I lied.
There's one more semi-crucial bit we need to get through before we get to where we need to be. But after this, I'll be dropping these in much beefier versions so look forward to that. Note at the end, let's begin.
Honkai Star Rail is property of Hoyoverse. I own nothing.
He was not awakened by the sun, the birds, or the city's distant roar. Instead, a haunting melody drifted into his consciousness, a slow, hypnotic tune that seemed to flow in and out of his ears like a gentle river of sound. The room was unnaturally cold, sending chills down his spine.
"Awaken."
Caelus's eyes snapped open, and he sat up so quickly he nearly gave himself a headache. The room was cloaked in darkness, the lights inexplicably off. He assumed room service had turned them off, thinking he was asleep.
What unnerved him was the absolute silence. The usual muted hum of the city was absent, replaced by an eerie din that made his ears ring.
However, what unnerved him was how quiet it was. Normally the clamor of the city would be dull enough to fall asleep to, but it was dead silent, to the point where his ears were beginning to ring.
Well, that wasn't quite right either. The only sound was that of the mysterious song… and it was coming from the table.
Against the inky curtain blanketing the room, the faded sheen of the box shone through like a beacon, beckoning him to come forward. Against the inky darkness, the box glowed faintly, like a beacon calling to him.
His feet moved on their own, taking him towards the table as the music seemed to reach its closing notes.
The inner space of the box was now on display for all to see; intricates layers of gears made up the inside of it, establishing the basis for what looked like a single bronze disk emblazoned with the symbol of the Silvermane Guard.
He carefully picked up the box, watching as the tiny gears inside clicked to a halt. "Okay… that was—"
Just then, his senses flared to life, and he instinctively summoned his weapon but too late. Something struck him, sending him crashing through a nearby chair. Growling, he scrambled to his feet, weapon at the ready.
He froze at the sight before him.
A Fragmentum minion—a guardian shadow—hovered silently in the room, holding Bronya's gift in its spectral hand.
"Hey, drop it!" Caelus barked, though he knew it was futile. The creature wouldn't obey him. If anything, it would try to finish the job next.
But instead, to his surprise, the shadow turned and fled through the balcony doors, leaping gracefully into the street below.
"Hey!" he shouted, scrambling after it to the railing, watching the shadow float gently down to the pavement. Curiously, the shadow seemed to glance back up at him for some reason before floating off into the inner city, towards the Restricted Zone specifically.
"The hell was that about?" he muttered to himself before shaking his head. "Nevermind, I can't let that thing run off with it."
In record time, Caelus made it down and out of the hotel, emerging into Belobog's eerily empty main plaza. Even the air he breathed felt… disturbed somehow. "Where is everyone...?"
A tinkling noise from nearby snapped him back to reality, reminding him of the situation's urgency. "One thing at a time, gotta find out where that shadow is going."
He did his best to ignore how disturbing the empty streets were, his footsteps echoing painfully around him, taking him in the same direction as the shadow.
In no time at all he caught up to the shadow but for all his speed, it still managed to stay one step ahead of him at all times. It led him through to the Restricted Zone, past all the seemingly abandoned defensive posts and into the Corridor of Fading Echoes.
As eerie as the lack of anybody was, what unnerved him even further was that he wasn't preyed upon at any point. There were no signs of life anywhere, neither human nor the Fragmentum,
It was as if the whole city had become deserted –and only he had been left behind – he and the shadow, it seemed.
Speaking of the shadow, it was acting stranger than most he'd fought in the past. He wouldn't put it past this thing being some lingering vestige of a former guardian unable to pass on, like with Cyrille, but there was only one way to tell.
But right now, all that mattered was getting that box back from it. Bronya had entrusted him with that music box, and he'd be damned if he lost it so easily, and to a monster of all things.
Through the Corridor it led him all the way to where his nightmares became manifest – Everwinter Hill.
The shadow remained just out of reach of him, but it never bothered to attack him. All this time it would stay just far enough ahead that it would turn around to watch him at some points, the box plainly visible even at this distance.
