Something had changed about Stelle.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out so despite March's rather average intelligence, she

knew it had something to do with Kiana and her trainings.

It wasn't hard to point out the more obvious points of this change, either. For starters, Stelle

walked differently now as every step seemed like they had purpose and meaning, calculated

and measured to just the right way to meet the need without a slight excess in the

movement.

Maybe it was the discipline Kiana so diligently drilled on Stelle, the one thing she

emphasized as the founding principle of the Edge of Taixuan and its core value, but they

had just been training for days. How could Stelle pick her lessons so quickly? Was she

secretly a prodigal child?

All of it was baffling and she found herself staring at her friend's back more than one might

consider polite, though since Stelle was striding forward she couldn't see it.

Or so she thought.

"What is it, March?" Stelle suddenly asked with a brief glance towards her. Those golden

eyes, though no longer glow with power, still held a new gleam previously nonexistent

before her training with Kiana. That was another thing that had changed about Stelle and if

what people said about eyes, that they were the windows of the soul, then her heart must

have also changed.

A brief concern flared in her chest before March squashed it off. The changes in Stelle

couldn't have been bad, otherwise she wouldn't have said those things to her back in the

hotel hallway. Rather, Stelle seemed to have found her own drives now and was doing

everything she could to achieve them.

"It's nothing," March eventually replied, realizing that the silence had stretched a little too

long than normal. She glanced at Welt but he seemed to be content on following the two of

them. "I'm just wondering if you'd want to accompany me tomorrow."

Technically, it wasn't a lie. March had been meaning to ask Stelle to explore the Luofu and

show her the nice places she found on her leisure time but since her friend was too busy,

March didn't really have the chance.

"Where'd you want to go?"

March shrugged. "I don't know," she said instead when she realized Stelle couldn't see the

gesture. "I know you're busy, though, so I'd understand it if you can't."

Stelle slowed down just enough for the pinkette to catch up, flashing the shorter girl a smile

once she reached her side. "Tomorrow."

March smiled back, though there's a hint of unease in it. "You really don't have to

accommodate for me."

"I'm not. I also want to see what the Luofu has to offer and since you've been around, I

suppose you're good enough for a tour guide."

"Is that all I am to you?" March responded at the joke with equal measure, her strained

smile now a playful pout.

"I said good enough, March. You wouldn't be my first option unless I wanted to get into

troubles."

"Yeah?" March jabbed a finger to Stelle's arm and huffed. "You're the one getting us into

troubles in the past, remember?"

Stelle waved her hand dismissively. "Eh, I've grown."

"Yeah, sure," she retorted sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. The conversation died down

afterwards but March kept her new position beside Stelle, keeping pace with the taller girl

as they traversed the quiet street of Exalting Sanctum. Her colorful gaze drifted away from

Stelle, looking about everywhere to take in the place.

This was the second time March found herself in this particular sector of the Luofu and she

still couldn't shake the foreboding feeling in her chest as they walked its streets. To say she

was afraid would be false, though not far either, as the ozone itself almost smelled different.

She didn't know what exactly was different as there was too much to name. The eternal

night, the way its occupants behaved, or maybe the giant stump in the distance that seemed

to radiate a faint green light that was too dead to be bright.

March had heard Welt and Bronya talk about it when they first went to visit Exalting

Sanctum and she honestly didn't know what to think of the thing. Outwardly, it looked dead

but at the same time it still showed a grandiose not found in a carcass. A part of her

couldn't help but to think that some of it might still be alive because how could one explain

the wrongness alone?

Staring at it was like staring at a comatose patient, unresponsive but alive regardless, or a

slumbering giant who slept and waited for a prophecy to fulfill before waking up. Whatever

or whichever it was, one could clearly see that it wasn't an ordinary tree, not by the long

shot.

The Divine had an odd way to show their might and the Abundance was one example of

this. She'd heard and read of stories involving them and many of their followers, some

more terrible than the rest, but the Ambrosial Arbor easily creeped her out like none other.

A tree had always been the symbol of life and Kiana herself spoke of the Universe as if it

was a tree. Yet, this particular tree had ruined so many lives it would have been an affront to

life itself if it wasn't such a conundrum.

"What did Kiana tell you, anyway?" March began anew, changing the subject to one she

had been interested in for a while now.

"Nothing much," Stelle shrugged. "She told me that she got things covered on her end and

that I can talk with Kafka freely."

The Kaslana had called her out before they went their separate ways and Stelle obliged

almost out of instinct, letting herself being led to a secluded place where they could have

some semblance of privacy. Stelle could feel March's gaze the whole time she and Kiana

talked to each other and had expected the question from the pinkette sooner or later.

What she told March was the truth as there was nothing to really hide from her friend about

the subject of the conversation. Kiana had told her to not worry about the other end of the

deal, saying that she would fulfill it with the best of her ability. Stelle knew Kiana's best

was more than enough so she didn't doubt it a bit.

Kiana also told her that whatever she decided to say to Kafka would be entirely up to her,

which confused her before the white haired woman elaborated.

"What do you think make up a good person?" Kiana had asked back, a look Stelle

associated with her 'teacher mode' plastered on her face.

She had given it a thought for one long minute before shrugging in surrender, not because

she didn't know the answer but because there was just so much answers to that question.

"I'd say their deeds?" Stelle settled to say, though it was more to a musing than an actual

answer.

"That is one way to measure it, yes. A deed speaks of a person's intention better than words

can express. The first thing you'd judge from someone is their actions and actions equal

intentions." Kiana paused, her blue eyes staring at Stelle's golden ones with as much

compassion as a mother to her child. "If someone do good, will you trust them to be good?"

"That... sounds a bit oxymoronic, actually."

Kiana chuckled, though there's a hint of sadness in her eyes before it disappeared just as

quick as it appeared. "I suppose, yeah."

The conversation came to an end afterwards with Kiana bidding her good luck before

disappearing in the night with Bronya and Stelle found herself wondering what the Kaslana

was trying to say to her. So far, Kiana hadn't been cryptic with her teachings but that one

particular talk that sounded too much like a lecture had left Stelle figuratively scratching

her head in thought.

"If someone do good, will you trust them to be good?"

The answer was obviously no as people were known to use kindness to reach their own

goals, but at the same time it didn't eliminate the chance of people being genuine with their

actions. If actions weren't enough of a judge for a character, then what were?

"I will never lie to you."

A sudden whisper of Kafka's voice made Stelle grimace and she subtly shook her head,

though it apparently wasn't subtle enough to escape March's attention.

"What's wrong?" The pinkette asked. "You look like you've just swallowed something

bitter."

Yeah, a damned realization.

"Nothing," Stelle said instead. "Let's go find this Qingque person and be done with it."

March's mouth parted open slightly, surprised by the heat in Stelle's tone. Her friend didn't

seem to realize the disdain she let out as Stelle kept on marching ahead.

"She didn't mean that to you," Welt piped in calmly and March's eyes shifted towards his

just in time to catch the little frown on his face. Shaking his head, Welt continued with a

small reassuring smile for March. "This whole ordeal with Kafka puts her on edge and I

can only imagine how Stelle feels right now."

"I know how she feels," March muttered back, just enough for Welt to hear. She watched

Stelle's back as they followed her, the taller girl unaware with the attention directed at her

from both Welt and March. "Not precisely maybe but I get the gist of it."

Welt hummed. "I know this is probably too much to ask but I sincerely wish you keep

watching over her. Stelle tried to put the thought behind, it's part of the reason she trained

with Kiana, but it never truly left her mind ever since."

"What do you think of it, Mister Welt?" March asked with a grimace. "Kafka and Stelle...

do you think she was being honest to us?"

"There's every reason to keep secrets," he told her, deliberately unspecific of who. "We can

only believe."

"I don't trust a word Kafka said," the pinkette mumbled, scoffing. "And I for sure don't

want Stelle to be involved with that woman in any way. Yet, she insists..."

"Believe in her and yourself so even if you turn out wrong, you know you've made the right

choice by staying true to yourself."

"Is it really enough?"

"No," Welt quickly answered. "But it's the best we've got."

In the end, it all came down to that. One true freedom anyone had; the ability to believe

even if it was hopeless. Welt was being honest when he said that it wasn't enough to change

a thing, to prevent something, but she also knew that it had the power to change everything.

The deciding factors for that were the deeds. On how long the road one was willing to

travel to turn their beliefs into reality. Not one thing could be achieved through prayers

alone and no actions could be accomplished without thoughts.

March had her beliefs so, naturally, all she needed to do now was to act.

Taking fast few steps, she rejoined Stelle by her side, keeping pace with Stelle's rather large

steps with little effort. She wasn't blind to the look Stelle gave her.

"I don't know what you're planning to do," she told Stelle resolutely as her lithe fingers

slipped and grabbed Stelle's own, effectively dispelling the hastiness from Stelle and

making her slow down on her way. For a second, March couldn't help but to notice the

subtle roughness of Stelle's palm, a result of her training with Kiana no doubt, before she

pushed the thought aside with a shake of her head. "And I probably won't like it. But even

so... even so, I promise I'll stay by your side through it all. I want you to know that you're

never alone in this."

March squeezed her hand and after a second of delay, Stelle squeezed back. No less gentle

than before her training, no less gentle than before everything with Kafka.

"I know," she softly told March. "I always do."

Because March, the kind and strong March, was just like her and maybe that was the

reason Stelle felt connected with her in the first place.

Two peas in a pod.


Finding Qingque was proven to be a hectic endeavor rather quickly. Adding the fact that

the General didn't even show them the picture of the woman and only give them her name,

it turned into a frustratingly difficult goose chase on their end.

Stelle was operating on minimum patience as she felt as if they were being played on

despite their goodwill for the Alliance, a feeling that was only suppressed from boiling over

by the warmth of March's hand on her own. The pinkette was her anchor during their

search and Stelle decided to focus on March than her raging heart.

They went this and that way, practically scouring the entire Exalting Sanctum for a woman

whose face none of them even knew. At one point, she spotted Kiana again despite having

gone separate ways with her mentor a while back and it was all she needed to know that

they'd gone circles.

