Just a little more…
The overwhelming weight on Caelus' shoulders would have crushed many a lesser man. He didn't consider himself a greater man, just one in-between, so even his strength struggled to hold up the weight of the world that was March 7th's shopping bags.
The young nameless, the first person the Trailblazer saw when he'd first awoken, had come to her senses and realized there was so much she hadn't yet explored in the Xianzhao Luofu—namely, the fashion district.
For better or worse, March herself had no time actually to do the shopping for herself and entrusted Caelus with the task of carrying out the mission in her stead, saying that he could keep the change and that digging through trash cans did not qualify as an actual job, nor as a hobby.
In his defense, he'd been able to get some mighty fine trash in his ventures into the silent silver mines that collected everything the common folk deemed worthless, usually to be converted into something else of worth. With a machine on the Astral Express that did exactly that, how could he not give it a try?
Alas, there was way too much on the girl's list for him to spend time doing his own thing. This endless mound of items included but was not limited to a simple scroll of beauty, traditional Xianzhao attire, some weird blindfold, and a literal Cycrane, a functioning, talking, flying Cycrane. It was honestly scary how March knew where to get these.
She'd even mapped out the most efficient route to acquire everything out of consideration for him. Even so, the entire journey spanned hours, and the Luofu had already entered its night configuration, the artificial sky above them darkening at the same pace as a natural one would have.
Caelus' knees buckled under strain, but he pushed on, finally making it to the docks where the Astral Express was. In the dead of night, the shadows cast by the numerous cargo containers painted an eerie scenario for the young Trailblazer, especially when he was so vulnerable.
The rest of the trip was peaceful, much to his relief. Without much energy to continue moving, Caelus dumped the dozen bags and limped to his room, falling asleep when he met the pillow.
…
"Woah!"
A force tugged at Caelus' soul, begging him to wake up and sending his senses down a spiral as he felt like he was falling. Opening his eyes and looking around him, he realized it was only a dream.
What was it about? Even he didn't know. Racking his brain only brought out the silhouette of a trash can. It was intriguing and perhaps something he could ask the researchers of Herta's Space Station to look into. A Curio that could look into dreams didn't sound implausible, right?
However, a Memokeeper would probably be a better option. Perhaps the copy of Fuli in the Simulated Universe could do something about this?
Through the window, the Xianzhou Luofu's artificial sky was currently nowhere to be seen, revealing the natural beauty of the stars sprinkling the night, leaving a sparkle in his eyes that few could hope to match.
Right. The Astral Express remained in the docking bay of the Xianzhao Luofu; the incident with the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and an Emanator of Destruction was still fresh in the minds of everyone aboard.
A massive headache crept towards the Trailblazer's head, his body disagreeing with how fast he'd sat up. It wasn't like he could exactly help it. Whatever that dream was, it had to be horrific if it brought a trash can in. Another image flashed in his head: a trash can with arms and legs.
I guess the universe is telling me to go back to sleep.
After Caelus rubbed his temples for the pain to disappear, he laid back on the bed, closing his eyes with the full intent of finding a dreamless sleep. Music wandered the empty halls outside the rooms, the source of which was a device in the lounge. Did Pom-Pom forget to turn it off again?
The Trailblazer could try as he might, but the wonderful lull of sleep kept getting pushed away by the unwelcome noise. Groaning, he finally got out of bed and grumpily pushed his bedroom door open, intrusive thoughts of silencing the distraction with a healthy dose of a baseball bat at the back of his mind.
Then, the grating sounds of snoring attacked Caelus' eardrums from the room beside his own. Knowing he could do nothing about that, he ignored it and moved forward. A sleeping March 7th was like a hibernating bear, the calmest creature that could unleash the greatest furies if disturbed.
Carefully pushing the door open this time to avoid risking an altercation with the rest of the Astral Express for waking them up, he finally made it to the lounge. In the vast room's center, lit by the outside light, a shadow disappeared, fading into the blind spots.
Caelus blinked, half-expecting that shadow to appear again, yet nothing came. Dismissing it as a lack of sleep, he finally turned the music off, the world rewarding the accomplishment with an eerie silence seeping throughout the entirety of the Astral Express.
Mission complete. May the Aeons reward him with a good night's sleep. He'd take Stellar Jades, too, though.
Rushing to the comfort of his pillow as soon as possible, he closed his eyes again.
A gentle melody resonated through the dreamless dream– quick, soft, yet firm, drumming against his skull in a soothing rhythm. Honestly, it felt less like a dream and closer to the edge of the waking world.
The weak taps grew stronger, growing to a point where Caelus could feel pain, and all previous compliments about the sensation vanished. If he had his baseball bat in a dream, whatever was making this would be introduced to it violently.
