Chapter 28 - Relative Reunions

There was a time when he'd been in awe of the rebuilt Londonium, and the fae-built castle that was the beating heart of the restored city.

A much simpler time, when they'd been much more innocent and idealistic, and the enemies much easier to identify and deal with.

But those days had long since passed, and just the sight of Camelot's familiar walls was enough to put a scowl on his face as he passed through the castle's outer gates, though it was one that he immediately and effortlessly suppressed.

Regardless of how much he may have hated what the Kingdom now represented to him, no matter how much the castle resembled a prison more and more with every passing year, no matter how much he may have wished that things could have been different...

He knew why things were the way they were, and until the day came that he could finally change her mind, all Kay could do was be there to support Artoria, as he always had, ever since they'd grown up together.

There was little in the world that could have made him endure the not-insignificant journey to Camelot from Sutton, not with the sheer amount of work he had to do in managing the village's affairs now that his father had passed on, and especially not this close to the first snowfall, but even if Artoria wasn't his King, even if he wasn't a Knight of the Round Table, even if Sir Ector hadn't raised him to be a man of virtue and chivalry, even if they shared no relation by blood, and even if she was one of the most stubborn, obstinate, bull-headed people he'd ever known...

He just wasn't the kind of man that could simply abandon his lousy foster sister, especially not when the summons had been so urgent, and the whispers surrounding Camelot so serious and dire.

He knew, of course, how little similarity hearsay oft shared with the truth, but if even a tenth of the rumors and gossip that had reached his quiet corner of Logres bore even a kernel of basis in reality, then something had gone seriously wrong in Camelot, and it was, once again, up to him to save his sister's sorry behind.

Then he saw the castle's courtyard, and knew that something truly had gone seriously wrong.

He'd of course noticed the increased traffic to and from the castle on his way up, but he hadn't paid it much attention then, thinking it to be nothing more than a few caravans trying to secure a bit more coin or supplies before the weather began discouraging travel.

Now that he was actually looking at the full situation in the courtyard, however, he could recognize the organized chaos for what it was, and as thousands of men loaded vast quantities of food, wood, and the other various assorted supplies a large group of fighting men would need onto hundreds of covered wagons as they bustled continuously between the castle and what seemed to be the old Roman port, he did a quick assessment of the situation using his own experience, and after a few heartbeats came to a singular conclusion.

What in the Lord's name was Artoria thinking, planning such a large-scale campaign to the old lands of the Empire, and this close to winter no less?!

The two may have naturally drifted apart as they'd grown older (and he'd found it harder and harder to bear what the throne was doing to her), but he was confident that he knew his sister well enough to know that she wasn't the kind of person to needlessly risk the lives of her subjects.

Then, had she received a message from Merlin?

Had Sir Lancelot passed on something from his contacts on the other side of the sea?

He didn't know, couldn't know for sure until he finally talked to Artoria, but whatever the situation was, it clearly had to be serious, if his sister was convinced that it had warranted such an immediate response.

And he would find out just what was going on, if for nothing else than only his foster sister's sake.

Kay wasted no time in finding one of the guards on duty at the entrance of the castle and "convincing" him to lead him to the King immediately, and the castle's interior passed by in a blur as he was led through opulent halls and luxurious corridors, until he was finally brought before what his memory told him was a private study.

The knight knocking on the door and announcing his presence only confirmed his suspicions, and he had to suppress a snort.

Typical.

Of course she'd be working now; it wasn't like she knew how to do anything else ever since she'd drawn that damned sword from that accursed stone.

It got harder to maintain his composure, however, as he was allowed to enter into the room, and countless complicated and confusing feelings rose up within him as he once again beheld the visage of the Perfect King.

But even as the doors closed behind him, and Artoria rose from her seat to greet him, Kay immediately saw past the facade, noticing the subtle signs of fatigue and exhaustion that marred her face; Avalon may have kept her physical condition pristine and ageless, but even it couldn't do anything for the slight furrow of her brows, the tension in her shoulders, or the tiredness in her eyes.

The face of his all-too-human perfect sister.

There was no hesitation or reluctance as he firmly grasped her outstretched hand, before pulling her into a warm embrace and playfully clasping her shoulder even as he greeted her: "It's been a while, Artoria."

"It has indeed, Kay," Artoria regarded her foster brother with fond exasperation, before pulling away as her face fell slightly: "I... have heard of Uncle Ector's fate. I truly wish I could have been there."

"Father understood why you couldn't make it," Kay reassured her. "And you know Father; he would have wanted you to prioritize the Kingdom over an old knight, especially if even a fraction of the hearsay that was reaching of us was true."

"..." Artoria nodded quietly at Kay's words, grateful for his attempts at comforting her, tempered as it may have been by the sorrow at not being there for the man who had raised her when he'd been at his deathbed.

A moment of somber silence passed, after which Kay spoke up again: "And speaking of the hearsay that was reaching us, Artoria... just what in the Lord's name has been happening to the realm? And why are you preparing for a faraway campaign in this season?"

Artoria sighed, knowing that the coming conversation was necessary, and took a quick breath before answering: "A great deal, Kay. Would you like a brief summary, or would you prefer a detailed explanation?"

"The latter, please," Kay replied, already feeling an oncoming headache but determined to help Artoria.

"Very well," Artoria nodded, before starting with what she felt was the most bitter pill to swallow: "To begin with, the unity of the Round Table as an order... may as well no longer exist."

Kay blinked, needing a moment to process what he'd just heard, before he finally found his voice, incredulous as it was: "What? How?"

