Click.
In the pitch-black room, a desk lamp flickered on. Stelle sat at the desk, gently clicked a ballpoint pen, and began writing in her diary:
"Today is my first day after crossing over."
"I don't know how this happened, but one thing's for sure—I'm in the world of the game now."
"But why did I end up in Stelle's body?!"
"Now,my name is Stelle. In my previous life, I wasn't some saint, but I lived honestly and kept to myself…"
"But… why did I have to come to such a bizarre world?!"
"The absurd entrance, the ridiculous plot… My knowledge as a player is completely useless. Since I have no leads right now, I'm blaming this on Aha!"
Click—
Just then, a faint sound came from the door, making Stelle instinctively look toward it.
—There was nothing there.
Was it just her imagination?
Stelle shook her head and continued writing:
My intuition tells me that this Star Rail… is seriously off.
Lady Himeko is always so elegant and gentle, but today when I passed by her room, I heard some strange knocking sounds inside.
Mr. Yang is steady and reliable, but his eyes… they're always burning with fervor. I saw him muttering about 'I bear the name of Welt and his might. l am the enforcer of hispowers and vision.' or something…
Dan Heng seems somewhat normal, but March… she's just… just…
!
Suddenly, a pair of arms reached out from the darkness behind Stelle, tightly locking around her.
The next second, the desk lamp went out, and the room was filled only with the sounds of her struggle.
After a dozen or so seconds, even those struggling noises vanished.
…
Ten system hours earlier.
Herta Space Station.
Beep, beep, beep—
Countless Antimatter Legion soldiers materialized inside and outside the space station, indiscriminately attacking everyone and everything in sight.
Within minutes, the station descended into chaos; ruin and death began to spread.
In the Curio Repository, surrounded by blaring system warnings, a solitary man clung to his broken sword, silently gazing at the newly formed body before him.
Beside him stood a graceful figure with silver hair. Her face was delicate and lovely, her worried expression tinged with resilience. The summoning device in her hand shimmered with a faint green light, as if ready to activate at any moment.
"We… seem to have arrived at a bad time?"Firefly spoke up. Truth be told, she hadn't expected Elio to refuse Kafka's request and send Blade and her on this mission instead.
"…It's not safe here. You'd better activate SAM," Blade said quietly, his eyes closed.
He had no objections to the missions Elio assigned, but he wished he were alone on this one. That way, he could test whether the power of Destruction could finally end him.
But just before they departed, Kafka had made him promise to ensure the safety of both his companions.
…Tch. What a hassle.
"I…" A shadow crossed Firefly's eyes. "I will… when danger arises. Don't worry, I won't hold you back."
"…Suit yourself."
Firefly smiled faintly. To outsiders, the Stellaron Hunters might seem like a bunch of lunatics and fugitives, but to her, this place felt more like home than her past life ever had.
Take Blade, for example. Though usually silent and aloof, he was genuinely a good person at heart.
At least, to his comrades.
"Firefly, Blade, it's about time."
A holographic screen suddenly lit up before them. "The Stellaron has been implanted into Stelle's body. She will wake soon. Once you've confirmed she remembers nothing, you may leave."
"Ugh… 140 pulls and only a 0+0? My friend got him in 10 pulls, and my Yanqing is already E4? How is that fair?"
Just then, Stelle muttered incoherently, as if talking in her sleep.
"Ah!"
Stelle's eyes snapped open, as if she'd just had a nightmare. She stared blankly at her surroundings, her golden eyes filled with confusion.
Am I still dreaming?
Stelle gaped at the two figures before her, then closed her eyes, ready to fall back asleep.
Blade frowned. He reached out and firmly patted Stelle's cheek. "Wake up!"
"Ow, ow, ow…"
Stelle opened her eyes, wincing in pain. Seeing she was still here, years of reading web novels instantly helped her piece everything together.
She had crossed over. Into the world of Honkai: Star Rail.
But… which part of the story had she landed in?!
Stelle was bewildered. She didn't recall this scene at all!
Could I have become some NPC?
But why would someone like me run into Blade?!
"Blade, you're hurting her," Firefly said sympathetically.
"…Hmph. Meddlesome," Blade snorted coldly, gesturing for Firefly to take over.
"Stelle, do you remember me?" Firefly asked softly, smiling.
Stelle looked down at her clothes—the dominant yellow, black, and white color scheme, the pale long legs with garters…
Did I somehow end up in Stelle's body?
Stelle's mind raced. She glanced around again, feeling an odd sense of familiarity.
Is this Herta Space Station?
And Firefly is asking, 'Do you remember me?'
Then this scene…
Hiss— Wait, that still doesn't seem right. Those are supposed to be Kafka's lines!
"Who are you?" Stelle asked after a moment's thought.
Her mind was in chaos. Best to lay low for now.
Hearing this, Firefly smiled helplessly. "Stelle, remember this: when you have the chance to make a choice, don't let yourself regret it."
Are these the parting words? Stelle gulped silently, her heart racing.
According to the plot, she should be falling asleep right about now.
But why don't I feel sleepy at all? Oh, right—in the original story, Kafka uses her Spirit Whisper to hypnotize him. But the problem is, Kafka isn't here right now…
Blade silently stepped forward.
Under Stelle's fearful gaze, he sharply struck her forehead with the flat of his sword.
…
"This person's coordinates weren't transmitted from the Space Station…"
"At a time like this, why does that matter? We have a living person right in front of us. She can't be an illusion, can she?"
…Ugh, my head hurts… Wait, are those Dan Heng and March's voices?
"…Her breathing and pulse are weak. March, prepare to perform CPR."
Yes, that's right. The next part should be me waking up and seeing Dan Heng about to…
"Okay."
That single, casually spoken word made Stelle freeze in place.
Wait, wait, wait—did March just say 'okay'?
?
Is that how the script goes?
Stelle felt a gentle, floral fragrance wash over her—a scent unique to a young woman. Then, warm breaths brushed against her cheek, relentlessly accelerating her heartbeat.
Is it really happening? Is it really happening?!
Stelle's eyes flew open. The first thing she saw was a pair of gem-like pink-and-blue eyes.
Dan Heng pushed March aside, his expression unreadable.
"She's awake."