Sigh, Columbina just needed to be herself, while this System had to perfectly time every step of the warm-up.
From the storyboard rhythm of the OP, to the order of the characters’ appearances, down to the final lighting and camera angles for Columbina’s shot.
The System had revised it no less than ten times.
At exactly twelve o’clock, without any warning, the official Honkai: Star Rail account suddenly posted a new video.
“Interstellar Journey” OP Preview The moment the video was released, the players who had been waiting in front of their screens instantly exploded, and bullet comments flooded the screen like a tide.
The next second, a melodious tune with a touch of trailblazing spirit began to play, accompanied by clear vocals, as the scene slowly pulled away from a deep Sea of Stars.
Himeko, Dan Heng, and March 7th holding her camera, old friends appeared one by one.
The camera panned, and the Master Control Zone of Herta Space Station came into view, with Little Herta, Asta, and Arlan also appearing.
Then, Jing Yuan and Lynx.
Familiar figures flashed by one after another, and the bullet comments were all: “It’s General Jing Yuan!” “Lynx!” “Madam Herta!!” Before the players’ emotions could even settle, new faces began to appear on screen, each new character exuding a unique aura.
This left the players unable to resist speculating about their identities and roles in the story.
As the song ended, the melody gradually faded, and the screen, just as the players had expected, faded to the familiar black.
There was no sound.
The classic five seconds, yet everyone held their breath, and even the bullet comments thinned out a bit.
Everyone knew that after the black screen, the main event of this OP would finally arrive.
The instant the countdown ended, a song as gentle as moonlight suddenly began to play, without lyrics, only a melodious chant.
It was a language the players had never heard before, yet it inexplicably felt reassuring.
Fortunately, white subtitles quickly popped up at the bottom of the screen, lines of text slowly appearing with the song: “Under the moonlight, a gentle slumber.
A lonely dance, a solo movement.” Within the song, the black screen gradually faded, and the camera began to move slowly.
The first thing to enter the frame was a pair of jade-like feet stepping on water droplets.
As the camera panned up, the tassels on her skirt swayed gently, and the moon patterns embroidered on the light blue fabric shimmered under the moonlight.
Columbina.
The shot, however, seemed extremely unstable, as if blown by the wind, swaying gently and tilting slightly.
It felt as if the cameraman were standing right beside her.
Yet even so, the girl’s face remained impossibly clear: so gentle that one dared not make a sound.
The moment the camera froze on her face, Columbina slowly reached out, her fingertips moving toward the lens as if to touch something.
The next second, the view suddenly accelerated, swiftly passing her fingertips and landing on the massive moon behind her.
Immediately after, an incredibly soft voice spoke: “Are you also…
here to make a wish upon me?” Before the words had even faded, the scene abruptly shifted, the whistling wind and the hum of the Sea of Stars intertwining.
Columbina stood amidst the Sea of Stars, and before her eyes was the Xianzhou Luofu!
The players instantly exploded, bullet comments flooding the screen: “Holy crap, she was the grand finale of the last livestream preview, and now she’s the finale of the OP again!” “This treatment is literally on par with getting a dedicated character showcase!
Columbina’s hype is unmatched!” “She’s literally standing in the Sea of Stars and in the same shot as the Xianzhou.
If this plot isn’t absolutely insane, I’m gonna eat my screen!” There was a reason some players were calling her Columbina.
Long before this version of the OP was released.
Sharp-eyed players had noticed that Columbina’s outfit bore a striking resemblance to the young lady Columbina from A Winter Night’s Lazzo in the same company’s Genshin Impact.
That gentle yet slightly distant aura seemed to be cast from the very same mold.
Combined with Mihoyo’s old tradition of “parallel universes,” players quickly pieced it together: According to this theory, Columbina and Columbina were most likely counterparts.
Spy-Technically the name is slightly different, but I kept it as Columbina since lets be real, its just Columbina.
The response looks good.
Once the Host wakes up, I’ll have to take all the credit, and she’ll definitely praise me.
Adults love sweet-mouthed children.
The System, of course, also loved a sweet-mouthed Host.
Unfortunately, Columbina had slept very deeply this time, and the System couldn’t bring itself to wake her for a reward.
[Host, wake up, wake up, wake up!
There’s work to do!] The System’s voice trembled with impatience, finally pulling Columbina from her deep slumber as she curled on the bed.
A hint of grogginess lingered as Columbina woke, her voice hoarse, as if wrapped in cotton.
“Hmm…
What’s wrong?” She had always loved to sleep, and could sink into it for days on end.
But this wasn’t laziness.
It was necessary rest.
Only such a long slumber could gradually smooth out the churning fatigue within her body.
There were always voices of wishes in her mind, but these voices vanished when she slept.
Of course, these voices weren’t loud, and Columbina was already used to them, but sleeping was simply more peaceful.
[Stellaron Hunters!
Kafka and Silver Wolf have already led the Antimatter Legion to the Space Station!] [This means the protagonist players will control is about to be born!
Host, go take a look quickly.] “Stellaron Spirit…” Columbina hadn’t fully woken up yet and murmured half a sentence, following the System’s habit.
But the moment the word “Spirit” fell, her mind suddenly cleared, and most of her drowsiness vanished instantly: “Hmm!
Let’s go.” This was her new entertainment after all.
The System called the person who could contain the Stellaron and be controlled by the player the “Stellaron Spirit.” Columbina thought this made perfect sense.
After all, the Stellaron was too mysterious, and even she could only manage to contain it, let alone destroy or fully accommodate it.
To allow such a domineering thing to stay obediently in one’s body, without running wild or backlashing, calling them a Stellaron Spirit wasn’t an exaggeration.
More importantly, this was one of the few things that could get her excited during her boring life over several Amber Eras.
Almost the moment Columbina stood up and placed her hand on the doorknob ready to pull it open, the entire Herta Space Station suddenly shuddered violently!
It was as if an invisible giant hand had grabbed the outer shell of the Space Station and shaken it hard.
Yet, the water droplet beneath her feet seemed to be adhered to the floor, not letting her feel even a hint of shaking, let alone a sense of dizziness.
“Beep, beep, beep—beep, beep, beep—” The shrill alarm suddenly pierced the silence of the hallway.
Immediately after, the panicked shouts of staff members echoed from outside.
The sound of footsteps, the noise of collisions, and someone shouting to evacuate to the Master Control Zone because the equipment had malfunctioned.
The chaotic sounds filtered through the door, tangling around her ears like a messy ball of yarn.
Columbina’s brow furrowed slightly, and a strange sense of distress welled up in her heart.
She was always like this.
Every time she heard such panic and pleas for help, her heart would always tighten a little.
Just then, her phone suddenly chimed with a “ding.” Columbina took out her phone and saw a message from Asta.