[Astral Calendar Year 1, April 21 — Astral Express] Today is…
April 21, Year XXXX.
I succeeded!
But…
damn it!
Memory loss?
Why?
Is this an aftereffect of reversing the Path?
Curse it all!
Why did I have to forget the most important part?
Why did I forget my purpose for coming here?
What am I supposed to do?
XXXX (four unknown characters, likely a name), tell me!
What should I do now?
…
Calm down!
Calm down!
Calm down!
Cang, you have to pull yourself together.
You’re the only one who can change this world.
You’re the only one who can defeat [blackened scratch mark]—damn it, I can’t mention His name, or I’ll go completely insane right now!
Right, the Disaster of Calamity hasn’t broken out yet.
I have to find the source of corruption!
And then erase…
And…
the diary!
I must keep this diary on me at all times!
I must write in it every day!
The diary is my final trump card…
But why?
What is its purpose, really?
Ah, my head hurts so much!
My brain matter is trembling!
Is this an aftereffect, too?
…
March 7th is so cute.
————— “…” Ye Cang stared at the final line of the diary entry, falling into deep thought.
This so-called “Death Diary” seemed a bit different from what he had imagined.
“Cang?
Is that the name of the diary’s original owner?
Or is it the name of this body’s former owner?” Ye Cang clicked his tongue.
The two possibilities weren’t mutually exclusive.
It was very likely that the diary’s writer was the original owner of his current body.
Terms mentioned in the diary like “Astral Express,” “Path,” and “March 7th” further confirmed his suspicions—he really had bought a genuine Astral Express ticket from that scalper.
From the disjointed descriptions in the diary, he could infer that Cang, the former owner of this body, seemed to have traveled back from the future to the present by “reversing the Path,” aiming to “erase the source of the anomaly”…
Ye Cang shivered unexpectedly, a chill running down his spine.
“Cang?
Was there ever a character like that in *Honkai: Star Rail*?” And then there was that unmentionable “Him.” That was clearly a pronoun reserved for a deity.
Was it referring to an Aeon above a certain Path?
But as far as Ye Cang knew, there didn’t seem to be any Aeon in *Star Rail* whose very name could drive someone insane just by being mentioned…
That wasn’t an Aeon, that was a damn Great Old One!
Suffice it to say…
the amount of information here was terrifying.
As for the diary writer’s genuine emotional outburst in the final line, Ye Cang silently chose to ignore it.
He rubbed the space between his brows and kept reading: ————— [Astral Calendar Year 1, April 22 — Astral Express] Strange!
Something’s wrong!
Very wrong!
Did the Disaster of Calamity really break out on the Astral Express?
Why does everything here seem so normal?
No—it’s too normal!
So normal that I almost thought the outbreak was just a nightmare, only that the dream was too long and too real!
That must be why I forgot parts of it after waking up…
But it wasn’t a dream, was it?
XXXX (four unknown characters, likely a name).
Everything can be false, but your existence is the only truth I pursue.
Oh, and the diary.
The diary is real, too.
It doesn’t belong here.
It…
must be an anchor, used to anchor my connection to this world.
I tried showing it to March 7th and Dan Heng, but they couldn’t see it.
So it’s special.
It belongs to me.
This is crucial—never lose it!
I’ve thought about this for a long time.
Although I still can’t recall the primary purpose of my journey, based on the information gathered so far, I’ve summarized the following key points.
Must remember them!
1.
There are fewer than four days left before the disaster fully erupts (April 26, Astral Calendar Year 1).
Before then, I must find the source of the anomaly!
The so-called “source of corruption”!
2.
The Astral Express might already be corrupted!
Do not trust anyone.
The only one you can trust is yourself!
3.
The back page of the diary has a strange recipe called [Potion of Abundance].
It’s very strange—advancing along the Path of [Abundance] has nothing to do with potions.
Why would something like this appear in my diary?
And the ingredients to make it…
Heart of an Abundance Pathstrider, Essence Blood of an Abundance Pathstrider, Artifex’s Module, Abundance Nectar, Seed of Abundance, Dilute Ether, Solidified Water, Lost Dust…
Damn it, where am I supposed to find these things?
4.
I remember now.
The diary has a limited number of pages, but no matter how I count them, I can never determine the exact page count.
The last sixteen pages contain recipes for sixteen potions.
They aren’t numbered in any order, so sequence shouldn’t matter, except for…
the [Potion of Abundance].
5.
Right, Mr.
Yang said I’m a [Pathless].
No Path in this world belongs to me, so I can’t draw power from any Path.
Does that mean I’m just an ordinary person?