"I suppose you could say it began with Sir Tristan's outburst at a feast, over two seasons ago, and his subsequent departure from Camelot," Artoria elaborated. "While I do understand why he could not bear to remain in the continued service of the realm, his words caused some division within the realm and the ranks of Camelot."

"I'd heard that the dour good-for-nothing bastard had left the realm," Kay cursed the Knight of Lamentation, having fought alongside him before and being more than able to guess what Artoria meant. "And I told you, that's why you've got to prioritize mutual self-interest more as well, Artoria; ideals are all well and good, until they come into conflict with reality."

"And yet we could have never succeeded even half as fast as we had, if not for all those who had been inspired by the ideals we demonstrated to join us and overthrow the invaders," Artoria pointed out tiredly, having had this discussion with her foster brother no small number of times. "And regardless, while Sir Tristan's actions may have sparked it, they were ultimately trivial compared to everything else that transpired, and I cannot truly blame him for what others have done."

"Tch," Kay could only click his tongue in annoyance at his sister's nature, before leaning forward as he recalled some of the other things he'd heard in Sutton. "So, what else has transpired, then? Was the castle truly infiltrated by a demon who attempted to hoodwink you?"

"Of course not," Artoria denied immediately, and Kay couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sudden firmness of her tone. "Sir Agravain's accusations were flimsy at best, relying on little more than circumstantial evidence, and the only reason Ja- Sir Mordred's squire was unable to properly defend himself was because he had been sworn to silence by me."

"Wait, so Agravain really did accuse someone of being a demonic infiltrator who was hoodwinking you?" Kay blinked, trying to process what he'd just heard.

"Technically he was accused of being an otherworldly infiltrator, but yes, that did indeed happen," Artoria sighed, more than able to recall the day of Gareth's with ease, especially since everything had seemed to go downhill from there. "I know not who put Agravain up to it, though I have a strong suspicion that it was Morgan once again, but in any case it matters little now, considering his death at Lancelot's hands months ago."

"... what?!" Kay couldn't help but ask, wondering if he'd misheard.

"Lancelot had been having an affair with Guinivere, and Agravain found out and tried to take action," Artoria said quietly, the deaths of her kin and her knights still weighing heavily on her heart, though she forced herself to bear it with the same stoicism as she had everything else. "Naturally, Lancelot did not take kindly to the threat against his lover."

"You mean, your queen and wife," Kay pointed out.

"You know full well of my circumstances, and of the nature of my marriage with Guinevere," Artoria reminded him. "She may have been a good friend, a trusted advisor, and a close confidant, but there was little romance between us, and honestly when I first found out there was a part of me that was glad for Guinevere for managing to finally find love, and with none lesser than Lancelot. In fact, I had been planning on confronting the pair, and giving their relationship my blessing, before Agravain's actions made that all but impossible."

"... you... knew beforehand?" Kay asked incredulously, struggling to process the words he'd heard, and reconcile the tacit approval of adultery and betrayal with the overly-serious sister he'd always known.

"I found it out first, yes," Artoria confirmed, before sighing resignedly. "Regardless, handling it discreetly and quietly is certainly no longer an option; even if Lancelot had not been having an affair with the royal consort, he caused the deaths of many of the men who dared stand between him and Agravain, and injured many more, including Gawain and Gaheris, before finally killing Agravain and fleeing justice. Even now, Guinevere remains imprisoned as much for her own safety as for the stability of realm, and it was all I could do to suspend her execution indefinitely, in order to placate the wrath of Gawain and King Lot, and keep them from acting more rashly and decisively."

Kay could only shake his head, regretting ever having returned to Camelot. The politics and intrigues the court demanded had always disgusted him, especially when it involved the self-serving nobles that infested the realm; he still remembered just how hard the first few years had been, just after Artoria had drawn Caliburn, and no small number of nobles had been content to sit on the sidelines and merely watch them struggle, rather than honoring their oaths to the High King.

But at the same time, he couldn't deny the situation wouldn't be so dire, if Artoria had for once actually listened to him, and relied less on ideals and oaths to get them to follow her, especially now that those ideals that had formed the foundation of her rule had been shaken, and the paragons of virtue and righetousness had proven themselves to be less than perfect.

And of course, even now, his sister was still trying to protect Guinevere!

With a herculean force of effort, Kay forced himself to think of something else, lest he lose control and berate Artoria that he had told her so (which while true was less than helpful at the moment), before his mind latched on to a stray thought: "And how's Gareth taking all this?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Artoria's shoulders slumped tiredly. Her niece had already been badly affected by Jaune's departure (almost as badly as Mordred, even), just mere days before the death of her brother at the hands of her mentor. "The sunniness and warmth she was once known for still exists, of course, but it is but a shadow of what it once was. Her heart remains conflicted, torn between her familial bonds and the wrongs he committed not just against her brothers but her brothers-in-arms as well, and the admiration and reverence a part of her even now still holds, for the First of the Round Table, the man who mentored her to be a Knight in his footsteps."

Kay mirrored his foster sister's actions as he tried to imagine just what Gareth had to be going through. No matter how different he may have been from the overly-serious fools of Camelot, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Beaumains; having interacted with her no small number of times, he could safely say that she didn't deserve this.

What in the Lord's name had possessed Lancelot, that he would cause such harm to the Kingdom, his fellow Knights, and his own squire? Even Kay, who had partaken in no small amount of cavorting with the fairer sex, would never have done something like this.

"So... is that why you are mobilizing men and supplies for an expedition across Mare Britannicum?" Kay asked after a few moments of thought. "To bring Lancelot to justice?"

