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Note at the end - let's begin.

Honkai Star Rail is property of Hoyoverse. I own nothing.

"dialogue"

"call"

system

:text:

"altered"

"mental conversation"

"flashback"

SOUND EFFECT

/dream/

Within an expansive void, Caelus found himself drifting through an inky blackness that seemed to stretch infinitely in all directions. There was no ground beneath him, and a quick glance downward displayed a sight that left him breathless – the entirety of Belobog sprawled out like a map far below, as pristine as he remembered it.

The air was neither cold nor warm but carried an unsettling neutrality that gnawed at his senses.

He was alone, utterly alone, in a place where time and space seemed to have no meaning.

Or so he thought.

Screams soon filled the air. Distantly at first, but they grew louder and louder with each passing second. Caelus clapped his hands to his ears, trying to block out the horrendous noise.

Then, over the screams, a voice he'd heard once before roared at him.

"DO YOU HEAR THEM?" Before him, a frighteningly familiar figure loomed over the entirety of Belobog like a shadow of death.

The Stellaron, a source of immense power and corruption, pulsing with an otherworldly glow that felt sick to look at.

He tried to speak, but his voice was swallowed by the void, leaving him mute and defenseless. Panic gripped him as he struggled against the silence, his thoughts racing.

"LISTEN TO THEM!" it roared at him, its voice a macabre blend of a hundred others.

Tendrils of dark energy spiraled out from the artifact, twisting and coiling like serpents. They reached for Caelus, wrapping around his limbs and torso, immobilizing him. He fought against their grip, but the more he struggled, the tighter they constricted, cutting into his flesh with a cold, unyielding force.

The screams intensified but no longer were they wordless choirs of agony.

"MOM-!"

"-NO!"

"HELP-!"

"-SAVE ME!"

His mind screamed for escape, but the void provided no sanctuary. Images flashed before his eyes—memories of his journey, the faces of those he fought to protect, the stark beauty of the frozen wastes. Yet each image was tainted by the Stellaron's influence, twisted into grotesque parodies of their true forms.

"THEY SUFFER BECAUSE OF YOU!"

With a surge of defiance, Caelus managed to break free of the tendrils' grasp, stumbling backward.

The void shifted around him, warping and distorting as if reacting to his defiance.

The Stellaron's light intensified, and the void responded with a violent shudder. The darkness around them began to solidify, forming twisted landscapes of ice and shadow.

The ground beneath Caelus cracked and splintered, revealing jagged chasms that threatened to swallow him whole. He danced along the edges, each step a battle for balance and survival.

From the depths of the chasms, monstrous creatures emerged – manifestations of the Stellaron's corruption. They were nightmarish amalgamations of shadow and light, their forms constantly shifting and reforming.

"YOU STAND BEFORE A POWER YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND! SUBMIT CHILD!"

The Stellaron's light consumed him, and for a moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. But it was a false serenity, a prelude to annihilation. He could feel his essence being stripped away, his very soul unraveling under the Stellaron's influence.

"GIVE IN TO US!"

Suddenly, the piercing scream of a woman cut through the air, dispelling whatever hold the stellaron had on him. The nightmare began dissolving into a haze of darkness but not before the Stellaron's final words drowned out the scream.

"GIVE IN-!"

/.../

Caelus jolted awake; his body drenched in cold sweat. The familiar chill of Jarilo-VI greeted him, a stark contrast to the oppressive warmth of the nightmare.

His heart pounded in his chest; each beat a reminder that this was the waking world and not the one he'd just left.

He took a deep breath, grounding himself in the present, the reality of his situation.

Something shuffled next to him, causing him to stiffen.

He wasn't alone. When that changed didn't matter anymore, only that he could still do something about it.

It was difficult not to summon his weapon, but he still risked a glance beside him to where the weight was and found nothing.

If not there then where-? He thought, his thoughts trailing off as he found a tuft of white seated next to him. The soft snoring reached his ears next, prompting a silent chuckle from him.

Right. Guess I know who lives here then.

It was challenging to extricate himself, but he managed to maneuver his form just enough so that his sleeping companion remained undisturbed, slumbering on peacefully.

The snow plains cub snored cutely, scratching at its belly unconsciously.

It was all he could do to resist the urge to pet it.

