Mobius, I'm Sorry

Scattered pills lay amongst a mess of withered flower petals outside Michael's dorm.

Elysia sat slumped against the cold metal door, arms wrapped around her knees, staring blankly at the retro mosaic tiles on the floor. Dark circles underscored her tear-streaked eyes, evidence of sleepless nights. She seemed to be searching for answers in the random patterns of the mosaic.

Mobius took one look and felt a pang of sympathy. "He still won't come out?"

Elysia's eyelashes fluttered. A full thirty seconds passed before Mobius's question seemed to register. She looked up, her face pale and drawn.

The slight baby fat from her sweet tooth had vanished, leaving hollow cheeks and prominent cheekbones. Her chin was sharper, a few strands of hair clinging to her lips.

Mobius had to admit, Elysia looked heartbreakingly vulnerable. If she asked for anything right now, Mobius, despite her dislike for the woman, would find it hard to refuse.

Too bad the one person least likely to refuse her had.

"No… he won't let me in."

"Tch!" Mobius scoffed. "And you're just going to sit here? Break the damn door down!"

"It's no use… He's using his spatial powers. It's a sealed barrier. No one can open it. Vill-V tried with the Second Divine Key, but it didn't work… Unless he…"

Before Elysia could finish, Mobius flicked her wrist. A short spear of black mud, crackling with green arcs of lightning, slammed against the metal door, exploding in a ripple of golden energy.

She watched the black mud slide down the shimmering barrier, then sighed. "Did he say anything? Why won't he let you in?"

Elysia shook her head. The answer was obvious.

Mobius bit her lip, tasting blood. She knew the man inside was trapped in a vicious cycle. He wasn't avoiding Elysia. Knowing him, he probably wanted nothing more than to bury his face in her arms and cry.

But he couldn't face her. He was ashamed.

He was afraid Elysia would ask, "What did you do when you hid Seele away? Did you turn her into a Herrscher?"

He was afraid she'd ask, "Why did you kill her outright? Didn't she have a chance to fight for humanity, like you?"

And so on…

He probably knew Elysia wouldn't ask those questions. But even the slightest possibility was too much to bear. Let alone facing everyone else.

So he hid, locked away in that small room, needing nothing – no food, no water, no sleep. He had all the time in the world to wallow in his guilt.

Selfish, really.

But was it?

Mobius crossed her arms. He had to know this would worry everyone, especially Elysia. Selfish acts weren't always motivated by pure selfishness. They could amplify guilt, making it even harder to face the people waiting outside.

A vicious cycle – the more guilt he felt, the more he withdrew; the more he withdrew, the more guilt he felt.

Someone needed to break the cycle.

Mei and Kevin had brought flowers. Su had brought medicine. Vill-V had come with the Second Divine Key. All had failed.

They weren't close enough to Michael for him to confide in them.

Sakura, Hua, and Pardo had come too. No luck. They had no direct connection to the situation.

Only two remained… Two people who owed Michael an explanation.

"Damn it… Aponia…" Mobius muttered, a knot of anger tightening in her chest. It wasn't just frustration, but guilt and fear.

She and Aponia had deceived Michael.

Did he know?

She couldn't be sure.

She reached for the doorknob, but couldn't turn it. A wave of fear washed over her. Not fear of death. Who could be less afraid of death than she, with the [Śeṣa] ICHOR Factor and her "immortality"?

She was afraid of something else.

Mobius pulled back her hand. "Alright, I'll take it from here. You should go back to your room and rest."

Elysia looked up at her, silent.

"Tch… You're all the same!" Mobius stomped her foot. "Go! Get some sleep! When you wake up, I'll have this sorted. I'll bring your man back to you, safe and sound. Happy now?!"

She grabbed Elysia's sleeve, pulling her to her feet. Mobius had regenerated quickly, growing from a tiny 1.3 meters back to a slightly less tiny 1.5 meters. But next to Elysia, she still seemed small, as if Elysia could easily break free.

But Elysia didn't resist. Not exactly. She was neither compliant nor resistant, simply allowing herself to be dragged to her room, and onto her bed.

"That's enough! Stay here!" Mobius grabbed a blanket, stumbled back, and tossed it into the air. It unfolded, settling gently over Elysia.

Elysia stared blankly at the ceiling. Mobius watched her, then, clenching her fists, turned and walked back to Michael's door.

