If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking, the background music continued without pause.
Firefly's gaze returned to Caelus, "I'm sorry, I am indeed a 'stowaway.'"
Caelus nodded, "I know."
"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you." Firefly paused, looking back at the sky, "My home was destroyed long ago—maybe by the Legion, maybe by the Swarm… I'm an interstellar refugee, just like many 'locals' in Penacony. In this glittering metropolis, some people's dreams are called Penacony, while others' dreams… are no different from reality, even though every ordinary person who comes here starts with the same purpose. I'm no different. In reality, I have a wish I can't attain—it's too strong, so I turned to dreams…"
[Damn, this sounds like Glamoth's relic description!]
[Could it be Glamoth?]
[What's that?]
[Interastral City, Simulated Universe, Glamoth Frontline relic text.]
[Definitely miHoYo's doing!]
[What's the background music? It matches Firefly's lines so well, but I feel this sense of brokenness in her.]
[Firefly's triggering my protective instincts!]
[This girlfriend archetype—who wouldn't fall for it?]
[miHoYo's got crafting these archetypes down to a science, huh?]
Caelus walked to Firefly's side, leaning against the railing with her, "What's your wish?"
"'Entropy Loss Syndrome.' Have you heard of it?"
Firefly extended her right hand, as if trying to grasp something ahead, "It's a strange condition. Those afflicted experience irreversible chronic dissociation of their physical structure. It means you're slowly fading away, and this 'fading' is barely noticeable to others— You can still run, jump, talk to people. Everything seems normal, except you're always just a little slower than others… …Then slower, and slower, until your outline and the world's become blurred. You can't tell reality from dreams because they both become equally fragmented."
The camera shifted to Firefly's first-person perspective, her vision briefly blurring.
[Oh no! Incoming knife!!!]
[Where's the team? Someone save her!]
[Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, have mercy, save Firefly!]
[miHoYo's not even pretending anymore, throwing knives this fast?]
[If Firefly gets knifed, I'm storming miHoYo's offices!]
[Take me with you, I'm in!] [Firefly's eyes are so beautiful, she's so gorgeous, I love her so much.]
[Damn you, miHoYo, give me a healthy Firefly! What are you doing? Are you even human?]
[Please, miHoYo, be human for once!]
[Sigh, I'm never watching Star Rail's web drama again.]
"So, how could I say no… Can you imagine? In this dream, I don't have to stay in a cold 'medical pod'…"
Firefly forced a smile, "I can ignore the doctor's words, use my own body, and freely listen, see, touch, think, and feel. Even if this world isn't real, this feeling is so precious… like right now."
Firefly looked at Caelus earnestly, "I'm sorry. For some reasons, there are things… I can't fully reveal to you yet. But there are things I should be honest about. The 'Watchmaker's Legacy' is indeed what I'm after, but we don't have to part ways or become enemies—at least… I don't want that to happen."
"I hope so too."
[Look at Caelus' eyes, they're practically melting. That doesn't feel like acting.]
[You'd melt too if you were in his place.]
[Wahhh… I'm so jealous!]
"Thank you." Firefly was delighted by Caelus' response, "'I dreamt of a scorched land, a new sprout breaking through, blooming toward the dawn, whispering to me.' Remember the question on the invitation—why do lives fall asleep? Look, in this dreamland, everything is allowed, everything is possible. Painful pasts vanish like bubbles, tomorrows we dread never arrive. Why do people choose to sleep? I think… it's because they're afraid of waking up from the 'dream.'"
Firefly shook her head, "The mood's gotten so heavy, sorry, it shouldn't be like this… Let me think, how can we lighten things up? Right—you have lots of friends on the Express. What do you all do in situations like this?"
Caelus thought seriously, "Himeko would brew us some coffee…"
"Coffee?" Firefly blinked, "We don't exactly have that right now… Maybe we can borrow someone else's idea?"
"March would drag us into taking selfies…"
Hearing this, Firefly's eyes lit up, "Selfies, selfies… You're right, I've been here so many times, how did I not think of taking a photo?"
Her tone carried a hint of shyness, her gaze deliberately dodging, "But taking one alone… feels a bit awkward. Want to join? Just as a keepsake."
"Sure."
"I'm a bit camera-shy, so don't laugh at me. Here… you hold it."
At that moment, the background music hit its climax.
The music, the beauty, pushed the audience's emotions to a breaking point.
Firefly handed the phone to Caelus, her eyes full of anticipation.
Caelus took the phone, opened the camera app, and switched to the front camera. All in one smooth motion.
Then, he stretched out his arm, holding the phone far enough to fit both of them in the frame.
"Wait, let me get ready…"
Firefly quickly tidied a few stray hairs, "…Okay! Let's do it."
"One…"
"Two…"
"Eggplant—!"
A perfect collaboration between the two.
[She's so beautiful, every single moment!]
[May time freeze forever in this moment!]
[Please, miHoYo, save Firefly, I'll do anything, I swear!]
[Don't knife her, I'm begging you!]
[Screenshot, I need a screenshot!]
[World-class masterpiece.]
[Why am I crying?]
[This is it, the web drama can end here.]
[Yeah, just end it right here.]
Caelus handed the phone back to Firefly, and immediately felt his own phone vibrate.
Firefly looked at the photo on her phone, unable to stop smiling.
The next moment, she wanted to say something to Caelus, but realized their alone time was up, "You're heading back? Time flies so fast."
Caelus nodded, "Yeah, time always seems to pass quickly with you. Sorry."
