"Right now, you... are simply a collection of walking memories..."
When Oronyx's words fell… Mem's already round, wide eyes grew even rounder.
Her little mouth opened as wide as it possibly could. And Stelle's expression gradually shifted from confusion to shock.
Needless to say… the audience watching outside the screen was even more stunned.
The viewers had expected Oronyx to drop a huge bomb here.
But they never imagined… that the bomb would be this big!
Everyone had been drawn in by the earlier information about the Sky father and Mother, their attention completely focused on that.
Who could have expected that the real shocking revelation would be here! What do you mean Stelle had already lost her life?!
...
: ??? Wait a second! What do you mean? My brain has never been great since childhood, don't scare me like that!
: Oronyx, what the hell are you talking about!!!
: She died the moment she landed?
: Holy shit, I suddenly realized, Castorice is the Priestess of Death, right? Anyone who touches her dies, but Stelle didn't!
: Damn it! So this is the twist? It's not that our Stelle is extraordinarily gifted, it's because Stelle was already dead?!
: Holy crap! So all of this was foreshadowed from the moment they first arrived at Amphoreus?!
: Oh no… now Stelle has become a memory!
: So everything before, finding Mem, meeting the Stellaron Hunters and the others, what was all that supposed to be?!
: The moment they passed through the barrier … that was when the Express crashed, wasn't it, ahhhhh!!!
: So the Express really did crash?!
: I thought MiHoYo was just making a meme reference, damn it!
: Turns out it wasn't a joke at all, it was completely serious!!!
: I don't even know what to say anymore!!! Damn!!!
: The third episode just started! And they're already going this hard?! What happens next? Could something even bigger still be coming?!
: I can't take it anymore, my poor heart can't handle this.
...
No one could have imagined… The moment the Express entered Amphoreus, it immediately crashed.
And Stelle… died right then and there!!
This was the protagonist! What kind of story kills off the protagonist before they even land?!
Many scenes began replaying in the audience's minds.
The first moment the Express entered Amphoreus… Stelle being able to touch Castorice without dying… and her natural affinity with memories.
Stelle's death wasn't a twist just for the sake of a twist. Everything had already been foreshadowed from the very beginning.
Countless viewers' brains instantly turned to mush. There was shock, exhilaration, and even a shiver of fear.
The constant twists in the plot brought them an intense surge of excitement.
This was the thrill of watching Honkai Star Rail! You never know from where the story will suddenly explode.
And after the shock faded, the audience felt an even stronger wave of anticipation rising in their hearts.
Next… how would this possibly be resolved? And whatever resolution came next would have to be just as shocking as the revelation they had just witnessed.
After watching so many episodes, the fans didn't doubt for a second that MiHoYo could pull off the ending.
Instead, their minds raced wildly with speculation about where the story would go next.
But after such an unimaginable twist, no one could guess what would happen next.
Yet the unknown… wasn't that exactly the most important part of watching a series?
...
"T-this… how is that possible!" Mem stammered in shock.
Stelle also stared at her own hands in disbelief.
"I've already… died?!"
But Oronyx did not continue speaking with them. Because the space… was collapsing!
"The space... is collapsing..."
"Someone must... inherit... the authority of Time..."
"If the pillar is lost... the laws of Time... will collapse..."
"Amphoreus... will succumb to... eternal disorder..."
Oronyx's murmurs thundered like deafening echoes.
But Stelle clearly had no mind left to ponder their deeper meaning.
I'm dead? What should I do?
What about the trial? What about the Astral Express?
The entire space was already shaking violently.
Oronyx continued, "Time... never compromises... never bears grudges..."
"Never forgives... never makes a choice..."
"Child of humanity... Titans... Mother... Sky father..."
"Time... restrains everything that exists in this world..."
"Pathstrider of Remembrance... my strength... I shall entrust it to you..."
"The fate of the world... if you wish to... save it... Go and find... your future that has been stolen... Even if that means... you'll have to cheat death..."
While Oronyx spoke… a stream of information had already entered Stelle's mind.
'You'll have to challenge that... Hand of Shadow clasped with unyielding fingers... Before the passing of fifteen Entry Hours (days)...'
The audience outside the screen, after their initial shock, fell into stunned silence once again.
They had never expected that even in such a hopeless situation… there was still a way out!
But on second thought… just like within Amphoreus, where time and space could bend freely… why couldn't death do the same?
Who cares how the main universe of Honkai: Star Rail works. Here in Amphoreus, things follow their own rules.
...
: This is ridiculous!
: You can save it like this too?!
: They're even reversing life and death now!
: So even the authority of the Aeons doesn't apply in Amphoreus?!
: 6666666, they're not even pretending anymore.
: This is insanely overpowered.
: Inside Amphoreus, it really feels like a world completely unaffected by the Aeons' Paths.
: This is actually amazing!
...
The audience's emotions grew even more intense. After wave after wave of information bombarded them, the viewing experience of this third episode had completely reached its peak.
They couldn't even imagine what kind of revelation could possibly surpass this, when the opening was already this explosive.
Just as the comment section erupted, on screen… this space continued collapsing.
And the true trial was finally revealed.
"Go forth and reclaim your future... This is the true trial of "time"..."
But unlike the other trials, before the space collapsed, Oronyx entrusted all of their power to Stelle.
At that moment, she had effectively become a demigod of Amphoreus. It had to be said, the Trial of Time carried a strong sense of time itself.
Other Titans granted their power only after the trial was successfully completed.
But Oronyx did the opposite, they granted the power first, and the trial came afterward.