It wasn't until Bronya sent them a picture of Qingque they made a progress, one resulting

with Stelle wanting to bang her head on nearby lamppost because they had seen Qingque

practically in the first ten minutes of their search for the woman.

"Wait, isn't she the girl playing that board game back there?" March voiced Stelle's thought

after looking at the picture on her phone and Stelle answered her through gritted teeth.

"Yes, March, she is."

"Let's hope she's still there," Welt said evenly, not even slightly bothered by their

predicament. "Thank you, Bronya." Though he said it out loud, Bronya seemed to hear the

words despite being not physically there. Her reply came in the form of a thumbs up on

their group chat and nothing more.

Slipping her phone back into her coat, Stelle proceeded to where they last saw Qingque

with March and Welt close on her tail.

Thankfully, by the grace of a divine intervention that was Bronya, they found Qingque still

at where they saw her before. An open air lounge that served as both an extension to local

restaurant and recreational area for the people.

Her light brown hair made it easy to spot the woman despite her rather small stature almost

made her invisible amidst the sea of people. If not that, then the odd intense aura around

her table was an attraction in itself as people gathered around it.

"What is going on over there?" March asked, though it sounded a lot more like a musing

from her part.

"Don't you want to find out?" Stelle shot the pinkette a glance, shrugging.

"Let's go. We don't have much time," Welt gently ushered both girls, navigating their ways

between tables, people and chairs until they reached Qingque's. Some of the spectators shot

them dirty glances as they pushed their ways close but Welt simply uttered a dry apology

each time someone grumbled out loud. "Lady Qingque?" He asked once they were within

earshot, voice just barely above the average volume to accommodate the tense silent air.

"Maybe," Qingque mumbled back, gaze never leaving the assorted tiles on the board before

her. Stelle's eyes drifted here and there with mild interest while March didn't even try to

hide her curiosity at the game Qingque was playing. "Who's asking?" Finally coming to a

decision, the small woman moved one of her tiles and Stelle could understand that it did

something terrible to her opponents as they silently cursed under their breath by the end of

it, despite her lack of familiarity with the rules of the game itself.

"I'm Welt and these two girls are my companions. We're with the Astral Express, Ma'am."

"Please stop with the Ma'am," Qingque looked up towards them, her green eyes shifting

between the Trailblazers before a friendly smile blossomed on her face. "Just call me

Qingque."

Emboldened by the warm display, March smiled back and asked. "What game are you

playing, Miss Qingque?"

"Oh, this? It's called celestial jade. Are you interested, young Miss?"

March lit up. "It does look interesting," she admitted and was about to further ask Qingque

when Stelle suddenly nudged her side, stopping the words from leaving her mouth.

"B—but I'm afraid we're running on tight schedule," March finished sheepishly.

"How unfortunate," Qingque hummed, idly playing with one of her tiles. There were some

symbols engraved on the surfaces, though the meaning escaped Stelle's head. "I'd love to

teach you."

"Maybe another time," Stelle said. "We could use your help on a different matter, though."

"Sorry, but I'm a little busy, you see?" Qingque emphasized by doing her turn, smirking a

cheeky smile at one of her opponents. "And besides, I'm on my free time and very much

don't want to be disturbed."

Stelle, meanwhile, simply crossed her arms. "The General said it's a pay off for yesterday's

favor, whatever it was."

That whatever certainly meant something as Qingque suddenly froze mid-turn. Like the

rest of the information Jing Yuan provided, a bare minimum was all they got regarding said

favor he told them to tell Qingque. Honestly, Stelle couldn't care less what it was as long as

it did the job of getting Qingque up to her feet, which clearly it did as the woman

unceremoniously stood without further words.

"Wait, Qingque! We're not done yet!" One of the players protested as Qingque gathered her

jacket from the table and threw it on.

"Actually, we are," the small woman countered as she pushed her remaining tiles and

revealed them. "Just take a look for yourself."

They all peered to see, by the time they realized that they were indeed underhanded,

Qingque had gestured for the Crew to follow her to a more secluded spot where they could

talk. Not before yelling back over her shoulder about her payments, though.

Everything happened so fast that whatever going on between Jing Yuan and Qingque must

have been big. "So?"

Stelle blinked. "So?" She asked back, confused.

"What do you guys need from me?" Qingque patiently elaborated.

"We need you to get us to the Divination Commission," Welt told her. "To meet the Master

Diviner."

In an instant, Qingque's expression soured up and she groaned exasperatedly. "Dammit,

talk about shitty predicament," she muttered under her breath and Stelle glanced at March

to see the pinkette did the same to her, unsure if they were meant to hear it. "Fine. Trade is

trade and if this is how the General wants me to return the favor, then I'll do it."

"What is it, anyway?" March queried, obviously not sharing Stelle's sentiment.

"The favor you meant?" March nodded and Qingque shrugged nonchalantly. "He covered

for me yesterday so I could join a tournament, a master tournament mind you, of celestial

jade. It's thanks to him I could be, uh, abstain from work... without Lady Fu Xuan

hounding on my butt."

"Please tell me you weren't still in the middle of it back there."

"Then I shall refrain from saying anything." Qingque nodded at them then, her expression

one of neutral resignation. "Now, I don't really care what you guys want with Lady Fu

Xuan but if all you need me for is to bring you in, then I can do that."

"That is all we ask," Welt affirmed with a small smile.

"Come with me," they did as told and before long they found themselves on a Starskiff on

their way to the Divination Commission with Qingque personally telling their pilot the way.

The brown haired woman then settled back in the passenger cabin amongst the Crew,

empty except them as they took off almost immediately. "I don't think we have proper

introduction, yet, you two."

Stelle blinked, turning her eyes from the passing clouds outside to Qingque sitting across of

her. March beside her was the first to react to the statement, smiling her usual friendly

smile. "I'm March 7th and this one is Stelle."

March emphasized by brushing her hand against Stelle's and the taller girl grunted in

acknowledgment, giving Qingque a nod and smile. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, despite the circumstance," said Qingque, eying Stelle curiously. "You look

somewhat familiar, I must say."

"Maybe you've seen me around the Luofu lately. I had been training with my teacher,"

Stelle casually suggested. "Apologize if I didn't notice you. I was a little preoccupied, you

know."

"That might be it."

Somehow, she didn't sound convinced, still staring at Stelle for a long few seconds before

her gaze flicked to March. Stelle wondered what that was all about. "I must say, I've met

quite an amount of people but your name stands out the most, Miss March."

"Well, it's a rather long and personal story so..."

Stelle blinked, glancing at March through the corner of her eye. March actually had

reservations regarding the origin of her name? The pinkette practically told her with

excitement rivalling a jacked puppy when they first met. Even Mei and Bronya weren't

excluded.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make it weird. I'm just curious, that's all," Qingque apologized.

"It's fine. It's just that, there are things I'd rather keep for myself and my family."

Qingque smiled. "I understand that."

"How about you? I've been meaning to ask but what's your position on the Divination

Commission, Miss Qingque?"

"Me? I'm just a humble diviner," Qingque said with a little laugh. "So close to be demoted

to door guardian, though."

"Huh?"

"Lady Fu Xuan, she... uh... reprimanded me to stop slacking off on the job repetitively and

said would've had me kicked out."

"Really?" March implored, concern audible in her voice.

"Yeah, but it's more to a lip service from her end. Don't get me wrong, she's super scary

when she wants to but she's told me the same thing for the twentieth time now, yet here I

am still."

"You shouldn't push your luck, you know?" Stelle remarked with an amused smirk. "It'll

only take one swing in a hundred chops to bring a tree down."

Qingque sighed. "I know that. It's just that... life's too short to spend it on a mundane thing

that is work. We live to fulfill our needs and those needs are achieved by working, however

to work just to live is such a gloomy thing, don't you think? We're meant to enjoy life as it

is, after all."

The ashen haired girl shrugged nonchalantly. "That might be true, though you saying life's

too short is a bit scary considering how you guys live well over the centuries."

"That doesn't mean it's any less significant. Sometimes, beauties are found in fleeting

manner. It's not the time that matters, it's the moment."

"Like the stars we'd pass by when the Express is in the Warp?" March said to Stelle when

Qingque finished and the taller girl hummed as a response.

"The past is unchangeable and the future is inexorable, the only true control you have is

your present. That's why you must live today as if it's the last day you walk the earth."

March's eyes widened. "Woah, where did that come from?!"

"Kiana," Stelle answered casually as if it's the most natural thing out there. "Himeko was

right when she labelled her as wise."

"This Kiana person..." Qingque drawled to gain both of their attention. "Is she your

friend?"

March nodded immediately while Stelle took a second longer to answer. An answer that

was different to the pinkette's. "She's my teacher."

"Ah, so the one you trained with?"

This time Stelle nodded, solid and proud. "Yes."


The Divination Commission was an entirely different sector and not solely because it was a

completely separate sector to Exalting Sanctum. While that was true, the biggest difference

between the other sectors they had been was the fact that it was a restricted sector reserved

for the government of Xianzhou Luofu. Anyone without permits or immediate businesses

was denied access to the sector and whoever was stupid enough to sneak in would find out

rather quickly that the Knights stationed there weren't the normal Knights travelling down

the streets of Luofu.

No, they had standing orders of arrest after warnings and in some subsector, kill on sight.

They didn't care of the excuses. If you didn't turn around after being told, then best be

prepared for the intense interrogation that followed after, assuming you weren't going out

in body bags.

All this Qingque explained in a disturbingly casual tone as if she was a tour guide to a

bunch of tourists. Tourists who, by all accounts, were anything but.

March did gasp in surprise but both Stelle and Welt had somewhat anticipated this bit of

trivia. It made a lot of sense to have a massive security considering the importance of the

sector and what inside of it.

Though Qingque tried to explain the how, Stelle couldn't still grasp the idea of divination

the short girl laid down for them. Welt went to summarize it after thinking over Qingque's

words for a moment and once again they were reminded how smart the Herrscher was.

"Basically, rather than to say divination we're more familiar with calculation. The

Divination Commission predicts the future by calculating events in the past, which is to say

that they're acting on already available information," he paused then as they stepped out of

the moored Starskiff. "However, I won't deny that divinity does get involved so it's not

entirely science either."

"So, they're not technically looking at people's fate?" March asked with a frown.