Now he was convinced that it was leading him somewhere, but why?
"Wait!" he shouted again, but the shadow was already floating along as a blizzard began to settle in. "If it's not dreams of a dead woman, it's playing tag with one of her ancestors," he grumbled, forcing himself up the winding steps.
The winds howled and bayed at every step he took, some threatening to blow him clear off into the abyss had he not grasped something in time. Still, he pressed on, gritting his teeth against the inclement weather conditions.
When at last he set foot on that familiar spacious plateau, there were two things he could not ignore no matter how much he tried.
The glittering, brilliant golden aurora that was all that remained of Bronya's mother was no longer present; only a stormy gray sky filled the air high above, casting the area into a veil of shadow.
But what really caught his attention was what lay at the far end of the plateau.
The shadow he'd been chasing was found hovering before the containment unit that once housed the Stellaron. To his shock, the unit was no longer a shattered ruin. It was active, glowing ominously as if the galaxy-threatening entity within had never been sealed.
That alone revealed that this really was nothing more than a dream, and why he mustered the courage to approach the entity that had stolen from him.
As if sensing his presence, the shadow turned to him and raised the music box high above its head, letting it slide from its hand to the snowy ground with a dull thud. Power thrummed through the air, and Caelus gripped his weapon tighter, its heat offering little comfort in the frigid cold.
"I don't know what you are, but I'm taking that back!" he declared, aiming his lance at the shadow.
Before he could react, a gust of icy wind forced him to shield his eyes. When he looked again, his heart nearly stopped.
The shadow had since vanished and had been replaced by a figure that haunted his every step lately.
Cocolia Rand stood before him, very much alive and her eyes smoldering with malice. Her gloved hand gripped an ornate lance of ice, leveling it at him with a cruel smirk.
The blizzard around them intensified, as if responding to her malevolent spirit.
For a split second, Caelus was back at their first confrontation, feeling like a novice facing an insurmountable foe. But as she closed the distance with a strong leap, his training kicked in. He raised his lance to block her overhand strike, their weapons clashing in a shower of sparks—red from his and blue from hers.
For all his skill and training with this weapon, it quickly became clear to Caelus just how outclassed he really was.
Cocolia twirled the bastardization of the weapon bestowed by the Aeon of Preservation with deadly precision, striking at him with a fury that forced him on the defensive. Any attempts he made to strike back were effortlessly rebuffed, prolonging this deadly dance of death. With each passing moment her strikes came closer and closer to disarming him – in both senses.
With a growl, Caelus plunged his lance into the ground, summoning a wave of heat that drove her back momentarily.
She alighted across from him, summoning a javelin of ice with a flick of her wrist and hurling it at him at breakneck speeds. He dodged the first, but more followed in rapid succession, each one only narrowly missing him. Out of the corner of his eye, Cocolia suddenly appeared beside him, her eyes gleaming with malicious glee. He barely had time to parry her thrust, their lances clashing again in a flurry of sparks.
Caelus had faced the Destroyer, Phantylia, and countless other formidable foes in the past, always emerging victorious. But the truth was, he had never fought alone. Even during his first encounter with Cocolia, he had Bronya, Seele, March 7th, and Dan Heng by his side. Their collective strength had enabled him to withstand her frozen onslaught.
But now, as he stood alone on this frigid battlefield facing her once more, the stark reality of his solitude weighed heavily on him.
Cocolia's power was overwhelming. She shattered his defenses with ease, and a subsequent blast of icy energy sent him skidding across the ground. The sound of her boots crunching through the snow was audible even over the howling wind, her menacing silhouette framed by the storm and the sickly yellow glow of the Stellaron.
This was the Cocolia he remembered. Not the frail, haunted figure of his dreams, but the ruthless tyrant devoid of mercy, ready to end his life as she had tried to before.
For once, he found a grim comfort in knowing this was just a nightmare. She'd kill him, and he'd wake up back in Belobog, safe and sound.
He let his eyes close, bracing himself for the inevitable pain...
