Chapter II: Starting Line

Just after the meeting, before the warp jump.

There was a few days leeway before the Express departed from the Space Station. This gave Stelle time to explore the place she was 'born' in and it allowed Herta to experi-err, and converse with the Stellaron receptacle. Of course, Herta immediately had Stelle test the Simulated Universe.

Ace idly watched Stelle go through the first few times and chuckled when she got to World 3. The 'cockblock' stage of Herta's universe. "You still did not incorporate my feedback regarding that," he told the doll.

Said doll was not paying him mind, despite her 'looking' at him. Herta had many dolls around the Station that she could connect her mind to in an instant. Even Asta doesn't know the full number she has on board. "Do you have something intelligent to add?"

"Nah, I'm here to watch over the Express' newest potential member," Ace said, taking all the time to cool down from what had happened a day ago. While the meeting had taken place in the Parlor Car—and the delay they had before leaving—Himeko was taking inventory and trying to procure supplies for the trip. Dan Heng was updating the Express Archive. Welt was doing…Welt things. Ace didn't know what he did and wouldn't push that side of things. March was taking a ton of pictures of the Station, as the many researchers and staff smiled fondly at the bubbly girl. "You and I both know that she will have to make a choice…"

"You know her, don't you?" Herta's puppet asked. Ace turned his magenta eyes to her, only to see her looking at him.

'This is the real her,' Ace thought. Seeing no purpose in lying, "Yeah, I do but it feels like a long time ago." Nonchalant his answer may be but Herta could detect a wide range of emotions in that sentence alone.

While the knowledge of such things would be beneficial since it relates to her test subject, err, Stelle, Herta also dug into Ace's file, rather lack thereof. "Then would you explain why most of your files from eight years ago to now don't exist?"

Ace paused in his musings, "Careful with that line of questioning, Madam Herta. There's a reason for such things. I could ask the same of you and all the Genius Society. So how about we strike a balance and cease the questions?"

Herta narrowed the puppet's eyes, fully scrutinizing Ace and his choice of wording, "One last question, since you are so keen to avoid them: Who is your mother?"

The boy looked away, "Someone who I need answers from and neither of us are in a position to meet. From any portion of my file, my birth certificate exists, guess the surname on it."

Herta's eyes became unfocused as she used much of her puppet's processing power to decrypt those ledgers, which were strangely deactivated for just a moment before undergoing even further encryption and what she found was admittedly shocking to the Emanator of Erudition. "You're…!"

"Shush, she's coming out," Ace silenced that line of question as Stelle appeared out of the terminal.

The gray-haired girl rolled her shoulders, feeling sore after that run in the Simulated Universe. Stretching to get some feeling back into her body, she paused when she saw Herta and Ace having a one-sided stare-off. "Is this a bad time?"

"Nah, your timing is impeccable. How did it go?" Ace asked, standing up and walking toward her. Seeing his little sister in all but blood injured irks him. No, it's not him crushing on her, Ace has done everything to discern what his feelings for her were, and knowing her as a kid, and growing up with her, he knew how he felt.

She winced as she put her arm down, "Hss, not bad but not particularly great…I'll need a little more time to adjust. Now I understand why you call that stage a cockblocker…"

Ace fell into deep thought, wondering if he could help her. The script said she had to go on this journey but since Elio hasn't given any new instructions since then, he could do this, right?

Even now, his phone had his messages open with a somewhat lengthy response from Elio. That response consisted of the reasons why Ace couldn't and wouldn't break the script. As aggravating as it was, he had to comply with the demands. "I know, and I've told Herta that lessening the difficulty curve by a few percent would generate better results but alas in one ear and out the other. Take a break, go get some food, I'm sure March will be here soon," Ace checked his wrist, noting the system time. "Oh, game maintenance is about over, better go."

"Reminder, you still owe me some time, Miss Stellaron," Herta's dull voice came back, and to Ace that meant she was no longer here. "Now shoo, I have plenty of data to go over."

"Oh Herta, warn me if Ruan Mei plans on coming to the Station, I would rather avoid her," Ace said.

"Just for that, I won't," Herta snarked back lightly.

"Who's Ruan Mei?"

"A member of the Genius Society and a trusted colleague./An egotistical sociopath with an Aeon-complex," Herta and Ace both answered the question with their own opinions. Stelle just looked confused between the two. Neither answer was wrong.