This time, she didn't try to force it open. She placed her hand flat against the cold metal, letting it grow even colder. Then she pulled back, flexing her stiff fingers, and knocked.

Silence. No footsteps. No sound at all.

Had he not heard? Or was he ignoring her?

If he hadn't heard, was it the barrier? Or was he asleep? She couldn't be sure.

She knocked again, harder. The sound echoed in the hallway, but didn't seem to penetrate the door.

"Hmph!" Mobius raised her fist, about to pound on the door. But her anger dissipated. Her hand relaxed, resting gently on the metal.

"Open the door," she said, her voice calm.

"If you want to know what I did before you sent Seele away… open the door."

Her words fell into a silent void. The only sound was the rustling of pine trees outside.

A sudden pressure clamped down on her shoulders, immobilizing her. An invisible force, like a silken ribbon, wrapped around her neck, tightening.

"Gah… ack…" She gasped, struggling to breathe. Her vision blurred. Then, just as suddenly, the pressure vanished. As if it had never been there.

Mobius took a deep breath, the cold air stinging her lungs. She felt like she'd just drowned… Well, she was drenched in cold sweat.

She was about to knock again when the door creaked open.

No one was there. A sliver of light spilled into the hallway. Mobius reached out, as if trying to catch it, then stepped cautiously inside.

The door closed behind her.

Michael looked surprisingly… normal.

The desk was gone, replaced by a worn armchair by the window. He sat there, gently rocking, a faded scroll in his hands. The bloodstained white dress, neatly folded, lay across his lap. The necklace was wrapped around his wrist.

Mobius approached carefully. Michael seemed oblivious to her presence, his gaze fixed on the blank scroll.

No self-harm. No signs of distress. No tears. Not even a frown.

The room was undisturbed, no sign of a rampage.

He didn't look particularly distraught.

But that terrified Mobius even more. Grief didn't always manifest in dramatic displays. People had layers. On the surface, Michael was calm and collected. But underneath, he was fragile. She couldn't imagine him experiencing "mild" grief.

She imagined the sadness accumulating, the wound festering, the pain intensifying with each passing moment.

"Mi-"

"Mobius. I won't ask again. Tell me. What did you and Aponia do to Seele?"

He knows! Mobius's snake-like pupils contracted. Despite her preparations, she instinctively tensed. But she felt no pressure, no hostility, no killing intent.

Only the rhythmic creaking of the armchair.

Michael didn't press further. He set aside the scroll, leaning back in the chair, looking utterly relaxed. Mobius glanced at the scroll – it was blank.

She took a deep breath, leaning against the wall. "Do you want to hear what I did, or what Aponia did?"

Michael shrugged.

"Aponia copied Seele's consciousness. That's why she retained a semblance of self-awareness after the Herrscher descended."

"Heh." Michael scoffed. Was Aponia trying to replicate his method of escaping the Honkai's control? Hoping Seele could become a Herrscher like him?

He folded his hands in his lap, closing his eyes. Always like this… always!

Everyone's intentions seemed good. But they always led to the worst possible outcome.

He changed the subject. "Mobius… I've been thinking."

"About what?" Seeing his calmer demeanor, Mobius relaxed slightly.

"If I'd told Seele everything, would she have stayed safely in the Sea of Quanta until another Seele in the real world became the 6th Herrscher? Then I could have brought her back. Everything would have gone according to plan. She could still be playing with Rin and Pardo, right?"

Mobius pursed her lips, about to offer some comfort, but Michael continued.

"But… I was afraid. Afraid Seele would be burdened by knowing the future, afraid she'd find out I'd killed 'her' before. And I was terrified of promising her everything would be alright, only for things to go wrong. I'd rather she didn't know… that I killed her… It was my selfishness that caused this tragedy, wasn't it?"

Mobius tilted her head. He had a point, but… From a human perspective, he might share some responsibility. But…

"According to Aponia's precognition, that was Seele's fate. Changing the fate of a Herrscher… that would be a miracle."

"Oh, so that's why she pretended to trust me while secretly approaching you, preparing for the worst?" Michael opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on Mobius. He knew their intentions were good. But their "kindness" had led to Seele's death in the most unbearable way imaginable.

She'd died in his arms, lucid, using her power to save thousands, then killing herself.

Mobius swallowed hard. "Yes. Considering Seele's pre-existing DID, Aponia believed that copying her consciousness, letting it lie dormant, could fool the Honkai, replicating your success… Though I don't know how she knew about your method… Unfortunately, she didn't become another you."

