The screen showed a desolate and lifeless space.
Beneath the space stretched a deep, lightless ocean that seemed to go on forever.
At the center of the sea, a multicolored light curtain descended from the sky, while not far away, on a stone path, Bronya was frantically pulling Seele along as they ran.
They ran fast—as if something was chasing behind them—daring not to stop for even a moment.
But just as they were about to reach the end, countless tendrils formed by quantum shadows surged forward from behind, quickly wrapping around the leg of the slightly slower Seele. She barely had time to scream before being dragged backward.
"Seele!"
Bronya cried out.
She rushed back, grabbing Seele with her left hand while drawing a dagger from her waist with her right. In one swift motion, she severed the tendril, freeing Seele from its grasp.
The severed tendrils recoiled, but before they could catch their breath, more came flooding in like a tidal wave!
Bronya pulled Seele up and turned to flee, slashing every tendril that came near with precise strikes of her dagger.
They barely managed to leap into the light curtain, yet still ended up entangled by the tendrils.
Seeing more tendrils approaching from every direction, Bronya knew they couldn't keep struggling like this.
She glanced at Seele. She didn't want Seele to return to that dark, lightless abyss again.
So...
She used all her strength to throw Seele forward—while she herself was ensnared tighter and tighter.
Seele's body floated like a kite, swaying in midair, with only a single tendril from Bronya's left hand still linking them.
"Bronya! Bronya!"
As if sensing something, Seele panicked and screamed loudly.
Bronya only gave her a gentle smile, then raised her dagger and resolutely cut the tendril connecting them.
"Seele... I'm sorry..."
A peaceful smile spread across Bronya's face. Finally... she had saved Seele.
A powerful force pulled Seele in, dragging her into the tunnel within the light curtain. The rift slowly closed. Seele struggled with all her might—stretching her hands, gripping the jagged crevices with all her strength. Even as her fingers bled profusely from the friction, she refused to let go!
She didn't want to be separated from Bronya.
She couldn't bear to see her beloved Bronya fall into the same terrifying darkness she once endured.
She knew better than anyone how terrifying that place was—so she refused!
"Do you want to die?!"
As the tunnel narrowed rapidly, if Seele didn't escape now, she might be trapped there forever.
Another consciousness inside Seele finally lost patience. A shadow appeared behind her and forcibly pried her hands off the wall.
The next second, Seele was thrown out of the Sea of Quanta. The door connecting reality and the Imaginary closed.
"Bronya... why..."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as helpless sobs escaped her lips like a lost beast. Clenching her fists, she pounded the ground with all her might.
"It's over. There's nothing you can do."
Black Seele appeared behind her. Though watching Seele cry made her uncomfortable, she said nothing.
Seele knelt on the floor, sobbing quietly.
Her bloodstained hands dyed the ground red. The wounds on her body looked painful enough to move anyone's heart.
Even so, she still refused to give up.
Sakura's words echoed in her mind—
"No matter what, I don't want to lose them."
"I'll protect them at all costs."
"Seele... you've thought that way before too, haven't you? At that moment... you're the strongest person in the world!"
Punch...
Another punch...
She struck the floor over and over with everything she had.
"The gate won't open again! You can't save her!"
"That's not true... It's not true! Bronya!!"
"Enough!"
Scarlet chains rushed in from all directions—Black Seele used her own power to form them and restrained Seele. Her top priority was always keeping Seele safe.
"That's enough." Black Seele lowered her head. Her voice softened.
"We promised... we'd go see the sea together..."
Crystalline tears fell endlessly from Seele's eyes.
Suddenly, on the floor where her tears landed, a pure white flower slowly bloomed.
The stigma on her chest shone with dazzling brilliance.
A surge of power erupted from within Seele, allowing her to easily break free from Black Seele's chains.
"Move already!! You... coward!!"
Seele shouted with all her might. Whether she was yelling at Black Seele or at herself—only she knew.
She had always been a coward. Even back at the orphanage. But now—for Bronya—she couldn't be one anymore.
With fists covered in blood, she slammed the fractured ground with everything she had.
In the next moment, the platform shattered—Seele re-entered the Sea of Quanta.
Her body became enveloped in white flowers, transforming into a new dress that symbolized her newfound strength.
Quantum shadows and other monsters surged toward her, trying to erase her existence.