"Don't ever be alone in a room with her," Ace warned, his body involuntarily shivering. "Damn near took her for one of Aha's followers with that sparkle in her eyes when she saw me for the first time. That alone said more than anything." Stelle nodded and headed toward the exit of Herta's office, while Ace followed behind, texting someone with one hand. Once they were out of the office, Ace spoke, "Go on, ask."

Stelle felt her throat catch, "I…" Her amber-yellow eyes struggled to meet his purple eyes…eyes so sharp and clear, unlike Kafka's. "Do you know…Kafka?"

Ace wished she would avoid this topic but this was something he could reveal, not all of it but some little clues, "Yeah, I do. Not very well…hear me out, Stelle." He put a hand on her shoulder, "Stay away from her, she is a highly dangerous individual. She is the IPC's most wanted for many reasons."

Stelle looked him in the eyes and beneath that concern, she could see some other emotion. "But she…"

"May be the link to your past, yes…but…" Ace trailed off. "In the end, I can only warn you. If you choose to seek her out, I will not stop you."

"Why do you look like her?" Stelle's mouth worked faster than her brain at the moment because once she saw his lips curve down and eyes sharpened, she knew she crossed a line.

Surprisingly, he answered, albeit with a terse tone, "Genetics. Now come on, I'm going to do this banner and I need to make a call to someone. I'll show you the games you can get on your phone and get you some food on the way."

She stalled for a brief moment, 'Genetics? Then that means…' Thankfully, she didn't verbalize her conclusion aloud. Still, Stelle had many more questions but she would eventually find the right time to ask. She missed the way Ace rubbed a spot on his chest. "Like what?" she asked, going along with the subject change.

"There's quite a few, I'll play a few to see which one you like…right after I whale on this next banner…" His phone rang again, a message from 'Sylvie'.

'Game on, and let Stelle see it…I think she'll like it,' The message read. Oddly considerate and he didn't question how she knew Stelle was next to him.

Soon after, Stelle watched Ace drop a few thousand credits on his favorite gacha game and the one called Sylvie was on an audio call. The soon-to-be trash panda recognized the voice and pointed it out. Ace turned to her, "While we dislike the way the Hunters do things, doesn't mean we can't speak to them about common interests and while sure they're wanted criminals but that's in the eyes of the general populace and the IPC. Stelle, they're people too. Most of the time, it's Sylvie I talk to. Rarely do I hear the others."

"Because of your crush on her," Stelle pointed out with a minute pout.

Ace flushed at being called out so bluntly, "Oi! I am allowed to like someone too, you know!"

"Oh, so you admit it," Silver Wolf's voice came over the call, making Ace flush and whine silently in embarrassment. Welp, she knew now and she didn't sound disgusted or embarrassed, so that was a win, Ace thought.

"Shut up…also, I win," Ace said, revealing that he just got the final weapon to R5 the character.

Obviously, Silver Wolf thought foul play, "Cheater!"

"Skill issue, smh," Ace shot back. "The only reason I did was I got a double win on the character. As I'm sure that you just got the last one."

"You two seem close like you're already together," Stelle pointed out.

Ace answered not without a flush still present on his face, looking at the girl, "We knew each other before she joined the Hunters. It's why we're comfortable chatting, that, and with enough time, you'd be surprised how close some people can get to you…just like the members of the Express. People from all walks of life, stories, ups and downs, all just to explore the stars…sounds heartwarming, yeah?" While Silver Wolf did not reply, she understood that. Maybe in another timeline, she would have joined the Nameless first before the Stellaron Hunters got to her. Oh well, that's life. She silently left the call, messaging Ace that they would have a chance to talk later.

Stelle conceded on that point. While the two were chatting, they—well, Ace knew someone was watching—were unaware of Himeko and Welt observing the two acting like siblings. The two eldest on the Express exchanged looks, smiling fondly at one another.

Needless to say, when everyone gathered on the Express again, it was to say goodbye. Stelle had chosen to board the Express permanently. While she was present before, it was more of her to see what was held in store. Stelle marveled at the cushy interior of the train car. Hard to believe that it was Himeko who spent a couple years repairing it after she had awoken on the planet it crashed on.

