Well, Honkai energy was just a form of imaginary energy according to the lore, and there was another form of imaginary energy that existed that she could easily gain access to, path energy.
Presumably someone like sparkle didn't have resistance to Honkai energy disease, but she still didn't immediately start dying from it, presumably pathstriders have some form of inherent resistance.
Wait, was sparkle in HI3 Cannon to the story? There was never a real mission that involved her, she existed only as a valkyrie. Well if she wasn't, and she was wrong there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it at the moment.
So, she just had to step on a path, easy.
So uhh, how do I do that?
It's not like HSR could ever really describe the mental state of pathstriders so accurately, and it didn't even describe how most people got on a path to begin with! Well, for starters, she had to narrow the available options.
In terms of available paths that fit the situation, there was the Preservation, after all humanity was fighting for its survival, to preserve itself! If that wasn't the path of preservation she didn't know what else was, only one problem, she wasn't necessarily one of the people fighting for all the beauty in the world!
Next was the Hunt, fighting abominations, protecting the innocent, all the things that described a valkyrie perfectly! It was almost tailor made for the world of HI3! only one problem, she wasn't a valkyrie.
Abundance? Yaoshi? Apparently if you prayed to Yaoshi for power, they would grant it no matter who you were. Anyone could become an abundance pathstrider, think of the disciples of sanctus medicus! Those assholes weren't nice at all, and definitely didn't follow the tenants of the Abundance to the letter, and Yaoshi still granted them power!
Better yet, she was sick! And about to die! Yaoshi had to respond!
All praise the Abundance! The great and powerful Yaoshi! She just needed to pray to Yaoshi asking for G blessing in order to cure their Honkai energy disease, so uhh, how do you pray to an Aeon?
Honkai: Star Rail had never actually fully shown an example of someone praying to an Aeon for power. Did she pray in her head? Out loud? What should she say? The disciples of the merciful medicus showed their devotion by copying their scripture thousands of times, she felt like she didn't have the time or patience to do that, and she also didn't have a copy of the original.
She thought about the abundance, and what it represented, maybe she could gain incredible power. Her mind drifted, imagining a world where she could save Nagazora, stop the Honkai from spreading, and save everyone from the 3rd eruption.
Wait… That's the Preservation, not Abundance.
And she still wasn't sure about the whole saving Nagazora thing, while it was a tragedy, it was a critical event that affected both Kianna and Mei, a critical part of their emotional growth, fuel for the fire of the Herscher of Finality.
Abundance was about… what exactly.
Altruism? Helping everyone who needs help? Regardless of if they are an asshole or not?
Did she really have that kind of pure, selfless spirit?
Fuck it she was just going to go for it.
"Yaoshi if you can hear my prayer please help me live and cure me of thi—"
She suddenly felt a strange feeling, different to how she imagined.
Her words trailed off into the alleyway's silence, she expected something to happen. She closed her eyes, cheeks flushed from adrenaline and embarrassment. Maybe Aeon's aren't like an omnipotent god, she should probably finish her prayer.
Then.
A presence.
It wasn't a voice, at least not in the traditional sense. It wasn't even sound. It was a feeling — deep, infinite, and impossibly old. Her chest tightened, and she swayed as if the air around her had suddenly gained weight.
In her mind, a shape formed. Not entirely solid, not entirely human. Bright and shifting, like sunlight reflecting off water, but somehow deeper than sunlight, colder than ice, warmer than fire, all at once. Lee's eyes widened.
That's Yaoshi…
The figure didn't speak. It didn't move. It simply was. And yet THEIR presence spoke volumes. The sheer scale of it pressed against the edges of her mind, making her heart pound and her breath catch. Her own thoughts felt small, fragile, almost laughably inconsequential.
Lee stumbled backward, clutching at her chest. "I… I'm… I… please, I just need… survival…"
The presence didn't respond in words, but the energy in the alley shifted. A warmth spread from her glowing arms, up through her chest, through every nerve ending. It was comforting, terrifying, and exhilarating simultaneously.
Images flickered in her mind: visions of energy flowing like rivers, cities burning, people running, herself standing amidst it all, unafraid. It wasn't giving her answers, it wasn't explaining anything — it simply was, and in its being, it imparted understanding.
She gasped. Her body, weak only moments ago, felt steadier. Her limbs tingled, her breathing evened, and for the first time since waking, she felt… capable.
The figure pulsed once, a rhythm like a heartbeat and yet unlike any heartbeat she had ever known. Then, slowly, the vision began to fade, leaving only the residual warmth in her body and the faint glow along her arms.
Lee sank to her knees, trembling. "Okay… okay… I'm alive. I… I can do this."
Her hands traced the glowing lines on her arms as they slowly retracted and disappeared, still thrumming softly, the power unfamiliar but undeniably hers now. She couldn't see Yaoshi anymore, couldn't feel the presence quite as sharply, but the memory of it burned into her mind — infinite, patient, and impossibly strong.
After spending sufficient time being a ball, Lee unfolded herself and stood up, shaking her arms and legs of the lingering soreness and numbness.
So, I figured out how to pray to an Aeon...
She was now firmly a pathfinder of the Abundance, her hair had grown from a short crop for ease of washing, to beyond shoulder length. Her whole body felt brimming with vitality, like a whole new person especially compared to how weak she had felt earlier.
Well, that was easy.