Firefly

In the cold and desolate expanse of the universe, a faint starlight pierced through the void, crossing time and space, heading toward an unknown destination.

"Where am I? Is this a dream? Didn't I already die?" 

The soul, once a young man named Liu Xing, gazed blankly at the meteors rapidly passing by him. Looking down at his transparent body, his face was filled with confusion.

"Is this... a soul? Or have I turned into a ghost?"

"But I don't have any grudges, no lingering regrets! I passed away peacefully! Why would I become a ghost?" 

Liu Xing vividly remembered the moment of his death. It was on a hospital bed, surrounded by his classmates and teachers, as he closed his eyes peacefully.

Though his mind was a storm of questions, he decided to embrace the situation with a "go with the flow" mindset. Resigned, he let the mysterious starlight carry him through the vastness of space.

In this cosmic journey, time lost meaning. Liu Xing had no idea how long he had been traveling or even if he was still in the same universe. Without a physical body, he didn't feel hunger, only boredom. The starry expanse was beautiful and mysterious, but after a while, even such beauty could become dull.

Eventually, the mysterious starlight brought him to a strange star system. 

Scattered debris surrounded them, resembling the aftermath of a planetary explosion. Amid the floating fragments of rock and ice, a silver-haired girl floated motionlessly in the lonely void. Her entire body was bare, untouched by clothing, as luminescent space particles were drawn to her, dancing around her like fireflies.

As the starlight carried Liu Xing closer to the girl, he instinctively covered his eyes with his hands. "No peeking! No peeking!" he muttered nervously. 

Yet, the curious gap between his fingers betrayed his words, revealing that he was clearly sneaking glances.

Liu Xing couldn't help but wonder about the girl. Her presence in the middle of space, far from any life-supporting planet or alien spacecraft, was undoubtedly abnormal.

"Could she be... a ghost of the universe?" he guessed, half-jokingly. However, his expression changed abruptly as he realized the starlight was heading directly toward her without slowing down.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Brake! Please, hit the brakes!" 

Liu Xing closed his eyes tightly, unwilling to witness the impact. This mysterious starlight had obliterated countless meteors during their journey; he doubted this silver-haired girl's flesh and blood body could survive the collision.

But, to his astonishment, the girl was unharmed. Instead, she, like Meteor, became enveloped in the same starlight. 

Liu Xing stared at the girl in shock. Her exquisite features, high cheekbones, slender waist, fair skin, and long, toned legs were a visual overload that almost fried his brain. He felt an overwhelming rush of heat and the odd sensation of an impending nosebleed. 

"Oh wait, I'm a spirit now. No blood to bleed. Phew, that's a relief."

Liu Xing sat cross-legged, resting his chin in his hand as he studied the silver-haired girl intently, like a connoisseur admiring a masterpiece.

Without a doubt, this was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. None of his classmates could hold a candle to her, and the so-called "internet beauties" were nothing more than products of filters and makeup in comparison.

What intrigued him even more was the black ribbon tied into the girl's silver hair. It sparked a strange sense of familiarity, but he couldn't recall where he'd seen it before. 

After a while, realizing the girl wasn't waking up, Liu Xing felt a pang of disappointment. He was desperate for someone to talk to—his endless solitude had been driving him mad. Now, at last, there was someone else here, and she wasn't just anyone; she was a beautiful silver-haired girl.

Unbeknownst to Liu Xing, their encounter had been observed by someone else.

Aboard a small private spaceship, a purple-haired woman in an elegant suit set down her coffee cup and tilted her head slightly, blinking in confusion. "A deviation in Elio's script?"

The woman, named Kafka, stretched lazily and flashed an amused smile. "Now this... is interesting."

Nearby, a gray-haired girl who had been rummaging through a trash can paused to glance back at Kafka. "What's up? Are we there yet?"

Kafka chuckled. "Sweetheart, our little Firefly has just been... intercepted."

Hearing this, the gray-haired girl's eyes lit up with excitement. "Elio's going to blow a gasket, isn't he? Oh, this is too good! I need to get a camera and capture his reaction when we get back. That'll be a once-in-a-lifetime moment."

Kafka shook her head with a smile, her gaze turning toward the direction where the starlight had disappeared. Her eyes were deep and contemplative as she murmured, "Departing from Elio's script... I hope you find what you desire, little Firefly. Farewell."

With that, she turned toward the cockpit. "Let's head back. I heard the IPC recently launched a new line of coats. I want to check them out."

As Kafka left, the gray-haired girl resumed her scavenging, completely indifferent to the notion of Elio's script going awry. Clearly, to her, nothing was more important than the trash cans before her.

...

Meanwhile, Liu Xing hesitantly extended a hand toward the silver-haired girl's cheek, only for his ethereal fingers to pass through her face. Disheartened, he pulled his hand back. 

His expression remained calm. Having already died once, Liu Xing felt that this post-death cosmic journey was a gift beyond his wildest imagination.

As the starlight carried them further, Liu Xing began to notice many familiar sights—massive celestial arks drifting through endless space, an ice-covered planet where life struggled to survive, orbital space stations clinging to planetary rings, and even luxurious hotels suspended in the dark void. Each scene struck him with a deep sense of déjà vu. 

"Wait a second... this is Honkai: Star Rail?!"

Liu Xing froze, his mind racing as he turned to stare at the sleeping silver-haired girl. 

Images flooded his brain: a flickering firefly, a radiant moonbeam, and the thought, "My waifu."

The longer he looked, the more certain he became. This wasn't just any girl—this was Stellaron Hunter Firefly, one of his favorite characters in the game.

"So... I intercepted the Stellaron Hunter? Does Elio know? Is Kafka going to shoot me for this?!"