The Glamoth SAM's Are So Heartwarming! Firefly’s First Myriad Celestia Trailer!

Firefly's PV, Embers of Glamoth!

Regarding the emotional gut-punches fans were meant to receive, Xia Wen never held back!

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Wednesday noon.

MiHoYo's punctual announcement machine kicked into action once again.

Teachers, students, and corporate workers, people of all kinds took advantage of their lunch break to visit the official website.

During the wait, everyone discussed things on the official forums.

Glamoth's name.

And the fact that Firefly is a member of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry, almost everyone knew that.

But the details were still unclear.

Adding to that, Firefly was already a hugely popular character which led everyone to imagine related plots.

Princesses, General... All sorts of wild speculation only heightened the online fans' curiosity about Firefly.

Now, finally, the truth behind Firefly is about to be revealed, and fans were especially excited.

...

: Perfect timing for lunch! Yay!

: I can enjoy new Honkai: Star Rail content while eating!

: Firefly-chan! Firefly-chan! Hehe! Finally get to see her backstory!

: Such a cute girl becoming a Stellaron Hunter, I hope it's full of contrast!

: Because Firefly already is a huge contrast! Super cute, but her behavior is so "violent!"

: I hope it's a heartwarming story!

: So excited, so excited!

...

As everyone chatted, it quickly turned twelve o'clock.

The PV content on the official website was released one after another.

The first, was a short Myriad Celestia Trailer!

"Presently, Beneath a Shared Sky of Stars"

The scene began with a dreamy landscape.

Azure waters, air sparkling with bits of starlight, and streaks of red light flowing through.

The overall color palette gave a surreal, watercolor painting feel, even though it was clearly real.

This unique visual effect formed viewers' first impression.

...

: Such a special and beautiful scene!

: Is MiHoYo mixing real environments with special effects and doing extra rendering?

: The visuals are incredible!

: So beautiful! If an oil painting came to life, it would probably look like this....

Viewers gradually immersed themselves in this painted scene.

The camera zoomed out to a wide shot.

It was a small pond.

On the deep blue water, round leaves floated.

Blue bioluminescence outlined ripples where the leaves touched the water.

The grass at the pond's edge, the huge tree trunks, all glowed faintly under the night sky.

In the darkness, it all felt even more dreamlike.

Nearby, some kind of mechanical bodies lay dormant.

Among them, a flicker of flame burned in the picture.

"Command, this is AR-26710."

"please respond."

Upon seeing the cool back view surrounded by flames, viewers got excited.

The chat was instantly flooded with red Firefly comments.

At that moment, another voice nearly identical to the first spoke off-screen.

The camera shifted, bringing the newcomer into view.

And in that moment, the viewers spamming the chat collectively paused.

It was Firefly again!

Or rather, another SAM unit!

Except this one had a massive cannon on its shoulder, giving off overwhelming pressure.

"I don't think they'll respond." Cannon SAM said calmly.

The scene shifted again.

A giant boulder near the pond suddenly moved.

A larger, more intimidating heavy SAM unit pushed the rock aside and appeared on screen.

"What do we do? We're the only survivors around."

In an instant, three SAM units appeared.

Viewers couldn't help but widen their eyes.

...

: Whoa, I'd gladly take a hundred Firefly variants!

: And each one's cooler than the last! Cannon Firefly! Tank Firefly! What the heck!

: No way! Tank Firefly?! No way Firefly-chan could be a tank!

: Wait a second, this actually reminds me of what Firefly said in Penacony to the Trailblazer. Didn't she mention she was a "weapon"?

: Could that have been literal? These SAMs are actual weapons, and they can be mass-produced?

: Seems like it. The Glamoth Iron Cavalry mentioned in the official website's Simulated Universe event probably refers to a group of "SAMs"!

...

After the initial shock, many quickly connected the dots.

And MiHoYo clearly didn't want to keep fans waiting.

"No matter what, we have to get in touch with the others..."

The next second, Cannon SAM disengaged from its mech form.

What appeared, was a surprising, glasses-wearing pretty girl.

After she landed, she spoke.

Even though viewers had already seen Firefly's true form once, seeing it again still amazed them with the drastic contrast.

