Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

"I'm… a lightweight?"

Lin Wei stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, confused.

He'd drunk with friends before.

When was the last time?

Lunar New Year. He'd definitely drunk then!

What was going on?

He went downstairs, still feeling disoriented, and saw Raven polishing glasses behind the bar, her hood still up.

He facepalmed, groaning.

It wasn't a dream. How embarrassing.

"Yo, tough guy, you're awake. Another drink?"

Raven's voice was teasing.

"Uh…"

He mumbled, sitting down at the bar, the same spot as yesterday.

"Here's your warm milk. Drink up… what are you looking at? The juicer's broken. If you want juice, make it yourself."

He'd been relegated to child status.

Lin Wei chuckled wryly, taking a sip of the milk, thinking, Milk on an empty stomach? Really? Is this how you treat children?

Raven looked him up and down, then chuckled.

"Interesting. A man who defeated a Herrscher, embarrassed by a little alcohol?"

It was Kevin-certified. He'd even allowed Lin Wei to sit as his equal.

As a survivor of the 2nd Eruption, she harbored a deep fear and hatred of Herrschers. Lin Wei's feat was both unbelievable and intriguing.

And he was a fellow survivor of the 3rd Eruption. She felt a sense of kinship.

Seeing his embarrassment made him seem more… human, less distant. Maybe they could actually be friends.

"What's so strange about that? I'm human, not a god. Only the dead are emotionless. Besides, passing out after one drink is embarrassing, okay?"

"Speaking of embarrassing, let me tell you something. Don't tell anyone, it's mortifying."

He looked around conspiratorially, leaning closer to Raven.

"What is it?"

Raven sighed. He was really milking this.

"The first time I met Fu Hua, I was way more pathetic than this… you know Fu Hua, right? Good. So, I was crying, rolling on the floor, it was so awkward. Even Fu Hua couldn't stand it, she gave me a dose of Fenghuang Down… you know what that is, right?"

"Crying? Rolling on the floor?"

Raven felt a strange unease, but she couldn't place it.

"Yeah, I was dying from the Honkai corruption, so depressed. When Fu Hua appeared, I thought I was saved, and I just… lost it. She probably thought I was faking it."

"Heh, I can't imagine…"

Raven looked at him skeptically. He'd been so composed during his meeting with Kevin. This didn't fit his image.

"What's so hard to imagine?"

Lin Wei held up his glass of milk, his voice wistful.

"If you're happy, laugh. If you're angry, shout. If you're sad, cry. What's the point of bottling it up? Let it out, then you'll feel better. Then you can sleep well, ready for the next day's challenges. Holding onto it just weighs you down."

"...Has anyone ever told you you sound like an old man?"

"Who are you calling old?!" Lin Wei slammed his hand on the bar, then his voice softened. "Do you have any sugar? I like sweet milk."

Crazy, Raven thought, her eye twitching.

She tossed him a small jar of sugar. He caught it deftly.

"Heh, I didn't expect a grown man to be so… open about crying. Interesting."

"Grown man? In this world? Do you know how hard it is for men to survive here?"

Lin Wei scoffed. This was the world of Honkai!

"Besides, what's so embarrassing about crying? I don't care what people think. I'm not living for them. If I want to laugh, I laugh. If I want to cry, I cry. What others think is none of my business."

His smile was dismissive. He'd long ago discarded the world's notions of shame and propriety.

Raven stared at him, his words echoing her own thoughts, her expression hidden by her hood.

She put down her glass, then said,

"It's almost noon. What do you want to eat? I'll order takeout."

"Whatever you recommend. I don't eat radishes, but other than that, I'm not picky."

Lin Wei smiled.

"Heh, alright. By the way, that's a nice blade. Where did you get it?"

She found him less annoying now, willing to make conversation. She glanced at the sheathed katana behind the bar.

His name suggested he was from Shenzhou, but the blade was from the Far East. It was unlikely to be a family heirloom. And…

She glanced at him again.

If he had access to such a powerful weapon, he wouldn't be so weak.

"Oh, this?"

Lin Wei followed her gaze.

"It's not mine. I'm just holding onto it for someone. I'll return it eventually."

Eventually? Raven thought, remembering his story about five hundred years ago.

"Related to the Herrscher?"

"Yes…" Lin Wei nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"You and the Herrscher… you seem to be on good terms."

Raven hesitated, then asked the question that had been bothering her.

It seemed absurd. A Herrscher, the one who'd destroyed their era, and an ordinary human, getting along?

"It's a long story. Herrschers aren't as terrifying as you think."

Lin Wei avoided the question.

Raven was still trapped in her fear and hatred. She wouldn't understand that Herrschers were also victims of the Honkai. It would only strain their newfound rapport.

It wasn't the right time.

Raven looked at him, displeased by his evasiveness, but didn't press further. She mixed him a very weak alcoholic drink, teasing him.

"You should practice your drinking. One drink is pathetic."

"Mind your own business!"

Raven took him on a tour of the city. Children laughed and ran past them, occasionally stumbling, and Raven would catch them, gently reminding them to be careful.

Young couples strolled hand-in-hand, their laughter echoing through the streets.

Businessmen in suits hurried along, their faces glistening with sweat.

Elderly people walked slowly in the shade, their grandchildren skipping beside them.

