"Waaah... my driver's license..."
Bronya looked sorrowfully at the license Kevin had taken away... along with Project Bunny's motorcycle. It felt as though what he had taken was not the bike, but her very soul.
Elias shook his head, caught between laughter and tears.
As a Flame-Chaser of [Deliverance], he could save countless lives, save tens of thousands of bubble worlds, yet he had no way to save Bronya's driver's license.
After all, the moment he chose to live as a human, he had to abide by the rules humans set.
For example... traffic laws.
"Alright, alright. Don't take it too hard. After your license gets revoked a few more times, you'll get used to it, Duck."
"...Elias, that doesn't sound like comfort."
"Ehehe~"
Elias reached out and patted Big Duck's head. Only now did he have the chance to properly admire Bronya in her Silverwing: N-EX form. She was far more vivid than she had ever been in the game.
Elias felt a tiny—no, enormous—surge of emotion. He had finally broken through that damned screen and arrived in this world, able to talk with them like this, to hug them, to kiss them.
If he could, Elias truly wanted to monopolize the girl before him, hold Bronya tightly in his arms, not even allowing the rest of the world a single extra glance.
Many times, it was not just Mei and the others who wanted to lock Elias in a little dark room. Elias himself had often wanted to lock them inside one.
So far, the only one he had ever actually done that to was Elysia.
Back during the ninth cycle of the Previous Era, Elias had imprisoned Elysia directly in order to save her.
He had covered Miss Pink Elf's eyes with a strip of black cloth, bound her body with the chains of Judah, and even placed a small pink ball between her lips. In that cycle, The Deep End had existed solely as a prison meant to confine Elysia.
Yet in the end, Elysia still successfully activated her Authority of Origin, sacrificing herself to protect the future of the Current Era. And in that cycle... Elias had gained nothing at all.
But from that day forward, he understood a certain truth.
If you like a bird, then go ahead and lock it in a beautiful cage. But if you love that bird, you should let her fly toward the open sky of freedom.
"Duck, you look really beautiful today."
"Mm~ Thank you."
Bronya spun in a circle before Elias.
She had just used the Authority of the Herrscher of Reason, transforming the motorcycle outfit she had been wearing into a fresh, pure style perfect for a date.
A blue fitted dress paired with a white strapless top, sapphire earrings, and white high heels.
Even without considering combat applications, Bronya found herself increasingly fond of the Herrscher of Reason's authority. If nothing else, the ability to change outfits at any time was an absolute divine skill for a girl.
On top of that, with the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth, Bronya could now freely adjust her body size at will. Using these two authorities together was simply perfect!
Bronya: (Thank you, Elias, for giving Bronya such useful powers. Bronya will definitely use them to firmly capture your heart and strive to surpass Sister Mei as soon as possible!)
However, what surprised Big Duck was that—
After staring at her in fascination for a while and engraving her current figure permanently into his memory, Elias spoke with a hint of reluctance and regret.
"Ahem! Duck... could you change back?"
"Eh? Elias doesn't like it?"
Bronya felt as if she had just taken ten thousand points of critical damage. The blow was hundreds of times heavier than having her license revoked. Her little face instantly fell.
If Elias doesn't like how I look now, then what was the point of growing up at all? No, wait! How could this person possibly not like her current self?!
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
They had been together for so long. Bronya could tell that compared to "conquering the world," Elias preferred "winning hearts."
And just think of the tragic state of the Flat Immortal.
Although the biggest reason was that Fu Hua lacked the courage to step forward and confess, Bronya speculated that perhaps—just perhaps—a certain degree of "flatness" also played a role.
Some things could be small, but they couldn't be nonexistent!
Otherwise, putting everything else aside, what if future children starved? No, wait, there was formula in this world. If necessary, they could borrow some from Aponia~
(Fu Hua: #%%@#%...#)
"How could I not like you as you are now, Duck? As long as it's Bronya, no matter the form—big or small, single-turbo or twin-turbo, or even three or four turbos—I like them all!"
Elias patted Big Duck's head sincerely.
"It's just that today is a bit special. Compared to a beautiful Bronya, I'd rather see a cute Bronya."
Elias glanced at his terminal. A certain important person was getting closer and closer to them. He had to make Big Duck revert to her board-duck form before that.
Otherwise, he was worried the other party might not recognize her own daughter.
"Hm? Could it be that Elias is nostalgic for the days back at the House of the Hearth?"
Bronya could only think of that possibility.
"Eh? Ah, right, right! Exactly! While mature Duck is amazing, past Duck was also number one in the world!"
Elias blinked and immediately agreed.
"And besides, Bronya, you suddenly grew up so much. It was a bit too 'sudden.' Didn't Himeko always say that when solving problems, you need to show your process, or you'll lose major points?"
"Emmm... alright. Maybe Bronya was a little too impatient. Because Elias likes them a bit bigger. And... the Class Monitor's reaction was just too amusing."
Bronya recalled Fu Hua's expression that morning when she saw her grown-up form and immediately revealed a delighted smile.
"Waaah, Bronya is so wicked."
Elias couldn't help but laugh. He could fully imagine the scene. For someone who had been flat for fifty thousand years, Big Duck's transformation was undoubtedly a devastating shock.
At best, her Dao heart would shatter. At worst, she might suffer qi deviation!
"Alright. Since Elias prefers a smaller Bronya today, Bronya will change back."
"Mm~ Duck is the best. I love you to death."
