Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Mem is Cyrene?!

At the end of the story.

It was that ethereal sea of flowers once again.

Before Guinaifen and Sushang even had the chance to cheer for the hard-won victory of the Citizens Assembly, their perspective was suddenly pulled away, plunging straight back into the abyssal depths of the Underworld.

At that very moment, it wasn’t just the two of them. Aboard the Astral Express, several crew members were holding their breath, their eyes glued to the screen as the scene unfolded.

Stelle awoke alone. She pushed herself up, her golden eyes dazed as she took in the endless expanse swaying in the phantom breeze. When she turned her head, a familiar figure materialized beside her.

“Your Excellency, let us reintroduce ourselves.”

Castorice’s voice drifted through the quiet air, gentle and impossibly soft. “My name in the mortal world is Castorice. But now… I am the Demigod of Death, the Life Aspect of Thanatos.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the vast, glowing flora. “Welcome to The End of the West Wind. Welcome to my Underworld.”

Silence.

A heavy, suffocating silence blanketed the stream for a brief moment.

“This is The End of the West Wind?” Guinaifen stared at the screen, a deep sense of strangeness and shock washing over her. “The End of the West Wind that Tribios mentioned… it’s actually the Underworld?”

“I thought it was just some abstract philosophical concept, but it’s a real place,” Sushang murmured, equally stunned.

On the screen, dialogue options appeared.

[Mom, I’m finally done with my scenes!]

[Stelle smiles.]

Castorice merely chuckled at the lighthearted response, a bittersweet curve to her lips. “You are as energetic as ever.”

“Do you know, Your Excellency…”

Castorice spread her hands, gesturing to the glowing petals around them, and began to softly recount the history of this subterranean realm. Legend spoke that these flowers were personally sown by the Aeon Thanatos, nourished by the gentle drizzle of the Underworld and the essence of wandering souls. They would bloom in the dark, only to wither and die at the end of their lifespan, eventually ascending to the sky as stardust.

Just like every soul trapped in this realm, they were bound to cycle through countless different forms in reincarnation, spinning the wheel of life until the very end of the world.

This was the absolute truth behind the cycle of life and death in Amphoreus.

As the one who sowed the souls, Castorice prepared to open the heavy, ancient gates of the Underworld, ready to send Stelle back to the world of the living. The exchange was simple: Stelle was to bring back the Spark of Death and finally complete the Journey of Chasing the Fire.

Seeing that their beloved Trailblazer was about to be resurrected, a wave of joy washed over everyone watching the broadcast.

But suddenly, a new set of dialogue options popped up on the side of the screen.

[I promise you.]

[You… aren’t you going back?]

[What is the price?]

Guinaifen’s joyful expression instantly froze. The realization hit her like a physical blow. That’s right. Previously, to reverse the absolute laws of life and death, Polyxia had forcibly dragged Castorice back to the mortal world. The price paid for that miracle was to be trapped in the Underworld, condemned to eternal loneliness.

Her finger hovered trembling over the holographic options for a long time before she finally made her choice.

“What is the price?”

Hearing the question, Castorice gently shook her head, offering a comforting smile. “Do not worry. Rejecting death is inherently the divine authority of Thanatos. also, Your Excellency’s soul has not dissipated, so this is not a true resurrection from the dead.”

“Then, aren’t you going back?” Stelle pressed on, a deep, unmistakable sorrow bleeding into her expression.

At this moment, as if sensing the inevitable tragedy, Guinaifen couldn’t help but fall completely silent.

Without a trace of hesitation, Castorice nodded. She spoke with a chilling calmness, as if discussing the weather rather than her own eternal damnation. “Just like the other demigods, I must remain here. I must embrace my own fate.”

[What the hell? Are you kidding me?!]

[Aren’t you coming home for dinner, Cas? Didn’t we agree to see each other tomorrow? How can we see each other tomorrow if you stay trapped down here!]

[Is this for real? Can the Demigod of Death truly not leave the Underworld?]

[Wait, could it be…]

[I initially thought Castorice’s ‘changing fate’meant resurrecting Stelle. It turns out the’eternal parting’ she mentioned meant staying in the Underworld herself! This way, even if Stelle is reborn, the oracle is still perfectly fulfilled?!]

Until the very last, agonizing moment, few people had managed to connect the dots. The final form in which this cruel oracle would be fulfilled was steeped in such deep loneliness.

