Honkai Star Rail: Drifter in the Stars

When There's Light, There's Always Shadows

(A/N: There's gonna be some torture scenes that may be a bit graphic. Proceed with caution.)

Kuni looks down on Stelle, who is surprisingly unhurt from falling thousands of feet from the air and landing in a strange position. He helps her up and turns to see Robin and Sunday just arrived to see what happened.

Robin: "Stelle, are you alright?"

Stelle: "Are we in Heaven...or?"

Kuni: "No, we're in Pandora, of course not Heaven. This is Penacony, Land of the Dreams."

Robin: "Haha, there's nothing to worry about. You've arrived at the dreamscape."

Sunday: "Seems like our guest here hasn't gotten used to the transition. Fret not, feeling a sense of weightlessness is normal for new visitors."

Kuni: "Sunday, I don't wanna hear you talk after my first time entering the Dreamscape and falling on a railing that hit my balls and FELL IN AN CONSPICUOUS POSE!"

Sunday: "Haha I remember that well. Robin and Kuni, please guide our friend in getting more comfortable with the new environment."

Robin: "Leave it to me."

Kuni: "C'mon, trash can lover."

Robin gives a slight nod to her brother then locks her emerald gaze with Stelle. She smiles, and Stelle sees ripples shimmering in the depths of her lake-green eyes, followed by a mighty vortex emerging from the depths of the pool. Stelle holds her head as her vision dims and her body dissolves, becoming one with the fluidity of the time-space. She resonates with and becomes attuned to the serene fusion of frequencies. Her heart drums, leading the symphony.

Robin: "Don't worry, just relax. You'll be feeling like your normal self in no time."

The choir starts. "Inhale." They sing. "Now Exhale." They chant. Instinct compels, and the stagnant fluid in Stelle's chest begins to flow again. A gentle warmth emanates from within. Saturating every inch of her being. Stelle's melodies slow down, and fade away, like a lullaby. A seven-colored illusion delicately caresses the top of Stelle's head and closes her eyes. Its movements are tender and compassionate. She feels contentment and drifts into a deep slumber. Stelle opens her eyes and feels the vitality like no other. The difficulty she was experiencing a moment earlier feels like a distant memory.

Robin: "You should be feeling fully in control now. Stelle, welcome to Penacony."

Stelle: "Did you...brainwash me?"

Kuni: "What Robin was use a special technique that eased your mind to get used to the Dreamscape."

Sunday: "Relax, just did some tuning on you with the resonance of the Harmony to allow you to control your limbs freely in the Dreamscape. Essentially, the dream of Penacony is a world formed by memoria. Only by fully understanding its nature can you move freely within it. It's like learning to swim, it's easy to sink at first when you aren't accustomed to the water, but once you get the hang of it, you can float and swim on the surface effortlessly."

Stelle: "Does that mean I levitate in the air?"

Kuni: "Well theoretically, you can, but it would be very difficult to pull off. After all, I don't really have an in-depth understanding of this place and the memoria yet."

Sunday: "Unless you're one of the Memokeeprs of the Garden of Recollection, it can be difficult at first to manipulate the memoria as you wish. But once you've been tuned by the Harmony, you can use the same laws of physics from the real world to understand how the dream world works."