Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

"The elder sister," she, a woman formerly known as Riesfia, said in surprise.

"You'll understand when you reach my age: there are no absolutely good people in the world, nor are there absolutely evil people."

The old pastor looked at her as if he were looking at his former self.

“My child will inherit the monastery, and he’s not a good person either, but neither am I.”

"You, you are the best person in the world, how could you be a bad person?"

Riesfia didn't believe it; she grasped the old pastor's hand as if it were a lifeline.

She didn't know that if even the old pastor wasn't trustworthy, who else in the world could be trusted?

If he isn't a saint, then are there any good people left in this world?

"I put your child's letter in the box over there."

The old pastor did not answer her, but looked up at the roof and suddenly burst into tears.

"Life is never noble, and this world is never beautiful..."

The old man's words were less like a dying wish and more like a curse.

……

Dear Riesfia:

My mom, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong.

I am vain, arrogant, greedy, and immoral.

I am the worst person in the world, I am an incurable scoundrel.

Everything I've done is deserved; the Lord will not forgive my sins, but...

Just as you protected me, the child is innocent.

Life is precious and should not be trampled on, especially innocent lives.

I beg you, I plead with you, Mother.

Only that child, my daughter, your granddaughter.

She can't die here with me, so I entrusted her to an acquaintance on Twilight Street, but I can't go back, Mother.

If this letter happens to reach your hands, please have mercy on me!

My son was wrong! I was really wrong!

I beg you, I beg you!

Save my child, save Pathophilis!

I can die, but she... Paddy is still a child!

……

"Sister, I heard..."

The next day, the nun who went to resupply secretly pulled Risfia aside and whispered,

"Your son died in an accident. I overheard a green-haired woman talking. She said something like 'the First Collapse.' I couldn't understand what she was saying, but from the tone of her and a man named John, it seemed to be some kind of natural disaster."

"...What difference does it make whether it's a natural disaster or a man-made one?"

Rishvia closed her eyes, then patted the nun on the shoulder.

"Thank you for telling me. So, you still haven't found it on Twilight Street?"

"The woman who adopted your granddaughter died of illness, and the children from the orphanage scattered and no one knows where they went."

The nun looked apologetic and said,

"I'm very sorry, but we can't stay on Twilight Street any longer."

"...It's fate."

Riesfia didn't blame her, but she hated herself even more.

"It's all my own doing."

She stroked the photograph in her hand; it was of no use whatsoever.

However, the baby's heterochromatic eyes are unusually noticeable in the photo.

"Someone like me wouldn't be able to raise any decent children, would I?"

In the end, she tucked the photo into the book.

"Someone like me should have died long ago. Why bother coming out here to harm others and myself?"

She suddenly understood the old pastor's dying words: the truth of this world is very simple—there is no salvation, there never has been.

All the prayers were just wishful thinking.

There are no saints in this world; it is only because no one else is a saint that some people become saints.

It's that simple.

Chapter 102 Cats Don't Die from Begging for Mercy

When a person finally understands the truth, he is often near death.

What is reason? For an individual, the value and meaning of their life is reason.

From the moment we are born, we give our lives our own meaning, but often we only realize what meaning we have given it when we die.

It is foolish to seek value from others, and ridiculous to beg for meaning from others. I have never agreed with most of the doctrines; salvation is not given by the Lord, but given by oneself.

All the Lord has given you is the butcher's knife.

—Excerpt from Nino's "On Religion"

……

Heroes have their way of living, and ordinary people have theirs.

I'm not someone who can become a hero.

I've been particularly good at petty theft since I was a child. As for being honest and upright, that's really not a thing for me.

I was never cut out for doing anything productive. The person who adopted me told me that my biological father was the same way; he never did anything productive in his life.

Ugh, serious business? What's serious business?

Having enough to eat, being warm enough to wear, and being able to bask in the sun—that's what really matters.

Is it necessary to think so much?

The person who adopted me died young, and the children I grew up with all ran away. What else could I do but run away?

For most people, survival is the most important thing.

I just hang out with stray cats; if they can survive, so can I.

I learned everything from scaling walls and leaping across rooftops to thieving and stealing.

Cat food is food too, and some canned food is even fish food. At worst, I'll just be a cat for a few years, whatever.

Hey, sure enough, after living with stray cats through periods of hunger and hunger, I finally learned their special skills.

On this twilight street, as long as you're brave enough, you're sure to survive!

Sometimes when I'm bored out of my mind, I'll go to the only "school" on Huanghun Street to listen to the "teacher" tell stories.

Those stories were absolutely terrifying!

And it's always the same few things over and over again, it's really boring.

But what I liked most was their warehouse. Sometimes when I couldn't find anything to eat, I would sneak in and eat cabbage.

But I always felt that the fierce-looking man had noticed me, but he always pretended not to see me.

I just don't understand.

However, I later learned that this place was not a school, but a sanatorium.

The woman who spoke slowly wasn't a teacher, but a caregiver.

We were so kind as to help these bored kids by taking down their doors, and now it's all for nothing!

Of course, I am not a woman who is completely without ambition.

As you get older, you have to be bolder too!

Let me pull off something big!

I stole all the equipment from the woman who was carrying a bunch of heavy weapons, and that very night I went to the most expensive restaurant on Dusk Street and ordered a table full of fish.

Then I just found a park bench and made do for the night...

But who knew, the next day I suddenly heard that the sanatorium had been blown up!

I heard it was some kind of gas explosion, but it can't be that simple!

I know that the older woman who speaks slowly is a tough character.

Even the fiercest man I fear most has to submit to her!

But he was a good person. Did he offend some enemies?

This worry keeps me up at night, but even though life is tough, I have to keep going.

So I decided to go for the big one!

Although I may have knelt down to apologize a little more times than I successfully apologized a few times...

Oh dear! That's not important!

A good cat is one that can bend and stretch!

The most dangerous time was when I stole a very valuable piece of metal, but I was caught as soon as I put it away...

That woman is terrifying! She has a chubby face, but she's more ruthless than the outlaws on Dusk Street when she speaks and acts!

Could she be from some kind of gang?