But then, Cocolia's voice pierced the silence.
"What is she?"
His eyes snapped open, but her lips remained still. The voice wasn't coming from her; it echoed within his mind.
"Victim, villain… what is she to you?" the voice pressed, more insistent this time.
The voice… it was both Cocolia's and not, as though she were being possessed by something. In a way it reminded him of the lines the shadows would utter during battle, but there was more awareness to it.
"I... I don't know," Caelus confessed, deciding to humor it if only because it wore Cocolia's face. Even after all he had learned about the woman, he still couldn't define his feelings toward her.
"Then why seek to understand?" another voice chimed in from his right. He turned to see another Cocolia standing there, identical to the first. Unlike the first, this Cocolia seemed more like the one he had first met, regal and confident yet welcoming. "She was your enemy, yet you care about her life. She caused you and your friends great harm for a dream she could never realize."
The two Cocolias raised their lances at him as a third figure emerged—a monstrous shadow of what Cocolia had become in her final moments.
"She would cast you into oblivion before accepting your pity," the voices chorused, their words resonating through the freezing air.
Maybe that was the truth. The Cocolia he knew had closed herself off from everyone, even her own daughter. To show weakness would've been a sin in her eyes.
"You might be right," Caelus admitted, his voice tinged with resignation.
"Then why?" they demanded.
Why indeed. He had been grappling with that question, only to find more questions than answers. He wondered if Cocolia had ever truly been the enemy or if she had simply become a victim of circumstances beyond her control. As always the answer was never clear cut, much like the woman herself.
"Sometimes, I wish I could go back and stop myself from dreaming about her," he began, his voice breaking slightly. "But if I could, I'd make it so none of this happened to her in the first place."
"You would save one who was your enemy?" The voices sounded bewildered, echoing his own internal confusion.
"She made us her enemy," Caelus corrected with a faint, melancholic smile. "But she was never really ours. We didn't fight her because she was an evil, heartless monster, though there's plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. We fought her because she tried to protect the very thing that destroyed her – all to usher in a future where no one had to fight and die to live. Back then, if there had ever been a chance to save her... I would've taken it, even if it meant risking my life."
The Cocolia shadows fell silent, seemingly processing his words.
Caelus didn't expect them to respond. He had poured out his heart and now felt a sense of peace for the first time in days. He braced himself for the inevitable strike that would send him back to the waking world, almost welcoming the pain.
But the expected agony never came. Instead, the air was filled with a chilling, echoing laughter—Cocolia's laugh. He risked a glance and was stunned by what he saw.
Not just three, but five, no—eight different Cocolia shadows now stood before him, each reflecting a myriad of expressions. Shock, disbelief, anger but perhaps the most alien among them was a faint smile, the kind that seemed to reach deep into one's soul.
One of them suddenly stepped forward, her lips pressed into a fine line that gave nothing away. "You are a fool."
"E-eh?" Caelus stammered. That hadn't been the reaction he'd been expecting – if anything really.
"Your words are foolish—naïve at best… but perhaps even a fool's words deserve some faith."
"Faith? Faith in what? And what are you?" he asked, his voice growing more anxious by the second.
"Many and one, trailblazer," the woman replied, closing her eyes. To Caelus's astonishment, all the other shadows began to merge into her until only one remained. When she opened them again, they were no longer that of purple but mirrored two pools of gold that somehow left him unnerved – if the smile that blossomed on her face didn't do it already.
Caelus opened his mouth to protest, but those died when he felt something being pressed into his hand – Bronya's music box.
The shadow stepped back, its form glowing with an ethereal light against the backdrop of the Stellaron. "Our time is at an end. But do not fear. We will meet again." A sickly yellow luminescence erupted around her, blinding him and drowning out the roar of the blizzard.
And then, everything went dark.
Tealish-pink eyes darted frantically as a gloved hand swung back and forth in a whirlwind of indecision. "Are you sure I can't keep just one extra-?"
"March."
