Perhaps, on a distant planet, there is a lonely train running. It travels through the endless universe and stops at one strange platform after another. There are not many passengers on the train. Most of them are silent, sitting alone, facing the starry sky outside the window. It seems that everyone is looking for something, but they seem to have given up the search and just quietly wait for the passage of time.
On this lonely train, there is a man named Na Ke Xia. He is a young man, full of dreams, but also full of anxiety. Every day, he travels through the train compartments, occasionally staring at the stars outside the window, and occasionally opening his old book full of notes. He is not particularly clear why he came, nor where he is going, but just keeps moving forward along this empty track.
If I ask you if you believe that fate will bring you an answer one day, can you say “believe” without hesitation? The story of Na Ke Xia may give us a subtle hint: even if we are full of doubts, we can still choose to keep going.
1. The meaning of breakthrough: confusion from beginning to end
Every step of Na Ke Xia’s growth is a process of groping in a fog. As Haruki Murakami wrote in “Norwegian Forest”: “People walk on this road, sometimes clear, sometimes blurred, occasionally there will be a gust of wind, blowing away the fog in front of their eyes, but the fog will always gather again.”
In “Honkai Impact 3: Sky Railway”, Na Ke Xia’s growth is like the fog on this road. Every breakthrough he makes seems to be trying to clarify the road ahead, but every time he reaches a certain peak, he falls into new confusion. In order to improve himself, he needs to collect various light cone materials. Some of these materials come from secret planets deep in the universe, and some come from difficult adventures. It seems that each piece of material represents an unknown story, and he keeps groping forward in these stories.
In this process, Na Ke Xia seems to be constantly pursuing something, perhaps power, perhaps recognition, or just escaping from some unspeakable loneliness. Every time he breaks through, he is trying to fill the hole deep in his heart – the hole that has never been truly filled.
However, as Haruki Murakami once mentioned in “Kafka on the Shore”: “Everyone has a hole of their own, and the process of filling it may be the true meaning of life.” Perhaps, the significance of that moment is not whether he can finally break through, but everything he has experienced on this road.
2. The symbol of the light cone: the gap between distant dreams and reality
The light cone is an important element in “Honkai Impact 3”. Whenever that moment collects a certain amount of light cone materials, he can improve his strength. The light cone is a symbol, it represents the possibility of the future, represents the deep desire of that moment. And every time he upgrades the light cone, it seems to hint at his desire for the future – he wants to find his own place on this endless train, and wants to find a place to live among the stars.
However, the light cone is also a puzzle that bothers him. Every time he collected new light cone materials, he might feel satisfied for a while, but soon, new questions would arise: What does the light cone mean? What kind of changes can it bring to him? Every time he got a new light cone, it seemed to tell him that he was one step closer to the end, but he never knew what the end was.
This reminds me of a sentence by Haruki Murakami: “Everyone is pursuing something called a light cone, but when you finally get it, you will find that it never gives you the answer you want.” The light cone seems to be such a pursuit that can never be fully obtained. It is like an unreachable light, although it always shines ahead, it can never be touched.
3. The reincarnation of the trace: the dual experience of loneliness and companionship
That summer’s journey was a lonely railway, where he kept running, occasionally communicating with fellow passengers, but more often, he faced his thoughts alone. Whenever he walked through a platform alone, he would think of the places he had been to, and the friends and family who had gone away. And these memories, like the images beside the train tracks, gradually became blurred as time went by.
In this loneliness, Na Kexia began to think about the meaning of life. He began to realize that perhaps the most important thing is not to keep running forward, but whether he can find a moment of peace in each stop. As Haruki Murakami said: “Loneliness is not equal to loneliness. It is an extremely subtle existence. Only when you really feel loneliness can you experience its depth.”
This lonely journey enriched Na Kexia’s heart and made him begin to slowly understand that no matter how many unknown challenges there are ahead, he still has to face his heart and find his own way. Maybe he will never be able to completely escape from this railway, but he can choose how to go.
4. Conclusion: Endless Journey and Eternal Light
In “Honkai Impact 3: Star Dome Railway”, all the characters are constantly pursuing, constantly breaking through, and constantly moving towards the unknown ahead. And Na Kexia’s story seems to be a reflection of everyone’s deep heart-on this interstellar railway, each of us is a lonely traveler, moving towards a seemingly unreachable goal.
Perhaps, as Haruki Murakami said, “We are all pursuing something, but that thing is always ahead, always in the distance.” That Kexia’s pursuit has not ended, and each of us has no end to our pursuit. In this endless journey, the light cone is like a light that always guides the way forward. Although it is not perfect, it always reminds us that even if the road ahead is full of unknowns, it is worth continuing.
Perhaps, the final answer is not important. What is important is how we choose to go on this long road, and how to find our own light in loneliness and persistence.