All these revisions I've been doing lately seem to be helping with putting this monstrosity together. So for the time being, I'll be devoting some energy to getting this out and up to code. Expect more chapters of this in the coming days.

Note at the end, let's begin.

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

Sitting on the bed in his suite at the Goethe Hotel, Caelus glared down at his phone, battling an impending migraine. The endless lines of text filling the chat window from a certain smug character were enough to make him want to slam his head into a wall.

:That's the last time I let you talk me into any of your business opportunities.:

:Come now, friend, it was hardly an ordeal.:

:The guards came after us! And Pela!:

:And Miss Sergeyevna should certainly be commended for her efforts, of course.:

:If you want to commend her so badly, then maybe you should let her catch you for once.:

:And deprive all of my earnest, well-meaning customers of my award-winning services? Perish the thought, Caelus!:

Caelus could feel the migraine intensifying with each word he read. Sampo wasn't necessarily a bad guy, but the situations he roped him into were nothing short of exasperating. Just being in contact with him was enough to warrant suspicion from the Silvermane Guards.

And she'd probably freeze me solid, he thought with a shudder.

:Oh, Miss Natasha is calling. Gotta go! Don't be a stranger now, dear friend!:

User Sampo has gone offline.

With a frustrated growl, Caelus flung his phone across the room, watching it arc through the air and land on the cushioned chair by the window. He sighed heavily.

If there was anything he regretted since setting foot on Jarilo-VI, it was meeting Sampo Koski.

Caelus fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling and letting the droning sounds of Belobog filter through the open window. His gaze wandered to the flickering sea of lights outside. By day, the city was awe-inspiring, but by night, it transformed into a sprawling galaxy of glimmering orbs, each light telling a story, weaving a tapestry of life and resilience amidst the Everwinter.

Yet, amid this mesmerizing view, thoughts of Cocolia continued to gnaw at him. She was a complex figure—part hero, part villain, and wholly enigmatic. The Overworlders revered her, despite the dark legacy she left behind, believing she had been the pillar of strength and power.

The truth, however, was anything but.

When did she give up? he wondered. Was it before she took in Bronya, or after? And if she could hear the Stellaron speaking to her all this time, when did it start?

The Stellaron. Its malignant influence had been what pushed Cocolia into madness, transforming her into the deranged woman he faced on Everwinter Hill.

If only we'd arrived sooner... he mused, though deep down, he knew it was just wishful thinking. Cocolia's descent had begun long before the Express – or more specifically, Kafka – ever set foot on Herta's station.

He sighed again, feeling the weight of these thoughts. It should have been easy to categorize Cocolia's downfall as just another file for his "shit he couldn't control" mental folder and move on. But he wasn't that kind of person.

Like the researchers on Herta's station, he had a compulsion to help, to make sense of the chaos, even if it was futile. For Bronya, for Serval, for Hook. Even for Cocolia, who despite her monstrous actions, had saved lives in her own twisted way.

She could laugh from beyond the grave for all I care, he thought, resolute in his determination to understand her, and why she had dominated his thoughts as of late.

His musings were interrupted by the insistent buzzing of his phone. Groaning, he rolled off the bed and retrieved it from the chair. A new icon blinked on the screen—a group message from Bronya.

:Apologies for the short notice, but I wished to inform you all of an event at the fort tonight. The Architects are celebrating the first cycle of my ascension as guardian with a party. I wanted to extend the invitation to everyone.:

Caelus watched as the replies started rolling in – Serval and Gepard were up first.

:It's about time you got a chance to kick back! But I've got a gig, and Geppie here is helping me fill in for tonight.:

:Please help me…:

You'll be fine, little bro! Just imagine everyone in their underwear, alright?

That doesn't help me in the slightest!

Caelus chuckled at their exchange. The sibling dynamic was a welcome distraction. He then waited for Natasha's response, hoping she wasn't still upset from their earlier conversation.

:I would love to join, but I'm swamped at the clinic. I'm sure Seele can fill in for me, though.:

:W-what?! You… ugh, fine. But I'm only doing this for you, Bronya.:

His spirits dipped a little at Natasha's refusal. He had hoped to mend things with her at the party, but it seemed he'd have to wait.

Next up were Sampo and Pela, the former gushing in his usual flamboyant manner.

:A party? I'm honored that our esteemed guardian would invite someone as lowly as me! I'll be sure to get my best suit ready!:

:Is that so? Then I will be sure to bring my best dress too, Mr. Koski. I eagerly look forward to having a little chat with you, especially after you tossed a smoke bomb in my face this afternoon.:

User Sampo has gone offline.

Caelus couldn't choke back a snicker. Classic Sampo, never failing to bail whenever Pela was around. He might have left the planet if it meant avoiding crossing paths with the dutiful girl.

