A God Falls From the Sky
Time flew by, as if a pair of hands had grabbed the hands of a clock, spinning them forward at an unnatural speed.
One day, two days… one week, two weeks… a month quickly passed.
Waiting was the hardest part.
Knowing something was about to happen, but not knowing when, left one with nothing but a pointless, agonizing wait.
Initially, the Fifth Squad maintained a state of high alert, every warrior on edge, unable to relax.
A week later, the alert remained, but exhaustion was evident on their faces, like sentinels who hadn't slept in days, jumping at every shadow.
After half a month, smiles returned, a semblance of normalcy restored.
Today was the 31st day of high alert. Michael's privately declared one-month deadline had passed. Aside from occasional Honkai energy fluctuations, nothing had happened in shanghai City, or even the entire Shenzhou and Far East region. Everyone had relaxed.
Even Michael began to doubt himself: could the small-scale Honkai activity of the past few months have been "normal" Honkai phenomena, not a prelude to a Herrscher's birth?
Unsure, he had asked Immer that morning to check the school holiday schedule for Hua's school.
But by lunchtime, he still hadn't received a reply from the newly minted shut-in.
"My, my! Michael, you should smile! Don't tell me you're sulking because your prediction was wrong? No Honkai eruption is a good thing! Look how happy everyone is!" Elysia said, stuffing a piece of dry, crusty black bread into her mouth, eyeing the jam and butter on Michael's plate.
Michael silently pushed his plate towards her. "Fine, fine, since you've lost two kilograms this week…"
He rested his chin on his hands, adding with a hint of worry, "We can't be certain the Honkai won't happen. It might never happen, or it might happen tomorrow… no, it might even happen in the next second. We have to stay vigilant, every second of every day."
Elysia pouted. "I know, I know! But we're not machines! We can't operate at full capacity 24/7! We need to relax! Look, you've been so stressed and anxious lately, you've even gotten pimples!"
Michael glanced at Elysia's round face, retorting, "Better than gaining weight from too many sweets and being ordered by the captain to lose weight."
As he spoke, he picked up a plate with a slice of cake on it.
Elysia's eyes widened, forgetting to chew the sawdust-like bread in her mouth.
Then…
Michael opened his mouth wide and swallowed the cake whole.
He even licked the remaining cream from the plate.
"Ahhhhhhh!!! Michael! That was Captain Himeko's reward for me! Give-it-back!!"
"Don't be silly…"
As the other soldiers in the cafeteria stared in surprise, Michael placed a finger on Elysia's head, holding her in place. Her arms flailed like windmills, but they were too short to reach him.
She stamped her foot in frustration. "Waaah! My brothers and sisters of the Fifth Squad! Michael is bullying me! He's a big liar! He stole my most precious treasure…"
Michael, sensing trouble, covered Elysia's mouth and carried her away over his shoulder.
"Elysia is still so boisterous…" Himeko sighed, rubbing her forehead.
She turned to the gawking soldiers. "What are you staring at?! Eat your food! Extra training this afternoon! Where's Immer? If he's absent again, he can forget about taking a break tonight!"
Groans filled the cafeteria.
Only Mobius and Klein, sitting in a corner, remained unfazed, quickly and efficiently finishing their lunch as usual.
Michael carried Elysia to the rooftop – he seemed to be drawn to windy places lately.
Elysia, once on the ground, glared at him, ready to declare war over a piece of cake.
Michael poked her cheek, amused. "You think I don't know you took the night off to have dinner with Eden at the Azure Tower?"
Elysia's bravado crumbled, replaced by panic.
"Eh! How did you know?! No… I mean, how did you know it was Eden?!"
"Was it that hard to guess? Her voice, her appearance… I recognized her that night. And you! The Azure Tower… I want to eat there too…"
Michael sighed, rubbing his stomach. He wasn't just saying that. As Elysia had mentioned, he had been under constant stress since arriving in this world, and lately, it had been getting to him… And as a former foodie, he hadn't had a proper meal in almost seven years…
He'd had time during his travels… just no money…
Now he had money… but no time or energy…
He felt a pang of nostalgia for his past life.
Elysia, sensing his wistful tone, hesitated, then said, "How about… I talk to Eden, and you go in my place tonight?"
Michael chuckled dryly. "That's ridiculous. She invited you. She wants to talk to you. If I go, it'll just be awkward."
Elysia thought for a moment. "It's fine, Eden has thirty-two concerts scheduled in Shenzhou, five in shanghai City alone. She's only done two so far. There will be other opportunities. I'll tell her tonight, and we can have dinner together next time… Oh, she only has a reserved table for two at that restaurant in the Azure Tower… But it's fine! For a big star like her, getting a table for four is easy!"
Michael scratched her nose, hesitant. "I don't know… That seems a bit much…"
"If that doesn't work… I'll pay! I'll ask Eden for that table for two, and we'll go next time! How about that? I'll go tonight and scout out the menu!"
"…" Michael paused, then said, "Fine."
Elysia beamed.
Actually, she hadn't told Michael everything about Eden. That night, they had talked for almost half an hour, not just about art and humanity, but mostly about Michael.
"Did your parents choose your names?"
"No! We were in the same orphanage…"
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize… Then, did the orphanage staff choose them for you?"
"No! Celia's mom named Michael, and I chose my own name from a fairy tale book. We just happened to choose them on the same day, and their meanings are so similar!"
"Heh, Elysia, do you believe in fate? Perhaps it's a sign."
"Ah! Yes… no! I mean, it's just a coincidence!"
Even without a mirror, Elysia could tell she was blushing. Thankfully, it was dark, and Eden couldn't see… But she probably guessed.
"Is he troubled by something lately?"
"Well, he can be a bit too pessimistic sometimes! He always acts like the world is about to end! But it's okay, I'm always by his side. As long as I'm there, he'll be happy!"
"That's not it, Elysia. I can see the sorrow he carries… It's a heavy burden, and a large part of it is sorrow for you."
Michael stayed on the rooftop, intending to rest for half a day – just half a day.
He checked his phone and saw Immer's reply:
[That school finished classes the day before yesterday, but some students are still on campus. They'll be going home in a few days.]
Michael stared at Immer's profile picture, a meme of him sleeping with his underwear covering his face, his thumb tapping aimlessly on the screen.
He typed another message:
[Can you check if those two girls have left school yet?]
He received no reply all afternoon.
He sat on the rooftop, watching the sky, the clouds, until evening – after sunset, but before the sky turned completely dark, and the neon lights fully illuminated the city.
A raindrop landed on his nose.
Michael looked up, his gaze fixed on a dark, ominous cloud rapidly approaching from the eastern sea, swirling towards shanghai City.
The world seemed to fall silent.
The cloud seemed incredibly heavy, hanging low in the sky, so low that Michael felt like he could reach out and touch it.
Wind howled from an unseen direction, the cloud spreading across the sky, plunging the world into darkness. Lightning flashed between the clouds, increasing in frequency until it became a constant flicker. The wind intensified, shaking the entire building.
"Crack!" The MiHoYo sign was ripped from the roof by the wind, vanishing into the distance.
Michael gripped the railing, struggling to stay on his feet.
He stared at the clouds, his eyes widening as they parted, revealing countless streaks of light falling like rain.
But Michael didn't find it romantic.
Because those brightly colored streaks of light falling towards him were – fifty-meter-tall Templar-class Honkai beasts!