To save Bronya, she fought desperately. After escaping several enemies, she was still surrounded by many more.
In that critical moment, Seele cried out tearfully to Black Seele:
"Please... the other me, come with me to save... the one who's always... always protected us!"
"...You really leave me no choice."
In a voice full of doting affection, Black Seele answered—her lips curled into a confident smile.
A booming sound erupted. Crimson energy vaporized the Honkai beasts around Seele. Black Seele embraced her from behind, placing her hands over the stigma on Seele's chest, drawing out its power.
"Go, Seele. Let's go save our sister—together!"
Black Seele's form transformed into a massive crimson scythe—gripped tightly in Seele's hand.
The scythe swung down, tearing through space itself. Under its light, all quantum shadows were annihilated, and even the entire corridor was split in two—cleaving open a path.
The surge of Honkai energy boiled through the Sea of Quanta.
Seele had broken through all obstacles.
...
Bronya was already drifting in endless darkness.
Within this abyss, even time seemed to fade away into solitude.
"Bronya..."
"Bronya..."
In this pitch-black silence where no sound should be heard, Seele's voice echoed.
"Seele? Is that you?"
Bronya seemed to see a white flower blooming toward her.
Seele's warm voice echoed through the void:
"Bronya, this time... we'll never be separated again..."
...
The short film ended.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Elysia squealed with excitement. She had no resistance against these kinds of "cute girls sticking together" scenes.
Especially when it involved—
Two souls in one body!
Older sister X younger sister!
Tsundere X shy X fake kuudere!
"Uuuu~~"
miHoYo just understood everyone's deepest desires too well.
Elysia felt like she was about to become miHoYo incarnate.
What's more, the short film's quality was truly outstanding.
The emotional impact of the visuals was immense. In just a few minutes, it managed to portray everything—from Seele's time with Sakura in the bubble universe to the legacy she received from her.
Though the short film was titled Seele, its true essence lay in the words Sakura had once told her:
—When you want to protect someone, you become the strongest person in the world!
When the sister protects the younger, it's like this.
And when the younger protects the elder—it's the same.
Even the dreaded Sea of Quanta was punched to pieces by the "weak" Seele.
"..."
"So actually, Seele's really strong~~ Seven punches to break through the Sea of Quanta~~"
"Hehehe~ That's my Seele~♪"
Hokuto: ?
He never expected to hear that iconic meme come out of Fairy Miss's mouth.
[Seven punches shattered the Sea of Quanta? What are you, Seele the Supreme? 23333]
[At the peak of Honkai, unmatched under heaven—where Seele walks, the world obeys! Black Seele's scythe, stigma mark—seven punches crack the quantum sea! Speak my true name, and I shall appear in your supply pool! Praise Seele! May my next pull be guaranteed!]
[Amazing, amazing! This year's fans are something else!]
"Ahem."
Hokuto cleared his throat twice amid the crowd's excitement, drawing the attention of Elysia and the livestream audience.
"As we wrap up today's stream, I have something important to share."
"miHoYo recently opened a special submission channel on its official site."
"What's it for? You can submit your own original character concepts—or if you think you yourself are interesting, you can submit your personal info."
"If selected, you'll become a playable character in Honkai Impact 3rd. Of course, miHoYo will offer proper compensation."
He planned to use this method to search for real-world counterparts of existing Honkai characters.
After all, there were some people he had no personal connection to.
Whether this method would work remained to be seen—but having another option was always good.
Maybe one of the characters would walk right into his net?
Hokuto's announcement was no small matter.
At least to the fans watching the livestream, it was big news.
A chance to be a character in Honkai Impact 3rd?
Even if just a grunt, that was enough to get anyone hyped!
"Mr. Otto really dropped quite the bombshell~~"
Elysia was mildly surprised. After a brief pause, she asked, "So Honkai Impact 3rd will have many more new characters? Is that why you're doing this?"
"Of course."
Hokuto replied without hesitation, "Honkai Impact 3rd has a vast world and countless rich stories. Naturally, it needs plenty of 'unique' individuals. That's what makes it interesting."
"Hm..."
Hearing this, Elysia suddenly had an idea—but she didn't voice it. After all, it would require many people's approval.
Still, if she could get everyone on board... it sounded fun~♪