Ace found Welt's expression during that retelling…odd. Discerning the emotions from it was nigh impossible due to the elder man's ability to keep a poker face, something Ace was a teeny jealous of. Always something new to learn.

"So, you've decided to join us?" Dan Heng asked Stelle.

The girl who represented the color scheme of a raccoon nodded, "I have. Madam Herta's 'condition' would be that whenever we come by, I test the Simulated Universe."

"I see, welcome aboard," He said after cupping his chin in thought. Dan Heng was not one for long strings of words but Stelle could understand that under that apathetic-like act, he was understanding.

"Finally! We officially have another girl on the Express!" March 7th declared before cheerfully wrapping her arms around Stelle. Slightly stunned by the display, Stelle hesitantly returned the gesture, bringing about a flush to the pinkette's face, unseen by the raccoon. "Let me tell you, trying to get the boys to decide on anything is always such a hassle…"

"Oh, what about me?" Himeko asked with a raised eyebrow, the woman hiding the smirk threatening to cross her face. Ace knew she was teasing March.

"I didn't mean anything negative about it!" March defended herself with a pink face. "It's just nice to finally balance the scales, you know?"

Himeko giggled, "I understand, now get ready to warp, Pom-Pom has been eager to leave. Dan Heng, please make sure to brace beforehand."

"It was one time…it was my first warp," the boy muttered.

"And it was glorious," Ace commented with a grin.

Himeko then called out to the young boy, "Just like your first warp? When you bounced off the wall…twice?" Ace immediately stopped grinning and looked at the Navigator with a betrayed expression, feeling embarrassed as March, Stelle, and Dan Heng laughed—in the latter's case, a small chuckle—at his expense. She then gently guided Stelle to one of the couches on either side of the train car, sitting next to her. "Now Stelle, since this is your first warp, let me explain it to you…"

Ace grumbled at being called out but quickly washed that expression away and took his time to sit on the opposite couch, pulling out his phone, intending on upgrading his character that he just received and whaled for, seeing another message with what seemed to be a victory text followed by an absurd number of emojis.

After quickly upgrading his character—prefarming was king—he put the phone down only to hear the countdown before everything turned blue.

Within a few system hours, the blue light from the warping ended, marking the end of the voyage and the beginning of the journey. Normally, it would have taken longer but the Astral Express was made by the former Aeon Akivil, and it was designed to make longer voyages shorter. The Express has a long history, starting with Pagana

"It looks like the Express hyperdrive is experiencing difficulties! The Rail Drive is performing at a 12% deficit. While I work with Himeko, you go and seal the Stellaron!" Pom-Pom ordered as they were above the planet.

True to the conductor's word, not much any of them could do, except for Himeko. Ace chose to ignore the jargon that Pom-Pom and Welt were saying once he entered the room.

During the time they were in warp space, Ace had returned to his room for just a moment before exiting again, this time, dressed in his jacket and gear. The one key difference was the rifle strapped to his back. March was the first to notice, "Uhm Ace? W-What is that?"

"My specially modified Four Bore rifle," he answered. Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. "Largest shoulder-fired rifle made by man, or at least it is as far as I know. It is a little primitive due to how old its model is but I've upgraded the parts over the years. I was going to bring the fifty-cal…but needed less range, more firepower."

"Where did you get it?" Stelle asked, eyes glued to him.

The magenta eyes glanced back, withholding the nostalgia that threatened to cross him, "Repayment for a false bounty placed on my head on Jepella—which happens often if the angle is right—and while I got credits for it, I also asked for the blueprints for the weapon and the ammo. They didn't want to give it to me but after literally pointing out five of their laws they broke by pursuing me while I hadn't done any infractions…that and some blackmail…they had no choice unless they wanted to be ousted faster than you can blink." Ace reached into his jacket and pulled out an obscenely large round. "It fires these. Twenty-one fifty grain, one inch in diameter, and quite expensive to make…"

"How many credits?" Stelle then asked. The yellow eyes seemed to glow just a little but it could have been a trick of the light.

"What was that about blackmail?" March inquired.

Ace promptly ignored that line of questioning, and ignored March's dramatic whining. "What's the figure on the largest bounty right now, Dan Heng?" Ace looked to the man who stays in the Archives all the time unless it was for meetings.

