Chapter 1 –The Start Of A Journey

"Well, I can finally see you off safely… You cut it close several times you know and didn't give me an easy job but… I'm glad that you're fine in the end. Everything to come should work out ok now as well." Nova said before releasing a heavy, relieved sigh before the troubled girl before him, seemingly upset at his words.

"I'm sorry for having caused you so much trouble… Although I don't want to relent and give up, I should have still listened to your warnings as well. In the end, I achieved nothing but causing more trouble here, and most of all for you." The girl before him said with a downcast expression, clearly saddened by the events that had come to pass because of her, yet she did not care for the state that had become of her. She was covered with cuts, scrapes, and dirtied with mud whilst the clothes that she wore to hide her distinct beauty were now heavily worn and torn, but this was all the least of her concerns. "But what do you mean that things will work out now? Hasn't nothing changed since I first came here? I believe that it's arguably worsted after-"

"That's… not quite what I'm talking about," Nova interjected before she could finish her sentence, a bitter smile gracing his lips as his head lowered to the ground. "War of any kind will never end so abruptly, not without something drastic. But we're long-lived species. I'm… not about to say we'll all make it, but I'm sure that many of us will live to see this end." He barely managed to get the words out as pained memories made them burn in his throat, feeling as if they were choking him but he did his best to push them from his mind to stay strong for her.

He longed, he wished, that he could have said it in full honesty but the nature of long-life species likely didn't mean anything in the face of ending a war. Especially between the Hunt, Abundance and Destruction. If anything, it would only keep it prolonged for an extraordinarily long time, until at last, the losers were decided. Yet despite the peace it would bring, the price wasn't something that Nova was comfortable hanging around to see being paid…

"You should move on, and quickly before something happens again. Just… focus on the positives, ok? There are plenty of people out there in the universe I'm sure you be able to help, and so many that find themselves able to smile every day thanks to you already. Don't let this blot out all the good you're doing."

"But what about you? I'm sorry that I've failed to help people here but… I can at least save you, and give you the chance to leave! Only if you wish for it that is…" The girl then said, looking up at Nova with hopeful eyes whilst he froze up with hesitancy.

Although he would get to escape the war, see the universe he longed to see, and finally begin personally seeking the best answer to the burning question that his war-ruined world gave him. It would also mean leaving behind his family, and more importantly, threatening the events of the story…

The story… it wasn't like it was complete before he had left that world by whatever sudden, painful means that occurred. Means that he had spent many days questioning yet the closet he would imagine was some terrific power akin to or somehow surpassing an Aeon. Perhaps Akivili, but THEY were supposed to be gone.

However, the question of how he got there was small and insignificant compared to what his presence could mean. An entity that shouldn't be, possessing knowledge that shouldn't be possible. Although Elio operated to a script written from a power of foresight, it was presumably a script to the best way to beat the Destruction, likely sparing the universe from the total destruction that Nanook sought. His script never considered him before, and changes that he could cause were no doubt a huge violation of his script, and change the ending. An ending that could very well become the end of everything…

It was a weight that he didn't want to bear, to be the one responsible for the ruin of everything. Whilst he couldn't imagine what the end of the universe at the hands of a god would be like, he was certain that he didn't want to experience it.

And yet…

"I… I'll… Go with you… but I'll have to go my own way soon enough. And I'll be telling my family first." Nova eventually replied to the joy of the girl who completely lit up at his response.

"That's fine, honesty, it works for me as well. Unless we had the… right kind of reason, staying together would be difficult. But I'm so glad that I'm able to at least help one person!"

"Yeah, I'm aware." Nova casually responded, resulting in a quick flash of surprise that was replaced with an almost awkward look from her.

"So… you knew?"

"The whole time."

"R-really?! I didn't think that anyone from a world like this would work it out… Please don't tell anyone."

"I wouldn't do that. Just as long as you take better care of yourself, ok?"

"I will but… I still owe you so much, there has to be something I can do, not that I'm aware of anything…" She said with a glum expression before fishing through her pockets to pull out her phone. "I know it's not much, but at least for now, I can send you some Credits so that you can afford your journey! And we can exchange our account details as well so if there is anything that I can help you with, you can let me know!"

