!!! - EDITED - 12/30/24 (Only had adjustments on the Dialogues to fit the current changes I've made and some minor tweakings.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Honkai Star Rail and any of their characters. All belonged to their rightful owners - Hoyoverse.
+++====+++
"Dan Heng, I've been to ask, how did you actually come to a conclusion that light was a power source?" Ever since I found out, it has been bugging me ever since.
"Remember the part where I ask how your wounds mysteriously disappear?"
"Yes? What about it?"
"That's my answer"
"But that doesn't explain why though," I said, an eyebrow raised "What if, that power source you concluded was actually a malfunction of the watch?"
" If it were a malfunction, I could tell it right away," Before I could respond to that, he added, "To explain, I could see and feel things much higher than those of normal people."
How does that work? I gave him a strange look. "....so is that a superpower of yours?"
"...."
"I take it as a superpower" I concluded after his silence. I clearly remembered the guy to be quite good with a spear but unlike March, he had yet displayed any fantasy-like powers. If I were to guess, I assume him to be some kind of monk..no, a cultivator. So, does he cultivate chi? Can he fly using his spear?
"I have a feeling you're thinking something about me."
"Just wondering whether you're a xianxia protagonist or not"
"A-what?" He shot me a confused look.
"Nothing, don't mind me," I replied, shrugging. "That said, you're quite an observant person, aren't you? No one could notice something like that for a freaking second" More importantly, how the fucking fast is his reaction time?
"So I've been told"
Our conversation ended there and just a few minutes later, we arrived.
"Keep an eye out, everyone. We're here " Himeko announced as we entered through the platform. Everyone had somewhat a nervous look on their faces, unsure of what will happen in the next minutes that follows.
Aside from March, that is.
"Yay! Finally!" She walked ahead of the group, clearly excited with her usual attitude.
While I, on the other hand, shuddered when I near the edge despite the railing to prevent everyone from falling. As my gaze fell downward, I felt a lump in my throat. Yeah, that was not a good decision to look down. It was as if I was staring death in the eyes.
Ok, no staring. Keep straight. I told myself.
"The Express isn't here." Dan Heng spoke, bringing the attention of all of us.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He didn't respond, his eyes were sharp, filled with caution and weariness.
Just judging from his expression, I could tell something wasn't right about this.
"It has to be nearby. Let me take a peek with my sharp eyes," March said as she ran even farther ahead, without any care for danger.
"Be careful, March."
"I will, Ms. Himeko. Don't worry!" March gave a cute pose before turning her back on us.
"I don't think she should be doing that," I said, crossing my arms.
"Let her be." Dan Heng said
"I'm guessing you're used to it?"
"Take a guess."
I took a glance at Stelle, who seemed to be… uncomfortable about something. Ever since we started getting near the platform, I could tell her expression was drastically changing, it was like she was expecting something to happen.
Please don't tell me it's something bad…
I probably jinxed myself, did I?
"Hey, you alright there, Stelle?" I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, which brought her gaze to break and land on me.
Okay, that was weird.
"I'm fine. It's just that something isn't quite right about this," She frowned. I frowned as well. Ain't that shit.
"Is that feeling leaning on something bad is gonna happen or something good?" Please be good.
Before she could provide a response, Dan Heng, who was beside me, suddenly shouted, "March, wait!"
Then I felt it. A tremor.
I felt all the hair on my body stand on end. A loud roar, akin to a large beast or something more, erupted. A sound of wings soaring through the sky was heard. It was loud, louder perhaps than the roar itself.
I looked over to where I assumed the direction of the roar was and my expression turned grim.
"It's really here," Himeko's voice broke the heavy silence.
It was the Doomsday Beast flying around in the endless vast space, just outside the platform. We all just stood still, eyes set on the beast afraid that if we tore away our gaze, it would come to us.
This was not good, not good. I gulped as I took a step back. The rest did as well but all maintained their fighting stance. March brought out her bow as she strictly aimed at the dragon.
