Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Only Through Death Can One Learn to Cherish

In truth, the fragmented memories Castorice had witnessed earlier weren’t bound by the flow of time. They were woven entirely from a single, lingering wisp of Polykrus’s deep longing.

As Castorice narrated the tragic history on screen, Guinaifen sat perfectly still, the faint glimmer of tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. The pieces were finally clicking into place.

[ “That’s a massive lore drop! Castorice is the twin of death. In her past life, she fell before the gates of the new world, and Polyxia took the life of her closest kin to become Thanatos.” ]

[ “But out of pure regret, Polyxia sacrificed her own life to resurrect Castorice in Styxia?” ]

[ “And the reason the River Styx was blocked, preventing souls from passing on, is because Polykrus’s divine corpse fell and dammed the waters!” ]

[ “So the ultimate goal of this alchemy… by merging soul and body, they can awaken Polykrus—the Titan of Death?!” ]

“How much must Polykrus have wanted to see it with its own eyes…” Guinaifen murmured, her voice trembling slightly. “To see how the sister it exhausted every effort to save would live from now on…”

She shook her head, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. After hearing Castorice’s analysis of the grim history, Guinaifen didn’t dare imagine the sheer weight of the resolute choices and sorrowful partings Castorice and Polyxia had endured in their past lives.

Was the fate of Amphoreus truly this cruel?

To Guinaifen, at least up to this point, this was no longer just a simple video game. A heavy knot of worry and regret tightened in her chest. She felt a deep yearning for the characters breathing life into the story—a desperate urge to reach through the screen, join their ranks, and shoulder that impossible burden of “Re-creation” alongside them.

“No matter what, we’ve reached this final step. Let’s see it through to the end!”

Gripping her controls, Guinaifen resolutely activated the alchemy circle.

Instantly, the chamber reacted. As Castorice stepped into the center of the formation, ancient symbols representing the Titans flared to life, illuminating the stone floor one by one. Amidst the glowing runes, a spectral image materialized—the lingering soul of Amonet.

Much like Trianne, she seemed to have been waiting in this quiet dark for an eternity, all to deliver the full, unvarnished truth of Styxia—a truth so deeply misunderstood by the world—directly to Castorice.

Guinaifen leaned in, staring intently at the dialogue playing out before the impending boss battle.

Long before Aidelia, Styxia was the very first city-state to fall to death. Yet, what Amonet wanted to convey to Castorice wasn’t the terror of mortality, but its stunning grandeur.

“In an era of endless life, no one invented the word ‘cherish,’ because all the beauty in the world could be beheld an infinite number of times.”

“In the so-called Golden Age, people did not truly live; they merely existed in the world, walking listlessly through the eons while waiting.”

“And Styxia chose to embrace death precisely because it fell in love with the impulses and desires that only come with a finite life!”

The sheer philosophical weight of the dialogue sent goosebumps trailing down the players’ arms.

[ “What kind of god-tier writing is this? It’s precisely because of death that things can be lost, and thus we learn to cherish?!” ]

[ “Can death actually be interpreted this way? It feels so sophisticated!” ]

[ “It really hits hard. I’ve lived for hundreds of years, and life has started to feel increasingly tasteless. After all, I have plenty of time; there’s nothing I need to rush to do.” ]

[ “The author’s understanding of life is actually this advanced? My god! It’s comparable to a biologist from the Genius Society!” ]

Amonet’s gentle words gifted Castorice her final surge of confidence and resolve.

To return death to the world.

It was precisely because of death that the Queen of Styxia could deliver Castorice, that Amonet could take her into Aidelia, and that Aglaea could invite her on the Journey of Chasing the Fire.

“Without death, I naturally would never have truly lived, let alone found happiness.”

“Thank you, my mother…”

Castorice embraced Amonet one last time as the spectral figure slowly dissipated into motes of light.

Finally, the Philosopher’s Stone, refined from Anaxa’s heart, began to pulse with a blinding crimson glow in Castorice’s hand. She held it high above her head.

The game smoothly transitioned into a cinematic cutscene. Guinaifen, still wiping away a stray tear, widened her eyes as massive tides of dark water violently swept through every corner of the ancient temple.

From the abyssal depths of the summoning pool, a monstrous ovum shot upward, piercing the surface!

