Y/N, THE 14TH MEMBER OF THE FLAMECHASERS: An [Honkai Impact 3rd] Mini-Story

15. BACK TO REALITY [3]

It was blank for a moment.
In a blink of an eye, her eyes memorizes the place.
The entrance to the Elysian Realm.
The War Room.
And the lobby room that used to be locked...
Mei knew she came back to reality.

???:  "Welcome back, Mei."

Mei:  "Elysia."

As usual, Elysia was relaxing on a booth in the lobby hall, awaiting her successor's return.
Elysia:  "As expected, you perform way too well for your well-being. Perhaps being a Herrscher has its perks."

Mei:  "So you did stay the entire time."

Elysia:  "Of course, Miss Pink Elf here never likes breaking her promises after all."
Elysia:  "And so? How was the meeting with Kalpas?"

Mei:  "Difficult, even when I was using all of my power and even had the assistance with the signets I collected, I still couldn't beat him."

Elysia:  "Of course you couldn't."
Elysia:  "Even if that was his true power in the real world, you wouldn't equal him."
Elysia:  "As you know, the one you just met is named Kalpas, a MANTIS member of The Thirteen Flame-chasers. He is rank six out of us thirteen."
Elysia:  "He may be five ranks below Kevin, but it doesn't change the fact that he can outclass a Herrscher despite his power, strength, ability, and of course, his rank."

Mei:  "No wonder why his power was at par against mine, even a bit greater if I may say."
Mei:  'If that's the case, is this the power of the Flame-Chasers that took down the Previous Era Herrschers because of their immaculate powers?'

Elysia:  "It's the fruit of his efforts that he made it this far. I can say the same to everyone including us."
Elysia:  "Even so, I believe rank doesn't define the level of strength a person is."
Elysia:  "It can define for some, but not all. This applies to everyone around here."
Elysia:  "Enough of that, come and relax. I know you must be tired from going on a three trials just like that."

Mei:  "It's fine, I can stand."

Elysia:  "Mei, I understand you want to stay strong. But there are times you need to rest your mind. The more you go within the Elysian Realm without being fully aware, the more danger your mind will be if you're not careful enough. There are some flaws to losing your mind in the Elysian Realm and I'll make sure that doesn't happen while I'm here."
Elysia:  "Now, I want you to rest upon my request, please?"

Mei:  "..."
Mei silently made her way to the booth and took a seat.
Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea.
As soon as she sits down and makes herself comfortable...
Her nerves, muscles, even her whole body started to relax.
Maybe, she should've took a break and listened to Elysia's advice the first time.

Mei:  "Perhaps, this 'is' something that I need before moving on."

Elysia:  "And what did I tell you?" Elysia says, giving Mei her grinning smile.

Mei:  "I guess I do owe you an apology."

Elysia:  "Apology accepted. Just make sure you takes breaks, otherwise it might not look good for you if you don't."
Elysia:  "Anyways, take all the time you need."
Elysia:  "I believe you won't be meeting anyone new anytime soon, so just take a very nice long time relaxing while you can."
Elysia:  "Or you can talk to the other Flame-Chasers you've just met."
Elysia:  "Oh, that includes me too."

Mei:  "I'd rather relax. Soon, I'll be going to the Elysian Realm to fight some more enemies."

Elysia:  "For someone like you, you're very stubborn, aren't you?"
Elysia:  "Well, no matter."
Elysia:  "You are now the successor of the Elysian Realm now, so you're free to do whatever you want."
Elysia:  "Just don't forget to take break every now and often, I don't want to go through a heart attack just because our successor wanted to ignore her well-being."

Mei:  "Yes, yes, I get it."

Elysia:  "Mmhm, you also look like you want to talk to me about something as well."

Mei:  "Are you sure you're doing this on purpose or is it just coincidence?"

Elysia:  "I can tell by your expression, it's actually easy to tell. That troubled look could give it away to anyone who notices."

Mei:  "..."

Elysia:  "Well, not going to tell me?"

Mei:  "No, it's irreverent for now. I'll think upon it before asking."

Elysia:  "Okay then, I'll be ready for you when you need me. I'm gonna go search for Sakura."
Elysia:  "Catch you later?"

Mei:  "..."
Mei:  "Y-yeah."