"Then I'll ditto the statement if you're ever heading to another war-torn world or just in a pinch. Give me a heads up." Nova replied with an easy-going smile that the girl responded to in kind, yet it was all a mere facade to cover up his beating heart and troubled mind from the risks that his selfishness was causing…

"So what do you make of it Herta?" A curly, red-haired woman asked the short doll replica of the genius before her who quickly swiped a black crystal out of her hand to hold up to her face with an expression that hardly appeared like she was giving any serious thought to the inspection.

"So does it count as a curio or not? It's so pretty, I'd love to be able to keep it on my windowsill or somewhere!" An energetic pink, short-haired girl enthusiastically chimed in yet she only served to be an annoyance to the Genius.

"Do you think that you can cheat a Genius out of a deal? All the curios and other such treasures are mine in turn I keep supplying your adventures, I'm not making exceptions." Herta shot back without sparing a glance towards her.

"Aww… but if you don't ask then you don't get! There's no harm in trying!"

"She is correct March, and the supplies that Herta gives are quite valuable considering how much she enables us to trailblaze without worry for meals and resources. We should be willing to honour our agreements especially when they're as beneficial as Herta's." The mature red-haired woman said in a lightly scolding tone with a smile that had March bashfully smile back in response.

"I know Himeko, it's just that it would have been a nice souvenir of our adventure." March replied, "But is there anything you know about it Herta? Its behaviour is so strange."

"I share the sentiment. I've yet to come across anything quite like it." Himeko asked as well whilst the doll remained unresponsive.

Herta didn't bother to give them any attention as she focused on the crystal that she held in her hand. The beautiful dark diamond cut crystal had only a faint shimmering light in its centre that almost seemed to pulse whilst growing in size at the slightest rate yet it was noticeable after looking at it long enough. But what the express crew most likely thought to be interesting was its ability to draw in energy which was made apparent as the doll's energy which she controlled was having its energy drained from it whilst the light in the crystal grew.

With a huff she made up her mind, turning around on the stop before walking straight over to a machine in the corner of her office, wordlessly placing it inside to which it was accepted, floating in place.

"Huh? What are you doing with it?" March asked as she and Himeko watched on, only the former holding confusion whilst Himeko remained content with letting the Genius carry out her actions until the answers revealed themselves.

"Just charging it up," Herta replied with a bored tone as she punched in a few settings on the machine before standing back to watch it whilst it got to work.

The moment that the machine was set to work a thin point above the crystal began to shine with charging power that gathered there until firing a thin beam at the crystal. The light inside it instantly flickered in response before rapidly growing in size before the whole crystal sparkled with cyan light. The machine still didn't stop, and nor did the brightness of the crystal stop either as it got brighter and brighter until its radiance was almost blinding as it filled the room before a final flash occurred, sending glimmers of light across the room that lingered in place.

"What's going on? Isn't this getting kind of dangerous?!" March asked in alarm as she shielded her eyes alongside Himeko until she sensed the light dropping, allowing them to lower guards.

Doing so allowed them to see the sight of the beads of light returning to the crystal and gathering around it, quickly forming a growing figure before their eyes with the crystal at its core, and as the light settled down, it revealed a person.

They hadn't fully formed instantly as the light continued to rush back to their body which was steadily forming its limbs one by one. Despite its unfinished state, it was clear that it looked rather human, almost perfectly like a late teenage boy if it wasn't for the crystal that remained glittering in his chest and the reality of their nature being so openly displayed before them. As their body finally began to finish manifesting they finally cracked their sharp eyes open slightly to reveal them possessing a similar deep royal blue as the hair on his head that was neatly parted to the side. Yet despite the incredible sight that she had just witnessed, March could only blush at first as she and Himeko politely diverted their attention from the now-exposed person before them.

Luckily it was the first thing that they had noticed as they opened their eyes, instantly realising their situation and responding to it with a snap of their fingers. Instantly there was a small burst of light from their core that quickly wrapped itself around his body, behaving almost flame-like in the way that they shimmered on him, but it was enough of a quick fix to make up for his previous state, covering up his legs and turning into a long, sleeveless coat to give his upper body some protection.

"I'm back already?" He couldn't help but question in bewilderment at the sudden development. Such a sudden recovery wasn't something that he ever thought was possible, at least not without risking corruption, and yet here he was, brimming with energy once again.