Carefully, he took a seat down across from the slumbering critter, letting his thoughts wash over him like a cold shower.

Another dream then. Cocolia sacrificing herself to the Tree hadn't been the end of it clearly. What's more, they only seemed to get more intense with each passing day – and they all involved the stellaron.

It didn't feel like it was the one inside him causing them though. Whatever the case, that one hadn't really made any attempt to wreak havoc on his life apart from a few outside influences.

No. The stellaron that was the most recent culprit of his nightmares was very much the same one he had helped seal so long ago. How that was possible was lost on him, but if this really was another Belobog – which still hurt his head to consider – then it stood to reason that the same stellaron might be here too.

And that gave birth to a number of far more daunting prospects that he wasn't emotionally equipped to handle right now.

Caelus reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, opening up the group chat for the Astral Express before punching in message.

:SIGNAL LOST:

He sighed. "Guess it's no use today either," he muttered, glancing down at the time stamp of the last message he received.

One week. That's how long it had been since he found himself stranded like this.

The first day and a half had been a test of skill and determination just to get down to the surface proper – during which he had nearly slipped thanks to his choice of footwear – let alone making it all this way. Couple that with random onset blizzards and the disturbing amount of Fragmentum creatures wandering the wastes, his trek had been anything but a walk in the park.

He made himself a bowl of comfort food with his synthesizer, gobbling the noodles up with the chopsticks it produced. The meal sated his stomach and provided him a little extra warmth as a result.

Even with the stellaron's endless energy keeping him warm – somehow – the inclement weather had forced him to seek shelter the night before, which led to his stumbling upon this little cave that he had been prepared to fight for.

But fortunately for him, the resident of this place hadn't seemed to mind sharing.

Speaking of which…

"Thanks for letting me sleep, buddy," Caelus muttered, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out an acorn. He'd started carrying some after he'd first met one of them, the little bear's antics, and reactions too cute to pass up. With a gentle toss, he lobbed the acorn right into the bear's arms, thankfully without disturbing its sleep. It did, however, let out a content little noise, hugging the treat closer even in its sleep.

Still don't get why they eat acorns of all things, he mused with a chuckle, heading out of the cave and back out into the wild.

It wasn't a closed in canyon or rocky crevice he emerged into, but rather an array of long dead trees that seemed to stretch on for miles in all directions.

Turns out that Jarilo-VI wasn't as desolate as many of its people claimed it to be – assuming he was actually on it, that is. It was by no means conventionally livable, but it wasn't a blank and featureless ball of ice that encompassed the entire planet. Hell, he'd even managed to find signs of a river nearby.

It wasn't untouched by the Fragmentum, either. Here and there clusters of the strange, gold and black crystal-like growths that had marred both Herta's station and Belobog were present here. He made sure to give those a wide berth, for fear of alerting any of its spawn shambling about nearby – of which he had seen plenty of. Part of the reason it had taken him a week to get here was due to having to skirt around so many monsters.

He did find it strange he had yet to find any signs of life, especially considering the Fragmentum corrosion which had taken hold of the forest. However, this was also not the Belobog he was familiar with – everything up till now was new territory for him.

After making sure that he was well and truly alone this time, Caelus held up his phone and opened up his gallery, tapping on a picture he had taken a week back.

The image was hardly worth noting to the average eye but to him it meant everything in this situation. A canvas of white and gray dominated the image apart from one anomaly - a faint black dot stuck out like a sore thumb, miniscule in scale and easily dismissed, had it not told Caelus one critical piece of info.

In his Belobog, the wastes surrounding the city held the ruins of derelict homes and settlements that had likely once been part of the city proper. Even if it wasn't Belobog itself, however unlikely that notion was. It meant that this little dot he was looking at represented the very thing he had been traveling all this time for: civilization.

This picture had been shot from the mountain he had crashed on and provided a spectacular view of the surrounding region, and most importantly pointed out the existence of that dot. There were a few other smaller ones of course, likely some kind of woodland area but they paled in comparison to the most defined.

"That's gotta be a settlement or maybe even a village," he thought aloud, if only to reinforce his own resolve - and his sanity.

If he could make it to that village, he could get in touch with someone who could, with any luck, give him directions to Belobog or even better get him in contact with someone there. It was a long shot and given that this world was very likely didn't know who the hell he was, he still had to try.

