Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

Mikael was awakened by a blinding light, yet his surroundings felt like a dream.

He was trapped.

Trapped inside a gem, barely larger than his body—no, perhaps it wasn't a gem.

He couldn't feel the thickness of his body. Thickness, one of the dimensions of three-dimensional space, was gone. He wasn't even two-dimensional—even a sheet of paper had thickness.

Or perhaps his dimensionality hadn't been reduced, but increased. Since lower-dimensional beings couldn't comprehend higher dimensions, his subconscious might have lowered his perceived dimensionality to make his surroundings comprehensible.

Of course, perhaps the concept of dimensions was irrelevant here: this was a space detached from reality, where human methods of measurement didn't apply, making even dimensions "nonexistent."

Before he could fully grasp this, he began to fall—why was he always falling?

Falling wasn't unfamiliar. He'd had countless bizarre and mundane dreams, filled with people who should and shouldn't be there.

But the one constant was the sensation of falling.

He had secretly consulted a psychologist, who explained: "Falling symbolizes a feeling of helplessness, a lack of control. When you're falling, you can't do anything to save yourself, only watch as you plummet towards destruction… Young man, are you under a lot of stress?"

Ding!

This time, he didn't fall into an ocean. The gem containing him landed on a hard surface, shattering into countless pieces that radiated a cold, bright light, turning everything around him white.

Before he could do anything, his body began to float, as if he were a balloon, a weightless soul…

Oh! He remembered what had happened.

The 3rd Herrscher had extracted his core just before it detonated. A moment later, and the entire Japanese archipelago would have been wiped off the map.

Along with the Herrscher.

But Mikael didn't regret it. It was all part of the plan. Now, all he had to do was wait for Mobius to inject him with Honkai energy, and he would be revived, thanks to the integrated Śeṣa factor…

When he woke up, with any luck, the Herrscher would be defeated. And if Śeṣa caused any complications, his revival would be enough to counter them…

Then, the 3rd Eruption would be over, and he could finally consider…

No, he wouldn't jinx it. He just hoped… he just hoped…

He stood still, waiting for Mobius to wake him. Due to the nature of consciousness, time here flowed differently than in the physical world…

But this was taking too long. Bored, he lay down, letting his thoughts wander.

Unsurprisingly, he thought about the 3rd Herrscher's words:

"You are not a complete Herrscher."

What did that even mean?

He was sure he didn't have another consciousness or personality. How could he be incomplete?

Mikael shook his head, refusing to dwell on it.

He felt the "ground" beneath him shift, a subtle movement he hadn't noticed before.

He sat up, but everything around him was white, featureless. How could he tell if he was moving or not?

He looked down at his body, surprised to see his form constantly shifting. From the small child in the orphanage, to the black mist of the Herrscher consciousness, to his current form…

He didn't have a fixed shape, or perhaps, he didn't know what his shape should be.

A small black dot appeared in the distance. As it grew larger, it revealed itself to be a familiar corpse—the 2nd Herrscher's.

A chill ran through him. If he had a physical body, his hair would be standing on end—where was he?!

He'd assumed this was his mindscape, which was why he'd been so calm. But how could the 2nd Herrscher's body appear in his mindscape?

And if this wasn't his mindscape, where was he?

The afterlife?

No… he couldn't be gone!

He began to run, running through the endless white, towards an unknown destination.

"*Aaargh!*"

He clutched his head, collapsing as strange images flashed through his mind—

He was floating in the air, directing railgun fire at Fire Moth headquarters…

"This… this is the 3rd Herrscher's perspective?"

Then, he saw the 3rd Herrscher in a dark, narrow tunnel.

"Hmph!" He instinctively tried to attack, but his body didn't respond, as if it wasn't his own.

"What's going on?"

The images vanished.

Mikael stood up groggily, seeing another black dot in the distance. He ran towards it.

"3rd Herrscher?"