"How do you describe fate, Miss March?" Qingque piped in. "Is it not our past that shapes

our future? You can tell a person's intentions by their conducts in the past, from then you'll

just have to connect the dots to know their future. That is exactly what we do."

"So, like Nous?" Stelle muttered, barely loud enough for them to hear.

"Not to that degree. Our divinity isn't a hundred percent accurate as there's bound to be a

small... discrepancy, but on the large scale we're always right." And in a quieter tone, she

added; "unless you are Master Fu Xuan."

Stelle glanced at March only to see the pinkette did the same. Were they meant to hear that

last bit or was it just an afterthought meant for the wind only? The question brought

hesitation to both girls and it was Welt who broke the uncomfortable silence afterwards

with a different subject entirely.

Yet, the question remained in their chests.

What kind of person is Luofu's Master Diviner?

Before any of them could actually voice it, Welt suddenly stopped them by raising his cane

in front of the group and their steps came to standstill immediately. March turned and was

about to ask him what's wrong but he simply brought a finger to the front of his lips in a

universal gesture of silence before pointing his cane to the next platform.

Their eyes shifted to where he pointed it and subsequently widened when they saw a whole

bunch of Abominations roaming the flat plane.

"I thought as much," Welt said quietly, just above a whisper. "I haven't seen a single Cloud

Knight since we landed."

Now that he mentioned it, neither had Stelle. She assumed that it was because they were

still on the outer side of the sector so the security wasn't as tight. "Let's go kill them?" she

proposed to Welt and March who nodded.

"W—wait! What about me?" Qingque hissed. "I'm not a fighter! The closest to a battle I've

ever been was when I threw my tiles at this unassuming prick who wouldn't pay after

losing!"

"Interesting picture," Stelle commented with a snort, giving Qingque a glance. "You can

hide for now."

"This won't take long," March declared with a reassuring smile. "We've been through

worse."

"Confidence is good, but don't underestimate your enemy March," said Welt. "Remember,

you are to support Stelle and me."

"I know, Mister Welt." March then summoned her bow the same time Stelle summoned her

lance. "Shall we?" She asked the taller girl.

"Let's go."

A bright blaze illuminated the area when Stelle's lance erupted in a flame and Qingque

jumped. Her surprise turned into panic when she saw the abominations now looking at

them only for said panic to turn into outright fright once they started to launched

themselves towards her and the Crew. Not wanting to linger in her powerlessness, Qingque

immediately searched for a hiding spot far from the fight just when the Crew began to

charge for the Mara-Struck.

The sickening sound of broken bones and slapping flesh filled the air, the Abominations

disregarding the use of stairs to tumble down the elevated ground towards them instead.

Stelle would never find it in her to tolerate these things, feeling only disgust at what they

had become.

She blamed nobody, though, and certainly not the victims they were. It was the blatant

ignorance towards self-preservation that disturbed her greatly and the mutilation of the

flesh itself. Right now she had her eyes on a certain Mara-Struck, specifically the dangling

head of the thing that was everything but connected to the shoulders anymore.

A piece of the person's spine, the one connected to the skull, was what holding it up.

Though saying up would be too generous in this case as it hung over its shoulders and on

the back. Despite it, it still managed to let out this ugly gurgling noise through both ends of

its severed trachea as it rushed towards them.

Ignoring the shivers running down her spine at the display, Stelle instead fed the lance in

her hand with more power, intending to use the blaze to cleanse the malice of the world

herself. At least in that regard she could say that she also pitied these people as she knew

none of them wanted to be like that.

Nobody in their right mind wants to be like this...

Welt summoned a ball of super dense material in the midst of the horde which then bursted

into an artificial black hole, pulling the Abominations into its gravitational well. It wasn't

enough to kill all of them but it did immobilize a lot and whatever didn't die, found

themselves in direct attack by March and her arrows.

Stelle meanwhile went for the more agile ones, those that wasn't affected by Welt's attack,

and initiated her own attack. Lacking ranged means to confront the enemy, she was forced

into a close quarter combat using her lance. Though close was not entirely correct either as

her lance provided her with plenty of range.

The first one to meet the tip of her lance was dispatched immediately as it pierced through

mutated flesh and bones with ease before the flame intensified and burned the Abomination

into crisp, its scream dying with the last twitch of its charred muscle. Stelle didn't linger,

turning around on her heels and going for her next target.

Occasionally, she would watch an Abomination either getting folded like paper by Welt's

black hole or exploding in icy viscera as March's arrows burrowed themselves deep in their

bodies before bursting out like flowers. Their attacks varied so were the results and it was

obvious who killed which based from the corpses, or Welt's case lumps, littering the

ground.

Before long, Stelle found herself standing in the carnage as the last Abomination fell to

March's attack, silence once again prevailing in the area. She wiped the golden blood of the

abominations from her cheek with the back of her gloved hand as she took in her

surrounding, eyes sharp and piercing it made March flinch when her gaze met Stelle's

without the latter knowing.

Certain that nothing would jump her or her friends from the shadows, she exhaled the

tension from her muscles and chest before she decided to rejoin March and Welt on the

back.

The ground was full of slowly disintegrating remnants of Abominations, though with the

rate they're disappearing Stelle had to be careful to not trip on severed limbs or slip on the

bloodied floor. A notion that was easier said than done considering they killed quite a lot of

them.

"Nice one, March," Stelle praised the pinkette who beamed in pride.

"I see your training with Kiana has served you well," Welt told her and March nodded

along.

"For real! You've become faster and stronger!"

Stelle couldn't quite hide the blush forming on her cheeks, laughing bashfully as she rubbed

the back of her neck. Frankly, she knew she had improved as Kiana made it pointedly clear

after each training session but to hear it from her other companions was something else

entirely.

The sound of small footsteps drew their attention and they turned towards their source to

see Qingque running up to join them. "You guys are amazing! I've heard and read of the

Trailblazers'

might but I'd never expected to see it myself!" She declared with a huge,

excited grin on her face. "Truly befitting a warrior!"

Stelle put a hand on her canted hips and smirked cockily. "You know, this is nothing. We've

fought a giant robot and beast before, not to mention other smaller enemies with their own

strange capabilities. All of which fell to these hands, y'see."

"Really?!"

"Uh-huh."

March, having enough of Stelle self-service to her steadily inflating ego, rolled her eyes

before slapping the taller girl's arm exasperatedly. "Right, yes, of course. Any more of that

and your head's gonna grow bigger than a Wubbaboo."

Welt chuckled. "Humble is noble. Though it's right to take credits for your deeds, too, so I

don't think it's a bad thing to brag about them every once in a while."

"Mister Welt!" The pinkette whined. "Don't indulge Stelle like that!"

Stelle grinned smugly before her face turned into a more serious one. "But seriously... Is it

normal for these things to pop up around here?"

The question was directed at Qingque who responded with a mixture of horror and

repulsiveness. "Hell no. As I said, the Divination Commission is one of the safest sectors of

the Luofu so it's highly unlikely for the Abominations to manifest here."

"Seems very likely to me," Stelle commented with a pointed look towards the corpses, their

blood painting the previously dark floor gold in pools and rivers. "Any idea how did this

happen?"

Qingque shook her head, biting her nail nervously as she also stared at the pile of dead

bodies. Some of them had started to disappear, leaving a macabre sight of severed limbs or

limbless torsos. "No, but I know we need to find the Master Diviner immediately."

"I concur," Welt said. "Let's proceed carefully now we know this area isn't as safe as we

thought."

They all voiced their agreement, once again picking up pace towards their initial

destination. Despite Welt's words, they surprisingly met very little resistance as only a few

stragglers were directly on their path and thus needing to be dispatched.

Still, they hadn't met any other living being that wasn't corrupted by the Mara. Every now

and then one of them would spot a dried crimson on the grounds or walls but never a body,

which not only creeped March out she practically was glued on Welt the entire walk but

also made Stelle wonder what actually happened here, besides the obvious.

Qingque told them that, although it was night time, there should be people working still as

the Divination Commission never slept. She explained that every conduct carried by the

Xianzhou Alliance and the Luofu was calculated by the Master Diviner with the help of her

subordinates, including plot charting for the ship and governing. In a way, the Divination

Commission was the heart of the ship as it dictated all actions henceforth.

Now as she traversed the passageways between buildings, however, all they heard was

silence. Silence that was so loud it was deafening. Qingque obviously also found it

unsettling as she personally had seen how busy the night usually would be.

Then again, nothing about it was usual.

The front gate, which was usually open for the Diviners and Knights, was closed tight. A

glance towards its control panel told them enough that someone had smashed it apart to

prevent anyone from entering the inner part of the sector.

"Oh no..." Qingque muttered, picking a piece of the broken panel from the ground and

holding it up to eye level. "This is bad."

"Is there any other way?" Welt asked as he stepped to her side.

"There is, but it's a long way around."

He hummed before gesturing with his hand towards the panel. "May I?"

Qingque furrowed her eyebrows, uncertain, but she stepped aside anyway to allow Welt

access.

Curious, March took a step closer to Welt, practically peering over his side. "What are you

doing, Mister Welt?"

Welt didn't answer right away. He let go of his cane and the Star of Eden disappeared in

purple embers before it could fell on the ground, then pushed his glasses up the bridge of

his nose. "Everything works with mechanism," he began. "No matter how advanced it is,

they have the same basic principles. For this instance, a door has two."

"Two?"

"Opening and closing," Stelle answered for March, crossing her arms over her chest as she

joined the pinkette.

"That's correct. Although, I'm not Bronya..." he raised a hand up over the broken panel and

a blue holographic keyboard appeared below his fingers, followed by tendrils of energy

which then wormed their ways through the cracks and into what remained of the panel.

"I'm still capable of this much."

His irises changed, a pattern of sort overtaking his pupils, as his fingers moved in a blur on

the keyboard as he typed in commands after commands to find the right one and open the

door. It had been a while since he last used his Reason Authority, refraining from doing so

as it took a lot of Honkai Energy just to manifest a fraction of his true power. However,

with Kiana around he had no worry of depleting his reserve since the Kaslana was basically

a walking Honkai reactor.

