This is a philosophical question.

Are we limited to feeling based on how our language can define us? Or can we exist beyond the capacity of our understanding? Does our understanding of syntax, feelings and ability to express ourselves represent who we are as a whole?

Or, alternatively, do people exist beyond their own memories?

If I were to wake up one day, with not a single memory to my name, would I be the same person that I was yesterday? What if I had a notebook full of each and every thought from before, all twenty-five years of my life in a notebook. I could read the entire thing, embrace the feelings and emotions that were on the page, but would that make me the same person that I was before I lost my memories?

I can't think of a correct answer to this one. On a physical level we have not changed, but as an individual I wouldn't be the same as I was yesterday.

I am defined by my experiences, and while the past may certainly not dictate how I act in the present, it still defines who I am. My friends, my family, my goals and achievements. I could throw them all away and still be myself, but who I am as a person was formed by those disposable things.

That is why… to those who do not have a past that they can look at. To those who have no future to look forward to.

I will create one for them. One step at a time.

And in doing so, I will prove Zenith wrong.

Chapter 15. Coming In From The Cold.

Kafka was a woman who always got what she wanted. Sam had told me that directly.

In this case, I was the one to give the hunter exactly what she desired. Everything clicked together like the last piece of a puzzle when Stelle had appeared.

Stelle, the woman who had no memories except of a certain Stellaron Hunter. Who hosted a Stellaron inside herself, brought back to life by the efforts of two intergalactic criminals, and had a past with one of the most mysterious people in the galaxy.

My role in this entire play was to give Stelle her memories back. Maybe they expected me to give her back one, maybe they expected everything from before she was revived. I wasn't sure, but I had not a single doubt in my mind that's what I would be tasked to do.

And I… didn't believe Stelle came here just for me.

The proximity between Kafka and Stelle. Their posture, their stance. They were relaxed around each other. As if this wasn't the first, or second, or even tenth time they had been together. The way that Stelle had absolutely no guard up around Kafka, and how Kafka seemed to soften up just the tiniest bit around Stelle.

The mind may forget, but the body remembers.

"Zenith, are you okay? I came here to find you." Stelle said, worry evident in her eyes.

Liar. My mind whispered. I couldn't tell if I was being paranoid, if the hours spent alone with nothing but the void above me had frayed upon my nerves. But I sincerely doubted that was her sole reason.

I scanned Stelle. Her face, her eyes. There was genuine worry there, but it was also plagued with hesitation. As if she wasn't sure what she should be feeling, or saying to me.

"Did you come here because of me? Or because you were curious about your past memories?" I asked her bluntly.

Stelle took a moment before responding. "I… came here because I was told… that if I did I could free you."

"And because of your memories." I said, filling in with what she didn't say.

Stelle didn't respond, there was a flash of guilt on her face at that.

Was it really fair of me to say that to Stelle? Was I just lashing out? After all, if I was in her situation, it would be the same as killing two birds with one stone. Get back my memories and find my kidnapped crew member.

My heart twisted in an ugly manner. Sometimes I wish I could turn off my emotions.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, addressing Kafka.

"It seems you've already figured it out. My, how keen of you." Kafka said, there was a small smile on her face. I would liken it to a smug grin, but it seemed almost… pure.

My heart twisted again. It almost made me wish I could physically grab hold of it to stop it from hurting.

"And in return for doing so?"

"What, is helping your friend not enough of a reward?" Kafka chuckled. I filled my veins with ice and steeled myself as I kept my gaze even with her. "I heard you and Sam had an interesting talk. It's always nice to see them making friends. That kind of stuff might not be part of their script, but it's certainly mine."

…I see. I certainly wouldn't consider Sam a friend. But I understood what she was saying clearly.

I glanced at Stelle, she seemed confused but ultimately stayed silent.

I had my answer, now I just needed to know what to do. I broke eye contact with Kafka, she was fraying on my nerves. "Let's get this on with. Do you have any idea where to start?"

"Zenith… What did you just agree to?" Stelle asked.