But no matter what… the result would be the same.
If she could not rewrite the ending of her own death within fifteen days… then Stelle, and the Coreflame, would both completely dissipate.
When the time comes, the Express will lose a Nameless who is marching toward greatness. And Amphoreus will completely lose its chance to ever reach Genesis.
The space collapsed. Stelle also fell unconscious.
For her, this fainting might have lasted only a brief instant.
But when she opened her eyes, she discovered that she was no longer inside the Vortex of Genesis.
Instead, she was lying on a bed in her room, and the first thing she saw was Dan Heng's face, filled with worry.
Now… Several hours had already passed.
"You're finally awake." Seeing Stelle wake up, Dan Heng nearby finally let out a sigh of relief. Yet his eyes remained fixed on her, as if he wanted to say something but held himself back.
Stelle came back to her senses. She swallowed, recalling the conversation she had with Oronyx.
Dan Heng sighed and said directly, "I'll keep it simple, you succeeded. Oronyx has entrusted you with their divinity. Now, you're no different from a demigod of Amphoreus. However..."
He paused before continuing.
"...Mem has told me about what happened during the trial. She is still explaining things to the others and told me to bring you back to your room to rest first."
Stelle fell silent for a moment. Which meant that now, all the Chrysos Heirs of Okhema already knew that she had technically died.
Logically speaking… At a moment like this, the most straightforward reaction should be gratitude and fear.
After all, who could face death without feeling anything? Yet after learning all of this, and finally having the time to think it over… A strange feeling slowly rose in Stelle's heart.
She had died. But she was still alive.
This… was actually kind of cool. And if she had already died once, didn't that mean she was basically invincible now?
The worry and confusion that had filled Stelle's eyes gradually faded. In their place appeared an excited expression, and the familiar grin everyone recognized spread across her face.
"So that's how it is."
"I feel ridiculously strong right now!"
She planted her hands on her hips and flashed a confident, slightly cheeky smile.
Dan Heng opened his mouth slightly, then fell into complete silence. No words were necessary.
At that moment, the audience could already sense what Dan Heng was thinking.
Just as the chat was about to start complaining, Dan Heng spoke again.
He hesitated for a moment, but eventually looked directly into Stelle's eyes and told her the truth.
"There's something that... I've never told you."
"When we landed on Amphoreus, our car was pierced by Nikador's lance. Do you remember? Back in the ruins of the Abyss, this was what I said:"
As Dan Heng spoke, the scene smoothly transitioned into a brief memory.
Not far from the smoking, burning train, Dan Heng stood there covered in dust, guarding Stelle at his side.
When she woke up back then, this was how he explained it:
"You passed out when our car got hit. I blacked out too, but not before dragging you out. It's a good thing we were in the car, or we would've been crushed to pieces."
The memory ended. Under Stelle's gaze, Dan Heng said quietly,
"Actually... My account kind of made light of the situation. What actually happened was much more complicated."
"You were severely injured back then, with several wounds still bleeding profusely. I struggled to carry you out and used the last of my strength to stem the bleeding. But then, I was also hit by a falling rock and lost my consciousness."
"The last time I checked, you still weren't breathing. But when I regained consciousness... I saw that you were alive and full of energy, so I never brought this up again."
As Dan Heng spoke, there was a faint tremor in his voice that was easy to miss.
On the surface, he still sounded calm. But anyone could imagine what the situation had been like back then…
And what Dan Heng must have felt at that moment. The screen suddenly flickered.
Several images flashed briefly across it. Although they passed quickly, many viewers still saw what was shown.
Stelle lying on the ground, her face was deathly pale, and her entire body was soaked in blood. The audience was stunned.
Dan Heng's so-called "serious injuries" had clearly been heavily downplayed. Judging by the image, she had practically been near death already.
And that view of Dan Heng, the audience couldn't imagine what he must have been feeling at that time.
If it were them… Entering an unknown world with their companion, only to open their eyes and see that companion collapsed before them, seemingly dead…
No wonder. No wonder ever since arriving in Amphoreus, Dan Heng had seemed like a completely different person, carrying such immense pressure.
So that was the reason… Everyone had thought Amphoreus was the stage for the him to shine.
But it turned out he simply believed his companion had already died. After realizing this, the viewers quickly began to notice subtle details in hindsight.
For example… Dan Heng had never dared to tell Stelle about it. He was probably afraid that if she learned she had once died, something bad might happen.
So he stayed silent, quietly smoothing the path for the choices she would make.
When he learned she would become a god, he even contacted Phainon and secretly investigate the Council of Elders.
And when he protected Stelle, the resolve in his words had always come from this.
At that moment, something people once couldn't understand suddenly made sense.
Why Baiheng had been so important to Dan Feng.
Now, everyone understood instantly. The chat exploded.
...
: Rare! Genuine Brotherhood!
: Unbreakable friendship!
: Waaah!! The Astral Express crew is the best group in the world!!
: That hit so hard! It's not the kind of care loudly declared with words, it's the restrained kind revealed through eyes, actions, and tone!
: I'm seriously obsessed with the Express crew!
: Dan Heng! Dan Heng! What would the Express crew do without you!
: Just now I finally understood Dan Feng, brothers. For real.
: If I were Dan Heng and Stelle died in front of me while I couldn't contact the Express crew, I don't know what I'll do.
: First doubt Dan Feng, then understand Dan Feng, then surpass Dan Feng!
: This kind of delicate emotional writing is incredible! So touching!
: The three little members of the Express crew are truly the best trio in the universe!