Chapter 114

I'm really sorry for those who don't know and not like Honkai impact and also sorry for writing useless monologue but I really like rambling to myself and I'm also getting poison of chasing after word count.

So highly recommend skip this side quest.

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Eden walked towards the source of the piano music, narrowing her eyes as she tried to make out the features of the pianist. From a distance, she could tell the person was a man. Despite her happiness at finding a like-minded soul in the wasteland, she questioned his presence here. Was it merely a coincidence, or did he have a reason for being in this desolate place? However, she didn't care whether this man was here by chance or for some hidden purpose, nor did it matter if he was dangerous. She was already prepared to die here.

"(I will never go)

(There's a way back home)

(Brighter than tomorrow and yesterday)

(May all the beauty be blessed)"

As she walked, Eden sipped her wine, swirling it in the glass like the proper and prim lady she was. She began humming in rhythm with the piano's tones, which she found perfect and sublime. It felt like hearing the smooth flow of water in a river or the morning chirps of birds. She noted that the pianist was playing the bridge in a basic manner as if reading from music sheets without overdoing it. This observation allowed her to gauge his skill and excellence, proving her love and passion for music was not just for show. 

The pianist, who had been playing with his eyes closed, turned towards her and opened his eyes. He smiled warmly at her and winked, signaling that it was her time to perform and outshine the stars above in the night sky.

Eden continued singing, her voice carrying the melody through the desolate wasteland, intertwining with the piano's harmonious notes.

"Wave goodbye to the past

When hope and faith have grown so strong and sound

Unfold this pair of wings for me again

To soar above this world

Turned into a moon that always tells the warmth and brightness of the sun

May all the beauty be blessed

May all the beauty be blessed"

Eden chuckled lightly when she saw the pianist winking, thinking to herself, "Did he think he had a chance just because I'm approaching him? Fat chance!" She looked at the pianist with a casual expression, shaking off the thought to keep her judgment clear. She began singing the final chorus with full emotion and power, her voice blending perfectly with the piano for the first time. 

When Eden sang alone, her voice was already a marvel, reminiscent of an angel despite her previous rants about angels destroying the world. Her singing was unmatched, but now, accompanied by the expert pianist, the combination elevated the performance to an ethereal level. The piano's rich, resonant tones provided a perfect foundation, enhancing the emotional depth and beauty of her voice. It was as if the very air around them vibrated with the magic of their music, creating a moment of transcendent harmony in the midst of the wasteland.

As she sang, Eden began to sway and dance slowly to her own song, her body expressing and amplifying the emotions she poured into her performance. She reached the location of the pianist but didn't spare him a glance or speak to him, determined to finish the song without interruption. She ran her delicate hands slowly and sensually over the grand piano, feeling its smooth surface as she sang and walked, her natural charisma turning every movement into an unconscious flirtation. The pianist, mirroring her intent, continued to play with his eyes closed, focused solely on the music.

Eden then stood atop a small boulder, making it her grand stage for this final performance. When she sang the last line of the chorus, she did so in an almost whisper, embracing all the emotions like a lover she could never forget. As she looked up at the sky, she slowly closed her eyes, tears falling once more, but this time she wasn't sad. She smiled warmly, remembering the cherished memories of the past. In response to her profound emotion, shooting stars began to fall from the night sky, mirroring her tears.

When the lingering sound of her singing finally faded, a deep silence descended upon the wasteland, broken only by the occasional whisper of the wind through the night. The moment was serene and poignant, a testament to the beauty and tragedy of the world she had loved and lost.

A clapping sound broke the silence and tranquility, Eden turned around and stared at the pianist who was now standing up from his seat and applauding her for the performance she did just like the enthusiastic and avid fan she had been in the past which made her smile a little bit even though she does not know if this pianist is being genuine or not as she cannot get a read on his expression even thought the pianist is smiling excitedly.

"Bravo! Magnifico!" the pianist shouted as he continued clapping but for some reason, Eden looked at him with confusion as she watched or heard him clapping because it felt like there is a lot more people clapping. She looks around her vicinity and then turns to look at the pianist again with narrow eyes as she can't see anyone clapping other than him. And now she is even more suspicious of this pianist. However, she will keep playing with his tone just like a singer to his composition until she uncovers and expose more of the pianist's identity and she hopes it's not the thing that Dr. Mei had been talking and theorizing about who is behind the attack of the Herrsechers cause if what's in front of her right now is the manifestation then that means what's left to humanity is extremely and utterly fuck in the ass wide open prison style.