A violent weapon of destruction, with a harmless, cute girl inside.

What kind of story led to this intense duality?

Fans became even more curious.

"If that's the case..."

"It'll be faster this way, right?"

The glasses girl picked a flower, held it in front of her eyes, and smiled.

Her slightly formal, stiff words couldn't hide her naturally girlish voice.

Such a girlish voice.

Such a girlish appearance.

That was what viewers thought in that moment.

"Hey, you..."

The heavy SAM, clearly not expecting an ally to disarm, started to speak.

But then, another SAM disarmed too.

This time, it was Firefly!

She, like the glasses-wearing girl before, was dressed in a one-piece combat suit, with a string of numbers written at the collar.

In a deep blue night sky, Firefly's eyes tightened.

She slowly landed on the ground.

At this moment, the music began to play gently.

"I understand, article 4 of Glamoth's military regulations:"

"Leaving the cockpit is strictly prohibited."

Firefly realized what her companion was trying to do and calmly explained it to the partner beside her who hadn't removed their armor.

The camera slowly zoomed downward.

Clear water, like a mirror, reflected the two girls standing on its surface.

Familiar appearances, familiar voices,

Yet it gave the audience a sense of contrast.

...

: Firefly's voice... why is it so... indifferent?

: Damn, when I first heard that emotionless voice, I honestly almost didn't react, it's actually Firefly's voice.

: Even with the same voice, a different tone makes such a huge difference.

: So this was Firefly in the past...? She feels completely different from how I imagined.

: It's like... like she's some kind of emotionless machine.

: The difference between the past and future is way too big.

...

Firefly from the past, the future Stellaron Hunter version.

This surprised the fans greatly.

It was even hard to associate her with the future Firefly, the one who always wore a gentle smile and treated people sincerely.

But precisely because of this, fans grew even more curious.

"we'll be discovered very quickly."

The glasses girl also came to stand in front of Firefly.

She seemed more "human" than Firefly.

Pushing up her glasses, she smiled and said: "Even though we'll be punished, "

"that can't be helped." This time, Firefly responded with slightly more tone.

But only a little, it still gave the audience a mechanical feeling.

As for why such a change occurred, the story soon gave a silent answer.

After answering her companion's question, Firefly's gaze was suddenly drawn to the sky by some kind of unknown glowing creatures fluttering in the air.

Unlike common butterflies, these little things had chubby bodies and tiny wings.

Every flight seemed to require their full effort.

So they looked particularly funny and adorable.

Firefly was unconsciously drawn to the scene, subconsciously extending a finger to let one of the little creatures land on her fingertip, gently interacting.

Even the creature's faint golden light reflected a slight hint of joy on Firefly's face.

Compared to her earlier lifeless, indifferent eyes,

Firefly now gazed at the small creature on her fingertip with hope and delight.

Even without lines, this beautiful moment conveyed Firefly's change through camera language.

She was yearning for something.

And it was precisely because of that yearning, that self-awareness, her humanity naturally emerged.

"How many times is this for you now?" Firefly spoke softly.

"Hmm?" The glasses girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Leaving the cockpit like this." Firefly added.

After asking this question, the camera shifted to the background behind the three of them.

Two girls and a SAM unit.

They simply watched the pond and the stars in the sky.

The magical, dreamlike background music that chimed softly made the scene even more tender.

...

: This scene... is truly beautiful.

: Though I'm confused, it feels like Firefly wasn't very happy in the past?

: No, no, it's not an emotional issue, but more like... something was missing.

: And that weird rule is interesting too. Seems like the glasses girl has done this before, and Firefly definitely noticed.

: Rule-abiding Firefly lacks a human touch, while the glasses girl who breaks the rules repeatedly feels much more lively.

: miHoYo's camera storytelling is incredible, so much conveyed without dialogue.

: Glamoth... tsk, doesn't look like a good place.

...

In this beautiful scene, subtle emotions are conveyed through visuals.

Just then, a powerful burst of music shattered the calm.

A fiery red meteor fell from the sky.

It was a fourth SAM unit!

Aside from the original paint job, it had a blood-red cape on its back!

This made the SAM unit look dazzlingly majestic!

"Article two of Glamoth military regulations: Remain on guard."