The blue-eyed teen rattled off the approximate number which was, "Ten point eight nine nine billion credits, give or take a few hundred thousand."

"The amount of credits I have in my name equates to making me second on the IPC's list if I was to have a bounty," Ace said, shocking all but Welt and Himeko, who knew about the boy's struggle. He does have the accounts set up to where if—and a big if at that—he were to unexpectedly die, they would be transferred to accounts in all their names and subsequently notified. As noble and morbid as the notion was, he needed to make one for Stelle.

There was greed in Stelle's eyes and he shut that down quickly, "No, I don't keep them all on me. I have multiple accounts and shares that have it evenly allocated, reinvested, and so on." Upon seeing the disbelieving looks of the group, he sighed, "What? That's rational as no one would be that stupid to have all their funds on their person, right?"

March looked like everything he just said flew over her head and instead asked, "Can I hold that?" She pointed to the round still in Ace's hand…which he was twirling around idly. Ace walked to March and gently put it in her hand, "This is just one shot? How many are you carrying?"

Slinging the rifle off his shoulder, he pulled the lever down, opening the breach, showing it to March. "Fifteen. I can make the round but the casing is more important. I used the Synthesizer to do the former…and I weighed the options between this and the .50 cal…but decided that I'm making sure that my targets are going down with zero chance for retaliation," Ace said with a blank face, which softened in his next words, "Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable but if it came down between choosing a stranger's life versus one of yours…that's an easy choice."

"Then let's hope you never have to make that choice," Dan Heng added softly, akin to a murmur but Ace understood the sentiment. Make no mistake, Ace believes that one day that choice will come and he knows what choice he will make.

"Are you kids all ready?" Himeko's voice got the four of them to pay attention to her. The coffee-loving redhead's smile got softer as they all gazed at her. Ace made the comparison to a bunch of baby ducks responding to their mother. The smile on his face didn't go unnoticed by Himeko or Stelle.

"About as well as we can be," Ace answered, taking the round back from March. Once received, he inserted the round, closed the breach, and turned on the safety before returning it to its original position.

Since followers of the Aeons often get into conflicts for one reason or another, people can make their weapons 'appear' and 'disappear' with a mere thought. A baffling concept that not even the greatest researchers can explain except for the fact that the person had to be a Pathstrider. So, the rifle disappeared off of Ace's back but his pistols stayed. "Let's just hope this goes better than two years ago."

"What happened two years ago?" Stelle asked, noticing the grimaces on March's, Dan Heng's—subtle as it was—and Himeko's faces.

"Chaos," Ace answered, smirking all the while. It was a bit scary for Stelle since it was such a rapid change of emotion. "Totally wasn't my fault."

Welt chose this moment to enter the conversation, "Which is why there are rules for such things."

"I understand, Gramps," Ace said with a nod. Welt may only have a fringe of gray hair but the man was in his early eighties but he still looked fifty. "I learned my lessons with that."

"Good, the transport is ready. Contact us if anything goes wrong and please look after each other," Welt said, acting very much like the Grandfather the Express crew knows he was. His cane, something that he barely ever let go of, shimmered as if it reflected his thoughts. Ace's eyes honed in on that detail, wondering who the man known as Welt Yang really was.

Nothing personally against him but that wisdom comes from harsh experiences. Ace took the lead in getting into the transport first, then March, then Stelle, and finally Dan Heng. "Do we have everything we need?" Silence was the answer. "Alright, we're good Himeko!" He gave a thumbs up and Himeko smiled as she sent the coordinates for a drop zone.

"Hold onto something," Dan Heng advised. This was usually the fun part and Ace made it better by not holding onto something. He liked to live life on the edge some days, much to the other male's chagrin.

And so, Stelle's first Trailblaze began and Ace's worries rose.

"That landing was smoother than normal," March commented. Stretching, she took a gander at their surroundings. It was white. A lot of it. Snow, more snow, and what do you know? More snow. She was already displeased with the scenery.

"Probably because of the snow," Stelle quipped. "But why aren't we, you know, shivering?"

"Being blessed by Akivili grants us some useful caveats, such as weather adaptation," Dan Heng informed Stelle. "As we visit other planets, which differ in climate, being able to move freely helps."