The only other option was to spend his days trying to get a message back to his friends in the hopes they were already searching for him.

Unless Herta tried to cover it up, he thought darkly, which he wouldn't put it past the puppet if it would serve to keep any nuisances away.

Even still, it could take weeks - maybe even months before he managed to get a link back home... if he ever got one that is.

Caelus directed a look towards the sky, finding the sun's position despite it being nearly enveloped by the thick gray clouds. "Need to get moving while there's still daylight."

Come night, never mind the weather – those that called this realm their own would quickly decide he wasn't welcome.

The trees surrounding him helped buffer the frigid winds gushing over him. Admittedly, they were easier to brave now that he was on the surface, no longer with one stray gale containing the threat of sending him to his doom.

He spared a baleful glare down at his now worn sneakers, now encrusted with snow and dirt, as well as sporting signs of singe from his landing strategy.

Getting boots first thing when I get back, he thought determinedly.

Thoughts of home cast a shadow on his mood as they usually did, especially when it came to those he had left behind.

Everyone on the Express surely had to realize he had vanished by now. March never let him end the day without telling him all about hers, often gushing about what shenanigans she had gotten herself into, if she hadn't dragged him along for them that is.

She must be pitching a fit right now, he thought with a grimace.

Out of all the members on the Express, March was the closest to him. They bickered and fought at times, but he still thought of her as the closest thing to a sister he had and vice versa. There would've been no conceivable way she missed his absence; for all he knew, she might already be on the station demanding to know where he was, Herta's Emanator status be damned.

The rest of the Express would be right behind her, of course. Dan Heng would get swept up by March's panic, leading to Welt and Himeko getting concerned. Pom-Pom might complain a bit at first but Caelus was sure the Conductor would drop everything to come save him if need be.

Or March will hijack the train, he thought dryly as he crested a large hill… and immediately dove behind a nearby tree.

Heavy footsteps that no longer belonged to a human tromped through the snow, belonging to a cadre of shadewalkers. They were all oblivious to his presence and he wanted it to stay that way. For a moment, the footsteps grew closer, and Caelus feared it would come to another fight.

It wasn't that he couldn't fight them off, as he had been forced to early on in his trek. It had been a relatively small group - one blaze out of space, and a few shadewalkers; nothing he couldn't manage.

But that brief moment of triumph came with a painful lesson: Fragmentum creatures were extremely receptive to sound. At the time, he had been forced to retreat after both a stormbringer and two ice out of space showed up.

The last thing he needed was a repeat incident of that here. If there were any more nearby – and where there were Fragmentum beings, there were always more – then one small skirmish could easily escalate to a full-blown melee, one he could still get away from but it would cost him more time.

The longer he stayed here, the more he worried those back home and more than that, risked getting in a situation he wouldn't be able to run from.

Just then, off in the distance, there was a noise – likely the sound of snow falling to the ground or ice crackling. Whatever the case, the footsteps halted and quickly tromped off away from him. A moment later, Caelus risked a peek and was relieved to find the shadewalkers gone.

"A little close that time," he muttered, stowing away his weapon.

He couldn't waste any more time. Hurrying past a gathering of snow-encrusted trees until he reached the edge of a ravine, Caelus soon stood before a long since frozen river far below. Quickly glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, he leapt off the ledge and landed in a roll, spitting out some snow that gotten into his mouth.

The ice seemed thick enough to walk on, but he hadn't been taught by Belobog's premier explorer for nothing. Lynx was nothing if not thorough with how she conducted her lessons – some of which she had to make up on the spot, since she couldn't really go out too far from Belobog without Gepard or Serval raising hell about it.

"Ice is no different from glass. Just because it looks sturdy, doesn't mean it is. You wouldn't try walking on a window if you knew it would break, would you?"

Cautiously, he planted one foot on the ice and prayed it wouldn't crack when he did. Nothing ear-splitting came from it, but he still moved slowly. A quick glance downward showed a murky abyss that promised a swift end to any who fell in, even someone like him.

"Heel to toe, heel to toe – no more," he uttered by memory the words of the youngest Landau.

How does Lynx do this as much as she does? He wondered, equal parts frustrated and amazed.

As much as hell as the girl put him through, he missed her and not just her either.