"Article 4: Leaving the cockpit is strictly prohibited."

With arms crossed, the caped SAM sternly recited two military rules.

Then suddenly sighed, lowered its arms, and spoke more gently: "Do you have a death wish?"

All the audiences' earlier speculations, were blown away by the arrival of this mecha.

...

: Holy crap!!! This is way too cool!

: A mech with built-in speakers? Now that's flashy!

: miHoYo! I want this!

: That red cape is so badass, even the faceplate's paint changed from blue to red! So cool!

....

As the bullet comments scrolled across the screen.

Firefly also said longingly, "A Fyrefly Type-V personal escort model... Very nice."

As soon as that line was said, the fans couldn't help but laugh.

Unexpectedly, Firefly's focus was the same as everyone else's.

And after the arrival of the Type-V SAM, the heavy SAM finally released its form.

Still an unusually striking scene.

The pilot of the massive mech turned out to be someone even smaller than Firefly and the girl with glasses.

This time, it was a boy.

"You're the odd one out now."

The boy said indifferently.

Among the three people on screen, Firefly was in the middle, and she had the longest hair of them all.

"You can't connect to command either?"

"Why don't you join us?"

The girl with glasses extended the invitation.

"No thanks."

The Type-V SAM refused directly, but then added, "I'll just pretend I didn't see anything."

It was obvious.

The actions of the three violated the rules and would be punished.

But the way this Type-V SAM handled it was full of human warmth.

And just like that, the three of them finally relaxed.

The girl with glasses pulled out a damaged camera she had picked up from the battlefield and began 'taking pictures' everywhere.

Even though it was broken, the lens could still be used.

And seeing the world differently through the lens was exactly what fascinated her.

At that moment, the screen of also transformed into the view through her camera.

With a special filter, it captured the sunlit faces of Firefly and the others.

"No wonder you wear those weird goggles."

The boy realized as he looked through the lens.

"I have other reason's too."

"If everyone looked the same, how would we tell each other apart?"

The girl with glasses replied.

"What a unique answer."

Firefly said.

The girl with glasses smiled and pointed the lens at Firefly: "Your hair is also very unique."

"Thank you, I've been growing it out."

In the lens, Firefly smiled gently with her lips pursed, as the story continued to unfold.

She now looked much more radiant than in the first scene.

"The length is also proof of your experience."

The girl with glasses said with a smile.

Then she teased the Type-V SAM, urging it to say something, though the tone became a bit more serious again.

Even in such relaxed interactions, something always felt slightly off to the audience.

A boy capable of piloting a mech seemed so unfamiliar with things like glasses, calling them "weird goggles."

And within the ranks of the Glamor Iron Knights, experience wasn't measured by battle achievements, but by hair length?

These details caught the viewers' attention.

But the warm daily life didn't last long.

As communications were restored, the Type-V SAM confirmed the signal was working before turning to the three: "Article 8 , surviving knights should immediately return to their units."

The short rest was over.

Before becoming SAM again, Firefly hesitated slightly, then tore a piece of cloth from the war flag beside her.

She turned it into a hairband and tied up her long hair with a butterfly knot.

In the water's reflection was Firefly's genuine smile.

That smile helped the viewers rediscover a familiar feeling.

"I hope we can see stars on the next battlefield,"

"Will we see each other again?"

"Probably not."

"What if the war ends?"

"Then we should be able to find each other."

Three shooting stars appeared in the sky.

Through SAM, the voices of the three blended together.

The music shifted to a more hopeful melody.

And in the dawn light, the Type-V SAM, who didn't leave with the three, also removed her armor, revealing a surprisingly youthful face.

"What should I say..."

"I wish us all a triumphant return."

...

: Hiss… Something feels a bit off, but the story's development is surprisingly hopeful!

: Yeah, even that obviously higher-ranking Type-V SAM pretended not to see anything, giving everyone a break.

: And after Firefly and the girl with glasses removed their armor, the boy stayed in SAM form until the other SAM showed up, then he deactivated it too.

: True! When I was watching, I thought, despite how scary the Glamoth Iron Cavalry sound, they're actually really warm toward each other!

: Firefly's companions all have such strong personalities. Will they meet again in the future?