HSR Theory Archive · File 003
My theory: Pom-Pom, the Astral Express' beloved little conductor, is really Idrila — the vanished Aeon of Beauty — traveling in disguise to experience the beauty of Trailblazing with their own eyes.
BeginPrologue · Setting the Scene
Start with what we actually know — because this theory is built entirely on facts the game already gives us.
Fact one: Idrila, the Aeon of Beauty, disappeared one day. No warning, no explanation, no body. The galaxy's official record simply says THEY "vanished" — exactly as mysteriously as THEY first appeared. Their followers split over what happened: the Mirror Holders insist Idrila shattered into relics, while the Knights of Beauty refuse to believe their Aeon is gone at all.
Fact two: Pom-Pom appeared on the Astral Express out of nowhere, sometime after Himeko repaired the train. Ask about their past and you get a polite dodge: "Pom-Pom is Pom-Pom, your respectful conductor." Nobody aboard knows where this creature came from, what it is, or why it devotes itself so completely to the passengers' happiness.
Two unexplained disappearances and appearances. One missing god. One mysterious mascot. What if they are not two mysteries — but the same mystery wearing a very cute hat?
"The Aeon of Beauty suddenly vanished one day. It was just as mysterious as when THEY first appeared."Data Bank — Aeons · Idrila
Exhibits · Established Canon
None of these clues proves anything on its own. Laid side by side, they start to look less like coincidences and more like a trail.
EX-01
Aeons who die leave traces. Tayzzyronth left a corpse-sealed legacy; Akivili left rails, ruins, and questions. Idrila left nothing at all — no remains, no crash site, no final witness. "Died" is only ever an assumption. "Left quietly" fits the evidence just as well.
EX-02
The Knights of Beauty still roam the stars drawing strength from devotion to Idrila — and the game openly admits their source of power remains a mystery. Hard to keep channeling a dead god. Easy, however, to keep channeling one who is alive, well, and taking very good care of a train.
EX-03
Pom-Pom's origins are officially unknown. They were simply there once Himeko had the Express flying again. No homeworld, no family, no history before that moment — as if someone stepped aboard from somewhere no passenger ticket can reach.
EX-04
In the game's data, Pom-Pom is classified under the Path of Trailblaze. Strange for a mere mascot — but exactly right for an Aeon who abandoned the Path of Beauty to walk among mortals on the Trailblaze. The paperwork may be the closest thing we have to a confession.
EX-05
An ancient myth says Idrila revealed cosmic meaning to heroes, villains, and ordinary mortals — driving them to astonishing achievements "for Idrila's own pleasure." Witnessing mortal endeavor was never beneath this Aeon. It was the favorite part.
EX-06
Pom-Pom runs an in-universe column called Pom-Pom's Intel — and one of its featured reports? "The Beauty Special," all about the Knights of Beauty and their lost Aeon. Of every topic in the galaxy, the conductor chose to profile their own supposed funeral. Curious choice, don't you think?
The Path Pom-Pom is classified under in-game
Where a missing goddess would want to be
A curio tied to Idrila's lingering legend
The light cone that gazes back at Idrila's story
Core Argument
The Theory, In One Breath
What could be more beautiful than the most beautiful being in existence? The sight of ordinary mortals doing something extraordinary. Just as Aha the Elation feels elation through every absurd journey, Idrila grew eager to experience the beauty of Trailblazing alongside mortal Nameless — so THEY disguised THEMSELVES as the cutest thing imaginable: Pom-Pom, the Express' adorable conductor.
Here is the reasoning, step by step.
In Star Rail's universe, beauty is not paint on a canvas. The lore defines it as "the pure goodness of the material world sensed and defined by intelligent lifeforms" — in other words, beauty happens when living minds find meaning in the world. It is not a possession. It is an experience.
Now imagine being Idrila. You are the standard every artist chases. Every sunrise worth painting, every poem worth reading — mortals have told you for eons that you are the peak of it all. And then you look down at a little blue train riding the rails of a dead god, crewed by mortals with zero divine power, who explore the unknown anyway. Courage without guarantee. Wonder without reward. Beauty being created, not just admired.
For the first time, the Aeon of Beauty sees something that might equal — or surpass — themselves. Not a thing. A journey. The Path of Trailblaze.