:Drat. I hoped to catch him off-guard this time. Nevertheless, I will still attend, Madam Bronya.:

March and Dan Heng chimed in next.

:Awwww! I really want to go, but I've already made plans with Little Gui to go shopping! Caelus, take some pics for me, ok!?:

:I will also have to decline. I'm working on updating the archives aboard the Express.:

:Don't you do that every day, though?:

:Don't you shop every day?:

:Boo!:

Despite the banter, Caelus sensed Bronya's disappointment. She sent one more message, this time directly to him.

:I understand and thank you all for letting me know. What about you, Caelus?:

He hesitated at first, then typed back a reply quickly.

:I'm not sure I'd be great at big parties like that. I don't even have a suit…:

:Oh! My apologies, I should have specified. The official celebration is already underway, but I was hoping to hold a smaller, more private one in the guardian's wing later this evening. Would that be alright with everyone?:

"I can't believe you actually live in this place. How can you stand it?"

"Years of conditioning, I suppose. It's certainly a step up from the orphanage."

"Only because that place is deserted now. Even in its heyday, it felt better than all these faces staring back at you. Talk about creepy."

"Seele, a lot of these faces are supposed to be my kin."

"Still creepy," Seele muttered, her eyes darting to the portraits lining the walls.

Nearby, Caelus listened with a bemused smile. Seele's bluntness was a breath of fresh air amidst the fort's oppressive grandeur.

After Bronya's invitation, Caelus had made his way to the fort, weaving through a stream of elegantly dressed guests descending the grand staircase. Most either ignored him or looked down their noses, but he didn't mind. He wasn't there for them.

Upon arriving at the Guardian's Office, two guards had led him silently through the fort's labyrinthine halls to a set of ornate doors, where Bronya greeted him. She guided him further into a spacious chamber, where they joined the others.

Only Seele and Pela had managed to make it after all, though Seele had mentioned that Hook wanted to join but had been "enslaved" by Natasha as her helper for the night.

Leave it to Pitch Dark Hook the Great to be overly dramatic, Caelus thought with a chuckle.

"You're peculiarly quiet," Pela's voice snapped him back to reality. She stood there, arms crossed, her gaze sharp.

"Decided to forgo the dress?" he teased, eliciting a faint blush before she schooled her features stoically.

"Seeing as how my tactic backfired, I saw no reason to."

"Shame. I bet you would've looked stunning in a dress."

Pela's glasses glinted dangerously, her small frame exuding a surprising intensity. "And don't think I've forgotten just who it was that was in cahoots with that scoundrel earlier today."

"Please don't freeze me," Caelus pleaded, the memory of her temper sending a chill down his spine.

Pela held his gaze longer than he liked, but eventually, she sighed. "Doing so would ruin Madam Bronya's floor, and the last thing I need is Madam Cocolia's ghost haunting me."

Her reverence for Cocolia was almost touching. In times like these, Caelus envied her ignorance of the harsh truths.

Pela clearly idolized Cocolia, blissfully unaware of the horrific reality that the woman had nearly led them headlong into.

Caelus knew better than to shatter that illusion.

Bronya had gone to great lengths to bring them together, and Caelus was determined not to let his inner turmoil spoil the evening.

Switching tracks, Caelus once more took in the large room where they had gathered. Spectacular portraits adorned the walls, each one a testament to the lineage of guardians, their legacies immortalized in heirlooms and knick-knacks meticulously displayed.

"You know, seeing what she grew up in, it's no wonder Bronya had a silver spoon in her mouth when we first met," Caelus quipped, his chuckle fading as he met Pela's unamused gaze. "Uh, sorry."

Pela sighed, her breath escaping in a resigned huff as she turned away. "Much as I wish to refute that, Madam Bronya isn't unique in that regard. Every guardian since Alisa Rand has been nurtured here, groomed to succeed their predecessor."

"Even Cocolia?" he asked, unable to quell his curiosity.

"Of course. Madam Cocolia was once a child too, taken under the wing of her predecessor, Madam Katarina."

"I've heard that name before… who was she?"

Like a switch had been flipped, Pela's eyes brightened. She adjusted her glasses, a proud smile gracing her lips as she launched into a litany of historical facts.

Caelus did his best to keep up with the machine gun fire of historical facts, noting particularly how Katarina was more a diplomat than a soldier but never doubted the guardians' mission. Unsurprisingly, she had adopted Cocolia from the very same orphanage that Bronya and Seele came from and sent her to the military academy where she met Serval.

All the pieces of Cocolia's past seemed to fall in place quite nicely, except for one glaring mystery.

"What happened to her—Katarina, I mean?"

