Knock knock knock~~
Su Luo, who was resting at home, heard a knock on the door.
He came out of his bedroom, crossed the living room to the entryway, and, without much thought, opened the door.
A man who looked distinctly unconventional at first glance stood outside.
Silver-white hair, black clothes, and a pitch-black mask covering his face.
Honestly, if the man outside the door had suddenly shouted, "This is a robbery!" it wouldn't have felt out of place at all.
Of course, although the person outside was clearly an oddball, Su Luo wasn't flustered.
Because he had already recognized who this person was.
Kalpas?
Su Luo greeted him with a calm smile, "Hello, may I ask who you're looking for?"
"Is there anyone else in your apartment?" Kalpas retorted impolitely.
Su Luo remained very composed. "So you're here for me?"
"That's right!" Kalpas disdained any pretense; he admitted it frankly. "I just wanted to see what miHoYo's scriptwriter actually looks like."
"And the result is..."
He paused. "You don't look like anything special."
"Isn't that to be expected? Were you expecting me to have three heads and six arms, or perhaps a green face and long fangs?" Su Luo joked in a gentle voice.
"You've got quite the sense of humor."
"Hehe~~ A sense of humor has always been something I'm confident about."
The two exchanged questions and answers.
Kalpas looked at the smiling, seemingly amiable man before him. "That someone like you could write such cold words."
"Actually, I've always felt my writing is quite heartwarming," Su Luo said, seriousness etched all over his face.
"Are you serious? You think the plot of The Day You Vanished with the Stars is heartwarming too?" Kalpas asked.
"Of course."
Su Luo nodded without hesitation. Although the beginning was a bit 'knifey,' the ending was actually quite heartwarming.
Seeing Su Luo nod, Kalpas's tone changed abruptly. "It seems you're suffering from a cognitive disorder. You're in dire need of 'treatment' right now."
"...?"
"I have many years of experience; one course of treatment will show results."
"If I may be so bold as to ask."
Su Luo watched the approaching Kalpas and slowly backed away. "Have you actually treated anyone for... that cognitive disorder before?"
Kalpas suddenly stopped, then shook his head. "You're the first."
"...Then what about your so-called years of experience?"
"These trivial details aren't important!"
"...?"
That's very important, okay!
Su Luo complained inwardly, but facing the impending "Oh no, Kalpas is about to lose it!" scenario, he felt he had to do something.
"Wait a minute!" He recalled his earlier conversation with Kalpas. "Do you think the ending of The Day You Vanished with the Stars is bad?"
"Stargazer dies over and over again. Do you actually think this ending is good?"
"..."
Kalpas couldn't be a Stargazer stan, could he?
An unreliable thought flashed through Su Luo's mind. He temporarily set it aside and raised a hand.
"It seems you haven't watched the entire story of The Day You Vanished with the Stars."
"The entire story?"
"Yes, actually, The Day You Vanished with the Stars has a true ending. You haven't seen the true ending yet, so to conclude that the ending is bad is a bit too arbitrary, don't you think?"
Hearing this, Kalpas didn't feel there was anything wrong with his arbitrariness. Instead, he retorted, "Because I know you wrote this script!"
"..."
Su Luo fell silent, momentarily unable to refute.
"Ahem."
After a moment, he coughed lightly and took out his phone. "I can show you the true ending. How about we watch it completely before drawing any conclusions?"
"..."
"Very well."
Kalpas nodded. "I'd like to see what kind of 'heartwarming' ending you can possibly provide for such a despairing plot."
"Relax, relax."
Su Luo had already logged into Honkai Impact 3rd, expertly opened the event page, and entered the story chapter.
He skipped the earlier parts of the plot and went directly to the final chapter.
Soon, they reached Stargazer's serial deaths.
As Stargazer died again and again, Su Luo's composure remained steady. Kalpas's expression... was hidden behind the mask.
"Just how many ways did you prepare for Stargazer to die?"
Just as Kalpas could no longer hold back his words.
[...Anchor point located. Tesla·Zero charging...]
[Charging complete. Commencing mapping...]
Kalpas focused, thinking the plot might change.
But in reality.
It was still the same as before.
The Captain was still struggling within the loop.
Try again. How many more times must I try?
I gradually realize that no matter what I do, there is always a force holding me back, yet I know nothing about it.
When I eliminate one cause after another, erasing the original effect, new causes arise from it, leading to new effects.
The intricate web of this chess game has already surpassed my understanding and control.
I don't know where the ending of this story will lead... or perhaps, this story has no ending at all?
If there were onlookers, how would they evaluate my actions so far?
[Is this person really that stupid?]
