Everyone arrived at the ruins of the Previous Era—Haiyuan City.
Here, Bronya met her two former sisters, Rosalia and Liliya.
She also learned an important piece of information from Einstein.
A year ago, Einstein and the leader of Anti-Entropy, Welt Yang, entered the Sea of Quanta together, but there they encountered an overwhelmingly powerful entity.
So powerful that no one in this world could stand against them.
Moreover, Welt Yang learned of an extraordinary plan from this entity.
For the sake of the world's safety, Welt Yang ultimately sacrificed himself, sealing the entity at the cost of his own life, while Einstein managed to escape.
At that moment, Einstein was attacked by a mysterious figure, and the Eye of the Abyss went out of control for unknown reasons.
To retrieve the Desire Gem, Bronya leapt into the Sea of Quanta alone amidst the chaos.
Of course, this wasn't the most critical part.
The most critical issue was that in the next episode's trailer, Himeko's figure appeared once again, and she was dressed in entirely different attire.
[Holy crap! Did Himeko win the resurrection race?]
[Badass, badass, hahaha!]
[I knew it! If Tingyun could win the resurrection race, it's totally normal for Himeko to win too.]
[Could it be a trap? Like, they bring her back only to kill her again?]
[How could it be a trap? Look, Himeko's even wearing a new outfit! That means she won the resurrection race and got new gear!]
[Hahaha, that's great, that's great! As long as it's not trailer deception, we're good.]
[Sigh, miHoYo chose to resurrect Himeko after all. They caved under the audience's relentless criticism. I still liked their old, defiant attitude.]
[I like how you guys are acting now. Heh heh heh heh heh heh!]
— —
The audience embarked on a new wave of emotional breakdowns.
Bronya slowly opened her eyes.
A young boy came into view.
Seeing Bronya awake, the boy casually introduced himself, "Call me Joachim. What's your name?"
Bronya hesitated for a moment before answering, "Bronya."
After some conversation, Joachim persistently urged Bronya to leave this place as soon as possible.
But Bronya's resolve was firm, showing strength beyond her years. She still wanted to venture deeper into the Sea of Quanta.
Joachim gave a bitter smile. "If that's the case, Bronya, the trials you'll face have only just begun!"
With that, he pushed her forcefully, sending Bronya into a new abyss.
"You will go to another world, a completely different world. Be careful—past confusion and pain will become your greatest enemies.
In that world, tell me your answer!"
Bronya slowly closed her eyes, letting herself fall into the abyss.
[So, who's Joachim?]
[He kinda looks like Welt Yang. Could he be his son?]
[That kid is Welt Yang's younger self. Welt Yang's name was inherited—his original name was Joachim.]
[Oh, so that's how it is?]
[So, what's the deal with this story?]
[Just keep watching. We're all in the same boat.]
— —
"Bronya…"
Himeko's voice reached Bronya's ears.
Bronya slowly raised her gaze, only to see Himeko appear on the screen once again.
At this moment, the barrage was completely dominated by "ohhhhhhhhhhhhh."
But.
As the camera followed Bronya's movement, something felt off. This place was identical to St. Freya from before.
[We're screwed.]
[Is this a flashback?]
[Goddamn it, miHoYo, are you even human? Is this how you make trailers?]
[Give me back my Himeko, give her back!]
[So it's the Himeko from memories, a reconstructed Himeko.]
[Don't lose hope! Joachim said this is another world. Could it be… a parallel world?]
[I get it, haha, I get it! Everything before was just Bronya's dream, and this is the real world now.]
[Poor kid, already broken by the knife so soon.]
— —
Bronya spent a morning with Himeko and Squad Leader Fu Hua, one that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
The more the three interacted, the more their bond was highlighted, and the more painful it was for the audience to watch.
After all, none of it could ever return.
During a break between classes, Bronya organized her thoughts.
Though there was no concrete evidence, this was likely not a parallel world.
[Argh, why did you have to say it out loud?]
[Couldn't they skip that line?]
[Couldn't they let us hold onto the mystery a bit longer?]
So Bronya needed to gather more information about this world. Fortunately, the next class that afternoon was history.
"Wow, so many students are absent today."
Cocolia walked in slowly from the door, wearing her familiar outfit, though her voice was much gentler than before.
"!!!"
Bronya stared intently at Cocolia.
"Class is starting. Everyone, back to your seats. History lesson begins now!"
"What?" Bronya's heart jolted. Cocolia was the history teacher?
But what Cocolia said next left the entire screen filled with question marks.
The Herrscher of the Void was successfully defeated in '22, thanks in large part to the mecha developed by Schicksal's North American branch and the efforts of the S-rank Valkyrie, Cecilia.
"If a Valkyrie has no judgment of her own, no sense of right and wrong, and only follows orders, she's no different from a tool."
[Hey, hey, hey, do you even hear yourself? Is that your line?]
[Fake. This world is definitely fake.]
[Not necessarily. If the worldline changed, Cocolia's mindset would naturally change too.]
[The difference is a bit too much.]
[Honestly, this feels like a perfect ending.]
[Theresa: Screw this!]
— —
At that moment.
Himeko stopped Cocolia, who was about to leave.
After a brief discussion, they learned there was a mission from headquarters that evening.
However, they only had four people, which was a bit short on numbers.
Having seen Bronya's skills, Himeko strongly recommended her for the mission.
Bronya also believed that following Cocolia might lead her to the answers she sought.
The scene shifted to nighttime.
Bronya, Cocolia, Fu Hua, and Himeko had all gathered.
They were waiting for the final member to arrive.
"Sorry, I'm late."
A girl in a blue dress, hands on her knees, appeared in the frame.
Bronya's pupils shook. "How could it be? Why is it you, Seele?!"