MGSFV?! Chapter 375. From It Begins, With It Ends
The players' hearts were now overflowing with a thousand unspoken emotions—and then so.
And yet… they couldn't seem to find the right words to express the ever-growing complexity building inside them.
Before they could gather their thoughts, the story in the ga changed once more.
Elysia and i left the amusent park and walked to the other side of the Elysian Realm.
There, they encountered familiar figures from Elysia's mories:
—The childhood friends from the orphanage.
—The kindly old man who had looked after her in that small town.
—The familiar staff from the Fla-Chasers.
Elysia smiled and spoke warmly with each of them.
This scene felt incredibly familiar—eerily so.
Just like when i had first entered the Elysian Realm, led by Elysia.
Or rather… it was almost exactly the sa.
Back then, they had walked forward from the starting point toward an unknown ending.
Now, it was the reverse—a journey from the end, retracing their steps back to the beginning.
Step by step, they moved together, quietly passing through the viewing platforms scattered throughout the Elysian Realm.
The very ones Elysia had once praised as "cleverly designed by Mr. Otto" when she first experienced this simulation herself.
Now, those sa designs simply delivered yet another emotional blow.
Because...
If the players had known that, after today's story, the Elysian Realm would never be accessible again—
This wouldn't just be i's final look at it.
It would be theirs as well.
And if not for Brother Kalpas, the whole of the Elysian Realm might have been erased entirely.
They didn't know how to feel.
Probably sothing like:
"Thanks... I guess?"
To MiHoYo: "Are you trying to stop us from doing anything rash?"
They passed the platforms. Then the garden blooming with flowers.
No matter how slowly i and Elysia walked, they eventually reached the end—
And also, the very beginning.
The plaza where i had first entered the Elysian Realm.
"At the end of it all… we still return here, huh?"
Elysia turned around and smiled as brightly as when they first t.
She began to repeat the lines she had once spoken:
"In the Elysian Realm, this is my favorite place."
"As you can see, it's like the essence of all beautiful things—
a peaceful and eternal dreamland, a flawless paradise standing at the end of all ideals."
"A life like Elysia's… of course it had to be like this, right?"
[...]
[...]×n
[Co on, everyone… say sothing...]
[We've got nothing left to say.]
Elysia gently looked at i, who had grown increasingly silent.
"No matter how many tis you see it… the Elysian Realm is always this perfect."
"Even now, it's as beautiful as the first ti."
"So, here at the place where everything began—shall we write its perfect conclusion?"
i turned her face slightly, avoiding Elysia's gaze.
She couldn't speak.
But the sorrow in her eyes was unmistakable.
Then again, that wasn't surprising.
Just like the players at this very mont, everyone likely had the exact sa reaction.
Couldn't they just… stay like this forever?
"Aww, I know… i must really hate to part with .
Because I don't want to part with i either."
Elysia tried her best to soothe i's emotions.
"We only just reunited, and now we already have to say goodbye… it's not fair, is it?"
[That's right! It's not fair!!]
"But goodbyes always co eventually.
Just like every story… it needs an ending."
i: "..."
Players: "..."
Everyone was silent.
Only one person, who was likely hurting the most inside, kept smiling—
Trying to comfort everyone else.
You can't cry during farewells.
After all, girls look prettier when they smile.
"So don't make that face… i, smile for , okay?"
"..."
"..."
Everyone tried to lift the corners of their lips.
But they couldn't.
Not now, Elysia.
Not when you're about to leave.
After all these mories, all these encounters with the Fla-Chasers… still so vivid…
"Is it… really ending?"
Reluctance. Grief. Clinging to the mont…
They stood at the end of the path—but couldn't bring themselves to take that final step.
Even wanted to turn back.
And Elysia could feel it too.
Because… she felt the sa.
Yet still, she said:
"Yeah. After all, everyone worked so hard for this very mont."
"Don't worry, I'll protect you.
I'll make sure i returns to the real world safe and sound."
"Congratulations. From this mont on, you've officially graduated from the Elysian Realm."
Then, Elysia clasped her hands together in that familiar, cute pose of hers.
She always did it to tease i.
But this ti… the very last ti…
It was to encourage her.
"And now… lift your head.
And walk proudly toward your future."
[...]×n
[Smile, okay? Wuwuwu, I'm crying.]
[Don't graduate! Please don't graduate!]
[Lord Overseer, take us into the Imaginary Tree one more ti!]
[I want to build a world with Elysia and the Fla-Chasers in it (spiraling into delusion)]
[Wait… are you talking about real life? (dog emoji)]
…
In the story—
i: "..."
"I haven't…"
She had so much she wanted to say, but no idea how to say any of it.
Hesitating—her emotions spilled freely to the ground.
Even if Kalpas were here…
Even he would be able to tell what she was feeling.
So…
Elysia gently helped i finish her sentence: "You're not ready… to say goodbye?"
i: "..."
"Actually… neither."
Elysia gave i a playful wink.
Then made a suggestion that was both inviting and… just a little bit scary.
"Then, for our last mont together… how about one more ride on the roller coaster?"