The dot resolved itself into a familiar form. Mikael instinctively called out, then quickly covered his mouth.

But the 3rd Herrscher stood motionless, seemingly unaware of his presence.

"This is my chance!"

Mikael tried to punch her, but his fist stopped just short of her, unable to connect.

And still, the 3rd Herrscher didn't react.

"This is definitely her consciousness, but I can't attack her, as if something's protecting her… could this be… the place where Herrscher consciousnesses intersect—the deepest part of the Herrscher core?"

If this was where Herrscher consciousnesses intersected…

He began to run frantically through the white void, convinced that if this was the place, then he would find her… he just had to keep running, keep searching…

"Elysia!"

But the figures of the 2nd and 3rd Herrschers vanished, leaving him alone in the white void, his desperate cries echoing unanswered:

"Elysia! Where are you?!"

The familiar pink figure seemed to not exist in this world.

Could it be… this wasn't the intersection of Herrscher consciousnesses, but the true afterlife? Mikael refused to accept that he'd been wrong.

He couldn't bear it.

It wasn't that he couldn't bear death… no, he couldn't bear this death, dying before he could change anything, dying before he could say goodbye to Elysia…

She would be heartbroken…

No… he simply didn't want to lose her.

Although he hadn't wanted to admit it, although he'd feared that future, although he'd repeatedly told himself he wanted to change her fate, ultimately, it all stemmed from his selfish, one-sided love.

He finally admitted it.

He loved Elysia.

But would he ever get the chance to tell her?

He squatted down, covering his face in despair.

A gentle breeze wrapped around him, carrying the scent of falling petals. He opened his eyes, seeing pink petals swirling around him, as if a giant sakura tree was blooming behind him, its blossoms painting the world in her favorite color.

Behind him?

He turned. Elysia stood there, not too far away.

Their eyes met. She widened her eyes slightly, her upper lip twitching. Mikael noticed these subtle movements, a thought flashing through his mind—she…

The thought was so bold, so unbelievable, that he trembled.

But before he could fully process it, Elysia, as always, clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head with a gentle smile.

"Hey! Were you looking for me?"

Her familiar voice, like a clear spring, washed over him, calming his despair, his sadness, his excitement…

Now, all he could see was her.

"Elysia… ow! That hurts!"

Elysia lightly pinched his ear, then hugged him tightly.

"Mikael… you idiot! Don't do that again… at least, tell me next time…"

Was she crying? He felt her tears on his shoulder.

"You knew?"

Mikael asked hesitantly.

Elysia lightly punched his shoulder, silencing him.

After a moment, she released him, taking a half-step back, her eyes still closed, hiding the traces of her tears.

"My, my! You don't seem surprised to see me here!"

She'd skipped over the previous topic, her tone light, but her voice gradually calming—after all, what she was about to say wasn't easy.

Mikael bit his lip, realizing Elysia wasn't completely oblivious. She probably understood why he was here.

"You must have sensed it, but I… I hesitated until I heard your call, I doubted myself, since I don't have a core, and I don't have any impressive powers…"

"Elysia…" Mikael began, but she placed her fingers on his lips, silencing him.

"I'm not the one who needs comforting… Mikael, what I want to know is… what do you… truly think about being a Herrscher?"

"I…" Elysia's fingers pressed against his lips again, stopping him mid-sentence.

"You've been conflicted, haven't you? You're grateful for the power bestowed upon you, but you also fear it will consume you… right?"

Mikael gently removed her hand, poking her cheek, a wry smile on his face. "You're one to talk. You're describing yourself, aren't you?"

"No, it's different… I… haven't felt any power. But if I'm here, that means I am a Herrscher, but… but…"

"It's okay, I understand." Mikael gently took her hand.

"I think I know why the 3rd Herrscher said I was incomplete."

"Huh?"

Mikael smiled, explaining, "My initial plan was to be revived using Śeṣa's factor, because I believed my consciousness, like an ordinary human's, resided in my brain."