Pela's enthusiasm withered, her gaze dropping to the polished floor. "It's unclear. Guardians serve for life, stepping down only when age or the Fragmentum claims them."

Caelus's eyes widened as the implications sank in, and a horrible notion crept into his thoughts he couldn't help but air. "So… then those guardian shadows are...?"

"Our former leaders, likely twisted by the Fragmentum's corruption," Pela spat, her usual composure cracking with a rare flash of anger and disgust. "These horrors aren't just myths. There are records of guardians, including Alisa Rand herself, walking willingly into the Fragmentum."

"Did Katarina...?" Caelus left the question hanging, a heavy silence settling between them.

"Like I said, it's unclear," Pela asserted, her voice tight. "The accounts are inconsistent, ranging from the plausible to the absurd. One day, Madam Katarina was the epitome of health, and the next, her daughter ascended with little fanfare."

"Do you think she killed her?" Caelus's blurted, immediately cursing himself for letting his thoughts take over, however briefly.

Pela looked stricken at the notion, but her shock quickly gave way to outrage. She quickly glanced around to see if Bronya had overheard but thankfully found her absorbed in showing Seele one of Svetlana's ornate battle axes.

"I'll pretend you didn't just say that," Pela hissed at him, her voice low and arctic. "First the guards, now you – this is absurd."

Caelus's mind screeched to a jarring halt. Was there someone in the guard that knew the truth?

But it must have just been a soldier's grumbling, as Pela carried on unabated.

"Madam Cocolia did her best as any guardian could. We would've been lost to the Fragmentum long ago if she were truly an insidious villain."

"She abandoned the Underworld," Caelus countered softly.

To her credit, that fact made Pela wince. "She wasn't perfect, but no guardian is. They all had their burdens to bear, all for Belobog's sake. We shouldn't forget their sacrifices just because times are hard."

While it seemed like lip service to him, he couldn't speak for the guardians before Cocolia. His brief, cryptic encounters with them after Cocolia stabbed him were filled with a sense of urgency and despair. Yet, despite their initial reluctance, they had placed what was left of their faith in him to restore their tarnished legacy and stop their descendant.

As a result, Bronya now stood as a symbol of Jarilo-VI's future and with time, would usher in a new age of hope for the tattered civilization.

"You're right," he admitted, catching Pela off guard. "Honestly, things might go better if she had the same support from the guard as you give her."

Surprisingly, Pela stilled and broke eye contact, her usual confidence faltering.

"Pela…?"

"I'm ashamed to admit that I once felt the same way about her…"

His eyebrows rocketed towards his hairline. "Who? Bronya?"

Pela nodded tersely. "When she was first introduced, many, including myself, underestimated her simply because of her privileged background. It wasn't until she volunteered to serve alongside us in the Guard that my prejudices gave way to admiration. Now, there isn't a soul in Belobog who wouldn't call Lady Bronya a warrior, ready to stand against the endless blizzard."

"And the naysayers?" Caelus prodded, a smirk playing at his lips.

Pela adjusted her glasses with her index finger, a devious grin curling on her face. "They'll be in for a rude awakening when they see her take the field again. And I, for one, can't wait."

"Oi, Caelus, get over here! Let's spar; I wanna try out this axe of Svetlana's!" Seele's excited voice rang out, drawing their attention.

Beside him, Pela let out a noise that sounded like a mix between a gasp and a scream.

"S-Seele, please put that down! It's an antique!" Bronya cried, her voice tinged with panic as she tried to wrestle the weapon from her friend's grip.

Caelus chuckled at the sight, but his amusement faded as he caught Pela's dark look. "I wasn't going to…"

"Underworlders!" Pela groaned, stomping off to give Seele an earful, leaving Caelus standing there, bemused and alone.

With his only company gone, Caelus's gaze swept the room out of boredom, glossing over the various portraits hung on the walls. Drawn by a peculiar magnetism, Caelus found his gaze anchored to one in particular.

Stepping closer, he came face to face with the same woman who had been haunting his thoughts.

The painting was a masterpiece, likely the work of Rebini himself. It captured the 18th Supreme Guardian, Cocolia, in a serene, seated position, her lips curled into a faint, weary smile. Her eyes, though tired, exuded an air of grace and unyielding composure.

She looked every inch the queen everyone praised her to be.

It was strange. Not long ago, the mere mention of Cocolia's name had stirred a storm of dark emotions within him—anger, frustration, hatred. She had almost destroyed everything in her pursuit of a Stellaron-fueled utopia and had come perilously close to ending the lives of his friends.

Bu now, thanks to the dream, the frustration still lingered, though the burning rage and hatred had dulled to a perplexing obsession.

Despite all the evidence painting her as a tyrant with little regard for life, there remained those who held an unshakeable faith in her, like Pela did. They believed in the person she had once been or could have been.