No, that’s wrong!
Do not trust anyone.
The only one you can trust is yourself!
A [Pathless] doesn’t belong to any Path, so…
the only way is to steal the power of other Paths through [Potions]!
6.
Remember!
There are only six people on the Astral Express: Himeko, Mr.
Yang, March 7th, Dan Heng, Pom-Pom, and Cang (me).
If you see a seventh person…
run!
Run!
7.
I think I know what the purpose of this diary is, but…
it still needs verification.
My hypothesis is that it’s related to the reversal of the Path.
I’m too weak right now, 8.
The Amber Era calendar cannot be trusted; history has been tampered with by Fiction.
If you want to get the correct date, rely on the diary’s [Astral Calendar]!
Keep this in mind!
9.
If you remember any other important matters, be sure to write them down in the diary immediately.
————— “…” Ye Cang’s pupils constricted.
Only now did he confirm that while he had indeed transmigrated into the world of *Honkai: Star Rail*, this was definitely not the PG-13 *Star Rail* he knew!
Anomalies, corruption, potions, Pathless, the Death Diary…
None of these existed in the original *Star Rail*.
Though he wasn’t sure how these variables would affect his upcoming journey, one thing was beyond doubt—it was definitely not heading in a good direction.
Moreover, these anomalies and variables faintly signaled a cold truth: the disappearance of Cang’s soul—the original owner of this body—was no accident, and his own transmigration was certainly not the blessing of some deity.
No System, no cheat powers, no goddess’s blessing, no childhood sweetheart falling from the sky to help him, and no insanely overpowered lineage…
Facing this cosmic universe steeped in eerie corruption and the unknown, how was he supposed to survive?
He didn’t know.
He only felt that right now he was like a blade of grass in an open field—small, voiceless, never knowing when a gale would sweep him away or when a grazing beast would devour him.
Facing the unknown and fear, he braced himself and turned to the next page of the diary.
————— [Astral Calendar Year 1, April 23 — Astral Express] My memory is becoming more and more blurred.
Is this an aftereffect, too?
This won’t do.
At this rate, I’m extremely likely to forget even more important matters.
I must record everything, down to the smallest detail…
What a pain.
I never had a habit of keeping a diary, and now I have even more things to write down.
Oh well, I’ll start with the important stuff.
Cang, your name is “Cang.” Before reversing the Path and losing most of your memories, you were the sole Emanator of the Aeon [XXXX].
The Path you walked was…
Sorry, I’ve already forgotten.
But that doesn’t matter anymore, does it?
Now, you are a Pathless strider, a person who reverses past and future.
When you chose to reverse time, you left yourself no way back.
You can only press forward, forward, and ever forward…
to strangle the anomaly lurking in the starry skies, to save her, and to save the world she loved so deeply.
Oh, her…
What irony.
I thought her existence was the only truth I believed in, but now, apart from her name, I can barely clearly remember her face, her personality, or her every word and action.
I only know that I must protect her, that I must erase the source of the corruption before it becomes unstoppable.
But…
as you can see, I’ve even forgotten what that source actually is.
So next, our goal is to find the “source of corruption” that must be erased right here on the Astral Express—the initial ground zero for the outbreak.
Do not be afraid.
Since we chose the path of reversing the Path, it means we once understood the essence of the corruption and possessed the confidence and means to fight it.
On this journey, failure is not an option…
No, on this journey, we will surely succeed!
Remember, the [Death Diary] and [XXXX (likely an Aeon’s honorific)] are the only two truths in this world.
Other than that, even you yourself are untrustworthy!
Hoo…
There’s a tapping sound against the window outside, but I can’t see anything.
Heh…
What a joke.
We’re traveling through deep space.
Ignore it.
Fear…
listen to me, future self: fear is food for the calamity.
Whatever happens, do not let fear defeat you first!
————— [Astral Calendar Year 1, April 24 — Astral Express] Conductor Pom-Pom told me the Express’s next stop is Herta Space Station.
Herta…
In the past—no, before the rewind—she and I seemed to be good friends.
Something went wrong with her real body…
so she could only move around through puppets.
As for the exact reason, I can’t remember, but it probably has to do with the corruption in the cosmos.
If I can help her, I will—haha, who am I kidding?
Weak as I am now, I’ll be lucky if I don’t drag her down…
Also, Kafka and Silver Wolf of the Stellaron Hunters will create the vessel for [Trailblaze] at Herta Space Station.
That kid…
seems destined to become the new [Aeon of Trailblaze] in the future.
Her name is…
forget it, I can’t remember.
My memory erosion is too severe.
