Some players, delighted by the sweet moments, squirmed in their seats like worms.
Others, after watching the interactions between Seele and Veliona, couldn't help but think of Fu Hua and the runaway Herrscher of Sentience.
They sighed in the live chat:
[If only the Herrscher of Sentience and Fu Hua could get along like this.]
[When will Mama Fu and her dear Sentience-daughter patch things up?]
[I really want to see Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Sentience fighting side by side.]
...
Bullet comments flew across the screen.
Elysia saw them. She had a slightly different take from the viewers.
She believed the dynamic between the Herrscher of Sentience and Fu Hua was the same as that of Seele and Veliona.
They liked each other—but because of personality differences, they expressed it differently.
That Herrscher calling Fu Hua an "old fossil" every two sentences? Wasn't that also a kind of affection?
Mmm...
After all~~ cute girls are naturally drawn to each other~♪
In the midst of this sweet atmosphere—
Seele and Bronya finished training and rushed to the cafeteria before closing. They thought no one else would be there, but they ran into Kiana.
After chatting for a bit, they learned some things about the class president.
Turns out the class president was searching for signs of the Herrscher of Sentience, but after Mount Taixu, she had vanished just like Otto.
Seeing this,
"Ah! That reminds me!"
Elysia recalled the Herrscher of Sentience PV from some time ago.
Hokuto had later added an extended segment.
He'd appended a scene where Fu Shibao complained in reality, saying "It was too short, I didn't get enough of kidnapping Otto."
"Could it be Otto was kidnapped by the Herrscher of Sentience for storytelling?"
[No way, it's just a PV.]
"True… and honestly, I really liked Mr. Otto's narration in that video."
[Same here. If only Miss Fairy had the time to ask Mr. Otto to tell us another story at miHoYo.]
"Sure thing! I'll bring Kevin along when I go."
Elysia didn't turn it down—in fact, she agreed on the spot. "Kevin, what do you think?"
"Otto… deserved that ending." Kevin was concise.
As the story progressed, the atmosphere gradually shifted.
Even the light BGM subtly changed, growing heavier.
At this point, Kiana—unable to fully control her Herrscher powers—was inevitably met with coldness from Anti-Entropy personnel.
Though she never said it aloud, Kiana, isolated by the people around her, was visibly downcast.
To cheer her up—
and since both Seele and Kiana were heading to Salt Lake City anyway—Bronya asked Seele to accompany Kiana while shopping and help lift her spirits.
"In the beginning, Kiana came to eat with us," Bronya explained to Seele after Kiana left.
"But at the same time, a lot of Anti-Entropy staff also came into the cafeteria… and when they saw her, they… looked hesitant."
"She always ends up sitting at tables with no one nearby—even when Dr. Einstein sits with her, it's the same."
Kindhearted Seele didn't quite understand.
"But… Kiana can clearly control herself. She's been trying so hard to protect everyone…"
"We know that. But for regular people, fear and caution aren't emotions that can be overcome easily—this kind of situation was bound to happen."
Though Anti-Entropy is now led by the Herrscher of Reason, she is very different from the Herrscher of the Void.
And both of Anti-Entropy's greatest crises were caused by the Void Herrscher.
Not to mention, Kiana is still unstable.
Expecting Anti-Entropy's staff to treat her normally was… unrealistic.
"So Kiana doesn't explain herself. She chooses to back off, to avoid the crowd. She says she doesn't mind people's gazes, but in truth, she just doesn't want to add any more variables to the situation."
"She's changed—grown more mature and composed. She no longer bottles everything up."
"But to her, the world has changed even more… She understands what we think. What she needs now is kindness from others."
Through Bronya's words, everyone saw how Kiana had changed.
After Twilight Judgment, Kiana had transformed again—compared to Lament of the Fallen, she was someone new.
She had come to understand herself—and others.
She was undoubtedly more mature now…
But how could that not tug at your heartstrings?
[Wuwuwu I feel so bad for paramecium.]
[So the sugar earlier was just a trap to lull me into dropping my guard. The writer's a dishonorable old thief!]
[I should've known—our Honkai Impact 3rd sugar is always sugar in broken glass.]
[If only someone could completely redeem Kiana.]
[Kiana's unresolved wound is Himeko. And Himeko… well… there's no solution.]
...
Kiana's problem was simple yet complex.
No one knew how the script would resolve it.