"Get down here!" She declared as she pulled her bowstring.
"Are you stupid? It's gonna kill us all!" I shouted, unable to hold myself back at the sheer stupidity she just made. Ain't that just bringing death faster to us?
I saw March turn her head at me, her mouth opened to voice a response but another unexpected thing happened as when I returned my vision upwards, the Doomsday Beast was head-on going for the dive on us.
Oh fuck.
"Everyone! Get back!" Dan Heng suddenly shouted, pulling March in the process, who yelped in surprise. I ran immediately after the first word was said, but it seemed I was too late. There was a loud bang, and what followed was a strong force that managed to hurl me several meters forward. I bounced off the ground, hard, several times before lying flat on my back.
'My back,' I gritted my teeth in pain, forcing myself to lift despite the pain.
"Ethan!" Stelle's concerned voice rang out but was overshadowed by the Doomsday Beast's roar. I turned to them and saw they appeared to be somewhat okay. Wait, why was I the only one who seemed hurt here? Damn it, unfair fuckers.
"He'll be fine, Stelle. We need to focus on the Doomsday Beast first and foremost" Dan Heng reminded her as his face took on more of a serious look than I ever saw on his face.
It seemed that Stelle was still, yet, hesitating as her gaze sharply turned to me and back to Dan Heng and back to me again. Seeing that, I had no choice but to choose to support Dan Heng's decision.
"He's right, Stelle, I'll be fine. In fact, I'll just hide in that group of boxes over there." I pointed to the area I assumed to be safe while also sending her a reassuring smile. She still looked unconvinced either way, so I did what I knew to help convince people that they were fine by giving a thumbs up. Surprisingly that worked as she nodded, giving a determined expression. Her attention tore away from me and back toward the main problem.
Good, I don't want someone to hold themselves back for me. Not like I'm worth anything.
I sighed, stretching my back, feeling a crack as I did so. 'What did I do to deserve this?' I thought as I lifted my head. Feeling the events that unfolded just earlier to be some sort of part of a nightmare.
++++====+++
Stelle looked at the beast with a firm look, her bat grip tightly around her fingers.
"What's the plan, Ms. Himeko?" March asked nervously. I noticed Dan Heng's eyes didn't leave the Doomsday Beast.
Stelle noticed March's sudden change of expression, unlike earlier, when she seemed more confident so she couldn't help but tease. "What happened to your confidence earlier, March?"
"Hey! It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and Dan Heng just had to ruin it for me," March protested, glaring at the person she deemed responsible.
"It's either that or you'd get seriously hurt," Dan Heng coldly responded.
"Dearies, this is no time for chit-chatting." Himeko's stern voice cut off the tension between the two. All attention turned to her. "Listen, we have to attack with everything we've got until Welt arrives."
"How long will that be?" Stelle asked.
Himeko shook her head. "I don't know."
"Uh, guys…look" March's nervous voice caught on.
All heads snapped in the direction of the beast. They could only watch as the shield began to fracture, cracks visibly growing larger as it struggled to hold.
"It's not gonna hold,"
"Everybody. Get ready." Himeko announced to everyone who nodded at her words.
Eventually, parts of the shield shattered, allowing the Doomsday Beast to breach the station. Only half of its enormous body was visible, while its lower part remained hidden below the platform.
"Should we attack it now?" March gripped her bow tightly.
"Now" Dan Heng announced.
Stelle's expression hardened as she rushed forward, taking the lead. Dan Heng and March followed closely behind.
March took a safe distance from the beast and unleashed a rain of arrows. The arrows landed but they barely made an impact. It merely shrugged them off before raising its massive hand and attempting to sweep them off the edge.
Stelle leaped, narrowly avoiding the attack. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dan Heng leap onto its arm, sprinting toward its head. His spear struck the creature, sending off sparks, but the effort proved futile as Dan Heng was thrown off and crashed to the ground hard.