Through pure muscle memory, the Trailblazer reached out for the weapon under his pillow and recoiled in surprise when he felt the smooth surface of his bat and a pillow that should not exist in a dream.
For the love of… A curse almost passed through Caelus' throat and out his mouth. For this entire time, he hadn't been sleeping at all!
The implications of that insinuation came a second later. Quickly grabbing onto the bat once more, the Trailblazer focused his hearing on the once-soothing sound he'd been hearing.
The noise emanated from somewhere above him. The hideous cacophony it had become was now back to the softer whispers that it had been previously. Perhaps a stray Cycrane from the Luofu? No, something as light as a Cycrane wouldn't make a noise as loud as earlier. If there were something that could do so, it would be one of the heavier automatons.
Footsteps? The possibility struck him like lightning. Whoever had the guts to harass the Astral Express in such a strange manner was either a desperate influencer trying to do a stunt or someone far from the average person, regardless of their intentions. Did the Luofu, or even the Xianzhao Alliance in general, have any influencers?
Caelus shook those thoughts away. Now wasn't the time. Taking his phone out, he dialed a number but has yet to initiate a call. The number belonged to Dan Heng, the one he could rely on the most if he ever got in a pickle. No offense to March or Miss Himeko, but the man in charge of the Data Bank knew this place like the back of their hand. As for Mister Welt, a black hole inside was a surefire way to face expulsion from further collaborations with the Xianzhao Alliance.
Putting the device back to sleep, Caelus slowly slid the door of the Astral Express' main compartment open, senses at full alert.
The Trailblazer carefully stepped down. He'd turned off the stairs that automatically unfurled whenever someone entered and exited the Express before opening, not to wake anyone.
Taking the time to inspect his surroundings, a sense of unease started to hold onto him. Did the huge cargo containers always look this suspicious in the dark?
The darkness didn't scare Caelus, but the possibilities of what could be lurking inside the shadows kept him on edge, realizing how much of a blunder this was.
The Trailblazer couldn't leave and leave the Express undefeated or go back inside with his back turned for whoever or whatever it was to see.
Caelus' eyes quickly darted above to where the sounds should have originated and back. There was nothing up there.
A glimmer of light in the dark caught the Trailblazer's eye, followed by a projectile hurtling towards him. Reacting just in time, the Architect's Lance of Flame responded to his summons, erecting a barrier that stopped the projectile.
The Astral Express is right behind me. I've got to take this somewhere else.
Caelus could see the attack now that it was inches away from his face, kept in place by the shield. It was like a ballista bolt, covered in gurgling and writhing vines that should not be alive.
Is it them? The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were at their absolute weakest, and launching an attack on the Nameless now didn't fit their methods.
Shooting a small jet of flame from the tip of his Lance at the darkness, the unfortunate reality he hoped wouldn't be there reared its ugly face before him.
The attacker was a former Cloud Knight, stricken with Mara and left to rot after what Caelus presumed to be a fierce battle. Replacing what was supposed to resemble a regular torso was an amalgamation of disgusting assortments of golden fruit, vines, and black tree bark. In its hands was an arbalest. A tiny tendril pulled on the string used to fire projectiles, the crude ammunition it fired being grown from the weapon itself.
…
"Sorry." Fire gathered around the weapon in Caelus' hands, lighting the night. The Mara-struck warrior saw it through an array of eyes scattered throughout their body. Something that vaguely resembled muscle burst to life in their legs. They hoisted the heavy weapon onto their back and attempted to flee.
Too little, too late. The lance burst to life, propelling him forward with jets of fire, the heat intense enough to burn away the ice that had once frozen a planet to its core, but it did not damage its surroundings. That was never the aim of the Preservation.
With a sickening splutter, the weapon pierced the Mara-struck, splitting its mighty arbalest into two and cleaving the plant system that was once a torso.
The once-proud warrior roared defiantly, turning its head at an unnatural angle to stare down the attacker. Their minds have deteriorated to nothing more than their base instincts– including their desire for survival.
Pulsating, rough hands gripped onto the tip of Caelus' lance, desperately trying to dislodge it.
There was no need to prolong its suffering. The Trailblazer had to get this over with.
Slowly but surely, fire came off the weapon in waves, increasing each time. Leaf by leaf, stem by stem, fruit by fruit, the Abundance's blessing was overpowered by the growing flames, and the Mara-struck fell limp as the last traces of its life burned to ash.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Caelus watched the cinders fade into the night sky, never to be seen again as they disappeared. No one but him was a witness to the end of this life. He hoped the rest of that life had been good for them.
Its job finished, the lance dematerialized from the Trailblazer's hands, the old reliable baseball reappearing to take its place. Even with the danger gone, he couldn't quickly shake off that feeling of unease.
