The stars are for you [Honkai:Star rail fanfiction]

Interlude: Those who were left behind.

Cerberus chuckled as he found himself enjoying the buzz of the alcoholic beverage for the first time in more than a decade. How long has it been since he got drunk? Well, it must have been before he got his gnosis. 

"Adeptus -hic- Art:" the former geo archon whispered, giggling as he slapped an Adepti sigil he had created. "Something, something home creation." 

In front of him, a smile yet beautiful teapot suddenly opened a portal, sucking him inside in full view of Stelle. The raccoon-blazer tilted her head, wondering what happened to their companion. 

"Hello, Stelle," Bronya said with a smile. "Where's Cerberus?" 

"In the teapot," Stelle said, blankly looking at the teapot while Bronya raised her brow as the teapot, vomited the former Geo archon, dirt covering his entire form. 

"Then... increase time dilation," The geo archon mumbled as he used his foot, somehow drawing a seal of amber in the space in front of the teapot as pure power erupted from the seal. 

"I think, we should stop him," Seele said, watching in worry as the seals revolved. 

"Nah, let him cook," Stelle said, watching in interest. 

===

Kiana Kaslana wiped the sweat off her forehead as she entered the room, Reinhardt sealed for almost a decade. A room that belonged to her best friend and the second person, after Mei, to have her heart. Her best friend, Rex Crozzo. 

Noticing a familiar hum of power, Kiana's gem-like eyes glowed slightly, causing the illusion Rex loved to throw around to be temporarily canceled. Countless photos lined the wall, unaffected by time.

Feeling her eyes burn as she saw the numerous pictures they have taken during missions, trips, and more, the young woman gently took a photo. A photo of her chasing after her best friend as he carried her beloved Mei in his eyes. 

"Kiana, I knew I'd find you here," The voice of the eldest Crozzo echoed in the room that was now a tomb for him. A room he could never bear to enter alone lest he is crushed. 

"Oh, Big bro Rein," Kiana said as she put the photo back in its place. 

Despite being only his mid-30s, the oldest Crozzo looked like he was a decade or so older, his hair grayed by time earlier than many. 

"It's okay," 

"About-."

"Kiana... please," the oldest Crozzo said, begging the Herscher of Finality to stop. "Please... don't give me hope," 

"But Rein! Reese, she-,"

"Kiana, Rex's powers can only be passed completely if he dies," Reinhardt said as he looked at the photo of the three of them dressed in their armor and uniforms. 

"If there's a chance," 

"Kiana, Rex wanted us to live happily," Reinhardt said, trying to keep his heartbreak from leaking into his voice. "I won't stop you, but you should focus on your life with Mei. Rex isn't coming back anymore. Move on, you all have your lives now, don't waste it."

Kiana lost it. Closing the distance, the final Herrscher slapped her older brother-in-law with tears burning in her eyes. 

"How dare you?!" Kiana shouted, grabbing him by the collars and effortlessly raising him in the air. "Rex is my best friend! Your brother! He sacrificed himself for us and now that we have a clue, you would just give up?! Where's the Knight-commander that fearlessly faced hordes of Honkai Beasts alone!?" The former knight-commander looked away, refusing to meet her eyes as his right arm and left leg whirred mechanically.