"To help you, Stelle." I told her. "I've been here for hours. I don't even know how long it's been since I was kidnapped. I just want out."

"You don't have to worry about it too much, Stelle. Just trust your friend. Neither of us would hurt you." Kafka spoke up.

Stelle glanced between the two of us before she nodded. "What do I have to do?"

Good question Stelle. I'd like to know that as well. But here I was, doing what I did best and winging everything until it made sense.

"Close your eyes." Kafka whispered in Stelle's ear. Her gloved hands came up and rested on Stelle's shoulders, almost as if to relax her. "Hold out your hand and take a deep breath."

Stelle did exactly what Kafka directed her to. Her golden irises disappeared behind her eyelids and she extended one hand gingerly in front of her. Kafka glanced at me, signaling my queue.

I took a second to steel myself once more before stepping up and grabbing Stelle's hand with my own non-injured one.

Kafka's gaze was locked on Stelle and I's interlocked hands. There was some sort of emotion in her eyes, unreadable to all but herself. I wondered exactly what it was. Wistfulness? Jealousy? Anger? Happiness? Relief?

It could be anything.

"Listen to me Stelle…" I heard Kafka say, before the rest of it shrank into whispers too soft for me to hear.

I focused on myself, ignoring my heart twist for the third time at seeing how close the two women in front of me were. I simply had to look for whatever faded string appeared in front of me. I knew that Kafka was well aware of my abilities by now, that who I was and who I wasn't were irrelevant so long as I did my job.

Doubting myself wouldn't do. Even if I had failed to bring about my own memories using my power, it was entirely possible that doing it to others would be easier. Kafka clearly trusted, or expected, me to be able to do such a thing. If I couldn't believe in myself, at the very least I could believe in her.

Even if she was the person who ultimately got me kidnapped.

"This isn't a good idea." Someone whispered into my own ear. There was a hand on my shoulder, parallel to what Kafka was doing with Stelle.

I went deathly still as I registered who it was. Their voice had faded into the back of my mind as the rest of the past events had greatly overshadowed them, but I recognized it regardless.

"It's good you haven't forgotten." Messenger, the Memokeeper, said.

How could I forget the one who called me dangerous and ghosted me? How did she know what I was thinking?

"I'm reading your memories as you create them, you don't need to speak this way."

Wonderful, having my mind scanned without consent. What else was she looking through?

"I'm sorry to do this without asking. But I had to make contact when I realized what you were doing with our person of interest." Memokeeper continued. "I'm not reading anything except your current thoughts."

I looked back to Stelle, Kafka was still whispering to her. They were seemingly lost in their own little world.

"Are you jealous?"

Shut the fuck up, I nearly snarled as anger erupted from me out of nowhere.

"My apologies. I'm going to reiterate. I would heavily advise against altering the memories of the Stellaron host called Stelle."

…I calmed myself down by taking a deep breath. I ignored the Memokeeper for a second to concentrate on my hand connected with Stelle. There was a tickling feeling there, similar to what I felt before with myself. I closed my own eyes and tried my best to concentrate on that feeling. It wiggled against me, not physically, but more in a spiritual sense. I felt as if it was connected with me beyond my skin.

Could I pull on it?

"Don't. She is someone who has been beyond the veil of death and been brought back. There is a price to pay for such a thing. There are rules that all natural beings must follow."

And who decided such rules? Aeons? Aeons didn't create humanity. Humanity even created a few Aeons. So what if she was brought back from the dead? Was she not allowed to live? To reconnect with someone who clearly cared about her?

I… was jealous of Kafka. Of Stelle. Of the bond they shared. I was jealous because I was cognizant enough to recognize the small budding attraction that I had for Stelle. But when presented with the sight before me, the difference in how Kafka acted on the Express and when she was alone with just Stelle and I.

How could I just ignore that? If I had the ability, I had a responsibility with it. And in doing so, I hoped that I would get one step closer to finding a way back home.

I refused to be like Zenith, who used their power for selfish reasons. Maybe at one point she used it for good, but it was all selfishness before long.

