Black Swan continued to console, "I'm truly sorry, I have to leave for a short while… 'Death' is still wandering, and I must personally ensure Miss Himeko and Miss March 7th's safety and give them a warning… The Trailblazer is in your hands… Miss Acheron."
With that, Black Swan vanished before their eyes.
Acheron looked at Caelus, who stood dazed, unsure how to speak. After some hesitation, she finally chose to break the silence, "For something like this to happen, I'm deeply sorry… I was too focused on that girl and overlooked… It was my indecision that cost her life… I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." Caelus exhaled toward the sky, perfectly embodying the phrase no sorrow greater than a heart gone cold.
"If." Acheron lowered her head, "But if I had chosen to draw my blade back then…"
Suddenly, she fell silent, swallowing the words she hadn't spoken, and managed only an apology, "I'm sorry, I… had no choice."
Caelus clenched his fists tightly, the sound of grinding bones audible, "Right now, we need to figure out what happened."
Acheron nodded, "We will… we will. But the time hasn't come. Before the 'Hunt,' we should keep our eyes sharp, think about where the real enemy is hiding, and how to confront them… Don't let pain cloud your judgment, Trailblazer. Stay true to yourself, and you'll walk the right path. Once, someone gave me the same advice… 'No mercy is needed for enemies; that's cruelty to yourself. But you must clearly identify who the true enemy is…' And you must understand the meaning and cost of swinging that blade. This is the only advice someone burdened with countless blood debts can offer."
Caelus turned his head to meet Acheron's gaze, "Yeah, I understand."
[Caelus Bro, don't be sad, we get how you feel.]
[I didn't want to cry, but I can't handle this scene!]
[Sob sob sob…]
Before Acheron's words fully settled, Black Swan reappeared just in time. "—You two, I'm back. Miss Himeko has something to say to you… There's bad news, but also good news."
She then handed over a memory bubble, gesturing for Caelus and Acheron to touch it with their foreheads.
They did so, and a piercing chill shot through their bodies, coalescing into a vivid image.
Caelus saw Himeko and March 7th together, blocked by the Family. Black Swan was at their side, unnoticed by the Family.
Himeko's voice came through, "I understand the situation. Please ensure the Trailblazer is evacuated to a safe location. If there's time, you may also investigate Firefly's matter. We'll meet later at the 'Clockie' statue."
The image went dark, and the memory in the bubble ended there.
"So, at Miss Himeko's request, I'll take you both back to reality. I'm glad to see you're safe. Let's go, we'll talk more in a safe place."
Acheron: "Miss Black Swan, aren't you going to open… a portal or something?"
Black Swan sighed, "Hmm… I don't recommend it. His mental state is still unstable, so we should avoid such brutal methods of movement. And—while evacuating, we can do more for Miss Firefly, can't we? Some traces of her remain here. Before they vanish completely, let them become your 'memories.'"
Acheron agreed, "If we can investigate along the way, that's good too."
"Let's go, we'll find another route…"
"Sorry, can you give me a few more minutes? I… have something unfinished."
Acheron turned and walked to the spot where Firefly had vanished.
Caelus's body trembled, as if his chest had been stabbed again.
Acheron stopped, pursed her lips, and lowered her eyes.
After a moment, she bent down, her hands seemingly grasping something, then stood again.
A glow like a firefly bloomed slowly in her hands, "May death end your long dream…"
"And guide you back… to the waking world."
[I still haven't caught my breath.]
[I'm really crying.]
[This part is so heavy, so heavy.]
[miHoYo, can you be human? I'm begging you to be human!]
Suddenly, Caelus's peripheral vision caught a glimmer of light.
He crouched to look and found a half-fading phone on the ground, with an unsent message… a photo of two people smiling happily.
It was the selfie he took with Firefly on the rooftop, where she held up three fingers.
But the camera focused on Caelus's palm, And the next moment, the phone vanished completely, dissolving into a dream bubble.
Caelus smiled as a single tear fell.
