Chapter 17: An Unexpected First Encounter with Elysia

"Rozen, Rozen! Are you even listening to me?" Selesia exclaimed, waving her hand in front of Rozen's face. 

"Ah! S-sorry, I just got distracted for a moment."

"Really! You can be so frustrating!" Selesia pouted in response.

"It's quite rude to be distracted when someone else is speaking, Rozen-dono," Meteora commented, idly twirling her drink's straw.

"What's on your mind that you got so distracted? It's unlike you," Selesia asked doubtfully, knowing Rozen to be a serious and focused individual.

"Well, how should I put this? I can't explain why, but I have this odd feeling that something's happened to our world," Rozen replied, his troubled expression causing Meteora to pause. 

"Do you feel it too, Rozen-dono? I thought it was just me."

"Wait! You too? Then something must really be happening to our world, but what?"

"Wait, wait! What are you guys talking about? Why don't I understand any of this?" Selesia asked in confusion, followed by Sota's curious gaze.

"I thought you, being a superhuman, would sense it, Selesia." 

"Just because I'm a superhuman doesn't mean I don't have sensitive intuition like you guys!" Selesia snorted, making Rozen feel awkward.

RING!

Suddenly, Rozen's and the others' phones rang, capturing everyone's attention.

[Master, a message from Aki. She says she's found a new character, Akame Homura, and requests that you and the others come to the location she's provided.]

"What?! Akame Homura?! Then let's hurry over there now," Rozen and the others quickly left the restaurant after paying and rushed to the location.

"What's wrong, Rozen? Why are you panicking like this?" Selesia asked, puzzled, having never seen Rozen react like this before. 

"I'll explain later, but we need to get there as fast as possible, or this world will be in danger," Rozen replied, breaking out in a cold sweat, aware of the significant impact the truth of this world could have on Homura and the terrible consequences that could follow.

He didn't want this universe to be destroyed, as his cheat ability wasn't one that allowed him to escape to another universe if this one were destroyed. 

Therefore, he intended to prevent anything that could potentially destroy the world or universe with all his might.

Upon arriving, after asking an android for Aki's location, they followed the directions and finally found Aki standing outside a room alone.

"Aki-san! Where is Akame Homura now?"

"Oh, it's Rozen-kun and the others. Akame Homura is in this room," Aki pointed to the room in front of them, confusing Rozen even further.

"Is Homura hurt?" Aki shook her head, adding to Rozen's confusion.

"Then, why?"

"You should see for yourself," Aki said mysteriously, and Rozen followed her advice with hesitation. 

"Excuse me…" 

When Rozen entered, he saw a young girl with black hair, likely Akame Homura, but he was shocked to see something else that made his eyes widen.

"Elysia?!" his shout caught Homura's attention, who then turned to look at him.

"What happened to her? Why is she lying in a hospital bed now?" Rozen asked, full of worry, surprised to see Elysia lying weak in the hospital. 

"Are you... acquainted with Elysia?" Homura stared at Rozen hesitantly. 

"She doesn't know me, but I know her," He shook his head in response, then looked questioningly at Homura. 

"She…" Homura looked at Elysia with complicated eyes before sighing. "I met her after escaping from a strange gothic girl who attacked me just after I awoke in this world." 

She continued, "Upon meeting her, she explained to me that I was just a character and showed me proof, which led me to despair before I suddenly lost consciousness, before I woke up to find herself fainting with blood on her clothes"

"Then, do you know why Elysia ended up like this?" Rozen asked, still in doubt, with Homura's face becoming more complicated than before.

"Perhaps this is the reason," Homura then reached into herself, surprising Selesia and the others who watched.

Homura pulled out a small, beautiful pink stone filled with a warm aura and hope.

"Is this your soul gem? But, I remember it's not supposed to look like this."

"You're right, my original soul gem isn't supposed to be shaped like this, and it should be a dark purple color without this warm aura," Rozen's eyes widened as he realized the possible reason for this event.

"Yes, if you're familiar with my story, then you understand what happens when I experience overwhelming despair," Rozen nodded solemnly, leaving Selesia and Meteora confused, except for Sota there.

"I don't know what she was thinking, to save me, even though she could easily have killed me when I fainted. Was Elysia so selfless that she would harm herself to save someone she just met?" Homura held Elysia's hand tightly, tears welling in her eyes.

Elysia, you're as kind as Madoka; maybe you two would have been friends if you'd met.

Homura thought, smiling at Elysia there, while the others remained silent after hearing her explanation.

Girl, the main reason Elysia saved you is that she knew the world would be destroyed if you weren't helped.

Rozen thought, his lips twitching, but then he looked at Elysia with a complicated expression.

But, it's true Elysia could have killed you back then, yet she chose to save you instead. That's indeed what she would do with her kind personality. 

Rozen sighed, realizing there was nothing he could do but accept the fact that Elysia had become a normal human with honkai powers and was no longer the Herrscher of Origin. 

But this proves that Honkai really exists in this world, though I thought honkai didn't exist even with many characters here, because this world is made up of supernatural elements only.

Rozen thought, deciding to prepare for the impending crisis and check for any signs and information about Honkai on the internet after this. 

"So, what's your plan next?"

"My plan...?" Homura's expression turned from lost to one of determination. "From now on, I'll protect Elysia, and if possible, I want to meet the one responsible for my appearance in this world." Hearing this, Rozen asked curiously, "Has Aki told you about Altair?" Homura nodded in response.