Himeko's voice, calm yet commanding, was all it took for March 7th's shoulders to slump, a little whine escaping her lips. Another bag sailed over her shoulder, landing atop the already towering pile behind her.
Mt. Bagmore, as it had been dubbed, had grown to a scale that couldn't be ignored anymore. And it showed no signs of shrinking anytime soon.
March huffed in frustration, crossing her arms. "This is so hard! How am I supposed to pick just one?"
"You made a promise," Himeko reminded her, a serene cup of coffee cradled in her hands. "Keep one pair of each and toss the rest. Unless you want to join Pom-Pom on kitchen duty again."
March shuddered violently, as if remembering something truly unpleasant. "No, not that! I'll… I'll keep going," she sighed, examining another item before Himeko's raised eyebrow compelled her to toss it onto the pile.
"Is all this really necessary?" Caelus asked from the sidelines, feeling like an outsider in this bizarre tribunal. "Isn't over-shopping March's thing? Why is it such a problem now?"
"The problem," the redhead began, pausing to take a measured sip of her coffee, "is that it was never supposed to get this out of hand. I trusted March to have some restraint, but it seems more drastic measures are necessary."
"But isn't this… a bit too harsh, even for her?"
"Yeah, can't I just-? Wait, what do you mean even for me?!"
"Keep going, young lady," Himeko ordered firmly.
"Fiiine."
Idly, Caelus couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale of the shopping bags that had overtaken his room.
When the Express had arrived to pick him up that morning, he had been stunned by the mountain of bags that greeted him. March had apologized endlessly, and while he had forgiven her, Himeko's patience had since worn thin. Watching March now, sorting through her spoils with the sorrowful demeanor of a child being deprived of dessert until she cleaned her room, was both pitiful and somewhat satisfying.
Maybe she's been hanging out with Asta too much, he mused, as another bag joined the pile. Or maybe Guinaifen's been rubbing off on her.
He stifled a yawn, the hundredth one of the day, blinking away tears of exhaustion.
"Caelus? Are you sure you're okay?" Himeko's concerned tone cut through his thoughts, drawing his attention back to her.
Like every other time she had asked, he nodded, unwilling to burden her with his troubles.
The strange dream of Cocolia had occupied his mind far more than he cared to admit. Unlike his previousones, which he could dismiss as fanciful imaginings, this one had been disturbingly vivid. Cocolia had spoken to him directly, as though she were still alive. Her final words echoed in his mind, a haunting refrain he couldn't silence.
And it didn't end there. His sleep had been fitful, plagued by murky, repetitive visions that felt like he was peering through a foggy lens. He had longed for the comforting embrace of his bed on the Express, only to be confronted by a literal wall of shopping bags barring his way. Both his and March's room were absolutely filed to the brim with bags now.
Though he had been patient with March the night before, his tolerance had waned after Cocolia's ghost had turned his mind into a theater of nightmares. It had taken all his self-control not to scream in frustration, especially when March had come bounding around the corner, babbling apologies.
In a twisted way, he was almost grateful that Himeko was the one doling out the discipline. It spared him the need to deal with March directly for a while.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he chastised himself. Stop it! March isn't some spoiled bratty sister of yours—she's your friend. Friends make mistakes.
Speaking of friends…
Bronya had come to fetch him from the hotel that morning, her presence a comforting anchor to all the chaos going on lately. She had insisted on escorting him to the Express's landing site, undeterred by his half-hearted protests. Her determination had been clear—she would have summoned the entire guard to see him home if necessary.
And wouldn't that have been a sight? The famed trailblazer of Belobog, escorted out of the city by the supreme guardian and a small army of guardsmen.
At least she seemed better, Caelus thought with a small smile.
Their conversation the previous night must have helped, though to what extent he couldn't be sure. When he had asked her about the music box, Bronya had looked genuinely puzzled.
"You managed to open it? I thought Mother was the only one who knew how…"
That alone spoke volumes about the box's significance. He had planned to have Dan Heng examine it but hadn't found the time amidst everything else. Hopefully he could catch the reclusive archivist before-
"W-watch out!"
