The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

"I haven't thought about it yet..." Kiana hesitated, not answering Shadow's invitation, but looking at Mei with affection, "I need to think about it carefully, and even if I wanted to... I might not be able to get my wish."

"Maybe it won't work out? Who made you think that?" Ying wanted to delve deeper.

However, before she could finish her question, Mei very considerately interrupted.

“Miss Ying, it’s getting late. It’s late, so let’s get some rest. We can discuss these things again tomorrow after everything is settled.”

Out with the old, in with the new, an unforgettable Lantern Festival (Liyue New Year): Chapter 51 Can the Demon God couple defeat them in a doubles battle?

It has to be said that Mei's interruption was too clever, perfectly cutting off Kage's next words. This caused her to ultimately keep what she wanted to say to herself.

"Huh? Why do you want to..."

"Hey! Kage, Mei seems to be right. What do you think?"

"this..."

Faced with Kiana and Mei's coordinated attack, Kage, whose companions were not by his side, was clearly outnumbered and thus did not say anything more about the matter.

Thanks to her silence, Kiana and Mei were able to avoid a conflict with her.

As mentioned before, it is indeed time to rest earlier.

Then we wait for tomorrow to deliver the mission rewards and finally win the competition.

However, the question that Shadow ultimately asked was quite surprising.

Kiana, in any case, brought up many ideas related to this issue.

"To continue the journey, or to stop here? Hmm, that seems to be the question."

In their current world, the Honkai has been sealed away. After many sacrifices, humanity finally defeated the Honkai and gained the opportunity to continue living. This hard-won success represents the ideal that countless people have dedicated their entire lives to fighting for and striving for.

"The work we do while upholding our beliefs will never be meaningless, regardless of whether the outcome is as we wish."

"We protect the beautiful things, the things that are about to become beautiful, and the things we consider important. They may seem insignificant, or even futile, but that's only because they are just seeds at the moment."

"These seeds that nurture beauty will one day bloom into flowers covering the mountains and fields."

guard...

Yes, to protect.

But is it really the right thing for me to stay in that world now?

Kiana suddenly realized that she might have fallen into some kind of misconception.

Simply put, it's not my world, or rather, it's not the world I should be in. You could call it a parallel world, yeah...

It's a parallel world.

In that world, there must be another version of herself, just as this world has its own shadow. Perhaps there, somewhere, another version of herself exists, waiting for Mei to find her?

But his true destiny lies in that time before the final battle ends...

Therefore, can this trip be stopped? It's not up to them, it's not up to them, only the person who started it all...

Only she, who keeps herself in the dark and hesitates to reveal the truth, can make a decision...

...

The next day, Kiana got up very early. After telling Mei and the others not to stay in bed and to hurry up and get ready to travel, she slowly found her very, very best friend.

Xilin...

"What's up? You've been having a good time with them these past few days, why are you suddenly coming to find me?"

Because it knew its master inside and out, the little doll didn't even need Kiana to explain beforehand; it already understood her purpose.

She slowly sat down on her large pair of scissors, legs crossed, one hand supporting her chin, revealing a flippant expression. The playful smile that didn't seem to mind her petite figure gave her the aura of a behind-the-scenes mastermind.

Of course, even though she considered herself very smart, she didn't really understand what her master was trying to do, but she knew for sure that it couldn't be anything good.

As she suspected, Kiana's visit was indeed a showdown.

"I want to go back to that point in time. Is that possible?"

“No.” Xilin refused decisively without the slightest hesitation.

This is... quite rare indeed!

She, who always considered herself a tool, actually denied her master's question.

Kiana felt that this had completely transcended the term "tool".

Of course, I never treated her as a mere tool from beginning to end.

Why not?

“Because no means no.” Xilin crossed her arms, her childlike face revealing an unyielding authority.

To be honest, this was the first time Kiana had ever seen her like this. The oppressive aura she exuded was overwhelming...

However, this is not a reason to back down.