Serval, Natasha, Bronya, Seele, Pela, Luka, Gepard and even Hook - all of them were never far from his mind, along with everyone on the Express.

Had they realized he was gone by now? Almost immediately he dismissed the notion – of course they did. The Express would've headed there if Herta stonewalled them since he made it a point to visit Belobog often, usually after he got back from some assignment or another. His absence would've turned more than a few heads, even before it got to those who cared about him.

Bronya alone would turn Belobog inside out when she learned that something happened to him.

He shook his head roughly.

Focus, Caelus. Heel to toe, heel to t-

CRACK!

Caelus's head whipped around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash and was horrified to find a shadewalker setting foot on the ice – a spiderweb of cracks stretching out from where its feet landed.

How had it managed to sneak up on him like this?

And if that wasn't bad enough, something awful began to rumble beneath him, a foreboding sign of what was to come if he didn't hurry up.

However, before he could do anything, the shadewalker let out a snarl and charged towards Caelus.

The ice beneath the shadewalker's feet crumbled into bits, sending the Fragmentum creature to a quick, icy grave that swept it under the ice with frightening speed.

Calm settled in soon afterward, to the point where Caelus found himself relaxing just a bit. "Maybe I got lucky this time..."

Not a second after a small horde of them, plus a stormbringer stormed the ridgeline, letting out a chorus of distorted war cries before they tromped down to the river's edge.

"Crap!" Caelus made a break for it, only to jump back the second his foot came down on the ice. A sharp chill ran up his body from where his foot had broken through the ice, leaping back a bit. "Ugh! Not now!"

A whooshing noise from behind had him summoning his bat, barely in time to deflect the arrow of wind that nearly threw him to his feet. Ice crackled ominously below him as a result of the sudden strain, forcing him to dart off to a new patch before he fell through.

The shadewalkers from the other side were having little luck compared to the first one; most fell through when they made to charge him, while the others seemed to somehow recognize the danger and stayed put.

For once, he was glad it was just shadewalkers. If any of the out of space variants were here, he'd have been cooked.

Even so, the stormbringer seemed content to remain where it was on the far shore, lobbing arrow after arrow at Caelus, each one threatening to break through his guard. His arms burned from the exertion, but he forced himself to push through the pain, knowing a single lapse could spell his end – if not by the horde, then by the icy depths below.

Blocking yet another arrow, Caelus turned to book it towards the far side of the river, only to freeze as more Fragmentum creatures began massing on that side. Now he was effectively boxed in.

"Dammit!" The shadewalkers were quickly cutting off any avenue of escape, be it through their approach or by falling through creating large holes in the ice. They would corner him at this rate.

Caelus blocked more arrows from the stormbringer, one of them making him stumble backwards until his back hit a frigid wall, glancing up to find himself at the base of the frozen waterfall that made up the river.

He panted heavily, gripping his bat with white knuckles as the Fragmentum closed in on him like sharks to a baby whale. More alarming than that, behind the encroaching mob, the stormbringer readied another arrow that somehow looked deadlier than the previous ones.

Caelus swallowed hard. He wouldn't be able to block something like that.

Once more reminded of the corner he'd been driven into, Caelus shot a look back to the frozen wall of water and then back to the horde.

A crazy idea began to take hold – suicidal even, if he considered what selective others might say about it.

Too bad they wouldn't be here to see it.

Caelus swapped out his bat for the blazing lance, its heat a brief comfort to him as he leapt back from the wall before plunging the lance straight into it. A golden glow emanated from the hole and beyond, followed by the ear-splitting noise of ice cracking like glass.

Caelus quickly lunged for a halberd that one of the shadewalkers had dropped, raising it up high before plunging it straight through the ice. "Hope you freaks can swim!" he shouted defiantly at the beings.

A cacophony of cracks and groans filled the air, followed by what sounded like a building collapsing behind him, and with it a wave of cold he had yet to experience. All at once he felt himself being moved by a powerful force; the river finally being released from a centuries long imprisonment to gush once more.

His aggressors were hopeless to flee from the force of nature, consumed by the all-powerful wave of water that served as Caelus's unlikely method of escape. Frozen boulders tumbled down like an avalanche, creating massive waves that carried the sole remaining slope of ice down the riverbed.