Artoria could only raise an eyebrow at the conclusion Kay had reached, though she conceded: "That is certainly what some of the men, and especially Gawain, would like to think... but it would be inaccurate to believe so. We have no idea of Lancelot's current whereabouts; the safe bet would be to storm his territory across the sea, assuming I was willing to risk besieging his holdings during the winter season, of course, but some rumors from sailors have placed him in Rome of all places, and all things considered he could have fled as far as the eastern-most edges of the old Empire's lands by now."

Kay nodded in agreement with Artoria's words, though that still didn't why she was preparing for an expedition across Mare Britannicum.

Something in his face must have given away his confusion, or Artoria's ability to read his expression hadn't waned in his absence, for she continued explaining: "I received worrying news from some of the merchants that sailed here at the start of the fall, which had been further corroborated by other sources from the continent; a new warlord has risen in the heart of the former Empire, and having already claimed the title of Caesar now has ambitions to reunite the Empire once more, through conquest if need be.

"Rather than allowing him to consolidate his power and waiting for him to invade our lands like the Angles and Saxons, I would much rather strike in full force while he is still vulnerable, and hopefully end the campaign quickly and decisively, and allow the men to return to tend to their lands come the spring."

"At the very least, any damages caused by the battle would be on their lands, rather than ours," Kay murmured approvingly, even though he knew Artoria would much rather minimize the damage to the peasantry regardless of whom they served. Then he realized something, and inquired: "Then what are your plans for dealing with Lancelot and Guinevere?"

Artoria didn't quite meet his eyes as she informed him: "... I was hoping to wait until after I'd returned from Rome, and the memory of their actions had faded from the minds of most, before seeking out Lancelot in private, delivering him judgement as needed, and finally pardoning him and Guinevere."

"... are you serious?" Kay pinched the bridge of his nose in disbelief at what he'd just heard.

"As I have said, I understand why Lancelot and Guinevere did what they did," Artoria defended her actions, "and while they must be judged, we must also keep in mind everything both of them have done in service to the realm."

Kay could only take a deep breath, and force himself to count to ten lest he lose his composure and shudder, before nodding and changing the subject (it was fine, he knew full well just what kind of person Artoria was, or so he kept repeating to himself): "So, you called me back to Camelot to assist you in a foreign campaign against Rome?"

"Not quite," Artoria answered with a smile, relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with her brother's sharp tongue this time (as much as she usually valued his wit and advice, she was in no mood to entertain his argumentative nature this time). "As valuable as your assistance and experience would be on this campaign, your talents in management would be far more valuable in service to the realm during my absence, Kay."

"... isn't that supposed to be Gawain's job?" Kay pointed out.

"He is still recuperating, and had always relied on Agravain for assistance in the more tedious affairs of state, an option which no longer exists to him," Artoria explained. "In any case, considering his emotional state at the moment, I would like there to be someone clear-headed to rein him in. Furthermore... I am not asking you to take sole charge of Gawain or the Kingdom while I'm gone either, Kay. Rather, I would like you to also pass your skills on to someone else."

"Oh?" Kay's eyebrow rose. Certainly, he knew that Gawain's talents lay in other fields, and Artoria's nephew could definitely stand to pick up a thing or two about management, if not because he was the next person with claim to the throne considering his sister's heirlessness then because he was heir to King Lot of Orkney.

But if Artoria had wanted him to teach Gawain how to manage the Kingdom, she would have just said so, rather than saying "someone else".

"Who would you like me to teach, Artoria?" Kay asked cautiously.

"I would like you teach Mordred," Artoria answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kay blinked.

Kay blinked again.

Kay blinked a third time, before finally finding his voice once more, and he tried to confirm that his ears had simply failed him: "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say Mordred..."

"I did," Artoria confirmed. "I would like you to teach Mordred."

"Mordred," Kay repeated, before double-checking that another Mordred hadn't been invited to Camelot while he'd been gone: "Just so we're clear, we're talking about Mordred the Silent, Mordred the Horned, Mordred the Perpetually-Helmeted, that Mordred?"

"... we are, yes," Artoria nodded after a moment, knowing that Kay simply wasn't aware of Mordred's full circumstances (along with pretty much everybody else, to be fair).

"Okay..." Kay took a deep breath, before asking his next question: "Now... what in the Lord's name makes you think Mordred of all people is suitable for managing the affairs of state, Artoria?!"

"It's..." Artoria paused, trying to decide how best to explain to her foster brother that, after Merlin had used his magic to allow her to sire an heir, she had apparently lain with Morgan without her knowledge, before the resulting child had been sent to Camelot, about twice as old as they should have been.

Fortunately for her, before she had to answer, there was a hard knock on the door.

Immediately, she turned her attention towards the door, slipping back into her role as the Perfect King as she called out: "You may enter."

The thick doors slowly opened, revealing one of the other knights guarding Camelot's entrance as he approached and genuflected before Artoria, and spoke: "Your Majesty, Sir Mordred has returned from Cornwall. Would you like me to lead him to you right now, my liege?"

"Please go ahead and do so," Artoria nodded, and as the knight got up and excused himself from her presence to get Mordred she nodded to him and called out: "You have my gratitude."

Once the doors had been closed, Kay finally spoke up: "Cornwall?"

"One of the local lords raised arms in rebellion against me, blaming me for the current events of the realm," Artoria explained. "Mordred was dispatched to put it down. In any case, would you mind waiting for Mordred to arrive, before I tell the both of you why I would like you to pass your skills on to Mordred, and save myself both the time and breath?"

"... very well," Kay finally nodded. "But you will be telling me everything, Artoria."

"Of course," Artoria agreed with a tired smile. "Thanks, Kay."

The pair fell into a companionable silence, before Kay remembered something Artoria had mentioned off-handedly: "By the way... you said Mordred had a squire earlier, right? The one that Agravain accused?"

"Oh, right..." Artoria winced.

"Wait, so the rumors were true?!" Kay pressed, seeing Artoria's reaction. "Mordred actually picked up a squire?! How on Earth did-"

"Kay, I'm going to give you this warning only once, for your own sake," Artoria cut him off with a firm tone. "Do not under any circumstances bring up Mordred's squire in front of him, and especially do not bring up the fact that he was accused by Agravain. It is still a very sensitive topic to him."

Kay's curiosity only grew more burning.

Notes: And so do I once again return, and with it do I introduce a brand new character to Camelot, 28 chapters in, a figure quite pivotal to the Arthurian mythos and yet one that I can find precious little about during this time period (yes I know he might have possible turned into a giant once, but that's neither here nor there).

So... yeah, I had to do a lot of extrapolating from the wiki's few paragraphs about Kay (namely that he held the least admiration for King Arthur, despite his love for Artoria, and believes that a bilateral cooperation for the purpose of mutual interests is more comfortable than what Artoria has going on).

Hope you enjoyed his characterization - one of the few people capable of looking past Arthur the Perfect King and seeing Artoria the person underneath it all... and is utterly sickened by what he finds, being unable to understand her dedication to protecting the happiness of her subjects, such that she never allowed herself the chance to personally experience that which she protected, and instead feels bitterness towards her rule, because of everything that it's costing her.

Just thought it was an interesting contrast, in comparison with another character who could see past the facade of perfection, but who instead was able to sympathize and empathize with the lonely green-eyed girl (although he didn't and doesn't know about that) being crushed by the weight of others' expectations.

Moving on, now it's time to discuss the pachyderm in the hall - Gareth's continued survival.

Here's the thing - as far as I knew, Gareth and Gaheris were dead by this point in the timeline (at least canonically), and Artoria should have been heading to Rome because Lancelot was supposed to have fled there after killing a lot of knights and rescuing Guinevere, and her absence is what gave Mordred the chance to lead a rebellion against her (at least canonically).

And according to the Garden of Avalon translation cited on the Guinevere page, as well as the Guinevere page itself, it says that, and I'm paraphrasing, Guinvere was sentenced to death and imprisoned (as per what was said earlier)... BUT she was still imprisoned when Artoria led an army to Rome to fight off a threat to her Kingdom (specified because Mordred went so far as to mockingly propose to Guinevere while she was imprisoned), AND when Lancelot then freed Guinevere from her prison, killing Gareth and Gaheris during this time, Artoria was still on expedition in Rome.

Is this confusing as hell? Absolutely.

Does it clash with a lot of the other portions of Arthurian legend? Of course.

But will I pounce on this inconsistency between sources and the fact that I neither specified which of Artoria's kin was killed by Lancelot nor exactly why Artoria was preparing an expedition to "the heart of the former, now-potentially-hostile, Empire" to say that I'll stick with FATE canon over "historical" accuracy and say that Gareth and Gaheris are still alive for the time being? You fucking betcha; in any case, historical accuracy got thrown out of the window when Caliburn's inscription was "Rightwise King of All England" and plate armor being in use in Arthurian Britain despite it being at least 600 years too early, so unless you'd like to say that Artoria apparently led two expeditions to Rome...

Also, apologies, but we'll get to Mordred in the next chapter; I initially wanted to include it as a part of this chapter, but I do really feel sorry for the delays between chapters , as well as how my rapidly-diminishing readers might feel (alas, as mentioned many times, the price of competence is even more work).

Just to be clear, though, it was absolutely canonical that Artoria left Camelot in the hands of Kay, Mordred, and Gawain while she went to Rome, which... doesn't make much sense to me, considering canon!Mordred had pretty much sworn to destroy everything Artoria had ever built after being rejected as her son by this point in time.

On a side note, the Plot Fairy's been trying to get me to write even more 30k for ATDITW, which is not fucking happening since I literally cannot add any more words to that chapter thanks to AO3's character limits, so unless I want to suddenly add an additional chapter after 3 damn years...

Also, you know that that feeling of getting a sudden flash of inspiration, one you absolutely, positively, definitely have to write?

Yeah, unfortunately, the Plot Fairy does not care about little things like suitable location or good timing when she hits you with the bolt from the blue (fortunately my brain's too disorganized for it to affect me too much, and I was able to carry a few wild pigs and some medical equipment and take medical notes while sketching the idea in my head at the same time).

Also unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), it had nothing to do with FIIIP, or even FATE, which will probably (definitely) confuse most of the people reading this, but alas, what can you really do?

SCENARIO: HSR

POINT OF DEVIATION: CHAPTER 0 (ATDITW CHAPTER 1)

Author's Notes: I'm well aware that most of my readers are probably not familiar with Honkai: Star Rail, but like I said, the Plot Fairy does what she wants, and she likes what she does - making me suffer.

Also, uh, spoiler alert for version 2.5 of HSR, as well.

An odd sensation of heat in his chest tickled the edge of his consciousness, and it slowly roused from its slumber, stirred by the sudden and unfamiliar stimulation.

The next thing he noticed, was the feeling of cold metal beneath him, dulled as it was through his clothes.

Then Jaune Arc opened his eyes.

There was a light on the unfamiliar dark ceiling, though fortunately for his vision it wasn't shining directly in his face and blinding him.