Firefly quickly shook her head, "Don't apologize, I'm the one who dragged you here. I'm also planning to head back to reality to rest… Let's part ways here in 'The Golden Hour.'"
…
Soon after, Caelus and Firefly returned to "The Golden Hour."
Through text messages, Caelus learned that the Express crew had gathered some intel, especially March 7th, who even found a plaster head.
As the two walked toward the Daydream Hotel in the dream, they spotted Sampo…
Caelus looked at Sampo suspiciously, "Sampo? What are you doing here?"
"Ugh!" Sampo put on a disappointed expression, "Looks like you didn't take my advice to heart at all… Such a shame, that girl's got you so enchanted? You're really… too blind."
[Yes!]
[Exactly, I'm into her looks!]
[I'm absolutely crazy for her!]
[Yes! I admit I'm in love with her!]
[Damn right! (Proud voice)!]
[I'm Firefly's dog!]
[She's just too enchanting.]
[You're right, she's got me hooked.]
[I've never been so sure as I am now: Yes!]
Caelus prepared to confront Sampo, but Firefly stepped in front of him, "Be careful. I'm sure now—there's something off about your friend."
Sampo smirked playfully, "Oh, looks like this brave miss wants to protect you. Why? Are you two that close?"
"Cut the nonsense."
"I love your spunk, dear. I admit, you're not like that little gray-hair; your nose is pretty sharp. But even so, you're behind the pack. Haven't you noticed yet—the secret the Family's hiding, the truth behind this 'sweet dream.' And you—the Trailblazer who saved the snowy world… ugh, how much water did that 'Sampo' guy mix into the Jarilo-VI story? Forget it, believing him was my mistake… …I'm really, really disappointed in you."
[What? A plot twist?]
[Sampo's definitely got issues.]
Before Sampo finished speaking, Caelus shook his head, and both he and Firefly felt a wave of dizziness.
Sampo's pupils turned red, and goldfish began floating around them.
"Sorry… but you'll have to take a little nap in the real 'dream.'"
Sampo lightly flicked Caelus' forehead.
Caelus fell backward.
The girl disguised as Sampo revealed her true form, a strange glint in her eyes.
Caelus slowly opened his eyes, "Ugh… Where… am I? Back at the hotel? No, it feels… the atmosphere's a bit like when I first entered the dream…"
"Hm?" Caelus felt his phone vibrate again—it was a message from Himeko, but he seemed unable to send messages back.
"What's going on? It's like I've completely lost contact."
[No way, are they pulling some horror elements?]
[Where's Firefly? I swear I saw her collapse.]
[Damn, for real! Where is she?] [Did she get knifed?]
[Bro, stop going on about knifing. Firefly's identity is definitely not simple; she's not that easy to knife.]
Suddenly, text appeared in the air before Caelus, accompanied by a voice identical to Misha's.
[Scared the hell out of me.]
[Alone in a corridor—this isn't turning into American horror, is it?]
"Mikhail, are you in there?"
"Mikhail, where did you go?"
"So quiet… only the ticking of clocks…"
"Tick… tock… tick… tock…"
With eerie BGM, Caelus looked at the text and swallowed hard, "God… this is too creepy…"
Caelus finally left the room and found Firefly in the corridor outside, with an unmoving Dreamjolt Troupe's Spring Dealer lying at her feet…
Caelus glanced suspiciously at the creature, then looked at Firefly with relief, "You okay? What happened?"
Firefly carefully examined the room, "I… don't know. Either way, we're definitely still in a dream, not somewhere else, and certainly not reality… There's a distinct memoria texture in the air—I can't mistake it. But this place is so different from the 'sweet dream' I know. Confined… secluded… unsettling… And those floating texts—you can see them too, right? A place like this couldn't exist under the Family's rule in Penacony. So, a dream bubble…? No, that's not right—remember, before we passed out, your 'friend' said something about the 'real dream'…"
"Could it be?" Caelus gasped, realizing something huge, "This is the real dream…?"
Firefly nodded, "I'm not certain; this discovery is too sudden. But whatever the case, the Family is definitely hiding something about the truth of the dream… And you noticed when you woke up, right? The clocks and ticking sounds everywhere… My gut tells me the secret here is likely tied to that mysterious 'Watchmaker.' If it points to the 'Watchmaker's Legacy'—it's connected to everyone in Penacony's dream right now… Whether to uncover the truth or to escape, we need to move."
Caelus and Firefly were in sync, deciding to find a way out first.
As they walked, strange blue text floated abruptly around them.
[This isn't a horror movie setup, is it?]
[Feels like it—couple exploring a haunted house?]
[I'm freaked out; this vibe is seriously off.]
The two arrived at a highly imaginative location.
Firefly looked at the scene before her, marveling, "Unbelievable… It's like something you'd only see in a dream… Since earlier, these texts keep appearing and vanishing. Are they someone's inner thoughts? Who's 'Mikhail'…?"
Caelus nodded, deep in thought, "Mikhail… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere…"
"I can almost feel the emotions in them… Confusion… fear… sadness… and a resolve so faint it's almost imperceptible… A determination to face death…"
As the plot progressed, the blue text grew increasingly unsettling.
The colored text was filled with reluctance, longing, and a sense of abandonment.
Paired with the sound, it sent chills down the spine!
Thankfully, Caelus and Firefly ignored it all, opened a door, and entered a long corridor, but the lights dimmed, and the atmosphere suddenly turned eerie…
Opening another door, they entered a room with only a treasure chest…
Caelus slowly approached the chest and gently opened it.
The next moment, all the room's lights abruptly blazed on.