Forty seconds

"Dan Heng! Now!"

The sharp pierce cutting through the air heralded the strike of a lance. A sharp metallic clink echoed in the empty car that the crew had fashioned into a training room shortly after Dan Heng's inclusion into their little family. The wielder of the longsword had easily parried Dan Heng's strike with a calm look in his eyes.

Forty-two

"Eat this!'

Showers of cute ice bunnies rained down upon the swordsman. Utterly impractical, he could not help but remark within the confines of his mind because what use was there in making her ice sculptures cute? What a waste of energy and effort.

But it was a commendable attempt at trying to restrict his movements nonetheless. The girl had clearly grown.

The howling of the tempest attempted to strike him once more. The duelist merely shifted his foot a little, adjusting the angle of his body and his sword parried Dan Heng's strike without exerting much effort.

Forty-eight

A short waltz of metal and steel followed. Lucine felt a little proud because Dan Heng's improvement was clearly visible. He's now more adept at dealing with foes that are clearly superior in both power and speed.

Still, he cannot shake off the nagging feeling that the lance he wields should be one of stone rather than wind. He really wonders why he kept feeling that way.

Fifty-three

"Swap!"

March's arrows covered Dan Heng's retreat when he was unable to keep up with Lucine. A shield of ice prevented Lucine from incapacitating the archiver instantly. March's abilities to support her comrades had clearly matured and was now much more refined.

Fifty-seven

He made a slash, then sheathed his sword when March and Dan Heng were able to avoid the worst of it and remained in fighting shape. He would give them this win today.

Sixty

The alarm blared as the timer finally went off, signalling the end of this training.

"We… We did it! WE DID IT!" March threw her bow aside and began to cheer at the top of her lungs, happily skipping around and then caught Dan Heng in a tight hug. The archiver squawked as his breath escaped him. March's strength was greater than he thought and he felt as if all the air in his lungs had escaped him when she did that.

"Ha… HAHAHA! I did it I DID IT! I parried all your strikes! Hah, take that, Lucine! It only took me three months to pass your test!"

" – cine. Lucine? Lucine!" The duelist was only jolted back to reality after March had been obnoxiously waving her hand in front of his face for a few seconds but with a slightly worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Was it another flash?" Dan Heng inquired and Lucine nodded. Who was the owner of that obnoxious voice in his memories? One of his students, perhaps?

"Nothing to worry about," Lucine assured them because even that very brief flash of memories was quickly fading and getting out of his reach no matter how he tried to retain it. "Congrats, minions. You had passed the test."

"Hah! Told you that we shouldn't be underestimated! Wait, what minions? I'm not a minion!"

"I was going easy on you," Lucine retorted but brought out the gifts he had prepared for the children beforehand anyway. "Anyway, gifts for the both of you to celebrate this milestone."

"Wow… what's this?" March excitedly picked the small little pretty box in her hands and opened it. A melodious tune played the moment she opened the lid.

"A music box? So pretty! Thanks, Lucine!"

"Earpiece?" Dan Heng's gift was much simpler but he understood why Lucine picked it out for him. He does use earpiece a lot while doing his work and it's a very practical gift, just like how he preferred it.

"I like it. Thank you."

"He spent a long time picking out your gifts," Himeko, who had been silently observing the training from the side, chimed in. "Congrats, March, Dan Heng. Both of you have really come a long way."

"But of course! I am the Great March 7th, warrior of the Astral Express!" March proudly proclaimed with her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out and her head held high.

"Say that only after you become a real archer, shielder."

"Hey, I already am an archer! Grrr… I will let you off this one time on account of this pretty music box!"

"Your power felt like it's slowly growing stronger," Welt mentioned offhandedly to Lucine. "It does seem to work in a similar way to March's six-phased ice in that it dealt directly with Imaginary Law."

"Is that why he had issues with my ice and had weird urges to shave it? Because he cannot accept the presence of another object of a similar nature?" March questioned accusingly.