This close to Finality, his power was basically what it was in his prime. Still, he understood

that using it excessively would also expose the people around him with its terrible

corruption. The same reason why Bronya, Kiana and Mei hadn't been fighting in their

unhindered manners ever since they arrived. He knew the reason Overseer Theresa gave

them the Divine Keys was so they could keep their powers in check to 'mortal'

level

because, unlike Bronya whose Authority was mostly to and for herself, Kiana and Mei's

would affect the entire Universe as a whole.

The Divine Keys still used Honkai, but compared to their Authorities they were nothing.

After two minutes of attempting to break his way in, a time he knew would only take

Bronya a second, he finally found what he was looking for. His index finger hovered over

the enter key as his eyes shifted towards the three females around him. "You three get

behind me."

"Wh—why?" Qingque asked worriedly. Still, she did as told and moved to behind Stelle

and by extension Welt.

"We don't know what's inside there," he stated curtly.

After making sure that they were safely covered behind him, the sight of Qingque's rather

small stature behind Stelle's bigger one painted a rather amusing image in his mind, he let

his finger fall on the holographic key and the door sprung open immediately.

Then, just as he predicted, there was indeed something inside.

Or rather, some people.

A bright lance of energy beam pierced the dark night towards the group, just in time for

Welt to summon his own energy barrier to block it, followed by another and another until

their vision was blocked by flashes of lights and dust. None of them was sure who started

screaming but the terrified sound was coming from behind Welt, which was loud enough to

be audible amidst the onslaught of clashing energies around them.

The shields held on easily as it required a lot more to pierce through the protection of

Reason. With a flick of his wrist, Welt summoned Star of Eden back to his grip and

proceeded to drive it gently against the floor. A tap resonated in the area as gravity itself

shifted, clearing the dust just enough for Welt to see who was attacking them.

"Cloud Knights...?"

The Knights saw them too as one of them barked a cease fire order and almost immediately

the attack stopped. For a moment, there was only silence as they stared at one another.

Welt raised a hand in a placating manner, removing his shields but keeping himself ready to

summon them back again if needed. "We are here on behalf of the General," he announced

calmly, as if they hadn't just shot at him with a full arsenal of heavy weapons.

The three girls behind him tentatively stepped out from cover and the Knights recognized

Qingque instantly, their leader gesturing with his hand for the four to enter through the

gate. Not wanting to linger in the open, the Crew and Qingque quickly made their way

inside and right to behind the fortified position the Knights set up.

The gate closed again behind them, its servo groaning at the effort. "Mister Welt," greeted

the leader who Welt now recognized as none other than Jian Dao. "Miss March, Miss Stelle

and Lady Qingque, too."

"Captain," Welt nodded respectfully at the man. "Why so uptight?"

"My apologies. The sector is currently experiencing a sudden infestation problem."

"Still, to shoot on sight is..." March trailed off and Jian Dao's helmeted gaze shifted towards

her.

"Again, I'm very sorry about that. We didn't expect anyone to enter at this time and

certainly not by opening the gate like that after we destroyed the control panel," he then

gestured for them to follow him to the back of the formation to not hinder the Cloud

Knights from performing their duty. "We have been notified of your visit before but we

thought you'd have cancelled it after seeing the state the Divination Commission is

currently in."

"We... are not adequately informed beforehand," Welt began. "The General has cleared us

here to have an audience with the captured Stellaron Hunter Kafka."

"I'm well aware. Unfortunately, she is not here yet."

Stelle frowned. "Then, where is she?"

"On her way, still. Along with the reinforcement we requested."

"What happened here, Captain? Where is everyone else?" Welt implored then with a

concerned dip of his eyebrows.

"We've evacuated everyone into the inner sanctum of the sector. As for what happened..."

Jian Dao sighed, heavy and weary. "I don't know, either. It's as if these Abominations

started popping up into existence all around and not in small scale, either. If it's minor

incursions, we're more than sufficient to fight them off but we've got our hands full just

trying to keep a subsector clear."

"So, you ordered them inside the wall?"

A nod. "It's a more defendable position as it's specifically designed to hold out against siege

so I have my guys in until we've our help."

"A wise decision," the Herrscher commented approvingly, his bespectacled gaze moving

about the area and seeing all the Knights standing by on their stations, ready for battle. "Do

you require our assistance?"

Jian Dao shook his head at that. "You have my gratitude. However, it would be in bad light

if I were to ask such when you still have your business to carry out. Besides, we're

managing."

"Right."

"The Master Diviner should be in her station right now. It's best if you guys find her

immediately instead of waiting around here with us."

Heeding on the Captain's words, the Crew and Qingque decided to leave the front gate and

ventured deeper into the center of the sector, bidding him a short farewell which the

Captain replied in kind. As they moved in, more and more people came into sight until

there was practically a crowd of them. Unlike at the front gate, however, these people were

civilians and although the Crew recognized nobody, Qingque did.

Occasionally, she would stop to talk with her colleagues, asking a fair bit of questions

before moving to another. After a few stops, she told the Crew that the incursions had only

occured barely half an hour ago which would explain why the General didn't tell them

about it.

Fat chance he wasn't aware, either, and even if he did it would be well after they were on

their way looking for Qingque.

Qingque herself was oddly quiet during their walk, barring the times where she'd talk to her

coworkers she rarely spoke a word. March went to ask her before Stelle could voice her

concerns and the shorter woman answered with a tight smile bordering a grimace.

"I'm just... I don't know," she began quietly. "When I skipped work yesterday, I didn't think

I'd be so lucky to escape this whole ordeal. I could've been one of those people writhing on

the ground in pain or worse..."

They had seen the bags. They had known what was inside of them without the need of

looking.

"Well, I'm glad you're here with us," March assured, though considering the circumstances

her smile was also more reserved.

"Yeah..." Qingque trailed off, gaze faraway towards the Matrix of Prescience in the

distance. "Yeah, me too."

I wonder if you've foreseen this...?


The General was, in fact, aware of the situation at the Divination Commission.

Once Qingque finished telling them about the Matrix of Prescience, a thing that was so big

it practically was the inner sanctum of Divination Commission, they finally found the

Master Diviner talking to the General himself.

Or rather, a holographic projection of Jing Yuan.

She was a small woman, more or less the same height as Qingque, and for a second Stelle

thought if it was the norm in Xianzhou to have short people. She certainly had seen what

appeared to be children owning shops with age up to triple digits so it probably was the

norm but still, to think the Master Diviner was this small Stelle had to literally look down

on her was surprising.

For the first time, she wished she wasn't as tall. March certainly didn't seem to have as

much trouble as she did while Welt didn't appear bothered by the fact he towered over Fu

Xuan, but then again it was probably just her overthinking things again.

"Ah, here they are," said Jing Yuan, his voice slightly muffled by the distance yet that smirk

of his never wavered a bit. "I'm glad everyone can join us safely."

Welt was about to reply when Fu Xuan interrupted him, sounding less than amused.

"General, don't you have something else to do?"

"Whatever that might be, Master Diviner?"

Fu Xuan rolled her eyes and scoffed while Stelle and March raised their eyebrows at how

casual the two were being. "Just have your boys and girls clear this place out of the

Abominations. I still have works to do, you know."

The General chuckled at that. "Of course," he then turned towards the Crew and Qingque,

giving a quick nod before his form flickered out of existence, not even sparing a word.

"That Jing Yuan..." Fu Xuan muttered with a heavy sigh before her gaze snapped towards a

hiding Qingque. "You!"

Qingque yelped, further using Welt as cover while Fu Xuan stalked towards her.

"M—Master Diviner! It's good to see you well!"

"Don't give me that crap!" She then yanked Qingque off Welt's back by the arm, glaring at

Qingque. For two people with equal height, Fu Xuan made it seem easy to shrink Qingque

down even further with just her eyes. "Just where the hell have you been?!"

"I—"

"No, no, no, that's a rhetorical question. I know damn well where you have been."

"I'm so sorry!"

"And it will happen again, still," lamented the short pinkette. "Do you even want to work

here?"

"Of course I do!" Qingque replied immediately. "Where else can I be?!"

"Then, take your work seriously!"

"I am taking my work seriously," Qingque then proceeded to drag Stelle forward from the

group, completely disregarding the dumbfounded expression on the girl's face. "Look, I

brought them here didn't I?"

"That's not a part of your résumé whatsoever," Qingque was about to protest when Fu Xuan

continued, this time addressing Stelle instead. "So, how are you?"

If it was possible, Stelle seemed even more dumbfounded by the question. "Um, good?

How about you?"

But Fu Xuan simply crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed. "You were the brat who

got caught in the Stellaron Hunter's web, right? Some days ago?"

"... how'd you know?"

"I was leading a group of Cloud Knights to apprehend her then, but we've got bogged down

by a wave of Abominations on our way there."

Stelle shrugged. "No wonder we haven't met."

"Oh, but we have. Or rather, I have."

"What do you mean?"

Fu Xuan was quiet for a second. "That white haired woman... she's not here, is she?"

A frown graced Stelle's lips as she pondered the question. Something in Fu Xuan's tone was

different, as if she was tentative to ask. "You mean Kiana?"

"Yes, her."

"No, she has something else to do. Why?"

The hesitation only grew until it became palpable in Fu Xuan's eyes. "What is she,

exactly?"

"She's our friend."

"No, not that. I meant, what kind of entity is she? Because, she can't be a normal human."

March and Stelle looked up towards Welt, expecting him to answer the question since he

was the most qualified on the subject. "You're right on that regard, Madam Fu Xuan," he

answered with clipped tone. "Kiana is not human. But what she is, is up to her to answer."

"Hm, an Emanator, then?" Fu Xuan prodded but Welt merely shook his head. "Well,

whatever she is, she's certainly nothing ordinary as I've never met anyone like her before."

"Like what?" March queried, half curious half concerned with the way Fu Xuan worded it.

"Someone without destiny."

March blinked. "Someone without destiny...?"

Fu Xuan nodded, a troubled frown adorning her face. "Everyone has a destiny they'll follow

in their life and well to beyond death and I have the... mean, to see this." She then pointed

at her forehead where a purple gemstone was with her thumb. "My third eye has never

failed to perceive someone's future... until I met her."