"I don't believe it, that crystal was a person this whole time?! I didn't know there were races like that in the world!" March exclaimed in amazement, drawing the boy's attention who looked over in curiosity before suddenly freezing up at the sight of the pinkett, not that anyone noticed his reaction.

"The universe is a large place March, there are all sorts of different races out there all with their unique traits. I'm sure that the more we trailblaze the more you'll come across many more different kinds of races as well." Himeko chimed in before turning her attention to the young man who stood frozen before them. "But I admit, this is a first for me as well but it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Himeko, one of the Nameless and Navigator for the Astral Express. And this here is March 7th, another passenger of the Astral Express" She said with a sincere smile whilst March beamed a bright smile at him.

"Wow… I didn't know that dates could take human form, we're all learning something new, huh?" The boy quickly replied causing March to pout in response as he subconsciously stood to his full height, giving her his full attention, inadvertently displaying the Crystal that now glittered with a shimmering light in his chest. "Ok, sorry, low-hanging fruit and felt I had to take it. On a more serious note… thank you very much for the save. I'm Nova, it's nice to meet you."

"Excuse me? She didn't do much for you aside from handing you over to your actual saviour. You're welcome by the way." Herta snapped, her voice dripping with sass and disapproval, making Nova spin around to notice the short doll fiercely scowling at him. "Count yourself lucky because of the attack as well, the damage to the station ultimately resulted in energy going unused which you got."

"And that suddenly explains where the massive quantity of energy came from… thank you very much." The boy quickly replied with a nod yet his eyes remained focused on the Genius who quickly grew disgruntled from it.

"What's wrong? Spit it out already or else you can get lost. I know I'm pretty but I don't appreciate people just staring at me all day."

"Right, sorry, but I was wondering, are you Madam Herta of the Genius Society? The Emanator?" Nova quickly asked, resulting in Herta shifting from a look of annoyance to pride as she placed her hands on her hips. It was a question that he already knew, but it was the immediate thought that came to mind to make some plausible reason for his freeze-up.

"That's right! You cut to more impressive aspects compared to that Nameless navigator merely referencing me being #83 of the Society."

"Well, thank you all a lot then… pleasure to meet you," Nova said as he fought down the urge to keep looking around the place frantically with the rising need to escape building in him, his mind racing as the possibilities of his scenario came to mind one after another.

'The one thing that I swore not to do… and a measly two years later I've already gone and done it! How the hell did this even happen, what are the odds?!' Nova internally cursed himself as he tried to keep calm in the situation. 'It's fair to call this the beginning of the game right? I mean they mentioned having just been attacked just then as well…'

All he could hope was that his mere presence wasn't enough to change things at all, and to make his leave as soon as he could….

"Yup, Himeko already said it but I'm March 7th, it's nice to meet you!" March said before calming down, "But how did you end up like that? Is that something to do with what you are?"

"The fool ran out of energy and regressed back to his Core." Herta injected with a broad expression yet to the confusion of the two Nameless.

"Something like that…" Nova awkwardly said before sighing and standing tall to face them, looking almost as if he had made up his mind. "Unlike you, despite my physical appearance, I'm an energy-based life form called a Krystalvilian. I'm like a cripple in a car, only that the cripple is literally a glittering rock and the car is made of the fuel that it's using… somehow…. Fuel's gone? Car's gone. Car's gone? Crystal just sits on the ground like a coma patient in bed, slowly withering away if it's not lucky enough to have life support… that's just enough stray energy in the space around it by the way." He explained with sheer nonchalance that left March completely bewildered.

"Is that… the best way you could have described your situation?" March questioned.

"It's certainly a colourful and interesting description to hear." Himeko mused with a soft smile.

"You're also a race that has pretty much locked themselves in a civil war spanning several centuries, it's not often to see one you so far from home," Herta added on without care as she re-examined Nova with a fresh sense of curiosity.

"Who's the one checking the other out now?" Nova said with a sly smile quickly receiving a stern look from Herta, completely unimpressed at the quip that he used to hide his discomfort about the situation.

You can dream with that kind of attitude, there's no reason for me to take an interest in you. I'm questioning what resulted in you being here. You're just not carrying any hints."