This isn't right. The Mara-struck Caelus had just killed was way too slow to sound like someone running atop the Express, not to mention that the footsteps sounded lighter than someone wielding an arbalest would sound like.
It would sound much closer to the footsteps rapidly closing in on Caelus. Right Now.
Spinning on his heel and making out the silhouette of a somewhat familiar enemy, he swung at them, his blunt weapon clashing with two sharp blades, unnaturally connected to the arms that carried them.
"Did you make all this noise?" Caelus decided to ask the Mara-struck as they pushed against each other. While their motives were still an enigma to him, the foe he was up against fit the bill much more cleanly if the insignia of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus lodged in their chest was any indicator.
The warrior didn't answer, grunting in the effort as the weapons broke off from each other and Trailblazer and Mara-struck slipped past the other, only for his opponent to jump right back in, twin swords gleaming in the moonlight.
I'll have to beat an answer out of them.
Channeling the Destruction into his bat, it started to glow, and parts of it were starting to shave off from holding it all in. With a bit of spin for dramatic flair, he swung directly at the twin swords that had now become a part of the Mara-struck's arms.
This battle was one Caelus could smirk at; they never stood a chance. The baseball bat shattered the blades into glittering shards of steel. The parts of the blade that had grown into the Mara-struck's arm were clinging tightly to the main body, and once he'd hit with enough force to break their defenses, the bat sent both swords and arms flying.
The Trailblazer allowed his mind some reprieve now that he'd disarmed the threat. That short moment was taken advantage of by the Mara-struck, who tried to flee like the other one.
As Caelus gave chase, he couldn't help but listen to their footsteps. It was still off from what he'd heard earlier, though it might be the distinct lack of appendages from the source this time.
The Mara-struck was quite mobile, nimbly weaving through the darkness in the maze of cargo containers. He could barely catch up with all the extra weight he had to lug around compared to them.
I still don't know their motives. Caelus didn't fancy himself as a good interrogator at all, though. Maybe the Seat of Divine Foresight would have a better shot at this.
The Disciple of Sanctus Medicus stopped, having crashed into something that the Trailblazer couldn't see from here. Seizing the chance, he ran faster, putting his thoughts on interrogation on the back burner.
Then, the body of the Mara-struck, teeming with so much life they could be considered immortal, was turned into an ice sculpture. Skidding to a halt, Caelus saw a sword of ice, piercing the disciple straight through the head and splitting their body like it was nothing.
The two halves fell to the floor lifelessly, and the body that the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were so proud of turned into a puddle of water on the floor. The culprit behind the act was bathing in the moonlight, the only thing he could properly distinguish being the sword in their hands.
The sword sharp enough to slice a body blessed by the Abundance aside, whoever this was wasn't giving much reason for Caelus to point a baseball bat at. Putting the bat aside, he carefully waved–
–And then they started running.
"That's the third time this night…" Most of his Trailblaze Power was already exhausted. He'll just return to the express.
Though, out of mild curiosity, Caelus listened for their footsteps again. This time, the sounds were a one-to-one match to what he'd heard on the Express.
You're kidding me. Was Caelus both repellant and attractant for mysterious attackers in the night?
The Trailblazer didn't have the energy or the mood to play catch-up again, but he couldn't let a potential threat get away like that so quickly. His eyes got a lock on the third runaway of the night, taking note of gleaming hair that looked like a piece of Jarilo-VI had made its way to the Luofu.
They had leaped atop a low-hanging cargo container and were now hopping from one to the next, their technique perfect.
Caelus called the lance back to action, extending the vamplate to its furthest. Jets of fire sent him flying high, the calculated trajectory being right on top of the fleeing stranger.
Without the shadows of the night to hide anything, he could finally see them– no, her. Their general appearance screamed Xianzhao to him, but the blindfold she wore over her eyes felt wrong to look at. Even considering the implications of wearing a blindfold in the presence of accessible technology that could cure any ailments, there was the fact that it didn't hinder the mysterious woman at all; she looked at him like there wasn't any issue.
Once Caelus planted both feet firmly in the ground, she'd already made as much distance as possible atop the small cargo container. Seeing as she didn't have her sword drawn, the Traiblazer obliged, recalling his lance and using hand motions to show that he didn't want to fight.
"Were you at the Astral Express earlier?" Caelus brazenly asked her, glad that there was someone he could reason with tonight.
"And if I was?" The woman's voice was monotonous, almost robotic. But having already seen an artificial intelligence trying to be human, he was sure they weren't an automaton.
"I'd just like to know why." He assured her, raising his hands to prove a point further.
Were you trying to kill us? It was what Caelus was asking, and even though he hadn't said it out loud, the question thickened with unsaid implications.
