Huh. 25 follows, 17 favorites and three reviews in just a few days. That's... promising. Looks like you guys really like the Cocolus ship.

Guess it won't hurt to leak the next one of this. And hell, who knows - I might reach a block on Sabbatical and devote some time to this instead. Or Whipped - dunno yet. Muse comes and goes.

I will say you guys definitely helped with some revisions I had in mind. This chapter is based primarily from your feedback and I hope you can sink your teeth into it.

Now enough gabbing.

Honkai Star Rail is property of Hoyoverse. I own nothing.

Within a spacious suite, flecks of light from the outside world began to pierce like javelins through the darkness. The tick-tock of a clock hanging on the wall droned on, providing the only other sound apart from the snores emanating from the bed. Muffled chirps of birds broke up the monotonous symphony, until a harsh rhythmic clicking noise became louder and louder.

Then, the door at the far end of the room burst open, emitting entry to a shadowy figure whose features were plunged obscured by the darkness. Her gaze swept over to the sole bed in the room, letting out a sigh.

"Still abed at this hour? Honestly," she said, eyeing it with a note of irritation that, if anything, looked strangely forced, as though she were trying to be stern but failing. Striding over to the other end of the room, she drew back the curtains with a flourish, allowing light to grace the room with its presence.

The light poured down on the woman, illuminating her gorgeous profile for all the realm to see. Lavender eyes crinkled with satisfaction as she gazed down at the sprawling city far below, watching as a few clouds lazily drifted through the sky.

Her eyes rolled in the direction of the bed, narrowing at the lump that blemished its otherwise immaculate state. A snow white-gloved hand reached out to grip the hem of the covers, drawing it up with ease, revealing the figure beneath. "Just how much of the day do you intend to waste?"

"A few late training sessions left me worn out, Madam Guardian. Dunn asked for me specifically."

The covers were soon shed and up stood a half-naked man, sporting predominantly gray hair but it was tinged with flecks of white, as though snow had become encrusted there. What's more, his body was covered in various scars, some of which could likely have been fatal at the time they were given.

"Surely he is aware of your status," the guardian began with a sigh, touching her temple with two fingers. "You are no mere guardsman anymore. You serve the supreme guardian now – serve me," she added with a quick glance to the side, her cheeks darkening to a soft shade of red.

The man walked over to the woman and took her hand in his, grasping it gently and gaining her undivided attention. "One should never forsake their roots, your grace. Many years have passed but I still remember fighting alongside those guardsmen – they are my kin, as are you."

"Even so," she protested weakly, her face well and truly red now as she came face to face with the man's toned profile.

"Madam. You need not be so possessive. It's not like I'm spending my time with Serval after all."

As if a switch had been flipped, the woman suddenly stepped forward and grasped his chin, her hold astonishingly firm yet tender. "Were that the case, I would have set you straight by now," she told him with all the regality of the ruler that she was. "You are my knight, my protector… mine," she uttered with such passion that it caused a flush to bloom across the man's cheeks.

"Yes, Madam Guardian," the man answered, gently prying her hand from his face and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

"Call my name when we're alone like this," the guardian insisted, stepping closer to him, as if trying to melt into him.

"Of course… Cocolia."

Amber eyes shot open with alarm, the owner bolting upright in bed with a panicked gasp.

Caelus panted heavily for a few seconds, beads of sweat pouring down from his temple and down on the sheet he now held gripped in a vice.

"What a wild dream," he breathed, swallowing a bit of saliva. Everything still felt so real, especially considering who was starring in it. "Why did I dream about her of all people and like… that?"

Unfamiliar warmth blossomed in his cheeks as he swore he could still feel her grip on his chin, insane as it was. It baffled him how he could still feel any of it, but he was still trying to wrap his head around why he even saw it in the first place.

Dreams were a curious phenomenon. Some were vivid, memorable even into one's twilight years while others were forgettable, nothing but a shadow. Caelus was no stranger to dreams; ever since awaking to this crazy futuristic reality with some kind of world-ending entity stuffed inside him, dreams had both graced and haunted his every step.

"I haven't thought of her in months now, so why all of a sudden?"

The faint beeps from his personal terminal were the only answers he received, none of it helpful of course.

Cocolia Rand – the beautiful late supreme guardian of Belobog, its 18th to be exact. Her daughter Bronya now held the title as her successor, but the ascension had been anything but painless. Chaos and misery had danced in twine with those events, culminating in the fateful duel atop Everwinter Hill.

