(Disclaimer: This story contains depictions of violence and mentions of hardship throughout.)
It was a peaceful time on the Astral Express. Having just repelled the Antimatter Legion invasion on Herta Space Station and resolving the Stellaron crisis on Jarilo-VI, the Express' crew enjoyed a blissful grace period with their newest member, Stelle, a mysterious girl that housed a Stellaron within her. This proverbial calm before the storm was intended to be a relaxing break before the Express arrived at their next stop, a giant space-faring civilization known as the Xianzhou Luofu…
Most of the crew were dawdling on their individual hobbies, not having a care in the whole galaxy. Stelle was playing a game on her phone, shouting, "Noice!", excitedly every once in a while. March 7th was busy flipping through her photo album on her trademark camera with a cheerful smile. Dan Heng was staring out the window silently, reminiscing about his mysterious past. And Welt was pretending to enjoy the putrid coffee he was sipping, unconvincingly trying to suppress his raspy gagging. Indeed… all was well at that point, with (almost) everyone feeling content.
Their collective reverie was then interrupted by the Express' conductor, Pom-Pom, skipping into the parlor car from another carriage, and their fellow crewmate Himeko trailing behind them. "Listen up, everyone! Miss Himeko has a very special announcement for all of you!", they stated in a commanding tone, "Could we have your attention, please? This matter concerns the Express' crew roster…" This got everyone hyper-focused on the two of them, as they stopped what they were doing and stared at them.
Upon seeing this, Pom-Pom gestured towards Himeko and stepped off to the side. "Thanks, conductor.", Himeko said with her usual smile. Unable to bear the curiosity any longer, March 7th stood up from the sofa and asked: "What's going on, Himeko? This seems important…" "It must be…", Welt replied while raising an eyebrow, glad to finally have an excuse to stop drinking Himeko's "special" coffee, "...Since even I don't know about it."
"That's right. It is indeed.", she said while nodding. She then turned her head towards Stelle and continued with: "It actually concerns you, Stelle. There's… someone I'd like you to meet." Stelle's normally blank face subtly lit up in interest, and she cocked her head to the side in intrigue. All she could answer with was a quiet, "Who…?", in a neutral manner. "Well, my contacts on Herta Space Station found someone who's… just like you.", Himeko elaborated, "A young man was found where the Stellaron that created you was located. Like you, he just appeared into existence after the Stellaron's residue created his body… So, essentially, he's your younger twin brother."
Stelle's face then gaped in surprise, with her not being able to answer back. Perhaps unsurprisingly, March 7th was more interested with this new information than anyone else. "Wait… WHAT!? No way! What makes you think he's related to Stelle? The fact he was born in the same way at the same place?", she inquired with a hint of excitement in her voice. Himeko was quick to respond, stating: "There's that, however, he and Stelle also look and act almost identically. And that's too much of a coincidence to ignore." March 7th nodded and contemplated the information, seeming satisfied with her quenched curiosity. A second passed before Dan Heng moved the conversation along. "I see… Then, what's his name? And where is he now? You said, "meet" earlier, so I assume he's nearby?", he asked. Himeko nodded once more, saying: "Indeed, he's in the next carriage over. His name is Caelus…"
"In that case, let's see him. I'm sure Stelle would love to have him as a sibling. Family is important, after all…", Welt commented while standing up from his chair. This caused March 7th to snap out of her daze and regain her interest. "Yeah! This'll be fun! We could use some more help on our Trailblazing expeditions. And I have no memories of any siblings from my own past, so I'm a little jealous, but also interested in what it's like…", she said enthusiastically, "...Though it's gonna be tough having to deal with two of the same kinda weirdo. I wonder what ridiculous stuff Caelus will say along with you, Stelle…" In reaction, Himeko smiled wider and chuckled. "Heh heh… It sounds like the rest of the crew is ready. How about you, Stelle?", she said.
After a moment of thinking to herself, Stelle gave a small smile and nodded while answering with: "Alright." She was cautious, yet eager to meet this potential new family member. "Excellent. I'll call him out here, then.", she said. Himeko then turned to the carriage door behind her and gave a couple of light knocks on it. She proceeded to say, "Come in here and meet your older sister, young Trailblazer.", with an encouraging tone towards Caelus, who still waited from beyond the door.