"I merely intended to send a message." She shook her head earnestly, the blindfold not even moving an inch. The coverings on the eyes weren't just a farce, then.
"Why in the middle of the night?" He wanted to ask why she had been running on top of the Astral Express instead of knocking as one would expect, but one step at a time.
"You're inexperienced in the Luofu's history, it seems," The woman tilted her head, the moonlight reflecting off of silver hair, blinding him for a moment in a flash of light.
Is this some tradition I haven't heard of yet…? There were plenty of late-night traditions in other places that Caelus knew of, like curious researchers at Herta's Space Station meeting up to mess with some Curio or on another planet where people stayed awake until midnight to celebrate the coming of another Amber Era.
"You're right about that," The Trailblazer admitted, shooting that slight jab at him down, "But I do know that no one in the Astral Express has had any explicit past with this place but one."
"You're after Dan Heng, right?" Or the person the man in charge of the Data Bank once was.
She curtly nodded, not surprised in the slightest, "Indeed."
"And whatever it is stays between the two of you alone." Caelus pressed further, receiving another nod as an answer. Between the assassins concerned about Dan Heng's return challenging the Position of High Elder and the Stellaron Hunter Blade, his patience towards everyone after his friends waned.
"Sorry, but I'm being a bit careful here," He waved a hand at her apologetically, "Even if I won't be able to know your history with Dan Heng, it would give me some peace of mind if you told me why."
She quickly agreed with another nod, "After what has just transpired, it is only natural."
"If I were to tell you that the Ambrosial Arbor's reemergence wasn't just the work of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, what would you do?"
"I'd believe you." Caelus answered matter-of-factly. The memory of March trying to act out a scenario in which that merchant delivered the Stellaron came to mind. The second-hand embarrassment when the cheery firecracker of a girl tried to imitate their voices still lingers even today.
"If one of the main culprits behind the incident were in front of you right now, how would you react?"
The Traiblazer's gut feeling was starting to tell him there was more hidden just beneath, "Please get to the point."
"Very well," The blindfold she was wearing stretched and twisted in unnatural angles whenever she nodded, clearly worn down from continuous use. "I assisted in the safe transport of the Stellaron aboard the Xianzhao Luofu."
That's awfully direct of her. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Is it not obvious?"
"Aside from talking to Dan Heng." Caelus quickly clarified himself, "The sealing of the Ambrosial Arbor is complete. You could have done as you'd wished without anyone knowing you were here."
If the Trailblazer's accusations had shaken her, she did little to show it, "The past constantly haunts me," She finally said, "To free myself from it, I must strike it down at the roots."
In other words… Turn herself in, right?
"So you're not here to fight." He repeated himself, and she nodded at him again. He sighed.
"We got off on the wrong foot then," The Trailblazer mentally fist-bumped at the defeat of another misunderstanding, "I'm Caelus, you?" Sirens were going off in his head for choosing to chat casually with this stranger, but he elected to ignore them.
"My name is Jingliu." The lady finally introduced herself, a cold breeze blowing by as the words left her mouth, splaying pale hair out to cover the faraway moon in the artificial sky, devouring the light before him.
"Nice to meet you, Jingliu." Caelus gave her a small smile. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd heard it from.
All that was left was Jingliu's insistence on sending a letter.
An idea came to him, one so dastardly insane that it might just work, "I'll bring the letter to Dan Heng in the morning," He began to voice it, "On one condition."
Jingliu lent Caelus an ear as he slowly explained his idea to her. It sounded simple enough. Throughout the rest of the night, he'd keep an eye on her to ensure nothing went awry, and once the sun rose, they'd part ways. He would hand the letter over to Dan Heng, and it'd be as if nothing happened tonight.
If the Trailblazer could see past their blindfold, he'd undoubtedly see Jingliu raising an eye at his proposal, "Intriguing, if not odd." She pointed out every flaw with his idea, perhaps even more than he knew.
Each word felt like a sword right through his heart. Cold, stiff steel made its mark and stayed there until its wielder thought otherwise. Caelus was sure his face tried its best not to show expression, but Jingliue noticed regardless, stopping her rant abruptly as she cleared her throat, "Though, It would be ill-mannered of me to change your suggestion."
"Yeah…" Mild agreement was all he could gasp out, his brain being as close to death as mentally possible.
"But you are aware of my status in Xianzhou, are you not?" The Trailblazer wasn't sure if she'd already mentioned that caveat in his plan, but the mild change in Jingliu's tone was saying something, "I fear the worst should you be discovered associating with me."
A glint came into his eyes after hearing that, "I have a way to deal with that," After shaking off all the cobwebs clogging his head, he ended up saying the last thing he should be speaking to someone he'd just met a few minutes ago, "Grab my hand."
