KafCae

KafCae is the het ship between Kafka and Caelus from the Honkai: Star Rail fandom.

Canon
At the start of the game, Kafka activates Caelus's reservoir and seals Stellaron within her body. When Caelus awoke, the first person she saw and also recognized was Kafka, a reference to a past they had together that he did not remember. Caelus may have the option of asking Kafka who she is, which shocks Kafka into thinking that Caelus will remember her. Kafka tells her people will love her, treat her like family and that she has a long way to go; This is the future that Elio foresaw. Whether Caelus accepts this future or not, Kafka will say his response is endearing, telling him that the strong-willed version of Caelus is "the friend I like". Kafka also commented that Caelus would be able to remember her before anyone saw her. Kafka leaves, even though Caelus doesn't want her to go. Kafka's last words to him were that when faced with an opportunity to choose, don't choose, he will regret it.

Xianzhou Luofu
Kafka interrupts the Astral Express's navigation meeting, appearing as a hologram. Caelus looks at her as she walks past, though Kafka doesn't acknowledge him. Kafka requests for the crew to deal with the Stellaron in the Xianzhou Luofu in order to clear the Stellaron Hunters' name and save her companion, Blade. March 7th is suspicious of Kafka, though all of Caelus's potential dialogue choices show that he is considering accepting Kafka's request, to which March exclaims not to listen to her. Kafka ends the transmission allowing the crew to decide for themselves. When talking to Himeko afterwords, Caelus can declare his position on whether or not they should go. If he doesn't believe they should go, Caelus can say that they can't trust Kafka as her reason. When interacting with Himeko a second time, Himeko points out that Kafka never mentioned Caelus at all. She warns that Kafka implanting her with a Stellaron hints at a far-off purpose, and that Kafka won't always turn a blind eye.

March and Caelus fill Dan Heng in on the situation. When talking to March, she'll reiterate her frustration with the Stellaron Hunter, asking Caelus if Kafka was always like this. Caelus can reply that he doesn't remember, that Kafka used to be nice, or remain secretive.

Once Caelus, March, and Welt arrive at the Xianzhou Luofu, they aren't accepted to deal with the Stellaron. However, Jing Yuan tells them that they can track down Kafka for them. With Tingyun's help, the trio are able to catch up to Kafka, though Kafka has gotten Cloud Knights to fight them for her. When Tingyun asks what she did to them, Kafka alludes to her ability to control people, saying Caelus should know all about that. After a boss fight, Kafka gets arrested by Fu Xuan. Welt and Caelus feel uneasy about the fact that Kafka seemed to have been expecting Fu Xuan's arrival, showing that Kafka is planning something.

Once Fu Xuan looks into Kafka's true motives, she is shocked. Caelus asks what she saw, but Fu Xuan hurries to report to Jing Yuan, telling the Astral Express crew that they can question Kafka. Welt and March know that Caelus has a lot to ask Kafka, so they let him do the questioning. Kafka greets Caelus, saying he hasn't changed one bit, and apologizes for her sorry state. Caelus can be aggressive, saying not to talk to her like a friend, which Kafka accepts, or express worry, to which Kafka replies she's fine. Alternatively, if Caelus replies that Kafka does not look to be in a sorry state, Kafka is glad, not wanting to affect Caelus's perception of her. She tells Caelus that she didn't talk to him on the train because she knew they'd have a chance to talk alone. Kafka reveals that the Stellaron Hunters have no connection to the Stellaron in Xianzhou; Rather, they are here for Caelus. She explains that they lured the Astral Express crew here because the future Elio chose requires the Astral Express to have the Xianzhou Alliance on their side. Elio foresees that they will face Nanook the Destruction in the future, a struggle they won't have a glimmer of hope in without following Elio's plan. Kafka then tells her that even Aeons can be killed. She tells of past Aeons, like Akivili the Trailblaze, that fell and two ways how. Caelus questions her further, but Kafka tells him to wait, watching in satisfaction as the Ambrosial Arbor resurrects. Kafka breaks free of her restraints. Caelus pursues her, but is blocked by Blade, and the two jump off.

Quotes
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

- Caelus to Kafka (optional)

""I am your destiny." The woman replied, "It took me a long time to find you and an even longer time to become restrained and patient. I didn't act until Elio found the best of futures. He told me that you will change me." She smiled bitterly, "So, you are my destiny too.""

- Kafka interaction in Simulated Universe, Closed Beta Test 2 (not in final game).

Fanon
KafCae captured interest from their first interaction, noting their shared history and how Caelus seemed to care about Kafka and how Kafka was always thinking for Caelus. But it is one of those ships that is not very popular for both characters, there are also quite a few people who love this.

Familial
Kafka and Caelus are also often understood as a mother-child relationship, as Kafka technically created Caelus early in the game, and her words of concern can be seen as a mother's guidance. Those with this interpretation prefer to mention Caelus' possibility of abandonment due to the figure of her mother, the only person he remembers, leaving him.

On May 28, 2023, a Kafka companion mission dialogue was leaked on Twitter, in which Kafka told Trailblzer that she was genetically their mother. This dialogue was in fact Kafka lying, although this was not made clear until hours later. Conversation on the leak mostly pertained to KafStel because of its greater popularity, though leak was devastating for both ships as it deemed Kafka x Trailblazer problematic. The leaker received some backlash for leaking the initial dialogue without context, seemingly making KafCae look bad.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION