[Holy crap—goosebumps.]
[Right at the start Trailblazer gets a direct glance from an Aeon? Then what's the point of fighting these Titans later?!]
[I just want to ask—how many Paths does Trailblazer even have?]
[Destruction, Preservation, Harmony, Remembrance—exactly four, no more, no less!]
[Here Chronos Titan calls Fuli "Father," so who exactly is "Mother"?]
[Remembrance Aeon is watching you, silent.]
[Damn it!]
The train windows reflected countless versions of Caelus. Among them floated a pink creature that approached his side.
"Mem?"
The camera gave the pink creature a close-up. Gotta admit—it really is insanely cute!
[This thing is way too adorable.]
[Oh my gosh!]
[I get it now—it's the Pink Fairy, hahaha, it's the Pink Fairy!]
[Pink Fairy? Got it—it's Elysia!]
— —
Caelus kept rubbing his chin. "Who are you?"
"Mem, MemMem Mem? Mem! Mem Mem. (You are? I am… who? Gaze, watching. Outside window, cold. You… warm. Warm, like.)"
Though Caelus could possibly understand, fully grasping it was unlikely. "Can someone explain this to me?"
"Mem Mem? (Confusion… same. Answer, unknown.)"
At that moment, the Titan's voice echoed in his ears:
"I have finally found… precious memory. I have finally… drawn THEIR gaze. Travel with him, Mem… he will make the world's memories whole again… he will find… Mother…"
Caelus furrowed his brow. "So… who exactly is Mother?"
Mem floated in midair and shook its head. "Mem Mem? (Mother? Who? Don't remember.)"
"'Mem' is your name?"
"Mem, Mem Mem. (Name? Mine? Don't remember. Mem… temporary call.)" Mem suddenly spun happily in place. "Mem! (Travel, like. With you, together? Memory… collect. Piece together, whole.)"
[Did anyone notice? Mem's grammar feels kinda off.]
[No shit—this thing clearly isn't built for fluent speech.]
[No no no—Peppy and the Listening Hound make woof-woof sounds too, but we can still understand them.]
[True, but Mem clearly struggles to even form a complete sentence.]
[Probably an evolution thing. Starts with broken word order → proper word order → struggling to speak human language → fully fluent → finally turns into a beautiful girl! Definitely a growth arc.]
[Heh, hearing you say it like that—this is basically a pet-raising game now? Kinda looking forward to it!]
— —
And Mem was also willing to help Caelus find Nikador's weakness.
Just then.
Kafka, Blade, Silver Wolf, and Firefly (in her SAM armor) all appeared at once—this time facing a swarm of Antimatter Legion void soldiers.
"Shadows of memory… are they… your companions?" Oronyx asked.
Caelus's lips curved into a slight smile. His answer held no hesitation. "Yes—they're companions."
He slowly walked behind the group.
Silver Wolf blew a bubble and grinned at Caelus. "Finally showed up, huh, partner."
Blade crossed his arms over his chest. "The script says 'leave no survivors'… partner."
SAM turned its gaze toward him. "I knew you wouldn't miss it, partner."
Finally Kafka—she didn't turn around. "I'm glad you're here, partner.
The road we walk is never smooth… it's paved with fire, scars, malice, and slaughter. But I promise you—as long as you stand with the Stellaron Hunters, you will never taste betrayal.
Partner… come. Step onto the stage with us. In the 'script,' we are the galaxy's most dazzling leads—the camera will never leave you.
All the blood and screams off-screen are just supporting cast for the protagonist. We'll dance together, against the current, until the 'finale' of the cosmos."
[Wuwuwu… so the Stellaron Hunters really are one big loving family too!]
[The vibe among the Stellaron Hunters feels genuinely good.]
[Astral Express family, Stellaron Hunter family—in Honkai: Star Rail I'm fully experiencing the love of being a child from two households.]
[Mom Kafka is just too good.]