It turned out Castorice never intended to change Stelle’s destiny; her ultimate goal, from the very beginning, was to be the one separated from Stelle by the impossible boundary of life and death. This way, even if Stelle didn’t have to die, it would still be an eternal parting.

Castorice’s mind was made up. For the sake of the Journey of Chasing the Fire, and for the only life she could save in this desolate existence, she would gladly pay the price.

Stelle had no reason—and no power—to refuse.

“The whispers of death are sweet and tranquil. If your will is insufficient, you will be held fast by the long arms of the Underworld,” Castorice warned, her tone turning solemn.

“I will do my best,” Stelle responded, her voice steady despite the sorrow.

In the very next second, the road home tore open through the darkness.

When Stelle turned around to face the blinding path, several familiar voices and fragmented memories materialized at the corners of the floral sea.

“Stelle, over here, over here!” Was that… March 7th?

“Keep walking. Don’t look back.” And Dan Heng.

Through the ethereal haze, those were the exact memory fragments of the very first time March 7th and Dan Heng had awakened Stelle on the space station.

Noticing this scene, Himeko couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of relief, her lips curling up into an unconscious, fond smile. But then, a sharp question suddenly arose in her mind.

How long had it been since March and Dan Heng first met Stelle? Even the most dedicated, veteran fan of the Astral Express couldn’t possibly replicate that exact live footage so perfectly.

“Don’t tell me even our memories have been invaded…” Himeko sighed softly, swirling the coffee in her cup. Fortunately, the mysterious developer didn’t seem to harbor any malicious intent.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Yang’s voice echoed from the game, followed closely by her own digital counterpart’s encouragement!

Welt: “I believe in you, Stelle.”

Himeko: “Go forward. The Astral Express will always be with you.”

“Is that my voice?” Himeko felt a sudden, swelling warmth in her chest, momentarily setting aside all her previous doubts about the game’s creator.

This was Stelle’s truest, most vulnerable side. Deep in her heart, everyone on the Astral Express was always standing at the very front, guiding her way.

As Stelle continued her arduous trek forward, the voices of Kafka and Firefly rang out one after another, echoing through the void. Then came the Chrysos Heirs, standing tall at the end of the road.

“Hold your head high! Let’s walk toward tomorrow together with ‘us’!”

“That’s right, toward where the dawn rises.”

“Forward! Let me see your courage.”

“Partner, together with me—let’s become heroes.”

There were Trianne, Aglaea, Mydei, and Phainon. And standing at the very end of the path was Castorice, gently holding onto Stelle’s memory fragments.

Suddenly, a fleeting flash of crimson cut through the screen!

Just as Stelle felt the overwhelming urge to look back, Guinaifen gasped, noticing that all the dialogue options on the right side of the screen had violently turned a glaring, warning red.

“Don’t look back. Look forward!”

In a daze, a woman draped in a purple and white coat emerged from the shadows behind her. She walked forward with her arms crossed, her presence exuding an overwhelming, quiet pressure.

“Do not be afraid. At the end of that road, there will always be a dash of red.” The woman’s voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of countless shattered worlds. “It will guide your way out. That way, you will surely be able to reunite under the sunlight.”

With those words spoken, various scenes from the past erupted one by one. From the freezing snows of Belobog to the majestic skies of the Xianzhou, to the dreamscapes of Penacony, and finally to the mythical lands of Amphoreus.

But at this moment, the bullet chat was in an absolute uproar.

[Who? Who is this? Why don’t I recognize her?]

[It’s probably a memory fragment of Stelle’s, but as the most loyal fan of the Express, there’s no way I wouldn’t know someone this cool!]

[This shouldn’t be right. I study everyone associated with the Trailblazer and every place she goes, yet I have zero impression of this purple-haired lady!]

[Is she another one of Stelle’s former comrades?]

Before Himeko could fully process the shock of this unknown woman’s appearance, the next person to be hit with an emotional sledgehammer was Mr. Yang.

“All of this is the proof that you once lived~♪”

A voice labeled only with three question marks rang out through the endless void.

Mr. Yang’s breath hitched in his throat. His hand tightened around his cane, his eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated disbelief.

What was that sound?!

Elysia…

“So, go forward. Do not stop your steps. Do not fail her sacrifice and everything that once walked with you—”

The voice slowly faded into the ether. At the very end of the blinding white light, a little pink elf fluttered into view.

“Good partner, over here—!”

She smiled gently, her tone soft, sweet, and achingly familiar. Tilting her head, she reached out a small, delicate hand.

“Take my hand. Let’s go home together—!”