A robot zoomed flew past her, the same one that had saved them near the elevator, and charged straight at the Doomsday Beast. Its circular blades made contact with the beast, the beast roared but at the end, it barely scratched its armor before it was caught and crushed by the Beast's massive hand.
Despite the failed attempts to harm it, Stelle remained undeterred and charged forward without hesitation. The baseball bat in her hand started glowing fiercely.
"Rules are made to be broken!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she closed in, landing a direct blow on its body. The Doomsday Beast roared in pain, or so it seemed.
Stelle blinked, pausing for a moment. "It worked?" She was surprised and most importantly took a bit of pride from her attack. It took damage from her!
But the moment was brief as the Beast roared fiercely, pushing her back and eventually sending her flying, just as it had done to Dan Heng.
"Stelle!" March cried out in concern, rushing over to help.
Stelle's pained expression was clearly seen as her other hand gripped tightly at her abdomen.
"Are you hurt?! Bleeding?" March panicked.
"I'm fine." Stelle hissed in pain, and slowly her expression eased "I could go on."
With the help of March, she quickly got back on her feet and saw its hand beginning to glow. What followed was something that emerged from its body, it was a cube-like object with a dark orb at its center. The Doomsday Beast's hands glowed a brilliant yellow as it began absorbing the cube, eventually coating half of its arm in gold.
"It's getting a power-up? Seriously?!" March exclaimed with alarm. "That's so unfair!"
Dan Heng watched the scene unfold with a frown. "It's going to attack,"
"Everyone, get behind me!" Himeko shouted with urgency.
Stelle and the rest didn't need to question her choice of action as they immediately followed her command and gathered behind her. Himeko brought out another gadget similar to the robot earlier, but bigger.
"Hold on!" She shouted and everyone braced themselves.
As soon as those words were said, the Doomsday beast let out a roar before swiping its arm, releasing some kind of energy blast that hurled everything from its path.
The only exception was Himeko who deflected the blast and the rest behind her to be completely unscathed of the attack.
"What was that?!" March cried out, fear accompanied in her voice. It was the first time she felt such an attack.
"Are you guys okay?" Himeko asked as she looked over her shoulder. Worry drips from her voice.
"We're fine, Ms. Himeko. Thank you for the cover," Dan Heng said, before assessing the situation. "That was an Imaginary-type attack. That cube at the center is the source of all that energy. If we don't destroy it quickly, it will become even more destructive than it already is"
"So how do we plan to destroy it? Maybe I could shoot it?" March suggested.
"I can do it," Stelle raised her hand.
March looked at her with surprise "Stelle, what are you saying?! Have you gone crazy? Did the attack have some kind of mental attack?"
"March, calm down. Let her finish."
"My bat—when I hit it, it felt pain," Stelle tried to explain, adding vivid descriptions with her hands to explain it better. "If I got close enough I could hit the cube and probably it would go boom!"
Dan Heng listened to her words carefully. "Miss Hiemko, what do you think?"
"It seemed to be our only way. We need to stall that beast as long as we can. If she says she can do it, I trust her."
Dan Heng nodded at her words before turning back to Stelle. "Alright, do what you need to do and we'll cover you."
"Wait, are we seriously letting her fight that thing alone?"
"She's not alone. We'll be there to cover her, remember?"
"Still…" March seemed unsure.
"March, she'll do fine. Trust her." Himeko assured the pink-haired girl. "However please be careful, Stelle"
Stelle nodded, giving a thumbs up. "I will, Miss Himeko,"
"Fine! Just say when you're ready.," March proclaimed, now wearing a confident smile as she readied her bow.
With a quick breath, Stelle prepared herself as she stared up at the Doomsday Beast. But before anyone could make a move, a bright light illuminated March's side. Stelle held her bat ready to make a move to whatever it was but when the light faded, She was left speechless at who appeared from the light.
'Ethan?'
+++====+++
Ethan's POV: A Few Minutes Ago...