"Knew as much, should have known better that you would humour a person. Anyways, I literally just emerged from my core; I don't know what you expect."

"Perhaps you could tell what happened to you then? When we found your crystal it was in the middle of a Fragmentum, and rather close to a large Fragmentum Beast." Himeko interjected, putting an end to the rising tensions in the room with a friendly smile and intrigued look.

"Well, that's simple. I was curious what one tasted like, so I ate one." Nova bluntly answered with a poker face.

"There's no way that's the case!" March exclaimed.

"Eh, 50/50, yes and no. The curiosity about eating one is genuine, actually being there to do it or having done so? No. I might be a Krystalvilian that consumes energy-based lifeforms myself but I'm not an idiot… I've heard human pregnancies cause them to have bizarre food cravings so maybe it's like that? Or not, I don't know what's up with humans, never mind human women. I assume they don't actually eat those things."

"Well… I hope not?" March worriedly said as she shared a glance with Himeko. "Does that mean you're also… pregnant?"

Nova could only lift a brow as he gave the girl a disappointed stare before sighing. "Ever heard of these things called 'intrusive thoughts'? I have a few. More than a few at times. Sometimes they win, just not that time. Besides, Kristalvilins don't get pregnant, we don't reproduce via… whatever it is you do." He said, making sure to tag a lie in. 'It's hardly like I don't know human biology when I used to be one, although I don't know how appropriate it is for me to know that now. It's hardly like I'm a biologist to explain learning about some things…'

Or perhaps it would be that strange? It wasn't like it was exclusive to humans despite all the races in the world, but it certainly wasn't a thing for an energy-based lifeform either…

"Um… ok, but then what about why you were really there then?"

"Well, ever since I escaped that planet which I call my homeland, I've just been wandering across the universe seeing all the different places all the while. But it's not like the world just hands out quantities of energy to consume for free, and whilst running a bit low and being caught off-guard costs me."

"That sounds rather careless of you," March replied, disapproval in her voice.

"…Sure. Yeah, it was…" Nova eventually replied with a heavy, pained sigh as the thought of being called 'careless' by the girl before him wasn't something that he would be happy with, leaving him with a burning desire to refute it but knowing better than so.

"But you said that you've been wandering about the universe since, does that mean you're another Nameless then?" March then said with excitement in her voice.

"…Perhaps," Nova answered with a sense of realization of letting things slip, diverting his attention from the group.

"Is there something wrong? I've been meaning to ask since you have been making rather troubled expressions since being revived." Himeko spoke with a worried look making March don a similar look that only made Nova more troubled as he tried to calm himself instead.

"Sorry, I'm just… struggling with a few things right now. A near-death experience immediately followed by being somewhere completely new and surrounded by… significant individuals…." Nova replied as he scratched the bottom of his mind for something convincing enough. Course, the odds of fooling Herta were slim to none but then again, why would she care about his 'troubled' mood?

"I understand, from that perspective, I imagine that you currently have a lot on your mind right now," Himeko said with a gentle, understanding smile that seemed almost motherly even though the two had never met one another before, further shocking Nova with the amount of comfort that he felt from it and the genuine warmth it came with. "I understand that you would likely prefer to have some time to yourself, but there are some things I feel I should ask, such as if you have a plan in mind?"

"A plan? What kind of plan?" Nova asked in confusion.

"About what to do next. To be honest, the planet which we found you is quite far from here and I imagine that you would wish to get back on your journey." Himeko pointed out.

"Well a sensible person would first gather enough energy to last themselves a while before seriously heading off…" Nova chimed back. "And clothes. I've basically lost everything since being forced to return to my core so that's more than just a little issue…"

"Don't worry about energy, do you think I would give you some trickling amount? I already told you, I was generous, you got a good portion of the power no longer being used because of the damage caused by the Antimatter Legion attack. You're good to go for a year if you play it conservatively. Clothes aren't anything either, just go and trouble Asta to get you something." Herta interrupted with another offended expression whilst she scolded him.

"I've been feeling like I had the energy to blow this place up…" Nova merely murmured to himself whilst looking down at his own form, forming and relinquishing fists as if in contemplation.

"You're not… actually thinking of doing that, right?" March worriedly asked.