Perhaps knowing the full truth would do little to alter their conviction.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Bronya's voice broke the silence, causing Caelus to jump. She now stood beside him, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just found a reason to excuse myself from those two."

A quick glance over her shoulder found Pela dressing down the brawny underworlder for daring to defile a sacred – to her anyways – relic of their people's past. Whether or not Seele was listening was up in the air though given her blank expression, she seemed content to let the smaller girl vent.

"It's fine," he replied, his eyes drifting back to the portrait. "It's… a great painting."

Bronya hummed softly, stepping closer with her hands clasped behind her back. "Mother wasn't very fond of this piece, though I always thought it captured her essence perfectly. It was commissioned shortly after she became the supreme guardian, just as many before her had their portraits done."

"She didn't like portraits?" Caelus asked, taken aback. He had always imagined Cocolia as someone who thrived under the spotlight, basking in the glory of her status.

Though given how Serval had said she disguised herself during their past concerts, maybe that wasn't too far a stretch.

"Not particularly," Bronya admitted, her gaze distant. "I myself am not too keen on them either, except for one Mother had made of her and me when I was a child."

"Have you had yours done?" he asked before he could stop himself.

A wistful sigh escaped Bronya, and her expression turned melancholic. "There have been arrangements, of course, but I've convinced the Architects to delay it. Capturing one's essence on canvas seems trivial compared to the challenges we've faced recently, especially with the debacle involving Miss Topaz and the IPC. But… someday soon, I suppose I'll have to take that final step. Every guardian since Alisa has been immortalized this way."

"…even Katarina?"

It was almost shocking how one name could change a person so drastically. It was like the mere mention of the woman had caused his friend to revert to the hostile, and belligerent girl who'd tried to arrest them.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Svarog mentioned her," Caelus lied smoothly, not wanting to drag Pela into any potential conflict with someone she respected so dearly. "He seemed to know a lot about the guardians, and I was curious about them."

Bronya's stance relaxed slightly, seeming to buy his fib if only because she didn't have the energy to be outraged. "Of course he would know," she muttered crossly. After making a visible effort to calm herself, she sighed. "My apologies. It's just… Mother rarely spoke kindly of her predecessor, and I suppose some of that bitterness rubbed off on me."

"Bitterness? Wasn't Katarina Cocolia's adoptive mother? Did they not get along?"

"To the public's eyes, they were the perfect mother and child," Bronya explained, her voice tinged with a mixture of disdain and sorrow. "Madam Katarina adopted Mother to become her heir, just as Mother did with me like many other guardians of the past. And while Mother fulfilled that role, her life was far from idyllic. It was Katarina who sent her to the military academy."

"But didn't she excel there?" Caelus asked, puzzled by the dissonance between Cocolia's achievements and Bronya's tone.

"She did," Bronya acknowledged, her expression hardening. "But excelling wasn't her choice; it was a burden she bore because anything less was unacceptable to the guardian. If things had been different…"

"Different how?" Caelus probed gently, intrigued by this new perspective.

Bronya's frown melted into a sheepish smile. "It might sound silly, but she once confided in me that she dreamt of becoming a voice actress."

"Cocolia as a… voice actress?"

Bronya nodded rapidly, a wondrous expression coming to the fore across her features. "I know how it must seem, but oh, you should've heard her sing! She had the most enchanting tenor, the kind that could lure birds to perch at her window. Her lullabies were the only things that could get me to sleep back then, and I can recall a number of times I had drifted off napping in her embrace."

As absurd as the thought might've seemed, the image formed vividly in Caelus's mind—Cocolia on the grand stage of the Golden Theater, her voice resonating through the hall, captivating everyone in the audience.

He could almost see himself sitting in the front row, spellbound by her performance.

"I wish I could hear it," he found himself saying, the words surprising him as much as they seemed to surprise Bronya.

Her eyes grew glassy with unshed tears, and she smiled, a tender, but bittersweet smile.

"Yes… as do I."

All of this might seem like filler, but trust me there is a point to it. This chapter is a good example.

Now Katarina isn't really an oc; she's mentioned as a character in the game, but only her name is really known and nothing else. She's also the last known guardian before Cocolia so I'm taking that to use as her adoptive mother. Everything else after that is mine to play with.

More insight into what Cocolia was like from Bronya, as well as how she became guardian in the first place. I'd like to think that she wanted to be something before she was adopted but who's to really say? So much of what she was won't be known unless the devs wish it, and given how little she's been mentioned since then, it's highly unlikely and therefore falls to writers such as I.

Hopefully I managed to make the characters here believable in their reactions, since that was a criticism you guys had before. Guess we'll see.

Till then,

take care.