[I really didn't expect the Stellaron Hunters—who've been absent for so long—to hit me this hard.]
[Astral Express and Stellaron Hunters are the light and shadow of the world. Wherever there is light, there is shadow. Trailblazer simply stepped out of the shadows into the sunlight.]
[You can actually see from tons of lore that the Stellaron Hunters get along really well and genuinely cherish each other!]
— —
The next moment, everyone turned their gazes toward Caelus.
Kafka: "Dance with us, partner."
SAM: "Dance with us, partner."
Silver Wolf: "Dance with us, partner."
Blade: "Dance with us, partner."
Caelus nodded. A quill pen suddenly appeared in his hand.
With that, Mem floated behind everyone, cheering them on—oh, and Silver Wolf too.
The Stellaron Hunters reunited once more. The background shifted from the train carriage to a ruined battlefield filled with debris.
"Ah, why am I stuck on off-field support again? So boring…"
Everyone charged forward. In the camera, Caelus was grinning ear to ear as he cut through enemies.
The camera followed Mem as it darted across the battlefield.
Blade sliced open his own wrist. "Time to collect the corpses…"
He leaped high and smashed his fractured sword downward. "A shared appreciation? You don't deserve it!"
On the other side, Kafka's fingers connected with purple threads. "No survivors… right? The music of slaughter—so beautiful."
Mem flew to Firefly's side. She reached out her hand. "Caelus, let's dance together. With me—set the sea ablaze."
Caelus followed right behind. He glanced at everyone around him. "We are… companions. This script… I'm the protagonist!"
Silver Wolf, safely positioned in the back, saw the hot-blooded scene and immediately joined the fray, wreaking havoc with Ether Edit. She even started humming lightly.
"Take this—system crash! Stand still and get wrecked! Playing for thrills! Blame me for cheating? Hmph—try banning my account if you dare!"
[Herta: Oh? Someone's thinking of me?]
[Lady Herta: Everyone heard that—she said it herself. I've never heard such a request in my life.]
[Herta: As you wish.]
[Screwllum: Conclusion: Helping Herta is helping others fulfill their wishes.]
— —
Finally Caelus eliminated the last enemy and wiped sweat from his brow. But when he turned around, only Mem remained.
"Mem! (Victory, victory! Strong, partner!)"
A flicker of reluctance passed through Caelus's eyes. "The Stellaron Hunters… disappeared."
Mem comforted him: "Mem. (Disappear, temporary. Memory, exist… always.)"
"Wait a second."
Caelus saw Firefly and Kafka standing at opposite ends of the carriage.
"Mem! (Farewell. Time, still have. Partner, regret… no leave.)"
"Kafka… and Firefly. Who should I say goodbye to…?"
— —
Of course, the great Su Chen naturally gave the audience two choices—allowing repeated, repeated, repeated rewatching.
After a moment of thought, Caelus said, "I'll say goodbye to Kafka."
He walked behind Kafka.
Kafka heard the familiar footsteps and turned. She still wore that captivating smile—but anyone with eyes could see it wasn't her usual cold one; it carried a touch of anticipation.
"Little one, you came. This 'script' run went smoothly too." Kafka let the upward curve of her lips fade. "Did something happen? Your expression right now… is fragile."
"Did you abandon me?"
Kafka froze for a split second, then spoke with gentle warmth. "You know I would never do that. Tell me. You've always been used to confiding in me, haven't you?"
[Mom! Mom!]
[Mom is too gentle with me.]
[I feel like Kafka doesn't show much emotional fluctuation toward anyone—except the protagonist!]
[This is maternal love!]
[Kafka—always the single-choice answer.]
[Not just because Kafka was miHoYo's first revealed character, not just because of her insane popularity, not just because she's so iconic—simply because she's Kafka, my favorite character!]
[Blade said Kafka paid a heavy price to keep Trailblazer here—so I choose Kafka.]