Elias immediately let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the board-duck who had returned to her petite loli figure, he secretly glanced into the distance...
Alexandra had already arrived in the Far East region and, under the guidance of World Serpent staff, appeared at the intersection.
He thought to himself that a touching mother-daughter reunion was about to unfold, and he had even prepared his camera to record that precious moment.
However...
"Oh, right. Since no one else is around, Bronya will occasionally use the old way of addressing you. Thinking about it carefully, Bronya hasn't used that title in a long time. Bronya kind of misses it."
The board-duck's lips curved upward, her cheeks slightly flushed as she spoke.
"Eh?"
Elias froze, still unaware that the situation had slipped beyond his control at this very moment.
"Papa Elias, where are we going to play today?"
Bronya held his hand and spoke in an adorably sweet tone.
"!!!"
Elias instantly turned to stone. Looking at the board-duck calling him "Papa" after so long, he thought that if there really was some god of mischief in this world, then it must have just played an extremely vicious joke.
He admitted that being called "Papa" by the board-duck felt pretty great—but... now was not the time!!
Moving stiffly, Elias slowly turned his head and looked toward Alexandra, who had already noticed him and Bronya in the distance. From her widened eyes and stunned expression, it was clear—
She had heard that "Papa."
Ah, this is awkward. Being called Papa by someone else's daughter right in front of her biological mother... this feels so strange!
At this moment, Alexandra had already stopped walking, clearly struck by a heavy blow. Elias thought to himself that the reunion between mother and daughter would probably have to be postponed by a few hours.
Forget it, change of plans! Let's just continue the date first. When the boat reaches the bridge, it'll sink... Mother-in-law, hold on!
With a complicated expression, Elias glanced at Alexandra, then took Bronya's small hand and headed toward the arcade.
"Come on! I heard this arcade has a globally limited Supreme Homu plush. But you can only get it by breaking every single game record. Bronya, do I need to say more?"
"No! Bronya's gamer soul is already burning. Whether it's Homu or the records, they all belong to Bronya!"
"That's the spirit!"
That day, two players with the IDs [Metal Gear Bronya] and [White Dove] left behind a legend in the gaming world at that arcade.
The records set by Elias and Bronya remained unbroken for the next ten years.
"Bronya..."
While the two were on their date,
A woman quietly followed behind them.
She had silver-gray twin spiral ponytails. Her appearance was eighty percent similar to Bronya's grown-up self, yet more mature and more worn. At this moment, her expression was complicated.
The woman gazed longingly at the board-duck's back, mist gradually filling her grayish-purple eyes.
"My daughter... at last... Mom... has finally... found you."
Alexandra covered her mouth, preventing her voice from reaching the daughter walking ahead.
She restrained the instinctive urge to rush forward and reunite with Bronya. Instead, she simply stood a few meters behind the girl, silently watching Elias and Bronya on their date.
...
Several days earlier, Alexandra had still been in Shenzhou.
This woman who had lost her husband lived with only one hope and motivation left in this world—her daughter who had been abducted ten years ago. Over the years, in order to find Bronya,
Alexandra had traveled to many places—Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Shenzhou...
She lacked connections, lacked exceptional intelligence, and lacked wealth. But rather than remain in her old home weeping day after day, Alexandra chose a far more difficult path.
This mother walked through hundreds upon thousands of cities on her own two feet, holding a childhood photo of Bronya and asking every person she met whether they had seen her daughter.
Such behavior was no different from searching for a needle in the sea.
Alexandra spent every second expecting that her lost daughter might suddenly appear within her line of sight. But that expectation was, in truth, a cruel and endless torment.
Because as long as she still held onto hope, cold reality would use that unfulfilled hope to wound her again and again, every passing moment.
Over the years, Alexandra had been hurt by that disappointment more times than could ever be counted.
Every time someone shook their head and told her they had never seen Bronya, this mother's heart dimmed a little more.
By now, even Alexandra herself felt like a living corpse, wandering the world in search of a daughter she might never see again in this lifetime. After so many years, she did not even know whether Bronya was alive or dead.
In truth, there was something no one knew.
Alexandra had once nearly been chosen by Honkai to become a Herrscher.
After all, this mother possessed exceptional resistance and adaptability to Honkai energy. In the original storyline, she had even been able to endure having her stigmata forcibly awakened by Hare—Misteln.
Although fate had a corrective nature—aside from Elias and Sirin, whoever was destined to become a Herrscher would still become one—Alexandra had indeed once received an invitation from Honkai.
During a particularly difficult period, Alexandra suffered nightmares every night, reliving the day young Bronya was abducted while she herself could do nothing.
She had even experienced "auditory hallucinations." A phantom presence whispered in her ear day after day, telling her she would never find her daughter in this lifetime, telling her that her daughter was already dead.
If Alexandra had fallen into despair at that time and believed Honkai's voice, then even if she did not become a true Herrscher, she would very likely have become a pseudo-Herrscher.
Yet what shocked Honkai beyond measure was that—
"No! I don't believe it! My Bronya, my daughter is definitely still alive in this world. I will find her. No matter how long it takes, no matter how many roads I must walk, I will not give up. I will... find my daughter!"
Alexandra had not been bewitched by Honkai.
This mother was merely an ordinary mortal. She possessed no power and was not a chosen one blessed by fate. Yet relying solely on her love for her daughter, she resisted the temptation of a god.
And now, the persistence of this mother named Alexandra Pavlovna Zaychik had finally been rewarded.
She had found her daughter—Bronya Zaychik.
—
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