"Outside the window, the night is dazzling with colors~"
"Don't forget, only by closing your eyes do you truly awaken~"
"You perform in this play, shifting forms~"
When the lyrics reached this line—Sparkle made her appearance!
Bouncing and skipping along the streets of the Dreamscape, followed by a school of red goldfish.
At Central Starskiff Haven young girl sipping on Immortal's Happy Tea suddenly widened her eyes!
She was none other than Sparkle, disguised and out looking for fun!
"Good thing I had the foresight~"
This time, she had changed into a plain outfit—a black casual set, her hair let down completely, and a pair of round glasses.
She looked just like a schoolgirl, with no one able to connect her to the Masked Fool—Sparkle.
"[You perform in this play, shifting forms]?"
"Hmm......... these lyrics do fit my style quite well."
"I wonder what kind of brilliant performance I, the great Sparkle, will have in Penacony's story?"
She continued watching along with all the other players in the plaza.
The next character to appear was, unsurprisingly, a new figure revealed alongside Sparkle—Black Swan!
Since the release of Aeons stories," this Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection had gained considerable fame across the universe!
Here, against a backdrop of blue floral patterns, Black Swan drew a card from the air.
In the next moment, a black figure flashed past in the darkness.
It moved so quickly that many players couldn't make out what it was.
But Sparkle saw it clearly—it was a Meme!
And not just any Meme—one with an even more dangerous and ominous appearance!
"As expected, Penacony's Dreamscape isn't as pleasant as it seems on the surface........."
"If creatures like this were made public, the number of dream-chasers heading to Penacony would probably drop by half."
"Heh, did they really think sealing off the information would keep it hidden?"
"Honkai: Star Rail......... expose it all!"
"Memory is the prologue of dreams~"
As the melody softened, a silver-haired girl appeared on screen, holding fireworks in both hands and spinning around joyfully.
Just as the players in the plaza were speculating about the identity of this innocent, adorable girl— the lyrics "Time waits for you to awaken........." played, and the scene abruptly shifted.
The girl was now falling from the top of a skyscraper!
Like a shooting star, trailing fading starlight behind her.
Gasps of shock erupted from the crowd!
"Who is that girl...?"
"Such a cute girl! She gives off such a protective vibe."
"She must be making her debut in Penacony's story!"
"She seems like an ordinary girl, not the fighting type."
"That transition was so smooth!"
"The drumbeat here is a perfect 10/10—I love it!"
The screen then cut to a close-up of Aventurine, gently adjusting his hat, his earrings shimmering brilliantly.
It almost felt as if the whispered lines in this segment were voiced by him personally: "Take me away..."
---
Penacony, The Reverie Hotel.
Watching the video unfold before her, Firefly's mouth fell open in surprise.
Even in Elio's script, her "role" was only briefly described in a few strokes.
But in the video released by Yu Ling, she could clearly see the events she would experience in Penacony in the future!
And most importantly— the version of her in the video wasn't Sam.
It was herself.
"To leave a trace as [Firefly] in Yu Ling's video... it's really wonderful........."
A glimmer of light shone in Firefly's eyes.
In a way, Honkai: Star Rail had given her unprecedented hope and conviction.
Elio's script was no longer the sole arbiter of fate.
"Maybe... none of us have to be slaves to destiny anymore........."
Just as Firefly was lost in thought, a tall woman suddenly approached her and politely asked:
"Excuse me, miss, could you help me find this room number?"
Firefly turned to see a woman with long purple hair, her eyes carrying a hint of confusion.
"Ah, just a moment—let me finish watching this video, okay?"
"Of course."
The woman stood beside Firefly, her expression blank.
Though she initially had no interest in the video, after glancing at it, she remarked with some surprise:
"The girl in this video... is that you?"
Firefly smiled sheepishly.
"Mhm... yeah. I'm not sure why Yu Ling included me in this video."
Internally, she sighed in relief— Thank goodness Yu Ling didn't reveal my identity as Sam!
Otherwise, this mission would be completely ruined.
"..."
The purple-haired woman lowered her head.
A flicker of realization crossed her face.
"So it's a video he released... then I'll watch it with you."
Firefly's gaze darkened slightly.
For some reason, this woman gave her an odd feeling.
Standing beside her...it was like being near ten invisible black holes!
The sensation vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Firefly unsure if it was just her imagination.........
"Finally savor, the taste of eternity, in the next dream of that night, we'll meet again~"
With these lyrics, the screen shifted to the Express Crew.
Each was shown in a different scene—Dan Heng deep in thought in a room filled with Memoria, Himeko in a chaotic, surreal space surrounded by floating broken tables and chairs, and March 7th taking photos in front of a miniature skyscraper.........
Up to this point, everything was still relatively normal.
Though the art style was somewhat unique, and the song's pop-infused, cool vibe was a departure from the usual tone...
The characters appearing were unexpected, but still within reason.
However—
As a powerful vocal run played—
"The more false, the more perfect~"
The scene changed abruptly!
Sam appeared in the video!
Firefly's heart immediately skipped a beat!
And this wasn't just her ordinary form—it was her "Full Burn" state!
The flames, originally red, had turned green!
Only Firefly knew what this form truly meant— She would only activate this state...when facing an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
Sure enough—
In the next second, the blazing green flames took shape like wings of fireflies, propelling her into a high-speed aerial assault!
Firefly's pupils contracted sharply.
Now, her gaze was deadly serious.
She had to see clearly—Who was the enemy she was fighting?!
The target in the air grew closer and closer.
It was a figure wreathed in violet light, slashing out with waves of purple blade beams as she approached.
Firefly dodged them one after another, finally closing the distance—
And her opponent, cold and expressionless, eyes glowing with violet light, raised her sword—
And brought it down!
A red flash erupted, instantly expanding into a massive blade wave!
Even in her Full Burn state, Firefly couldn't evade it completely.
The moment the two collided, the entire area exploded violently!
And when Firefly finally saw the face of her opponent— Her heart was rocked by tidal waves of shock!
Her hands trembled slightly.
With great difficulty, she turned her head—
To look at the woman standing beside her.
That overwhelmingly powerful enemy...was none other than the woman who had just asked her for directions!
Oh my god!
Even Elio's script wouldn't dare write something this absurd!
This seemingly "ordinary," even slightly spacey woman...was actually this strong?!
Even in Full Burn mode, Firefly seemed to struggle against her?
And in the future...they would fight?!
Firefly was utterly stunned!
The woman, seeing this, also seemed taken aback.
"Yu Ling's video........."
"Even my presence was recorded........."
Firefly clenched her fists slightly and demanded:
"Just who are you?!"
"Don't worry, I'm not a villain."
"I am... a Galaxy Ranger, Acheron."
Acheron, mistaking Firefly's tension for wariness, added calmly:
"I only draw my blade against my opponents. There's no need for you to be nervous."
Firefly stared at her placid expression, completely at a loss for words.
A Galaxy Ranger?
Yeah, right!
If she weren't Sam herself, she might've believed it!
Fortunately, these turbulent emotions remained internal.
Outwardly, Firefly didn't display any overtly extreme reactions.
At the very least, her identity hadn't been exposed!
Acheron didn't know she was the Sam from the video!
In that case.........
She might still have the upper hand!
To be continued...