"Look at Dan Heng flexing his smarts again," March commented, rolling her eyes.

"You would know this if you spent time in the Archives," Ace quipped with a twitch of his lips. He often liked to tease March because she was easy to rile up, and the fact she still fell for it.

"Gah! You're so mean to me!" March pouted. Ace ruffled her hair, accompanied by a shout of 'Hey! Not the hair!' as he continued to mess around with her. Dan Heng said nothing because he knew better than anyone here how observant Ace was.

Ace quipped from ahead of the group, "Because if I didn't tease you, then you would know if I liked you or not. Dan Heng doesn't respond to it, so usually I help him in the Archives, filling in some data that I experienced in my travels."

"Which I always appreciate," the boy said, nodding all the while.

Stelle was looking directly at Ace, and he saw the question in her eyes. He said nothing and turned around. Both of their companions noticed but said nothing. Unbeknownst to them, Ace's eyes held a deep sadness and lingering regret.

The Trailblazers' walk was shrouded in silence, aside from the crunching of snow beneath their shoes. Honestly, Ace wondered how the girls were able to wear heels in the snow and be okay. One wrong move and that's a rolled ankle.

"By the way, that lump of snow has someone in it," Ace said as they passed by said lump of snow leading up the path. "Well, what do you propose?" He was more so asking the snowbank rather than the group. The Four Bore appeared on his back, "Five."

"Four," The safety was flicked off.

"Three," Ace aimed, bracing the large rifle on his shoulder, and leaning into the gun.

"Is he going to waste a round on a snowbank?" Stelle asked, genuinely wondering while looking completely disinterested at what was before her. "He did explain that the round was an inch thick…and I'm sure that would put a large hole in most things."

March tried to argue, "Aceeee! You spent a lot of time making those and didn't you say that you only brought a limited amount?"

"Two…" Ace ignored them and pulled the hammer back, finger off the trigger. "Last chance, my friend."

Dan Heng then stepped forward and kicked the bank, eyes slightly widening in surprise at hearing, "Yeeouch!" And the fact his foot connected with something.

Ace quickly let the Fore Bore disappear and tilted his head in contemplation. "Now speak up, who are you and why are you hiding in a snowbank?"

"H-Hey now! Take it easy!" The tall man turned and gazed at the group of four. The look in his eyes showed he was crafty. "Are you with the Silvermane Guard? Or friends with Captain Gepard?"

"Who. Are. You?" Ace accentuated, impatient at not getting an answer. "Speak and then we'll answer yours, fair?"

"Ah, now you're speakin' my language. The name's Sampo Koski." The man with spiky blue hair with green eyes said. His hair covered one eye and Ace already didn't trust him. He was no fool, unlike Sampo…who was a Fool.

"I'm Ace, Astral Express," Ace followed his words. "I have no idea what the Silvermane Guard is nor who this Gepard is."

Sampo looked genuinely confused, "Then…where did you come from?"

Ace took his hands off his pistols, turning to March, "Show him the pictures of the planet…otherwise, he won't believe us." He walked past the trio before heading up the hill. The snow slightly obscured their vision but March jubilantly walked up to Sampo with her camera and showed pictures she had taken before they departed for the planet.

"So, that's Jarilo-VI?" Sampo asked with genuine intrigue. "Looks a lot different than what I had imagined. The Eternal Freeze has been around for seven hundred years, so no one even knows what the planet looks like. Belobog is just one city!"

March, ever with enthusiasm, continued, "Yup yup! The planet from the Astral Express looks pretty!"

"Before you get all buddy-buddy with this guy, March, he still has questions to answer," Ace said, returning from the top of the hill. "So, Sampo, can you explain the basics of Jarilo-VI to us?"

With glee, the man did just that, telling them the history of the planet, how Alicia Rand with the power of Preservation became Belobog's First Supreme Guardian, yet the Eternal Freeze persisted for seven centuries now. Sampo also explained to them the Overworld and Underworld, but only the basic concepts, but his lack of information showed that he was hiding something.

There was a divide amongst the citizens and this caused Dan Heng and Ace to share a solemn look. The boys of the group knew something was amiss and both shared similar lines of thought. The girls, on the other hand, were taking in the sights. Stelle could be given a pass as she was exploring the world for the first time. She had much to learn. March was taking pictures of the landscape.