To his surprise, Jingliu took the outstretched hand without hesitation and looked at him as expectantly as one could look with a blindfold.
The next moment, Caelus obliged, activating a Space Anchor and warping the space around them.
The infinite amount of burning petals in the sky– a consequence of the Ambrosial Arbor– were replaced by soft, freezing snow. The moon silently watching over them was overtaken by a sun, rays of grandeur shining on them from a clear sky, a sky he had helped liberate from clouds of desolation.
What little warmth came from Jingliu's hand left when she let go? Caelus turned to her, already thinking of a way to apologize for leaving this very minor detail out, only to see that there was no need for such a thing to be said.
The issue of being transported far away from the Luofu wasn't even on Jingliu's mind as snowflakes gently landed on her open palm, her head curiously tilting as it melted and more came to take its place, uncaring of the heat.
"Yet another of the Trailblaze's wonders," Jingliu silently mused as she stared at the sky, "Fascinating."
Right, she's probably met other Nameless before. The part where this woman was once a Xianzhao native slipped past him before the warp. He's had some experience with the Seat of Divine Foresight and how they dealt with criminals. Just what did she do?
Jingliu seemed to read his mind, "Indeed," She nodded, "It was only for what felt like moments, but the taste of the nectars they brought to the Luofu still lingers in my mind."
Garbled noises emanated from behind them. Hidden by the snowstorm, a phantom of the Fragmentum emerged. Its crude imitation of a Silvermane Guard's halberd glowed dangerously as it hefted it in their direction with the combined knowledge of every warrior the Fragmentum has assimilated.
Caelus was ready to pull his bat out, but Jingliu had a different idea.
Before he could even step forward, an arc of crystal-clear ice rushed forward, splitting the monster into two clean halves. Even the mindless warrior was surprised, its two parts falling to the ground before it could even fade into dust.
Jingliu was tightening her blindfold by the time Caelus turned around to look at her with some degree of suspicion.
"Let us continue."
"...Right." With Caelus leading, the two began the short trek to Belobog.
Oh boy. Caelus felt really glad that the Outlying Snow Plains were his first choice of location. It was freezing cold, yet sweat still trickled down his face.
He may have bit off more than he could chew.
How peculiar.
In a soothing way, Jingliu took note. As they trudged through this quiet land of snowstorms, with the Nameless she had just met taking the lead, she couldn't help but think of that.
Perhaps the Xianzhao exile should have been more forceful in dealing with him. Yet, with that option came the most significant risk of falling once more. Even if they were minor altercations in the end, the quick succession between her encounter with the Marastruck soldier and the strange, crystalline warrior was enough for her to feel the grip of her curse tighten.
The man in front of Jingliu wasn't entirely oblivious to the danger she posed either. The blessing of Trailblaze was still powerful thanks to Akivili's followers even after the Aeon's death. The phenomenon he had just performed to bring them here was proof of that. Bringing them directly to the city in the distance was well within his power, yet he didn't.
A chill ran down her spine, which wasn't from the cold. Perhaps it was for the best that he didn't.
Right now, he was profusely apologizing to Jingliu, saying that he should've told her about the full extent of his plans. She'd tried to shut it down and say it was alright– and perhaps the only way his idea would actually work– yet he continued anyway.
Need she remind him of who exactly he was travelling with at the moment? Jingliu was intentionally vague when telling him of her motivations a few minutes earlier, but surely making him aware of what crimes she had committed was enough?
Through the flurry of snow around them, Jingliu could tell that the city was near. From it came a massive surge of heat she thought impossible from such a frost-laden planet. After her banishment from the Xianzhou, she'd travelled numerous worlds, having lost the one purpose she held.
They'd arrived at some sort of gate, relatively primitive in technology compared to anything she'd seen in most worlds.
I see. The Nameless was true to his word— a place where she could roam for just a few hours before the inevitable came for her.
The guards keeping watch recognized him and let the two of them pass, no questions asked. Even from the helmets concealing their faces, she could feel intense gratitude towards him.
They had entered some sort of military installation. Jingliu's senses started to go haywire again, not just from close proximity to such a large crowd, but she could tell it they were all battle-hardened, braving the threats hidden in the ice for what must be a long time to a short-life species.
Just a few more hours. She clenched her fist tightly. History needn't repeat itself when she was so close to finally moving on.
They passed strange lanterns that generated ludicrous amounts of heat, a bridge using a mechanism that reminded her of a Jade Abacus used to tell time, and several automatons of a design that were reminiscent of the Interastral Peace Company's old models.
The people there talked to the Nameless like they were well acquainted, thanking him for helping them on matters Jingliu found laughably trivial. Delivering a letter, giving a few flowers, and providing inspiration for music was not what she would think of when looking at someone who assisted in sealing the Ambrosial Arbor.