[Your Excellency, what fine blade work! Such fine blade work!]
[I held it together earlier, but I can't handle this.]
[The photo's gone too, never even sent!]
[Who's landing these critical hits with such high damage?]
[Hahaha, hahaha. I'm done with miHoYo. Give me back my Firefly!]
[Give me back Tingyun too!]
[This is too much, way too much.]
[Who's the writer? Who the hell is the writer?]
[No idea, they didn't use their real name, just a codename.]
[What's the codename?]
[Roast Chicken!]
[Argh! I'm gonna eat him!]
[Me too, let's go, brothers, take down miHoYo!]
"Let's go." Acheron came to Caelus's side and spoke softly.
Black Swan had already taken the lead, "This way—please follow me."
The three traveled together, reaching the elevator.
Black Swan glanced around, "What's going on? There's suddenly a bit of… heat in the memoria?"
Acheron gripped her tachi tightly, "You noticed it too. It's like something's burning…"
Along the way, they saw the ground littered with the charred remains of monsters, faint embers still lingering. The culprit likely hadn't gone far.
At that moment, all three grew vigilant, And with danger lurking, they decided to investigate the traces of the remains first.
They could tell the monsters were killed in a single strike, accompanied by intense heat and flames.
[Another strong enemy?]
[Heat? Flames? Why does that sound so familiar?]
[I remember now—Sam!]
[Seems like it!]
[It was mentioned earlier that Sam showed up too.]
[Ugh, what's the point of Sam being here? Firefly's gone!]
[Don't bring it up, bro.]
"Something's off. These traces are fresh; someone just left here… Could it be related to what happened earlier?" Acheron connected Firefly to the culprit.
Black Swan shook her head, "With just a few clues, it's hard for me to deduce anything."
"Trust your intuition. After all, you said… 'memories' don't lie."
"From the memories in these remains… the person was tall, far more robust than an average adult male, with clean, decisive methods—one-shot kills. Perhaps a mercenary or an assassin. They entered from the lobby door and headed deeper into the hotel, so… they likely saw everything that happened earlier… I take it back. We need to hurry to the memoria imprinted with Miss Firefly's form. With this person's style… If their destination is the same, there won't be any clues left at the scene."
Caelus's eyes turned fierce upon hearing this analysis.
No words were spoken as the three finally reached the area Black Swan mentioned.
Next, the Memokeeper would recreate memories related to Firefly for the two.
At that moment, Firefly's phantom appeared again, "That thing Caelus and I encountered… If I'm not mistaken, it must be related to the 'Watchmaker.'"
Acheron glanced at Caelus, "She mentioned your name."
Black Swan nodded, "Calling you that even behind your back—your relationship must be pretty good. She seems to be sharing her findings with someone, and… it's related to the 'Watchmaker.'"
Acheron added another blow, "She didn't know she'd become a victim…"
[Stop cutting, Sister Acheron! I'm begging you!]
[The invisible blade is the deadliest!]
[I don't even want to talk anymore.]
[Hahaha, they've stabbed me so many times in just a few minutes.]
Caelus followed Firefly's phantom in silence.
Throughout, Black Swan and Acheron worked together, analyzing everything.
Black Swan offered her analysis, "From these fragments, it seems Firefly's companion betrayed her midway, locking her alone in this room while they vanished… Why? She said this deal was related to the 'Watchmaker'—anything involving the Watchmaker crosses many people's lines. Perhaps they wanted to seize the legacy, or reduce the number of people in the know, or… maybe there's a deeper secret hidden in this memoria, and to lure out the big fish… they needed bait."
Acheron chimed in, "You mean… Firefly?"
"That's just the worst-case scenario. But consider this: if the mastermind is nearby, why would they let us search freely? Unless… Unless they're preoccupied with something more important—something they need to confirm."
Finally, the three returned to the lobby.
Black Swan gave a slight smile, "Looks like someone's been waiting for us. Finally stepping into the spotlight, huh… 'Stellaron Hunter' Sam."
