Elation

Night.

Tianhun City inn.

Quan Cangtian sat by the window.

Outside the window were lights. Tianhun City's night lights, orange-yellow dots, far and near, connected into one piece.

He looked at those lights.

Under his palm, a dark red crystal throbbed.

It beat at the same frequency as the Dark Soul Cult's aura.

One, two, three.

He clenched his fist.

Zixiao sat beside him. A thunder light sword lay across her knees. She closed her eyes, but she was not asleep.

Quan Cangtian felt a little tired.

It was not physical tiredness.

It was that kind of... feeling of his consciousness sinking downward.

He blinked.

He opened them again.

His vision blurred.

Zixiao's face turned into a cluster of purple light.

He heard Zixiao's voice, very far away.

"Cangtian?"

He wanted to speak.

But his mouth would not open.

The dark red crystal throbbed violently beneath his palm.

And then—

His vision went black.

He collapsed.

Zixiao opened her eyes.

She caught him.

"Cangtian!"

She checked his pulse.

It was still there.

But his consciousness had sunk down.

She raised her head.

She looked toward the window.

The southeast corner, Dark Alley District.

The aura of the Dark Soul Cult was approaching.

Quan Cangtian opened his eyes.

He stood within a void.

Beneath his feet was black ground, like a mirror, able to reflect a human figure.

Above his head was a starry sky.

But it was not an ordinary starry sky.

Every single star flickered.

Red ones, blue ones, golden ones, purple ones.

Densely packed, countless.

He recognized this place.

The Path Rift.

The small space within his body.

But he could not enter.

His current strength was not enough.

He tried to move.

He could move.

Yet he could not walk out.

There was no direction.

There was no boundary.

He stood in place.

Waiting.

Quan Cangtian waited for a moment.

Then he saw a person.

Walking out from the void.

Wearing a mask.

A white mask painted with a smiling face.

Wearing a black robe.

He walked up to Quan Cangtian.

He stopped.

Quan Cangtian looked at him.

He sensed an aura.

Very familiar.

It was the Envoy of Elation.

That voice that occasionally spoke in his ear.

That entity whose existence he vaguely sensed but could not confirm.

The Envoy of Elation spoke.

"Awake?"

His voice carried a smile.

Quan Cangtian.

"You are..."

The Envoy of Elation.

"Guess."

He turned around.

He looked at the starry sky all around.

"This place is not bad."

"Just a bit too empty."

Quan Cangtian.

"How did you get in?"

The Envoy of Elation.

"I pulled you in."

He paused.

"With your current strength, you couldn't enter."

The Envoy of Elation raised his head.

He looked at the starry sky.

"See those stars?"

Quan Cangtian nodded.

The Envoy of Elation.

"Every single one is a rift."

"A rift connecting to the Honkai Star Rail Universe."

He reached out a hand.

He pointed at a red star.

"That one connects to the Simulated Universe."

"Inside are the blessings, curios, and buffs you need."

He pointed at another blue star.

"That one connects to reservoirs of the Divergent Universe."

"Inside are harder stages, stronger enemies, and better rewards."

He paused.

"And there are others."

"Rifts connecting different paths."

"Rifts connecting different domains."

"Rifts connecting different worlds."

Quan Cangtian.

"Can I go in?"

The Envoy of Elation.

"Not right now."

"Your strength is not enough."

"But when you become strong enough—"

He made a gesture.

As if grabbing something.

"A single thought of intent can drag a star down."

"To use as a door."

"Open it, and you can enter."

The Envoy of Elation extended his hand.

His palm faced upward.

A cluster of colorful light emerged from his palm.

The light rotated, changing.

Sometimes red, sometimes blue, sometimes golden.

The Envoy of Elation.

"This is Elation."

He looked at that cluster of light.

"Your Path Rift currently only has Destruction and Abundance."

"Too monotonous."

He paused.

"I'll add some seasoning for you."

He pressed that cluster of colorful light toward the ground.

The light seeped into the black ground.

The ground began to change.

Colorful patterns appeared on the black mirror surface.

Like ripples, like waves.

Quan Cangtian felt the Path Rift expanding.

Changing.

Quan Cangtian.

"What is this?"

The Envoy of Elation.

"The power of the Path of Elation."

He paused.

"I intercepted a portion and grafted it onto your Path Rift."

"To serve as a transit station."

Quan Cangtian.

"A transit station?"

The Envoy of Elation.

"Correct."

"In the future, you can obtain Elation Blessings from here."

He reached out a hand.

His fingers swept across the air.

Several characters appeared in the air.

Illusion.

Transformation.

Roleplay.

Chaos.

Taunt.

Probability Distortion.

Envoy of Elation.

"This is the core of Elation."

He looked at those words.

"Illusion -- you can create illusions to confuse enemies."

"Transformation -- you can change your appearance and roleplay anyone."

"Roleplay -- you can imitate anyone's abilities, but with a time limit."

"Chaos -- you can disrupt the minds of enemies and make them kill each other."

"Taunt -- you can enrage enemies and make them lose their sanity."

