The scene finally froze on the Honkai Beast lifting its foot to crush down.
Kiana instinctively ran forward two steps, but ultimately stopped, unwilling yet resigned.
She looked at the young man standing with arms spread wide, facing the Chariot-class Honkai Beast directly, an indescribable weight pressing down on her heart.
Why... Why didn't he dodge?
There was absolutely no way the young man could survive that blow... And perhaps, for him, continuing to live after everything he'd endured would be the real agony...
Kiana turned back, casting an inquiring glance at the girl.
She hadn't even realized when tears had started welling up in her own eyes.
The girl showed no particular emotion. She walked past Kiana without a word, then reached out. The scrap of cloth hanging from the Honkai Beast's head slowly floated down into her hand.
"Found it. This is the node for this memory," the girl stated. The small piece of cloth glowed softly in her hand as the surroundings began to fade.
"Wait!" Kiana couldn't hold back anymore. She stopped the girl, pointing at the frozen figure of the young man. "What is really going on... What is all this?"
"Why did you say this is a memory only he knows... Is it because... we forgot?"
Kiana's voice trembled slightly.
If she had truly forgotten these events... forgotten such a person... she would never forgive herself.
He had broken down for them, gone mad for them, pleaded for them... Yet in the end, in his most helpless moment, she was laughing and chatting elsewhere because she had forgotten him...
How could someone like her... be worthy of him fighting so desperately?
What right did someone like her have to be his friend?
"We can discuss this question later," the girl said, her tone slightly urgent, but Kiana didn't listen this time.
Kiana's fists were clenched tightly. She stared teary-eyed at the girl who was about to open the portal, gritting her teeth, determined to get an answer.
"Right now, I just want to know... Did we... did we fail him?"
Just that momentary delay was enough. The girl suddenly looked up. A wisp of mist had silently appeared in this memory space.
[He] had found them...
The instant she saw the mist, the girl's tense body suddenly relaxed.
She sighed helplessly.
There wasn't enough time anyway... It doesn't really matter anymore.
The girl casually handed the piece of cloth over. Kiana took it instinctively.
The next moment, her body began to turn translucent, just like before.
Kiana froze, whipping her head up to look at the girl who had taken a step back.
"You..."
She also saw the wisp of mist, seemingly descending from the heavens.
"All the memories you forgot are here, not a single one missing... If you insist, we could leave his memories first and search for your memory fragments."
The girl paused. "But if we do that, we'll have to return to the space outside. I can't guarantee I can help you escape from [Him] a second time, just like now."
Kiana looked down. She didn't need her own memories. She just wanted to know if she had failed this person who had once risked his life just to save Mei and Bronya.
And then... she knew her stubbornness had led to another huge mistake.
"If we're talking about these memories..." The girl sighed in relief. "This is a unique memory. Even in the memories you lost, there is no record related to this.
"In other words, this never actually happened. Because he changed the [Past], the world retained no [Memory] of it."
Sudden realization...
Kiana understood instantly. She knew what this was...
She turned back, looking at the young man who had calmly chosen death amidst despair and madness.
Was that his last shred of sanity?
Return by death... a terrifying ability... a most helpless ability... an ability loathed by all who possess it. Yet everyone who despises it also finds themselves drawn to it like moths to a flame.
Kiana's clenched fists suddenly relaxed. She stared at the young man for a long time, watching his figure gradually fade and blur.
Her emotions calmed. Strangely, there was no anger, no sadness.
Only endless peace.
And one sentence.
"I forgot someone, someone who would risk everything to save me if I just cried and screamed for him... And no matter the cost— I will bring him home."
"The transfer is now irreversible. This time, you'll have to rely on your own efforts," the girl said, glancing at the mist beside her.
"What about you?" Kiana asked back.
The mist climbed onto the girl's shoulder but was deflected by a layer of gray-white radiance emanating from her body.
Kiana's face became expressionless, while a faint smile touched the girl's lips.
"Miss Kiana, you should understand by now why I brought you here to find him."
Return by death—an ability capable of creating miracles. They both needed it.
Kiana remained silent.
"I understand," Kiana said, then lowered her eyes.
The smile on the girl's face seemed somewhat stiff. By now, mist appearing from nowhere had enveloped her.
"The next stop is where the person you seek is now. He's not in a good state. He's confused, lost, insecure...
"And you are the only one currently capable of waking him. As for how... you will naturally understand." The girl sighed, reaching out to stroke the mist gathering around her.
"[He] has found us." The mist grew denser, gradually shrouding the girl's figure. "Don't worry about me. We originate from the same source, our authorities are comparable..."
As she spoke the latter half, the girl's expression became even more rigid.
"Go now. Find him, wake him," the girl said. "And then... trust him."
Kiana's form was almost completely transparent now. She took a deep breath, her body glowing as it merged into the dark station.
She said firmly—
"Always."
...
Watching the last speck of light vanish in the dark station, the girl's expression dimmed.
She gently stroked the agitated mist clinging to her, the formless mist seeming to take shape under her touch.
She sighed, looking off into the distance.
"This time... you should finally make up your mind to devour me, right?"
The girl's body began to disintegrate within the mist.
She chuckled softly at the mist.
"You are too greedy... If you had been ruthless enough to destroy this memory from the start, we would never have had the chance to get here, nor would I have been able to send that girl to find him."
The mist roiled more violently. The girl vanished faster.
Looking up, the night sky in this memory wasn't beautiful—pitch black, with an eerie blood moon behind dark clouds.
She collected herself and spoke her final words.
"There are always things you cannot hold onto... They are rooted in the place that nurtured their birth, forever unchanging..."
The mist churned, then squirmed, uttering aethereal phrase.
"[I] will remember everyone..."
"Yes..."
"The [Depascals]... will remember everyone."