I would be different than that, and if I could help out a friend. I would. My motivations might not be entirely selfless, but there was no world out there that would consider what I was doing as selfish. I just wanted to do what was right.

"...I see. I understand your conviction. Then I will guide you through the steps to take." Messenger sighed, an action that contradicted her memetic body. "With luck, the consequences will be minimal. Don't regret this later."

I never regret things.

"Concentrate on that tickling feeling. Imagine that it's wrapping around your finger. That it'll curl up around your palm and then even more to your wrist. It'll be slow, steady, but just imagine it slithering around your skin." Messenger described it to me.

I focused on the feather-like feeling from our clasped hands. I could imagine it slowly connecting with my index finger, forming into something solid and less feathery. It turned into a piece of yarn, with a frayed end, and it slowly started to wrap itself around my finger. It circled it, once, twice, as slow as a snail, but eventually my entire finger was covered.

The yarn inched forward and forward, rather than me pulling on it, I focused on it coming to me. It continued to wrap around me, the length of it spinning and squeezing my finger as it started to wrap around my palm. It circled it thrice, skipping past my thumb and then finally onto my wrist.

"Imagine your fist closing. The feeling of the string against the rest of your digits as you grab hold of it as tight as possible."

I did that, following her directions and gripping the yarn into my hand as best as I could. Its entire length was frayed and torn, it felt as if it was barely hanging onto itself. As if any sudden movement it could snap and be lost forever.

"If you go too fast, it will." Messenger said. "Now, slowly, gently, pull back. Not too fast, but as slow as you can. Eventually the memory will come back to life. When it does, you'll be able to tell."

I nodded and did as she said, breaking off from my physical body and imagining myself pulling back my fist. I barely moved it, it felt like possibly a centimeter a second, a distance so minimal that I couldn't even be sure if I was really moving.

Stelle gasped after thirty seconds. It was sudden, and I twitched in response. Parts of the string slipped from my grasp.

"Concentrate. If you lose the string you'll have to find it again."

I fixed my grip and started to pull once more, going on and on. I ignored Stelle groaning and even choking back a sob. I pulled, and pulled, a centimeter at a time until the string locked tight and refused to budge even further. The yarn that I held, the fraying, just barely stuck together length lit up in a color of bright gold.

A ripple moved down the length as it stiched itself together, wrapping around my finger and palm before solidifying at the end in a solid knot.

"Good. Now let go slowly."

I slowly unclasped my hand from the newly reinforced string. It unwound itself from me, starting from the wrist and then my palms, before whisking around my finger and flying off into wherever it was before.

"...Well done. I'm almost scared at how well you did for your first time."

I huffed and opened my eyes. Me and Stelle's hands were still clasped, and Stelle had small tear streaks on her cheeks.

If Zenith could do such a thing, then I would be able to as well. I'd do it a thousand times better than her.

"That topic is something we will discuss later. For now, I have to be off and report about this. Please, do not do any more memory manipulation at the moment. It's really not good for the body to bring back too much at once." Messenger cautioned me.

I nodded and Messenger disappeared, the feeling of her hands on my shoulder vanishing as she did.

"I'm done. Anymore isn't good for the body." I repeated what Messenger said.

Stelle and I unlatched hands, and Stelle fluttered her eyes back open.

"Kafka…?" Stelle muttered out. She seemed a bit confused.

"It's me." Kafka whispered, just barely loud enough for me to hear. "What do you remember?"

Stelle's eyes continued to flutter for a few more seconds. "I… can't believe I have my coat because we stole it." She said.

I blinked as I registered what Stelle said. What the hell did I make her remember? I wasn't exactly expecting to be able to see what it was that I was causing someone to recall, but still.

Kafka laughed. It was a full, near belly laugh full of happiness. Hearing it enchanted me. It reminded me of a wonderful instrument.

"Do you remember the full day?" Kafka asked after she settled down. Stelle nodded in response. "Do you think you can do what you did to fend off those pests?"