And as he slowly opened his eyes wider, getting used to light once again, he belatedly noticed two unknown figures hovering over him.

Immediately, he froze.

"Oh..." the first breathed, a beautiful mature woman with purple hair, purple eyes, and a pair of sunglasses propped up on her fringe, as she studied his face closely, before her brow furrowed. Glancing towards the second figure, a younger, shorter woman with grey hair and a dark purple ribbon in her hair (what was with these people and purple?), she observed: "I thought you'd remember me."

Jaune blinked, confused by who these people were, why the first expected him to remember her, and why she sounded so... disappointed? Concerned?

He couldn't quite place it, but it disturbed him nonetheless.

After all, he was fairly sure he'd never seen them before in Beacon...

Beacon!

Team JNPR!

Disorganized images and memories began flashing through his mind, of chaos, destruction, fire, most of which he was sure he'd never experienced before.

What on Remnant had happened?

And who were these people?!

Before he could begin asking questions, however, the second figure idly commented: "Maybe you're not as important as you think."

The first figure looked back down at him, her face falling almost imperceptibly to anyone who didn't have seven older sisters, and for some reason seeing the hint of disappointment on her face sent a pang through his heart.

Then a name suddenly came to his lips from the forefront of his mind, one both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and as he opened his mouth it slipped out like a question: "Kafka...?"

The first figure, who was apparently named Kafka, blinked, and a hint of satisfaction colored her tone as she answered: "Great, so you do remember me."

Jaune didn't, not really, and he still didn't know how they knew him, but as he looked away from Kafka's softened gaze and back at the unfamiliar ceiling, he decided he had more pressing concerns.

"Where..." Jaune groaned, his voice still hoarse, as if it hadn't been used for a while, but he forced himself to continue: "... am I?"

"A space station," Kafka replied off-handedly as she shook her head, never looking away from him all the while, "but that's not important."

Jaune's eyes almost boggled.

What in the name of the Grimm did she mean, a space station?!

Since when could people even go to Dust-damned space?!

Didn't Dust stop working once it was outside the atmosphere?!

Once again, someone spoke before he could ask any questions, this time apparently being Kafka's turn: "Listen: you are in a daze right now. You don't know who you are, why you're here, or what you're going to do next. You think I look familiar, but you're not sure if you should trust me..."

Jaune blinked, unsure of how to respond, what to say, as Kafka's voice trailed off, cutting her explanation short.

He knew he was Jaune Arc, sure, but beyond that, everything else she had said was true.

He was indeed in a daze.

He didn't know why he was in space, let alone a space station.

He didn't know what he was going to do next; the obvious thing would have been to get back to Remnant, to Beacon, to Team JNPR, but if he was really in space... wasn't space supposed to be really, really, really big?

And he certainly didn't know if he should (or even could) trust Kafka, considering he didn't even know why she looked familiar.

Then Kafka shook her head, and spoke again, capturing his full attention once more: "None of that matters. All you need to know is that I'm leaving, and you will be left all alone on this space station. From now on you needn't think about your past or doubt yourself.

"Listen: in the near future, you will encounter all kinds of perils and hardships," Kafka continued on, before quickly reassuring him: "but you will also have many wonderful experiences. You'll meet companions who treat you like family, embark on surreal adventures with them, and help countless people in need...

"At the end of your journey, all that perplexes you and troubles you will resolve. This is your future that Elio has foreseen.

"Do you like it?" Kafka finished with a question, smiling down at him.

Jaune could only blink, trying to take it all in.

That was... that was a lot to process...

Even if he could just stop thinking about his past, his friends and family, his team, even if the worst student in Beacon's history could just stop doubting yourself... what was all that about perils and hardships?

What was that about being left alone in space?

And what was that about his future having been foreseen?! Who even was Elio, anyway?

At least that other part about wonderful experiences and companions and adventures and helping other sounded nice, though...

Slowly, reluctantly, Jaune finally nodded: "... I guess..."

"Lovely," Kafka smiled down at him. "Hey. Remember what you're feeling in this moment. As long as you know in your heart where you're heading, you are guaranteed to see the ending of your story. That's the you I like."

Jaune blinked, heat creeping up his face.

Seriously, just what kind of relationship had he even had with this Kafka?

... and why couldn't he remember any of it...

"How long do you think you need?" The second person cut into their conversation. "According to the script, the Astral Express crew is arriving soon. We should avoid being seen by them."

"I know, Silver Wolf," Kafka turned to the second person (evidently named Silver Wolf), annoyance creeping into her tone. "Just give me another minute.

"i must leave now," Kafka explained apologetically, turning back to Jaune. "Don't worry, someone will come and find you very soon, just go with them. You won't remember a thing except me."

Jaune didn't know what to say, what to ask, where to even start.

Fortunately, he didn't need to.

A wave of weakness suddenly overtook his body, and he felt his eyes slowly closing despite his best efforts.

And even as he did his best to fight it, Kafka got up and began walking away with Silver Wolf, leaving behind some parting words: "Relax. And when you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret..."

Then darkness overtook him, and Jaune passed out.

-? ? ?, ? ? ?-

"Weren't their coordinates sent out from the space station...?" A male voice cautiously asked from somewhere above him, stimulating his consciousness.

"Who cares?" Another voice retorted, this one female. "They're here and alive. Do they look like a mannequin to you?"

Then he felt a hand gently grab his wrist, before the male voice spoke again: "... weak heartbeat and pulse... March, you better do CPR."

"Huh!?" The female voice loudly protested in surprise. "I-I've never done it before! Dan Heng, you do it!"

That was the final push needed to tip Jaune back into consciousness, and he slowly opened his eyes with a groan...

