The next day.
"...Mmm... Luna? What are you doing here?"
After taking care of Otto last night, Elias had returned to the hotel to sleep and rest. Yet the moment he opened his eyes this morning, he found an adorable vampire girl sitting beside his bed.
Like a little cat waiting for its master to wake up, those deep ruby eyes were staring intently at Elias.
Elias was slightly surprised. He hadn't felt the slightest wariness toward Luna. Normally, if anyone other than one of his own girls sat beside his bed, he would unconsciously kick them ten thousand meters away.
"Human, you said you'd take me outside today. I think I was looking forward to it too much. I was so excited last night that I couldn't sleep."
"Uh, so you've just been sitting beside my bed waiting for me to wake up? Hey, silly girl. You could've just woken me."
"N-No, it's fine. I'm a vampire, so I'm actually more energetic at night. And... I'm very good at waiting."
Luna shook her head as she spoke. Besides, waiting hadn't been boring at all. After all, there had been a sight right in front of her that she could never grow tired of looking at—Elias' sleeping face.
Back in that room where there had been nothing but books, coffins, and her sleeping older sister, Luna's favorite thing to look at had always been her sister's sleeping face.
It possessed a beauty like that of a moon goddess. Even Sleeping Beauty from her storybooks was far inferior to her sister.
However, after savoring the sight for a long time last night, Luna had been forced to admit that her sister's sleeping face was no longer number one in her heart. Elias looked many times better asleep than her sister did.
Especially at the moment he woke up.
The instant his mismatched golden and blue eyes opened...
It was as though the sun and moon had appeared together.
"You're used to waiting, huh... I'll try not to make you wait anymore, Luna. Let's head out right now."
Elias raised a hand and gently stroked Luna's head.
Then the clothes on his body transformed. Under the reconstruction of the authority of Truth, they became a fitted white outfit suitable for a date with a girl, with a cross and silver coin pendant hanging over his chest.
...
The two then left the hotel. The vampire girl walked along the street with equal parts nervousness and excitement, her crimson eyes darting everywhere. Just like yesterday, she constantly asked Elias what this was and what that was.
This world was so fresh, colorful, and dazzling to her, completely unlike the simple illustrations in her storybooks.
Luna was a little worried that she might be asking too many questions and that Elias would eventually become annoyed. Yet the white-haired young man continued introducing the world to her with endless patience.
However, because it was the weekend and also Children's Day, the streets were far more crowded than usual, causing Luna to shrink behind Elias like a timid little animal.
"H-Human, you absolutely can't leave me."
The vampire girl's eyes had already turned into dizzy spirals. She had never seen so many people before.
After all, she had spent her entire life shut away indoors. Now that she had suddenly entered the outside world and found herself facing hundreds or even thousands of people, Luna naturally developed a bout of social anxiety and instinctively hid behind the only person who gave her any sense of security—Elias.
And because the two of them were far too handsome and adorable, their head-turning rate was practically one hundred percent.
As long as someone wasn't blind, they couldn't help taking several extra looks at Elias and Luna before beating their chest and lamenting how unfair the creator was. Those two were premium collectible figurines, while everyone else looked like random splatters of mud carelessly flung aside.
However, unlike Elias, who had long since grown accustomed to being the center of attention, the gazes of all those people placed an enormous burden on Luna.
Elias immediately released the authority of the Herrscher of Transcendent Sentience, causing everyone to ignore both his and Luna's existence.
Even without all those gazes, though, the sheer presence of so many people still made Luna extremely nervous and uncomfortable.
"Luna, let's hold hands while we walk."
"Eh?"
"Focus your attention on our joined hands and don't worry about anyone else. That should make you feel a little better. Don't worry. I won't leave you."
As Elias spoke, he extended his hand toward Luna, like a white knight inviting a vampire princess to join him.
The vampire girl stared blankly at that smile, which seemed even more dazzling than the sun, then instinctively placed her small hand in Elias'. With that, the distance between them grew even smaller.
Both possessed extraordinarily noble airs, rare and beautiful mismatched eyes and crimson eyes, as well as flawless pure-white hair. Together, they looked like royal siblings from some distant kingdom.
"...Human, your hand is so big... and so warm."
Luna stared intently at their joined hands and frankly voiced what she felt in her heart.
The white-haired young man's hand completely enveloped her tiny one.
Moreover, Luna felt that Elias seemed very skilled at holding hands. His grip was neither too firm nor too loose. She didn't have to worry about accidentally slipping free, yet he didn't squeeze hard enough to hurt her either.
She instinctively made a comparison in her mind.
Before Elias, the only person who had ever held her hand was the sister who had betrayed her. But... her sister didn't understand at all! She always squeezed far too hard, and Luna's hand would hurt every single time.