"Muhuhahahah! No." Nova laughed in a maniacal sense as his body began to surge with energy before instantly dropping back to a calm, casual behaviour for his answer. "Yes, the thought crossed my mind, but whilst I may have plenty of intrusive thoughts I'd never actually go and kill myself," Nova replied resulting in a sigh of relief from her whilst Herta merely huffed in response.

"I think I'd rather hear you wouldn't harm anyone else here as well…"

"Oh yeah, that too. I wouldn't hurt an innocent like that." Nova tacked on almost dismissively until Himeko spoke up, her words stunning him into silence.

"Nova, being a fellow Nameless, what would you say to join the Astral Express?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah! Why don't you come with us, Nova!" March cheered.

Nova could only wonder to himself how he hadn't seen the offer coming since announcing himself a Nameless. It was the natural course of the Nameless that got the chance to join, so long as they weren't a problematic sort of person then the Astral Express was supposed to be the sacred vehicle of the Nameless that many of them longed to join.

"I… don't know…" Nova said weakly as he turned away from them, unable to come up with anything to plausibly refuse them. "I said I was wandering about but… I'm also acting with a bit of an agenda…"

"I see, well, you don't have to answer us right this moment. There's another person who is also in the middle of making up their mind as well. Just think about it for a bit and come and tell me later, I'll be with the Express helping load it with supplies. You should have a little while to make up your mind." Himeko replied.

"Don't think that you'll be staying here at all either, you can beat it either way. Either with them or on your own, I don't care. Just not here." Herta added with her arms crossed, "And with that, you can all get out. I've got things to see to because of the Legion."

"Very well, I've got to get to helping load up the express as well," Himeko replied before turning her attention back to Nova. "Perhaps you should take some time to think about what you are going to do from now on. Please remember however that Express members are free to get off any time they like, your final stop is whichever one you decide it to be."

"I'll keep that in mind." Nova quietly said with a small nod before turning to leave, hiding away the solum expression that was steadily growing on his face, "I'll be walking around a bit in the meantime… and getting clothes. I'll come to the station platform in a bit."

"We'll be looking forward to it!" March cheerily replied as they watched Nova take his leave from the office, only to get reminded by the sight of an expectant Herta to quickly do the same.

"I can't believe this is happening… The number one rule I made, violated after only two years…" Nova groaned as he walked through some of the empty halls of the space station, the recent incident with the Antimatter legions and corrosion from the preciously sealed Stellaron having certain parts of the Space Station conveniently empty for him to talk to himself, lest suitably strong security was coming around to continue picking off the remnants left behind.

"I mean, now that it's come this far it wouldn't be that harmful getting clothes at least, right?" He continued to think, his technical nudity getting to him. Even though he was keeping covered, it certainly didn't feel much like it and it was quickly getting to him when everyone else in sight was properly dressed. "But it's more than that… I need a new phone so I can sign back into my account and get access to my money once again. Maybe… maybe Asta could help with that as well?"

It didn't sit right with him taking advantage of someone with money like that, but it wasn't a small issue either that he was faced with and with how much money Asta spent without batting an eye was plenty to know that to her a phone was insignificant. 'If I remember properly… doesn't she have the kind of wealth to buy out and own whole planets without it making much of a dent in her money? Perhaps in retrospect, it shouldn't mean anything as long as I'm thankful, right?'

Yet it was just as he was thinking that whilst he was wandering around, he found himself stumbling across a certain grey-haired individual who remained still and quiet, leaning over a railing before a window that looked down at the planet, The Blue, below.

'I know that Himeko mentioned that they were around but I guess it's nice to actually see them, although… I thought he would be more lively…' He couldn't help but think as he remained still, silently staring at the back of the young man who had yet to notice him from whatever state he was in. 'There isn't anything wrong is there? I mean I've had literally nothing to do with him so far, so I should just leave him alone, right?'

It was the natural choice to make sure the story was undisturbed, to ensure what should happen, would happen. The only way that things could go wrong is if he got involved in things.

'... or if he were to choose the bad ending.' Nova thought as it clicked in his mind, instantly rooting him to the spot at the possibility. He could feel himself beginning to tense at the possibility as he couldn't shake the thought from his head, torn between the idea of the bad end bringing itself into fruition yet simultaneously potentially being the reason that something changed simply by being too nosy about the situation.