Just to see a man leaning down towards him, seemingly about to help with the assisted breathing portion of CPR.

Fortunately for both of them, the person next to him noticed him wake up, and quickly pushed the man out of the way as she excitedly exclaimed: "Wait - stop it! They're awake!"

Jaune groaned again, clutching his head in pain even as the two helped him get up from the wall he'd been slumped against.

What on Remnant had happened, and where even was he...

"Are you all right?" A pink-haired girl, the one who'd first noticed he was awake, asked him in a voice full of concern. "Can you hear me? ... do you remember your name?"

Jaune groaned for a third time, trying to jog his memory, but only drawing blanks.

He could only remember a purple-haired woman and a name, and before that...

Blur images and vague fragments of memories flashed through his head, providing nothing concrete, and eventually he just shook his head, admitting: "I... don't remember a thing..."

"Aw, this isn't good..." The woman sounded worried now, glancing at the man. "Can you try harder? I'm sure you can at least remember your name..."

That much, he could at least remember.

"My name's Jaune Arc," Jaune introduced himself. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue."

"Jaune Arc?" The man confirmed with him, sharing a look with the woman, before introducing himself and the woman in turn: "Nice to meet you. My name's Dan Heng, and this is March 7th."

"Nice to meet you too, Dan Heng, March 7th," Jaune nodded at the pair, before asking the most pressing question on his mind: "So, would you mind telling me what's going on?"

"This space station was just attacked by the Antimatter Legion," Dan Heng explained. "We came to help with the rescue at the request of Lead Researcher Asta."

Jaune blinked.

-SUPPLY ZONE, HERTA SPACE STATION, 2 TUTORIAL MISSIONS AND 1 TUTORIAL BOSS FIGHT LATER-

Jaune panted in exhaustion as he propped himself up with the bat he'd picked up from somwehre, and watched the massive "Doomsday Beast" (and wasn't that just an ominous name?) roar and rear back, before it finally ran out of strength, and collapsed backwards.

And he wasn't the only one either; around him, Dan heng and Himeko were both hunched over and panting too, and March 7th was on the floor.

But regardless, they'd done it.

They'd defeated the Doomsday Beast and saved the Herta Space Station.

And by Oum, that had been a difficult fight; he hadn't even struggled that much when he'd fought that Deathstalker at Initiation, or...

Jaune shook his head, forcing himself to focus.

Even if he missed his friends and family, rationally speaking he was in space, with no idea how he got there, and as far as he could remember Remnant hadn't discovered space flight.

Somehow, he didn't think there was a way back home from wherever he was.

Then his Aura started screaming at him, and he looked up just in time to see the Doomsday Beast's head begin to glow, even as it whipped it forwards in their direction.

A beam of energy suddenly shot out of its head, aimed towards March 7th, who was still kneeling on the floor.

There wasn't any time to think, let alone drawing his empty family scabbard and flicking it back into its shield configuration.

All Jaune could do was jump in front of March 7th, intercepting the Doomsday Beast's final attack, futilely trying to block it with his bat and his Aura.

For a moment, he managed to resist the beam.

Then, his chest began glowing, radiating a golden light, and an overwhelming pain surged throughout his body.

He grit his teeth and forced himself to continue holding back the beam, of course, refusing to let his new friend get hurt.

And then he suddenly got visions, images, fragments flashing through his mind, that he just couldn't understand, before suddenly seeing a yellow eye gazing down upon him.

Suddenly, he found he wasn't looking at the space station any more, but instead at a void, looking at a massive human-shaped... THING.

Then the golden light exploded outwards from his body uncontrollably, disintegrating the massive Doomsday Beast.

And that was how he found out that someone had apparently implanted a Stellaron (more affectionately known as a Cancer of All Worlds) inside of him at some point in time.

-MASTER CONTROL ZONE, HERTA SPACE STATION, LATER-

"I'm very interested now, so there's almost nothing I won't accommodate," Herta concluded her pitch to Jaune. "A Stellaron in your body, how interesting is that! Be grateful that I'm offering to help you out. This is a service even the IPC can't buy."

"You understand now, Jaune?" Himeko confirmed with him. "Herta wants you to stay in her space station."

Honestly, Jaune wasn't sure if he did.

"Well, I'm going to have to modify your wording here," Herta impatiently corrected Himeko. "This little twerp can only stay temporarily until the research is done. Or maybe I'll lose interest halfway through and they can just beat it."

"And after that?" Himeko inquired with a touching amount of concern.

"Not my problem," Herta shrugged nonchalantly.

Himeko simply sighed, before addressing Jaune once again: "Jaune... you also have another option - the Astral Express. If you want, you can leave with us.

"The Express has its fair share of experiences with Stellarons. The thing you're worried about, and the answers we're looking for are one and the same. Besides... we can come back any time to let Herta conduct her research. She's absolutely fascinated now."

"Hm, works for me," Herta nodded, after barely a moment's thought. "Keeps this subject fresh, too. And that way I won't need to keep worrying about this little twerp all the time. Perfect!"

Jaune bit back a sigh, as the pair turned to him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

All things considered, he didn't really feel like he had much of a choice; he was completely out of his league, in a place he didn't understand and he apparently had a ticking time bomb in his body.

... then again, except for the bomb in his body, the rest wasn't too unfamiliar to him...

Sure, space was a bit more unfamiliar to him than Beacon, but in all honesty, this was pretty close to how he'd felt ever since he'd ran away from home to be a hero, wasn't it?

You'll meet companions who treat you like family, embark on surreal adventures with them, and help countless people in need...

