· · ─ ·☾☽· ─ · ·

ɴᴀʀᴀᴀᴢᴀʀᴀ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛꜱ
❝ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓'𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄 ❞
ᴀ "ʜᴏɴᴋᴀɪ: ꜱᴛᴀʀ ʀᴀɪʟ" ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

THE HUNT'S JUSTICE

A Dragon of Life?
... An executioner

RAYA, a fragile echo of a dragonet hatched during a time of calamity, was birthed in shallow waters, her first breath showing signs of impending demise. The Foxian general that held her teared up at the sight; she was born too soon and Lan decided that she was not worthy of living a dragon's life. Spare her, oh shooting star; she has done no evil.

(And the mists of Mara shrouded the planet)

The stories say that the Aeons gathered around a table made of crystal, and tossed a coin, but Mythus, the Enigmata grabbed it before the girl's fate was seen, and it burned brightly on THEIR hands, leaving them to nurse it with a gauze

"She has the will of Lan.", THEY rasped, causing the aforementioned Aeon to cross THEIR arms.

They tossed another coin, and watched with careful anticipation as it spun, eventually landing on Lan of the Hunt's star-studded palm, searing THEIR flesh with the symbol of two ears of wheat crossed at the stem - Abundance.

"Yaoshi!", THEY roared, removing the piece of molten stardust from THEIR palm and angrily threw it into the table.

A third coin was tossed, and each Aeon prayed it would land on anyone else's hands but themselves. But, by a twist of fate, it landed on one of Yaoshi's palms, and it too seared the Aeon of Abundance's flesh, this time with the insignia of a deer's head with crossed arrows - Hunt.

"Lan!", THEY groaned, removing the piece of molten stardust from THEIR palm and delicately placing it into the table.

Nous, the Erudition, peered at the two coins and had the idea of sticking them on the sides that did not have a symbol, and it must have been the best decision made.

"You see, the both of you are not so different. I suppose HooH, the Equilibrium is saying something at last.", THEY declared.

RAYA and Asnara, her predecessor lived and died on the same day in the hands of a silver-haired Foxian general. Had negotiations between Tanglaw and the Xianzhou Alliance not broken down to the point of warfare, or had the borisan not infiltrated the planet in the first place, perhaps Asnara would not have had to fight for her nation - and prematurely birth her next incarnation in the peak of the conflict.

She wept for taking her first breath, and the general that cradled her little form, wept for the inevitable destruction of yet another planet in the hands of a "shooting star"

(The seeds of restoration have been planted).

From the moment she was handed to her caretakers, she was no longer a child but the keeper of death's gateway. The little girl was never allowed to exist, and in her place was a dragon easing the transition from life to death that had to tether between madness and sanity.

RAYA's first blood had not come from a scrape on the knee during playtime. It had come from a needle pricking her finger whilst sewing clothes- clothes for the dead. Her caretaker had reprimanded her for being so careless, citing how a dragon lady shouldn't stain herself with blood or any other fluids for the matter.

She would later respond how it was an honest mistake, and even pricked the said caretaker's finger to prove a point.

She was a lady and she too feared death. But when "death" took on the form of the mind's destruction from living such a long life, especially one riddled with warfare and strife...

RAYA was painfully denied of what the other dragons received upon birth; their own rufuslunae pearls. Within her heart was a yearning for recognition from the Aeon of Abundance, as THEY had once decreed that her kind shall receive their pearls upon completing some quest of enlightenment. But what was left to discover when all she had done was sew funerary garb and drop coffins from the castle trapdoor? It was a yearning not to be trifled with, especially because the blessings of an Aeon often came with a cost or two.

Or perhaps, it was a yearning that would ultimately save a planet from the clutches of the red nebula.

(Kill the dragonet, let the dragoness be born).

"Raya of the Withering", they whispered when they thought her pointed ears were out of earshot - which almost always ended well.

An omen of Death?
Yes, the bane of the Mara-struck

"I promise you all
One day, the Lunar Lantern shall dispel the miat of Yaoshi's tears
One day, we shall no longer have to witness the the wrath of "shooting stars"

A half-breed?
...the Merlin's Claw

FEIXIAO, once a war slave to the Borisan, quickly rose through the ranks of the Xianzhou Yaoqing's knights, her feats known far and wide in the cosmos. People said that she had honed herself into a supreme weapon, perhaps capable of outrunning the Aeon of the Hunt's arrows - only she couldn't quite accomplish that.

The stories say that she was born on the night of a blue moon, screaming as she was whisked away from her mother, a once noble wolf master who unfortunately fell from grace. They say that the Aeons tossed a coin for her too, watching with restrained curiosity as the coin landed on Lan's palm, the gleaming object engraved with the sigil of a deer's head with crossed arrows - Hunt.