"Wait, hold on," Stelle cut in, aghast. "Your third eye? It can see destiny and someone's

future? What and how the hell does that even work? And also, why did you even try to read

Kiana's?" She finished, unaware how defensive she sounded at the last bit.

"Because, when I first met her I saw not a human." Fu Xuan closed her eyes and took a

shuddering breath as the memories of that night spread over her vision not unlike the blaze

she witnessed, even now she could still smell the burning ozone and taste the smog behind

her mouth.

It was nothing compared to what she saw when she finally reached the epicenter of it,

however.


Fire scorched the earth, its light dancing in the faint moonshine like a ripple of golden

wave on sea surface. All around her were piles of blackened corpse of Abominations, their

faces seared in a frozen agony as the fire consumed them ceaselessly.

The Knights behind her gagged at the intense smell of burning flesh, their helmets offering

little to no protection against it, and the only reason she managed to spot her first was

because she could manage. Because she had witnessed and experienced thousands of

battlefields and scenarios in her duty as Master Diviner.

Yet, it wasn't enough to prepare her for what she saw.

The moment she laid eyes on her, she knew that this woman wasn't an ordinary human. She

stood there on a mountain of corpses with her sword held casually in one grip looking at

the moon above almost serenely, her white and red cape swaying behind her with the

flames as one and the same in a gentle dance.

And when she took a tentative step closer, she finally was graced by her attention as her

blue eyes, so bright and fierce with untold resolve, flicked towards her below. For a long

while, she could only stare while being stared back. Then, in a move that baffled her, the

woman smiled, no less warm than fire itself.

"Reinforcement?"

Her voice was soft yet firm, and there's a strange echo behind it as if she was talking

through a vast expanse of space. Much like everything else the woman was, it's strange

beyond measure as no human sounded like that.

It was then she used her third eye to see, and she saw nothing. A honest to God nothing as

if she was staring at an empty space. No strings to see, no pathways leading to a future

connected by earthly bonds, and no traces intertwined with the world around her.

It was as if she wasn't there, as if she wasn't bound by mortality. A ghost to an eye that

could see a divine concept with ease. A ghost that could only be seen by mortal eyes, much

to her confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized as she jumped down, the click of her heels too loud amidst

the cackling of the fire, while a flick of her wrist sent her sword floating to behind her where

it then stayed in the air. "That was impolite of me."

Fu Xuan was aware of her height, or lack thereof, so even after the woman had stepped

onto even ground she still had to look up to meet her gaze. Gaze that had lost its fury to

show only compassion.

"Who are you?" She had asked tensely when the woman stopped a few feet before her,

mirroring the wariness of her contingent of Knights which had gone to surround the white

haired woman.

"A friend, I hope," she replied with a hint of mirth, one wasn't meant to be mocking but

rather a friendly joke to disarm the situation. "Oh! It must be hot around here, huh? Lemme

just..."

She raised a hand and the Knights jolted ready, their weapons raised and pointed at the

woman who simply raised an eyebrow. Fu Xuan herself narrowed her eyes, challenging an

explanation out of the woman. "What are you doing?" The pinkette demanded, voice low

but no less dangerous.

"... this?"

A snap of her fingers later and the blaze consuming the area disappeared, snuffed out of

existence as if they were never there. If it weren't for the scorched earth and corpses, Fu

Xuan would've thought she merely imagined the sea of flames before.

"I'm not your enemy," she continued calmly and Fu Xuan's eyes snapped back towards her.

"I'm with the Astral Express." To prove her credibility, she then showed them the golden

Pass pinned to her dress, smile never wavering all the while. "I'm Kiana of the House

Kaslana."

"Lady Fu Xuan!" One of the Knights cried out when Fu Xuan closed the distance between

her and Kiana, looking her properly but mainly her Pass. She'd read and seen illustrations

of it before and she could tell that this one was genuine.

After all, the Express' fame preceded its passengers.

"I'm Fu Xuan," she said after a moment, offering a hand in universal gesture of goodwill.

"Master Diviner of Luofu."

Kiana took the offered appendage and gently wrapped her fingers around it. "Nice to meet

you, Ma'am."

The handshake was brief, but it was more than enough to confirm her suspicion.

Enough to confirm that this was no ghost.


Not even those affected by Nihility showed that much nothingness, no matter how

contradictive that sounded, as they would still have faint remnants of their cut off destinies

as long they still walked the realm. The only way someone could be that empty was when

they were fully submerged in the stagnant water and thus lost everything they once were,

effectively dead or dying as they drowned.

But that woman...

She wasn't a victim of Nihility, that much Fu Xuan could tell. If not from the way she

carried herself, then the radiant brightness she exuded during the short time they interacted,

which was the exact opposite of Nihility.

What she was, was different. But the other possibility was too much of an offshoot from

possible itself she refused to even consider it as one. It's simply impossible.

She probably was a follower of the Wisdomwalker, of Nous, and by their blessings had

found a mean to hide her destiny from her third eye which was their creation to begin with.

It was more likely than the other possibility where Kiana was some sort of divine being and

thus above the concept of destiny and fate especially considering how human she acted,

despite her precursory oddity Fu Xuan had observed earlier.

"Why do you care what she is?" Stelle shot back and March's eyes widened at the

harshness in her tone as she instinctively put her hand around Stelle's to calm her down.

She'd known that her friend was aggravated since they left the hotel, known that it was

because of the boiling frustration in her chest at the questions of her past, and she would do

anything to help her through this turmoil of hers.

"It is nothing personal," Fu Xuan explained. "As it's my duty to safeguard Luofu from all

threats. Do you know how many unknowns are there in the stellar sea? Do you know the

horror they bring forth? Everyday we risk our lives just by existing in the cosmos and it

will only take one mistake for us to perish into cosmic dust."

"It is my duty to prevent that mistake from happening," the Master Diviner went on firmly.

"It is my duty to peer into horrors so nobody else might experience them. I've seen a lot of

things that would keep you awake at night, I bear excruciating pain so others won't have to,

so others can sleep in blissful ignorance. We, Miss Stelle, are a blip. A blip in a space so

vast it's incomprehensible. Our light is small and our might is smaller still, but we are no

less precious to each other."

Fu Xuan took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her expression almost pitying. "I sense

tumultuous future ahead of you," she told her and Stelle's breath caught in her throat. "A

child of destiny who's also a victim of its machinations. I won't hold it against you for

speaking your mind out for I would've also done the same thing but I advise you to not

make it a habit. There are people out there who will perceive it as a sign of weakness."

Stelle looked away as shame filled her chest. March's hand on hers served as yet another

reminder of what she had disregarded in her fit of frustration, failing to see what next to her

because she was too blinded by her raging heart.

Her desire to uncover her past had buried the feelings she had come to cherish as her most

prized possessions. Her love for her family and the want to protect it.

March and Welt were here because they wanted to be there for her during the inevitable

moment, offering her support without needing to be asked. But she failed to see it. She

failed to see that everyone was doing what they did, Kiana and Bronya included, because

this time it was her who needed the help.

It was her who was in despair and agony and it was them who wanted to soothe her

burdens.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was wrong."

Though her eyes were set on Fu Xuan, her hand tightened around March's and it was all the

other pinkette need to know that Stelle understood her mistake. So, smiling gently, she

squeezed back just as silently.

"I don't need your apology," Fu Xuan said with a shake of her head. "But I'm glad you

understand."

Stelle nodded and looked away, toward the stump that was the Ambrosial Arbor in the

distance as the conversation died down into silence. She tried to put her past behind, she

really did after all Bronya told her back in the hotel, but her heart and its imperfections

would always whisper its needs.

Needs she was hopeless to ignore.

Stelle sighed internally. "What are we waiting for?" She asked in an attempt to steer her

thought away from the downward spiral that was despair.

Fu Xuan turned around, eyes focusing on the Matrix of Prescience once again. "The Matrix

of Prescience needs adjustments before operation and it's currently being adjusted. Besides,

Kafka is yet to arrive so we'll have to wait."

"I see," Welt pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Do you need help with the

former, Lady Fu Xuan?"

The short pinkette shook her head. "No, I have people doing that already but I appreciate

your offer, Mister Welt."

"If you say so."

Stelle relased March's hand and ran her hands over her face, exhaling deeply. "Then, I'll go

get some air," she announced as she shoved her hands into her pockets, walking away from

the group without another word.

"Don't wander far!" March warned and Stelle waved back in acknowledgment, her gaze set

on the ashen haired girl's back until she disappeared from view towards a lower platform.

"Why don't you go with her?" Welt implored gently but March simply shook her head.

"I think she needs to be alone for now."

He hummed appreciatively. "I see."

Qingque, who was mostly silent so to not attract Fu Xuan's suppressed wrath again, spoke

next. Her voice was tight and high pitched. "Speaking of being alone! I think it's about time

I leave."

"You will not," Fu Xuan flatly stated, back still facing the rest of them. "Unless you don't

value your life as much as I thought you do."

"I—Is that a threat, Lady Fu?"

"What? No. The sector is unsafe so it's unwise to leave this place." Fu Xuan glanced back

at Qingque and frowned. "Why did you think it was?"

"Nothing!" Qingque squeaked before laughing sheepishly while March giggled at the

chemistry between the two. "No particular reason at all!"


Stell hadn't wandered for long when her phone chimed a familiar tone of incoming message

and she instantly knew what it was without needing to see the content.

Still, she fished it out and opened the message, giving March a simple acknowledgment out

of courtesy rather than anything else. Her eyes lingered on the chat bubble from March's

end for a long second, the one containing the notification, until another one popped up

below Stelle's most recent one.

March: Are you okay?

Her fingers moved before she could think and Stelle hit send immediately.

Stelle: Yeah.

Stelle: I'm coming back now.

There's no further reply from March but Stelle could see that she hadn't gone offline either.

There's an unspoken question there, one Stelle knew would need to answer later when her

heart had settled for good through this turmoil she was feeling.

So, without another word, Stelle locked her phone and shoved it back into her pocket

before pushing herself off the protective railing lining the edges of the plane and making

her way back just as she had promised March.

The cool breeze of the night air helped calm her and the silence was a great companion to

clear her thought with, moreover the Luofu had this strange peaceful atmosphere all around

which made her feel like she was on literal cloud nine whenever she looked away into the

distant skies around her. She was a lot calmer now after straightening her mind, using the

moment to meditate like how Kiana taught her for her training in the past.