Caelus's eyes snapped open just in time to see a pink leather purse hurtling towards his face. Instinctively, he summoned his bat, knocking the object aside—though the force of his swing reduced it to little more than tatters.
"March-!" Himeko's voice rose in a rare display of irritation.
"I didn't mean to! I just lost my grip!" March protested, her eyes wide with dismay.
Realizing he wasn't in danger, Caelus took a deep breath, calming his racing heart. "Your aim is still spot on, if nothing else," he joked weakly, but Himeko's unamused glare made him reconsider.
"Maybe I should get out of the way," he suggested, inching toward the door.
"Yes, that would be best. You're lucky it was just a purse this time. Next time, it might be a pair of shoes."
He winced at the thought. The last thing he needed was to be on the receiving end of a stiletto missile, or the fallout from destroying one.
Excusing himself, he stepped out, leaving March to her grumbling and Himeko's stern supervision. As he wandered down the corridor towards the parlor car, the vibrant spectrum of colors flowing past the windows reminded him of their destination and his own fatigue.
They were bound for Herta's Space Station next, as per the insistent demands of the enigmatic genius herself.
I should catch whatever rest I can. There's no telling what Herta has in store for me with this "important errand" of hers, he thought drowsily, nearly colliding with Dan Heng as he emerged from the archives.
"Whoa!" Caelus exclaimed, quickly stepping back. "Sorry about that!"
"No, the fault is mine," Dan Heng replied coolly, his calm demeanor unchanged save for a slight furrow in his brow. "I should have checked before stepping out."
"It's rare to see you out of the archives," Caelus teased lightly. "Run out of things to read?"
"The reason is more to avoid Pom-Pom's wrath for skipping lunch," Dan Heng explained, his tone as measured as ever.
Caelus chuckled. Pom-Pom was notorious for his strict adherence to meal schedules, ensuring everyone ate before he did.
Tired as he was, the idea of eating before sleep sounded appealing. Maybe a good meal would help drown out any lingering dreams. "How about I whip us up something to eat? My treat."
Dan Heng nodded. "That sounds agreeable."
They made their way to the parlor car, its opulent interior always a sight to behold. No matter how long he had been part of the Express, Caelus never ceased to be amazed by the grandeur of the parlor car. He often wondered who Akivili had hired to design such a splendid space.
The Omni-synthesizer in the corner of the room quickly produced their meals—a steaming bowl of comfort food for Caelus and a dish of diet fried rice for Dan Heng.
The aroma made Caelus's stomach growl, a low rumble echoing his hunger. With chopsticks in hand, he was about to dig in when he noticed Dan Heng heading back towards the exit. "You're going to eat in the archives again?"
"That was my plan, yes," Dan Heng responded matter-of-factly.
"Why don't share a meal for once? We rarely get the chance with March always buzzing around," Caelus suggested, offering a friendly smile.
For a moment, he feared Dan Heng would decline. But to his surprise, the stoic warrior sighed and returned, settling on one of the sofas.
"Thank you for the food," Dan Heng intoned before taking a measured bite.
Caelus dug into his noodles with gusto, the hot broth tingling on his tongue but the rich flavor making it worthwhile. They ate in companionable silence, the quiet punctuated only by the occasional slurp of noodles or the clink of chopsticks against the bowl.
As he ate, Caelus's thoughts drifted back to his time in Belobog and all the things he'd learned during the visit. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the nagging doubts that had been plaguing him since their return.
"Hey, do you… think we did the right thing back in Belobog?"
Dan Heng paused, his chopsticks hovering over his bowl.
Taking that as a cue to continue, Caelus voiced his worries. "The whole situation was messed up from the start, and we didn't have much choice. But… did we have to do it?"
"The Stellaron was a grave threat that needed to be dealt with, Caelus," Dan Heng reminded him calmly. "Belobog would have been doomed."
"You mean because of what it was making Cocolia do," Caelus countered, meeting Dan Heng's gaze. "I know it seems odd to think about this now, but I can't help wondering: did we have to do what we did?"