Caelus. They called his name plenty of times. She silently mouthed the word.
"Sorry for the delay," Caelus spoke up as they were showered in light. "Welcome to Belobog."
Jarilo-VI's last stronghold of life, the Architect city of Belobog, had undergone a plentiful amount of changes since he'd last been here. The most welcome addition is the sight of Underworld citizens starting to mingle with those of the city. With years of zero contact with the surface and seeing the boiling resentment of some below himself personally, it was great to see everyone getting along.
The woman by his side at the moment, Jingliu, regarded the people with caution, slipping carefully between everyone going about their day until they made it to an empty bench.
"How are you holding up?" Not sure how to break the ice, Caelus settled on checking up on her.
"Quite overwhelming, If I am being honest." With the city's clean air and proper daylight, he could finally see her without obstruction.
Jingliu stared at the floor, tightening her blindfold to ensure it didn't fall off, the fabric that composed the strip of cloth worn and ripped in certain areas.
A place without many people that could maybe also hold her interest.
That instantly disqualified the Underworld, with most of the place being barren rock and the rest crowded cities.
Was there a place on the surface that met those standards? Maybe Lynx would let him borrow her camping spot for a bit, at least if she and Pela weren't there. The young Silvermane officer's shift at the museum was probably over, so there was a decent chance they were out there.
Wait.
That's it! The sun in the sky grew just a tiny bit brighter as if reacting to what he'd just thought of. Jingliu noticed it too, though it was maybe because he was now standing, the action done so fast you'd think sitting down and getting back up were done with the click of a button.
"I might have just the place."
-Line Break-
"Welcome to the Belobog History and Culture Museum. Is there anything I can help you with?" Caelus did, in fact, have just the place.
Eris was basically running on autopilot, greeting everyone who entered the museum with the exact polite, monotone phrase. She was looking at something hidden just underneath the reception desk, if he had to guess, a recommendation by Pela to her.
"Yeah," The receptionist's head snapped up once she heard his voice, "Is the museum crowded right now?"
"Not at the moment," As expected of a professional, Eris recovered from the shock quickly, putting on the smile of a professional, "The excitement at the prospect of a museum has long passed. We prefer it, to be honest."
"You hold a great deal of importance to this place," Jingliu observed as Eris let them pass through, giving her a look of curiosity.
"I just helped them out when the museum first opened," Caelus tried to take her praise in stride, "The rest was up to them."
What came next was proof of that.
Protected by thin glass panels, the entirety of what little of Belobog's preserved history rested here. It had been so long since he'd officially given the reins over management that he wasn't sure what replicas and the real thing were anymore.
Caelus blabbered everything he knew about the items on display to Jingliu regardless, giving praise to the Geomarrow ore mined from underground for its planet-saving heat, the Mechanism Energy Hub for its simplistic design, and the obviously downsized, nonfunctioning copy of the city's public transport with its automatic breaks that saved him many a broken bone.
"That speaks more of your reckless nature than it does the technology."
"Maybe." Maybe.
Jingliu quickly took an interest in the paintings. As much as the Trailblazer wanted to complain about how annoying the artist was, he put her own enjoyment over his. He talked about the locations depicted in the works of art, detailing its history as best he could.
Now that Caelus was trying to look at the paintings without the constant hauntings of their creator in his mind, he had to admit, they looked pretty good. Some would look right at home as an album cover. Perhaps he would pitch that idea over to Serval sometime.
A combo like that would spread like wildfire.
The automatons were next. Fidora wasn't at her usual spot, where she usually made sure any meddling kids got too close to the replicas, letting Caelus take the honor of explaining their origins and functions to Jingliu. Seeing that that the Trailblazer trashed enough of them to create an entire army from the scrap metal, he figured he was somewhat qualified to do so.
Jingliu lightly poked at the solid metal exterior of one, "Their entire purpose is combat, yet their aesthetics are anything but."
"The Xianzhao's Aurumatons are just as strange." Caelus pointed out.
She nodded, "Perhaps."
They moved on, encountering an old-school projector flashing images of Caelus' first Trailblaze expedition on the wall. It did a fairly good job at summarizing how the events played out, with the only caveat being showing nothing that could damage the late Cocolia Rand's image, per the request of Bronya.
Jingliu sat down and watched the entire slideshow until the end, even asking him to switch to the next tape so she could grasp the whole story. Once it was over, she moved to the weapons on display as if lulled by some invisible force.
Caelus watched the Stellaron Imprisonment Device miniature. Despite being smaller than the original, it still had a presence that towered over everything else in the museum. A fake couldn't cause auditory hallucinations, right?