"She has. Honestly, if I hadn't met Elysia but had encountered her instead, I might have joined her in destroying this world," Homura admitted, sending a chill through Rozen's body as he imagined the destruction of the world at the hands of Demon King Homura. 

Oh, God! I'm extremely grateful that it was Elysia who met Homura first! This world would surely be doomed otherwise!

This realization made his appreciation for Elysia immensely grow, and he became determined to help and restore Elysia in any way possible.

Afterwards, Rozen and the others conversed with Homura while waiting for Elysia to awaken. Meteora and Selesia, now informed about Homura, were amazed and shocked to learn about her. 

Selesia was impressed by Homura's power, both in her normal and Demon King forms, while Meteora was astounded by the technology of Kyubey's civilization that could transform a fragile girl into a powerful Magical Girl solely based on the emotions of the user. 

"Ah...Umm," a weak groan sounded, capturing everyone's attention. They were surprised to see Elysia beginning to stir.

"Elysia! Y-you're finally awake!" Homura quickly approached and took Elysia's hand, her face a mix of happiness and relief. 

"I-I...where am I right now?" Elysia looked around, confused and weak.

"You're in the hospital, Elysia! I brought you here after finding you in a bad condition," Homura replied, her gaze filled with concern. 

Memories of what had happened came flooding back to Elysia, leading her to understand. "I see," Elysia nodded, coming to terms with her situation.

"Are you Elysia?" Rozen asked, his eyes curious, as this was the first time he was directly interacting with his favorite character. 

"Y-You are..?" Elysia looked weakly at Rozen. She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of nostalgia and familiarity in his face, as if he were an old friend.

"My name is Rozen Tendou. Though it might sound strange, for reasons I must keep secret, I've known about you for a long time. It's nice to meet you, Herrscher of Origin," he smiled, but Elysia's eyes widened in shock at his words.

"Y-you, how did you know?" 

"As I said before, I know you and some secrets of this world for reasons that would seem unbelievable if I told you. But truthfully, I can hardly believe that Honkai truly exists, given the proof that you are a Herrscher of Origin, despite there being no evidence of its emergence on the internet." Yes, while conversing with Homura, Rozen had asked Alpha, his personal AI, to check for information about the presence or signs of Honkai in this world on the internet. 

But he found nothing, only encountering companies from the world of Honkai, with no information or anything related to Honkai in those companies.

Even after Alpha hacked all databases in every country, including the US, where it found other information such as aliens or experiments in Area 51, there was no sign of Honkai. 

It's weird, but doesn't it mean that this world's civilization is the first to face a Honkai trial? That's very concerning. 

Rozen frowned but soon relaxed, realizing there was no need to worry. With so many supernatural beings in this world, perhaps this trial wouldn't be as hopeless as it was for previous civilizations in the game.

However, there was still uneasiness in his heart, which concerned him a bit. He didn't know why, but perhaps this trial wouldn't be as easy as he imagined.

It seems I need to create an organization to prepare for the incoming Honkai Impact. Hopefully, other key characters will join and trust me. 

This thought made him very stressed, and he once again realized that this world was incredibly chaotic, with various crises threatening it at every turn. 

"But I want to thank you very much. If it weren't for you, this world would have been doomed to the rage and despair of Demon King Homura," he said, bowing to Elysia. Though this world wasn't his original one, he was nonetheless grateful for her actions. 

"N-No, don't worry about it. After all, saving the world and humanity is my duty," Elysia smiled back, causing Rozen's heart to race with her beauty.

As expected of the best girl!!! 

Rozen thought excitedly, all the while maintaining a composed exterior. Elysia then turned to look at the other three, who also gazed at her curiously, though she was surprised to recognize some familiar characters among them. 

"Hey, Elysia! My name is Selesia Upitiria. You might know about me, given the surprised look on your face when you saw me just now," Selesia said with a smile, waving her hand at Elysia. 

"I am also Meteora Österreich. It's a pleasure to meet you, Elysia-dono," Meteora introduced herself, her expression as impassive as ever. 

"M-My name is Sota Mizushino. Nice to meet you!" he said, stuttering and blushing, as it was his first time meeting a woman as stunning as an elf from a story.

"It's nice to meet you all," Elysia replied with a smile on her weak face. But that reaction made Rozen feel odd, as it was quite different from the reaction he expected from Elysia's extroverted and lively personality.

Could it be because she's weak? No, I'm sure even if Elysia were weak, she would be more lively and spirited than she is now.

Rozen thought, as someone who had played and read many fanfics about Elysia, he was quite certain that the real Elysia would have smiled with sparkling eyes upon seeing Meteora and Selesia, perhaps even flirting with them since both are beautiful women.

Rozen didn't know whether this was Elysia's real personality in real life, or if something had caused this change.

But nonetheless, Rozen felt Elysia appeared more 'human' than before. He didn't know why he thought this, but his keen intuition told him so.

(A/N: Elysia's personality will differ from now on; I've decided to make this change for a romantic reason related to our main character. As you may know, Elysia 'loves' everyone due to her divine nature as the Daughter of God, which is why she is known as The Honkai Jesus. By changing her personality after her core was removed, her divine nature gets suppressed while her human side dominates her nature.

Creation is hard, so please consider support me by giving me your power stone and your review. Thank you!)