Her teacher knew. She had always known of this cancerous thought inside her and the way

it was eating her alive throughout her days and nights. The doubts and fear seeping on her

soul, about her past, present and future, all which were uncertain to her while she was too

afraid to ask because Stelle knew all it'd take was a simple question for Kiana to provide

her an answer with.

Not like Kiana would refuse as it was her right to know, but it was also her wish for Stelle

to move on instead of brooding on bygone days. If anything, her silence and inaction were

her way to protect Stelle in her unpreparedness.

Because Kiana valued and respected her enough just as much as Stelle valued and

respected her, maybe even more.

Arriving on the main plane, Stelle was surprised to see how crowded the area now with

Cloud Knights practically flooding the Matrix of Prescience, their boots thumping loudly as

they moved about into what Stelle realized was a sentry position all around the place. The

Knights themselves appear fresh and alerted unlike the weary ones they met earlier on the

gate and a lot more numerous too.

Reinforcement? She mused silently to herself as she eyed them only to stop when her gaze

landed on a waving March, the pinkette smiling once she got her attention amidst the sea of

Knights.

Waving back, Stelle then proceeded to carefully navigate her way through the Knight's

formation. Most of them paid her no heed but few that turned to look did it with cold,

machine like movement that only served to unnerve Stelle further. These Knights felt

different, more detached than she used to see around the Luofu and she couldn't help but

wonder if they're something like an elite guard unit or similar.

"Where's Kafka?" Stelle asked immediately the moment she was within earshot with

March, Qingque and Welt. She's here, as March had informed her through the message and

the sudden increase of Cloud Knights could only mean exactly that. But as she looked

around, she failed to see the Hunter.

"She should be here soon," the pinkette kindly answered. "Look, Lady Fu Xuan is talking

with the leader of the Knights right now."

The shorter pinkette was a presence to reckon with, that despite her stature it was obvious

who held the most authority in the area as she stood in the center of it all. Close to her were

some of her subordinates who, like the Knight, were in the middle of giving report

regarding the adjustment progresses of the Matrix.

This far, none of them could hear what they were saying in exception of Welt thanks to his

super hearing but finding nothing worrying in the conversation, he decided to tune it out out

of respect for the involved parties.

Whatever the actual exchange was, it certainly was a curt one as the Knight saluted before

stepping back and away. Meanwhile, Fu Xuan's subordinates bowed before also taking

their leave to join the rest of the civilians on the other side of the sector.

The air was tense, so palpable Stelle could feel it on her exposed skin like static electricity,

slipping through her pores and crawling under the surface. Beside her March shivered and

wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes sharp and wide as she stared at the entryway

with anticipation.

One thing Stelle knew about Kafka was that her presence always demanded attention.

Wherever the woman go glamorous clamors followed her whether inadvertently or not. She

would come and conquer, and she did it so naturally that not even a talent was as natural.

Naturally, this wasn't any different.

The moment Kafka came into view, the pressure increased tenfold and the Knights visibly

tensed up as their helmeted gazes turned towards the chained Hunter as she walked the

passageway with even more escorts than what seemed necessary just for one woman.

But Kafka wasn't just one woman. No, she was more than that, more than just a criminal

and Stelle knew this. The Knights knew this which was why delivering her required more

than the necessary.

After all, this woman alone had hands so red with blood it put roses to shame.

Before she realized it, Stelle found herself staring at her and Kafka somehow found her

amidst the wall of Knights separating the two. At that moment, two things happened that

made Stelle's heart skipped a beat.

First Kafka smiled, small and reserved but still obvious enough as she looked at her

through the gaps. In that moment, her dazzling radiance assaulted Stelle until it felt like

there was only the two of them in the mortal world. Her makeup was gone, cheeks lacking

the usual rosy tints and lips that had whispered so many dooms to others curling into her

signature teasing smirk, yet it could never snuff her natural beauty out.

Second was when the Knight behind her roughly shoved her forward when her steps

slowed down, disregarding the pained grunt the woman let out as her face twisted in mild

agony.

A shot of hot anger and concern filled her bloodstream at the display before Stelle caught

herself and gritted her teeth frustratedly. Even now her heart could not lie, that she cared for

the Hunter more than she would like or simply possible. She certainly never thought she

would have these feelings and certainly not to someone like Kafka.

Certainly not to a murder.

As Kafka approached, those feelings only grew in her chest until they became unbearable.

The closer the woman was, the more details flooded Stelle's sharp golden eyes and she

clenched her fists at what she saw.

Kafka's coat was still missing and the Hunter looked oddly bare without it, like a flower

without vase, and it allowed more of her skin to be exposed even if just a little. To begin

with, Kafka had always dressed for comfort and rarely showed her skin despite her

outgoing nature, too adoring of her collection of coats to not wear them.

Now however with her coat gone to God know where, all she wore above was her white

dress suit and through the cuts on her shoulders, Stelle could see marks.

Red, barely healed marks that only meant torture.

A genius she was not, she still understood where and who they're from as she glared at the

Knights escorting her. They of course didn't notice unlike Kafka whose smirk hiked up just

perceivable enough for Stelle to see through the pounding of her blood in her head. Even

now Kafka was teasing her, but oddly enough this time it helped calming her down instead

of working her up.

As she walked past her, Stelle had to force her eyes away from her exposed back where

more scars were visible lest she risked losing her cool and did something she would only

regret, inadvertently meeting March's frowning face in the process.

The pinkette opened her mouth but Stelle beat her to it. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing," March mumbled back and although she did not sound accusing, Stelle

flinched anyway because she knew it was true.

"Stellaron Hunter Kafka," Fu Xuan's bellowed, not waiting even a second to talk with the

Hunter. "You are brought here at your own unwillingness to answer the questions given to

you regarding your goals and objectives infiltrating the Luofu. As the acting Master

Diviner, it is my duty to unravel your secrets through all means necessary."

Fu Xuan nodded at the Knights behind Kafka and they all but shoved her into the center of

the Matrix of Prescience, the Hunter stumbling briefly at the rough treatment before

catching herself up.

"Beware that this is not a trial," continued the Master Diviner coldly. "The matter of your

crimes shall be handled by Ten-Lords Commission Punishment Division, however my

testimony can and will be used against you. Hence, I hereby vow to speak the truth and

only the truth of what I witness."

"If you have something to say for yourself, now is the time."

Kafka, as usual, looked unfazed. If anything, she seemed amused by the way her smile

widened by the end of it. "What can I possibly say that will satisfy you, Mildly?" She

spoke for the first time since probably being captured and Stelle could hear the hoarseness

in it. Still, it didn't stop her from sounding playful at all. "My crimes are many that

whatever excuses or defenses I might have could never be enough to justify what I've

done."

"Is this your admission of guilt, then?"

Kafka laughed at that, the sound reverberating in Stelle's heart. "I am guilty of them all,"

she announced merrily and Fu Xuan visibly scowled in disgust. "Why would I deny my

very own actions?"

"Very well. It seems salvation is never an option to you."

"Salvation? Salvation is all I seek, but there's only so few who can grant me that and you

certainly not one of them." Kafka sighed then. "Salvation is why I'm here for."

"From who? Who can possibly give you that on the Luofu? An associate of yours?"

Kafka shook her head in pity. "You don't understand, do you? The Alliance can throw

everything they have and it wouldn't be enough for me. There is indeed someone here who

can help me but she's not one of yours."

"She?" Fu Xuan implored with a frown but Kafka ignored the question.

"Why I'm here is to save you, but you can never handle the truth if I tell you. No, it'll be

easier just to show you that." Her smile was almost condescending now and it made Fu

Xuan frown. "That's all I have to say to you, O'

honored Master Diviner."

Fu Xuan pondered Kafka's words for a moment before she scoffed dismissively. "How

unfortunate. You could've spared yourself the unnecessary pain."

"That'd make two of us," retorted Kafka smugly.

Fu Xuan didn't entertain her with reply, instead she stepped back from the pedestal and

raised her hands befoe performing the necessary ritual to operate the Matrix of Prescience.

What happened next could be described as a dance between man and machine, a symbiotic

between the creator and creation to peer at an idea supposedly outside their realm and

reach.

The Divine.

The three points surrounding the Matrix glowed with their respective lights and colors,

symbols etched in their centers that could only mean something to a diviner becoming

more pronounced with each passing second. At the same time in Fu Xuan's palms, an

ephemeral purple energy began to coalesced into a ball which she then directed at Kafka.

In response to all these was the awakening of the Matrix of Prescience from its slumber as

Kafka herself began to levitate and entered the multitude of rings spinning about in the air,

getting faster and faster until Stelle feared they would cut the Hunter into pieces of minced

meat. But they, like everything related to the Divination Commission, were a product of

rigorous calculation with little to none margin of error and thus worked flawlessly without

causing the slightest of harm.

The same however, could not be said to its subject and operator.

Or it could, as the pain they felt was a result of divine intervention at its worst as no mortal

was supposed to do what they were doing. It was wrong and against everything that was

divine and so they had to pay the price for looking at where no man should look.

For Kafka, it was as if a huge string was tied around her soul, her very own existence, and

being tugged into a place where unknowns prevailed. She felt as if an existence bigger than

the galaxy had just put its gaze on her specifically and it drowned her in a wave of ceaseless

uncertainties. Flashes of light so bright it put stars to shame filled her vision while darkness

so deep and cold assaulted her senses, a contradictory filling up everything that was her.

If she were a normal human with fear, she would've screamed in pure terror at what she

witnessed and felt. But that ability, that privilege, had long left her so now as she dived

deeper and deeper into the unfathomable all she could feel was a pure, unadulterated thrill.

The rush made her smile widely it was almost a grin, a feeling she could usually not

replicate except when facing the most dangerous of dangers the Universe had to offer. Few

could rival it, fewer still from mere mortals that were her usual enemies and she relished

every second of it like a drowning man gasping for air.

While Kafka revelled in her excitement, Fu Xuan was on an entirely different reality.

Her fear was still there, none of her was impaired by a power greater than everything she

knew. At least, not the way Kafka was.

