Five young men sprawled on the sofa, munching on late-night snacks and sipping beer.
"I never thought the long-awaited Season 4 would finally start."
"These 42 days, I couldn't stand a single moment. This is the day I've been dreaming of!"
"Who do you think the female lead is this time? I'm betting it's Firefly."
"Probably her. At the expo, they had the popularity king Jing Yuan pave the way for her. Such a grand setup—if she's not the female lead, I'm not convinced. Honestly, Firefly is really good-looking."
"Hahaha, reminds me of a joke: the more beautiful something seems, the more gut-wrenching the knife when it hits."
"miHoYo wouldn't be that cruel, right? Anyway, there's still some time before it starts. Wanna play a round of Honor of Kings?"
"What, are we in elementary school? Honor of Kings? Watching a movie would be better."
"Yeah, exactly. I'm not playing."
"…"
Ten minutes later, everyone had updated to the latest version.
"There's five of us. Let's call this team the Galactic Armada. Once we lock in our lineup, we're winning, no question."
However, five guys on the sofa, the more they played, the quieter it got. The game started with laughter and chatter, turned to sparse words mid-game, and ended in dead silence.
If these five went to a restaurant, they'd need five separate tables.
"Sigh… it's about time. Clean up, and we'll wait for midnight."
Soon after, one of the guys cast his phone screen to the TV, and they silently watched the clock.
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
Season 4: Part 1 went live right on time.
Seeing the "Part 1," all five knew this was no small deal.
"I hope they don't pull a miHoYo-style cliffhanger. I'd really lose it!"
"A cliffhanger's fine, just don't go overboard. Remember Tingyun's head-tilt kill?"
"Big bro, can you not talk? You're freaking me out!"
"It's starting, it's starting. Shut up."
"Turn on the bullet comments! How am I supposed to vibe with others without them?"
"Alright."
—
Starting this season, there would be an OP and EP. So, the first thing to catch the eye was the WHITE NIGHT MV.
After Caelus and Aventurine finished their dance, accompanied by the song, a man and a woman sat in a speeding car, their most striking feature being the halo-like ornaments on their heads and small wings behind their ears.
[Whoa! Isn't that Robin?]
[Robin in the Honkai: Star Rail web drama? What the heck?]
[Double-fan ecstasy!!! No leaks whatsoever. I was wondering why Robin was going all out with concerts before and then went silent for so long. Turns out she came to miHoYo!]
[Not a single hint. What if Robin's just a cameo?]
—
Next, Misha and Gallagher appeared in the frame. Sparkle was surrounded by a swarm of tiny goldfish, winking at the screen.
[These are it! Slurp… edible.]
[That's straight-up food, right?]
Then, Black Swan officially debuted. As a character who appeared before Season 2 even aired, she naturally triggered a flood of bullet comments.
[Black Swan, finally here, Black Swan.]
[Yeah, I got into this just for Black Swan. This season, she's finally on stage.]
The next moment, Firefly was spinning in place with a sparkler, smiling sweetly. Caelus, standing beside her, smiled even sweeter, capturing the moment on his phone.
The visuals flashed with the beat, the Astral Express crew and Penacony flickering by. The final shot landed on Sam, wings like fireflies sprouting from his back as he flew toward a woman with blue-purple hair.
The next scene: Caelus sat on a rooftop, Firefly behind him dissolving into specks of starlight.
The OP reached its end. Caelus donned a top hat, a cartoon character appearing beside him, and with their dance, the curtain fell.
The screen went black. When light returned, it showed Caelus and Stelle descending, with the title card reading: "If One Dreams at Midnight".
—
At this moment, the five young men stared at the screen's Trailblazers, lost in thought.
"Caelus or Stelle?"
"Stelle, she's funnier and more chaotic."
"Stelle's cool, but don't you think it's weird? This OP gave Caelus way too much screen time."
"Let's go with Caelus. Stelle's not that chaotic in the main story—more in the side content. Caelus feels more serious."
"Exactly, and with Firefly and Caelus getting so much screen time together, you know what that means!"
"OK. Caelus it is! Honkai: Star Rail, full speed ahead!"
—
A text from Pom-Pom broke the calm. The train was ready to depart for the next stop, but there was important news to announce first.
Caelus arrived in the train car, where he saw Himeko and the others already discussing the upcoming journey.
As Caelus joined them, Pom-Pom arrived just in time, slowly walking to the center of the group. Raising their head, Pom-Pom began explaining the situation, offering side quests and providing some background on Penacony's setting.
"First, Penacony is located in the Asdana system, a star system filled with 'Memoria.' It was historically one of the 'Great Cavities' where the Memory Zone leaked.
Second, Penacony is the domain of The Family of 'Harmony,' and this is the first time The Family has publicly extended an invitation to other factions.
Lastly, the third point… rather than a requirement, Pom-Pom has a personal request."
Pom-Pom's forehead glistened with sweat, "If possible—I hope you can spare some time during your vacation to help inquire about a few 'Nameless' individuals."
Caelus scratched his head, "Uh… what Nameless?"
Himeko smiled faintly and explained, "About a thousand years ago, when Penacony was still a frontier prison, the Astral Express passed through. A few passengers chose to disembark, making Penacony their final stop."
"After so long, can we still find them?"
Himeko shook her head, "What became of those old Nameless who stayed, what they experienced, what marks they left on this world… tracing the footsteps of our predecessors is an adventure in itself. Even if they left the stars, the 'Trailblaze' of the Nameless never ends. According to the passenger log, the three who disembarked were Tiernan, Legwork, and Razalina—former guard, mechanic, and cartographer of the train. That's all the information we have."
After a bit more casual chatter, Pom-Pom notified everyone to prepare—the train was about to warp.
[That's a ton of info.]
[So many terms, so much lore. Looks like I'll need a second watch.]
[This story feels big. The Luofu arc was so grand, yet they didn't spend this much time on setup at the start. Penacony's story is no joke.]
[My fear is a rushed ending. Honestly, I felt Season 3's story wasn't as tight as Season 2's, nor as thrilling.]
[Season 3 focused on Dan Heng, not the Trailblazers, so it's normal to feel disjointed. Hopefully, this season steps it up.]