As they reached the crest of a hill, they were then called to, "Halt, in the name of the Silvermane Guard!"

Sampo's smile froze on his face before skedaddling away without an explanation. "Oi!" Ace called, drawing a pistol, intent on shooting him in the leg. Dan Heng pushed his arm down, shaking his head. Scoffing, he holstered the weapon.

Turning back to the group, there were seven men dressed in full-body gear, their helmets making them seem a few inches taller. One, however, was taller. Blond hair, blue eyes set with determination. "What are you doing here? Citizens are not allowed outside the city."

"Sir, they may be with the culprit," One of the soldiers said.

"And who are you?" Ace took the forefront, stepping just in front of Stelle. A moment passed, "Wait…these are the Silvermane Guards."

"Answer my question," the blond man said, adopting the attitude that Ace had earlier, which was quite ironic.

March piped up, "We're not citizens! We're outlanders from the Astral Express!"

What happened next was more akin to an escalation that didn't need to happen. The blond man, Gepard, was not convinced and had his men attack the Nameless. Dan Heng pulled out his spear, Cloud-Piercer, and brought it to a defense position. March pulled out her bow and drew an arrow of her Six-Phase Ice. Stelle casually whipped out her bat and gave the guards an uninterested glare.

The way she held the bat was akin to someone who had done it all before. Her fingers twirled it like a cheerleader does a baton, with fluidity and no mistakes. Which only begged the question: When did she learn it? Ace never recalled her picking up a bat when…

…Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to ignore the encroaching memory. Any Memokeeper of Fuli's would be tickled to see those memories. Thankfully, he doesn't have to worry about them.

Ace would have used his guns but opted to not spill unnecessary blood. Instead, a katana appeared in his hand, using a style enforced by his master, who was acquainted with all types of swords; she preferred katanas the most. Within seconds, two of them were weaponless and at his mercy. Instead, he went to help March who was being pressured by two spear-wielders.

As one was about to lunge toward March, Ace quickly cut the weapon's tip off before kicking the first guard away. The second was already too close and already committed to the move. The Nameless disarmed the Guard before shoulder-checking him away.

"Ace, mo-"

Dan Heng and Stelle dealt with the last ones before a shot rang out from the one Silvermane Guard who was holding a rifle. Stelle turned to see Ace staggering for a single step, hand clutched on his lower abdomen, red staining his outfit. March was freaking out, in contrast to Ace who, honest to Aeons, looked indifferent to being shot.

Thump thump…However, not all could say the same. Ba-bump… The gray-haired Nameless was angry. For reasons she didn't understand, she was pissed off. Thump thump…Hefting her bat in one hand, her other fist clenched so tight that if she wasn't wearing gloves, her hands would bleed. The glare Stelle wore was digging the Guard's grave.

"Rules are made to be broken!" Her trusty bat glowed with the power of Destruction, giving off an ethereal blue glow. The power emitting from the bat pushed some of the surface snow away, ruffling her hair with its intensity.

Before Ace could stop her and express that he was fine, March would disagree, as Stelle quickly closed the distance to the Guard who fired the shot before he could turn to her, and swung, "AHHHHH!"

CLANG!

To her surprise, her bat didn't make contact with the man she tried to swing at, as it was met by Gepard's shield, which had a chunk taken off in the top corner. With a push of his arm bracing the shield, Stelle was pushed back. "Do not resist any further."

"Talking mad shit for someone who didn't get shot yet," Ace growled in mock annoyance as his Four Bore was off the safety, despite the blood that soaked his clothes and hand. March was using an emergency first aid kit to patch him. "Would you like your head blown off or your arm?"

"It is unnecessary to continue further," Gepard stated as more Silverman Guards appeared. "Now, I will ask again, who are you and why have you disobeyed the Guard's order of staying within Belobog."

"We're part of the Nameless. Trailblazers of the Astral Express," Dan Heng explained, spear still in hand. He would rather not let his guard down so easily with them. "We came here because we have detected a Stellaron burst on the planet. Our job is to investigate and seal it before it causes any further harm to your planet. We have no reason to fight you…but one of your men did wound our friend."

Gepard hummed, his hand rising to his chin, "And what of the man known as Sampo?"