The fleshy shell tore open. A colossal dragon broke free, its massive wings spreading wide and sharp claws brandished, though its head remained grotesquely imprisoned within the remnants of the ovum.

The boss had appeared!

Was that Thanatos?

“A great masterpiece that governs all death.”

“I shall… grant you an embrace!”

Instantly, the heavy scythe manifested in Castorice’s grip. With a single, brutal swing, she sliced through the water curtain, and the screen visually shattered along with the strike.

[ Battle Start ]

“It really is a boss battle, guys! This must be the Titan of Death, right?!”

Snapping back to reality, Guinaifen found the giant dragon immersed in darkness looming right before her eyes. The grotesque design, combined with a writhing mass of tentacles deep underwater, was enough to make anyone’s sanity plummet.

It was calling out ‘Sister’ and crying incessantly.

Understanding the tragic weight behind the monster’s cries, Guinaifen found no joy in the spectacle. Her expression hardened. She simply guided Castorice with precise, ruthless efficiency, ending the battle as quickly as possible to grant the creature peace.

As the dust settled, Castorice prepared to head to the Underworld. Beside her, Stelle’s physical condition had reached its absolute limit.

[ “Don’t leave any regrets.” ]

[ “Take your time, I can still hold on.” ]

[ “I’m heading out too; let’s see who gets to the Underworld first.” ]

“I’m heading out too; let’s see who gets to the Underworld first,” Stelle muttered on screen, clutching her forehead in pain.

The sudden, dark humor of the dialogue option caught Guinaifen off guard, making her struggle to keep a straight face. “That option is way too dark, isn’t it?”

Jokes aside, Stelle clearly lacked the energy to take another step forward.

And so, Castorice prepared to descend into the Underworld alone, making a solemn vow to return the life that Thanatos had stolen from Stelle. Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Castorice resolutely turned around.

“Your Excellency…”

“Wait for me!”

“It’s coming, it’s coming!” Guinaifen stared at her monitor, her eyes wide with anticipation.

But at this moment, she wasn’t the only one watching.

Far away from the streaming setup, within the luxurious confines of the Bath Palace, Castorice had returned from her promised walk with Polyxia. The three of them—Castorice, Polyxia, and Ash—sat huddled together on a plush sofa, using a single mobile phone as a screen to witness the finale of this chapter.

After all, this was the grand story and main quest that His Excellency, Ash, had carefully crafted just for her. Castorice felt it was absolutely necessary to bring Polyxia along to experience it all by Ash’s side.

On the small screen, the visuals faded to pitch black.

Gradually, a familiar, quiet voice rang out from the speakers.

“Finally…”

“You’ve returned here after all.”

Castorice’s in-game avatar opened her eyes. High above, a shattered moon hung suspended in an obsidian sky. A winding, desolate path stretched forward, flanked on all sides by an endless, blooming sea of crimson spider lilies.

“So beautiful…” Castorice murmured softly in the real world, her eyes reflecting the phone’s glow.

“It’s the scenery of the Underworld where we used to stay,” Polyxia added, her voice carrying a trace of nostalgia.

Although both of them recognized this place from their actual past, viewing it through the lens of Ash’s game was an entirely different experience. The god’s-eye perspective allowed them to overlook the vast, sweeping landscape, capturing the haunting beauty of every swaying petal.

Meanwhile, Guinaifen and her viewers gasped in unison.

The reveal did not disappoint!

“The so-called Underworld is actually a sea of flowers?”

“This map is rendered as beautifully as a promotional animation! It doesn’t lose out on quality at all. It’s simply incredible!” Guinaifen cheered, clenching her fists in excitement.

In the blink of an eye, the character marked with three question marks—the owner of that quiet voice—finally appeared in the center of the screen.

There, amidst the boundless sea of spider lilies in the Underworld, Polyxia had been waiting all along.

“Is it you? Polyxia?” Castorice’s in-game voice carried a heavy hint of uncertainty.

“Do you still remember me?”

On screen, Polyxia sat motionless in a wheelchair, her eyes gently closed against the crimson breeze.

Unfortunately, although the real Castorice now understood everything, the avatar’s memory of her past life was long gone.

“If you don’t remember anything, then just call me Thanatos. It’s easier that way,” Polyxia said calmly.

And then, right there amidst the blooming flowers of death, she began to fill in the final, missing details of the Re-creation from their past life.