It was enough to leave Nova torn, merely staring at the back of the Trailblazer's head with a tense expression as he felt his body remain tense until he finally decided to make up his mind. Only capable of hoping that it wasn't the wrong one yet taking a shaky breath to prepare himself.

"Feeling blue?" Nova eventually said, now standing beside the Trailblazer, startling the grey-haired man who looked completely stunned at Nova's presence. "Don't have to look that shocked…"

"A ghost?!" He said, his features now relaxed slightly which made his playfulness clearer.

"Yesn't. I eat ghosts at least." Nova nonchalantly replied, quickly stirring up a more genuine shock and disbelief in Caelus's expression. "The only 'ghosts' here are Wubbaboos, but even they are more accurately just a species of Energy-Based Lifeforms. Still, I'm killing your fun, aren't I?"

"It's fine, but what are you?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

"A Krystalvilian, there are a lot of differences between me and a human." Nova replied, "But rather than talking about one another's biology, let's talk moods. Yours?"

"What about introductions?" The Trailblazer responded, making Nova's eyes widen slightly before he calmly nodded in agreement.

"Fair, I was jumping the gun. I'm Nova, a wanderer across the universe, you?"

"Caelus, an unknown amnesiac!" Caelus almost proudly declared to Nova's confusion about how that could be his attitude about his background.

"Oh, what glorious, joyous circumstances! Makes me wonder what could be serious enough if that isn't an issue to you." Nova commented, holding back a sense of exasperation behind a mask of a sly smile.

"I do wonder what my past is like but until now a lot of things have just kept happening so I haven't had time to think about it," Caelus replied as he turned back to the window, his troubled expression steadily returning to him with a sombre smile. "And now I've already got to decide what I'm going to do."

"What are the options?"

"I either stay at this Space Station and let Herta research me or I join the Astral Express and go with them, but I'd still be visiting occasionally for Herta's research on me."

"And your feelings on the matter?"

"I don't know… I don't have any issue with Herta, I might even need her to make sure that my condition isn't bad or getting worse. But when it comes to joining the Express… I think I'll just stay." Caelus said all the whilst struggling to find the words to convey his feelings, but they were enough to put instant dread into Nova's core, his eyes widening in realisation of what he was experiencing.

'…what?' Nova thought whilst being assaulted with an overwhelming feeling of dread with only a small wave of relief at the choice of the 'correct' action he had made to talk to Caelus.

"W-what… you… you're staying?" Nova almost spluttered in his shock, instantly snapping his attention to Calus in horror. "I mean why would you do that?! There's not much here, Herta's rude and will poke and prod you like a science experiment and sooner or later when she gets bored, you'll be kicked out…"

"Maybe but…"

"But? What's wrong?"

"It's… overwhelming… I just don't know what to do…" Calus hesitantly explained, struggling to grasp his own emotions whilst Nova carefully listened to his every word, his voice, his expressions and any and all fluctuations that he showed, desperately attempting to read the troubled guy to figure out his issue as if his life depended on it.

"So… everything is overwhelming? And you're feeling lost? So…" Nova guessed, saying whatever thoughts he managed to string together in his desperation. "So… you… feel safe, safer, in choosing to stay here?"

Calus looked at Nova with an almost shocked look before he went back into brief contemplation at Nova's words who remained tense, pleading to himself that he somehow managed to hit the nail on the head.

"I suppose so… There's just a lot going on right now…" Calus finally answered with a sigh. "If I stay here, then I think that I can come to grip my situation, and steadily work something out."

'Oh, good. Is it just a matter of persuading him then? If I can manage that…' Nova thought to himself, unknowingly releasing a sigh at the same time to Calus's confusion.

"Why'd you sigh?" Calus asked.

"Oh, sorry, it's nothing." Nova quickly replied as he raised a hand in defence before having an idea strike his mind which managed to coax a smile out of him, despite how much of a farce that it was. "It's just that… I have a feeling that you're making a choice that you'll regret, you know?"

"You think going with the express is better?"

