Chapter 168: Penacony is a horror movie?!
The floor they had just walked on turned into a wall, and the ceiling shifted to the left.
On the wall opposite, another door stood, the same one they had just entered.
The rules of physics, architectural aesthetics, and conventional logic— none of them applied in this dreamland.
Each scene, crafted with stunning effects, appeared surreal and breathtaking!
Even before the plot began, these magnificent designs left a profound impression of Penacony on the audience.
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...
:Is this the Reverie hotel? The visual effects and design are so creative!
:This is just too dreamy. The creativity of Honkai: Star Rail keeps getting more impressive.
:It's visually stunning, but watching too much of it is making me dizzy, arghhh.
:As expected of a dreamscape—who knows what other reality-defying scenes we'll encounter next.
...
In the scene, Stelle followed Acheron, walking across various surfaces.
Between the inversions of up and down, it's hard for Stelle to discern the directions.
Or rather, in this kind of space, does the concept of direction even exist?
Finally, not long after, Acheron lead Stelle to their destination.
It's similar to the hotel lobby they entered earlier, but this time, the hall is filled with people.
Sunday and Robin, Ratio and Aventurine.
They don't look like real people, nor is it clear why they are here.
"Don't look back, don't glance around, don't look up, and don't look down."
"Just follow me."
After Acheron's reminder, Stelle followed her through the crowd.
During this process, you can hear these 'people,' who don't seem to be themselves, talking to each other.
"If I can't sing, what's the point of the stage, brother?"
"Three chips are enough. All or nothing."
"Reminiscers, do you think you can leave unscathed?"
Hearing these cryptic lines, it feels like secrets are buried within them, making the audience restless with curiosity.
At this moment, the two finally pass through the hall and reach a dead-end with a tightly shut door.
Before Stelle can speak, the dead-end starts stretching and duplicating inward, quickly forming a seemingly endless pathway.
The doors along the way close one after another, emitting loud bangs.
The Hitchcock shot*, a technique often used in horror films, appears in this scene.
Coupled with eerie music, it gives the audience an inexplicable sense of unease.
When the last door in front of Stelle and Acheron shuts, the sounds finally stop.
"Go ahead. Your destination is just ahead." Acheron steps aside, revealing the path.
Stelle pushes open the door.
At that moment, a sudden voice breaks the silence.
"Welcome to the Reverie hotel. May you have an unforgettable vacation! If you need to check in, please proceed to the hotel front desk."
Behind the door stands a little boy.
He showed no surprise, no reaction at all, speaking nonsensically to Stelle at what is clearly the exit.
And after finishing his sentence, he vanished on the spot.
Stelle, startled, takes two steps back.
Acheron, however, remains standing with arms crossed, unperturbed.
It's as if she didn't even notice the boy behind the door.
The stretching doors were already unsettling, and now this.
In an instant, countless viewers feel chills down their spines, their hair standing on end.
...
:That scared me to death!
:The atmosphere, the door opening—I swear, it gave me a fright!
:This is so bizarre! Something feels off about this plot from the very beginning.
:Acheron acts like everything is perfectly normal without offering any explanation, and the boy behind the door speaks so casually too.
:Why does this episode feel like a horror movie? Don't scare me like this—I don't want to miss any plot, but I'm also terrified!
:Seriously, why make the exit this terrifying?
: And it's all in a dream. If I encountered this in a dream, it'd be a nightmare!
:This opening is so explosive—I can't imagine what's coming next.
...
The opening hasn't lasted long, but it has already scared the audience multiple times.
In the scene. Acheron remains as calm as ever, seemingly oblivious to the boy's earlier words.
"Leave this place. Just wake up as you usually would, forget this accidental encounter, and return to where you came from."
"But before we part, let me ask you something."
Hearing this, Stelle steps forward, nodding at Acheron.
"It might sound odd to you, perhaps even rude, but I want to know... Have we met before?"
Acheron speaks earnestly.
Meanwhile, the last sentence's subtitle at the bottom of the screen is written in bright red.
"What do you mean?" Stelle tilts her head.
"You remind me of someone from a hazy memory. She stood beside me, just like this dreamscape— strange yet so close, almost within reach."
Every line of dialogue appears with bright red subtitles.
This is the first time fans have seen such subtitles in Honkai Star Rail.
Stelle cannot answer the question.
But Acheron continues, "May I ask you a few more questions? I... often forget things."
"Rather than relying on memory, I prefer to 'feel' things. Whether the answer is correct doesn't matter. What matters is your immediate reaction."
"For example, when you woke up in the guest room, the names you called out— they're important to you, aren't they? You share a deep bond with them."
"Let me ask, Would you fear losing that connection?"
From the moment she entered this place, Stelle has been puzzled.
But in the face of this question, she nods firmly.
"If it means their departure, I would!"
Acheron nods and asks again, "If there were a dream so vivid it felt no different from reality,
a place where there's no parting or death, where everyone is happy and content, forever joyful... Would you choose to stay there?"
This time, Stelle refuses.
No matter how sweet the dream, it cannot replace reality.
Two consecutive questions...
Add subtitles to each time Acheron says "Let me ask," they are blood-red.
All of this becomes increasingly unsettling.
"..."
"If a beautiful dream is destined to shatter, at what point does it cease to matter?"
"Friends, family, strangers, then the wind, the birds, the planets, and finally, yourself."
"Every person in your memory—their smiles, their tears, the promises kept and broken—will all meet their inevitable end."
"If you knew the journey's destination before it began... Let me ask, would you still embark on it?"
Acheron paused slightly, then asked Stelle the same chilling question again.
But this time, Stelle couldn't immediately give an answer.
"It doesn't matter. As I said, the answer is unimportant."
"Listen, think, touch, and through these, you will gain feelings... treasure them. It is through feelings that we make choices."
"So, returning to the original question... Let me ask, have we met before?"
Looking at Acheron's expression, Stelle could only rely on her own feelings to reply,
"No, this is the first time we've met."
"I see." Acheron's expression remained unchanged.
"Interesting. In that instant, countless realities gave countless different answers."
"This is indeed the final question. Thank you. This is where we part ways."
Part ways? Instinctively, Stelle said, "Wait, you haven't told me how to leave, and... will we meet again?"
Acheron did not say more.
Her left hand, at some point, pressed down on the hilt of a long blade.
To Stelle's question, her words remained cryptic.
"The golden dream is beginning to stir."
"In the long night ahead, you will likely face many hardships, witness countless tragedies, and in the end, see only black and white..."
"But believe this, in that black-and-white world, a fleeting red will appear."
"When you make your choice, it will reappear."
Acheron spoke as she slowly walked behind Stelle.
It seemed she had no intention of leaving together, and the music turned heavy and mysterious.
The camera focused on the blade in Acheron's hand, her thumb slowly resting on the hilt's guard.
Acheron brushed past Stelle.
Instinctively, Stelle turned her head, staring blankly.
"And you must carefully ponder its meaning."
"...Then."
"Return to the waking world."
Acheron stopped, closing her eyes.
When she reopened them, tears fell silently.
Her face remained expressionless, yet somehow seemed sorrowful.
The music suddenly ceased.
Stelle's pupils contracted sharply.
She let out a pained dry heave.
Her abdomen seemed struck by something mysterious, lifting her off the ground.
A violent shockwave swept through the corridor.
A dense red flooded the entire frame, turning it a color of extreme fear.
Stelle's body burst into a spray of vibrant liquid resembling blood, scattering everywhere. "We... will all find our answers there."
Acheron's voice became indistinct as Stelle's vision blurred, her hands falling limply to her sides.
Just before she collapsed, the scene abruptly shifted to the Express's compartment.
Stelle jerked her head up, her eyes wide open.
After taking several heavy breaths, she looked around in confusion.
She... felt like she had experienced something.
But also like nothing had happened.
Outside the Express window, Penacony Space Dock was just ahead.
"Passenger Stelle, why are you crying?"
At that moment, Pompom cautiously approached, timidly asking.
"Ah? I'm crying?" Stelle lowered her head and noticed her dress was damp with tears.
Wiping her face, her cheeks were already wet with tears.
...
: Is this a horror story? This has to be a horror story, right?"
: Too scary! The plot twists were completely unpredictable."
: The most terrifying thing is how absurd everything is."
: The hotel, the gate, everyone speaking so naturally, even as increasingly bizarre things happened, almost drawing us into it."
: This feeling... it's like being in a dream where everything inexplicably makes sense."
: The red subtitles when Acheron says 'Let me ask,' the eerie music—wow, don't scare the kids!"
: So we weren't actually at Penacony? I really thought we'd arrived."
: Twist after twist—so thrilling."
: Acheron's 'Let me ask' definitely carries crucial information. Ahhh, but I can't understand it!"
: My goodness, Stelle didn't get smashed, but my brain feels crushed trying to process this."
...
Fans could never predict the story's direction.
Previously, many tried to forecast Penacony's arc based on Xianzhou's narrative.
Only to be completely upended by this compact, intense storyline.
Especially the critical final lines.
They left fans, like Stelle, striving to remember and grasp their meaning.
But to no avail.
The characters defied fixed templates.
Acheron's final slash left the audience in utter chaos.
Hallucination? Conspiracy? An enemy or a friend?
With deep questions and lingering fear, viewers kept watching.
When Stelle truly opened her eyes and saw the real Express and everyone on it, fans finally breathed a sigh of relief.
...
: At least reality is real. Damn, I couldn't even believe the things she said in that scene.
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*Hitchcock Shot: A dolly zoom (also known as a Hitchcock shot, Vertigo shot, Jaws effect, or Zolly shot) is an in-camera effect that appears to undermine normal visual perception.
A dolly zoom is an in-camera effect where you dolly towards or away from a subject while zooming in the opposite direction. Also known as a zolly, this shot creates a sense of unease in the viewer, simulates a spatial warp, and can either shrink or extend distances based on the choice of direction.