The trailblazer felt his stomach rise and fall with the swell, wind blasting past his cheeks in a frigid rush as the river carried him all the way down the previously empty ravine. Thunder rebounded off the walls, crashing and booming all the way down.

Caelus couldn't help but let out a whoop of excitement as the river carried him through the forest, watching everything rushing by in a blur. The waves threatened to take him under, but evened out enough so that they didn't capsize his makeshift raft.

Still, he couldn't stay on it forever. Already he could feel the halberd coming loose, indicating that the ice beneath him was close to fracturing.

What's more, up ahead he could see that the river was quickly reaching its end point, disappearing off the edge of what couldn't be anything but a cliff.

He'd need to find some safe ground and fast.

There was an outcropping downstream that looked promising; it was either that, or he would be in for a likely one-way trip over the falls.

Caelus grit his teeth, riding out the swell as it approached the edge, watching it grow closer and closer until he made his decision. With a cry, he jumped with all his might onto the outcropping, tumbling a bit before rolling to a stop. He turned just in time to watch the slope he'd been riding vanish over the edge, presumably shattering into a thousand pieces along with the weapon he'd been holding onto.

With a sigh, he flopped back onto the snowy ground and stared up to the gray sky, watching as snowflakes fluttered down in little swirls. His lips bubbled, a laugh bursting forth that seemed to echo throughout the area, until a chill ran through his body.

He may've been spared the fate of his assailants, but the icy river had left its mark on him all the same, leaving him trembling in thoroughly soaked clothes. He quickly dug out his phone, checking to make sure it was still working and deflated with relief when the home screen lit up.

Sitting up, he let out a groan and gazed out at the landscape, taking in the labyrinth of canyons lying just beyond the forest. Those would be his next obstacle to tackle and, with any luck, would be the last thing to traverse before finally getting to that village.

Caelus rose to his feet, doing his best to ignore the chill that was rapidly spreading through his body. He wouldn't be at risk of hypothermia thanks to the stellaron within his body, but the cold would still slow him down.

Rustling nearby caught his ear, turning to find the stormbringer crashing through the trees. How it had survived Caelus had no clue, but he didn't have the luxury of wondering right now. It shouted something at him before galloping towards him at breakneck speed. It was just the one, but there was no telling how close any others might be or if something worse was with it.

Caelus cursed and took off in a dead sprint through the forest, dodging both the trees and the arrows the centaur-like monster fired upon him. He summoned his bat and struck out, cutting down any trees in his path with the hopes of slowing the trampler down or even better tripping it up.

But the stormbringer just leapt over the obstacles Caelus created with grace, maintaining its accuracy all the while, letting another arrow that managed to finally clip Caelus's shoulder.

"AGH-!"

The blow was enough to send him into a tumble, somersaulting down the hill until he rolled into something hard. The sudden halt forced out a grunt, but he forced himself up despite how his body screamed in protest.

Favoring his left shoulder, Caelus continued down the hill, wary of his pursuer. By now he could hear more shadewalkers closing in from the left and right – they'd be on him soon.

Up ahead, he spotted a break in the trees and broke into a dead run, as much as he was able to anyways. Another arrow rushed past his ear, embedding itself into tree ahead with a shower of splinters, this one strong enough to cause enough damage for it to start teetering – right into Caelus's path to be exact.

Caelus bulled his way through, narrowly missing the tree but unable to stop himself from careening right off a small ledge. He hit the hard rock soon after, pain exploding across his body. Even though the fall wasn't long, landing as he did hadn't done any favors for his wounds.

Through bleary eyes, he watched as the stormbringer and the shadewalkers marched into view, glaring down at him. The stormbringer made to launch an arrow at him to finish him off, only for a howl to sound from far off.

The most curious thing happened right then: the stormbringer, and all the shadewalkers froze in place. Not literally, but still.

Caelus did too. The only thing he'd ever heard remotely close to it was that of the hounds employed by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus he'd fought on the Luofu.

But what was something like that doing on Jarilo-VI? Had it been there to begin with?

Whatever the reason, the stormbringer dispelled its bow but remained where it was, as did the shadewalkers. Apart froma few growls and hisses, they made no move to approach him.

Are they… going to do anything? He thought, bewildered. He'd never seen those of the Fragmentum hesitate before. If he didn't know any better, he might've believed them to be… afraid of something. But what could be so frightening that even soulless beings like they would waver?