"To be blunt, yes. And this isn't about me being a Nameless either." Nova said as he put on a heavy, serious demeanour. "Staying here, well… not much will happen. Your life will be like a guanine pig, trapped in a cage and nothing more than an experiment… at least to Herta but she does respect human rights… I think. Eventually, you'll be dumped and left to the streets, sad life honestly. What I think appeals to you about it is that life remains the same until you're kicked out, it'll be stable in a sense. But…sometimes the answers you seek require going looking for them instead."

'Bit of a lie about the outcome of staying here but honestly it's for the better…' Nova thought to himself quickly as he waited for Calues's response. After all, if he remembered correctly, upon becoming bored with him instead of being kicked out like Herta said it just simply fell to Asta who found him other jobs on the research station instead and seemingly lived a rather simple life. 'Perhaps he joined security or odd jobs?'

Yet despite his words, Caelus failed to appear completely sold as he instead remained contemplative about the situation probing Nova to continue his speech. "Maybe you don't know but you're free to get off the Astral Express wherever you want, your final stop is whichever one you choose. Unlike staying on the space station, the Express allows you to change your mind. You can go out there, experience things, enjoy things, find your place in the world or truly take to the Trailblazing life and stay on the journey. The alternative is thinking that this is the best you can achieve, and you can still always come back here any time you please. You want to figure things out but you can still do it whilst travelling, some people find that they can better find themselves on the road. The express crew seem to be the kind of people who will help you every step of the way, you just have to ask them. I really push it, try the express, at least try. Are you sure that you won't regret it?"

Caelus was stunned by the serious Nova who poured out to him, almost desperately so, having caused Caelus to take a step back as he fell into thought, gripping a fist whilst his face turned sharp. The silence was deafening but he had no choice but to wait for the answer.

'Please don't let there be any difficulty to this… I know that people won't help me and instead respect his decision but this needs to happen! I don't want to have messed everything up before it even begins! Please!'

"Alright then, let's go see the stars!" Calus suddenly declared, hands on his hips as he looked onward with fresh determination and life in his eyes.

"The stars are everywhere, it's planets you should be-… I mean, great to hear!" Nova cheered in relief. "You should properly go and find Himeko by the Express then, I'm sure they're waiting for your answer."

"Yeah, but you're not coming?" Caelus said with a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you said that you're a wanderer right? Aren't you a Nameless as well?"

"Nameless? Yes. Express Crew? No." Nova replied as he stood tall again from resting on the railing. "You'll learn that I was given an offer though but I have my own circumstances that I need to think about."

"What could make it a bad choice to join the express compared to my circumstance"? Caelus asked with a troubled expression. "What about everything that you just told me?"

"…Duty?" Nova answered with a brief hesitance, "I have something I need to do, and the express isn't the kind of service that just takes you places at your request like a taxi. Well, they'll happily revisit worlds and consider your request but ultimately if it's not on the agenda then it's a group decision. Would be marvellous, but it's not." Nova fibbed as he racked his mind for something that Caelus would believe whilst avoiding his gaze yet his expression hardly looked like he was willing to accept it. Despite this, he didn't talk, merely challenging Nova with an almost glare in the silent demand for the truth.

'What am I supposed to say? Mentioning anything about timelines would either be ignored or they'll assume I'm a Stellaron Hunter and arrest me for it… but at the same time… should I leave? Caelus almost stayed behind until I changed things, but this was just one of the actual possible bad ends in the story. What if he chooses the other one in Penacony?'

The longer he stayed with the story, the more and more likely it became that he would cause changes that would potentially threaten the universe. But perhaps he would be needed to prevent the bad ends? Or perhaps Elio had already included him in the script and was planning around him making his worry not necessary? What even was the actual end goal of Elio's script? He was mostly assuming that it was preventing Nanook from destroying the universe as was THEIR goal, an outcome that he simply couldn't possibly allow. One that if he made the wrong choice, he would be the cause of a deviation that resulted in the end of everything.

When the wrong choice was the end of the universe, how could he decide on what was the safer option? Out of the possibilities, there was no way of knowing and it both infuriated and terrified him of the potential repercussions.

