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

6. BACK TO REALITY [1]

Elysia: "Are you alright?"

Mei just came back from the Elysian Realm to reality.
But...

Mei: "Ugh..."

Elysia: "Guess not. Don't worry, the first step is always tough, you'll get used to it soon enough."
Elysia: "Relax and take it slowly."

Mei did as she was told, calming herself down with constant deep breaths and out.
Soon enough, she was still like water that hasn't been touched nor moved.

Elysia: "You're doing just great. Here, let help you a bit. Remember this place?"

Mei:  "..."
She tries her hardest to remember.
Mei:  'Hmm, I better refresh my memory...'

...
...
...

Mei:  "After the Herrscher of Dominance was defeated, I somehow was gained permission to enter the deepest part of the shrine."
Mei:  'That's World Serpent's greatest secret. The winding corridor extends from a corner of the altar into the darkness.'
Mei:  'Raven told me it's where new agents were initiated. I had my thoughts about what awaited me there.'
Mei:  'But now, that I'm finally here... I see a golden palace, something that I never expected.'
Mei:  'And... I didn't expect for someone to be waiting for me here either.'

Mei:  "..."
Mei looks at the transparent monitor of some sorts in front of her.
She notices her name and some sort of information she couldn't get out of it, but it seems to track her every step, level, and limit.
Mei:  'Does that thing show my stats?'

Elysia:  "Interested about this?" Elysia said, as if she read Mei's mind.
Elysia:  "This is something to track my descendant's well-being as well as their limit status. Just now, I was able to track the level of your limit in the Elysian Realm. That's how I prepared the exit for you before you got even worse."

Mei: "Then, that's how you prepared the back door."
Elysia: "Of course, this is your first time doing this, there's no need to rush this nor pressure you at all."

Mei: "..."

The Pink Elf recognized her gaze and returned a smile.
Elysia:  "Staring at me like that, even I might get shy."

Mei: "...Sorry."

Elysia: "Don't worry, I forgive you. You feel better now?"

Mei: "I'm fine."

Elysia: "Well, do you still remember who I am?"

Mei: "..."

Elysia: "What? You still haven't recovered? Or you've forgotten who I am? Ah, I thought you'd remember my name... You just broke my heart."

Mei: "..."

Elysia: "I was joking, you're a bit dull. Okay, I'll introduce myself again."

Mei: "There's no need, Elysia."

Elysia: "So you did recover a bit. And a bonus, you remembered my name. I'm proud of you."

Mei: "I just needed the time to think for a while."

Elysia: "That you did. In the end, you remembered who I am within amount of minutes. You have my compliments."

Mei: "Thank you, but I must say it's hard to keep it together after leaving."

Elysia:  "If you need more time, I don't mind."

Mei: "It's fine. I'm now okay to move on."

Elysia: "Really now? Then, we're moving on to the next step."
Elysia: "This time, I'll be with you physically as you go through waves in the realm."

Mei: "Before you said that, you were nowhere to be found."

Elysia: "I'm so sorry about that, I just needed to see how freely you can explore the realm as well as test you before actually being with you there at the time.
Elysia: "Your first trial was meant to be taken as a small test until the real thing."
Elysia: "Then, I would see how far you've gone without the Flame-Chaser's help."
Elysia: "But this time will be different. I will be right alongside you this time. Consider this as your second trial. I'll explain as I go."

Mei did look a bit confused, yet she obliged at the same time.
This might be a trap for all she knows, yet she still goes anyways.
Mei doubts that it's the latter, yet she will be the judge to Elysia's actions.
Despite so, Mei nods her head in agreement.

Mei: "Okay then, let's go."