Kiana knew that while Sirin might disobey her orders, she would definitely provide an answer. Even if its accuracy was questionable, it would still be an answer that could resolve the doubts...

Thinking of this, Kiana's expression gradually became serious.

Before heading to the construction site, she wanted to confirm one thing, something that could be considered very important.

So Kiana pressed on, "What I want to ask is, what are your thoughts?"

“Isn’t it obvious? I don’t like it there. I don’t like that timeline,” Celine replied without hesitation.

"Is it simply a matter of disliking it...? It feels like you're running away from it."

"Say what you will. In short, I just don't like what I don't like."

This time, Kiana was utterly disappointed.

"Alright... in that case, just pretend I didn't ask."

Kiana sighed, then stood up to leave.

How are you going to punish me?

Seeing that she had given up, Celine breathed a sigh of relief. Then, quite considerately, she released her grip and asked in an extremely calm tone, as if she had already prepared herself for punishment.

However, Kiana didn't continue speaking as she had suggested. Instead, she turned around and waved her hand dismissively.

“Since you’re unwilling to tell me now, you must have your own difficulties. I believe that when the time is right, you will tell me the truth, and I will truly be able to reunite with them.” Kiana nodded, then waved to Mei and the others.

Did she... take this matter to heart at all?

Sirin squinted at Kiana for a long time, still unable to understand what was going on. She had already prepared herself for punishment, but not only did the punishment she expected not come, but...

And yet, I was the one who was comforted?

Hmm... this silly owner is really too gentle.

"This...makes me feel guilty, Su...cough cough! Kiana."

Sirin suddenly became enthusiastic, and her address changed from the cold "host" to her name.

Although this subtle change went unnoticed by Kiana, it symbolized that the two were truly like travel companions on a journey together.

"what happened?"

Kiana turned around and looked at her travel companion. Her eyes revealed confusion and bewilderment...

"Remember to prepare for battle. Do you know the Whirlpool Demon God, Oser?"

"Osel? It's him again?" Kiana was very curious about him because she had heard the name last night. "Could it be that he's going to make a comeback?"

"Very likely. And this time...maybe this demon god will also bring his—uh...wife?—to attack this place together."

Out with the old, in with the new, an unforgettable Lantern Festival (Liyue New Year): Chapter 52 The Pre-Battle Feast

His wife?

So even demons have wives? Unexpected...

Kiana thought about it for a moment, still feeling quite surprised. After all, beings like demons are extremely rare, unlike Hilichurls or members of the Abyss Order who roam freely in the wilderness.

Therefore, only their enemies or friends truly know what demons are like. Outsiders like ourselves can only learn about them through snippets of conversation from others, folk tales, or books.

"So, what kind of demon is this Oser?" Kiana asked, puzzled.

"He... is a legendary figure, and you can still hear his legend in Liyue. However, because so much time has passed, the version has changed many times. Perhaps you can't even recognize that the legend is about him..."

"A legend, huh. But what kind of era did he live in? When was it? How could a legend have survived like this..."

Kiana asked a series of questions.

Demon God?

How strong is he?

What role did it play in the distant past? Why did it ultimately fail, and why did it seize the opportunity to make a comeback?

How many eras have passed? How many races have existed? What wars have unfolded in the past?

Will he be my rival?

These questions lingered in her mind, refusing to dissipate.

"Don't worry, Kiana. I believe you can easily defeat him."

This was a rare sight; Celine, who always presented herself with an arrogant attitude, showed an encouraging expression. Combined with her childlike and adorable demeanor, it was truly inspiring.

"Why are you so direct in your affirmation? That's not like you at all."

Kiana raised her head and looked at the doll in front of her with some confusion.

Feeling her intense gaze, Xiao Xilin hesitated for a moment, then finally crossed her arms and reverted to her initial arrogance.

"What? What do you think I should do?"

"Yes, just like now."

As Kiana spoke, she slowly reached out and gently stroked Sirin's nose, then smiled and turned to look at Mei and Kage.

At this moment, the two are standing one in front of the other, still maintaining an icy attitude, but it's much better than before.