Alright, let me set the scene. A Foxian Tale of the Haunted is a Trailblaze Continuance in Honkai: Star Rail that opens up after you wrap up the main Xianzhou Luofu storyline. If you have not done it yet, you are missing out on some of the best ghost-hunting chaos in the game. You roll through Fyxestroll Garden alongside Guinaifen, Huohuo, Hanya, and Xueyi trying to figure out what is making the whole ship planet feel haunted. The answer? Heliobi.
These things are basically dangerous energy parasites. Hanya describes them as Starfire Essences, strange fire drawn to human emotion like a moth to a flame. Here's the kicker: you cannot destroy them. The only way to deal with a Heliobus is to suppress and seal it. They were originally locked inside the Creation Furnace in the Artisanship Commission, but when that furnace got damaged during the main story, they scattered all over the Xianzhou Luofu like a bunch of rowdy kids after class.
Now, I want to talk about why these creatures are even here. Long story short, it goes back to an old general named Teng Xiao. He was in a rough spot during a fierce battle when a Heliobus called Ignamar showed up and offered help. Ignamar was powerful, but the two eventually clashed in a fight that lasted days. The Heliobus lost because of infighting. That defeat shattered Ignamar into fragments, which were then sealed in the furnace. Those same fragments are the ones now causing trouble across the Luofu.
One of the first Heliobi you actually meet is Cirrus. She takes control of your Trailblazer just to escape a maze made by another spirit named Furynox. I kid you not, she starts off helping you. But here's the twist: Cirrus reveals that different Heliobi cannot stay together for long because they start resenting each other. That resentment leads to infighting. She also points out that Heliobi were innocent beings at first, only corrupted after exposure to heavy human emotions and experiences. After you deal with Furynox, Cirrus flips into full villain mode and demands another showdown with the Luofu general. History repeats itself, and Jing Yuan takes the victory.
So after all that doom and gloom, you might think every Heliobus is bad news. But honestly, not all of them want to eat your emotions in a nasty way. Some are just weird, some are lonely, and a few are actually kind of sweet. That is what makes this quest line so compelling.
Here is every Heliobus you meet on the Xianzhou Luofu:
| Heliobi Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Luxie | Possesses Bailu. Mischievous, childish, and cares mostly about entertainment and freedom. |
| Chess Ghost | One of the first you meet. Possesses anyone who loses to them in Pathfinder, but surprise: the possessed people are actually the winners. It is a sore loser. |
| Caiyi | Takes the form of a Starskiff, roams around looking for mourning people, and pretends to be someone they lost. It seems to genuinely care about them. |
| Keralum | Used to predict past and future with Ignamar. Strong enough to possess Master Diviner Fu Xuan. Likely the smartest Heliobus around. |
| Ruoxi | Looks like it is manipulating a human into believing it is their lost loved one, but the human actually knows. You choose whether to let them stay together or seal it. |
| Stafyre | Arrogant little flame. Goes around making pink flames to haunt the area, but there is not much else going on. |
| Apyra | Possesses Yanqing. The most aggressive Heliobi among Ignamar's fragments, known for riling prey into battle. |
| Singerd | Another contradiction of the negative image. Its main goal is to deliver a final message from one sister to another. |
| Burnie | Tired Heliobus tricked into staying inside a locked chest for ages. Accepts its fate without complaint once freed. |
| Mr. Tail | The main character among Heliobi. Sacrifices itself to save Huohuo and later enters her consciousness to save her again. |
| Arkeri | Found hidden inside March's camera. Does not seem to want to control or consume humans at all. You get to choose to seal it or let it go. |
See, that table basically proves the point: Heliobi have wildly different personalities. They are not just one-note enemies. Caiyi mourns with people. Singerd carries messages. Mr. Tail is a legitimate hero. Arkeri just wants to chill in a camera, apparently.
If you are playing through this in 2026, the content still holds up as one of the more memorable ghost-focused stories in Honkai: Star Rail. My advice? Do not skip the side conversations. Talk to every shimmering flame. Some of these little gremlins deserve a second look before you decide their fate. And for the love of the Luofu, do not let the maze get to you.
Evaluations have been published by Polygon, and reading its broader commentary on RPG storytelling can help frame why A Foxian Tale of the Haunted works so well: the Heliobi aren’t treated as disposable mobs, but as personality-driven “problems” tied to grief, resentment, and companionship—making choices like sealing or sparing spirits (and moments like Mr. Tail’s sacrifice) land with more emotional weight than a typical ghost-hunt sidestory.