Lin Wei realized it was May, the remnants of spring still lingering in the warm breeze.

The city, nestled in the Far East, was bustling with life, peaceful and prosperous.

As if Nagazora, the hellish landscape of destruction, didn't exist. As if the Honkai was just a bad dream.

This was the world of ordinary people, the same in every world.

"What is it now, your highness?"

Raven stopped the car, rolling down the window, her voice amused.

"Nothing. Just… enjoying the view."

Lin Wei smiled, walking around the car and getting into the passenger seat.

"Weirdo…"

Raven muttered, starting the car.

Lin Wei chuckled.

…

World Serpent's preparations took longer than expected.

Raven had said two or three days. It had been almost a week.

Lin Wei didn't mind, but Raven felt embarrassed, seeing his nonchalant attitude.

"Aren't you going to… say something?"

"What's there to say? Kevin gave the order. Gray Serpent can't disobey. It's just a matter of waiting. I don't mind. You shouldn't worry about it."

Lin Wei twirled the sheathed katana, like a child playing with a stick.

Fu Hua had warned him not to draw it lightly. His weak body couldn't handle the blade's resentment.

He'd taken her warning seriously, even going overboard—he'd tied the scabbard to the hilt with a long rope, making it almost impossible to draw.

Raven had seen him playing with the elaborately bound blade like a toy sword.

The memory still made her cringe.

What a strange man.

Her communicator beeped.

Lin Wei stopped, his expression turning serious. He stood up.

Raven answered the call, then looked at him, relieved.

"It's time. Ready?"

"Yes, let's go."

Lin Wei attached the awkwardly bound katana to his waist and followed her out of the bar.

A hooded figure emerged from a nearby alley, his face completely hidden. His strange attire made passersby avoid him.

"Some, with vast wealth, offer only crumbs, calling it 'charity.' Others, with little to spare, give their all."

"Some offer pain as penance. Others find joy in giving, their kindness its own reward…"

"Heh… a lost traveler?"

"Whether on land or sea, life needs a place to rest. Every sound echoes in its time. And every life faces a choice: to live, or to die."

"To a snake, there are only friends and enemies. There is no third option."

"Mr. Lin Wei, you are now in our sights…"

"We will meet again…"

Gray Serpent opened a plain black umbrella and walked away, disappearing into the maze of alleyways.

…

"We're here. Go on in. I won't be joining you. Walk to the end, open the door, and you'll find what you're looking for."

Raven removed the blindfold, pointing down a dark, underground passage.

Lin Wei didn't mind her caution. He wasn't part of World Serpent. They wouldn't reveal the location of their "sanctuary" to an outsider.

Allowing him into the Elysian Realm was already a huge concession.

He shouldn't push his luck.

"Alright. Anything else?"

Raven glanced at him, then turned to leave, calling out over her shoulder,

"Don't die in there."

Thanks for the encouragement, Lin Wei thought dryly.

He looked down the dark, damp passage, a shiver running down his spine.

He took a deep breath.

"Ready, Rin?"

"...Of course!"

Her voice was strained, almost hoarse.

"Good."

He spoke gently, continuing his walk, making small talk.

"Have you decided on your opening line?"

"Of course!"

Her voice was suddenly filled with energy, as if she'd jumped to her feet.

"I'll destroy that place! I'll make them suffer! And when I'm done playing with them, I'll let them die in agony!"

"Just like they did to me!"

"Yes, they deserve it."

Lin Wei's voice remained gentle.

"You don't believe me?"

Rin seemed displeased by his casual tone, her voice rising.

"Pain, regret, loneliness, rage… these are my sustenance. They sustained me for fifty thousand years, sharpened my mind, strengthened my will… Lin Wei, don't underestimate me. Destroying that place will be child's play!"

"I know, Rin. I know everything."

He continued walking, his footsteps echoing through the passage.

"No, you don't! Do you think this is some pathetic lament? I'm strong! No one can defeat me! Those fools were nothing before me! I could crush them like insects! If I hadn't shown them mercy, they'd be dead already!"

"So don't think those memories in that device can defeat me, Lin Wei! They couldn't then, and they can't now. And I won't show them mercy again!!"

Her voice was shrill, almost hysterical.

"Yes, you're right. They're nothing before you."

"Right? Right? And I'm the Herrscher of Corruption! In a digital space like this, I'm even stronger! No one can stop me! I'll kill them all! And you too, Lin Wei! Hahahaha!!"

"I know, Rin. You've read my memories. You should know."

He continued walking, unfazed by her threats.

A faint light appeared in the distance, the end of the passage.

"Lin Wei, you useless fool! If you know, then stop! I'm a Herrscher! I'll kill you! I'll kill them all! Destroy everything! Don't you hear me?! You deaf idiot! Stop! Turn back! Leave! Do you hear me?!"

Rin's voice was a desperate scream, filled with rage and tears.

"Rin, what good will that do? Killing them, destroying everything?"

Lin Wei's voice was even gentler now.

"I don't care! I don't have anything left… do I?"

Rin's defiance wavered, her voice cracking.

Then, she started crying.

Soft sobs at first, then louder, until she was wailing, her cries filled with an immeasurable sorrow.

Lin Wei sighed, stopping at the end of the passage.

He placed his hand on the door, closed his eyes, and whispered,

"Time to go home, little one."