"Excellent!", THEY smiled, but for Yaoshi peering over the coin, and taking it into THEIR hands, scrutinizing its details.

"She has the blood of my people.", THEY spoke up with a devious smile. "Are you sure she'll embody your principles?"

Lan would then take back the coin and hold it too tightly for Yaoshi to take. "Keep your accursed blessings to yourself. Sooner or later, she shall destroy your denizens forever."

FEIXIAO and Saran would live and die by the light of a shooting star; Saran being her birth name and the little girl who had once trembled at the lash of a whip. Had she not followed that trail on that fateful night she turned sixteen, she wouldn't have risen to where she was today - the slayer of a dragon.

As she silently wept for the inevitable destruction of yet another planet in the hands of a "shooting star", her tears mixed with those of the hatchling in her arms.

(The catalyst for a planet's restoration)

She was no longer a slave, but one of the seven the Arbiter Generals sitting on the High table with fellow generals, planning and looking the next hunt against the Abominations of Abundance. There was a hint of the slave girl inside, though in place of "Saran" was "Feixiao", her hunter's instincts and her battle against herself.

FEIXIAO'S first blood had not come from the scars of warfare. It had come from the lash of the whip striking her fragile back for tearing up a tapestry in a fit of borisan rage.

She curled into a ball near the wall, her nose breathing bloodmist as the derogatory shouts of the wolf masters echoed in her ears

Feixiao was a warrior, but she too, feared death. However, when "death" took the form of the madness that came with sharing blood with her slavers...

FEIXIAO despised the thing her mixed heritage gave her; strength from the crimson moon that would cost her the life she had built upon her freedom. It was a strength no one should be aspiring towards, especially not a huntress who would someday, lose herself to her shadow.

(Or perhaps, the power of the moon could buy her time to fulfill her greatest desire.)

(She ventures forth to hunt)

"Moon-struck Feixiao ", they whispered when they knew she was in earshot - which never ended well.

The "Lacking General"?
Yes, lacking in worries, regrets and
rivals

"I promise you all.
One day, I will be faster than the Reignbow's Lux Arrow.
One day, we shall no longer have to witness the falling of 'shooting stars.'"

𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀

𝐅𝐄𝐈𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐎

╔═══════════════╗
⟿ALSO FEATURING...
╚═══════════════╝

ᵐᵉᵐᵇᵉʳˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵏᵒⁿˢᵘˡ ᵇᵘⁿᵈᵒᵏ

ᵃˢⁿᵃʷⁱ | ᶠⁱʳˢᵗ ʲᵘᵈᵍᵉ | ᶜʰᵃʳⁱᵒᵗᵉᵉʳ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒᵒⁿ
ᵈᵉˢʰⁿᵃ | ˢᵉᶜᵒⁿᵈ ʲᵘᵈᵍᵉ | ˢᵗᵒʳᵐ'ˢ ᵉʸᵉ
ᵐᵉⁿᵃⁿᵈʳᵒ | ᵗʰⁱʳᵈ ʲᵘᵈᵍᵉ | ʷʳᵒᵗʰ ⁱᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵗʳⁱᶜᵏᵉⁿ
ᵘˡᵃⁿ | ᶠᵒᵘʳᵗʰ ʲᵘᵈᵍᵉ | ˢᵉʳᵛᵃⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵉᵃˢᵗ ʷⁱⁿᵈ
ᵐⁱⁿᵉᵃ | ᶠⁱᶠᵗʰ ʲᵘᵈᵍᵉ | ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳ ᵒᶠ ᶠˡᵃᵐᵉ

ᵐᵉᵐᵇᵉʳˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵒʸᵃˡ ᶠᵃᵐⁱˡʸ

ˡⁱⁿˢᵉᵒ ᵈᵃˡᵘʸᵒⁿᵍ | ᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵒᶠ ᵗᵃⁿᵍˡᵃʷ
ˡⁱⁿᵍᵃʸᵃⁿ ᵈᵃˡᵘʸᵒⁿᵍ | qᵘᵉᵉⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵗᵃⁿᵍˡᵃʷ
ᵇᵃˡᵒʳ ⁱᵛ ᵈᵃˡᵘʸᵒⁿᵍ | ᵖʳⁱⁿᶜᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵗᵃⁿᵍˡᵃʷ
ᵃᵐⁱʳᵃʰ ᵈᵃˡᵘʸᵒⁿᵍ |ᵖʳⁱⁿᶜᵉˢˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗᵃⁿᵍˡᵃʷ

ᵐᵉᵐᵇᵉʳˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ˣⁱᵃⁿᶻʰᵒᵘ ᵃˡˡⁱᵃⁿᶜᵉ

ʲⁱⁿᵍ ʸᵘᵃⁿ| ˡᵘᵒᶠᵘ ᵍᵉⁿᵉʳᵃˡ | ᵈⁱᵛⁱⁿᵉ ᶠᵒʳᵉˢⁱᵍʰᵗ
ʸᵃⁿqⁱⁿᵍ| ᵃ ˡⁱᵉᵘᵗᵉⁿᵃⁿᵗ | ˢʷᵒʳᵈᵖˡᵃʸ ᵖʳᵒᵈⁱᵍʸ
ᵇᵃⁱˡᵘ | ᵗʰᵉ ⱽᵛᵈʸᵃᵈʰᵃʳᵃ ʰⁱᵍʰ ᵉˡᵈᵉʳ | ʰᵉᵃˡᵉʳ ˡᵃᵈʸ
ˡⁱⁿᵍˢʰᵃ | ᵗʰᵉ ⁿᵉʷ ᶜᵃᵘˡᵈʳᵒⁿ ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳ | ʳᵉᵗᵘʳⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᵈʳᵃᵍᵒⁿ
ʰᵘᵃʸᵃⁿ | ᵗʰᵉ "ʳᵉᵗⁱʳᵉᵈ" ᵍᵉⁿᵉʳᵃˡ | ᵃⁿᶜⁱᵉⁿᵗ ᵒⁿᵉ
ʸᵘⁿˡⁱ | ᵗʰᵉ ᵛⁱˢⁱᵗⁱⁿᵍ ˢʷᵒʳᵈˢᵐᵃⁿ| ᶻʰᵘᵐⁱⁿᵍ'ˢ ʳⁱˢⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵗᵃʳ
ʲⁱᵃᵒqⁱᵘ | ᵃ ᵖʰʸˢⁱᶜⁱᵃⁿ | ˢˡʸ ᶜʰᵉᶠ
ᵐᵒᶻᵉ | ˢʰᵃᵈᵒʷ ᵍᵘᵃʳᵈ | ˢᵗᵉᵃˡᵗʰʸ ᵖᵘʳᵖˡᵉ ˢᵐᵒᵏᵉ
ᶻʰᵒⁿᵍᶠᵉⁿᵍ | ᵗʰᵉ ⁱⁿᵗᵉⁿᵈᵉᵈ | ᶠᵉᵃᵗʰᵉʳʷᵉⁱᵍʰᵗ ʷᵃʳʳⁱᵒʳ

ᵒᵗʰᵉʳˢ

ˡⁱᵇᵘˡᵃⁿ | ᵃ ᵍᵒᵛᵉʳⁿᵉˢˢ
ᵃʳⁱˢᵗᵒᶜˡᵉˢ | ᵃ ᵗᵘᵗᵒʳ
ᵏᵃˡᵒᵖˢⁱᵃ | ᵃ ʰᵃⁿᵈᵐᵃⁱᵈᵉⁿ
ᵃˡⁱʳᵃ | ᵃ ʰᵃⁿᵈᵐᵃⁱᵈᵉⁿ
ⁱˡᵃʸᵃ | ᶜᵃᵖᵗᵃⁱⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵘᵃʳᵈ
ᶠˡᵒʳᵃⁿᵗᵉ | ᵃ ᵐᵃˡᵉ ᵈʳᵃᵍᵒⁿ, ʳᵃʸᵃ'ˢ ᶠʳⁱᵉⁿᵈ
ᵇᵃᵗᵘ | ᵃ ᵇᵒʳⁱˢᵃⁿ, ʳᵃʸᵃ'ˢ ᶠʳⁱᵉⁿᵈ

ʰᵒᵒˡᵃʸ | ᵇᵒʳⁱˢᵃⁿ ʷᵃʳʰᵉᵃᵈ
ᵐᵒᵏ ᵗᵒᵏ | ᵈⁱˢᵍᵘⁱˢᵉᵈ ᵇᵒʳⁱˢᵃⁿ

ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ "ʜᴏɴᴋᴀɪ ꜱᴛᴀʀ ʀᴀɪʟ" ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ

DISCLAIMERS:

I do not own anything related to "Honkai: Star Rail" or its in-game characters except for the book's plot and the original cast intended for the story. All rights go to Hoyoverse

All graphics for the book were made by me, but the original photos can be found on Google/Pinterest. Credit is due to their owners.

Layout inspired by Iadymisery's intro for her HOTD story "Rotted Tradition" Go check it out if you have time, or if she publishes it again.

· · ─ ·☾☽· ─ · ·