Then, the door slid open with a slight squeak and shuffling sound. And out of it stepped Caelus, which led to the rest of the express crew seeing him for the first time. Himeko was right, he looked just like Stelle, except for his shorter hair/eyelashes, slightly taller height, and him wearing pants instead of a skirt, along with other insignificant cosmetic differences. After everyone got a good look at him, his eyes began to silently wander around the room while Himeko spoke up once more. "Caelus, this is everyone I told you about earlier. And over here is Stelle, your fellow family member.", she said to him calmly while gesturing at everyone else. Most of them greeted him in some sort of way. "Heya, Caelus! I'm March. You and her really DO look like clones of each other!", March 7th said. Dan Heng just nodded and stated: "You look strong… You will definitely be useful to us." "Welcome aboard the Astral Express, it's always a pleasure to have new members.", Welt respectfully said while bowing. And Pom-Pom commented: "As a passenger of the Express, remember that Pom-Pom will always be your conductor." The new Trailblazer only nodded to their greetings, not removing the blank expression off of his face.
Caelus's eyes then locked onto Stelle's, finally noticing where she was. Stelle realized this and stared back into his eyes as well. And then… they both just stared at one another with deadpan expressions, with no hint of emotion or conversation. This stare off that resembled a western showdown continued on and on for one, long, and agonizing minute. Most of the crew didn't dare interrupt the trance, except for March 7th, who simply asked: "Huh? Why're they not saying anything?"
Unable to bear the silent confrontation any longer, Stelle decided to take the initiative by speaking first. With a wry smile, she only said the word, "Kafka…?", in a questioning tone. This also seemed to finally make Caelus speak up, who just nodded and with a still blank face, replied with: "Kafka." Once again, this odd exchange prompted March 7th to comment on the situation. "What the…? Why're the two of them saying that infamous Stellaron Hunter's name? 'Cuz she placed the Stellaron in their bodies?", she said. No one answered her inquiries, but it wasn't needed, since she was exactly on point.
The ice was very slightly broken, so both Stelle and Caelus continued their introductions. "So, she created you too? Guess that means we're legit, bro.", Stelle said in a cringey way while stepping closer to Caelus. He smiled and responded with: "Yeah… Let's get to know each other better, then." Holding out her right hand, she smiled and shook his hand. "I'm the Trailblazin' Galactic Baseballer, how 'bout you?", she said while doing it. Suddenly, Caelus pulled his hand away from her and frowned. "Hold on… …Bruh. I'm the Trailblazin' Galactic Baseballer, not you!" The previously dispelled silence then followed, and everyone (save for Himeko) gave confused stares at the two of them.
Yet another minute passed before Stelle decided to stop it once more. "Looks like there's only one way to settle this…", she neutrally declared before pulling out her baseball bat she used as a weapon in combat, "...I'll show you I'm the REAL deal. Batter up!" Instead of being cautious like any other regular sane person would be, Caelus just nodded and pulled out an identical copy of the same bat as a response. "Sure thing. My amazing self WILL win, though! So… Batter up!", he replied. While this was happening, only March 7th could respond to the strange challenge through her shock. "Why are they doing this!? I swear, I never understand these two…", she said while shaking her head.
Preparing for battle, Stelle's weapon became infused with electricity while she stoically said: "Rules are made to be broken!" As if meiotic cell division occurred right in front of her, Caelus did the exact same thing, except he said, "Rules… are made to be broken…!", in a more fiery and energetic manner, and rested the bat on his right shoulder, instead of holding it to the side like Stelle's. March 7th was the first to understand the gravity of the Trailblazer siblings' insane duel. "Sigh… Looks like more cases of Copy Catitus are cropping up… Just what I needed to ruin my relaxation day.", was all she could say at the moment.