[Why can't he even do something so simple?]
[If it were me... shouldn't he have done that back then?]
[Why can't you save everyone?]
Ah ah... They would definitely say that, wouldn't they.
...That's right, they're not wrong at all.
Only now do I realize that, at this moment, I'm just an ordinary Captain...
"Is this the heartwarming ending you were talking about?"
"Don't be hasty."
Su Luo continued clicking, and the plot finally reached its turning point.
[...Tesla·Zero restarting...]
[...Warning, awakening imminent. Dialogue module restoring...]
Two lines of text flashed by, and the scene changed.
Tesla·Zero walked on the surface of a lake, speaking to the Captain.
I once shared a future with you, yet I never knew your past.
Back then, you were just like you are now, shouldering the lives and deaths of others, forced to endlessly repeat the past during your living moments.
You are still in pain, but you have never forgotten your pain. And I have finally arrived in your past, to write the opening notes for that long journey through the 「Shards of the World」.
...
Pain itself is not terrifying. What's terrifying is becoming accustomed to pain and no longer being able to feel it.
Because you no longer place yourself in the position of an experiencer, but become an observer, just like I am now, witnessing the tragedies you've endured.
...
If other observers exist, they must be full of expectations for you right now, expecting you to overcome more deaths until you reach a perfect ending where no one is harmed.
They don't know, nor do they care, what you have experienced.
The losses and reunions, the gains and subsequent losses you've been through, are nothing more than a story to them, a story whose ending they believe they can guess. But is reality truly like that?
This story is not about salvation or being saved. Its ending is constantly being mended, only for new cracks to appear.
And you are the one who repeats, repeats, repeats the attempts, traversing through all the pain.
Things that cannot be done will not be achieved through persistence alone, nor will miracles happen just because you say "I can do it."
I know, and in fact, you also know, that even if you've tried your utmost, the current you does not possess such an ability.
But I am here, trying to provide you with an opportunity to break this deadlock.
This is my... reason for existing here.
After players had experienced the same struggle of being unable to save Stargazer no matter how hard they tried, their sense of immersion in this part of the story was undoubtedly extremely strong.
Afterward, Tesla·Zero awakened, bringing the plot to a close.
Tesla·Zero was actually something left behind by the future Captain.
After the current Captain experienced countless loops, if he still couldn't save Stargazer, she would take Stargazer and the Captain away from this world, using a kind of "cop-out" method to avoid Stargazer's death.
But she had an activation threshold set by the future Captain, a number as high as eight digits.
And the reason the threshold was so high was simply...
"He still held onto a sliver of hope for his past self, the one who had failed countless times."
"—He was hoping, hoping that you could be different from his past self. Even if the possibility was minuscule, that you could find a path completely different from his..."
Therefore, even if he himself had to go through tens of thousands of loops, he still chose to do so.
He hoped his past self could create an entirely different future.
A person truly harsh, even on himself.
"As expected of the Captain," Kalpas praised.
Su Luo shifted his gaze to Kalpas, whose emotions had clearly changed. "It seems you're quite satisfied with the ending?"
"...It's indeed not bad."
"Then, we should talk about our business."
"Hm?"
A smile appeared on Su Luo's face. "Firstly, you came to me because you were dissatisfied with the ending of The Day You Vanished with the Stars. But that was just your prejudice against me, assuming I would write a tragedy. In reality, the ending is quite complete, and you're also satisfied with it."
"Secondly, you rushed over here to accuse me based on a trumped-up charge. I think that should count as your mistake, shouldn't it?"
"Sooo..."
"So?" Kalpas focused his gaze.
"Shouldn't you offer me an apology?"
Kalpas: "..."
Kalpas instantly fell silent.
After a while.
Su Luo suddenly spoke up again, "Hehe~ Just kidding. I'm not that petty."
Kalpas: "..."
"Consider this a case of 'no discord, no concord.' Let's just say we've gotten to know each other."
Su Luo extended his hand.
Kalpas hesitated for a good while before slowly raising his own hand and giving Su Luo's a light shake.
Su Luo maintained his smile.
To be honest, he hadn't really figured out how to 'handle' certain members of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers yet. But since this fish, Kalpas, had willingly swum onto the hook, he had no reason to let him go.
"Kalpas! Kalpas!"
At that moment, Elysia's voice, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps, drifted over.
Then, she saw the scene of Su Luo and Kalpas shaking hands amicably.
She blinked, then turned around.
"One, two, three, illusion be gone!"
Elysia exclaimed noisily as she spun back around.
As it turned out, the scene she saw was no different from before.
She was thoroughly shaken!