"This lance…" Jingliu whispered next to him, her fingers brushing across the surface of the Qlipoth's blessing to the Architects. Even if it wasn't real, the artisans who made it gave it their all, light refracting off the crystalline head in innumerable directions.
"That was Alisa Rand's lance," Caelus explained, "Not the real one, of course."
Jingliu's voice grew soft, "It must be a heavy burden to bear."
"It is," The Trailblazer admitted, "But I chose to carry their legacy, I won't let them down."
For the first time since Caelus had met her, she was at a loss for words. They could see the sun beginning to dip below the horizon through a window.
They were out of time.
"Time passed by quickly," He commented, giving the woman beside him his hand again.
Then they were back at the Luofu like nothing had ever happened.
"That was certainly enjoyable," Jingliu wasted no time, "Unfortunately, it has done little to sway my resolve. I must carry on."
"A Shame," Caelus sighed, "You saw through it since the beginning, right?"
The idea he'd proposed to her hours ago was nothing more than a desperate move from him to try to persuade her not to waste the life she still had. Or was it? The surge of emotion that washed over him when he'd first pieced what little he knew of her together was an enigma.
Alas, their little deal was over. Jingliu was already walking away.
"I guess it was pointless in the end."
But he was relieved that she didn't see it that way, "I'm glad you liked it, though."
She stopped.
"Perhaps not entirely futile."
Jingliu remained where she stood, looking up to the stars, twinkling gently in the dark expanse above, "I travelled amongst worlds during my exile, yet I hadn't spared a single moment to appreciate where my feet stood, only to the home I left."
"Even if it is only a fleeting moment, watching the views of short-life species was enlightening." Raising a hand to her heart, she turned to him.
"Legacy," The words Caelus had said to her were now being thrown right back at him, "To entrust their dreams to the beyond, in hopes of carrying it until the end of all."
"Caelus," For the first– and probably the last time– she called him by his name, "Can I entrust you with mine?"
What about General Jing Yuan?
The Xianzhao exile sensed his concern, "I have taught him well, and his disciple has potential to surpass even him," She admitted, "But the Luofu has all but forgotten my name, as well as those of my comrades."
"Names are one way the living remember the dead," Jingliu shook her head fervently, "For others to remember me is not what I wish for."
"My hands have stained this perfect technique in the blood of countless allies," A rueful smile etched itself into her face, "In your hands– perhaps it can return to what I originally intended it to be for."
Then… "I'd be honored, Jingliu."
She smiled.
"Time is short, I'm afraid I will be ignoring a few steps for this to work."
A blade formed from Jingliu's hand, promising a cold, quick end to all its enemies, "First, your aptitude."
"Aptitude?" Caelus was able to ask that one question before a flurry of slashes started to rocket toward him, his quick reflexes allowing him to dodge them. Barely.
"These techniques are not for the faint of heart," "Lesser warriors have tried to imitate me, only for their bodies to crumble under the strain."
Jingliu's movements were as swift and graceful as a crane. The spar between them began to morph. Not a test of battle but a dance of fate. She slowly increased her efforts as time went on, eventually overwhelming Caelus' mix of offense and defense, forcing him to pull out the lance, a protective barrier forming as he held it over himself, each attack blocked powerful enough for the force to permeate his entire body.
Caelus was biding his time, eyes slowly adapting to Jingliu's movements. In a desperate gamble, he lowered the barrier and thrust his lance forward in her predicted trajectory.
The Trailblazer felt something. Time seemed to slow down as the wind caught a blindfold, slowly burning away into embers.
The next sight took his breath away. Jingliu's eyes were bright red and widened ever so slightly. Was it shock? Caelus didn't get the time to contemplate it as her fingers came up to his forehead, and he fell unconscious.
…
There were majestic spires of ice. Perched upon them like birds were the bodies of countless warriors in what Caelus remembers as the Cloud Knight's armor, their blood slowly dripping down, staining the pristine pillars of frost with red.
A broken sword. A fallen friend. A shattered alliance.
Through clouds that weren't there a second ago, a giant spear of lightning cut through the clouds. The General made himself known to his opponent, pointing his weapon at them.
A sword of ice rose to meet the challenge.
…
When Caelus came to, something soft was cushioning his head. Jingliu stood watch over him, glowing red eyes inspecting his every movement like a hawk.
"You're awake."
"Looks like it," He realized she had put his head on her lap and chose not to comment, "What happened?"
"I attempted an art I only ever did once," Jingliu looked away for a bit, "Infusing all my techniques upon a being of my choosing." Remembering her earlier musings about people trying to imitate her, he fought back a shiver. She wasn't kidding about aptitude.
"Can you stand?"
"Yeah."