Caelus didn't want to stick around long enough to find out. He clambered to his feet and hurried off, ducking behind a set of rocky corners until he found somewhere he felt safe enough to rest in. He panted heavily, leaning against the cold rock, his heart beating a thousand miles a second.

Wincing, he pulled out his phone and keyed the app that contained his inventory. After a few moments of searching, he found what he was looking for and manifested a can of healing spray. The cold spray made him go ramrod straight but the soothing feeling that filled his body afterwards made him sigh with pleasure.

The spray would help but he'd still need to avoid using that shoulder unless it was necessary. The last thing he needed was to cripple himself with another landing like that.

Still, he had at least made it out of the forest at least, which meant he was in the canyon now. He was close now; he could feel it.

"Gotta… keep going," he muttered to himself, rising to his feet once more. "Just a little… further."

Enclosed as they were, the canyons did little to buffer the freezing gales ghosting across the cliffs. Another frosty breeze ran across his body, prompting him to stop and shiver a little bit, his wet clothes only serving to make each breeze feel as though he were wearing none. Teeth chattering slightly, he pressed on, rubbing his arms up and down his shoulders until the snow beneath his shoes grew ankle deep.

Each step had become a chore. The snow had begun to fall more with each passing moment, adding to his struggles. Had it not been for the sun, it would've been impossible to gauge the passage of time.

Lynx's impromptu survival training was paying off it seemed.

"Gonna… need to get her something for this," he chattered, if only to fill the silence. It helped stave off the overwhelming urge to succumb to exhaustion, too. "Maybe… treat her to some dessert? What kind does she even like anyways…? All she'd… ever talk about was what Jarilo-VI was like back then."

When it came to that, the girl was a walking encyclopedia. One could ask her what the highest mountain on the planet was and she'd just grin proudly, hands on her hips, like she had discovered the answer to life's questions.

"What was it called again? Mount… Zarathustrazapala Iskandar?" he mumbled, trudging along through snow. "Heh. Maybe it… was the one I landed on. Wonder if... she'd believe me if I told her."

More time passed afterward, the howling wind serving as the only noise apart from the crunch of the snow beneath his feet. His surroundings changed little; each path he took led to more jagged cliffs, capped with snow and ice…

Hold on…

There was a shift in his surroundings ahead of him– mostly unchanged, save for the fact there were now some familiar looking figures scattered here and there.

Caelus slogged, casting a wary eye at the frozen remains of Antimatter Legionnaires. They didn't react as he walked by, forever entombed where they stood but he still kept ready just the same. There was no telling just how long ago they were frozen.

As crazy as it was to admit, this finding filled him with renewed hope and all but ensured one crucial truth: he was on Jarilo-VI, at least.

Up until now, he still harbored some doubts. The Fragmentum being present in this world wasn't anything telling. Jarilo-VI may've been the only world he'd seen it in, but that didn't mean any other planet couldn't have been infected – Herta's station as a prime example.

But the fact the Antimatter Legion was here sealed that fact, even before he got to the shattered remnants of human lodgings.

A spark of hope kindled in his heart.

He thought of trying his phone again, but a quick glance at the screen showed the same result. He tucked it back in his pocket with a weary sigh, hugging his arms around his body.

There had to be some sort of settlement out here – that shape he'd seen was the closest he could see, and it could've been Belobog for all he knew, just not as big as he knew it.

So, on he marched, braving the glacial winds and the winding crevices that led deeper into the valley. He had thought himself used to the sight of the frozen remains of the Legion, but what came next astonished him.

Dozens. Literally dozens of frozen legionnaires from void rangers, reavers, and even tramplers were lining the walls of the canyon, as though they had been massing for one massive assault before the Freeze took over. A sight to behold, really, had he not been aware of what such a force could be capable of.

If they magically defrost, I'm done for, he thought morbidly, trying to ignore them altogether. The fact that their numbers only seemed to grow as he went deeper was not helping his nerves.

All of a sudden, a howl similar to the one he'd heard before rose from somewhere nearby. At first, it was a lone, eerie cry, but soon another joined it… then another…

Caelus instinctively called forth his lance, his eyes darting this way and that for any signs of movement. He was careful not to put too much weight on his injured shoulder, gripping the lance with his right hand.

The howls continued unabated, each one drawing closer and closer, almost overlapping even.