Stelle frowned. "I think so. Especially with my lance. Should be easy enough. Why? What's going to happen that I'll need to do that?"

"You'll need it soon. You'll know when."

"...I don't like when you're so cryptic."

Kafka chuckled. "That's just how I have to be right now."

Stelle glanced at me. "You won't hurt Zenith, right?"

Thank you for the concern, Stelle. But I was right here.

"Of course not. I just needed her help with this. I'll let her regroup your crew in a bit." Kafka reassured her.

Oh thank god. Confirmation that I would be alright. Kafka would never lie to Stelle, right? I was hesitant to butt in, as they seemed to be in their own little world.

Stelle nodded. "Okay. I'll let you get to that. I don't want to be gone too long so that Welt and March get suspicious. It's the middle of the night but people are still wary after all the commotion you made."

"That I made? They worry too much about the wrong things. The Stellaron has caused the Ambrosial Arbor to revive as predicted. It's best not to get so hung up over the smaller details."

"Are you calling this meet-up a smaller detail?" I couldn't help but speak up.

"Of course. An unnecessary one, but one that I'm glad to have happened."

I didn't have a response to that admission.

"Is Zenith coming with me now?" Stelle asked.

Kafka shook her head. "I'll give her back soon. But I need to have a little chat with her first."

Stelle looked a little guilty at the prospect of leaving me behind. I wasn't sure about my feelings either way. On one hand, if I could go back immediately and regroup with the rest of the Astral Express crew, my general anxiety would probably lower a lot and I wouldn't be so on edge.

On the other hand…

They were dangling bait in front of me. A promise, unspoken yet tangible. They knew of my situation more than anyone else, not from my own admission but from something that was just as genuine.

If I could find any clues, any help towards getting me home….anything that could further my goal of surviving and getting back. I wasn't sure if I could just deny such a thing.

I had to find Zenith, and make her pay.

"Okay." Stelle nodded to Kafka, before addressing me. "You can trust her. She might seem scary but she's actually a big softie. And if she ever does anything to you…"

Stelle gave Kafka a mock glare. Kafka played along by pretending to be offended. I could practically hear the unsaid 'Who, me?'.

Whipped, perhaps?

"Thank you, Stelle. Tell everyone that I'm…" I paused as I thought about what word to say. "...alive."

"They know. Kafka told everyone before she disappeared." Stelle blinked, as if she just remembered that I had no idea what happened. "We didn't even know you had been kidnapped until then. The Stellaron is jamming communications."

I see… Wonderful. I had completely forgotten about that little fact. But Silver Wolf… probably didn't play by the same rules.

I resisted the urge to sigh. My well of foreknowledge was officially about to dry up, not that it had done anything this past day.

"Well I just hope Himeko and Dan Heng got the memo. I kind of didn't get a chance to say anything before being whisked away."

"I'll try to find a way to tell them."

"Thanks."

Things went silent for a second as Stelle shifted uncomfortably. It seemed as if she was still hesitant to leave me. I figured her problem wasn't necessarily with Kafka but more of the fact that she didn't know me nearly as well as her criminal married partner.

Not that I was a threat to Kafka. I highly doubted there was anything I could do to someone as enchanting and deadly as the woman who stood beside me. Rather, I think Stelle was worried about how I would take it.

"I'll be fine, Stelle. Go clear up that Stellaron stuff before it gets too troublesome." I reassured the girl from the Astral Express.

"...Alright. Thank you, Zenith. I will."

And with that, Stelle left in a blizzard of distorted reality. Disappearing into thin air as Silver Wolf's program scurried her back to wherever she came from.

Kafka and I didn't acknowledge each other for a few moments. Kafka stared into the air where Stelle disappeared, her expression turning into something wistful. It was like watching someone's lover depart from their embrace, knowing it must happen but wishing it wasn't so the entire time.

I studied the Stellaron Hunter, the woman with powers beyond my comprehension, with a bounty so high that I couldn't visualize the amount of money one would make if they turned her in.