March scoffed as she finished bandaging Ace, who gave her a nod in thanks, "That guy? Did you not see him ditch us at the first opportunity? We just met him before meeting you guys!" She was a little fed-up with them already but she was more worried about Ace. "And one of you shot our friend!"

"I already said that, March," Dan Heng said, bored.

Ace lowered the rifle and stowed it away, silently handing the girl a cloth to clean the blood off her hands; while it wasn't a lot of blood, it was enough to make her uneasy. "March…you may not know this but it is not the first time I've been shot…been stabbed a few times too…" This was news to March and Stelle, the latter of which was suddenly in front of him and patting his body. "Wh-Stelle! Knock it off! Ow, don't fucking touch there, the bullet's still in me!" Ace exclaimed. "Getting blood out of clothes is difficult enough, stop making it worse!"

"But you were shot!" Stelle raised her voice, worry painted clear in her irises, something that took Ace by surprise. Realistically, it shouldn't…but the last time anyone truly cared for him was a distant memory.

Ace managed to grab her wrists to stop her from trying to frisk him, "Yes, and I'm not dead, am I? The rounds were low caliber and I also reinforced my clothes with alloys that have some resistance from firearms."

"As you can see, we don't associate ourselves with this Sampo. As we mentioned, we met him by chance…after Ace nearly shot him," Dan Heng explained, letting Cloud-Piercer disperse from his grasp, seeing that the hostilities have concluded.

Gepard could tell from this group that they were not lying, however, that did not mean he could trust them. "Follow me back to Belobog, we shall at least give you a room for the night and medical treatment for your friend."

Dan Heng sighed, feeling this was going to be a long journey. "Thank you. March, Stelle, let Ace have some breathing room." He turned around to see the girls all but smothering him. The young man saw the one magenta eye pleading with him.

So far, the crisis averted…minus Ace being shot of course. All things considered, it could have been worse.

Oh, how their troubles were just beginning.

Gepard escorted the Nameless to the Goethe Hotel within the Administrative District, just below the Quiploth Fort. That building held the Supreme Guardian's office. On their way to the Hotel, they asked to speak to the Supreme Guardian about their mission here. All Gepard could do was put in a word with her.

There was no guarantee that he would be able to secure a meeting. Nevertheless, the fatigue from the day caught up with each of the Nameless, mostly Ace, having received medical attention and was given a painkiller and advice to rest for the night.

Even though March and Stelle went off to explore the town, the former taking loads of pictures and the latter being forced into them. Not to mention, Stelle liked trash cans for some reason, thinking they held some secret treasure. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure,' so, the magenta-haired boy couldn't find a flaw in her logic. When that was brought up when they ate together, Ace rolled his eyes with a faint nostalgic smile but said nothing.

Later that very evening, the hotel manager gave them two rooms courtesy of the Silvermane Guards, with two beds each, making the others thankful. Dan Heng and Ace would share one room, March and Stelle the other. When the pair of young men reached their assigned room, Ace groaned and slumped on the bed, not even bothering to undress or clean himself. "Ace? Are you alright?"

"Just sore, it's been a few years since I was last shot, thankfully it didn't hit anything vital," the magenta-haired boy said in a soft tone, a imperceptible grimace on his face. Truth be told, he was recalling Stelle's actions, and how angry she got compared to her usual stoic-like demeanor. 'Did some of her memories return? That balance wouldn't work. Was it that her body remembered what her mind forgot?' Groaning again, he sighed, "The last time, I nearly bled out."

"Oh?" Dan Heng inquired. That was his reaction but it spoke more than he did. Dan Heng was interested to hear more, his natural curiosity for his fellow Nameless.

"Didn't have the knowledge at the time…but after getting caught in a crossfire on a planet called Syracuse-III, which was after I got my first false bounty. It was there that I met my teacher. Actually, she was there by coincidence but through the middle of the crowd, she singled me out, and I saw Aeons."

"Oh? What happened then?" Dan Heng asked softly, his tone giving Ace an out if he wanted it.

"Bluntly put, pinned to an alley wall with her sword resting on my pulse and was one flick away from ending my life, however, I also had a knife trained on one spot on her torso that can cause acids in one's stomach to leak. Yeah, I knew where to hit someone where it hurts. Then, her mouth curved into a small smirk or smile…before declaring that I would be her student," Ace scoffed out a laugh. "I wanted to refuse but she quite literally froze my foot in place and threatened me again, that time giving me a cut on my neck. All I really recall about that was how cold it was, like ice slowly freezing me from the inside."