The heat of combat upon them, Stelle could no longer resist the urge to say something that has been on her mind ever since she suggested this pointless duel. So, she compulsively taunted Caelus with: "... …Batta batta swing!" In response, Caelus retorted with a taunt of his own, which was also impulsively lurking in his tiny brain. "...I'll pitch this ballin' bat and swing it into you for a home run into next week, you second-basin' team-switcher clone!", he said. Dan Heng reacted to the cringe by sighing, putting his hand on his forehead, shaking his head, and muttering: "...Ugh…"
The other crew members didn't seem too fazed by the escalating interaction, with them giving atypical responses. Welt shook his head, saying, "This is not good… Shouldn't we stop them? I do not wish for this to get out of control.", while tapping his cane on the floor. Still with an unchanging smile, Himeko responded by maturely saying: "No, no. We should let them play with each other. This is their first argument, after all, they need to savor this sweet little bonding experience so they can get along better in the future. It's a natural part of life to conflict with the ones we love… How about I fix you some more coffee, Welt? It will take your mind off of all this built-up stress." He shook his head almost immediately after she finished speaking. "I'd… rather not.", he said. As for Pom-Pom, they stomped their stubby little legs in frustration at the upcoming battle. "No fighting on the Astral Express!", their voice boomed, "If you mess up the parlor car in any way, it's YOUR responsibility to clean it up!"
It was any second before the Trailblazers' pseudo-baseball game began. Readying herself, Stelle decided to shout a mini speech about her goals for beating Caelus. "For the sake of Belobog's trash cans, and for Tatalov the Garbage King, I shall hit all the bases and come out on top in this game! Ready yourself, Caelus!", she said passionately. Once again, Caelus decided to copy his sister's already unoriginal speech and say one of his own. "We shall battle! This will be dedicated to all the trash in the-...", he cut himself off, "...Hol' up. Imma be clear with you. Did you just say that you admire trash as well?" Puzzled by the turn of events, Stelle put away her baseball bat and thought to herself. She cocked her head to the side and asked in a sympathetic tone: "Then what are we fighting for…? We both agree that trash and their related cans are the greatest gifts in the whole galaxy, since that is a fundamental truth to our existence. So, we must be related, and on the same team. I could never possibly fight another fellow trash-lover!" He then put away his own weapon too, before replying, "I… feel the same! I guess you really are my big sister… I must apologize for being so violent. So, how about we make a peace offering together? For the trash's sake!", while smiling in an offering demeanor. She smiled and nodded back, and they walked closer towards each other.
"I don't even know what's happening anymore…", March 7th said while sounding annoyed. Dan Heng nodded while stoically responding with: "For once, I agree…"
The two Trailblazer twins then stopped right in front of each other, both within arm's reach. Stelle proceeded to reach into her mini universe-sized pockets and somehow pulled out a large, fully-stuffed trash bag that she obtained from the best and most special trash can in all of Belobog. Caelus followed suit, also pulling a similar-looking trash bag out of his pants pocket, though he got his by stealing it from a random research lab on Herta Space Station. What followed was the two of them each handing their respective trash bags to the other, as a way to trade so they could say sorry for their hostility.
The peace offering finished, they both then held the trash bags and pulled them closer to their chests, embracing their passionate hobbies simultaneously. This lasted for a good thirty seconds, until… something odd began to occur. The trash bags started to glow with what appeared to be golden energy surrounding them. The Stellarons housed within each Trailblazer seemed to be reacting with the bags, causing them to glow. Suddenly, the bags began to levitate upwards away from their hosts, and towards each other. They then collided, bursting into a stellar-like light that enshrouded everything. Stelle, Caelus, and everybody else in the room shielded their eyes.
Once the light subsided, the Trailblazer twins looked up and saw something awe-inspiring. The previous two regular trash bags have now combined into something new: a golden, sparkling "remarkable" trash bag. It remained suspended in the air for a few more seconds before it began to descend downwards towards the siblings. Stelle and Caelus caught the remarkable trash bag at the same time, with each of them holding it from one side across. Awe-struck, both spent a few seconds stroking the bag gently while having entranced looks on their faces, and there is a hint of salivation in their behaviorisms.