He and his friends had emerged as the victors, but the cost had been much too high. Cocolia had perished, unable to control the stellaron's power at the end of it.

Bronya had taken her mother's place, yet it was clear the woman's shadow would haunt her for years to come.

To Caelus, Cocolia herself was nothing more than his enemy – and had come dangerously close to being the one to take him from this world, had Qlippoth not seen fit to intervene. She played the part of a gracious, diligent ruler on the outside which was but a façade that shadowed the twisted, insane ideals she had fostered under the stellaron's influence. She was supposed to be just another foe to him.

And yet… what he had seen was a side of her that only Bronya could claim was true, as Cocolia did earnestly love the girl as her own despite their difference in bloodlines.

It was all so confusing.

Caelus sighed, shaking his head a bit. "It's just a dream, Caelus. It won't be the last weird one either. Just forget about it and go back to bed."

Before he could even think of getting settled back in, the train's PA suddenly came alive with Pom-Pom's nasally voice. "A-HEM! Attention passengers! We will be exiting warp shortly. Everyone, please make your way to the Parlor Car at your earliest convenience! And that doesn't exclude you either, Dang Heng! Thank you!"

So much for that plan, he groused, whipping the sheets back to step onto the cool carpet. Glancing toward the window, he found that a brilliant spectrum of colors playing out just outside the train. As he stared, try as he might to ignore it, the dream still hung on his mind like a leech.

Why did I dream about her like that anyway? We never talked – Dan Heng was the one who mediated, along with March. None of this makes sense.

The Cocolia from his dream had all the bearing the one he knew did but she was… softer, if that was the right word. Not as reserved as she had been during their dealings. There was a genuine feeling of warmth being around her, enough for him to feel that-

"You are my knight, my protector… mine."

It infuriated him that just that line made him weak in the knees, especially since it wasn't aimed at him…

But what if-?

He smothered that thought before it could take roost – nothing good would come of it if he dwelled on notions that were impossible. Cocolia was dead, and whatever vestiges he had of her would only be fleeting memories at best, and rarely pleasant ones at that.

I need a distraction.

Walking over to retrieve his jacket that he had lazily slung over a chair the night previous, Caelus whipped it over his shoulders and yanked it until the garment fit. Almost unconsciously, his hand drifted down to the seam that he'd had Natasha stitch up – the cause being the stab wound Cocolia had given him during their battle.

As if scalded, he yanked his hand away and clenched it into a fist.

Stop thinking about it. It's just a dream.

Retrieving his phone from the nightstand, he found several different notifications awaiting him. Most of them were emails sent to him by various figures he'd helped in his travels, but a few were messages from his friends, even Silver Wolf – the latter likely asking him to log in to her Aether Wars account for her since she was busy on a mission.

Still, there were a few notices that caught his attention, namely some researchers who needed some errands run on Herta's Space Station, which was where the Express was jumping to.

He already knew they were going to be tedious and annoying but at least it would help to get his mind off of that dream. Dwelling on it would only drive him insane at this rate…

"… mine."

Still, deep in his heart, he couldn't deny that her words made him feel… something; and what unnerved him more than anything was that it wasn't unpleasant.

"Thanks again Trailblazer! These specimens will surely prove fruitful to my research!"

This was how exchanges usually went whenever he helped someone on the station. So absorbed in their research, not considering just how much strife they might be putting the one that ended up roped into their errands. One minute he could be doing something as simple as fetching something important from down in a lab - that was still filled with monsters, of course - and the next he was turned into some gopher, fetching supplies and what have you for some uppity researcher who claimed they were on the brink of the next major evolution of grasshoppers-!

He really hated how much of a people pleaser he was sometimes.

Still, mustering a smile and a wave, he took his payment and walked off, his ear open for anyone else that might flag him down. No one did but he wasn't going to chance anything.

"Caelus, are you alright?"

Asta's worried voice called out, drawing his attention to her. As always she was stationed at the nerve center of the station, Arlan standing not far from her with Peppy. The little dog ran up and pawed at his legs, ushering up a smile from him and a scratch behind the little one's ears.

"Sorry, just a bit… tired," he said around a loud yawn, eyes shutting for a second.

A glimpse of yellow made his eyes shoot back open with a frown.

