"Ah... hmm... Well, this is quite... the coincidence."
Xin Yu floated in outer space, looking at the barren satellite not far from him, unable to hold back the comment.
That's right, he was in outer space again. And not far ahead was, once again, the Moon. Only this time, he wasn't lucky enough to land directly on it, instead drifting nearby.
"Too bad there's no Chang'e on this Moon, no Luna, and no Lao Li... Wait, who are those last two? Why did I even think of them?"
After flying for a while, Xin Yu landed on the Moon. But since he had arrived on the Moon again, he couldn't help but recall the events of his previous visits.
Back then, when he saw the future Kiana chatting with her friends and family, he had inexplicably felt a strong sense of incompatibility with this world, and an intense feeling of Nihility surged within him.
This led to him falling into the Land of Nihility, becoming what Acheron called someone infected by Nihility.
It was strange. Looking back, that scene shouldn't have affected him much. After all, he had lost most of his memories; the event shouldn't have triggered any past recollections to induce feelings of loneliness.
So why did he suddenly experience such an overwhelming sense of Nihility out of nowhere?
And who were those black figures he saw when he turned his head?
Xin Yu felt like there were still many mysteries hidden within him. Even within his lost memories, there might be more than just the ordinary life of his past self; something else must be concealed there.
"Thinking carefully, my first space-time type transmigration took me directly to the future of the world I was in. The biggest change then was that my countdown increased, though that doesn't seem special; my countdown increases with every transmigration. The second time was the most peculiar. I seemed to be affected by something, entered Nihility, and then gained the power of Nihility."
"So, what about this third time? In this vast expanse of space-time, I've managed to arrive at this specific time point consecutively. There must be something very special happening here."
Xin Yu decided to explore the Moon thoroughly. Arriving at this future time point three times in a row, and appearing near the Moon each time – there had to be a reason behind it.
"It can't be because of Moon Kiana, can it? Ultimately, even if she's the female lead of this world, am I, an outsider, really that deeply connected to her?"
Mulling this over, Xin Yu began to wander the Moon. Unlike the previous two times where he was directly transported near Moon Kiana, this time he seemed to be quite far from her.
"But I remember before that a part of the Moon had its environment modified by them. That area had an atmosphere and some vegetation. I don't think I saw such an area just now. Is it because I'm not far enough away to see the whole picture?"
Thinking this, Xin Yu continued walking on the Moon. But after a while, he found something strange. Why were there so many broken swords stuck in the lunar surface?
Some swords were completely shattered into fragments, even their hilts broken into several pieces.
What on earth happened here?
Xin Yu didn't touch the swords but continued forward a few steps. Before long, he saw a somewhat familiar figure ahead.
Because not far in front of him, he saw a green-haired woman bending down to pick up a fragment.
It was a broken silver coin, only half remaining.
"...Mobius?"
Xin Yu's words spread outwards like ripples, clearly audible even in the vacuum environment.
The green-haired figure suddenly froze. She slowly turned around, looking at Xin Yu standing not far away. Her initially somewhat puzzled and unfamiliar gaze suddenly fixed. Then, past memories surfaced, like something forgotten and then recalled anew.
Mobius remembered the person she met when she had just left home. Strange, she clearly remembered not meeting anyone when she ran away.
But that inexplicable memory existed, real, telling Mobius that the person before her was indeed the one she met back then.
Even stranger, this memory seemed to lack an ending, like the beginning of a chapter that was never continued.
She couldn't even recall what happened after she parted ways with him to attend school.
Xin Yu looked at the figure, still petite, but completely different in demeanor and attire from the Mobius he knew.
Even though the Mobius before him looked like a child physically, her snake-like, bewitching charm exuded a distinct sense of maturity.
Is this the Mobius I know?
"...Xin Yu."
Mobius mouthed the name. Although the sound didn't travel, Xin Yu knew what she was saying.
Upon hearing her speak his name, Xin Yu realized he had apparently arrived in Mobius's future.
Xin Yu glanced around. This place looked like the aftermath of a brutal battle, a leftover battlefield.
"...What happened here?"
Mobius didn't answer. Her face, usually seen by outsiders as cold and bewitching, now revealed an unimaginable fragility.
No one would believe Mobius could show such an expression; it seemed almost like a joke.
But, at this moment, Mobius's heart was riddled with a thousand holes.
Most of the people she knew were dead. Those who hadn't died had left for their own plans.
Leaving Mobius all alone.
Yes, she could certainly survive, perhaps live on for a much longer time into the future, but Mobius felt it was meaningless now.
She wanted humanity to evolve, to conquer death, to overcome all diseases and suffering, but... if they couldn't defeat the Herrscher of Finality, couldn't overcome the Honkai, humanity simply couldn't evolve.
After all, the Honkai grew stronger alongside the flourishing of civilization.
What was the point of lonely immortality?
Her understander, her companions – all dead. Her comrades fought until the very last moment.
Only she remained.
Mobius's original plan was to come to the Moon to retrieve her comrades' relics, or perhaps their bodies if any still existed. At the very least, let them rest in peace in their homeland.
Then, Mobius would use her own life to complete one final plan.
...
Xin Yu walked up to Mobius, looking at the broken items she clutched in her arms, at her tightly pressed lips that spoke no words, yet her expression clearly conveyed the sorrow in her heart.
Xin Yu slowly reached out and pulled Mobius, who was floating slightly in the low gravity, into his embrace.
"You've suffered while I was gone."
"Trust me. This kind of future... I will change it."
Xin Yu's shoulder became damp.