Did we have to kill Cocolia and leave Bronya orphaned? He didn't say it out loud, but he knew Dan Heng would understand the unspoken question. The former high elder of the Vidyadhara was perceptive like that.
"Cocolia was a woman standing on the edge of the abyss long before we arrived," Dan Heng observed quietly. "She had been for some time."
"And then we came along and nudged her off," Caelus said bitterly.
Dan Heng shrugged slightly. "We could debate her choices endlessly, but they led to countless deaths. She will be judged harshly if the truth ever comes out, and Bronya might share in some of that judgment."
"I know," Caelus growled, glaring into his half-empty bowl. "A lot of people have said the same."
"Yet it's also important to remember who she was before all that," Dan Heng continued, surprising Caelus with the sudden change in tone. "Cocolia was not hostile to us at first—only after we mentioned the Stellaron. Had we not, perhaps we would have seen her in a more favorable light, like Bronya does. But then we might not have met the people we did."
Caelus's thoughts turned sober at that.
Seele, Natasha, Hook, Clara, Svarog… all the incredible people they had encountered because of their conflict with Cocolia. If Sampo hadn't taken them to the Underworld after they were declared fugitives, they might never have met any of them.
"You're right," Caelus admitted with a grimace. "I can't imagine not knowing them now. Sorry to dump all this on you."
"There's no need to apologize," Dan Heng said, his tone softening. "Reflecting on our past is essential for growth. But Caelus," he added, his gaze firm and steady, "be careful not to dwell too much on it. It can blind you to the possibilities of the future."
Given how vivid his dreams of Cocolia had been, it was advice he needed to hear. Dreams and reality did not coexist. What he saw there was merely fantasy. It had to be.
"I will, and thanks."
"Anytime. Now you should get some rest—you look like you're about to fall over."
Caelus grinned sheepishly. Was it that obvious?
"I plan to. And you should join us out here more often—it feels strange when you're not with the rest of us."
Dan Heng gave him a thoughtful look before nodding. "I'll give it some thought."
Caelus watched him leave, feeling a little lighter before something occurred to him. "Oh, before you go – here, take this," he said hurriedly, holding the music box out to Dan Heng who took it with raised eyebrows. "Bronya gave me this last night, saying it was a keepsake of Cocolia's. I'm not sure how to open it so I was hoping you'd have more luck."
Dan Heng scrutinized the box carefully before giving a nod. "I will look into it. Rest well, Caelus."
With that, Dan Heng left leaving Caelus by himself in the room. He quickly finished his noodles, letting out a satisfied burp. "That hit the spot." He made himself comfortable on the couch, staring up at the twinkling lights on the ceiling.
Sweet sleep finally seemed within reach...
Until his phone began vibrating. He glanced at the screen and sighed, tucking it away. "She can string me up if she wants when we get there."
Whatever Herta needed could wait. Nothing was getting between him and some proper rest.
Alright I wanted to knock everything out in this chapter but if I kept going, it would've been approaching the 12k word mark and that's not a length I want... right now anyways.
Rest assured we'll be getting into the real meat of this story very shortly. The whole reason for these last few chapters was to help establish why Caelus was thinking of Cocolia in the first place, planting some doubts and getting other's perspective of how they saw things.
And it won't be the last time this comes up. I wrote this story starting with Caelus showing back up after a month MIA with a very much alive Cocolia. There will be interludes I will write showcasing how the two react to an environment they are both familiar with and not, as well as the people they know.
On that note, I fully admit I did not set up Caelus's motives and drive for becoming so obsessed with Cocolia, and I take responsbility for that. I'm not a professional writer, obviously, and I do this merely for fun because the other mediums I'd like to engage with are just out of my scope of ability at the moment. I hope that none of you have been turned off by that and if you have made it this far, I can ensure you will be in for a ride - especially once Caelus and Cocolia "meet".
Speaking of, the Cocolia in Caelus's dream: was she real? Was it just his imagination? Yesn't. You'll see soon enough.
Till then,
take care.