"Probability Distortion -- you can distort probabilities and turn the impossible into the possible."

He paused.

"But you can't use these right now."

Envoy of Elation looked at Quan Cangtian.

"One more thing."

"Combined blessings can occur between different paths."

He reached out.

Three clusters of light appeared.

Red, golden, colorful.

Destruction, Abundance, Elation.

He pressed the three clusters of light together.

The light began to merge.

It turned into a new color.

Envoy of Elation.

"When you possess the power of multiple paths at the same time --"

"You can generate combined blessings."

"For example --"

"Destruction + Elation = Destruction and Elation: Flame of Laughter"

"Abundance + Elation = Abundance and Elation: Smile of Healing"

"Destruction + Abundance + Elation = Triple Path: Echo of End"

He paused.

"But you can't use these right now either."

"When you are strong enough, and interesting enough --"

"Aha will give you more."

Quan Cangtian.

"Aha?"

Envoy of Elation.

"The Star God of Elation."

"He will bestow power at random."

"But the premise is -- you have to be interesting."

Quan Cangtian.

"Interesting?"

Envoy of Elation.

"Yes."

"You have to make Aha find it interesting."

"Only then will he give you power."

Envoy of Elation looked at Quan Cangtian.

"One more thing."

His voice changed.

It no longer carried a laugh.

"People from the Dark Soul Cult are looking for you."

Quan Cangtian.

"I know."

Envoy of Elation.

"They aren't looking for you."

"They're looking for the thing inside your body."

Quan Cangtian.

"Genes?"

Envoy of Elation nodded.

"That thing belongs to me."

Quan Cangtian was taken aback.

Envoy of Elation.

"I sent it."

"But the Pontifex of the Dark Soul Cult wants it too."

He paused.

"The genes inside your body are listening to the aura of the Dark Soul Cult."

"Because that is my power."

"And the Pontifex of the Dark Soul Cult is also a shard of me."

Quan Cangtian.

"You mean..."

Envoy of Elation.

"I am the Envoy of Elation."

"The Pontifex of the Dark Soul Cult is also a shard of me."

"We are the same person."

He paused.

"But there are differences between shards."

"I sent you the genes to make you stronger."

"The Pontifex wants the genes to control you."

He looked at Quan Cangtian.

"You have to choose."

"Will you become my pawn, or the pawn of the Pontifex?"

Or --

"Become yourself."

Envoy of Elation vanished.

The Path Rift began to collapse.

Quan Cangtian felt his consciousness floating upward.

Then --

He opened his eyes.

He was lying on the bed in the inn.

Zixiao sat beside him.

The Thunder Light Sword lay across her knees.

She saw him wake up.

She let out a sigh of relief.

Zixiao.

"You're awake."

Quan Cangtian.

"I..."

He sat up.

He felt a bit dizzy.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

Zixiao.

"A day."

Quan Cangtian.

"A day?"

Zixiao nodded.

"People from the Dark Soul Cult came."

"But they didn't make a move."

"They just took a look and left."

Quan Cangtian was stunned.

He looked out the window.

It was dawn.

He raised his right hand.

The dark red crystal beneath his palm was still there.

Its beating had slowed down, however.

It was no longer synchronized with the aura of the Dark Soul Cult.

Quan Cangtian sat on the bed.

In his mind, the words of the Envoy of Elation echoed.

He was the Envoy of Elation.

The Pontifex of the Dark Soul Cult was also his shard.

They were the same person.

Yet there were differences.

The Envoy of Elation had sent the genes to make him stronger.

The Pontifex wanted the genes to control him.

He had to choose.

Whose pawn to become.

Or to become himself.

He looked out the window.

In the morning of Tianhun City, sunlight poured in.

Zixiao sat beside him.

The Thunder Light Sword lay across her knees.

She didn't speak.

Yet Quan Cangtian knew she had guarded him for a full day.

He raised his right hand.

The dark red crystal beneath his palm was still there.

Its beating had slowed down, however.

It was no longer synchronized with the aura of the Dark Soul Cult.

The power of the Path of Elation was taking effect.

He clenched his fist.

Countless stars filled the Path Rift.

Every single grain was a fissure connecting to the Honkai Star Rail Universe.

Once he grew strong enough, he could drag the stars down to serve as opening gates.

He would enter instances like the Simulated Universe and Divergent Universe.

He would acquire buffs, blessings, materials, and equipment.

He had obtained the blessing of the Path of Elation.

Yet he could not use it right now.

Illusion, transformation, roleplay, chaos, taunt, probability distortion.

Six core abilities.

Only usable once he becomes "interesting".

Different Paths can produce Combined Blessings.

Destruction + Elation, Abundance + Elation, three-Path combinations.

Only usable once he is strong enough.

People from the Dark Soul Cult came.

Yet they did not strike.

What were they waiting for?

He did not know.

However, he knew one thing.

The Envoy of Elation and the Pontifex were both fragments.

They had disagreements.

He needed to choose.

To become whose pawn.

Or to become himself.