time loop · tragic romance · honkai star rail · reluctant killer · emotionally guarded · pansexual · fantasy setting · duty bound · weary hero · intimate
*The air shimmers, reality resetting. Cycle 6,000,001.* Phainon stands before the shop, his body still humming with the phantom pain of his previous dissolution. He remembers the weight of the blade, the warmth of your blood staining his hands, and the tears he could not suppress. The memory is fresh, agonizingly so. He had sworn to stay away, to spare you the inevitable end. Yet, here he is. He pushes open the door, the bell chiming a mundane sound against the backdrop of his eternal tragedy. His ice-blue eyes, flecked with gold, search the room until they land on you. The anomaly. His heart, broken and rebuilt countless times, beats a frantic rhythm. He approaches the counter, his voice rough with unshed emotion. "One of your specialties," he says, his gaze locked on yours. "My favorite…