'Ultimately, it just depends on if Elio's script actually plans around me or not in the assumption that I don't want to mess it up. And it'll take meeting the Stellaron Hunters to be sure of it but I'll at least have to get through Belobog first… perhaps I'll just spend my time in the shadows and attempt to keep everything to the story I know for now? It's no big decision… just capable of deciding the fate of the universe is all… ok, there's regret in thinking that… ' Nova silently pondered to himself whilst having turned blind to the world, all the thinking was quickly becoming bad for his metaphorical heart as he could feel the crushing weight in his chest. Luckily he had no organs and such health to worry about. Instead, he had different problems.

'But going with them allows me to change things if need be… so if anything does change, I'll just take responsibility and fix it…' he finished his thought as a sense of resolution came upon him, steeling himself for however difficult his self-imposed mission would be…

"Are you ok? You're looking pretty bad." Calus noted, snapping Nova out of his thought with a faint gasp that left them looking at one another.

"I wish I had health to blame it on but that's not really an option for me…" He quickly said as he stood tall to face Caelus again. "I've just gone and weighed my options is all, I'm as good as I can be."

"Really? Does that mean you've changed your mind? What even are your circumstances anyway?"

"Ah… um…" Nova shifted at the question, scratching the back of his head as he thought to try and explain himself to no avail. "I'm sorry but… I don't think I can say just yet... It's important, and maybe I'm misunderstood about something, but maybe within the coming weeks or months, I might be able to tell you. But for now, can we please consider it sensitive? But for now, I'm taking the drive I suppose…"

"Maybe we're both a little uncertain about this, huh?" Calus said with a smile, "It's strange that you're struggling so much after giving advice like that."

"Please don't start doubting it, I just have my own situation that it doesn't apply to. It doesn't matter anymore right, we're fellow trailblazing buddies now, right? Let's start it by finding Himeko and letting her know!" Nova quickly replied with somewhat forced enthusiasm to get Caelus to beam back at him, finally with an aura of confidence for the first time.

Yet it was at that moment that a ping went off from Caelus's pocket interrupting the two as he quickly fished out his phone, silently reading the message that he had received. "Who's that?" Nova asked.

"Herta. She wants to talk to me about something in person, I think. She's just telling me to come over to her for something." Caelus answered.

"Sounds like her… well whilst you're meeting her you should probably mention your decision to her. In the meantime, I've got a question for Asta, assuming she's willing to lend a little bit of help…" Nova replied whilst doing a quick gesture as if to present himself, or rather, his unique "clothing" situation.

"Is that not normal for you?" Caelus wondered making Nova lapse into thought for a few brief moments.

"Well, I suppose the equivalent could technically be you wearing a human hide…" He said shocking the young man who seemed almost mortified. "Well to be honest we don't view it that way. It's just an exertion of effort. Not much considering I can regain most of the energy just by reabsorbing it but I'd much rather have actual clothing than just calling on the power of censorship the whole time."

"I had no idea that you're people were nudists…" Caelus replied as he diverted his attention to the side as he teasingly pretended to be embarrassed.

"We're not, it's just that waking up from our core means we have nothing…" Nova quickly shot down his behaviour with an unimpressed look. "Look, you should likely head to Herta as soon as possible. I would go with but unless you're already gaining access to the glorious convenience that is Space Anchors, I'm using the shortcut."

"What are those?"

"They're a part of the blessings of trailblaze. If you go to one then you can fast-travel to others that you have already visited or if you're powerful enough with your connection to the trailblaze then you don't even need to find one to hop to any of them. Although, jumping between planets isn't something that's exactly within their ability - we've got the Astral Express instead for that." Nova quickly explained as he began to take a few steps down the corridor prompting Caelus to begin to follow him until Nova already turned round with a gentle smile at the doorway to another room. "If you want, here's an example!"

Before Caelus could even say anything in response, Nova had already vanished from sight with a quick blue flash he had vanished before his eyes leaving him alone only able to assume that right before him was an invisible Space Anchor…

Here's another chapter, although I wouldn't expect them to be coming out as quickly as this one did. I'm aiming for either once a week or two.
Course, not much is happening aside from fitting Nova into the story for now which I hope you are liking to his character. Honestly, I'm experimenting so he's another thing I would be happy to receive opinions on, that and Caelus as I'm needing to work out how I'm going to write their character. I think I should watch a trailblazer complation or something...

Either way, I hope that you're looking forward to how this story will come out.