Michael tapped his fingers together. He remembered Elysia arriving just in time, waking him from the Honkai's mental assault, allowing him to regain control before his core fully formed.

But for Seele, by the time Aponia's copy awakened her, the Herrscher core, without an annular structure, had already formed. She couldn't regain control.

So she'd used that brief window to… exhaust her life-saving power…

If I'd been there sooner… If I'd stayed by her side, could I have awakened her, like Elysia did for me?

He sighed. Fate. Hindsight always offered a thousand different paths. The one chosen was always the worst.

After a long silence, he chuckled. "Mobius, there's one thing I don't understand. In the nexus of Herrscher consciousness, Seele's entire life flooded my mind… No, not just memories. It was more like… a story. I don't think the 6th Herrscher's power can do that. You've told me a lot about Aponia. Now tell me about yourself – what did you do to me, and to Seele?"

The words "Seele's entire life" confirmed Mobius's suspicions. That's how he knew. But she wasn't flustered. She felt a sense of pride. This was all part of her plan. This was a sign of its initial success.

"Stigmata, right?"

"…Yes. Stigmata. So, in a way, Seele isn't truly dead. She lives on, in a different form. By my definition, she's still… human…"

"Enough, Mobius!"

Time stretched and compressed in the silence. When Michael stood up, the light outside had faded.

He walked towards Mobius, each step echoing in her heart.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry…" Tears streamed down his face, warm against Mobius's skin as they landed on her foot.

She finally understood her fear. They were so close, yet their hearts had never been further apart.

"If you need to… lash out… gah… ack…" Before she could finish, Michael's hands were around her throat, pinning her against the wall.

She struggled instinctively, kicking and punching. Michael wasn't using his powers, just brute strength.

Somehow, their struggle moved from the wall to the cold floor. Michael, larger and stronger, overpowered her, straddling her, his grip tightening.

Her strength, her life, ebbed away. She punched him weakly, then, gathering her remaining strength, reached up, patting his face feebly.

His face loomed over hers, a shadow blotting out the light. Raindrops began to fall. One landed on her lips. She licked it – warm, salty.

Suddenly, she could breathe. Michael had collapsed on top of her, his weight pinning her down.

Their faces were close. He buried his face in her green hair, sobbing. "Mobius… I've already lost Seele. I can't lose anyone else… I can't lose you…"

Mobius's pupils trembled. Everything had unfolded in the most dramatic way possible. She'd thought they were drifting apart, irrevocably. But after reaching that point of no return, he'd come back.

He'd forgiven her. No, he'd accepted her. Not just the light, but the darkness within her as well. Because Mobius wasn't one or the other, but a complex, morally ambiguous whole.

The distance between them closed, their hearts beating in unison. Michael's tears soaked her hair. After a moment of hesitation, Mobius reached up, gently stroking his back.

Like a mother comforting a child. Though she'd never had children, and had never been comforted like this herself. But the gesture felt natural, just like when she'd gently guided his head to rest on her lap.

Both times, because of Seele.

Only this time, she, the smaller one, was comforting him. It looked almost comical.

Silence fell again. A heat bloomed within Mobius. She knew what it meant. And through their contact, she could feel the same heat rising in Michael.

She wasn't prepared. "Alright, have you cried enough? If you have…"

She stopped abruptly. He was sucking on her earlobe, his touch alternating between the rough bite of a predator and the gentle caress of a willow branch.

Mobius's hand tightened in his hair. A tingling sensation spread through her, from her head to her toes. Her limbs went weak. His stubble scratched her cheek. He caressed her face, his movements slow, almost hesitant.

Impatient, she grabbed his hair, pulling his face towards hers. His eyes were a mixture of anguish, longing, and a lingering bewilderment.

"Mobius, I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Damn it, Michael, you asked for this!" She yanked his head down, capturing his lips with hers.

With surprising agility, the petite Mobius rolled over, pinning him beneath her.

Their eyes met.

"Do you regret it?"

"No."

Reflected in his snake-like pupils, the man she'd once placed on a pedestal was now just a person, flaws and all – ordinary, weak, cowardly, selfish, greedy, lustful.

And that's what made them perfect for each other, wasn't it? That's what the Creator must have intended.

Moments later, two muffled moans, a mixture of pain and pleasure, filled the room.