Firefly and Kafka stood to the left and right.
Stelle paused to think for a moment. Then she walked toward Firefly first.
This time, Firefly took the initiative to turn her head, different from the Firefly from earlier.
The Firefly here seemed far more vivid and alive.
"Oh, Stelle, it's you."
Firefly smiled, blinking her big eyes as she looked at Stelle. "We've successfully completed the "script" once again, right? It's always reassuring to have you by our side."
The audience immediately felt something was off. Hadn't Firefly's earlier behavior been like a fixed memory?
So why now… Did she suddenly feel almost like a real person?
Stelle found it strange as well. But with the moment of parting from these nonexistent memories drawing near, her heart was filled with melancholy, and she didn't think too deeply about it.
Instead, Firefly noticed Stelle's expression and asked in confusion, "Is something the matter? I've never seen you look like this before."
"I can't remember anything..."
"Have we really met before?"
Stelle lowered her gaze and spoke softly.
"What... does that mean?" Firefly's expression instantly stiffened. There was also a trace of sadness.
She couldn't understand why Stelle would say such things to her.
Firefly lowered her head, enduring the discomfort as she asked, "What happened? I... I don't actually know whether I should ask you this question. But... I just wanted to express my concern, for my companion."
Firefly thought she might have offended Stelle earlier when she showed her concern.
At this moment, the camera focused on the two of them. The atmosphere on screen resembled that of an art film. The audience, meanwhile, was even more shocked.
Because the details and emotions Firefly displayed were completely unlike the rigid, fixed version from memory.
What exactly was going on? Was Stelle really conversing with the Firefly from back then, across time and space?
On screen.
Stelle was also moved by Firefly's reaction.
She clearly knew this should be a memory. Yet Firefly's responses made it feel as though she were truly talking to someone real.
Fragments of past interactions with Firefly, along with hints revealed by Kafka, echoed in Stelle's mind.
They pieced together a possibility.
"We seem to have traveled together before... I have forgotten everything..." Stelle stared at Firefly.
She didn't know how much weight these words carried for Firefly.
Firefly took a deep breath, forced out a smile, and showed Stelle her gentlest expression.
"Is that so... Will this journey also be cut short suddenly?"
"But... it's okay. You being here means our paths are bound to cross again. You're alive, and I will continue living. The parting that has yet to happen will not be an eternal one."
As those words fell, the comment section instantly exploded.
...
: Wait, what does this mean?
: I can't understand anymore, does this Firefly actually have self-awareness?!
: That reply sounds like this Firefly already guessed what kind of Stelle is standing in front of her?!
: Hold on! That's a lot of information!
: Forget why a Firefly in a memory can say something like this, just the meaning alone is terrifying!
: Firefly is clearly implying she's encountered this kind of Stelle more than once. Does that mean Stelle has restarted many times before this?!
: Firefly and the memory-erased Stelle… have met countless times?
: So she isn't unfamiliar with this kind of Stelle at all?!
: Damn, is the Path of Remembrance really this outrageous? This is basically a conversation across time and space!
...
The audience could no longer tell whether this was memory or reality.
On the screen, at the very end, the moment of farewell arrived. Firefly spoke sincerely in a soft voice:
"I'll try to forget this and lock it away in the depths of my memory... When the day of our parting comes, I'll treat your words as a promise for our reunion."
"When the day we cross paths again arrives, I think... I'll pretend we've never met, and get to know you anew, as if starting all over."
"I will also try my best to express my thoughts openly to you... Because right now, I'm still unable to do it."
Stelle stood silently beside Firefly, listening. Rather than Stelle saying goodbye to Firefly, this scene felt more like Firefly saying goodbye to her.
"A day worth waiting for. Two people, no longer accomplices, just two drifting souls in the cosmos, meeting and getting to know each other in the most ordinary way..."
"...That is the greatest luxury that I can ever imagine."
"You're leaving, right? Because there's something important that you have to do... You always understand what's the most important."
"Go, Stelle. It doesn't matter if you forget everything... I shall engrave the promise of our second reunion in my heart on your behalf."
" I hope that it'll be a beautiful night with shooting stars."
At this point, there was no longer any need to analyze whether this Firefly was real or merely an image within a memory.
From the perspective of memory, this might have been a conversation between Stelle and Firefly after one of Stelle's many memory resets, coincidentally aligning with the current scene.
Or, more romantically, perhaps Stelle truly stood there, engaging in a dialogue across time and space with Firefly from another world.
Whatever the truth was, the emotions conveyed by these words were undeniably real.
Much like the famous "Tears in Rain" monologue in Blade Runner.
A replicant suddenly delivering a poetic final speech may feel abrupt in terms of plot, but it is essential for conveying emotion.
Similar techniques appear in films like Stalker and Mirror.
Tarkovsky often had characters speak lines that seemed disconnected from the immediate scene, or let dreams, memories, and reality intersect.
At first viewing, audiences might feel confused. Why is this character suddenly saying this? Is this a dream, or is it real?
But it's precisely this kind of arrangement that allows the characters on screen to express deeper emotions. This scene in Honkai: Star Rail works the same way.
It is Xia Wen, using this method to break the fourth wall and let delicate emotions spill through the cracks.
Whether it's real or not is no longer important. After hearing Firefly's words, countless people recalled the scene of first meeting Firefly in Penacony.
Memories surged in their minds. Melancholy, sudden realization, and an even deeper sense of regret all welled up at once.
In the end, the comment section was flooded with just one line: "So that's how it is."
It was never the first meeting. It was Firefly who wanted them to meet again as if for the first time.
...
: Ah ...
