Whether the rules of Paths are a blessing or a curse was something 'Finality Kiana' couldn't quite say for sure.
After all, in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, the screening mechanism of that Cocoon was an ultimate engine of torment in its own right.
If you forced her to compare the two systems, she could only say they both sucked in their own special ways.
If she truly had a choice, she wouldn't want either of them.
As for what that Cocoon actually was, that remained a total mystery. This world seemed vast and grand, but its recorded history was suspiciously short compared to the actual age of the universe.
Heaven only knows what kind of monsters and gods lurked in that distant, unrecorded past.
It was even possible that in some other godforsaken corner of the cosmos, there was something similar to the Cocoon, walling off its own little plot of land and playing by its own house rules.
She could craft small worlds with her own hands and manipulate them at will; those ancient entities would surely be even more adept at such games than she was.
'Finality Kiana' had a feeling Aha knew something. But the Aeon was too busy snickering to tell her anything, which left her thoroughly annoyed.
By the same token, she was worried that triggering the Cocoon's mechanisms might bring some strange catastrophe down upon the Earth she had already "cleared." Because of that, she really didn't dare think about running back there.
What if the Cocoon was intentionally isolating the Paths?
What if the moment a world got tainted by a Path, the Cocoon just initiated a Great Die-off and hit the reset button?
God knows if such a hidden mechanism existed.
However, the one advantage Bai Ming had over the other Aeons was that she didn't rely on her own will to practice her Path.
Her consciousness remained in a state that hadn't touched a sliver of any Path.
The power those Aeons bestowed upon her wasn't because they valued her will, anyway. All she had to do was keep those powers partitioned and make sure they didn't follow her consciousness back.
But if her main body went over...
Just sending a mental projection felt a bit dull. What was the point if she couldn't cuddle and get close with the Valkyries?
Before 'Finality Kiana' could decide on a course of action, the Kiana on the other side had already cautiously extended her consciousness.
With a bit of recklessness, she made contact with the mental thread 'Finality Kiana' had reached out.
"Who are you? Why do your aura and power feel exactly like mine?! Even my own sister doesn't look as much like me as you do! You aren't a version of me from a parallel world, are you? Whoa—don't tell me I just gained a little sister?"
Kiana's voice, adorable yet tinged with a hint of wariness, drifted into 'Finality Kiana's' heart through their mental link.
Though, why did it feel like there was more than a little excitement buried at the end of that sentence?
'Finality Kiana' twitched her lips. This girl was a bit of a loose cannon, wasn't she?
She hadn't even figured out the situation before hooking her consciousness in and starting to ramble. Where was her sense of caution? Where did it go?
And how old did this girl think she was, daring to call a senior several centuries her elder "little sister"?
If they were counting seniority, 'Finality Kiana' would have to include those hundreds of years she'd been scammed out of by Equilibrium.
Ignoring Aha, who was loitering nearby, 'Finality Kiana' sent back a response:
"Are you sure I'm the little sister? I'm seven or eight hundred years old. You're several cycles younger than Welt, aren't you? You should be calling me 'Big Sister,' Kiana~"
"I don't want another big sister!! Wait... hold on, Welt? You know Welt? Is he okay right now?"
Kiana's voice came through with delighted surprise. 'Finality Kiana' could practically picture the girl's adorable expression.
"I found your side by following the path Welt took when he came here. He can't go back for the time being, but he's doing pretty well."
"That's good~ Then I can breathe a sigh of relief."
"I was originally thinking of heading over to your side for a bit, but it seems a little inconvenient. Do you want to come over to my side and play? I've got a surprise for you~"
A sliver of a smile touched 'Finality Kiana's' lips. If Kiana could see Himeko, she'd probably be deeply moved. It would be a bit of a comfort for her soul.
As for the problem of her not being able to cross over? Well, she could just let the people from Kiana's side come here instead!
After all, according to Aha, the level of an average Pathstrider probably wasn't concentrated enough to trigger any mechanisms.
Even if they did end up stepping onto a Path, she could just help them wall it off. The power of the Paths wasn't so pervasive that it could bypass her.
The moment Kiana heard she could visit, her interest was piqued.
But she quickly calmed herself, silently reminding herself that she wasn't that ordinary girl swinging a baseball bat anymore—she was the Herrscher of Finality who could swing a baseball bat.
She had to watch over Earth; she couldn't just walk away.
"Sorry, it's not really convenient for me to leave right now."
Hearing this, 'Finality Kiana' pursed her lips in disappointment. Well, there goes the plan of having Kiana come over for some quality bonding time.
But even if the main body couldn't come, a mental projection would work just fine if Kiana just wanted to visit.
