Although he already knew from the game that Firefly had been a weapon since birth and that her life before joining the Stellaron Hunters was a total tragedy...
...it was just a text description. It was nowhere near as shocking as actually obtaining Firefly's Remembrance and experiencing it firsthand. That sky-blotting Swarm, the countless comrades dying before her—Firefly had endured far too much.
This girl had been fighting the Swarm since birth because she was born as a weapon, a consumable. Her destiny was to die in battle against the Swarm, burning out her life and vanishing as a flicker of light on the battlefield. Her life consisted only of combat and slaughter; only at the final moment did she realize the meaning of life.
Just then, the silver-haired girl's eyelids fluttered slightly, and she opened those beautiful and strange eyes, blue on top and pink below.
Firefly gazed at the youth before her. Countless unfamiliar Remembrances flooded her mind, granting her simple self a wealth of knowledge she shouldn't have known.
Liu Xing's expression stiffened. Entering someone else's mental space without permission and unintentionally obtaining their Remembrance was far too rude. Now that the owner had awakened, he couldn't help but fall into an awkward situation.
Not to mention the other party was Firefly, his Waifu. He could only offer an awkward smile and explain, "S-Sorry, you know, this was force majeure. I had no other choice just now."
Firefly was a Molten Knight who had killed innumerable bugs; she was decisive in slaughter and could crush a pathetic spirit like him with a single finger.
He was just an ordinary person, while Firefly was a Pathstrider. This was also Firefly's mental space, her home turf—if she truly intended to kill him, he would definitely die.
Firefly remained silent for a moment, silently processing the Remembrances in her mind. Then she stood up, instinctively covering her chest with her hand, looked at Liu Xing with a tranquil smile, and said softly, "Hello, I am a Glamoth Iron Cavalry, Firefly Type IV, AR-26710."
Then she tilted her head and said with a half-smile, "And also your Waifu, Firefly."
"Boom!"
These words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving Liu Xing stunned. He forced a stiff smile and asked hoarsely, "You also..."
Firefly nodded. "That's right, I know everything now, Babe."
Liu Xing clutched his heart, his mouth twitching. She was too good at this! The Firefly who hadn't joined the Stellaron Hunters yet couldn't possibly know so much. He was certain now—Firefly had obtained his Remembrances.
"Don't you blame me? I've changed your original fate."
Liu Xing said bitterly.
Firefly shook her head and smiled. "This isn't your fault, and it might not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, in my original fate, I might not have survived anyway."
Liu Xing fell silent. Knowing MiHoYo's track record, they really might have killed off Firefly.
"What's done is done, and I don't blame you. On the contrary, your Remembrances have given me a lot and helped me figure out many things."
Firefly gave a gentle, soul-healing smile.
Liu Xing was dazed for several seconds. His Waifu was right in front of him, looking at him with a smile, making him feel as if he were in a dream.
"So, is the Immortal Master better looking, or the Waifu?"
Firefly kept one hand over her chest while waving the other in front of Liu Xing's eyes, her eyes curving into crescents.
Liu Xing said blankly, "As long as it's you, you're beautiful."
As soon as he spoke, the scene fell into silence. After a good while, Liu Xing snapped out of it and laughed awkwardly, "Uh, I'll go check outside first."
With that, Liu Xing fled from Firefly's mental space.
"Pfft."
Seeing Liu Xing's retreating back as he fled in panic, Firefly covered her mouth and giggled, but a closer look revealed her slightly reddened earlobes.
After leaving Firefly's mental space, Liu Xing stared dumbfounded at the three- or four-year-old silver-haired loli before him and muttered, "Can someone tell me where my fair-skinned, beautiful, empathetic, and perfectly-figured Firefly went?"
Firefly couldn't help but glare at Liu Xing. Even though he was praising her, she wasn't happy at all.
She looked at her tiny arms and legs with a look of despair, feeling a bit hopeless. She had been born with a teenage body and had never experienced childhood, which left her feeling a bit lost.
"It's likely because of this space that your body has undergone rejuvenation."
Liu Xing looked thoughtfully at the pitch-black space beyond the starlight. By now, he could no longer feel that pulling sensation, suggesting they had escaped that vortex-like environment.
Firefly's physical change was undoubtedly related to that vortex-like space.
Seeing Firefly's pouting little face, Liu Xing smiled and comforted her, "It's okay, Firefly. At least this way, your 'entropy loss syndrome' should be alleviated."
Firefly was a member of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, and every cavalryman was a gene-edited infant. To prevent the Republic's most powerful weapons from falling into others' hands, the people of Glaumr added "insurance" to the warriors' genetic code—namely, "entropy loss syndrome." Those suffering from this condition would experience an irreversible chronic dissociation of their physical structure, meaning they were slowly disappearing. This "disappearance" was almost imperceptible to others; they could still run, jump, and communicate, just always a bit slower than everyone else, then slower and slower, until the outlines of themselves and the entire World became blurred, unable to distinguish reality from dreams because both had become equally shattered.
Thus, every Glamoth Iron Cavalry was a consumable, their lives finite. Firefly was no different. Although she had gained a new life, undergone a transformation, and broken the limits of a Glamoth Iron Cavalry, "entropy loss syndrome" still accompanied her.
But now, because of unknown reasons, Firefly's body had rejuvenated, meaning her lifespan had been extended. At least for the short term, there was no need to worry about her vanishing before Liu Xing due to "entropy loss syndrome."
Firefly nodded. She wanted to live, to live freely. Her body becoming smaller was a good thing for her, because with her original body, she didn't know how many more years she could have held on.
Liu Xing squatted down, looked at the silver-haired loli, and smiled. "Firefly, if I'm still alive at the end of the journey, we'll find a way to treat 'entropy loss syndrome' together. The World is so big and the Universe so vast, there must be a way."
If it were the Firefly from before her Awakening, her heart would have held only slaughter and battle. But after her Awakening and gaining Liu Xing's Remembrances, her will to survive was fully charged.
"Mhm, I won't give up. Neither should you. I'll help you find a way to reconstruct your Physical Body."
Seeing Firefly's serious little face, Liu Xing chuckled. Little Firefly was quite cute too!