That damned dream of Cocolia plagued his mind like a cancer now, especially with how she had come off. Part of him still wondered if it was some sort of trick being played on him by the stellaron – it wouldn't be the first time after all.

Yet, it felt so genuine. The Cocolia from the dream wasn't all that different from the one he had known, from her overall appearance right down to the same beige and sage dress she wore, although there had been some subtle differences. For instance, where she had been marred with a cluster of ice around her right hand, the one in his dream wore matching white gloves that only seemed to enhance her overall countenance. Sure, she still acted as the queen he'd known she was but at the same time she felt more approachable, friendlier and, dare he say, intimate – with that man.

And who was he supposed to be anyway? Could he have been someone from her past?

But Bronya never mentioned her being involved with anyone while she was the guardian. Cocolia raised her as a single mother, so why did I see that back there?

If that was true, then could he still be seeing glimpses of Cocolia's perspective? But she was dead, so why?

The more he thought about all of it, the more exhausted he felt.

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Asta exchanged a glance with Arlan and held out her hand, "Listen, I'm sure no one will mind if you take it easy for a few hours. You've done so much for everyone."

Oh, didn't he know it; and given what happened recently with Ruan Mei and the Genius Society, he was craving a chance for some downtime. There were rumors of the Express heading to Penacony next, the planet of festivities. If any of the rumors he'd heard were true, then a vacation there sounded wondrous right about now.

However, leaving things unfinished wasn't his style. All the people he'd met thus far counted on him for help and no matter how tired he was, he wanted to make sure they got the aid they needed before it was too late.

And no dream, no matter how pleasant – or maddening, depending on how he was feeling at the moment - was going to get in the way of that.

"Thanks, but I might just grab some caffeine instead. I think there were some researchers down in the storage zone that needed something earlier."

"Whatever it is can wait," Arlan stepped in with a stern frown. "If they get pushy, I'll set them straight. You should take care of yourself first and foremost."

"That's right! You're Madam Herta's guest, and if they don't care to remember that little tidbit, then I won't care to approve their silly little experiments. Honestly, it would be a good change of pace to just start saying 'no' to them," Asta added smugly, ignoring Arlan's deadpan look.

Caelus couldn't help the smile that came to his face. Both of them were good people and friends he couldn't imagine being without, even though they hadn't known each other that long. But it still didn't sit right with him.

Maybe March has rubbed off on me more than I thought, he mused with a chuckle.

"If you're sure…" he trailed off and they both nodded firmly.

"Absolutely. It's not like you need to worry about this place falling apart. If anything breaks, I'll just order replacements!"

"My lady, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

"Hush, Arlan."

The two then set to bickering over Asta's compulsive spending habits, allowing him to slip out… only for something to start tugging on his pants leg. Glancing down he found Peppy chewing on his pants leg, staring up at him with what he thought was supposed to be a glare but came off as more of a pout.

He couldn't help but smile at the perceptive pup.

"Don't worry, I'll take a break, alright?" Caelus assured the patrol pup, the little guy letting him go with a wag of his tail.

"Arf!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm going. See you around, buddy. Look after those two for me, would ya?"

"Arf, Arf~!"

In his defense, he had tried to relax at first. Finding a nook secluded from any prying researchers hadn't been too difficult, really, and he'd set about ready to take a nap.

Until he saw her again. This time, he found himself standing just behind her and the mysterious man, the two staring out at Belobog's sprawling cityscape.

Fortunately for Caelus, the dream met an unexpected roadblock in the form of the station's resident invaders and had literally knocked him back to reality.

Despite public belief, the Anti-matter legion wasn't so easily sent packing from the station. With the Fragmentum, they now had a foothold and thus, no matter how often security teams tried to clean them out, more just filled the vacuum.

Security itself couldn't take on some of the more dangerous classes, either. Whenever a powerful legionnaire was found, they were left for someone like Arlan to deal with or perhaps one of Herta's many puppets littered throughout the station – whenever she felt bored enough to take direct control that is.

For someone like Caelus though? They were still a nuisance, but one he was glad to deal with. Smashing a few monsters was a good way to relieve stress, even if he'd normally have at least one other person with him as backup, like March 7th. She never was one to pass out on a little "spatial cleaning" as she liked to call it.

