Eidan stood alone beneath the open sky, the breath in his lungs suddenly heavy and tight.Before him stretched a city he recognized—or rather, a city his heart insisted he should remember. Yet everything was drowned in flames. Buildings gutted. Streets broken. Smoke rising in thick, suffocating pillars.
Destruction.
Absolute, merciless destruction.
A familiar guilt crept up his spine, cold and instinctive, as though he were staring at the consequence of some failure he had never been able to prevent.
Why… why does it feel like I caused this?
No—like I failed to stop it.
His hands trembled. He lifted one toward his face—and froze.It was smaller than he remembered. The knuckles sharper, the skin smoother. Younger.
Only then did he notice the rest: a torn white shirt, smeared with dried blood, clinging to his body; combat pants faded and dirt-stained; boots worn from running. A stranger's outfit.
None of it belonged to him.
Reality or dream—he could no longer tell the difference. The heat of the fires, the acrid scent of smoke, the eerie weight of the moment… everything felt too real for a mere nightmare.
But I've never lived a life like this.
Before coming to the Honkai: Star Rail universe, he had simply been an ordinary young man. No battlefield. No burning cities. No memories like these.
A faint tug at the back of his shirt pulled him from his spiraling thoughts.
Eidan turned slowly.
A young girl with white hair stood behind him, her face blurred as though someone had wiped her features from existence. Behind her, another girl stepped forwarda purple-haired girl whose eyes, though equally hard to discern, carried unmistakable worry.
Worry… for him.
"Ash…?" the purple-haired girl called gently.
The sound of the name echoed strangely in his head and Eidan jerked awake.
He sat upright in his bed, drenched in sweat, breath dragging harshly through his lungs. His heartbeat thundered against his ribs, refusing to calm. With a shaky hand, he pressed his palm to his face, grounding himself in the familiar darkness.
His room.
His bed.
The faint hum of the heater.
Reality.
Eidan swallowed hard.
"What… was that?" he whispered to the empty room.
No answer came—only the ragged sound of his own breathing, lingering in the aftermath of a nightmare that felt far too real.
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The moment Eidan stepped into the corridor of Herta Space Station, the routine chorus began.
"Good morning, Eidan!"
"Morning, Sir Eidan!"
"Greetings, Sir Eidan!"
He offered polite nods as he walked, barely processing each greeting. His mind was still somewhere else—half on the nightmare he had woken from, half on the strange weight lingering in his chest.
By the time he finally looked up, he had already reached the Master Control Zone.
"Ah, Eidan! Good morning!"
Asta waved at him from her console, her smile warm enough to cut through his lingering unease.
Eidan returned the smile. "Good morning, Mis— ahem, Asta."
He corrected himself quickly when he noticed the approving sparkle in her eyes.Asta nodded, satisfied. "Better. Not perfect, but better."
He cleared his throat, pretending he wasn't slightly embarrassed. "Right… By the way, Asta—do you know where the Astral Express crew is right now?"
Her expression shifted—first surprise, then something like mock indignation. She puffed her cheeks slightly.
"You're mean, you know that? Asking for them before even finishing your greeting properly…"
Eidan blinked. "I… what?"
With a huff, she answered, "They should be with Stelle right now."
"I see." He nodded. If he remembered the timeline correctly, Himeko should be trying to invite Stelle aboard about now.
Well… trying.
He could already picture the struggle. And if Stelle refused, tempting her with "a universe full of new treasure—also known as trash cans"—would probably work. The girl had the hobby of a hyperactive raccoon.
But what about him?Should he… ask to join too?
Himeko had offered multiple times before. Even Welt had extended the invitation.Though Welt's gaze always felt—odd. Not creepy, just… like the old man was staring at him through several layers of memories.
Sigh. Maybe Welt really is hitting his age limit. Senile Welt…
Pushing the thought aside, Eidan walked toward the place where Stelle should be.
And sure enough—
There she was.
Stelle was elbow-deep inside a trash can, rummaging with the enthusiasm of someone hunting for sacred relics, while March 7th tried to pry her away with the desperation of a caretaker fighting a losing battle.
"Stelle, stop! You're embarrassing me!" March pleaded, cheeks bright red.
"Embarrassing? March, we can NEVER stop. There's treasure in here! I can feel it!" Stelle declared dramatically, still digging.
Eidan couldn't help it—he laughed.
"Ah! Eidan!" March spotted him like a drowning girl spotting a lifebuoy. "Come help me! Please!"
Eidan tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… should I?"
March puffed up like an offended hamster. "Stop being mean and HELP ME!"
"All right, all right. I planned to help anyway." He shrugged.
