning, the cowardly girl had already lost her boat countless times. If there was no room for turning back from the start, if she could only wander on the sea for most of the time, then when she made up her mind, she must have swum downstream faster than anyone else.

Contrary to the pleading voice and the humble posture, the girl's hand was slightly raised, already halfway up in the air.

'Snapped--'

……

"Vilvi..."

Eden could no longer bear to watch. Despite biting her lip to try and restrain herself, she eventually bit through the precious cherry blossom petal that held the gem.

He was jokingly referred to as the original Bishop of Love, the most persistent pursuer of romance, the embodiment of an era, the most dedicated person in the world to pursuing beautiful and brilliant art, willing to be buried with the past, and the person who most admired that goddess and the fairy.

It's unacceptable, utterly unacceptable. Alicia, from another world, is being played with so ruthlessly—the girl is even desperate, and she's still the patient who hasn't gotten better.

Even though she is different from mental fusion warriors like Aponia and Su, she is fused with a Honkai Beast that is closer to the pursuit of beauty.

During this rather long period of waiting for Velvi to conduct her experiments, Eden was undoubtedly the one who felt the sadness the most.

It doesn't require a spiritual connection, empathy, or shared feelings; it's simply about understanding that fairy and the friendship of being by her side for a long time.

Using such methods on Alicia in this state, from any perspective—whether from a medical or friendly standpoint—seems excessively inappropriate.

I have absolutely no memory of Jiang Cheng's name. I simply cannot find this person in the Moth Chasing Fire. Why must we force him to come up with this?

Perhaps it is because true empathy cannot be achieved when there is no understanding. Even if one can sense the corresponding emotions, the excessive and anxious emotions within oneself will cause external emotions to retreat.

If the person named Jiang Cheng is something extremely important, absolutely necessary, and absolutely cannot die, something that can be called a necessity for the survival of humanity, then at this moment, Vervi's actions would be given a natural rationale, that is, to save more people, so she took special action.

The problem is that the name Jiang Cheng is not only not very important, but none of the people present have ever heard of it.

Kevin, a former soldier, had never heard of anyone named Jiang Cheng who was talented. Sakura, an assassin, had never found anyone of high rank and power named Jiang Cheng on the list. Even if you scrolled down to the last page of Möbius's test subject list, that name was not the one he cherished the most.

Even Padofelis, the most approachable of the heroes, was essentially someone who survived to the end by luck. She considered herself an ordinary person and was someone who had traveled to every department of the Candle Chasing the Flame for her collecting obsession. She never heard the name Jiang Cheng from even the janitors.

Incomprehensible.

Hard to understand.

Most people refrain from taking further action, perhaps simply because their past battle with another Vilvie instilled in them a sense of trust in the girl.

It comes from strength, from wisdom, and even more from the perseverance to stay in the laboratory for months without leaving once a decision is made.

Most people here ignored the fact that this torture-like act was being broken, and the first to stop it was actually 'Alicia' herself.

"please……"

"No."

"Not this time, though."

……

The blue eyes held an almost pleading emotion. The pupils, which should have been flawless and as pure as half a cherry blossom in spring, were now tinged with sadness and pain that should not belong to a fairy.

It's not because of me.

It has nothing to do with me.

None of this has anything to do with me.

As the friend who has been with her the longest, she can sense it; as an artist who pursues romance, she can listen to it; as the singer who is Alicia's best friend, she can see it at a glance—this empathy, with her teeth lightly biting her lips, this almost pleading sadness, does not originate from herself, and the emotions will never belong to her, not even in the slightest.

When Alicia was sad, her best friend chose to comfort her by using a form that even a fusion warrior could only use in the most dangerous moments, a form that could easily go out of control.

The ability to apply lip gloss to a girl at the last moment, to add rosy blush to a face that has never been painted, to add color to eyebrows that are already as delicate as willow branches in spring, and to watch Alicia's final dance.

Only at this moment...