The Sea of Moon dissolved, the world returning once more to emptiness. Yet, compared to the virtual world of the Elysian Realm, the distant golden tree appeared much brighter.
This was the Imaginary Space, the place where Ren resided.
"Ren, you didn't have to do this." Returning to the mortal realm, Elysia's expression was complicated.
All things have balance; to gain something, one must pay a price. She had offered herself back to the Honkai in exchange for a sliver of hope for civilization – that was part of the cost. Now, she, who should have returned to nothingness, was allowed to linger among mortals. Clearly, Ren had paid the price for her.
"It was just a convenient action. After all, we know each other. Giving you a hand is perfectly reasonable." Ren stepped onto the soft red sand, his feet sinking deep into the grains. Beneath his feet, countless black roots writhed constantly, trying to entangle his ankles and pull him into the red sand.
Unfortunately, their struggles were futile. With a mere stomp of Ren's foot, vast numbers of roots disintegrated into black ash.
But that was the extent of it. The closer one got to the Imaginary Tree, the more rampant these roots became. To continue forward, the negative energy gathered from the Tree's myriad worlds would increase exponentially.
Clearly, Ren had already lingered here for a very long time.
"Besides, being able to personally witness the civilization you deeply love emerge from darkness – isn't that your wish?"
Ren's words were lighthearted, but Elysia couldn't smile. She frowned, looking at the inverted golden tree pattern reflected in Ren's eyes. "The price?"
"There is no price."
"You don't think I'm easily fooled, do you?" Eyebrow raised, Elysia puffed her cheeks, looking displeased.
Seeing the childlike Elysia, even Ren couldn't help but smile faintly. "Don't overthink it. I'm really not deceiving you. After all, you know what I need to do. Since the anchor point was going to be abandoned anyway, using it to complete the transaction with the Imaginary isn't perfect?"
"You... are preparing to go find her?"
Whether the Imaginary Space or the Sea of Quanta, both were forbidden zones for ordinary humans. Even powerful individuals like Durandal, capable of resisting the void's erosion, could become completely lost without direction.
Therefore, to maintain one's self, an anchor point was necessary.
The reason for using Durandal as an example was because she possessed the Immortal Star Anchor within her – the core of a Bubble Universe, serving as her anchor point in the Sea of Quanta.
Similarly, maintaining oneself in the Imaginary Space required an ID card granted by the Imaginary Tree.
As the root of worlds, the Imaginary Tree's standing was only higher, not lower, than the Sea of Quanta. Even a collapsing Bubble Universe could resist the Sea's annihilation as long as it could connect to the Tree.
Ren's ability to cross dimensional boundaries and observe across vast stretches of time stemmed fundamentally from being the Imaginary Tree's chosen candidate, possessing an exclusive anchor point.
And Elysia knew Ren's anchor point was himself. Giving up the anchor meant he was preparing to relinquish his right to remain in the Imaginary Space.
The only one who could make him reach this decision was that girl.
The Imaginary Space is dark. Even though the distant Tree provides an ever-glowing faint light, it can hardly compensate for the emptiness here.
Ren looked at the vast sea of sand, a trace of weariness in his eyes. "Yes. I've stayed in this space for far too long. So long that I've almost forgotten how it felt the first time I met her."
"Over the vast expanse of time, I could only maintain my sense of self by abandoning my emotions. That feeling is worse than death."
Ever since finding the spacetime where Kiana existed, Ren had been continuously observing the worlds on the Tree's branches. But parallel worlds are endless, and most had nothing to do with Kiana. From initial anticipation to thousands upon thousands of disappointments, Ren had also grown numb.
To continue observing for the long haul, he had no choice but to learn to discard his own humanity, using impassive divinity as his anchor point for observation.
But this had a drawback: he couldn't determine which world's Kiana was his Kiana. To solve this problem, he would cast projections into worlds, using these projections of himself as observation tools.
Puppet Ren was a product of this method.
Puppet Ren wasn't a separate individual; he was essentially Ren himself, just under a different name. But as a projection, Ren would block parts of his own memory and strip away his Imaginary abilities, thus minimizing divine interference and maintaining human emotions as much as possible.
In the past, the projections Ren cast mostly observed worlds passively, lacking much emotion. Puppet Ren was arguably the first time he chose to rely on emotion for support.
He just hadn't expected that, perhaps due to the overwhelming negative memories within his human aspect, the moment he entered the world, the Will of the Honkai targeted him as a pitiful wretch burdened by deep suffering, selecting him as one of the hosts for the Herrscher of Sentience.
Simultaneously, his main body discovered that the Kiana of the primary world seemed to be the very white moonlight he sought, leading him to directly cheat and seize the identity of the Herrscher of Dominance.
Giving up the anchor meant he was preparing to abandon divinity, fully integrating into the identity of Puppet Ren, into the identity of the Herrscher of Dominance.
"But this way, you'll have no more room for error."
As long as the anchor existed, even if Kiana's world was destroyed, Ren could survive. But once the anchor disappeared, death would be truly final.
"Ely, you should know my goal, right?" Ren said with a smile.
"Of course."
Ren roamed spacetime with only one purpose: find Kiana.
"Since the goal has been achieved, what else do I have to worry about?"
"But don't you want to stay with her until the end of time? Even if you fail this time, you could take her to a new world, start a new life."
Elysia didn't understand. She deeply loved humanity, hoped civilization could break free from the Honkai. For this, she would even sacrifice herself to leave behind seeds for civilization to sprout. If Ren truly loved Kiana, why throw himself into the fire?
Seeing Elysia's confused expression, Ren inexplicably started laughing.
"Am I wrong?"
"Ely... loving someone deeply and loving the world deeply are different things."
Lifting his head, Ren looked towards the distant Imaginary Tree, an inexplicable emotion flowing in his golden eyes.
"One-sided affection cannot be called love either. Kiana is not my possession. She is an independent woman. She has her own thoughts, her own goals, and her own choices."
"Loving someone isn't simply about staying by their side forever. What I can do is offer a hand when she's weary, point the way when she's lost, and act as her guarding knight when she wants to become a hero."
"Now, I have accompanied her through the most difficult times. The path ahead needs to be walked by her."
"She is a natural savior. Even though she never said it, her heart still yearns to save this world."
"Therefore, I should... no, I must help her fulfill her wish."
Walking through the sea of sand, Ren gradually moved further away. The moment he left, countless black roots sprang from beneath his feet, surging towards him, only to turn into countless specks of ash before they could even touch him.
Elysia stood watching the boy's retreating back, silent.
Love for the world is grand love, selfless, deserving the praise of countless people. In comparison, love for an individual appears selfish, so selfish it can hardly accommodate anyone else's figure, making one willing to abandon everything without hesitation, just to fulfill the wish of the beloved.
"But Ren... how can you be sure what she desires isn't to be by your side, rather than becoming a savior?"
(End of Volume VI: Elysian Realm and Elysia)