"Come on already," he muttered, shifting his feet for better balance.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement, turning just in time to see a gaping maw filled with endless teeth surging towards him. Old instincts took over as he thrust his lance forward, skewering the beast in one stroke. The lance scored a clean hit on its flank, allowing him to vault the creature over his head with a yell.

Caelus watched the creature - a wolf of some kind, judging by the appearance - tumble and roll to a stop, giving an agonized howl before dissipating into nothingness. What should have been a victory turned grim as more wolves appeared, surrounding him from above.

These weren't ordinary wolves, though; they were little more than twisted creatures born from the corruption of the Fragmentum. Each wolf varied slightly in appearance, but they all shared the same unsettling, otherworldly aura.

Their fur, once likely a natural shade, was now mottled with sickly patches of shimmering blue and fiery orange, evidence of the elemental corruption that had taken hold of them. The blue wolves seemed to emanate a chilling frost, their breath visible in the cold air as icy vapor. Their eyes glowed a cold, electric blue, piercing through the veil like ghostly beacons. Frost formed around their paws with each step, leaving a trail of frozen footprints in their wake.

In contrast, the wolves marked by the orange corruption seemed to burn with an inner fire. Their fur crackled and hissed, wisps of smoke curling up from their bodies as if they were smoldering embers. Their eyes blazed with a molten orange glow, filled with a relentless, fiery hatred. Where they stepped, the snow beneath them sizzled and melted, leaving scorched patches on the ground.

Despite their corrupted appearance, their physical forms remained lithe and powerful. Muscles rippled beneath their discolored fur, and their movements were fluid and predatory. Each wolf sported elongated, jagged fangs that jutted from their gaping maws, dripping with a viscous, dark substance that hissed as it hit the snow. Their claws, unnaturally long and razor-sharp, left deep gouges in the earth as they moved.

The wolves' bodies were covered in scars and open sores, as though the corruption had not only altered their appearance but also inflicted a continuous, agonizing torment upon them. These wounds glowed faintly with the same blue or orange light, adding to their nightmarish visage.

Their growls and howls were a cacophony of distorted, unnatural sounds, echoing through the canyon with an eerie resonance. It was as if the very air around them vibrated with the malevolent energy they exuded, creating an atmosphere thick with dread.

These were not mere beasts; they were abominations, twisted and tortured by the Fragmentum's influence, driven by an insatiable hunger for destruction. They moved with an uncanny intelligence, their eyes locking onto Caelus with a predatory focus that spoke of a sinister awareness. They were the embodiment of elemental fury, beings of the abyss that were intent on dragging him with them.

The pack snarled and barked ferociously from above, each bounding down the cliffside to encircle him.

Caelus glanced at his lance with a grimace. If there were fewer wolves, he might manage with just the lance. But against these fire-aligned beasts, it would only handicap him.

Begrudgingly, he willed his lance away and replaced it with his trusty bat, imbuing it with the power of destruction. The bat felt reassuring in his grip, a reminder that despite his injuries, he was far from beaten.

A tense standoff ensued. The pack began circling, eyes gleaming with predatory intent. Caelus tracked their movements, knowing any lapse could be fatal.

"Patience," Jing Yuan's words echoed in his mind from an old memory. "Those who act first often make the first mistakes."

He hadn't appreciated the lesson at first... or the second... or third, but the general had eventually hammered it into him.

He didn't have to wait long, either.

Two wolves growled and darted forward impatiently, aiming to tear him apart. Caelus ducked, watching them sail over him and collide in a messy pile. Rapid crunching from behind alerted him to another; he lashed out with his bat, sending the beast flying.

Another pair of wolves didn't learn from their predecessors. They darted in from two sides like before, likely meaning to catch him by surprise. Caelus waited until the last moment to dodge, landing a firm kick on one and sending it yelping away. Gripping the bat with both hands, he swung hard at the other, obliterating it in one strike.

A burning sensation suddenly lanced up his back, ripping a scream from his throat. His free hand sought his back, pulling it away to find it slick and red with his blood.

The pack howled triumphantly at their first victory.

"The first one's free," he growled, glaring at the horde.

The beasts growled back, slowly closing the distance.

This had to end. He couldn't fight them off forever—sooner or later, he'd make a mistake.