She was someone… whimsical. I couldn't believe I was using such a word to describe her, but after such a conversation I couldn't help but think it fit her perfectly. The longing, the yearning, the humor and playful nature. It contrasted perfectly with her side that she showed on the express, where she elegantly twisted everyone to her tune, like a conductor tweaking an orchestra to her exact wants.

The way she spoke to me on the phone, precisely and efficiently neutralized anything I could do for help.

Which side would I be receiving? I wasn't so naive to believe that only one side of what I'd witnessed was the real her, or that she had no other sides that I'd yet to see.

My guess was that they were all real. All a part of her, learned over years of need and expertise.

Kafka turned to catch my gaze. I had the feeling that she was studying me, dissecting me and reanalyzing everything she knew based on how I was presenting myself. It made my heart pound in my chest and my anxiety flared up as every instinct I had recognized this woman as a threat.

And yet, strangely, I found myself easily ignoring said instinct. Something deeper told me that this woman would not hurt me. Was it my trust in Stelle? I wasn't quite sure, truthfully there was a little sting of pain thinking about her.

Then, what? What was it? What was it about Kafka that had me so entranced?

"You don't seem to be scared." Kafka noted.

"Should I be?" I asked in a genuine search for an answer.

I had been kidnapped, threatened by a mechanical person twice my height with flames that would burn me to a crisp, challenged a legendary hacker to a battle on her own turf, had the revelation that my entire world was literally stolen from me by my own alternate self, and then met up with the face of the Stellaron Hunters.

Was I scared?

I think at this point, I was simply too exhausted to feel such emotions. I felt a little disconnected with myself, like my sole priority was to secure a future that would benefit me the most.

"Hmm. No, not really." Kafka hummed. "Walk with me."

The strange woman moved past me, forcing me to turn around to follow her. Bits and pieces of the backdrop seemingly evaporated from sight as she continued to walk. It was like our plane of existence centered around Kafka, and that if I strayed too far from her, I too would be swept away into nothingness.

"So? Is this an interview?" I prodded.

"Are you interested?" Kafka shot back.

"Depends on how truthful Sam was being."

We passed by the trees that were previously blocked off by lasers. The campsite disappeared into the void.

"I'm not aware of the full extent of your conversation. But yes. If there's something you're interested in, we can help you obtain that. I have a guess based on what Silver Wolf sent everyone." Kafka said, confirming my previous thoughts that Silver Wolf had indeed sent the Hunters what was in my phone.

"...I want a way home." I said bluntly. They knew everything already. No use beating around the bush.

"To have your life ripped from you by your own hands. A unique set of circumstances."

"Any chance you've dealt with something like this before?" I half-joked.

Kafka chuckled. "Not quite. We have someone who's searching for a way to take back their future. Someone who's looking to end their present, and you, who is looking to reconnect with your past. Funny how things work out."

I tried to place names to the descriptions. I knew too little of each person to accurately do so, however.

"And you?"

Kafka sighed. "I wish for a simple life."

I raised an eyebrow. "We must have different definitions of simple. I don't think having a multi-billion credit bounty is simple."

"A woman has her hobbies."

Murderer, criminal, thief. What could I even say? If I were a better person I would care about such things.

Did the ends justify the means?

If I associated myself with someone like her, even if for good reasons, what did that make me?

Such questions were often better left unanswered.

We continued forward, maneuvering through the darkness of the forest until we came upon a near identical campsite. It had the same logs as benches, the same fire burning in the middle, even the same tent. Except this time, three other people were there waiting.

I saw Sam, in all of their mechanical glory. Their suit gleamed in the darkness. Lighting from the flames licked the edges, casting long shadows across their visage that made their appearance all the more menacing.

Silver Wolf was also there, looking amused as if everything that was currently happening was one big game. Her visor was on, casting a purple hue over her face.

There was another person, one whom I had yet to meet up until now. I knew their name was Blade. He was tall, daunting with long dark hair and blood red eyes. This was… someone related to Dan Heng's past. My memory scarcely remembered them.