When you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret...

... well, the way they'd said it, it did seem like the Astral Express was the better option, didn't it?

And he had met March 7th and Dan Heng first...

There was just one thing he needed to know first, though.

"What... what do the Nameless of the Astral Express actually do?" Jaune asked curiously.

As soon as he found out that they were pretty much retracing the steps of their disappeared god, and travelling around the galaxy, fixing the star rail the space train used (and how that worked was completely beyond him), dealing with other Stellarons, and in general helping people wherever they went, there was zero hesitation in his answer.

-SKYSPLITTER, XIANZHOU LUOFU, ~11 VERSIONS LATER-

"Your healer, Jiaoqiu, served you with such loyalty," a familiar voice taunted her, even as she confronted and dispelled the wraiths of suspicion, fear, and desire, that had suddenly sprung up within her heart, and she turned to see Hoolay standing behind her, looking down at her. "He was even willing to die in order to cure your Moon Rage. I told him before that the only way to save you lay in my hands.

"If you just nod your head," the specter of Hoolay continued to promise, "you will awaken from this nightmare that the Crimson Moon has inflicted on you, and your body will be born anew. From that moment, you will no longer be trapped by your rage, your doubt will be swept from your mind like dust, and your fear will naturally disappear."

"So this was the path that you prepared for me..." Feixiao breathed in understanding, before looking back up at Hoolay. "To become a new you?"

"That's right," Hoolay confirmed with a grin, "we are so similar after all. We are both monsters that were born for war and will die for war."

"... I'm sure my answer doesn't need much explanation," Feixiao replied, after barely a few moments, before confidently declaring: "I refuse."

Hoolay simply looked at her incredulously, before slowly trying again: "I told you before, "foxian" and "borisin" are no more than labels! You can be whoever you want to be; you can do whatever you want to do!

"Accept these truths and the borisin will bow down to you. Destroy them, reduce them to dust, or teach them to become servants of the Xianzhou... you are free to do as you please. Carve your name into the Xianzhou's history books, or into the List of Archenemies; you have the final say!"

"You do not understand, Hoolay," Feixiao shook her head again. "You have no idea what it is I truly desire."

And Hoolay listened as the Merlin's Claw shared her past with her hated foe, of her childhood, when she was a war slave for the borisin still named "Saran", and of her escape, and her subsequent battles for the Xianzhou Alliance.

"I prayed to the God of the Skybow that I would never have to witness one of these "shooting stars" fall again," Feixiao finally concluded her tale, frustration and sorrow tinging her tone as she remembered the sheer destruction each "shooting star", each Lux Arrow fired by the Reignbow Arbiter, wrought. "But... THEY ignored my prayers."

"That's right," Hoolay nodded in agreement. "THEY never answer us. THEY just let us loose in this world to massacre one another. That is why the fierce battle between us has raged to this day. If the Gods, who never bleed nor cry, watch silently from above, refuse to listen to the prayers of mortals, then we have no choice but to fight for our own desires!

"Do you understand now, Saran?" Hoolay empathized with Feixiao. "You and I are similar in more ways than you think. You are a beast that was born for war and will die for war!"

"... perhaps..." Feixiao conceded as she looked down, chewing on his words, on the sudden and surprising sincerity she felt from the old borisin.

And yet, even if they were similar...

"So, what is it you yearn for, Hoolay?" Feixiao asked, turning back to him. "Why is it that you fight?"

"I fight so that I can turn the stars above into a great wilderness for the borisin to roam," Hoolay answered confidently, without any guilt. "What about you, Saran?"

... she could never become Hoolay.

"I fight so that one day, I will never have to witness another "shooting star" falling to the ground," Feixiao answered with conviction, without any doubt. "So that just one more person can live and return to the Yaoqing alongside me."

And as she spoke, she remembered the countless people of the Xianzhou Alliance she'd fought alongside, as she'd protected the innocent from the countless abominations throughout the cosmos.

And then, like always, she remembered the outsider who'd become a Cloud Knight, who'd been picked up by General Yueyu just before she had, who'd fought together with her under General Yueyu's banner throughout countless missions, protecting her and healing her innumerable times, before...

"You would resist becoming the person you were supposed to be, lower yourself from a free wolf to a domesticated fox, just for... the sake of one person?" Hoolay asked in utter disbelief.

Feixiao nodded.

She'd do even more than that, for the sake of that person, but he was long gone, just like General Yueyu was long gone.

But even so, even if they were gone...

Even if the talk with Hoolay's specter had been surprisingly insightful, in the end, he hadn't told her anything new.

She was, indeed, free to choose whoever she wanted to be, do whatever she wanted to do.

And she had already chosen, to be the Merlin's Claw of the Xianzhou Yaoqing, to hunt down all the abominations, and to be a hero in his stead, saving others just as she had been saved.

"... then have it your way!" Hoolay finally declared, seeing that Feixiao could not be swayed. "I will use your fear and doubt as my nourishment! I will seize you and deovur you! I will replace you and become "Feixiao"!"

-1 BOSS BATTLE AT THE CENTER OF FEIXIAO'S MIND LATER-

With a final swing of her axe, Feixiao vanquished what had once been the specter of Hoolay, a Brood Lord of the Borisin, that had turned into a shadow of herself as they had clashed.

But even as the other her collapsed, however, it still tried one final time to shake her resolve: "No matter how many you kill... you will never be able to bring him back..."

Feixiao didn't bother dignifying it with a reply, and instead simply watched stoically as it fell.

Of course she knew that.

She could never change the past.

All she could do, was make sure it never repeated.