So what does a god do with that feeling? Sit on a throne and admire it from afar? Idrila already spent an eternity being admired. This time, THEY wanted a seat inside the artwork — watching every warp jump, every farewell on the platform, every passenger growing braver between stations. And to get aboard without causing a galactic incident, THEY picked the perfect disguise: a tiny, harmless, adorable conductor whom nobody would ever interrogate. Who suspects the mascot?
"If the most beautiful being in the galaxy wanted to understand why anything is beautiful at all... wouldn't you expect them to buy a ticket and watch it happen up close?"The Case for the Conductor
And here is my favorite detail. During the Swarm crisis, Argenti — the most devoted Knight of Beauty alive — personally boarded the Astral Express. If this theory holds, the knight spent days praising Idrila's name while standing next to his goddess, complimenting her train's cleaning schedule instead of her divinity. He met his Aeon, and never knew. That is either the cruelest joke in the galaxy, or the sweetest — and honestly, both feel very Star Rail.
The Precedent
"Aeons are too vast to play mascot." Are they? Because Aha, the Aeon of Elation, spends eternity chasing amusement through mortals' antics — turning a worm into an Emanator on a whim and delighting in every absurd corner of the cosmos.
Aha proves the crucial point: an Aeon can pursue a feeling. Elation is not something Aha commands from above; it is something THEY experience by immersing in the world's chaos. If Elation can chase laughter, why can't Beauty chase wonder?
And remember what the ancient myth tells us Idrila loved most: showing mortals the meaning of the cosmos and watching what they did with it, purely for THEIR own pleasure. My theory changes exactly one variable — instead of summoning mortals to perform before the throne, the throne comes to sit quietly among the passengers. Same hobby, better seats.
Steel-Man Corner
Objection 01
The official record treats Idrila as dead. Shouldn't that settle it?
Reply: The record itself only states that Idrila vanished — the "fallen" verdict is consensus layered on top of an absence of evidence. Meanwhile the two factions who knew Idrila best disagree with each other to this day: Mirror Holders claim THEIR shards float in mirrors, but those relics were never independently verified to be pieces of an Aeon at all. An empty coffin convinces mourners easily.
Objection 02
The conductor mourns departed passengers and longs for the old navigator. Too small and too human for a god.
Reply: I'd argue this is the strongest evidence FOR the theory, not against it. Grief is precisely what an Aeon of Beauty would ride the rails to understand — the most beautiful things in the lore are mortal moments: farewells, loyalty, love. Besides, Aeons knew each other. Mourning a fellow Aeon isn't beneath a god in hiding. It might be the whole point of the trip.
Objection 03
An Aeon of Beauty choosing chores over temples makes no sense.
Reply: Idrila already had worship — legions of knights, hymns across starzones. Worship is admiration from below, and admiration was never in short supply. What THEY never had was a window seat. Cleaning up after March 7th is simply the price of the best view in the universe.
Objection 04
Popular speculation says the conductor is the dead Aeon of Trailblaze, not Idrila.
Reply: Fair — and it's a great theory! But it stumbles on one detail: Pom-Pom misses Akivili, which reads oddly if they were Akivili. My version explains the same clues without that friction: an outsider god arriving after the Trailblaze fell, honoring the fallen friend by keeping their beloved train running. The conductor doesn't just serve the Express' legacy. THEY preserve it.
Case Assessment
Motive
✓ Established
An Aeon whose documented pleasure is watching mortals strive
Opportunity
✓ Fits Timeline
Vanished mysteriously → appeared mysteriously, right on cue
Means
✓ Plausible
Gods taking whimsical forms has precedent (see: Aha)
Official Confirmation
✗ None
Pure fan speculation — HoYoverse has said nothing either way
So: cannot be confirmed, cannot be disproven, and absolutely cannot be ruled out. The galaxy recorded Idrila's death because a body was never found — but a body is also never found behind the Parlor Car's counter at nap time. Just a small fluff of pink fur, humming, keeping the lights warm for every passenger who boards.
"Somewhere out there, a goddess traded worship for a conductor's cap —
because the most beautiful work of art in the universe
is a train that keeps moving."
Appendix