Two legionnaire cannoneers hefted their void-based weapons, charging them up to fire at Caelus but the trailblazer was much faster. Calling forth his trusty bat, he delivered a massive swing that struck both with bone-crushing force, destroying them and the cannons in the process.

Caelus hefted his bat, shouldering it with a smirk. "Too easy."

It really was. The legion had seemed intimidating back then, given that he had just been brought into a world he knew next to nothing about. But he'd been forced to adapt quickly, especially when the Destroyer nearly killed both him and March 7th. The Stellaron Kafka had forced into his body had nearly reacted then, putting not just himself but everyone around – everyone on the station itself in danger had Welt Yang not intervened.

And before he even had a chance to catch his breath he became part of the Astral Express, joining the Nameless on their journey across the stars that eventually led them to the frozen wasteland of Jarilo-VII and then the majestic Luofu.

So much had happened in such a short time that it was almost mind-boggling. Anyone else might have felt the experience jarring but Caelus lived for it; nothing was ever boring in his life, even if he might wish that it would be sometimes.

Speaking of boring…

"Was there some reason you decided not to deal with this yourself?" he directed his question to the Herta puppet standing nearby, her expression as inscrutable as ever. He didn't need the help really, but the fact that Herta's puppets just stood around most of the time still got on his nerves. Weren't they supposed to act as security for the station – for her station?

"The Legion's scraps are hardly worth the time or the effort to expend my energy on," the puppet stated imperiously. "Besides, you were here, and I trust you to keep this place spick and span."

Typical Herta, he groused.

She wasn't wrong, though. Herta held no interest in the station as a whole since it was completed, preferring to busy herself with her own passions – of which there were many and few – and leave the grunt work to people like him.

"Now, there's another bunch down on the lower levels so if you don't mind?" Herta asked but phrased it like an order.

Caelus sighed.

Just then, he felt a rumble in his pocket and went to fish out his phone. A few taps on the screen brought him to his IM app, of which there was a single notification popping up.

Bronya? What would she be messaging me for?

He pulled up the chat log, bringing up Bronya's message and read it to himself.

Caelus, if it's possible could you come meet me in Belobog? There's something would like your help with.

Is it serious…? He texted back quickly.

Her reply took a few moments but soon the message popped up, reading:

You could say that, but I'd prefer to speak about it in person. Meet me in the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone when you can. I'll look forward to seeing you.

Caelus frowned thoughtfully. Bronya wanting to meet up wasn't strange by itself, but why the Restricted Zone? It wasn't unheard of her to perform routine inspections of the garrison there wouldn't need to drag him along for it.

No, there was something else to this.

Still, it would be nice to see her again. She'd been very busy cleaning up her mother's mess and even with the likes of Natasha, Seele, Gepard and Serval helping her it was still a lot for her to deal with, not to mention the brief crisis with Topaz and the IPC recently.

Pocketing his phone, he turned to the puppet staring at him expectantly with her hands on her hips. "Sorry, something's come up so I have to head out."

If Herta showed any annoyance at being deprived of her special errand boy, she didn't show it. "Hmph. I suppose I can let you go for today, but I'll have need of you soon."

"For more work like this, I'll bet."

"Not exactly," she retorted, much to his surprise. "It's a very important job that I can trust few with, but since you've got a Stellaron inside you… well, let's just say you're uniquely qualified."

Caelus eyed her uncertainly. That was new, and it was as close to a compliment as he would be able to squeeze out of the little android. But he didn't devote too much time to ruminate on it, shrugging his shoulders. "Well in that case, I'm off."

"Yes, yes, I heard you. Just keep your phone handy, got it?"

Pushy little puppet.

I spent several weeks agonizing over how to rewrite that first section. At first, I had Caelus monologuing as he was in the shoes of the strange man but the more I read it, the more I hated it. None of it seemed to mesh. So now we have this.

It might seem strange for Caelus to dream about Cocolia all of a sudden but I'll touch on that later down the line. But remember - he was pretty much the only one who was somehow connected to her through dreams during the TB mission.

(If I missed something regarding that, feel free to message me and I can clear it up.)

Bear with me as this all comes together. I promise that I intend for this to be an epic, grand tale of heroism, adventure, loss and love - with a lot of dying later down the line. I don't intend for this fic to be all sunshine and rainbows. It is Jarilo-VI and let's face it: the city might be pleasant enough, but the world outside is a frozen hellscape.

Till then,

take care.