The world around Hine was quiet, almost unnaturally so. The battlefield that had been Ronova's playground moments ago was frozen in stillness, as if time itself had bowed its head to a greater presence. Her breathing was ragged, her body trembling from exhaustion, but her eyes — though red-rimmed and raw — still carried the stubborn fire that refused to die.
Istaroth stood near her, the faint shimmer of eternity dancing across her translucent form. Her expression was unreadable, caught somewhere between sorrow and resolve. She had already given Hine the warning, the one that came with promises sharp as broken glass. But before Hine could respond, the air shifted. It warped, twisted, and folded into itself, as though the fabric of reality was struggling to contain something vast and ancient.
From the rip in the air stepped a figure unlike any Hine had ever seen. Her presence was a paradox: infinite but focused, chaotic yet graceful. Space bent around her form, rippling like water disturbed by an invisible hand. She was tall, slender, with hair like liquid starlight and eyes that held the silent expanse of the cosmos itself.
"Asmoday," Istaroth murmured, the name rolling off her tongue like an invocation. There was no hostility in her voice, only acknowledgment. Respect, even.
The ruler of space tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across the scene until it landed on Hine. She studied the girl with the precision of someone who could see beyond the surface, through flesh and bone and into the threads of existence that wove her soul. Then, Asmoday smiled, slow and knowing.
"So this is the little anomaly," she said, her voice soft but resonant, carrying a weight that pressed against the edges of Hine's mind. "The one stubborn enough to challenge death itself."
Hine swallowed hard, unsure whether to stand or kneel, her body too battered to decide. "I… I just want my sister back," she whispered. Her voice cracked, raw from screams and pain, but there was no mistaking the conviction in it. "I will do anything."
Asmoday's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer before shifting toward Istaroth. "She is strong," Asmoday said quietly. "And reckless. Both traits will serve her well… or destroy her."
Istaroth stepped closer to Hine, her hand brushing just above the girl's shoulder as if she feared that touching her would break her. "Hine," she said gently, "you need to understand what is about to happen. This is not a simple choice, and it is not one I offer lightly."
Hine forced herself to look up. The world tilted in her vision, but she held steady. "I already told you," she said. "If it means finding Mavuika, I will take any risk."
Asmoday's smile deepened, though it was not cruel. "Such devotion," she murmured. "Then listen closely, little one. The game Ronova has trapped you in is not one you can win here. Teyvat is her domain, her board, and every path you walk leads to the same ending. The only way forward is to leave this world entirely."
Hine blinked, confusion and fear knotting in her chest. "Leave… Teyvat?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," Istaroth said softly. "There is a train — the Astral Express. It travels the rails of creation itself, crossing worlds, dimensions, and timelines. It is not bound by the rules of this realm. If you board it, you will be beyond Ronova's reach, beyond her loops. But…" Her gaze darkened, sharp as the edge of a blade. "The moment you leave, you will be stepping into a multiverse that does not care if you live or die. Your strength will be tested in ways you cannot imagine."
Asmoday extended her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, a crimson star shaped portal of starlight and cubical shadow opened beside her. The edges crackled with raw spatial energy, humming with power so intense it made the air taste like lightning. Through it, Hine caught a glimpse of something impossible: an endless set of silver rails suspended in a sea of stars, a gleaming train gliding silently along its path as if it had been waiting for her all along.
"The Astral Express," Asmoday said. "It will take you where you need to go. It will not always be a straight path, and it will not always be kind, but it will keep you moving forward. That is what you want, is it not?"
Hine's heart pounded in her chest. The image was surreal, dreamlike, and terrifying all at once. "And… and my sister? This will help me find her?"
"It is the only way," Istaroth said. Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed the storm within. "Stay here, and Ronova will never let you go. Every victory you think you earn will be twisted into another loop, another cruel game, until there is nothing left of you but fragments. Leave, and you will have a chance. A dangerous chance, but a chance nonetheless."
The weight of her words settled over Hine like a physical thing. She could feel it in her bones, in the marrow of her existence. She had fought so hard, bled so much, endured pain that would have broken anyone else, but this — this was different. This was stepping into an unknown so vast it made her soul tremble.
"I…" Her throat tightened, but she forced the words out. "I will go. If it means saving Mavuika, I will go."
For the first time since her arrival, Asmoday's smile turned warm. "Good," she said simply. "Then prepare yourself."
The portal pulsed, its glow intensifying as the sound of distant chimes echoed through the still air, as if the train itself had heard its newest passenger calling. The rails beyond shimmered like molten silver, beckoning her forward.
Istaroth knelt in front of her, their faces level now. There was no divine distance between them, only the quiet weight of something achingly human. "Listen to me, Hine," she said softly, her voice steady but threaded with something that sounded dangerously close to fear. "This journey will not be kind. You will meet allies, and you will meet monsters. And you will be tested, over and over. If at any point you doubt yourself, remember why you are doing this. Remember your sister. Let that be your anchor."
Hine nodded, though her hands trembled. "I will," she whispered.
Asmoday raised her hand again, and the portal widened, its edges crackling like stars tearing through the night. The pull of it was magnetic, irresistible. The air around them hummed with raw, unbridled energy.
"Time is not a luxury you have," Asmoday said. "Once you step through, the Astral Express will carry you forward. There will be no turning back."
Hine pushed herself to her feet, every muscle screaming in protest, but she did not falter. She turned one last time to Istaroth, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Thank you," she said. The words were small, almost fragile, but they carried the weight of everything she could not put into sentences.
Istaroth's expression softened, and for a fleeting moment, the endless weight of eternity in her gaze lifted, revealing something tender and profoundly human. "Find her, Hine," she said. "Find her… and come back alive."
The girl drew in a deep, shaky breath, then stepped toward the portal. The energy brushed against her skin, cold and electric, sending a shiver down her spine. She hesitated only for a fraction of a second, then let the light swallow her whole.
For a moment, there was nothing — no pain, no sound, no weight of time. Just an endless stretch of stars, rails glimmering beneath her feet, and the distant hum of the Astral Express as it barreled toward her, a cosmic leviathan of steel and light.
Behind her, in the world she was leaving behind, Istaroth stood in silence. Asmoday's gaze lingered on the fading glow of the portal, her expression unreadable.
"You think she will survive?" Asmoday asked quietly.
Istaroth did not answer immediately. Her eyes stayed fixed on the place where Hine had disappeared, her thoughts a storm of fear and fragile hope.
"She has to," Istaroth finally said. "Because if she does not… none of this will matter."
The portal snapped shut with a sound like distant thunder, leaving only the quiet hum of eternity in its wake.