Caelus gripped his bat, glaring at Sam with wide, furious eyes.
Acheron stepped forward, warning, "Be careful."
Sam slowly turned, setting down a monster now reduced to charred remains, He scanned Acheron and Black Swan, "One Galaxy Ranger… and… a Memokeeper."
Then he extended his right hand, threatening, "Leave now, and no one gets hurt. Otherwise… you'll all die."
Clearly, the three had no intention of backing down.
Sam suddenly leaped high, "The detective game's over. You shouldn't be here. I will… set the sea ablaze. When you return to reality, tell everyone—it was the Stellaron Hunters who sent you on your final journey."
Boom— Flames erupted all around.
The next moment, Sam lunged toward Caelus, seemingly trying to grab him.
But Acheron flashed in front of Caelus, swinging her blade and forcing distance between Sam and Caelus.
Caelus started to step forward to help, but Black Swan stopped him, "Leave this stage to them, dear."
Then, Black Swan teleported you to another space.
In the blink of an eye, Caelus found himself in an unknown area.
A familiar figure seemed to have been waiting for some time.
Aventurine rose from the sofa, "What a show you've put on."
[???]
[???]
[This segment's packed with info!]
[Wait, so everyone's just pretending to be the good guy?]
[Holy crap, is this a full-on imposter play?]
[Where am I even at? Is this still a Honkai: Star Rail web drama? This feels like a murder mystery script!]
[Feels more like Among Us to me!]
[I haven't even recovered from the sad vibes, and now you're hitting me with a brain-burner?]
[Argh!!!]
[Can I just unsee this? I can't take it anymore.]
[Begging for this season to be canceled.]
"Good work, Memokeeper—a brilliant move to pit the tiger against the imposter." Aventurine gave Black Swan a smile, "When I saw the Galaxy Ranger and the Hunter together, my heart skipped a beat… I didn't expect you'd manage to spark a fight between them."
"As agreed, I've brought the kid to you. The deal's done."
Caelus turned and glared at Black Swan, "You!"
Aventurine patted Caelus's shoulder, only to be shoved away forcefully.
He chuckled, unfazed, "Haha, looks like our Trailblazer friend hasn't figured things out yet. No worries, I'll explain. In short, friend, you should thank this lady. Not only did she not betray you—quite the opposite, she saved you… from that 'Galaxy Ranger.'"
Caelus's brow furrowed, unsure how to respond.
Aventurine clearly expected this reaction, "That's right, I love that shocked look. Now, let's lay it all bare, friend. This woman named 'Acheron' is far from as simple as you think. A Galaxy Ranger…"
His expression turned deadly serious, "She's an Emanator, bringing death and finality."
Caelus immediately retorted, "No, Acheron was at the scene. It couldn't be her."
"The scene? What scene…" Aventurine looked at Caelus with keen interest, "No way… My goodness—this just got more interesting."
"Here's some company intel for you, friend. You know the 'Ifrit Duke'—Ifrit of Tofet?"
Caelus's mind flashed back to a memory from Herta Space Station, "I fought him."
Aventurine gave a thumbs-up, skilled at boosting others' morale, "Not bad, as expected of you! Let's make this quick then… He and his followers formed the 'Ever-Flame Mansion,' worshipping Nanook as their Benefactor. They burn, kill, and plunder, carrying out the will of 'Destruction,' not even sparing other Annihilation Gang members. I don't know what's wrong with the Family's heads, or if someone pulled strings, but this group somehow got an invitation. The Ever-Flame Mansion wouldn't refuse—they came in full force, vowing to burn the festival star into a sea of fire… But don't worry, they won't show up. You know why? —Because Ifrit is dead."
[Aaaah, I need to grow a brain for this!]
[Why did the plot take such a sharp turn?]
[What the hell is going on?]
[Damn, that's a ton of info.]
[Now I can't trust anyone except the Astral Express crew!]
[Among Us, officially underway!]