While the rest of the Astral Express crew was busy dealing with the Doomsday Beast, I was nowhere near them. True to my word earlier, I hid behind a sturdy cover of boxes, but I had enough of a view to watch the fight—safely, of course.
Suffice it to say it was not looking good for them.
If they fail, doesn't that mean the space station is doomed? I pondered, seeing that possibility. I really wondered if Lady Asta had contacted some sort of space military to help us out by now. That would be really helpful at the moment.
"I really can't do shit like that" I muttered to myself, quite amazed at how they managed the courage to fight that abomination. I turned to look at my watch who remained unresponsive ever since it first woke up.
Yet, there was one thing I hadn't tried yet to activate the watch. It was risky, to say the least...
I recalled how my watch activated the first time. It only responded due to an emergency regarding my life. If I put myself in danger, wouldn't that activate the watch?
I began seriously considering that option but eventually decided against it.
I was too much of a coward. For the record, I wasn't even sure if it would activate again. It didn't activate when we were surrounded by the Legion at that time, which made me doubt whether it was only a one-time thing.
And if it were to activate, my chances of going against that planet destroyer are slim to none, and that's considering my near-zero fighting experience.
You know, maybe I should just sit this one out. Honestly, they look like they're winning right now.
When my attention returned to the fight, the Doomsday beast's arms were now glowing.
"..." A power-up? Seriously? And did I just jinx myself again? Damn it, Ethan.
[Higher Energy Detected]
A sudden voice broke through my thoughts. I looked around and no one was there. Also, The voice is awfully familiar.
[Analyzing Energy Compatibility...]
When the voice spoke again confirmed my suspicions. I quickly turned my head to see my watch, the once black screen now brightly lit.
[Compatibility Assessed]
[Conclusion: 83% Compatible]
[Requirement Met]
[Detecting Host is Far from Source]
[Conclusion: Mental blockade - Fear]
[Evaluating...]
[Solution: Force]
Eh? Force? What did it mean by that? I stared at the watch strangely.
[Evaluating Distance]
[Distance Evaluated]
[Teleportation Power Remaining: 2%]
[Analyzing...]
[Conclusion: Power Sufficient for Travel]
[Initiating Teleportation Power...]
I stared in silence, confused was the word I'd use to describe what I was feeling right now. What the heck is teleportation power gonna do—
Before I knew it, I was shunned in bright light. My vision turned white for a brief moment before I regained my sight, finding myself in the last palace I would put myself into. It's like a game where your spawn point is at the center of the war.
"Ethan? How are you here?!" March voiced her surprise with widened eyes. I blinked, not knowing what to say in response.
"The fuck?" That was the only word I could muster. What happened?
I looked behind me and saw the rest of the group with total disbelief on their faces. "Uhm, I can explain?"
Stelle's eyes narrowed at me. "Are you a ghost?" Oi, watch where you're pointing your bat to. Friendly fire here!
"Why would you think that?" I asked, but before she could respond, her eyes widened in shock. I raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in her expression, following her gaze as it drifted past me and upwards.
Wait, upwards?
I turned around just in time to see the Doomsday Beast's head glowing brightly like a light bulb. Unfortunately, yet expectedly, a beam shot from it, heading dangerously toward us.
"Run!" Dan Heng shouted but it was too late as the beam itself was within reach. It was so bright that it nearly blinded me. Suddenly, Stelle quickly stepped in between me and March and pushed both of us back together in the process.
"Stelle!" Both me and March shouted. Stelle screamed in pain as her body blocked the beam from hitting us. Her body erupted in a strange bright glow.
I could only watch helplessly as I curled my hand into a fist. Damn it.
[Higher Energy Detected at Close Proximity]
[Initiating Absorption…]
I watched in a mixture of surprise and horror as some parts of the beam went past Stelle and headed straight to my watch. I tried to move away but it was too late as the beam connected itself to the watch. There, I felt an unimaginable amount of pain all around my body.