His assumption wasn't baseless.

In the original story, both possibilities existed—after Welt's core was removed, his consciousness remained within it. And he'd assumed this was the deepest part of the core, the intersection of Herrscher consciousnesses, because that's what Mei had said to Kiana in Kolosten.

As for consciousness residing in the brain, that was also Mei. After her core was taken by the Herrscher of Dominance, both her normal and Herrscher personalities remained.

"That's the difference between a fully awakened Herrscher and an incomplete one."

"During the battle in Nagazora, I was close to full awakening, so my consciousness shifted towards the core, but I wasn't quite there yet, so even within the core, I couldn't do anything."

"Elysia, I used to believe that being a Herrscher was just about power. That my humanity defined me. I didn't see myself as a Herrscher. I wanted to be human—just human. Even now, I can't say if that was right or wrong. Mobius would disagree. She believes the concept of humanity shouldn't be so narrow. And others would say it was completely wrong, because they believe humanity is simply what it is now."

Elysia leaned against him, listening quietly.

"But now I don't care anymore. I am a Herrscher—that's a fact I can't deny. So what? Even if some humans don't accept me, even if other Herrschers don't accept me, it doesn't matter—what matters to me is you, Elysia. I fight for you, for those who accept me, for the world that accepts me—I believe, one day, the world will accept a Herrscher who fights for humanity."

"I used to worry that 'God,' upon discovering my betrayal, would try to control me again. But if that were its intention, why would it allow us to defy it for so long?"

"Elysia! God allows us to rebel! Or perhaps, it never saw humans as its enemies—if there even is a God."

"So, we can accept who we are—Herrschers, God's apostles, whatever. We just have to follow our hearts, do what we believe is right—that's all. I want to save this world. And I'm willing to be a Herrscher to do it."

"Yes, I am a Herrscher, and I am human. I am a Herrscher who fights for humanity. I accept who I am, I accept the deaths I've caused, I accept the disapproval and hostility… To become a fully awakened Herrscher, I have to accept my Herrscher side, carry the sins I've committed, and the hopes placed upon me, to truly unleash my power."

This was the mindscape, where lies couldn't exist. Every word spoken here was absolute truth.

As Mikael finished speaking, his form solidified. This was him.

And the world around him was no longer white, but tinged with a faint blue light—his Herrscher core.

His core wasn't an inanimate object, but something alive—it was his subconscious, his potential.

He could hear it rejoicing, every particle vibrating with joy, celebrating his acceptance of them, of himself.

And the core, in turn, accepted him.

Elysia buried her face in his chest, feeling his warmth, his heartbeat.

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?" she asked.

"Me too?"

"Pffft hahaha!" Elysia burst into laughter.

After a moment, her laughter subsided. She wrapped her arms around Mikael, standing on tiptoe to whisper in his ear:

"You don't have to carry this burden alone. So what if you're a Herrscher? I'm a Herrscher too. And as Herrschers, we'll always be together—Elysia and Mikael, always."

"Even if we reach the end of the world, and we're the only ones left, neither of us will be alone."

"Elysia…" Mikael was moved. "Then… help me reach 'that place.' I have questions that need answers."

Elysia paused. She didn't know how he intended to reach "that place," but because it was Mikael, she believed he could do it.

Their consciousnesses intertwined, not just merging, but sensing each other's connection to "that place."

For a single Herrscher, it was a set of possibilities. But with Elysia's help, by finding the intersection of their connections, they could pinpoint its location, the source of their power—the Imaginary Tree.

"Found it!"

Intense Honkai energy surged around Mikael, his form outlined in a dark, purplish-black aura. His silver-gray hair grew to his waist, swirling around him. His eyes turned blood red, his gear-like pupils resembling solidified blood. He stared at the golden gem that had appeared in his hand.

The next moment, he was gone.