Dan Heng sat up a little straighter at hearing that. A piece of the puzzle that was Ace was put into place. Deny it all he wants, the entire crew doesn't know much about Ace's past, aside from Himeko and Welt. Pom-Pom may know but they wouldn't let anyone on the Express if they held malicious intentions.

"So, she was the one who taught me her sword style after passing the seventh circle of Purgatory that she called a 'test'. My survival skills saved me more than once," Ace said with a chuckle, looking directly at the ceiling. "She never gave me the name of the style but said I would make modifications as time went on…just as long as I pass it along to a worthy disciple in the future. A promise."

"Do you remember your master vividly?" Dan Heng asked, his eyes expressing more, now mirroring Ace's posture, lying on the bed.

"Vividly? How the hell could I not? She terrified the hell outta me when she taught me. Her gaze was nothing short of soul-sucking. Soft-spoken but scary. She makes Himeko, when upset, feel like a minor inconvenience," Ace said, feeling his speech slowly trail off. "Good night…" The full consequence of the transpired events finally kicked in, allowing Ace to rest peacefully with his guard fully down for the first time in around six years.

Dan Heng turned to see his relaxed posture and before going to sleep, locked the door, laid down, and closed his eyes. However, there was a lingering thought in his head. The way Ace described his master felt oddly familiar.

The next morning, the Nameless were gathered in the lobby, with Ace being the last one. Having woken up with a start, he nearly shot March who had peeked into the room to make sure he was fine.

Profusely apologizing to March, she helped him change his bandage. The good thing about the wound was there was no exit wound, which meant when the doctor examined him, the bullet was extracted easily. Ace nearly pulled the bullet out himself since they were so worried. Thankfully, the doctor was precise and was done in a few minutes.

Returning to the present moment, the group of four exited the Goethe Hotel and found Gepard waiting for them. Upon greeting them, he said, "Madam Guardian has agreed to meet you inside her office. Please, follow me."

"That was…easy," Dan Heng commented.

"Too easy," Ace whispered to him, "Something's off…keep your guard up and let Dan Heng handle the talking…March."

"That was one time!" She whined. "You're bullying me so much!" She pouted before seeking comfort with Stelle. The gray-haired girl flushed a little with March all but pushing herself against her.

"It's because I care," Ace said, oddly noting that the Guards were watching the interaction." For the meeting, Ace lets his holsters be empty to show he does not intend to assassinate their leader. One, there's no benefit. Two, that would jeopardize their entire mission. Three…there's another motive at play. The winter breeze sent a chill down Ace's spine, making him narrow his eyes at the sky, adopting a thoughtful expression.

'What are you trying to tell me, hm?' Ace thought as he absentmindedly rubbed a spot on his chest. 'I suppose I'm about to find out.'

…

Hello again. I updated this before Blind Adventure. That WILL be next, I swear. Aside from the five month hiatus—lmao, I'm just a lazy shit—I've implied a lot here.

I'm pretty sure I was forthcoming about who Ace's master was. If you know, you know, not really trying to hide it. There WILL be a time when that is fully explained. Any names of planets I use are in the lore of Star Rail.

But before people come after me for things not being in 'canon' consider this, I'm adapting it. I'm the writer, I am allowed to experiment with my stories. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, oh well.

That's what makes writing fun.

Obviously I'm using wiki planet names because I would rather use the names for them rather than 'this planet' or 'that planet', so they do exist but I'm not digging too deep into the planets' lore. If one I picked happens to be a destroyed one, assimilated into something else, I'm not concerned about it.

Yes, Jarilo's story will have tony variations, not enough to throw off the story but enough to at least feel a little different. I will try to include the continuance missions (Like the 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 updates—being Aetherium Wars, Foxian Tales of Fyxestroll Garden, and crown of Mundane and Divine) because I have a lot of character interactions in my mind.

For example, Topaz and Numby (Topass and Dumpy for all you cultered ones out there) will have stellar interactions, I assure you.

Nevertheless, hope you liked. Pray I don't take forever.

Laters.