"AH!" I couldn't help but scream. It was like having thousands of needles penetrating my body at the same time. I wasn't bleeding or experiencing any sort of physical brutality; rather, the pain was coming from the inside.
[Detecting Pain from Host]
[Analyzing...]
[Conclusion: Cannot Abort the Process of Absorption. May Result in Soul Disaggregation.]
[Solution: Endure]
'You stupid watch!' I gritted my teeth, but the watch didn't stop what it was doing. It even continued to suck out more energy than before. Was it hungry or something?! And the fuck is Endure?!
"Ethan, what's wrong?" Himeko's voice cried out in concern as I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was comforting but that wasn't really doing anything to ease the pain.
[51% Complete...]
"Help...her," I said between pained breaths. Fuck, I was in somewhat okay condition, but the same couldn't be said for Stelle. She took the entire attack by herself. I just hope that somehow, plot armor will keep her safe. She's a protagonist, after all.
[71% Complete...]
[Host Does Not Need to Worry. Possibility of Dying is Less Than 30%]
"....." You know, I'm actually done with this life.
"Uhm, Ms. Himeko, what's happening to Stelle?" I heard March's voice laced with worry and fear.
Curious, I lifted my face, though it was difficult to do so, and saw Stelle's body suddenly erupt in a bright yellow glow. Not only that, she was screaming more intensely this time.
I blinked. Wait, why do I feel like she was about to explode?
"AHH!!!" The glow intensified to the point that whatever that glow was, it almost acted like a shield around her. Worse, it was expanding.
Ah, right. I should have kept those thoughts to myself.
[89% Complete...]
I saw Stelle release some sort of wave, not toward us but aimed directly at the Doomsday Beast. What happened next shocked me. The Doomsday Beast was nowhere to be found after that blast obliterated it from existence. Seriously, it was gone just like that? That was anticlimactic, to be honest.
I continued to watch as Stelle started to float, the glow on her chest area intensifying.
[97% Complete...]
In my head, I started to see images. A man with long white hair, tanned skin, and a fiery look gazed down upon me then that image broke down as I could feel my head begin to throb so painfully that I screamed.
[Sensing UNKNOWN VARIABLE entering the Host spiritual structure]
[Initiating emergency response: Cleansing]
[Disclaimer: The Host may experience a pain level of 2]
"Ms. Himeko! What's happening to them?!"
"Dan Heng, support Ethan quick!."
"On it."
[Cleansing Complete]
[Unknown Variable Eradicated]
[Resuming transfer…]
"Wait—Is that Mr. Yang? Mr. Yang!!"
[100% Complete]
[Energy Transfer Completed]
[All Elements Are Now at Full Capacity]
Strangely, the pain was suddenly gone, replaced by a trace of dizziness and tiredness. Also, my head felt light for some reason. I felt like I could stumble and fall without even realizing it.
[Higher Energy Abnormality Detected]
[Solution: Fusion]
[Initiating Fusion of Current Energy and Higher Energy]
[Calculating...]
[Calculated]
[Assessment: Fusion Failed]
[Solution: Reboot]
[Success rate 95%]
[Permission Needed - NONE]
[Initiating…]
I hung my head low, my eyes closed. Yet I was still aware of the conversation that followed using the last bit left of my consciousness.
"Am I late?"
"No, you were just right on time."
"What happened to Stelle, Mr. Yang? Is she...?"
"I just knocked her out. The Stellaron in her body started to grow berserk. It had to be done, but don't worry, she's safe."
"Phew, I was worried there for a sec."
"Who's that boy over there?"
"Ah, that's Ethan—Wait, Ethan!"
"Dan Heng, can you check up on him?"
I felt a palm on my chest. "His breathing is slow. I don't know what's happening to him."
[Initiated]
[Reboot will now commence]
[Warning: Host Will Enter a Deep Sleep to Avoid Any Soul-Related Injuries. Be assured]
After that, my consciousness started to slip away and eventually, I blacked out.