He approached, only to find Stelle clutching the trash can like it contained the meaning of life.
"Eidan… you want to stop me?" Stelle gasped, as if betrayed. "How could you?! I thought we were brothers!"
Her dramatic pose lost all impact because she was still hugging the trash can.
"Don't just stand there—grab the can!" March demanded.
Eidan ignored her.
Instead, he crouched slightly, looking at Stelle with a seriousness she didn't expect.
"Stelle," he said quietly.
She gulped. "Y-Yeah?"
"Did you accept Himeko's invitation yet? To join the Astral Express?"
Stelle blinked. "Hmm… not yet."
March threw her hands up. "Of course not! Instead of thinking about it, she chose to rummage through EVERY trash can on the station!"
"I see," Eidan murmured. Then he gently placed a hand on Stelle's shoulder."Then listen well, my child—"
"She's not your child," March deadpanned.
"Shhh," Eidan hushed her, waving impatiently.
March groaned. "Fine…"
Eidan pulled out his phone and swiped to images of random planets. "Look."
Stelle leaned closer.
"If you join the Astral Express, you won't be limited to these trash cans."
He spread the images like offering forbidden knowledge.
"You'll have access to countless worlds… countless planets… and countless trash cans. An infinite universe of treasure."
"Stop encouraging her!" March yelped.
But Stelle was trembling—eyes wide with revelation.
"I… I see…" she whispered in awe.
"How foolish I've been. To limit myself to ONE station… when the universe awaits…!"
She clutched the trash can dramatically. "As expected of you, Eidan! Such profound wisdom! Ahahahaha!"
Eidan nodded, proud. "Good. Very good."
March dropped to her knees. "Nooooo! Why would you make it WORSE?!"
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"Hm? You accepted?"
Himeko's brows lifted slightly as she looked at Stelle—who was still proudly hugging the trash can like a prized trophy.
"Yes, Himeko! I want to join the Astral Express!" Stelle declared with the confidence of someone announcing a grand destiny.
"I see." Himeko smiled warmly. "Then—welcome to the Astral Express family, Stelle."
"Sigh. I already suspected this, but she accepted your invitation sooner than I expected," the Herta puppet muttered.
Its eyes drifted toward Eidan, who sat a short distance away, sipping tea as if he had nothing to do with the matter.
"Perhaps," the doll added, "there were… additional factors influencing her decision."Its gaze sharpened pointedly at Eidan.
Eidan froze mid-sip. "Cough—cough—"He looked away, pretending the scrutiny meant nothing.
"Well, it doesn't matter," Herta said lazily. "If I can't research her, there are always other specimens…"Her eyes slid toward him again."Right?"
"Cough—"This time the coughing wasn't fake.
Himeko chuckled softly. "Madam Herta, there's no need to frighten the poor child."
Nice save, Himeko… Eidan exhaled internally.
The Herta doll merely crossed its arms. "Hmph."
Meanwhile, Stelle stood off to the side, still clutching the trash can with all the blissful cluelessness of a raccoon that discovered treasure.
"Well, I'll go find March! Bye, Himeko! Bye, Herta!"Stelle dashed off, trash can and all.
Seeing her leave, Eidan knew there was no reason for him to stay—And also because lingering near Herta always invited a non-zero chance of being drugged, dissected, analyzed, or all three.
Himeko's presence was the only shield he had… but she wouldn't stay forever.
Eidan rose to his feet. "I'll take my leave as well, Sister Himeko. Madam Herta."
He turned to go—
"By the way, Eidan," Himeko called.
He stopped, glancing back. "Yes?"
"I know I've asked you many times… but have you considered joining the Astral Express?" Himeko asked gently.
Originally, he had been holding off for one reason: he was waiting for Stelle to appear.Now that she had joined…
"I'll join," he answered simply, then continued walking.
"I see, I expected you to refuse aga—wait… you accept?"Himeko stared at his retreating back in surprise.
"Yes!" Eidan called from down the hall.
"…Ah. Another specimen leaving," Herta muttered with mild disappointment.
Himeko laughed quietly. "Welt will be pleased to hear he finally agreed."
Inside the Astral Express.
Welt Yang sat at a table, reading a physical newspaper—a relic from a previous era—while sipping his morning coffee.
Suddenly, he sneezed.
From across the car, Pom-Pom scolded, "See? Pom-Pom told you not to use those old, dusty things! They're bad for your nose!"
Welt adjusted his glasses. "No… I'm certain this has nothing to do with the newspaper."
He paused thoughtfully, tapping his cheek.
"…Someone must be talking about me."
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(A/n: will eidan get stab too?! to get path)