"Then come," She helped Caelus stand up, beckoning him, "This will be my first and final lesson to you."
A sword, 3 feet and 7 inches in length that weighs nothing. It was not forged from any ordinary iron, but condensed from a shaft of sharp ice. It glowed with a dim light, as if it were a sliver of moonlight held in the wielder's hand.
Having only ever used a baseball bat and a war lance as a weapon, going from extraordinarily heavy to a weightless sword was a weird experience for Caelus.
He tried taking a random swing, but nothing.
"They still lie dormant, it appears," Jingliu observed, nodding to herself.
"Do not fret," She assured him, "In time, your body will adopt them as if they were of its design."
Jingliu fell silent as she adjusted his posture wherever there was a mistake. Once it was to her satisfaction, she gripped the sword with him. Together, they tried again.
It lit up the night.
She gave him a nod of her approval and turned to leave. He stopped her, grabbing onto her hand.
"I must go."
"I know," Caelus cracked a wry smile, "There's just one last thing."
Hopefully, March will not kill me for this.
"Things should have calmed down by now," "Are you ready, Jingliu?"
Luocha took notice of the blindfold Caelus had given her, eyeing the pristine cloth with a confused look in his eyes. "I didn't think you were so concerned with appearances."
"I'm not," Jingliu replied, "Someone else was concerned."
"An old friend of yours?"
"No," She answered, "But they are indeed a friend."
May this new generation of Nameless reach for the stars above and cut them apart as I once did. Jingliu looked up to the moon for what felt like the millionth time today, its whole form being the purest ideals she fought for. The tiniest of laughs escaped her mouth.
No. The chains that are binding me do not hold the Nameless down. Cut past the stars, through time and space itself, so that you may realize the future the Astral Express envisions.
It was finally, truly over.
A few hours after Caelus had given Dan Heng the letter, his friend returned unscathed and perhaps even better than when they'd first departed after reading the message.
Now, it was the dead of night again.
There were no Mara-struck to disturb his slumber, nor were there wanted criminals wishing to send a message.
The Astral Express would go on its next journey soon. Caelus had heard of them talking about it in passing but had too much on his mind to give their conversations his full attention. A festival certainly sounded fun, though.
It should be safe now. But, before that…
There was a new addition to his room, a rectangular container connected to a cylinder housing the horn of one of those Fragmentum behemoths of ice. The Interastral Peace Company constantly blared their advertisements on the Astral Express' radio, so he took the opportunity.
Caelus opened the box, took out the item within, and quietly snuck out of the Astral Express as everyone slept, sound as a rock.
The Trailblazer let his legs carry him to that place. Thanks to the gift he'd received, the location was engraved into his subconscious, never to leave.
Once Caelus' body stood still as a statue, he knew he'd made it. The center of a maze of darkness and containers, where the shadows once hid danger and secrets.
However, it no longer did. The moon shined upon him brightly, warding off any danger lurking in the cold of the night.
Taking a deep breath, Caelus raised the sword in his hand, trying to go through the motions he'd been taught.
Energy started to gather on one edge, so the Trailblazer guided it through the air, the imagery of the technique that lit up the night in his mind like a star would the sky.
That same energy arc roared forward, only to suddenly jerk uncontrollably and fizzle out, much like the last dozen times he'd tried this.
After several more tries, it was clear he was going nowhere.
Still got a long way to go, huh…
Caelus sighed. The clear ice that made up the weightless sword in his hand caught the lunar light and amplified it like a shard of the moon itself were in his hands.
The sight mystified the Trailblazer. How could something so dangerous be so beautiful?
Only one way to find out.
Caelus, freeing his mind of everything but the sword and the legacy he now bore, moved into position again.
Familiar, invisible hands gently corrected the Trailblazer's mistakes. Her words reverberated in his head. He closed his eyes and swung again, the thin blade slicing through the air like it didn't exist.
A burst of light came through, larger than anything he'd ever done.
Shaped like a waxing crescent, it was like a second moon had manifested in the sky. Caelus stared at it as it flew into the sky, eventually disappearing.
Still far from hers.
He shook that thought away.
But I've gotten closer.
AN:
This one's for the Five-Star I was supposed to go all in for, only to look at Fu Xuan and think again. What better time to do this than right as her rerun ends, too?
Would Caelus/Stelle actually do the things in this story? It would probably depend on what you've chosen throughout the story, the Kafka questline comes to mind pretty quickly for me. (Now that I'm here smoothening out the edges, I'm more concerned if I did Jingliu justice here…)
With this lady wielding a colossal sword came the lesson of not pulling on two banners in a row. Everyone seems to enjoy playing hard-to-get when it comes to my pulls. After pulling for her light cone this time, I can safely say that the Gacha gods hate me.