They could only hope it wouldn't be… tsk, no death flags please.
On to the next stage.
The next morning, just outside the Salt Lake Base's vehicle zone—
Seele arrived early and, realizing she was a bit too early, decided to have a talk with her "other self."
Scene transition.
Seele entered her inner world.
Veliona sat in her boss-like pose, and beside her was a scale—half black, half white—balanced for now. A caterpillar crawled on top of it.
The two exchanged brief words.
Veliona, with a tinge of emotion in her voice, admitted she was uneasy that Seele no longer relied on her.
But even Veliona herself didn't fully understand why this worried her. She just felt irritated.
Seele sensed Veliona's unease, but didn't dwell on it.
Her response left viewers a little numb.
Are we getting another Fu Hua x Herrscher of Sentience 2.0?
They were definitely overthinking it this time. Seele's emotional intelligence was miles ahead of Fu Hua, that Mount Taixu thousand-year-old tree.
In the next scene, Seele easily coaxed Veliona into a cheerful mood again.
Every past player watching must've thought:
"Old fossil, take notes. Look at her. Now look at yourself."
Still, until more story unfolds, viewers were left with lingering concerns.
The conversation ended when Kiana arrived at the vehicle zone.
The Kiana-Seele duo successfully linked up!
They traveled together to Salt Lake City to shop for supplies.
After wrapping up their errands, Seele invited Kiana to a nearby café to relax.
Sweet treats during break time are the best medicine. As they shared desserts, the two slowly opened up.
Kiana spoke about Sirin and the safety device—her "bracelet."
The bracelet constantly monitored her physical condition.
If she surpassed safe limits, it would issue a warning and notify the base.
Upon receiving the alert, Anti-Entropy would take immediate action—Kiana would be transported to an isolated location.
As for what would happen after that… she didn't say.
But Seele could guess.
"Don't worry," Kiana said.
"I chose to wear this bracelet. With it, I can feel at ease too."
"Kiana… you're amazing," Seele genuinely admired her.
"This is my responsibility. I won't run away."
Kiana even smiled.
"Besides, Mei… and another friend of Bronya and mine… went through something similar.
Though the device she wore was even more extreme, I wanted to understand how she felt."
"I used to be scared. Scared of Sirin. Scared of myself. So I hid away alone."
"But not anymore. Because I know you're all here.
You're all helping me—how could I still justify running away?"
[Kiana...]
[She's trying to understand Mei's feelings... This soft knife cuts deep. The more you know the story, the more it hurts.]
[I realize I can't even remember what Kiana used to be like. Why did we call her a paramecium again? (sad)]
[To the commenter above… it's okay. She's still her. She just grew up, that's all.]
...
They used to jokingly call Kiana "paramecium."
Now, they called her "Paramecium" with nostalgia and affection.
The same nickname—
But filled with entirely different emotion.
"Nothing will happen to Kiana in the end… right?"
Seele's worried voice echoed in the stream.
According to the story, Seele was left outside after sending Fu Hua and Bronya into the Theater of Domination to save Kiana.
She wasn't part of the final battle.
So Seele, who knew part of the story but not the full picture, became even more worried after seeing Kiana like this.
"Seele, there's no need to worry."
Elysia encouraged her.
"We have to believe in Kiana."
"Himeko once told Kiana—if fate is unfair, then fight it to the very end.
Turn this imperfect world into the one we long for."
"Even if darkness crashes down on her, I believe Kiana won't break.
She'll rise from the ashes and bravely reshape this painful reality."
"You sure have a lot of faith in Kiana," came Mobius's voice.
"Because I believe in the brilliance of humanity~!" Elysia replied playfully. "My dear Mobius~~"
"Don't you believe in [human] potential?"
Mobius: "..."
"Tch. Ridiculous."
Mobius muttered stubbornly after a brief silence.
"Humhum~"
Elysia didn't mind Mobius's attitude at all.
She was used to it~~
Or rather, this side of Mobius was adorable too.
Well… not that the other sides of Mobius aren't cute.
Elysia loves all of them~♪
Thanks to Elysia's words, the audience found their resolve again.
[Miss Fairy's words were so beautiful.]
[Our warm and kind Miss Fairy—such a comfort.]
[That's right. I'll believe in Kiana. She can do this! Let's go, Paramecium!]
[Let's go, Paramecium +1]
[Let's go, Paramecium +2]
...