The pianist smirks at Eden as he stares at her playfully before "That was a magnificent performance coming from you, Star of Eden" he said to her while walking slowly towards the boulder she had been standing on as a stage. "As the nickname that precedes you, you are as beautiful as the stars above," he said with a smile while saying it in a casual tone preventing Eden from discerning any insight if what he was saying was really a true admiration or not.

"Thank you for the compliment" Eden replied to the praise she received with a smile from the pianist while holding her skirt and bending her knees down like the lady she is. She then observed the pianist more closely with her narrowed and scrutinizing eyes and discovered that this was not a man, this was just a young man wearing a sharply tailored tuxedo that exuded sophistication and elegance. The suit is a deep, rich navy blue, perfectly fitted to his body. The jacket is single-breasted with narrow lapels. Underneath the jacket, he wears a matching navy blue vest that complements the suit. The crisp white dress shirt underneath contrasts sharply with the darker tones of the tuxedo, further enhancing the ensemble's sleek appearance. The shirt is neatly tucked in, and the top button is fastened, giving a formal look. His tie, a textured dark brown, adds a subtle yet distinctive element to the outfit. A matching pocket square peeks out from the breast pocket of the jacket. The trousers are slim-fitting, following the contemporary trend, and perfectly matched in color to the jacket and vest. Completing the ensemble are his black leather dress shoes, polished to a high shine. 

As the pianist continued to walk towards Eden, and if Dr. Mei was right about her hypothesis and discovery that she came upon in the past then this form was what he chose to interact and talk to her or does it even have a gender in the first place? "No, currently it is a Him as that is what I am looking at right now," she thought as she stared at the approaching pianist with a serious look in her eyes.

"What I said is fact and the truth, Star of Eden. It's not a compliment," the pianist stated with a smile as he arrived beside Eden, facing the opposite direction. He looked solemnly at the destroyed and leveled city in the distance, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of cool seriousness.

Eden nodded in acknowledgment, deciding not to argue the point. "Just call me Eden. You're the greatest pianist I have ever seen." She offered a fake smile, thinking inwardly, "Even though you already knew my name. This just adds more proof to my theory about who you really are." She turned to face the same ruined city from afar, standing beside him with a dignified posture. Seeing the city again made her heart ache, as she remembered it was destroyed by their own weapons—specifically, those created by her close friend Vill-V, the 5th of the Flame-Chasers and the resident inventor of the group.

Eden recalled the sad, lonely face of Vill-V, filled with guilt after realizing her weapons had been used by the Herrscher of Corruption to destroy the remaining cities, including the one they were looking at now. Fortunately, Vill-V didn't linger in her sadness for long. She redirected her efforts to invent a way to fight the Herrscher and to help humanity survive in this devastated world. Her creation, the Great Hibernation Chamber, was meant to preserve the remaining humanity from this era to the next. Fu Hua had offered Eden a place in it, but she had declined.

"Really?" Oreki questioned Eden, turning his head slightly to stare at her with playful eyes. The solemn look he wore moments ago had been replaced with a smirk. Eden nodded in confirmation, and Oreki's smirk grew bigger. "That's good then, as it was my first time playing," he said, his tone dripping with self-satisfaction, which made Eden want to punch him. "My name is Oreki, by the way," the pianist added, turning to look again at the ruined city in the distance.

"I see," Eden replied, looking down and contemplating. "So this is his first manifestation, and with a Japanese name at that," she thought, glancing up. "I don't know what Mei would think after knowing that the God who sent his Angels to destroy humanity had a Japanese name to boot." She smiled helplessly at the thought, then turned to look at Oreki, who was already smiling at her. The sight gave her goosebumps. "Can he read minds? Of course, he can! He's a goddamn God!" she thought, answering herself inwardly while nervously moving her hands.

Oreki chuckled at Eden's behavior before creating a void portal and reaching into it. Eden watched, adding this as another reason to believe this guy was the enemy of humanity. After a moment, Oreki pulled out a soda can. With a swift motion, he opened it with a *psst*. Taking a sip, he sighed in satisfaction, then looked at Eden.

"I just made this recently," he said, pausing before asking in a casual tone, "You want some?" Eden shook her head.

"I also made some wine," Oreki offered, but Eden declined again.

