Xi Bai is an ordinary person living an ordinary life in an ordinary little county town. His days alone are quiet but cozy.
He has no family or friends, and his social life is refreshingly simple. The nature of his work means he never has to go out on business. Most often, he goes out to buy groceries and fill his fridge. When he doesn't feel like leaving the house, he orders fresh produce online for same-day delivery to keep himself fed.
He grows scallions, puts fruit pits in water to sprout, and takes advantage of the bright afternoon sun to warm his blankets.
Many people live alone much like him. Sometimes little animals appear on screen, and viewers leave comments like:
“After all these years, I'm still a catless savage.”
“So young, and already has both cats and dogs.”
“Sometimes living alone is pretty nice. Far from the city's noise, in a house that's not too big or too small, with a dog and a hundred million in savings.”
“Hey, that's not the point.”
Because of what he went through early in life, Xi Bai has always been in poor health.
But he never gave up. He kept trying to take care of himself. Since eating was difficult, he cooked all three meals himself and tried to keep them nutritious and balanced, honing his cooking into a truly exquisite skill.
Winter was hard to endure, so he cranked up the heat, held a hot-water bottle, and bundled himself up. In turn, he developed meticulous and thoughtful habits.
But no matter how hard he tried, his old injuries kept relapsing more frequently. Each episode came on suddenly and fiercely, and at its worst, even breathing became torture.
Every winter, his weight plummeted, as if all the fat and muscle he had painstakingly gained over the year were being consumed, leaving behind only a broken skeleton.
Then, on an utterly ordinary day, he met the first creature bold enough to approach him of its own accord and show him affection.
From that day on, Xi Bai was no longer a catless savage.
Though he came from a family that had served the Earth-Balance Commission for generations, Jing Yuan, the future Divine General, still took part in the custom of offering toys to children to divine their future. After graduating from the academy, he joined the Cloud Knights.
He was young, but already an eloquent conversationalist. Socializing came easily to him. He was among the crowd, and yet apart from it.
When he was ten, he went on a military expedition and met a special friend on the way home.
This friend was his age, an ordinary Cloud Knight soldier, yet always cool and distant, speaking little. To others, he was like a thin sheet of ice in the depths of winter, and they kept their distance.
Though their first meeting had not gone well, Jing Yuan knew he was a divine weapon hidden beneath dust.
Before they confessed their feelings:
Jing Yuan vented to a certain white-haired friend:
“Why has Xi Bai been so cold to me lately? He was so adorable as a child. How did he change so much after growing up?”
A certain artisan: “...”
Jing Yuan poured tea for his master and muttered under his breath:
“Master, has Xi Bai been in touch with you lately? Do you know if he's made any new friends?”
A certain Sword Champion: “...”
Jing Yuan sat aboard a starskiff and sighed at the sky:
“Sis Baiheng, do you think I've done something wrong lately? Or maybe my apologies haven't been sincere enough. Jing Yuan is truly a fool, unable to understand his friend's thoughts.”
A certain Nameless: “...”
Jing Yuan held his wine cup, looking listless:
“Alas, why is life so hard to bear? Without a lovely companion, even this fine wine has lost its flavor.”
A certain dragon lord: “...”
After they confessed their feelings:
Jing Yuan: “Darling, darling, my dearest darling~”
Xi Bai kept a cool expression as his little ear feathers instantly covered his face, trying to out of sight, out of mind.
Jing Yuan: “Mwah~”
The little wings suddenly pulled away. Xi Bai covered his ear feathers in alarm, revealing a face flushed bright red.
Jing Yuan, chuckling: “Oh, darling, you're still so adorable~”
The others: “...”
For some reason, they felt like their heads were glowing.
P.S.
1. The 1v1 pairing is already obvious, haha.
2. It's still a childhood-bonding redemption story. It will change the High-Cloud Quintet's tragic ending, so the General who's still alive won't have to bear those old burdens again. (Though I haven't decided whether Jing Yuan will still become a general in the end.)
3. The main story's everyday life will switch back and forth between the modern world and the Honkai: Star Rail setting. Most of the story takes place in Honkai: Star Rail, and only the protagonist transmigrates through dreams.
The two timelines share the same soul. In the end, the protagonist will return to Honkai: Star Rail. It's a big, happy ending!
4. The one-line description and title will definitely change before I start posting. I really have no ideas right now, TvT.
5. I'm not good at strategy or war, and the author's IQ is definitely not up to the task, so I'm the fictional historian here.
Theme: Ignite the star within yourself in the darkness