This dance was one she had performed countless time in her long life and every time was

never easier than the others. In the past, present and future she foresaw she could see

herself suffering the price of duty. This was her life as much as it was her responsibility,

one she chose to shoulder alone as she was the only one capable in the entirety of Luofu

and possibly the Alliance itself.

When she took on the mantle, she had prepared herself a future of agony, of knowing when

everyone else was not. They had always said that ignorance was a bliss, but she only

learned how true that statement was when she received her third eye.

An eye that see.

An eye that was now burning her brain with knowledge acquired from the Divine.

She witnessed events that had and had not transpired, tied to the string of destiny belonging

to the one and only Kafka before her. She saw a lavish dinner party, a purple wine, and the

crimson blood by the end of it running like rivers on the once pristine marble floors.

She saw a woman with flowers, so beautiful and pleasant to the nose and touch, only for

them to end in the same ditch by midnight.

She saw another woman, tall and wrapped in a black coat, looking back at her with an

adoring smile. Her lips, oh so enticing and plump, opening slightly just enough to reveal

the perfect white teeth behind them. Her eyes travelled up, meeting a pair of dim yellow

and a face framed in ashen hair, as the woman kissed the back of her hand lovingly while

whispering a forgotten promise long dead with her past.

"By their will, we shall be together again."

Then, with a gasp of realization, she was swept by a current so rough it almost tore through

her mental faculty. Fu Xuan mentally braced herself at the sudden assault as more and more

filled her vision, an image of wolf avatar, a black cat that wandered a lonely dark street and

a giant metal suit soaring through the sky like a lone comet until the images became too

rapid for her to follow.

Just as she thought she would lose her mind, it suddenly stopped with silence replacing the

cacophony of chaos. Fu Xuan found herself staring at a reflection of herself and she

gingerly put her hand on the glassy surface, feeling the touch warm and real under her

fingertips despite the ripple that was so much like water at the contact.

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, in her confusion but before she could

utter a word the world around her suddenly shifted again.

This time, what she witnessed remained to herself. One thing for certain, however, it was

equally shocking and horrifying it made the venerable Master Diviner gasped and recoiled

back in shock.

Losing focus on task at hand, Fu Xuan's control over the Matrix crumbled and it shut down

immediately with a dying hum. "You..." she started, voice trembling in disbelief as Kafka's

feet touched the pedestal once again. "It can't be..."

"You doubt the accuracy of your machine and prophecy, Master Diviner?" Kafka shot back

teasingly with a scoff.

"My prophecy is flawless, so is the Matrix of Prescience," Fu Xuan snapped with a snarl

but to Kafka she might as well be an angry puppy as she looked down at her from her

position. "Which means..."

Her gaze drifted toward the Crew and as if commanded by it, the Knights parted to allow

her better view of them, startling March at the suddenness of their movement while Stelle

and Welt frowned.

Wordlessly and hurriedly, Fu Xuan turned around and began to walk away.

"Wait, what is going on Lady Fu Xuan?" Qingque called at the woman as she walked past

them, stopping her just enough for Fu Xuan to glare at Stelle specifically.

"Madness," she spat. "I can't believe someone can do something so terrible. Let alone

someone like you."

"What did I do?!" Stelle countered, baffled at the sudden change in Fu Xuan's demeanor.

The Master Diviner hadn't been exactly welcoming but she didn't show any disdain until

now, at least not openly.

"It's not what you did, it's what you're going to do!" Fu Xuan hissed, jabbing a finger

towards Stelle. "Though, what you've done weren't exactly pleasant to see either but they're

pale in comparison!"

"I don't even know what I did..."

Fu Xuan blinked, all traces of distaste leaving her at Stelle's tone. She'd heard all sort of

confessions, it came with the job, and she could tell for certain that Stelle was being honest

with hers.

"I need to report this to the general..." She settled to say instead, sighing heavily. "Do what

you want with her and do it thoroughly. You won't get another chance in the future."

With that, Fu Xuan left as a pair of Knights moved to her flanks as escorts to meet the

general, leaving Stelle to deal with her turmoil that was Kafka. The implications behind Fu

Xuan's words didn't escape her, the Hunter's crime being too big for the punishment to be

less than death, and the knowledge that this could be her last time talking to a breathing

Kafka made her stomach flip uncomfortably.

If she were a better person, she would be happy that someone of Kafka's status was about

to receive her long due verdict. She should be happy that a criminal as dangerous as her

would be removed from society, rejoicing in the knowledge that no more life would be

snuffed out of existence by those perfectly manicured fingers.

But alas, she was not. Hence, as she moved to approach Kafka with March close in toe all

she could feel for the Hunter was worry. Worst of all, it didn't feel misplaced one bit.

Stelle hated herself a bit more for that.

It seemed to be a recurring instance when it came to Kafka, too.

"Hello, my dear." Kafka sang languidly as her pair of magenta flicked between her and

March. "It has been a while. I hope you're not feeling lonely without me."

March scoffed and rolled her eyes, though in her facade of indifference Stelle could hear

the ever present fear in her tone when she spoke next. "Lonely? Please. Stelle has me, you

know."

Kafka grinned at that. "Yes, of course. You are a worthy companion I certainly approve to

be on my Stelle's side. I meant what I said that night."

"I don't need your approval," March gritted out. "Nor do I need your recognition. You can

say whatever you want and I'll stay by her side, always."

"Feisty, aren't we? Well, can't say I don't like that quality of yours either. What do you

think, dear?" Kafka addressed a very quiet Stelle.

"... are you alright?"

The Hunter blinked in surprise at the question, delivered in voice so soft the wind almost

carried it away before it could reach her, before a pleased smile blossomed on her face.

"Why did you ask?"

Stelle looked away shamefully, just now catching on her slip up. "I tried again and again to

come up with something condemning to say, but in the end I simply couldn't because my

heart knows what I do not know," her fist grasped at her chest, squeezing just enough to

inflict pain and for Stelle to feel the traitorous pounding of the little thing pumping life in

her veins through the clothes. "My head said I shouldn't care for criminal like you, but

when I see you in pain I also share that feeling deep within myself. Just what the hell have

you done to me?"

"A lot," Kafka admitted, though if she regretted any of it she certainly didn't show it. "But

that emotion you're feeling is not of my deed," again, her smile showed teeth and Stelle

didn't know what to think of it. "You're always one to worry about others and I'm glad that

quality of yours hasn't changed one bit."

"Just... what are we?"

A hint of sadness sneaked its way into Kafka's smile but the Hunter squashed it

immediately. "We certainly are no enemies, at least not here if that's what you're

wondering."

"Yeah?" March butted in angrily but to Kafka's eyes she might as well be a puppy throwing

tantrum. "You tried to kill me, you tried to kill Stelle, and you claim to be on our side?!

What a joke."

"If I had wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be standing here."

That snapped March's mouth shut and she fell silent immediately when she noticed the

dangerous glint in Kafka's eyes, flinching yet still standing her ground. It made Kafka

chuckled quietly.

What a brave girl.

"Enough of that," Stelle said as she took a step forward. This close she could see a hint of

bruise on Kafka's cheek, probably caused by her session with the Knights. "Why are you

here? What do you try to achieve murdering all those people?"

"Murder? I haven't murdered anyone. Well, not here at least," finished Kafka with a wink.

"Liar."

Kafka sighed. "Why do you think so lowly of me? I told you I'll never lie to you."

"And I was supposed to believe that? You must think I'm dumb."

"I think of you as a lot of things and stupid isn't one of them," Kafka confessed, sounding

so sincere it took Stelle aback for a second. "I haven't killed anyone," she repeated.

"You killed those two Knights," March interjected. "Right in front of our eyes, in case

you've forgotten."

March certainly had not. Though she had seen unfortunate people getting killed before, it

was never easier to see each time it happened again. Things like that were bound to stick in

your head and those deaths definitely stuck on March like a drop of molten iron on skin, a

scalding reminder of her powerlessness to help. She didn't blame herself for their deaths,

but she wished they didn't have to die in the first place.

Seeing those Knights lying in the pool of their own blood with Kafka standing over their

bodies was traumatizing enough March had to distract herself with shopping the next day

lest she lost her mind. She had never felt that kind of fear before towards someone.

Probably because all the bad people she met before had tried to justify their actions as

righteous while Kafka did not.

Kafka knew what she did was wrong yet she still did it anyway for whatever reason and

that terrified March to no end.

"They're not dead."

March blinked, once and then twice. "... what?"

"They're not dead," Kafka told her again with an amused, albeit adoring smile. Brave and

cute? Her Stelle sure knew how to pick them. "If that's what you're agonizing over."

"How is that even possible?! I saw the blood, the holes in their heads, and you're telling me

they somehow survived that?!"

In response, Kafka opened her still bound hands and their gazes were drawn towards them

when strings of purple energy began to form a familiar spiderweb pattern over her palms.

"I'm a Pathstrider, too, you know? I can do all sorts of things by just moving my fingertips."

Kafka cut her power when the chains binding her limbs began to grow hot on her skin and

the strings disappeared, already she could feel the blemishes forming where they made

contact but compared to other things she'd gone through it was nothing and easier to ignore.

"Making people see what I want them to see is one of them."

March couldn't even hide her shock. "Then... it was all an illusion? Those Knights are

okay?"

"Well... I wouldn't precisely say they are but they'll live. That's what you care about, right?"

"Why?" Stelle asked this time, her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the Hunter. "You've killed

people before so why refrained now?"

"Believe it or not, I don't indulge in unnecessary death." Kafka shifte on her feet, the

rattling of the chains acting as a morbid reminder of her curre predicament. "I'm not a

psychopath, you know? I too have a reason to fight like everyone else."

"That being?" Stelle pressed on but Kafka shook her head in refusal.

"You'll know, you have known but as is, I won't tell you. Not yet."

That did it. The frustration inside Stelle boiled over to critical point until it just exploded

out of her chest like an eruption of lava. The Hunter's continuous mentions of her past self

when she tried to move on from it were both intriguing and aggravating, especially when

not even Stelle wanted to know it.

"Let me tell you this," she growled, a sound so primal and unfamiliar it startled March.

