Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

"It is precisely because it is irreversible and unchangeable that fate is called fate."

These heavy words echoed in Mikael's mind, a hammer blow to his chest, deflating the elation he'd felt after establishing Anti-Entropy.

The green light of the lab radiated a chill that seeped into his skin, settling in his lungs.

Mikael had once believed his enemy was the Honkai, the Herrschers that manifested, one after another, culminating in the Final Herrscher.

He was wrong. Completely wrong.

Could humanity not defeat the first twelve Herrschers without him?

Could humanity defeat the Final Herrscher with him?

Why… why?

They had won every battle, yet were still hurtling towards an inevitable end?

Because of fate.

"After all this, what have you changed, Mikael?"

He might have changed the fates of certain individuals, like Carol, Aldemir, and… the members of Anti-Entropy.

Oh, and he had changed the location of the Fourth Eruption. According to the bubble world's timeline, it should have occurred in a small coastal town in southeastern Europe, where Kosma should have been.

But the Fourth Herrscher's powers hadn't changed. What did that mean?

The Honkai was supposed to send Herrschers based on the development of civilization. Yet, in this timeline, twisted and reshaped by him…

The world lines were converging. The appearances of the Second and Fourth Herrschers, the area affected by the Third Eruption, the powers of each Herrscher… Every step fell precisely onto the predetermined path of fate. Perfectly aligned.

And now, the Sixth Herrscher's Stigmata host stood before him. Rather than believing in the butterfly effect, believing she wouldn't become the Sixth Herrscher, wouldn't it be better to kill her now? That, at least, would change the predetermined fate…

But…

Ah, and…

Captain Himeko…

Even knowing all the outcomes, he seemed unable to change anything…

Tap… tap… tap…

Footsteps interrupted his spiraling thoughts.

A pair of slender yet strong arms wrapped around his limp form, helping him up. A warm, damp towel wiped his face clean. Then, they sat side-by-side, leaning against the cold lab wall.

"Talk to me. What happened? This is the… first time I've seen you so… fragile."

Mikael leaned his head against the wall, silent.

"…" Mobius studied his profile in the dim green light of the lab.

In just a year, the boy who had tried so hard to appear composed in her lab had matured so much.

His hairline was low, his forehead small with a slight indentation between his brows. Wisps of hair fell across his eyebrows. His nose, cheekbones, jawline… his entire face had lost its youthful roundness, sharpened as if carved.

Handsome, yes, but if Mobius recalled correctly, according to both European fortune tellers and ancient Shenzhou diviners, this wasn't a good face.

It meant a life of hardship, a life of striving for meager rewards.

Mobius hadn't believed in such things, but now she couldn't help but wonder.

This… he was still a boy, wasn't he?

She remembered the two months after the Second Eruption. He'd come to her lab almost every night, for one reason: to practice controlling the simulated Second Herrscher core.

He couldn't practice in the simulation room because of the surveillance, nor in the dorms. Her lab was the only place that was safe, secluded, and wouldn't attract Fire Moth's attention with Honkai energy fluctuations.

She had watched him tumble from spatial rifts in all sorts of awkward positions, watched him battered and bruised by spatial turbulence, watched him collapse on the floor, near unconscious, only able to crook a finger to signal for her to give him Honkai energy…

"Sigh…"

And after he'd finally gained the power to protect everyone, he'd been discarded like a broken toy by the very people he'd wanted to protect.

Now, he finally had a group of people to whom he could show his back without reservation…

Yet, that belated joy hadn't even lasted a morning before being buried by new sorrow.

Mobius felt a strange emotion welling up within her.

She had been certain, in the beginning, that she only wanted to use Mikael for her research. He was just a tool, nothing more.

The only reason she'd agreed to join this Anti-Entropy thing was to avoid wasting the past six months of research—that was it!

Pity… She shouldn't be feeling this… When had she ever felt this…

Mobius reached out, her hand hovering just above Mikael's cheek. He didn't even notice.

"Tch! Mobius, what are you doing?!" A voice in her head tried to stop her, but it was too late.

She gently pressed his head down, his short hair tickling her leg as he rested against her thigh.

"…Thank you." Mikael finally spoke.

"You should talk… If you don't let it out, you'll explode." Her voice was laced with her usual disdain, yet oddly comforting.

"Heh…" Mikael exhaled, shaking his head, but then he began to speak: "Mobius… what do you think… if you knew someone would become a Herrscher… would you kill them?"

Mobius's first reaction was—is he testing me again?

No…

"You mean that girl?" she asked casually.

"How did you know she would become a Herrscher? Can you Herrschers sense each other? I didn't see anything unusual during her physical exam."

"Hmm… that's another story… It involves what happened when Hua, Kalpas, and I disappeared."

Mobius bit her fingernail, then began absently massaging Mikael's temples. The action felt surprisingly natural, so swift that neither of them consciously registered it.

"Don't tell me it's like one of those old sci-fi movies? Traveling to a parallel future?"

"…Yeah…"

"Tch!" She scoffed, her first instinct to pull his ear, but she stopped herself, instead poking his head.

"Are you stupid? Do you think killing her will stop the Herrscher from appearing? That'll just cause the Herrscher to be born in a completely different person. It would be better to keep her under surveillance, so you can… eliminate… her… the moment she transforms…"

As she spoke, realization dawned. Mikael was the Herrscher of Dominance. He fought with his mind. How could he not have thought of that?

So…

"So, killing her now is pointless. And if you don't kill her… she'll follow the path of fate, towards her predetermined end. Is that why you're so upset?"

"No, no, no. I believe that alone wouldn't be enough to make you need thirty doses of tranquilizer…"

"Which means… you know the fate of certain people who are destined to become Herrschers… or not even necessarily Herrschers. Mikael, do you know how certain people will end? Like… Elysia? No, if it were her, you wouldn't be this calm. Hua? Pardofelis? Himeko? Or even… me?"

Mikael remained silent.

His silence unnerved Mobius, filling her with a growing sense of dread.

Suddenly, a warmth spread across her thigh. Tears spilled from Mikael's eyes, soaking her pants.

Mobius grew impatient.

She didn't know what had gotten into her today. She'd never uttered so many comforting words in her life.

Good thing Mikael wasn't recording this. It would be mortifying…

But… he needed to pull himself together!

Did she really have to keep comforting him?

Mobius swore that if he uttered another word of despair, she'd grab him by the collar and shake some sense into him.

Arcs of green electricity crackled behind her, making her hair stand on end.

Mikael sniffled, then sat up straight.

"Thank you, Mobius."

His voice was thick with congestion. He still called her Mobius, without the "Dr.", but Mobius sensed a shift.

If dropping the honorific had once implied either closeness or disrespect…

She no longer felt it was the latter.

"If she's destined for that end, then at least… let her enjoy the journey."

He spoke cryptically, then, before Mobius could process his words, he switched back to his usual, irritatingly businesslike demeanor.

"Mobius, what problems are you encountering with your fusion soldier project?"

"Ah! That? I'm just lacking live human subjects."

"…Which Honkai beast's genes?"

"yaksha."

"…Don't tell me you're still clinging to those useless moral boundaries?"

"Who are you eyeing, Mobius?"

"Elysia."