"Hey~ Kosma, what are you spacing out for?"
Dystopia waved her hand lightly, swishing it in front of Kosma's eyes.
She asked with concern, "Time to head home. Sister Elysia was just asking about you."
"?"
Kosma slowly opened his eyes to see Dystopia's familiar, smiling face before him.
Sunlight spilled over her features, as if tracing her with a golden edge.
"Oh… right, Dyst."
Kosma shook his head, trying to clear the fog. He instinctively glanced back at the lush, leafy tree behind him.
But for some reason, he still felt a bit hazy, not fully awake.
"Honestly, did you stay up late playing games again last night?"
Dystopia tilted her head, giving him a teasing look. "You seem so out of it."
"No… maybe I just didn't sleep well."
Kosma mumbled, not quite understanding this strange feeling himself.
"Ah, I might as well tell you, I haven't been sleeping well lately either. Even though the Honkai is over, I still feel so tense all the time. Don't know when it'll get better."
Dystopia let out a soft sigh.
Looking at the girl's delicate face, Kosma found himself momentarily lost in thought.
Yes, it was all over. The nightmare brought by the Honkai had finally faded away.
He and Dystopia had returned to normal lives—going to school together, hanging out, every day filled with laughter and joy.
These days… were truly wonderful…
Kosma thought to himself, instinctively reaching up to touch his head. He suddenly realized the horns were gone…
Noticing his gesture, Dystopia couldn't help but laugh again. "Still not quite used to being without those horns, huh?"
"Yeah, a little."
Kosma scratched his head, somewhat sheepishly.
He was truly content with his life now, though sometimes it still felt unreal, like a dream.
But the vivid memories of fierce battles and their final victory kept reminding him—it had all really happened.
They were heroes in everyone's eyes now.
"Oops, I got carried away again," Dystopia stuck out her tongue playfully. "Let's get going~"
With that, the girl grabbed Kosma's hand. He stumbled a little but followed her lead, pushing those inexplicable doubts to the back of his mind for now.
The days that followed flowed like a cheerful melody.
They enjoyed their happy school life, laughing and joking between classes, strolling along campus paths after school.
They went to the amusement park—screaming on roller coasters, savoring ice cream—every moment brimming with happiness.
They attended Kevin and Mei's wedding, and Eden's comeback world tour concert…
Until one day.
On the school rooftop, a gentle breeze rustled, lifting the girl's hair.
Kosma had asked Dystopia to meet him here.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes holding a hint of shyness and anticipation.
As if waiting for him to say something important.
"Kosma, what did you want to talk about?"
Dystopia lowered her head slightly, her voice soft. "And why did it have to be up here…"
Her voice trailed off, growing even shyer…
The story seemed to be heading toward an even more beautiful direction, didn't it?
But Kosma's expression suddenly twisted with struggle. He took a deep breath, straightened his posture with effort, and his eyes grew unusually firm.
"Just who are you?!"
Kosma shouted sharply.
Dystopia was startled. Her eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief. "Kosma, what are you talking about? You asked me here today to…"
In an instant, a dark blade rapidly extended from Kosma's hand like black lightning, piercing straight through "Dystopia's" chest.
Watching her face twist into a vicious, incredulous expression, Kosma's own expression remained utterly unchanged.
"Kosma… what are you doing… I'm Dystopia…"
"Dystopia's" voice trembled slightly, as if deeply wronged.
"Still pretending?"
Kosma said coldly, his eyes filled with wariness.
"…"
"Dystopia" didn't reply immediately. The air seemed to freeze.
"Hah… I underestimated you."
The figure of "Dystopia" before him instantly dissolved into a gray shadow, its voice turning sharp and strange.
"How did you see through it?"
The gray shadow asked, seemingly astonished that Kosma had seen past its disguise.
"It was too smooth…"
Kosma frowned, speaking slowly. "So smooth that everything unfolded according to my most beautiful fantasies. Dystopia was perfect, flawless… but that's just not real."
A hint of sorrow flashed in his eyes. "You got it wrong. She gets angry too, she feels down and gets hurt… that's the real her."
"Seems Ato was right. I still long too much for a perfect ending…"
Kosma gave a bitter smile, as if mocking his own naivety.
"…"
The gray shadow fell silent for a moment. "Don't all of you like the most beautiful things? How hypocritical."
"You're wrong. Dead wrong…"
"Besides, if this power wasn't within a dream… how could it be so perfectly convenient?"
Kosma continued, his gaze sweeping around as if seeing through this illusory world.
As soon as the words left his mouth, countless shadows seeped from around Kosma, surging like a tidal wave toward the gray shadow before him, swallowing it whole.
Then, Kosma's form gradually faded, replaced by a massive, monstrous beast.
The pitch-black creature was enormous, exuding a powerful aura, its eyes gleaming with blue light.
'Since this entire dream is one entity… if I devour all of it before waking up, it should buy quite a bit of time…'
Kosma thought to himself. He never considered himself clever.
So this was the simplest, most brutal method he could think of—and all he could do for now…
'Vishnu'…
This dream is connected to Honkai energy, and Vishnu can devour that too…
Transformed into the monster, Kosma wreaked havoc here. The dreamspace seemed caught in a massive storm, parts of it thrown into complete disarray.
In a certain corner.
An angry voice rang out. "Damn it! What is this kid doing?!"
The voice was full of fury and panic, clearly caught off guard by Kosma's actions.
It hastily ejected Kosma from the dream, but the damage Kosma had caused had already left a significant mark on the surroundings.
…
2 Chapters Per Day. For more chapters/fics, goto ErbiumTL on Patreon.