Somehow, that alone was enough to scare March as much as she was scared of Kafka and

the pinkette shuddered at the thought. "That woman you know is dead. I don't give a shit

about her or you in particular," that was a lie and the twitch at the corners of Kafka's mouth

was evidence enough that she knew that too. "So, stop talking about my past as if I know

you."

Kafka, who witnessed the outburst with crystal clear clarity, simply hummed. "Very well.

Let's put the past behind for now and talk about the present, if that's what you want."

"That is what I want." Stelle pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, trying to

clear the white static in her head. Finally after a few long seconds, she exhaled and asked

the Hunter. "What are you doing on the Luofu?"

"I told you we have the same goal."

"You're here to find and seal the Stellaron?"

Kafka paused and tilted her head slightly. "To see you also but that's just my personal

objective."

"... is that all?"

"Is that all, I wonder..." she teased again with a playful wink but Stelle only glared at her in

warning. "Scary. Well, it's not like it's a secret I must keep anyway. In fact, he wants me to

tell you this."

"He?"

"Elio."

March raised an eyebrow at that. "Elio is your leader, right? I remember reading about him

online. What little is known about him, anyway."

"Then you must know of his title?"

March nodded thoughtfully, her lips set in a thin line. "The so called Destiny's Slave. There

are assumptions that he might be an Emanator of Finality and if that's true then he's

probably the only known one."

"Assumptions?" Stelle queried, glancing back at March but it was Kafka who answered

right just when March opened her mouth.

"The Finality is the biggest enigma in the Universe. Not much is known about them."

"Why's that?"

Kafka shrugged lazily at that. "You can't really see something that has not happened yet,

can you? For them, our future is the past and our past is the future. They travel from the

end of it all to find the beginning and has been doing so for who knows how long."

"What happens once they return all the way back?"

"Some say the Universe will end, some say nothing will happen and they will simply start

over again in an infinite cycle of rebirth but those are just mere assumptions. The real

answer is; we don't know." Kafka looked away and Stelle followed her gaze towards the

giant stump of Ambrosial Arbor, noticing the thoughtful look on the Hunter's face as her

eyes grew distant for a brief second. "Can I ask you something?"

Stelle crossed her arms, putting up guard. "What?"

"The Luofu has separate time cycles for different sectors so it has been a bit hard to discern

Standard Time lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed. What about it?"

"What is the time?"

Stelle was caught off guard she could only blink, not expecting Kafka to ask that out of

everything she could've asked her.

"It's fifteen minutes to three in the morning," March answered instead after taking a quick

look of the time on her phone and Kafka sighed heavily.

"Then, it's time."

"For what?"

Kafka raised her bound hands towards the Ambrosial Arbor. "That."

The moment the word left Kafka's mouth, the world violently shook.

As if commanded by her, the dead tree in the distance suddenly glowed with strange green

light and grew, its giant roots bulging out of the thick cloud cover and burying deep in the

heart of the ship itself. Stelle's mouth hung open at the display, eyes wide in shock as she

stared at it.

The air turned heavy, the skies filled with burning remnants of the Ambrosial Arbor's

abundant energy, floating about like golden embers of a phoenix's rebirth. They rained

around them ceaselessly, some landing on Stelle's open palms which then disappeared

under her gloves.

All the Knights seemed in alert but Stelle could feel the urgency and confusion in their

stance and action. Their leaders, though more composed, were frantically trying to

coordinate with the other elements outside the sector to little success.

Welt, who stayed behind, quickly ran to address them both. "March, Stelle. I have just

words from Kiana and Bronya. The Ambrosial Arbor has been revived by the Sanctus

Medicus and there's a massive incursion of Mara-Struck at where they are. We need to head

back and rendezvous now."

"But, what about Kafka?"

Welt's eyes flicked towards the Hunter but they didn't linger for long, almost as if it's an

afterthought than anything. "Leave her to the Knights, we must prepare for possible

incu—"

His word was cut off by a sudden explosion, close as it was coming from the gate area, and

he turned around with Star of Eden tight in his grip. "Too late."

Amidst the smoke and fire, they saw figures. Then, it happened.

The first wave crashed through the line of Knights with the might of battering ram and it

completely overwhelmed them almost instantly, their screams of terror and agony mixing

with the wild and inhuman ones of the Abominations.

Crimson blood ran freely on the floor as limbs and guts were scattered about, a scene from

nightmare of monsters and demons filling their visions. March gagged and vomited while

Stelle's eyes were transfixed at the scene before her, at the sheer brutality of it all.

The rest of the Knights formed a line but it was obvious they were outnumbered from the

start as more and more Abominations flooded the sector in waves of mutilated bodies. Yet,

they stood fast with weapons in hands, barking orders and words of motivations to each

other to brave the incoming tide.

Welt moved first.

He tapped into his energy reserves, his Core which now glowed bright enough thanks to

Finality being this close, and flew into the sky above. This high in the sky, he could see the

rest of the sector clearly and what he saw made him grimace internally.

It was like looking at ants storming out of their nest, filling every street and alleyway they

could fit into with resistance being a token effort at best. It was just impossible to hold on

against the tide, not with the amount of bodies and horrors being thrown at them.

Knowing there was nothing he could do for them, not without abandoning the kids, Welt

silently apologized for the souls he couldn't save and focused on what was below him

instead.

"Vile creatures," he uttered disdainfully as the Star of Eden morphed into its original form

in his hand. "You were man before, a man of reason and thoughts, before your beast took

over everything that was you." The ball of power cackled with energy as dark lightning

began to surround it, each corresponding to his will.

"I feel nothing but pity to you and your kind," his eyes changed as the all too familiar

pattern replaced his irises, glowing with terrible power that had doomed so many worlds in

the pastand future. "That is why I will grant you this mercy when nobody else cannot."

He released the condensed energy and directed it to the mass of bodies below him with a

simple flick of his forearm, watching aptly as it landed almost imperceptibly amidst the

writhing mass.

"From the void you come and to the void you shall return."

A giant, lightless rift opened up at where he pointed it and the Abominations were no more.

Disappearing in a flash of black hole that existed for hardly a second. Yet the proof of its

brief existence stayed in a form of gaping hole in the floor, empty of all known physical

matters.

The Knights who witnessed it could only stare, similarly how March and Stelle stared at

the might that was a Divine Key.

"So that's what they're capable of," Kafka mused out loud in wonder, not even looking

slightly surprised. "Gods of a power not tied to the Aeons..."

But Welt wasn't finished yet. Though a huge portion of the incoming tide was no longer,

wiped out of existence in a single moment, their numbers were enough to quickly fill in the

gap he created and soon another wave was coming. This time instead of relying the Star of

Eden's power, he tapped into his Reason Authority and created attack helicopters.

A pair of AH-64 Apaches came into existence on his flanks, their targeting systems

connected to his eyes and with a simple thought he commanded them to open fire with their

M230 Bushmaster chain gun, spitting out 30mm High Explosive Incendiary rounds at the

Abominations below. The effect was instantaneous with body parts flying around the point

of impact in a gory explosion of gold and orange.

Welt did this again and again, summoning new machines of war alien to them and sending

them away to combat the infestations. The skies were filled with aircraft of various designs,

all of them sharing only one similarity which was their symphony of deaths upon the

Abominations.

Out of the corner of her eye, Stelle saw someone approaching and she tensed up, elbowing

March to pull her away from her own stupor.

"Ah, he's here," Kafka suddenly said, earning Stelle's attention back. "Took you long

enough, Bladie."

'Bladie'

was an oddly cute name for someone with such a terrifying complexion Stelle was

sure only Kafka could come up with. The way he strode oozed confidence or just plain

disregard towards his own safety, something Stelle felt more towards the latter after seeing

his eyes.

They were red and dead, the light inside them long gone and leaving only a shadow of a

once radiant presence like empty husks. His short black hair framed his expression rather

ominously, somehow more devoid of warmth than even his eyes.

Her eyes shifted towards the sword in his hand and Stelle summoned her own lance at the

sight but the action barely earned her a glance from Bladie whose pace stayed steady until

he walked past her and March who also had her bow out.

His voice was surprisingly soft when he spoke to Kafka. "Are you done with your little

game?"

Kafka hummed and extended her bound hands out. Wordlessly, Bladie raised his sword and

cut at the chains and cuffs binding her with one swift strike. "Almost," she said as she

absently rubbed on her now free wrists. "Just have one more thing to say to my little girl."

"Make it quick."

Stelle opend her mouth to ask what the hell is going on but the breath was stolen from her

lungs when Kafka, in a sudden display of speed, was suddenly inside her personal bubble.

"Hush, dear. Be a good girl and listen."

It took Stelle a few seconds to realize that Kafka's hand was on her cheek, caressing the

smooth skin with surprising tenderness one would never expect from a killer's hand. Beside

her, March was shouting something but her voice was so far away to Stelle's ears.

In her mind, there was only Kafka. No Abominations, no Astral Express and no Stellaron.

Just her and the ruthless Hunter.

Alone.

The thought was comforting.

"Listen and listen well..."

"I'm listening..." Stelle mumbled dazedly and it caused Kafka to smile widely.

"Your path ahead will only be more arduous henceforth and your destiny is even more so.

In the upcoming future, sooner or later, you'll be off to face Nanook the Destruction."

"It'll be a struggle of cosmic level, a struggle that will flood the world and paradise with

Destruction, and you will be in the center of it. You will fall under the spotlight as the main

character of this show."

"But fret not, for even an Aeon can be killed. Fret not, as long as you follow the script Elio

has and will lay down for you a hope of victory shall always exist."

"For the good of us both, listen to the Queen. Her presence here is an anomaly and it sends

ripples in the river of fate. She knows best and with her by your side, victory is not just a

possibility but also guaranteed."

"Listen and listen well at the dusk's bell, for I'll be waiting for you as a we did tell."

"Until we meet again, my dear Estelle."


My Evening Star.

When you truly want to change the world, you will discover how pitiable your own strength

is.

The Holy Maid gave her all to the people and was repaid with merciless shackles and

nooses.

The world is at chaos.

It is neither fair nor sensible.

It wrongs heroes and breeds scum.

It is rife with ugliness without a trace of beauty.

The malice of the world.

Shall be sundered.

By the villain.