Jiuxiao watched as Kiana burst into tears, feeling completely out of his depth. Not knowing how to comfort people, all he could do was sit beside her and gently pat her back.
It was late into the night. Eventually, Kiana cried herself to sleep. Jiuxiao quietly pulled the blanket over her and lay down beside her, raising his hand to examine the Stigmata.
This time, it was different from before—faint purple markings had begun to appear on the skin around the Stigmata.
"Are you there? Can you tell me now what exactly happened?"
[Yes, I'm here. But before we begin, do you know about the concept of parallel worlds—or rather, the concept of 'the Tree'?]
"Parallel worlds, yes. Trees, sure. But both together? Not really. You'll have to explain."
[Alright, let's start with the Imaginary Tree and the Quantum Sea. It's hard to describe them precisely—they're practically indescribable. But in the simplest terms: the Imaginary Tree is like the World Tree in Norse mythology, while the Quantum Sea is akin to the Dirac Sea that underlies the structure of existence.]
[The Dirac Sea is the essence of the universe's space, while the Imaginary Tree is the foundation of civilization—it represents order and rules. Think of it like the 'Dao' in Chinese philosophy, the embodiment of the world's natural laws.]
[Worlds that exist are like the 'leaves' on the Imaginary Tree. When a world dies but hasn't completely decayed, it becomes a 'fallen leaf'—a 'world bubble'. These world bubbles fall into the Quantum Sea, where they're slowly eroded and consumed. In other words, those worlds are on the path to destruction.]
[The Quantum Sea feeds on these bubbles to expand itself. Meanwhile, the Imaginary Tree draws nutrients from the Quantum Sea and uses them to grow new 'leaves'—new worlds.]
[These 'leaves' must pass the trials of 'Honkai'. Those that pass draw closer to other surviving worlds and enter what is known as the 'Age of Stars'. The ones that fail become world bubbles and fuel the sea.]
[Each world's Honkai trial is different. In my world, Honkai was pure destruction. Humanity went through countless cycles before barely managing to overcome it. But the Honkai in your world... is different. Its test is "to embrace."]
[In this world, Honkai is more like a gift—though a heavy one. For fragile humans, it can be cruel.]
[Seems like the selection mechanism really differs between worlds. I'm kind of jealous of yours. Huh? The strongest Honkai beast in this world is only "End-class"? Back in my world, they were planetary-level threats. Still, she—she was incredibly powerful and chose to stand by my side. But I... I failed her. Across all those reincarnations, I kept taking from her without ever answering her expectations...]
[The first time she appeared in front of me, she was so adorably clueless... Wait, what did she look like again...?]
Jiuxiao noticed the Stigmata was getting more and more carried away, and the topic was drifting. He couldn't help but grumble:
"You're going off-topic—come on, back to the world bubbles! Let's focus!"
Suddenly, the Stigmata grew hot. A warm sensation flowed through Jiuxiao's body. It felt nice—until a second later, his whole body was overcome with a tearing-then-healing sensation. He winced in pain, unable to speak, as a strange energy wrapped around him. The pain was overwhelming, yet he couldn't even cry out.
The Stigmata glowed with satisfaction.
[I'm transmitting power to transform your body. Normal human flesh can't withstand Honkai's erosion. And it's very rude to interrupt a lady while she's speaking.]
[It's been countless eras since I've had a proper conversation. My memories are already starting to fade. I'm lucky I remembered so much today... but that girl—I've even forgotten what she looked like. Her name, too... all gone.]
[Sigh. Eternity... perhaps the cruelest punishment of all.]
[I stand at the apex of the world. But how can a part of the world deny the world itself?]
[So I sought power from outside the world to deny the world. I scattered many of my Stigmata across countless "leaves," hoping someone might bear one and come find me. Save me—or kill me. I'm a sinner. I should've died with them all, but instead, Honkai rewarded me. Ha. What a reward, huh?]
[But only two people have awakened a Stigmata. You two are eerily similar. There shouldn't be identical "leaves" in the same world. But from different worlds? That's another story.]
As the voice faded, a surge of energy from the Stigmata flowed through Jiuxiao's body. The pain eased slightly, and he felt lighter, though the tearing and rebirth sensation remained—a pain etched into his very cells.
Strangely, he found himself almost... euphoric.
"He's like me... a counterpart from a parallel world? That's wild. Did he get sent here too? And what is this feeling I'm having right now?"
[I've temporarily separated your consciousness from your body. You still can't enter the Stigmata space, and this was the easiest way to ease your pain. Try to stay in this state and keep talking to me. Even if it's hard, hold on—it will help strengthen your mind.]
[And as for your counterpart—no, he's not in this world. Something went wrong during the transfer. You were sent to a world very similar to mine... but not exactly mine.]
"...So I thought I'd be the hero of Hyrule, but instead I got distracted by flowers and grass and forgot to save the princess, huh?"
[Hehe, not quite. You've still traveled to another world, and this world has its own Honkai to deal with. Beat it, and your job's done—it's all the same in the end.]
"From the way you're talking... does that mean I can't go to your world anymore? Can I ever get back to mine?"
[Sorry. Not for now. Once someone from the primary world enters a world undergoing Honkai testing, they can no longer hop between worlds. Only world bubbles are freely accessible.]
[If you can survive the Honkai trial in your current world before your counterpart kills me in his world, you might still have a chance to come meet my true self. Otherwise... you'll only ever see the version of me in the Stigmata space.]
"Got it—grind levels, beat the final boss, unlock a new map, face new enemies. I am a chosen hero after all!"
[Just remember: when someone dies, they're dead. Be careful. If you die here, you lose the right to even leave a mark in the Stigmata. There'll be nothing left of you.]