: Wuwuwu, so gentle… yet so cruel.
: Watching this scene makes my nose sting.
: Setting the plot aside, viewed from the perspective of an art film, what Firefly answers might not be the "current" Stelle, but all the Stelle's who might one day forget her.
: Too gentle! And way too sad! Damn it, it feels just like that youthful awkwardness back when I was in school, sour and bitter at the same time!
: Damn it, how can there be such a "gentle knife" hidden inside Amphoreus?! I can't take this!
: Holy shit, Amphoreus is really playing some kind of brand-new, heart-piercing emotional pressure this time!
...
The comments scrolled past.
Firefly's memories froze.
Stelle forced herself to endure the stinging at the tip of her nose. A sense of helplessness welled up in her heart.
It was the kind of sadness that comes from losing something, yet being unable to grasp what it was. Almost unconsciously, Stelle turned her gaze toward Kafka.
This woman was the source of it all. She was the core of the Stellaron Hunters.
If her guess was correct, Everyone had been led by Kafka into becoming Stellaron Hunters.
She was the Himeko of the Stellaron Hunters.
Just imagine, if one day, Himeko were to take Stelle's memories away and abandon her somewhere else,
What kind of feeling would that be? Most people probably couldn't imagine it.
But for Stelle, who had once been a Stellaron Hunter, this scenario truly existed.
One day.
A little raccoon had all its memories wiped clean and was abandoned in the vastness of space.
It knew nothing. It had nothing. Until it was picked up by March 7th and Dan Heng. Only then did the little raccoon gain a new home.
No matter how many arrangements or plans Kafka had made, hor the Stelle who didn't know any of it, the outcome was still the same.
"Has something happened?"
Standing there, Stelle hadn't noticed that Kafka had already walked over from a short distance away.
Kafka looked at the expression on Stelle's face and said gently,
"You look... vulnerable."
Stelle's golden eyes lifted to meet Kafka's gaze.
In her heart were grievance, confusion, and a dull ache. Countless words condensed in the end into a single question: "Did you abandon me?"
"You know that I'd never ever do that, Stelle." Kafka's voice grew even gentler.
"I have forgotten everything..."
"About when I was a Stellaron Hunter."
Stelle said this, her voice trembling.
"I see... You have lost your "past" and are feeling very helpless." Kafka showed a look of understanding. She wasn't flustered at all, instead letting out a soft laugh.
"Unfortunately, I'm not Destiny's Slave and cannot peer into the future. I can neither fill the gaps in your memory nor tell you what we later experienced together."
Stelle lowered her head in disappointment and said softly,
"I wish that I hadn't met you."
If she hadn't met Kafka, Perhaps she wouldn't have encountered such wistful, painful memories.
"Such cruel words... You must have gone through a lot afterward."
There was no wavering in Kafka's eyes. As she looked at Stelle, she remained gentle, her gaze filled with affection.
"But in the end, we will meet again, which also means... I'll regain what I lost."
"Stelle, listen..."
"I suppose, in that script I haven't yet read, you'll face plenty of danger and end up in dreadful predicaments."
"You'll probably also experience many wonderful things and find companions who feel like family, even if it's no longer with us, the Stellaron Hunters."
Kafka spread her hands and stepped closer, gently touching Stelle's face until their eyes met directly.
Her tone was indulgent, alluring, and carried an irresistible sense of conviction as she continued:
"There's only one thing that I want you to always remember: No matter where you go or which corner of the cosmos you may be, you will always be able to find a safe haven by my side."
"Patience may not be my virtue... But toward you, it is something that I will never lack." Kafka's fingers gently traced Stelle's cheek, her thumb softly brushing the corner of her eye.
There were no tears there, but the gesture itself felt like she was brushing away invisible wounds.
"Stelle, I will always have a next time for you."
"A next time, and the one after that."
"You can run away. You can be lost. You can forget everything."
"But you can always return to my side, not for any other reason, simply because you are you."
The corner of Kafka's lips curved upward, "I'm right here. As long as you need me, I'm here."
The indulgence in those words had already overflowed its bounds. That gentle expression, the comments had completely gone wild.
...
: Mom!!!
: This is a real mom, damn it!
: If this isn't a mom, then what is?!
: I really want to cry watching this!
: Damn you, MiHoYo!
: I'm done for, oh my god, this performance is way too good. The lines, the eyes, the movements, everything is perfectly placed.
: I seriously believe now that the Stellaron Hunters are a family. This kind of bond can't be fake.
: If I were Stelle, I'd be bawling my eyes out right now, hugging Kafka tightly and acting spoiled like crazy in mom's arms!
...
On screen, Kafka cupped Stelle's face.
Her forehead pressed gently against Stelle's.
As the moment of farewell arrived, Kafka smiled encouragingly and said,
"When fate places you at a crossroads... make your choice boldly, and don't fear regret."
As her words fell, the sound of freezing echoed.
Just like Firefly, Kafka's figure was frozen at that instant.
Stelle felt her throat tighten. A hollow emptiness filled her. Overwhelmingly sour.
So many emotions flooded her mind, leaving it blank.
But at that very moment, she felt an impulse surge forth from the depths of her heart, from the depths of her soul.
Because in this instant, she gained an incomparably profound understanding of Remembrance.
In the blink of an eye. Memory-matter wrapped around Stelle.
The memories formed of memory-matter around her, whether of the Stellaron Hunters or the Express, all turned into dazzling, multicolored light and poured into her body in one rush.
In the world of Amphoreus, a force belonging to a Path was pried open.
Stelle stepped onto a new Path.
The Path of Remembrance.