As for a body, she could just whip one up on the spot. Kiana could even pick out what style she wanted.
"It's fine if your main body can't make it. Just project your consciousness over; I can handle the body issue on this end."
"Really? Oh, right, you're also Finality. Making a body should be a piece of cake for you. Woo-hoo! Once I'm done playing, I'll tell Mei and the others the good news about Welt!"
Kiana cheered in her mind.
Soon after, 'Finality Kiana' could feel Kiana's consciousness rapidly climbing up her mental thread, piercing through the barriers between worlds and exploring toward this side.
This "climbing the pole" behavior at the mental level resulted in 'Finality Kiana' finding her consciousness in very intimate contact with Kiana's.
It wasn't to the point of peeking into memories, but she could very clearly sense the other's emotional shifts.
For instance, right now Kiana was overflowing with curiosity, excitement, anticipation, and a tiny bit of nervousness.
With no intention of scolding Kiana for her impulsive behavior, 'Finality Kiana' raised her hand.
A small silver snake projected light from its eyes, and before long, a body began to take shape—modeled after the grown-up Kiana in her memory.
To keep the power of the Paths isolated, she used purely technological means to create an artificial hollow shell. Inside the body, she pre-loaded a simple "Elation Equation."
This ensured that even if Kiana didn't use the power of Finality, she would still have strength to draw upon.
Since it was a Path Equation etched directly into the body, Kiana didn't actually have to touch the power of the Path herself; everything could be operated through the equation.
At the same time, this equation acted as a barrier, preventing Kiana's will from hooking into the Paths and becoming a Pathstrider.
Guided by 'Finality Kiana', Kiana's consciousness soon successfully projected into the body. Then, the body slowly opened its eyes.
Her first look was at 'Finality Kiana', and she froze for a second. "Why do you look exactly like me? Is that even legal?"
Kiana had seen versions of herself before, and while they weren't as strong as her, they usually had their own distinct looks. Finding someone who looked identical was a first.
But soon, Kiana was distracted by the power within her new body.
"Whoa, this body is amazing! It looks just like me, but there's a completely different logic for using power inside. What is this?"
As she spoke, Kiana's form shifted.
She not only shrank a bit, but her clothes transformed into the classic White Comet Valkyrie armor, and her long hair snapped into her signature twin braids.
"What a fun way to work! It's like rewriting reality directly. What's the process? Is it really just 'I think, therefore it is' power?"
Because of 'Finality Kiana's' deliberate settings, all of Kiana's thoughts were handled automatically by the equation.
The Path power she drew upon never passed through her actual consciousness.
To her, the whole process was a total black box. Aside from sensing that it was accomplished by manipulating Imaginary Energy, she couldn't feel a thing.
"This is the power system of our side, called a Path. I can give you a detailed introduction on the way, but please don't look too deeply into this power. Otherwise, I'll have to send you back."
"Huh? Oh... okay, I won't look then."
Kiana, who had just been about to test her skills, stopped immediately. She poked her tongue out sheepishly at 'Finality Kiana'.
Seeing that cute expression, 'Finality Kiana', who had intended to give a sterner warning, could only shake her head and explain: "It's not that I'm trying to keep things from you. I just can't guarantee that you'll be safe if you come into contact with this power..."
She tried to explain the differences between the power systems of the two worlds, including Zandar's theories, her own guesses, and the logic behind the construction of this body.
However, 'Finality Kiana' had clearly forgotten Kiana's "lovable idiot" attribute.
By the time she was halfway through, Kiana's eyes had turned into dizzying swirls. By the end, it was in one ear and out the other. In the end, she even forgot the first half entirely.
The only thing she managed to retain was the guess concerning the Cocoon.
So, even though her head was spinning, Kiana raised her little hand and swore:
"...It's so hard, I don't get it. But I'll remember the part about the Cocoon maybe making a move because of Path power. I swear I won't go poking around that power."
Having said that, Kiana's eyes suddenly lit up. She rubbed her chin and leaned in close to 'Finality Kiana'.
"But speaking of which, is the 'me' of this world actually this smart? Hehe, I've definitely gotta brag about this to Bronya when I get back!"
"..."
Bragging that an alternate-world version of yourself is smart? Only you would think of that. Isn't that basically admitting to your face that you're a dummy, so you're using another version of yourself to save face...
'Finality Kiana' wore an awkward expression but didn't explain. She was afraid Kiana wouldn't be able to wrap her head around the logic anyway. She reached out and took Kiana's hand, cutting off her rambling.
"Let's go. I'll take you to see Welt and introduce you to this world while we're at it."
"To see Welt? Sounds great! It's the perfect chance to let his family know he's safe!"
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL