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❝
- My light
My law
My monarch
...
My Imperator is dead
My fire is dead
My light is dead
My heart is dead - —Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
Cerysilens is the femslash ship between Cerydra and Hysilens (Helektra) from the Honkai: Star Rail fandom.
Canon[]
Cerydra and Hysilens are Chrysos Heirs who have been deceased prior to the Amphoreus story line. They held the Coreflames of Law and Ocean respectively. Cerydra and Hysilens have a dynamic built on deep mutual trust and Hysilens' unwavering loyalty towards Cerydra.
Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths[]
This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.
After witnessing the destruction that the black tide bestowed upon her home, Hysilens was forced to leave the sea, wandering aimlessly throughout Amphoreus in search of the banquet her family dreamed of. She eventually crossed paths with Cerydra and ended up swearing her loyalty to the woman, becoming her trusted royal knight.
When the new and final cycle begins, both Trailblazer and Cyrene first arrive at the Temple of the Three Fates. Uncertain of how their presence would be received, the two of them prepared for the worst in their quest to find the bearer of the Law Coreflame. To their surprise, Cerydra, Hysilens, and Tribbie were already expecting the two of them. It was subsequently revealed that the arrival of the Deliverer and their companion was prophesied by Oronyx long ago. It is during this first encounter that the dynamic between Cerydra and Hysilens is revealed; Cerdrya, the strong and mighty Imperator followed by her ever loyal Guard, Hysilens.
Quotes[]
- Cerdrya – “Now, these two accidental guests... Dux Gladiorum, if you please.”
- Hysilens – “As you command...”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Sun, Repel Stars and Pale Moon)
- “Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hysilens, and I am the Dux Gladiorum who swears fealty to the Imperator.”
- — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Sun, Repel Stars and Pale Moon)
- “I'm the Knight Commander of Okhema, General of the Flame-Chase Army, and the Imperator's servant... But beneath these shiny scales engraved with complicated titles? I am just a swordfish at the Imperator's side.”
- — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Sun, Repel Stars and Pale Moon)
- Hysilens – “Sovereign who follows prophecy... I am no one's sword. I am just a wandering fish, seeking clarity through bloodshed.”
- Cerydra – “Then how about letting the sword dance for me, and letting the violin sing in my name... Tell me. What is it you seek?”
- Hysilens – “All I want... is a feast where I might belong.”
- Cerydra – “[...] I'll grant you a banquet worthy of conquest, and comrades to toast beside you... But, knight, you must offer me your heart.”
- Hysilens – “My heart?”
- Cerydra – “Yes. A loyal heart that will generate no betrayal. You were deceived by gods and drowned in the ocean's darkness. But now, I will lead you forward and be your light.”
- Hysilens – “So be it, noble monarch. The Law you proclaim shall govern my every breath...”
- Lygus's Voice – “And thus, in her hollow drift, she finally found a new purpose, like sunlight piercing the deepest trench.”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
- “The monarch brought me to a new world
The fiery brightness of her crown
Melted away my confusion
Your promise...
This feast is not a lie” - — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
- “The second song
On the dusky battlefield
I saw a fire
Why did she call out to me?
And why did I respond?
Her flame...
It gives such warmth...
Such brilliance...
My light
My law
My monarch” - — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
- “I love this feast
I love this journey that brings the feast
I love the people on the journey
I love the monarch chosen by the people” - — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
- “Indeed, I have long known
that this is another one of fate's grand lie
My Imperator is dead
My fire is dead
My light is dead
My heart is dead” - — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
- Hysilens – “Before the sovereign's conquest reached its end, her life and ambition had already been swallowed by the deep sea. This... is the true ending. Her grand designs torn apart by the blade, her regal robes soaked in golden blood... And the one who struck her down... The one who struck her down ...was her most loyal Gladius.”
- Trailblazer – “You... killed her? / Why?”
- Hysilens – “I... don't need to explain myself. A fish in a pond has no hope against the surge of fate. I wandered the shore, found a flicker of flame... only to snuff it out with my own hand. I don't understand. If the ocean's feast, the Imperator's dream, and even Amphoreus's existence are all illusions... then what's the point of our journey? [...] How I dearly wish this feast of the Flame-Chase... would never end.”
- — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Nectar, Saturate the Hollow Treecore)
- Cerdrya – “Dux Gladiorum, you have completed your duty. A new dawn is about to rise. Why not swim towards it?”
- Hysilens – “...You died long ago, Imperator. Depart from my mind.”
- Cerdrya – “But your duty towards the Imperator did not die with me. That duty will bind you no more. You will be able to hold for yourself one grandiose feast after another in the endless days to come. So go. Go and swim towards that ocean beyond the sky with the Deliverer.”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light)
- Cerydra – “In the name of the Imperator, I command you one last time, Helektra. Either sacrifice yourself for conquest, or pierce this tyrant's chest with your sword.”
- ... – “Thus, the Imperator concluded her final speech. At the end of her life, at the last moment before she stepped onto the altar, she gave her most loyal subject the choice to decide fate, just as she promised her compatriots before her very first campaign.”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light)
- “The Imperator fell. Some say that the Dux Gladiorum turned traitor and killed her liege. Some say that she imprisoned the tyrant in a shallow pond of water, then left... which meant the Imperator had to kill herself to rewrite the 'Law'... There are countless stories about her death. All we can be sure of is, when the knight left the Vortex, the Imperator was still mumbling about their past conquests together...”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light)
- Cerydra – “Dux Gladiorum... even though... you killed the Imperator... in the previous thirty million cycles... This time... you finally... found your own "Law"... Then... Hysilens... Helektra... I will ask someone to deliver... the prophecy's "ocean at the boundaries of this world"... to you... Will you... choose to... swim into that ocean...? I... do not care... Do not... care...”
- ... – “The Imperator muttered about her conquests, and news of her death spread in the city. To this day, we do not know which rule the Imperator overwrote at the cost of her life. Perhaps the truth will only be revealed at the moment of checkmate, just like every chess game she ever played.”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light)
- “From that page... Emerged... an ocean? So vast. So... pure. Not a single trace of corruption... Is this... Cerydra...?”
- — Hysilens (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light)
- Cerydra's Letter – “Helektra, my subject...Ever since you walked out of the tainted ocean and pledged yourself to me, I have seen the abyss in your eyes and the emptiness in your heart. That was why I promised you a new ocean, where the Imperator's ambitions would serve as the currents and loyalty would be its light. Helektra, my subject, you have done your duty as my blade. The prophecy has now made its final decree on the road I intend to walk: My conquest is doomed to never reach the stars. But the Imperator never makes empty promises. So, take this memory, this ocean beyond the sky, as witnessed by the Deliverer. This is the final gift... that the Imperator can leave for her subject.”
- Hysilens – “...Hah. When I was still a fish in the ocean, I always felt so genuine swimming through the waters. But once I stepped onto land, I found myself caught in a play. Every land-dweller wore a mask in their life. So I, too, donned a costume and tried to find my role in this show. I became your blade in war and the violin strings at banquets... Do you still not get it? I do not long for the oceanic depths of my homeland, nor do I crave the swelling seas beyond the sky... Perhaps even I don't know what I want. I still don't know where I should swim to, even at the end. But I know one thing right now. A fish is simply a fish, and she can never leave the ocean she's in. But, whether under the ocean or on land, we two prisoners who can never escape this cave... Can still look outside the cave and see the stars.”
- — (Chapter IV: Before Their Deaths – Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light)
- “The Imperator fell... Dux Gladiorum... killed her liege...”
- “I followed a light, the brightest, most scorching flame, and swam all the way to the holy city. The sovereign of Flame-Chase asked me to become Dux Gladiorum, and I was searching for where to point my blade... whether at the illusions of foam or at the noise that dares interrupt our feast.”
- — Hysilens (About Self: Present)
- “Most rulers I've known were adept at slipping poison into goblets, yet the Imperator poured oil over the king's standard. That blazing banner... Its heat and light could reach you, even from the ocean's abyss.”
- — Hysilens (About Cerydra)
- “Which move will this particular chess game end on, Imperator?”
- — Hysilens (Added to Team With Cerydra)
- “"Hysilens, follow me. I will grant you everything you seek."
The voice, loud and clear despite the small frame it came from, left a deep impression. But doubt lingered in her heart:
"And when... will her light go out?"
But this flame burned like sunlight piercing the deep sea, brighter and steadier with every passing moment. She watched the blue blaze fight battle after battle, always emerging victorious. She saw waves rise like wildfire, saw the Gladius roar through wind and sea, swallowing every storm of carnage like a whale shark.” - — Hysilens' Character Story: Part III
- “"After this battle is won, Dux Gladiorum, is there anything you desire?"
Even the composed monarch seemed slightly tipsy.
She took a sip of honey brew, whispering to the monarch, her laughter dancing in the corner of the banquet.
How bright it was here. How lovely it sounded.
The world spun on, with the clink of glasses, the soft rattle of ice.
The long-silent siren sang again, her voice spilling like the honey brew...
"♫ The candlelight burns so bright at this feast.
A brand-new sea.
It sways between the clinking of our cups... ♫"” - — Hysilens' Character Story: Part III
- “She had been the Imperator's sharpest blade, her sword always flowing with blood.
But when the Imperator's molten gold blood dripped onto her fingertips, she suddenly felt herself sinking again back into that lonely, silent sea.
"Heh, why... did I snuff out the very flame I swam toward with my own hand..."” - — Hysilens' Character Story: Part IV
- “"Click."
A chess piece lands on the board.
Despite her perfect composure, the sovereign's crown of flames reveals what she won't, dancing between serenity and fierce intensity.
"I never learned how to play."
"Then I'll teach you."
She picks up a piece with unpracticed fingers. Just another battleground, she thinks to herself.
"Click."
Suddenly, vibrant blue flames warm the air around her like hot springs. She moves chess pieces without much thought and asks:
"If they're bound to disappear from the board, why bother moving forward at all?"
"Click."
The sovereign takes a sip of honey brew, stretches her arms with satisfaction, and sighs with pleasure:
"Isn't the journey forward fulfilling enough on its own?"” - — Hysilens' Character Story: Part IV
- “The weavers spoke of the violin's final wail, the chess pieces that fell in a doomed game [...]”
- — Cipher's Character Story: Part II
Fanon[]
Cerysilens is a popular ship that quickly gained traction even before their release as playable characters due to the information in game. Even before their story was revealed they were already considered "doomed yuri". With the launch of Version 3.5 the pairing rapidly gained even more popularity, becoming notably one of the most popular Amphoreus ships. It is the most popular Amphoreus femslash ship. They gained specific attention due to the tragic nature of their relationship that drew many fans in. To some Cerysilens is considered canon or at least implied, especially fueled by Hysilens extremely deep devotion to Cerydra and the way they speak about and to one another. Some compare them to Mizisua from Alien Stage, due to the doomed and somewhat toxic nature of their relationship, and edits of Cerysilens dialogue to Mizi’s monologue in KARMA exist.
Several players have pointed out the difference in tone and localization in the original Chinese VS the official English translation, notably how much more romantically suggestive it is in Chinese. Hysilens tone additionally sounds notably different. Notably, Hysilens also seems to imply that Cerydra is her heart in the original Chinese text.
Cerysilens currently have 100+ romantic works on AO3. It is notably the most popular pairing for both characters, with very few rival ships.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Cerydra/Hysilens tag on AO3
- Cerydra & Hysilens tag on AO3
Trivia[]
- Cerydra and Hysilens typically refer to one another as "Imperator" and "Dux Gladiorum".
- In Cerydra's character trailer, a frame is showed for a brief moment of Cerydra and Hysilens reaching their hands out for each other. This mirrors Ciphlaea during Cipher's death scene in the Version 3.3 Quest.
Gallery[]
Trailers/Cutscenes[]
