Honkai Star Rail: Summoning the Chrysos Heirs — Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Experimental Abilities

“Cyrene?”

The voice drifted through the quiet expanse of the Physical Data Space. Cyrene, currently entirely preoccupied with examining her reflection in the full-length mirror, froze. Phainon had just happened to pass by the corridor. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling squarely upon the peculiar figure preening before the glass.

“How did you end up looking like this?” he asked, taking two measured steps closer. His eyes swept over the fluffy tail swaying rhythmically in mid-air, a distinct glimmer of curiosity breaking through his usually composed demeanor.

Cyrene had been busy fiddling with the smooth gemstone embedded in her chest fluff. At the sound of his voice, she spun around abruptly. Her large eyes, complete with star-shaped pupils, collided directly with Phainon’s questioning gaze.

“Mimi?”

‘Phainon?’

A soft, sweet chirp rolled out from her throat. Cyrene immediately waved her stubby, fur-covered arms, gesturing wildly in the air to explain herself.

“Mimi Mi, Mimi!”

‘I unlocked a new ability that lets me switch forms inside the Physical Data Space. After using it, I turned into this!’

As soon as the syllables left her mouth, her frantic movements froze. She looked down at her plush paws, a sudden realization crashing over her. Everything leaving her lips was coming out as high-pitched squeaks. How could Phainon possibly decipher a single word of that?

Embarrassment prickled at her mind. Cyrene prepared to mobilize her mental energy to dispel the transformation and return to her human shape.

Before she could dissolve the form, Phainon stepped forward. He rested a finger against his chin, his expression turning thoughtful.

“So that is how it is. A new ability, huh.”

Cyrene’s paws hovered awkwardly in the air. She widened her eyes, her head tilting to one side in sheer bewilderment.

“Mimi?”

‘You can actually understand me?’

“Logically speaking, I shouldn’t be able to,” Phainon replied. He pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, a faint trace of confusion lingering in his own eyes. “But for some reason, when your cries enter my ears, they inexplicably translate into words I can perfectly comprehend.”

He raised his gaze, studying the small, floating creature she had become. “So, Cyrene. You turned into this form… are you planning to do something specific with it?”

“Mimi.”

‘It is not like I am planning anything nefarious.’

Cyrene shook her head, her thoughts shifting focus. A brilliant pink halo of light instantly enveloped her small body, swirling with the gentle hum of Memoria. As the radiant light dissipated, the fluffy mascot vanished. In its place stood the young girl wearing her comfortable loungewear, perfectly restored before the mirror.

“I just obtained a new ability and wanted to test its practical effects,” Cyrene said, her tone light and airy. She smoothed out the long strands of hair cascading over her shoulders, then lowered her head to inspect her arms and legs. After confirming that her physical body had returned without any lingering abnormalities, she clapped her hands together in satisfaction.

“This ability is actually quite useful.” She turned around to face Phainon, a sly, playful smile curving her lips. “Later, when I pull some guests from the outside world into the Physical Data Space, I can turn into that form to observe their reactions.”

After all, she could hardly expose her true identity to those outsiders. Maintaining her innocent, harmless facade was paramount., the System had granted both the Material World Interference and Form Switching abilities simultaneously. That timing clearly implied she was meant to use them in tandem.

Cyrene reined in her wandering thoughts, letting her gaze fall back onto the man seated before her.

“Since you are free right now, I have another new ability I would like to test on you.” She pressed her hands together, a bright look of eagerness shining in her eyes.

“Test on me?” Phainon was slightly taken aback. A moment later, his brow smoothed out, and he let out a soft, low laugh. “No problem. How do you need me to cooperate?”

He spread his hands, leaning back against the chair in a completely relaxed, unguarded posture.

“I want to use Memory Imprint on you, and then use that connection to test the effects of another skill,” Cyrene explained.

Phainon nodded slowly. “I understand. Go ahead. I will not put up any mental resistance.”

Cyrene offered no further preamble. She simply raised her right hand, her slender finger lightly tracing a glowing trajectory through the void.

Memory Imprint activated instantly.

Accompanied by a deep, resonant hum, Phainon’s Remembrance manifested. It flowed outward like a brilliant ribbon of starlight, rapidly condensing into the ethereal pages of a book right before Cyrene’s eyes. She reached out, her fingers grasping a specific page that pulsed with a warm, golden light, and tore it free.

A crisp sound of tearing paper echoed through the room. The surrounding environment of the Physical Data Space instantly peeled away, dissolving into nothingness.

Her consciousness plunged into a dark, boundless void. Directly in front of her, a massive screen flared to life. Cyrene shifted her thoughts, and the projected images began to fast-forward at a dizzying speed.

The blur of colors finally froze, locking onto a specific point in time. The scene depicted Phainon, Diting, and a few others handling through the desolate, crumbling ruins in search of the disaster’s source.

“This is it.”

Cyrene stared intently at the robed figure of Phainon within the memory, her mental energy rapidly converging on that single focal point.

Memory Negative, activate.

The image on the screen rippled outward like a stone dropped into a calm lake. A trace of translucent, eerie light peeled away from the flat projection, drifting through the void until it condensed directly into Cyrene’s waiting palm.

As the glow faded, a physical photographic negative lay quietly against her skin. Phainon’s exact physical state from that exact moment in the ruins was flawlessly imprinted onto the dark film.

“It actually works!” Cyrene gripped the negative, sheer surprise overflowing in her eyes.

If she could extract a tangible negative from an imprinted Remembrance, the operational scope of this ability would increase exponentially. The primary goal of her experiment had been achieved. Satisfied, Cyrene prepared to sever the mental connection and return to reality.

Yet, just as her consciousness began to withdraw, a sudden, sharp thought intruded into her mind.

If she could extract a negative from the Remembrance space… did the target absolutely have to be the owner of the memory?

Cyrene halted her retreat. Her gaze swept across the frozen screen, moving past Phainon’s shoulder to lock onto the young girl wrapped heavily in bandages standing behind him.

It was Diting, currently in a severely injured state.

Cyrene held her breath. She mobilized her mental power once more, directing it past the primary subject. Invisible fluctuations of energy enveloped the wounded Diting within the scene.

“Trace.”

That familiar, eerie light flashed a second time. A few seconds later, another negative condensed into form within the dark void. Held up to the light, Diting’s weak, battered silhouette was clearly visible on the film.

“It seems I still severely underestimated the upper limit of this ability,” Cyrene whispered, staring at the two negatives floating gently before her eyes. A heavy hint of shock laced her usually playful voice.

The implications were staggering. As long as she obtained a single person’s Remembrance, she could perform a state trace on absolutely any creature that happened to appear within those memories. She could freely browse through someone’s past, intercepting specific moments when a target was either perfectly intact or on the brink of death.

Then, through negative development, she could forcibly overwrite their physical state in the present reality.

The person providing the Remembrance did not even need to be the target. It could be an enemy’s companion. It could be a passing pedestrian. It could even be a stray bird flying past a street corner, capturing the scene in its tiny eyes.

Whoever had their state overwritten would have absolutely no way to trace where the attack came from. It was an untraceable, unavoidable manipulation of reality itself.

A true dimensional strike.

Cyrene closed her fingers, letting the negatives dissolve into motes of light.

“This power…” she murmured, a rare solemnity settling over her features. “It is labeled as Remembrance, but it is actually capable of freely manipulating time and causality. It really is impressive.”