I came to a stop as I registered the positions of everyone. There was a clear entrance to the site that I was at, a place where there was no makeshift bench. It opened up to me, with each member of the Stellaron Hunters clearly in my view, if I were to stand at said entrance.

Kafka continued to walk forward, stopping and turning when she was parallel to me on the opposite side.

Anxiety started to creep down my spine. What did I get myself into? Was I going to make a deal with the devil? All to get home?

But- no. Stelle trusted Kafka. Did such trust extend to the other members of the Hunters? Maybe, maybe not. But Kafka, from my knowledge, was a leader of the group. They also clearly warned us, the Astral Express, that a Stellaron burst was occurring on the Luofu. Even if it was to further their own plans, in doing so they probably saved countless lives.

But how many more had they killed? I didn't know enough. Why? Why why why did I agree to this?

There was a tinge of regret that welled up in not begging to go with Stelle, but I stamped it down. I had long since refused to regret things.

I had to steel myself. I chanted to myself. Steel myself, get into character, let myself bleed away and someone much more confident take my place.

But who?

"Credit for your thoughts?" Kafka asked me from across the campsite.

Sam's gaze was centered on me. While Silver Wolf seemed entirely disinterested. I couldn't read Blade enough, but it seemed he was only tangentially interested in what was going on.

Confidence? I had no character I could pull that from. The only thing I had… was myself and my spite for the one who shared the same name as me.

Zenith… I would find you. I would be a better person than you. I would live my life to the fullest with no regrets, if only to spite you.

I just had to be myself.

I took a deep, shaky breath.

"You said you had a way to get me whatever it was that I'm interested in. Can you back that claim up?" I asked, my voice projecting clearly despite the stormy emotions that dwelled beneath the surface.

"Of course, it depends on what it is. But… if you're looking for a way back to your home. Then it's possible."

Possibility. The word filled me with hope, one that I kept on a tight leash before my emotions raged out of control. I couldn't let myself get carried away.

"I have a few questions."

"Everyone always does."

I took a moment to think about how to word them. "Is there some sort of test I have to go through?"

Kafka smiled knowingly. "Haven't you already done that?"

I thought back to Stelle and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"There were other roads that we could have gone through to get your attention. But this one reaped the greatest benefits for the future. Time is not something to be wasted after all."

What an extremely vague statement. Didn't that confirm that Destiny was ever changing? They could have picked other… methods to alert me, yet they chose to do so with brute force and efficiency right after Stelle, Welt and March stepped off the train.

I wasn't sure what else I could grasp from that answer. It was something that I needed to revisit.

"...How did you find out about me?"

"You won't believe us at this point in time." Kafka stated matter of factly, as if she knew me better than I did. "Ask me again after we know each other a bit more."

It irked me, but I couldn't think about these things in the basic logical sense that I was used to. If they had literally seen the future and knew I wouldn't accept it, then what could I do but follow what they said?

I clicked my tongue. I wouldn't just lay down and accept my fate, but this wasn't something to get hung up on.

"What exactly do you want from me?" I asked the question of the hour.

Kafka stared me down. I felt my anxiety flare up again.

"Memories are an important, crucial, yet not essential part of us. Pathstriders of Remembrance like yourself are often snatched up by the Garden or the Cremators as soon as they're discovered, or alternatively, suffer a fate worse than death. To manipulate memories is to manipulate the essence of a person." Kafka told me, laying out the groundworks before she continued to explain. "You are in a unique situation. You've been touched by the Remembrance, manipulated by a pathstrider and had your entire life taken away from you. Your character is good, you're smart, and the fact that you're here, asking questions shows that your ambition will not hold you back."

She had yet to answer my question. "...And?" I said, after a few beats of silence.

The Stellaron Hunter smiled. "And, all we need from you, is to help a few of our members and friends when the time arises."

A few of our members and friends. What could I possibly do to any of these people? Stelle I could understand. But the Stellaron Hunters themselves?

I chewed on my lip. If they were interested in recruiting me, I had to lay down some rules. Interviews went both ways.