[Isn't this "watch Kafka then watch Firefly"? Why are you all acting like Honkai: Star Rail is a game with one-time choices you can't replay and savor? Ridiculous.]
— —
Caelus gave a wry smile. "I forgot everything…"
Kafka fell silent for a moment. She seemed to sense Caelus's pain, though she didn't know why it had happened. "I see… you lost your 'past.' You feel helpless. I'm sorry—I'm no slave to Fate; I can't observe the future. I can't fill the holes in your memory, nor can I tell you what we went through together afterward."
"We parted… and then we met again."
Kafka showed a delighted smile. "That means I'll regain what was lost. Listen to me—"
"I guess in that script I haven't read yet, you'll face many dangers and be trapped in terrible situations.
You'll probably also encounter many wonderful things and gain companions like family—even if they're no longer us, the Stellaron Hunters.
You'll probably embark on adventures you could never dream of, right? After all, you were born for adventure.
The one thing I want you to always remember is this: no matter where you go, no matter which corner of the galaxy you find yourself in… you will always have a safe harbor with me.
I don't have much patience… but for you, I will never be stingy."
[Tears in my eyes, family!]
[This is exactly what a mother says to a child who's gone far from home!]
[Kafka—her heart has always held me!]
— —
Caelus nodded. There was reluctance in his heart, but he knew he still had a more important task. "I have to go, Kafka."
"Goodbye, little one."
After Caelus turned away, Kafka couldn't help speaking up. "When Fate places you at a crossroads… choose boldly. Don't fear regret."
Those were her parting words.
— —
Time reversed. Caelus returned to the train—this time choosing Firefly.
[Family—who understands? One is Mom, one is wife!]
[Don't understand—anyway I want both!]
"Ah… it's you. The 'script' went smoothly again, right? Having you by our side always puts people at ease." Firefly's tone was slightly different from her Penacony self. "What's wrong? I've never seen that expression on you."
"I can't remember anything…"
"What… does that mean?" Firefly pondered for a moment, then lowered her head somewhat ashamedly. "Did something happen? I… I don't know if I should even ask you that. I just… wanted to express some concern. Concern for a companion."
"It feels like we traveled together once…"
Firefly lifted her gaze to Caelus. "Is that so… This journey together will also come to an abrupt end? But… it's okay. Since you appeared here, it proves our paths will cross again. You're still alive, and I will keep living. A farewell that hasn't come yet isn't forever."
Caelus's gaze was firm. "We'll meet again… we will."
"That would be wonderful." Firefly couldn't hide her joy. "I'll try my best to forget this and seal it deep in my mind… When the day of parting comes, I'll treat your words as our promise of reunion.
When that day of reunion arrives, I think… I'll pretend we've never met and get to know you all over again, starting from zero.
I still want to do my very best to speak my heart to you openly… because right now, I still can't do that.
What an exciting day to look forward to. Two people—no longer accomplices, just two souls drifting through the galaxy—meeting plainly, getting to know each other plainly… That would be the greatest luxury I can imagine."
[So Firefly isn't just a descended heroine—she's also a descended childhood friend!]
[The fourth season foreshadowing is still chasing me!]
[No wonder Firefly kept throwing herself at Trailblazer back then—she had already walked him long ago.]
[From that expression alone, Firefly definitely liked Caelus very early on.]
[This is a confession!]
[Season 4 opening plot: Hound Family "Guys, She Still Has an Accomplice."]
[My god—this foreshadowing I really didn't see coming!]
[A girl who sees meeting you as the greatest luxury!]
[No more—Firefly's attack power is too high! I can't take it!]
— —
"I have to go, Firefly."
"Yes—this expression is the you I'm familiar with." Firefly gave a sweet smile. "You're leaving, right? Because you have something important to do… You always know what matters most.
Go quickly. Even if you forget everything… I'll carry the promise of our second meeting in my heart for you.
I hope that day comes under a beautiful night sky filled with shooting stars."