"This ti, let's go slow. Just to enjoy the view, okay?"
"..."
"…Okay."
A single word.
And yet, it carried a thousand.
Soon, the roller coaster that circled the whole Elysian Realm arrived again.
Elysia led i aboard, activated it, and the car slowly began to move forward.
"I already knew how you'd react, i."
"See? I'm starting to understand you better and better."
Trying to hide her feelings again with jokes.
i, now free of her thunderclad shell, replied gently:
"You've always understood everyone around you."
That made Elysia truly happy.
"That's right! Because I watched over everyone."
"Whether it was the Fla-Chasers, the warriors of the Fla-Chasing MOTH,
or the ordinary people I t—every single one of them was special."
"I lived among them, followed their paths, shared their joys and sorrows, their hopes and thoughts,
and bore witness… to their one-of-a-kind souls."
"It was all of those beautiful things that gave birth to Elysia. Don't you think?"
"I just… love people like that. I love the world they make."
Elysia spoke softly.
At the very end, she still wanted i to know more of her.
Otherwise…
What if she was forgotten…?
She couldn't help but have such a girlish worry.
"I believe every word you say cos from the bottom of your heart."
"Hmm? Does that an you didn't believe before? You'll make sad, you know?"
[Thinking back to how we used to doubt Elysia… that hurts. It really hurts.]
[I call this a MiHoYo Boorang.]
[A boorang that just knocked out.]
The ride wasn't even halfway done, and most players were already emotionally devastated.
The rest were just barely holding on.
…
And then—
"Elysia… you're making a lot more jokes than usual today."
i could hear it in her voice, see it in her smile.
She finally understood.
"You're deflecting your real feelings again with all this teasing, aren't you?"
She paused.
"You really… don't know how to lie."
Just as Elysia had learned to understand i.
i—who had accepted everything in the Elysian Realm—had learned to understand Elysia too.
And faced with such an unfairly sincere statent, Elysia responded in kind—with even more sincere (and unfair) words:
"i…"
"If you keep talking like that, I really will cry, you know?"
"I don't want to cry saying goodbye to i… Girls always look better when they smile."
But Elysia…
If you act like this, how are we supposed to keep from crying?
No—no.
If Elysia wanted a smiling farewell, then…
[This ti—just this once—we have to smile through it!!!]
A giant flag was raised in the livestream chat.
They braced themselves and continued.
"So, you've morized my smiling face, right?"
"…Yeah."
i said it.
Everyone thought it.
They were all the sa now.
"I'll never forget…
I'll hold it in my heart. Always."
Elysia added one more reminder, worried as ever:
"Don't forget, okay? My cute face, my sweet voice, every word I ever told you—rember everything."
But as she said it…
She realized—
Maybe they would forget…
After all, she was just…
Elysia took a deep breath.
Then smiled sweetly once more.
"But… even if you do forget, that's okay."
As her words fell…
Everyone who had vowed to "stay strong" had their emotional defenses completely shattered.
They couldn't hold back.
Because that line—
It wasn't just for i.
It was for them, too.
…
i: "..."
Elysia: "..."
i: "..."
At that mont, i could no longer say anything.
Her heart, heavy with sorrow, could no longer suppress it.
Tears ford silently in her eyes, then slipped down her cheeks—
Scattered into the Elysian Realm as the roller coaster passed through.
"Ah!"
Elysia was startled.
"i… are you crying?"
But she softened her voice.
"Do you want a big hug?"
"I'm not crying."
It seed i had also learned the Elysian Realm's specialty: stubborn denial.
Elysia stretched the word: "Reaaally~?"
"No."
i's voice was defiant, but tinged with sorrow.
So Elysia leaned forward, placed her hands behind her back, and made her most adorable pose.
With her sweetest voice and smile, she asked again:
"Really… nooo~?"
Hearing her voice,
seeing her smile…
i in-ga—and the players outside—couldn't help but lose themselves.
Yes.
She always used monts like this to comfort others, to care for them.
That's who Elysia was.
The Fla-Chaser who bore the Signet of the True Self.
"Smile, okay?"
Before she even said it,
She'd already done it herself.
Just to leave i with the best version of her.
So i smiled again.
"Now… I really haven't cried."
"Mm. That's good." Elysia's gaze was warm.
"Like I said, i really does look better when she smiles!"
"Since you said sothing like that first, I couldn't help teasing you.
In monts like these, I can't let i have the upper hand."
i gave a soft, pampering smile.
"Fine, you win. Happy now?"
"Haha~~!"
Elysia laughed out loud.
Hearing her laughter, the players—despite the ache in their chests—couldn't help but smile as well.
And then…
So of them reached for the top-left of their screen.
They just wanted to hear Elysia's voice a little more.
But…
Why wasn't the "History" button there?
???
They finally realized—
Ever since Elysia's return, the story had entered a one-way track.
No more replays.
No more looking back.
MiHoYo...
How could you do this to us?
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
75 Chapters
Support in
Patreon/BestElysium
Reviews
All reviews (0)