"You lose then," Oreki said casually, sipping from the can of soda. "So it was a test, and I lost it!" Eden thought angrily as she watched Oreki's lax demeanor. "What is the goal of this being if he already achieved destroying humanity? Is he being petty?" She was about to go off on him but held back, waiting for the right moment.

Oreki then looked at the ruined city before asking in a serious tone, "Was it worth it to fight for this world, Ms. Eden?" he said casually, creating a simple two-seater couch out of nowhere and offering Eden a seat beside him.

Eden declined Oreki's offer, standing to prove he was not above her even if he was. "Of course it was. Every drop of blood, every bead of sweat, every life sacrificed was worth it. And if you asked my fellow humanity and MANTIS members, they would answer the same," she shouted with righteous fury. "I knew it! He is being petty, and I will not give him the reaction he wants," she thought, forgetting her earlier suspicion that he could read minds.

"Even though the result is just a minuscule portion of humanity surviving and this?" Oreki questioned, gesturing to the wasteland and the ruined city in the distance while sipping his soda.

"Yes," Eden replied firmly.

"Then if... let's say, you were given a chance to rewind time to prevent this from happening, what would you do?" Oreki asked hypothetically.

"No. I don't want to rewind the time because that would mean discarding the sacrifices that we, the MANTIS, made along the way, especially my close friends," she said with dedication, looking down at Oreki, who sat with his legs crossed in a relaxed manner. "This guy must be seething inwardly as he can't break my will and determination to fight," she thought, even though she had already given up the fight. She was saying this because she didn't want Oreki to get the satisfaction he sought from her.

"But if you did rewind time, then those sacrifices wouldn't happen if you prevented them," Oreki said casually, offering a seemingly logical but flawed insight that Eden saw through easily.

"But the Herrscher would still attack and destroy humanity, repeating the sacrifice we made all over again," she replied sadly, gritting her teeth. Her eyes widened, realizing she had shown weakness in front of the enemy, so she quickly followed up, "But I would still gladly do it again, no matter what, like fighting a losing battle and sacrificing my life for the betterment of humanity," she shouted with determination.

Oreki stood from his seat and stared into Eden's eyes before asking one last question, "Do you want to pursue your passion for music again if you had a chance?" He began walking back to the grand piano, seemingly eager to play again.

Eden smirked inwardly, thinking, "Because you failed to break and tear my undying will, now you are trying to tempt me? What are you, a devil?" She looked at Oreki's back with pleasure before giving a short answer, "I refuse."

Oreki sighed, "That is regrettable, I guess," he said casually before adding, "Well, I can just shapeshift the avatar to a girl if I want someone to sing the song with female vocals." He continued walking toward the grand piano.

"What?" Eden asked in a confused tone. Oreki waved back dismissively, "It's nothing, it's nothing." He sat down in front of the grand piano before asking, "One last song before I leave?" He stared at Eden, waiting for her answer.

Eden, still confused, was about to respond when she heard the sound of honking in the distance. She squinted and realized it was an armored jeep approaching. As the jeep got closer, she recognized the passengers. She turned to Oreki, who was also looking at the jeep with a raised eyebrow. While he was distracted, she ran toward the armored jeep as fast as she could.

Oreki stood up, looking at the running Eden with confusion. "Why are you running? Why are you running?" he called out.

Eden ignored Oreki and shouted to the jeep's passengers, "THE WILL OF THE HONKAI IS HERE!"

Oreki was confused first when she heard her shout that before laughing loudly "Oh, so that's why you were so nervous earlier! HAHAHA," , realizing why Eden had been acting strangely.

Eden still ignored him and shouted again, "THE WILL OF THE HONKAI IS HERE!!"

Oreki shouted back, "Can we get much higher? So high!"

The passengers of the armored jeep clearly heard her and it abruptly stop. Two figures exited the jeep but one of them is only who sped forward to their direction while the other started shining brightly When light subsided, the figure now holds a great sword while the sword shot up a swirling fire up in the sky. Two other figures exited the vehicle but they seem to be just running away from the melting jeep.

"Oh!! that kind of scary!" Oreki said while using his hand as binocular. He then notice the other figure who sped up first is half way from him which made him smile

"Oh shit! here we go again" Oreki then threw the can of soda, which he hadn't finished, with great force at the leading figure, catching them off guard and knocking them into the sand dunes. The other figure with great sword was able to follow quickly "The sword give some kind of buff?" He thought as he waited for the other to approach him but he see the appearance of this figure he made confuse tone.

"Eh?"