Reluctantly, they then peeled themselves away from it and set it down gently on the floor, right in between the two of them. They looked into each other's eyes once more, but this time, they were both smiling earnestly. "I guess… This means we're both trash inside.", Caelus said seriously, not realizing the irony. Stelle nodded and said: "Seems like it. With that behind us… …Welcome to the crew! I'm so glad to finally meet you." In response, he gave a thumbs up and replied, "Same here!", before wanting to show his gratitude further. In unison once again, they both acted in sync by wrapping each other in a warm embrace. As they hugged, all the tension between them disappeared and they accepted each other as family for the first time. Unfortunately, as the tender moment stretched into a long one, neither of them were watching where they were going and they accidently knocked the golden trash bag by their feet on its side, spilling the sparkling trash within it all over the floor, though they didn't seem to notice…
Luckily, the other crew members also seemed to let their stress go. "Aww… Yay! They made up! I'm so happy for them! This is SO cute.", March 7th commented. Dan Heng, on the other hand, seemed confused. "...What just happened…?", he said rhetorically, "Nevermind… At least the situation is resolved. It's no use trying to question the oddities of those two." Himeko turned to Welt and reassured him by stating: "See? I told you it would be fine." He put his hand on the side of his head and then said, "I… suppose so. You are right, they resolved their conflict, even if they almost destroyed the Express in the process…" This made her laugh and change her tone for the first time in a long while. "Ha ha ha! You worry too much!", she said before raising her voice so everyone could hear the offer she was about to propose, "To celebrate, how about I make everyone some coffee? I would love to see Caelus's thoughts on my special brews." Dan Heng grunted in sympathy towards Caelus's innocent mind that was unexposed to Himeko's coffee. March 7th just commented: "I feel bad for that new soul…" And Welt just sighed in aggravation at the thought of having to drink that poison for the second time that day.
At this point, Stelle and Caelus just let go of each other and are trying to locate their bearings amidst all of the golden trash on the floor. Once she learned of Himeko's offer, Stelle stealthily leaned over to Caelus and said something quietly to him. "Don't drink that stuff, it will make you feel like a weeb loser. Just pour it out in one of the potted plants while she's not looking.", she whispered in his ear. He nodded in cautious surprise and said: "...T-Thanks for the heads up, sis."
However, before anyone could celebrate and relax again like how they were before this mess happened, Pom-Pom interrupted with a mad yet orderly tone. "HEY, no relaxing yet…! Stelle and Caelus, you made this trashy mess all over here! As your conductor, I suggest you CLEAN IT UP RIGHT NOW!", they yelled, "It's your own responsibility to clean up your messes around here! I would really appreciate you helping Pom-Pom out! And after this, we'll have to work on Caelus's cabin setup! He might have to share your room, Stelle…" The rest of the crew smiled and laughed at them, but they were still glad that things had gone back to normal around there.
Stelle and Caelus then nodded and started to hesitantly pick up the remarkable trash from the floor. All the while, they began to have some insignificant small talk with each other, a good sign that they were starting to bond closer together at last. "We must save all this gorgeous trash in our room to remember our first meeting, and to use it to start worshiping the almighty Tatalov!", Stelle suggested with some unhinged tones in her voice. Caelus vigorously nodded and finished with: "But of course! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who views trash cans as the love of my life anymore. I can't wait to start Trailblazing with everybody here…" And in that bond of destiny between them, they both finally felt truly relaxed for the first time that day, the one moment that sets off Caelus's Trailblaze journey…
[Writer's Commentary: The goal of this story was to simply show what could happen if Stelle and Caelus were to theoretically meet. Currently, it's unknown if the Trailblazer's gender actually means anything for later on, so I thought to try this out here. Forgive me if I made any lore mistakes. I tried to replicate the characters' speech and personalities the best I could. Don't take this too seriously, as this is just a random and crazy idea I had while playing the game! I chose Stelle as the default Trailblazer due to her more prominent usage in promotional materials. This was also my attempt to try to justify Caelus's existence in the story. I tried to set it at a certain point in the timeline to make it seem more like I was actually trying to write a good story, so I'm sorry if that annoyed you. And lastly, I apologize for the serious and detail-oriented tone, that's just how I write, so get used to it! I just thought that it's important to make the first volume of this series that depicts such an important event even more rich in its storytelling. That's all, see you in the next volume!]