Does this have to do with Fuli, the Aeon of [Remembrance]?
Impossible to verify.
Right now, I can’t even attract the gaze of a single Aeon.
That being said, I still need to find a way to avoid being directly looked upon by Aeons, or I might die without even knowing how…
Yaoshi, the Aeon of [Abundance], doesn’t kill people outright and is the most responsive to the calls of believers, so my first potion can only be Abundance!
Let me check the ingredients for the Potion of Abundance…
Heart of an Abundance Pathstrider, Essence Blood of an Abundance Pathstrider, Artifex’s Module, Abundance Nectar, Seed of Abundance, Dilute Ether, Solidified Water, Lost Dust.
Among them, Dilute Ether, Solidified Water, and Lost Dust are everyday supplies and easy to come by.
Abundance Nectar, Seed of Abundance, and Artifex’s Modules can only be obtained from the corpses of Abominations of Abundance or Denizens of Abundance.
Of course, some black markets in space trade them, so there are ways if I try.
As for the two main materials—the Heart of an Abundance Pathstrider and the Essence Blood of an Abundance Pathstrider…
Is it time to start hunting?
I hope I haven’t forgotten the blood-soaked combat instincts forged on the edge of a blade.
————— [Astral Calendar Year 1, April 25 — Astral Express] Oh, Herta, my dear Lady Herta.
Perhaps you no longer remember me, but in my fading memories, there is still a place reserved just for you.
I apologize for my rudeness, because next, I will take a few worthless trinkets from you.
As for the passcode to your vault, let me think…
If memory serves…
hehe.
As for the heart and essence blood, I’ll just hunt down a station researcher.
After all, to you, they’re nothing more than consumables anyway.
…
Something’s wrong!
Did I really write those previous words?
Why do I have zero recollection of it?
Damn it!
What influenced me?
Kill an innocent person just for a potion?
Is that something I could actually do?
I…
…
Today is the 25th?
I was just fighting Voidrangers on Herta Space Station a moment ago!
Did time…
rewind?
Wait, I think I was…
killed by something.
It was too fast!
Was it the gaze of Nanook, the Aeon of [Destruction]?
No…
it wasn’t Him.
Let me think…
No, my memories are fading fast!
I need to write this down right now!
I’ve concocted the Potion of Abundance!
Only one step left…
just one step away from completing the ritual!
…
It seems this is the second rewind.
Memories are slipping away, but I drank the potion.
I can feel it—even though time turned back, the potion’s power remains in my body.
I must complete the ritual immediately!
The ritual…
…
Back to the 25th again!
Space station…
I can’t go back there anymore!
The thing on the Express has its eyes on me!
Its target is…
March 7th!
March 7th is in danger!
…
The 25th?
I died again?
Was the ritual…
completed?
March 7th…
wait for me!
…
How many times has it been?
Forget it, I can’t remember.
But— No matter how many times I have to restart, I will save all of you: March 7th, Sister Himeko, Mr.
Yang, Dan Heng, Pom-Pom!
Not a single person on the Astral Express will be left behind!
…
I’ll never reach the 26th.
I’m trapped in a time loop!
The root of the anomaly, the monster wandering inside the Astral Express—whenever it kills me, time resets back to the morning of the 25th!
However, the contents of the diary don’t change!
Organizing all useful information is our only way out!
Because—the text in this diary never changes!
No matter how many resets occur, this diary is our sole anchor!
…
March 7th is dead!
Himeko is dead!
Dan Heng, Mr.
Yang, Pom-Pom…
everyone is dead!
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why was I the only one it didn’t kill this time?
It doesn’t matter, just rewind once more!
I still have another chance.
As long as I keep trying, I’ll definitely find a way to save everyone!
…
My hands are covered in blood.
I can no longer tell whether that blood belongs to them, to myself, or to both.
I feel it—I’m about to catch it…
the source of the anomaly, the monster inside the Astral Express!
…
Hahahaha, caught you!
You monster!
Die!
Die!
Die!
As long as I kill you, none of the eerie corruption or misfortune will ever happen!
Everyone can have a bright future of their own!
As long as I kill you, she and the world she loved so dearly will be saved!
They’ll attain the happiness I promised!
As long as I kill you…
Huh?
Eh?
Why?
What am I doing?
No…
That’s impossible!
How could something so absurd happen?
This is too cruel!
I can’t understand this!
It hurts so much.
Someone please save me…
If this is the truth I was pursuing…
then what were all my efforts up until now for?
Hahahahaha…
It turns out…
That monster!
The monster that killed everyone!
Is me!
…
Beware of March 7th.