"What the—?!"
"It just ended like that?!"
"You can speedrun this?!"
Inside the hotel, March 7th stared at her phone with a look of utter despair.
The bottom-left corner of the screen already displayed the [Mission Complete] prompt, but she had somehow missed the entire storyline.
"I thought no matter what option I picked, Destiny would still give me follow-up content..."
But now, looking back, there was no way to resume the dialogue with Kafka.
All that remained was Kafka silently watching her, no longer speaking.
Stelle sympathetically patted March 7th's shoulder, then took a deep breath and opened her own account to start Kafka's companion quest.
March 7th, in a tone that suggested she'd been through this before, said:
"You better choose carefully."
"Who knows? Maybe the version where you help her reveals some secret about your past or something!"
Stelle's expression grew uncharacteristically serious—more so than during the main story quests.
Seeing this, March 7th decided not to disturb her further and quietly stepped out onto the balcony, opening Guinaifen's livestream instead.
Clearly, many players shared her curiosity and had chosen the refusal options repeatedly.
Some even flooded Guinaifen's chat to lament:
"I really didn't expect it to just END like that!"
"The kid rebelled and didn't listen to Mom at all!"
"Is this the Mara-Struck state? So ruthless!"
"Missed the PVP event AND Kafka's storyline—double loss!"
"Who in their right mind would refuse to do a quest with Kafka?!"
"Exactly! How could anyone bear to abandon Kafka and Blade like that? I couldn't bring myself to pick the refusal options even once!"
...
Back in the room, Stelle had realized the importance of the [Choices] in this quest.
She decided to watch Guinaifen's playthrough first, then deduce which options were "correct"—meaning the ones most beneficial to her, ideally forcing Kafka to reveal more intel.
Soon, Kafka's [Truth or Lie] game began.
The rules were simple: one true statement, one false one.
Kafka asked the first question:
"How do you feel about me?"
[Tell the truth.]
[Lie.]
Stelle didn't rush to pick. Instead, she watched Guinaifen's choice.
On stream, Guinaifen selected [Tell the truth.], followed by [I like you.]
Kafka smiled faintly.
"Hmm... Just like that. It's simple, Stelle."
"You really hide your thoughts well."
"—But the [Truth or Lie] game is on pause now, Stelle."
"We have... uninvited guests."
Stelle let out an annoyed "Tch."
This game could've been the perfect chance to extract crucial intel from Kafka!
Why were they being interrupted before the first round even finished?!
Guinaifen was equally frustrated.
"Ugh! Who dares interrupt my bonding time with Mom?!"
She immediately chose violence against the Cloud Knights.
While Guinaifen fought, Stelle picked [Lie] in her own playthrough.
Despite the different choice, combat still triggered.
After defeating the enemies, Kafka mused:
"See? This is the future. Infinite possibilities, yet what's destined will happen. This conflict was unavoidable—no other outcome existed."
"Now, back to [Truth or Lie]. Your turn, Stelle."
Guinaifen then asked about the protagonist—herself.
Stelle's eyes lit up.
Yes!
This was exactly what she wanted to know.
If Kafka gave two different answers, one had to be true.
At least then, she'd have a clue about her origins.
By cross-referencing the second question, she could filter out the lies and finally learn the truth!
But the problem was—how to confirm which answer was real?
Meanwhile, Kafka's second question arrived:
"Do you want to see me again?"
Now, she could choose to cheat or answer honestly.
Faced with a question tied to her identity, Stelle panicked, her brain overheating.
"Ugh..."
She agonized over the answer, beads of sweat forming on her nose.
"March! Get over here and help me!"
March 7th strutted over with an "I knew you'd need me" smirk.
Five minutes later—
"Got it! I've figured it out!"
"This answer HAS to be true!"
March 7th's eyes sparkled with the confidence of "Detective March 7th", finally reclaiming her pride in this Q&A session.
She laid out the correct responses while Stelle's breathing grew rapid.
Anyone with amnesia would struggle to stay calm in this situation—and she was no exception.
Especially since Kafka's answers kept dropping bombshells!
[You were created by a god.]
[You're a unique vessel.]
[You're my child.]
Stelle was stunned.
Was she really some kind of protagonist by birthright?!
Soon, March 7th presented the verified truths:
[What was I before?]
"You're an artificial lifeform designed to contain a Stellaron. From birth, your fate was to receive it aboard Herta Space Station. My role was to protect you until then."
"Your memories were erased by me before the Herta Plan's execution."
[Why can I hold a Stellaron?]
"Because you were engineered for it. Your body, modified by a Aeon's power, resists Stellaron corruption."
"In short, you're the one and only Stellaron [Vessel]."
[What's my relationship with you?]
"One day, Elio entrusted you to me. He said, based on his foresight, you'd eventually change me—and I, you."
"In other words, we're each other's destiny."
Assuming Kafka played fair, these were the undeniable facts.
After reading, Stelle and March 7th fell into silence.
Stelle seemed deeply shaken, alternating between staring at herself and the window, unsure how to react.
March 7th gasped.
"So Kafka taught you basic knowledge, combat skills... and protected you?"
"That means you were a Stellaron Hunter too?!"
"Let me check the Interastral Peace Company's bounty list—"
Her antics instantly lightened the mood, dispelling Stelle's confusion and melancholy.
She snatched March's phone away.
"Since you've uncovered my true identity... I'll have to silence you!"
The two tussled across the room in a feather-pillow fight.
Ten minutes later, they collapsed on the couch, covered in fluff.
"Thanks, March."
"But no matter what—I'm still me! Every moment with you and the Astral Express crew is real!"
"I'm Stelle, Stelle!" "Just like the game said—I'll reach my ending with my own will!"
March 7th gave a thumbs-up.
"Heh, took you long enough to figure that out!"
"Speaking of which, when's Yu Ling gonna reveal MY backstory?!"
"I wanna know my past too..."
Hearing this, Stelle immediately stood up.
"I'll message Yu Ling right now!"
"I'm the protagonist of Star Rail! I haven't even charged him for my appearance fees!"
"He owes me this much!"
To be continued…
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