And yet, even in his condition, Caelus wanted this.

He'd been forced to hide and flee all this time, all to survive – but no more. No more running. He wanted to show this world he wouldn't bow to it any longer.

"Come on then! I'm right here!"

Take the bait! he urged them, channeling the power of destruction into his bat for one final strike.

For a moment, time seemed to stop. Then the entire pack surged forward.

Growls, howls, and snarls filled the air. Of the five he'd already dealt with, at least eleven remained. If he were as green as when he first emerged from confinement, he might have been overwhelmed by such odds.

But conflict had since shaped him, molding him into something formidable.

A pack of wolves was nothing.

Closer... closer...

When they were within ten feet, Caelus took off in a dead sprint to meet them, bat crackling with power. Letting out a fierce roar, he gripped the bat with both hands and swung with all his might, unleashing a powerful arc that caught the entire pack in one fell swoop. Howls of agony filled the air as bodies flew, some landing with heavy thuds, others vanishing into nothingness.

Calm settled in, leaving Caelus panting heavily, sweat beading his brow, and his heart racing a million miles a second. Then the bat fell limply from his hand onto the snowy ground, dispelling itself, followed soon by his knees.

"D-damn…" His body was shutting down, left feeling numb in places he didn't even know could feel. "Can't…" He could no longer keep himself upright, toppling over like a building that had lost its foundation.

Lying flat on his stomach, all Caelus could do was watch the snow fall gently, his body unwilling to heed his wishes any longer. Something warm coated the ground beneath him, a subtle reminder of lasting legacy the wolves had left him.

His vision dimmed.

Was this it? After all he'd endured, would he really let this be the end of him?

He clenched his fists tight enough for his nails to cut through them, gritting his teeth in defiance.

NO. He was going to survive. He HAD to. He had to get back. There were people still waiting for him!

Caelus dug his bloody hands into the ground, clawing at it to get a grasp so he could start pulling himself along. His body was little more than dead weight by this point, a burden more than an asset. Even so, he dug his fingers into the ground, pulling himself forward, refusing to just lie there and give in.

"Come… on…" he growled, summoning what little strength he had left. But darkness began to creep in around the edges of his vision, growing with each passing second. "Not yet! Not…!"

What power he had left him with a gasp, his arms falling limp, fatigue threatening to drown him. Caelus growled in frustration, his eyes never leaving the pathway ahead even as his sight grew dim.

Sometimes gpt wants to work and sometimes it doesn't. Guess it's bi-polar? Who knows.

Anyways, we're back in the past - sort of. I know the jump back to the present was a little jarring for you guys but trust me when I say that those bits are the outlier. They are critical to understanding how Caelus came out and what's he's like now, same for Cocolia when we get to her.

Speaking of which - one reviewer asked how old Caelus is in this. That's a bit of a tricky question to answer since he spent a few decades in an alternate universe.

For starters, Hoyo doesn't exactly specify when or how their characters even age and it goes double for the player characters. As far as the games are concerned, they don't really no matter how much time passes. For the sake of sanity, I'll say that Caelus does age and the reason he looks pretty much the same after all that time is due to a sort of dimensional rule that governs his appearance from universe to to universe. In other words, what he looks like in one universe will be different in the other and since the Tree sent him there itself, it locked in his appearance from the "prime" universe for the alternate Jarilo-VI.

So to be clear: while Caelus looks pretty much the same here, he is well over at least 30+ years old as a result of his travels. The only real sign of his age is his hair (that March pointed out was whiter than it used to be) and his eyes which have lost that innocent sort of sheen. And it's not just his appearance that has changed as a result either, Cocolia's relationship with him now notwithstanding.

I'm really glad I went back to revised this. This chapter was initially much, much shorter than what it came out. Granted, I did want it to be a little longer but couldn't come up with a way of filling the space without it coming off as, well, filler. I hope that this was at least pleasant enough to read.

Also, I realize this is a bit late but I hope that I have made each of the characters thus far sound uniquely their own. One tip I got from a friend was to avoid making your characters sound the same. I admit that I am guilty of that in my earlier works but I've been working on it.

Not much else to say other than I hope you guys are enjoying this so far, and will stay tuned to see what happens next. We're close to catching to my drafts so everything from there is uncharted territory. Should be fun.

Till then,

take care.