"I won't kill, or seriously injure anyone, so if you're expecting me to do that, then I'm telling you right now that won't be the case." I put down as my first clause.

"That's fine." Kafka shrugged, as if she expected that. "We know you're a non-combatant. That was never in our interest anyways."

"You will learn self-defense." Blade spoke, surprising me with his deep voice. "Not now, but eventually."

It took me a second to compose myself after the sudden interjection from someone else. I had expected them to all be quiet the entire time.

Self-defense… It reminded me of Dan Heng. He too told me I had to practice.

I was curious about their history together, but now wasn't the time.

"That's fine…" I said, and turned back to Kafka. "I… What about the Astral Express? Are you expecting me to leave them to come with you?"

"Not at all. It'd be best if you continued to travel with them, they'll offer better protection than we can. Our missions usually get dirty." Kafka told me.

I nodded and stopped to think. I swallowed my nerves and attempted to slow down my thoughts from racing at the speed of light, far too fast for me to make out conscious ideas.

It had been one day, one singular day. Twenty-four hours. Everything that I had gone through, experienced, witnessed made it feel like it had been months. I felt more grounded in this reality than I had ever been, even after living in Belobog for a week. Just from my experiences.

Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe I was still out cold from when Sam had knocked me out.

And yet; the feeling of glass slicing open my skin, the mirror shattering just like my world, was still lucid to me.

"Do I have to make a decision right this moment?" I asked my final question.

"No." Kafka answered. "Wait until the end of your journey on the Luofu. You'll witness something that will cause you to have your answer with no hesitation. Whether you accept or deny is something entirely up to you. Influencing or forcing your decision will only result in trouble down the line. This must be something you decide upon with your entire being."

I felt dizzy from her answer. The way she spoke with such confidence made me want to believe in her. It was like her charisma itself enchanted me, finding myself wanting to agree with her despite everything.

"Alright. I understand."

"Good. There's a few hours before the final act and curtain call. We've laid out a spot that you can rest in the tent. You might be just an extra, but even extras must go on stage." The Leader of the Stellaron Hunters explained to me.

I nodded and for the first time since everything had started, felt fatigue rush into me like a train. I walked past Sam, ignoring how their gaze followed me, and opened one of the flaps into the tent.

…It was a regular tent, completely unlike the house that I had been in from the other campsite. It had a singular sleeping bag just for me, a lamp, water bottles and a few ration bars of some unknown variety.

I walked in, not even bothering to zip up the tent, and stumbled into the sleeping bag.

I fell asleep faster than I had ever done so in my entire life.

Start: June 12th. 2024.

End: June 15th. 2024.

Words: 5831.

At over 60k words in, and nearly 40k words after Belobog's ending, we are nearing the Xianzhou endgame. There are likely two or three more chapters left, with the last chapter of course being similar to Chaos Theory in that it will be an extra long one. (This one also counts as long, just not extra long.)

Now to address a few things. I was extremely surprised how many people guessed Zenith would have Stellaron Hunter recruitment pitched at her. I don't think I was being that subtle but it was really surprising to see a bunch of people immediately hone in on that the second she got kidnapped LOL. Damn yall are on point.

How many of you guessed that Stelle would be involved though? And what exactly did Zenith cause her to remember?

:^)

Anyways. This will be the last chapter I can get out before 2.3 releases. So good luck to everyone's pulls and I hope you get Firefly. Let me know if you do~ I'll be getting her and her LC.

Now, the big question that I will be asking for the next 5 or so chapters:

Do you want to see me jump straight into Penacony? Or do you want to see mini arcs (2-3 chapters each mini arc) for 1.4-1.6? As a reminder, These are Belobog's reconstruction with Topaz. Ghost Hunting on Xianzhou and Ruan Mei's + Ratio's trailblaze continuance.

A simple "Yes I want to jump into penacony" or "No I want to see mini arcs" will suffice. You can leave more of your opinion if you want but truthfully I just want to get a general tally.