[Honkai: Star Rail] The Reignbow Arbiter Says They Like Me

I first met Lan when he had just gained sentience. The blue-haired boy practiced his sword forms beneath the moonlight, dancing as he did so. His slender figure was etched into my heart.

I saw Lan in every state: sad, happy, and elated after a victory.

“I'm so close.” At the place where we first met, I saw Lan so dejected for the first time. His head hung low, and his voice trembled.

I wanted to embrace him, but I had no hands with which to touch him. I knew Lan couldn't hear me, but I still did my best to soothe him.

I didn't notice the look on Lan's face after I finished speaking, or the dark glint that flashed in his eyes.

In every battle against their enemies, Lan was always on the front lines, spirited and dazzling.

From boyhood to young adulthood, through countless springs, autumns, and summers.

My gaze would linger on every Yaoqing Xianzhou native, but I favored Lan and liked to chatter by his side.

Like an overprotective father, I'd nag him about this and that, and sometimes openly poke fun at him. It wasn't as though he could hear me. (Hands on hips.)

“This is the twenty-fifth year since that strange incident, and the 54,756th day since I became aware of your existence.”

In the place he knew best, Lan bandaged the wounds on his body and spoke to the empty air in front of him.

“Can you hear my voice?” For some reason, he instinctively thought Lan was talking to him, but the moment the words left his mouth, he hurriedly shut it.

How could anyone hear the voice of something that wasn't even a person?

“Of course.” Lan smiled gently. “I've heard you ever since your voice first rang in my ear.”

At first, Lan thought some strange thing had possessed him. But as they spent time together, he gradually grew used to it.

Even a ghost can be pretty cute.

After they got to know each other, their bond grew stronger, and he was no longer so lonely.

The day before Lan reached an agreement with Suihuang, he discovered he could suddenly touch the world around him. He looked out at the battlefield, where smoke filled the air and cries of grief overlapped with wails of pain.

Suspicious, bewildered, wary eyes turned toward the boy, unable to sense even the slightest trace of his presence.

Only Lan understood who the other was the moment he saw him.

The being he had never seen before, yet most longed to meet.

Their first embrace heralded a farewell. As the young man approached, Lan held him tightly.

“Even if you forget, I'll make you remember again.”

“All right.”

A beam of blue light enveloped the Yaoqing Xianzhou, and Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt, was born.

This devastating war was brought to an end through the combined efforts of the Reignbow Arbiter, the boy, and the many Cloud Knights.

“It's quite a coincidence. I'm named after this ship, the Yaoqing.”

When someone asked him his name, he replied with a cheerful smile.

A quick guide for readers:

The pairing is with the Reignbow Arbiter. Slow burn.

The protagonist is the consciousness of the Yaoqing Xianzhou and will take on a human form later in the story.

The protagonist can see every part of the Yaoqing Xianzhou. They are not limited to living on the Yaoqing; even when away, they will teleport back as soon as the Yaoqing is in danger.

When the Xianzhou is harmed, the protagonist is harmed too. But if the protagonist is hurt, the ship itself is unaffected. The idea is that he'd rather take twice the damage himself than make the Xianzhou natives go to the trouble of repairing anything.

He favors Lan, but loves the Xianzhou above all. He's a doting old dad who never turns away a Xianzhou native asking for help.

Theme: Bless the world, bless love