Luofu Xianzhou, Alchemy Commission.
More than half a month has passed since Stelle entered Leon's past memories.
The rest of the Astral Express crew has been taking shifts around the clock; someone is always watching over them.
Welt sits on a wooden chair not far away, eyes closed, dozing lightly.
March 7th lies prone on the small table beside Stelle's bed, brows slightly furrowed, clearly not sleeping soundly.
Dan Heng holds a book in his right hand.
Every thirty seconds or so, he glances at Stelle and Leon, confirming their condition without tiring.
Another thirty seconds pass. Just as he looks away, the change comes abruptly.
The black threads tied around Stelle and Leon's wrists suddenly glow with a dim light, without warning.
The pure white feather held in their hands emits a strange fluctuation.
The instant Dan Heng's attention snaps back, Welt opens his eyes at the same moment, gaze locking onto Leon and Stelle.
Finally, some progress?
"March, wake up."
Welt pats her back.
"…Mmm… what is it?"
"Look at Leon and Stelle."
"The threads on their wrists are glowing, but that's not… huh? EH!!!?"
March 7th first mumbles groggily, then realizes something the next second. She leaps from her chair, eyes wide.
Excitement surges across her small face as she stares fixedly at the two.
"Are they about to wake up?"
Dan Heng does not blink: "Hard to say yet."
"Uncle Yang, Dan Heng, look! Why is she crying?!" March 7th suddenly points at Stelle.
Welt and Dan Heng's gazes fall on Stelle's face. Tears are indeed spilling from the corners of her eyes.
"She may have witnessed a sorrowful scene in the memories."
A thoughtful look flashes across Dan Heng's face.
"This should be good news. It indirectly means she's been faring relatively well in Leon's past."
Not long after Dan Heng finishes speaking, the unexpected arrives without warning.
The black cords wrapped around Leon and Stelle's wrists crack inch by inch.
The pure white feather they both touch emits light, enveloping Stelle.
This…?
"AH——!!!"
Stelle's eyes snap open as she screams. She bolts upright in bed, face covered in cold sweat, gasping heavily.
On her slightly pale face, every emotion is visibly churning.
Sorrow, collapse, palpitations, even fear.
March 7th's face fills with worry: "Stelle! Are you okay?!"
"…I… I—"
Dan Heng quickly pours a cup of water and hands it to Stelle.
"Drink some water first and calm down. Don't rush."
Stelle does not care whether her throat is dry or not; she grabs the cup like a lifeline that can distract her.
She tilts her head back and gulps down huge mouthfuls.
Only after a long while do her constricted pupils slowly return to normal, her tense nerves easing.
"…Leon!"
Her gaze darts around in panic before fixing on the man quietly sleeping in the adjacent sickbed.
Only now does she notice that her body is wrapped in a warm, gentle light.
It's that feather!
She raises her palm. The light emanating from the feather begins to fade.
The chaotic memories in her mind gradually reorganize and settle.
When everything becomes clear, Stelle suddenly clenches her teeth, fists tightening. She slams the bedframe hard.
Her eyes turn red, her body trembling faintly, speechless.
Seeing her like this, March 7th feels as if a bucket of cold water has been dumped over her; the joy on her face vanishes instantly.
"Stelle… don't tell me… you failed?"
"I personally drove the blade into Leon's chest… I killed him…"
Stelle's voice is utterly hoarse.
"I don't even know if that counts as failure. Originally, I should have been swallowed by the darkness of the past, unable to return."
"My consciousness was sinking into chaos, on the verge of annihilation—then, in that instant, a beam of light suddenly enveloped me and carried me away from the darkness…"
"And then, I woke up."
Hearing this, Dan Heng and the others instinctively look at the feather lying quietly in Leon's palm, now returned to silence.
The light from earlier had been released by the feather.
From Stelle's tone, it seems…
Once again, Leon saved her at the final moment.
But—
Leon's consciousness has long since fallen into emptiness…
Yet even so, he still protected his companion one more time, helping Stelle escape danger?
From the players' perspective, this framing is no longer a hint—it's blatantly telling everyone the truth.
After experiencing the QTE-style scene of driving the blade through Leon and getting stabbed so hard their scalps went numb—
They never expected that upon returning to reality, they'd get stabbed again, even harder.
[Stab again, stab again! Movement speed over 700, the knife is still chasing me!]
[Hmph, trying to run? Lie down for me!]
[Tough guys are crying.]
[Cry, all of you cry!]
[I've already cried my eyes dry. Just now Mom brought fruit in, saw several huge soaked tissue piles on the table, thought I was doing that.]
[The familiar Honkai flavor, that damn space comedy—lures you in just to kill you!]
[March 7th's Stellaron names are also metaphors for knives. Looks like we'll never run out of knives to eat from now on.]
[I'm a big glutton, old ship ghoul—love eating knives, give me more!]
March 7th clenches her small fists: "Stelle… so what did you see in Leon's past?"
Stelle glances at her but does not answer.
The eyes that were once lively and sly now appear dim and lightless.
"You don't have to tell us. Whatever you saw in Leon's past, you alone need to know."
Dan Heng understands deeply that everyone has a past buried in their heart they do not wish to touch.
If not for the sake of awakening Leon, he would never advocate saving someone by entering another's past memories.
Just like his own previous life and his entanglements with the Luofu.
The moment it's brought up, only endless tangled matters cling to you, adding needless trouble.
No one wants their hidden past discussed and retold by others.
Even if the person themselves is unaware, it is still an overstep that violates privacy.
Welt thinks of this too and silently nods.
"Stelle, you just came back—take some time to sort out your thoughts. Dan Heng, March, and I have business with the General. We'll leave Leon in your care."
After casually giving a reason to leave, he signals Dan Heng and March with a look.
The two understand and leave the space to Stelle to calm down.
…
Outside.
The moment the three step out, they spot a familiar petite figure waiting for them.
"Sparkle?" March 7th says in surprise.
"Seeing the great Lady Sparkle makes you happy, right, little pink-hair?" Sparkle's small face beams.
"…If Leon woke up, maybe I'd be happy to see you."
"From what you're saying, little gray-hair failed?"
March 7th's mood drops: "She just woke up."
"Hmm? Didn't die?"
Sparkle falls into thought.
"??!"
March 7th's eyes widen in shock.
What does "didn't die" even mean coming from this little female gremlin's mouth?
"Looks like little gray-hair isn't ordinary after all. Interesting… interesting. I really thought she was done for."
"Who likes watching people die? Sparkle, are you deliberately messing with us?" March 7th raises her brows.
"So what if I am~~"
"You—"
Damn it!
For some reason, she suddenly wants to tuck Sparkle under her arm and spank her hard.
Are all Masked Fools this nasty?
"Sorry, Leon… I shouldn't have suspected you were a Masked Fool before. You're ten times better than any Masked Fool!!"