"Warm? Won't it feel too hot in weather like this?"
"No... this is perfect... I really like it."
Luna shook her head vigorously as she answered.
Having Elias hold her hand gave her an indescribable sense of security. More amazingly, the crowd she had been unable to cope with just moments ago suddenly didn't seem to bother her anymore.
I wish I could keep walking while holding this hand forever... The thought flashed through the vampire girl's mind.
"Mhm, I like Luna's hand too. It's small, soft, and cool. It feels really comfortable to hold."
Elias spoke sincerely as well, his eyes narrowing comfortably. In this sweltering weather, the vampire girl's cool little hand was nothing short of a priceless treasure.
At those words, Luna's cheeks reddened slightly, and the hand clasped with Elias' unconsciously tightened.
"By the way, is your body all right?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"As far as I know, vampires are supposed to be afraid of sunlight. And the more people there are around, the stronger their urge to drink blood becomes."
Elias glanced at the sea of people around them, then up at the blazing sun overhead, and couldn't help worrying about Luna's condition.
"I-I'm fine, Human. I don't feel uncomfortable, and I'm not thirsty either. Really!"
Luna's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly answered.
"Oh? That's good. Looks like Luna is an extremely powerful vampire. In legends, vampires like grand dukes or true ancestors really do seem to be immune to sunlight, garlic, and crosses."
Of course, the vampire created through the mutation and fusion of "Vishnu" and the "Key of Corruption" might be an entirely different species from the vampires described in those legends.
Elias regarded Luna with intense interest. He was curious about her existence and very much wanted to understand it in greater depth.
Under the gaze of those burning mismatched eyes, Luna felt somewhat embarrassed, but she didn't dislike it.
In the past, aside from her sister, every human who saw her and learned that she was a vampire would look at her with fear. As for Grandpa... his was simply the gaze one used to look at a tool.
"Human, you don't think I'm scary at all."
"Hm? Scary? What part of you is scary, Luna?"
"I-I'm a vampire who drinks human blood. And I often lose control. A lot of people say I'm a monster."
"That's it? Luna, don't worry about it. People have always liked to call things they can't understand or defeat either gods or monsters, then worship or fear them. But none of that has anything to do with us. In my eyes... you're just a cute girl."
Elias smiled as he spoke. As far as he was concerned, all he saw was an unbelievably adorable girl.
And being afraid of Luna because of her abilities was something that could never happen to Elias. After all, by that logic, he was the far more terrifying monster.
Twelve Herrscher authorities, the abilities of hundreds of thousands of Honkai Beasts, and the endless, infinite authorities of two Pseudo Gods...
To ordinary people, Luna might indeed be a terrifying monster because she was a vampire. But Elias was the greatest and most terrifying monster in the entire world.
"Because of the power we possess, there will be many people in this world who worship us, and many who fear us. But none of that is worth caring about."
Elias spoke seriously to the vampire girl.
"Don't pay too much attention to how other people see you. What matters is how we see ourselves. That's the most important thing."
Elias spoke those words from the bottom of his heart.
By now, he possessed power, lifespan, and knowledge great enough to be called those of a "god." Even so, Elias still regarded himself as human. And it was precisely because of that self-perception that he had managed to preserve his human heart and humanity.
Luna listened in a daze.
Compared with Elias, her life and experience were both far too brief and shallow. The vampire girl stared straight at this white-haired young man, who seemed as though he would never lose his way, and couldn't help feeling admiration well up inside her.
After a brief silence, Luna spoke.
"Human... if... if even I think of myself as a monster... what should I do?"
"Uh, that's honestly something I've never considered."
Elias stroked his chin, somewhat surprised.
After all, he had never regarded himself as a monster, and neither had the people around him. More importantly, no matter what era he lived in, countless people had always loved him.
Being rejected and feared as a monster, the way Luna had been?
No. Elias had always been a beloved hero!
After thinking seriously for a while, Elias realized that he still couldn't understand Luna's feelings. He was simply far too popular.
And so...
"Emmm... in that case, Luna, you can think of me as a monster too."
"Eh? Human, what did you say?"
Luna froze, unable to understand what Elias meant. The next second, he gently stroked her head with his other hand and said,
"If Luna is a monster, then I'm a monster too. That makes us companions. If anyone hates you or hurts you, then come to me, Luna. I'll protect you."
"..."
Luna immediately froze, unable to say a word. The vampire girl suddenly realized that her vision had blurred.
Uncontrollable tears spilled from her crimson eyes. But unlike the tears she had shed in sorrow in the past, at this moment the vampire girl's heart was overflowing with emotion and joy.
Luna felt as though some unfamiliar emotion had taken root deep within her heart and begun to sprout.