Also, he'd have never wanted her to become another Hoolay; when her Moon Rage had first kicked in, at the start, and most of her comrades-in-arms had begun looking at her with (not-wholly-unjustified) suspicion and caution, he'd been one of the only people who'd still seen Feixiao, seen Saran, whenever he'd looked at her.

Taking a deep breath, Feixiao recomposed herself, before her consciousness reawakened...

... to find her body swinging her axe down at the kids from the Zhuming, the Luofu, and the Astral Express, all while they fought desperately to resist her weapon with their own.

Relaxing her grip on her axe, the strain her body had been through in the past few hours made itself known, and she almost collapsed to her knees, panting.

Even as she did so, however, and the kids she'd been fighting quickly dropped their own weapons and supported her tired body, she still took a moment to quickly check her surroundings.

Good, there didn't seem to have been any further casualties in the area since she'd swallowed the Crimson Moon.

At least Lieutenant Yanqing, Yunli, and March had succeeded in... occupying her, even if they hadn't been able to fully subdue her.

Even as they fussed over her, she gave them a quiet nod, feeling a measure of pride and gratitude.

Then she froze, as she smelt someone approaching, a smell she hadn't smelt in over a century.

Oh, she'd smelt similar scents quite a few times, but none of them had been the true him, possessed the same character, the same soul (Aura, as he'd called it), and none of them had smelt exactly the same as he had.

Her head shot up in an instant, her ears alert and trained towards the approaching person even as he ran towards them, surprise and concern coloring his tone, and began healing them with his Aura.

And as he pressed a gentle hand against hers, and shared his Aura with her once more, her eyes began to water.

Sure, his hair may have been grey now, and he had a bat for some reason instead of a sword, but this was, without a doubt, him.

And before he could remove his hand from hers, she gripped him tightly and pulled him into her, much to the shock of everyone there, and embraced him with all her (not inconsiderable) strength even as she cried: "Jaune! It's really you!"

-SEAT OF DIVINE FORESIGHT, XIANZHOU LUOFU, AROUND THE SAME TIME-

"I suppose the mess aboard the Skysplitter should have been wrapped up right about now."

"I believe it has, yes. But I'm also surprised that you actually sent Jaune to the Skysplitter, Jing Yuan."

"Well, Elder, all things considered, I'm sure his healing abilities will be useful for those who've had to face Hoolay."

"You know what I mean, Jing Yuan, though admittedly I'm surprised it took you this long to finally allow them to meet, especially considering all the work you've had to do in the past few days, just to keep them from accidentally encountering one another."

"To be fair, the Seer Strategist did have a point, that with everything that's been going on, with all of our foes suddenly revealing themselves, and with the upcoming Wardance, we couldn't afford to let the Merlin's Claw be distracted, especially when she learns that he remembers nothing of his time with the Xianzhou Yaoqing."

"True, though if it is fated to be, then I doubt they will have any difficulty reconnecting."

-HERTA'S OFFICE, HERTA SPACE STATION, JUST AFTER THE ASTRAL EXPRESS HAD DEPARTED-

As the Herta puppet in the office began going through the data this Jaune had collected as he'd gone through the Simultated Universe (Beta) that she'd created, the doors to her office.

The Herta puppet didn't bother looking up, having expected this meeting as soon as she'd seen the face of the person the Nameless had rescued, and as Asta stepped into her office she immediately began: "Before you ask, no, I had nothing to do with this Jaune Arc; even I'm not crazy enough to try and put a Stellaron into a cloned body, after all."

"Well, who else could have done it?"

"I don't know, Ruan Mei, maybe? She was working on some biological experiments in the Seclusion Zone, after all."

Postscript: Ugh, thank god, it's finally out of my head...

Anyway, to anyone who actually bothered reading this, I hope you enjoyed briefly following the journey of The Trailblazer, Jaune-HSR, and that you weren't too put off by the usual Shitty Rambler's twist at the end.

And just in case it's not clear, Jaune has actually been in the HSR world for quite a while, and his enhanced strength, speed, and Aura aren't just because he's got a Stellaron in his body empowering him, but also because of all the growth he's gone through during his first (when he was with the Xianzhou Yaoqing as a combat healer, before falling in battle protecting Feixiao during the battle which saw her be canonically badly injured and meet Jiaoqiu for the first time) and second romp (during his time with the Stellaron Hunters, after Elio recovered an amnesiac near-dead Jaune from the remains of the destroyed planet before the Xianzhou Yaoqing could recover him, though Elio had him hide his identity during this time so as to minimize the issues he would face during his third (and current) adventure as a Nameless of the Astral Express) across the galaxy, and while he's definitely not the BIGGEST name out there (he's certainly no Emanator or Genius Society member, for example) he's still done enough that people in the know do recognize him (as that scene with our beloved Foxian Arbiter-General should hopefully show), though most would assume he's just another clone (as that scene at the end should hopefully show).

Man, I had so many more interactions in mind between the Stellaron Hunters and Jaune (especially Firefly), but honestly my mind just could not picture Firefly without her emotional support trash panda (and while Jaune may be the Trailblazer in this story he would definitely not act as silly as our silly protagonist), and between that and the 2.5 story update I just decided to focus more heavily on Feixiao for this snippet. Looking at how bloated this silly snippet's already getting... yeah, perhaps it's for the best I keep it short.

On a side note, Jaune isn't thinking too much about Remnant and JNPR because of Kafka used her Spirit Whisper skill on him at the beginning (pretty much a domination/suggestion ability), when she told him that he needn't think about his past, as well as telling him that he won't remember a thing.