"His power manifests as Quantum sometimes too, although less frequently," Dan Heng noted.

"It's not unheard of for individuals to be able to wield more than one Type, but it does take more than just talent or skill to be capable of freely doing so," Welt agreed while habitually pushing his glasses a little further up his nose. "But at the rate Lucine's power is growing without any signs of slowing down… Even I can't imagine how powerful he might grow to be if this were to continue."

"Why are you guys making me out as if I'm some sort of Stellaron?"

"Heh, if you are a Stellaron you will be the most boring one," March playfully stuck her tongue out at the duelist and then quickly hid herself behind Himeko before the duelist could half-heartedly swiped at her head with his hand.

"Himeko~ Look! Lucine's bullying me again!"

"Come over here, March. I don't mind making that false allegation an undeniable truth."

"Himeko! Save meeeee!"

"We will be arriving at our next stop in five system-hours!" Pom-Pom's reminder interrupted their conversation.

"Who's staying behind this time?"

"I will if the waters–"

" – of the next planet does not speak to you. Yes, we know," March flippantly completed Lucine's sentence for him. "But isn't our next stop supposedly a planet covered by deserts? That means that one more slot has opened up! March the Brave will happily volunteer herself for our next grand expedition!"

Discussions were made and the final decision confirmed. Himeko, March and Dan Heng will depart this time, while Welt and Lucine will remain on the train. Himeko had promised to get Lucine a cup of water from this planet just in case on the very off chance that this planet really was his homeworld. Soon, the Astral Express reached their intended destination.

" – do you think he would know if we get him sewer water–"

"I heard that, March!"

"Oops! Quick, let's get off the train!" March quickly made her escape when she unintentionally made her plans known as Himeko and Dan Heng followed after the bubbly girl. The two remaining men shared a comfortable silence in the Parlor Car, with Welt back to drawing his sketches while Lucine used a clean cloth to wipe his treasured sword. The Sword of Temporal Justice gave him a quiet hum as if in pleasure of the treatment it was receiving.

If only the sword could speak to him in the same way water can do. If that was possible, he would have known who he really is by now. He could only understand his sword on a more instinctual level, like how it's telling him that it really yearns to duel a worthy foe that is capable of matching their power.

That Fei… Fei… Fei-who again? She would definitely be able to satisfy Temporal's request for a legendary battle. He really should take her up on her offer if the Express' journey takes them to the Xianzhou. He would like a rematch with her one day. Duelling the blindfolded woman would be great too if she's not afflicted by whatever it was that plagued her body.

"I can't help but notice that you are smiling."

"Became a little too excited at the thought of fighting a worthy foe. The Xianzhou general… my sword is itching to have another rematch. It's getting impatient."

"For all of our sakes, I would advise against that," Welt felt cold sweat breaking out the moment he heard Lucine's statement. "While the Express is not afraid of the Xianzhou, there is nothing to be gained from souring our relationships with them."

"It will just be a friendly spar–"

"You don't just spar with an arbiter-general."

"We will be simply trailblazing upon the path of duels."

A defeated sigh escaped Welt's lips. Lucine was not the first individual he met who craved the exhilaration of combat, but it certainly can be troubling given the vast power he wields and the fact that he could really hold his own even against other famous powerful figures of the cosmos.

I really should look into the possibility of Lucine being an Emanator, Welt thought to himself as he watched the duelist resume polishing his treasured sword. The man of unknown origin with a forgotten past is too powerful to have originated from an ordinary background.

Welt began to think deeper. If he had to base his investigations on the assumption that Lucine really is an Emanator, what known Aeons would he most likely derive his power from? Definitely not Akivili, Aha, Long, Nanook, Nous, Tayzzyronth… IX seems unlikely, and so is Lan and Oroboros. Maybe Yaoshi? Lucine does have overwhelming vitality and regenerative prowess, possessing the ability to heal and purify wounds and impurities. Xipe? Not totally unimaginable, but his power didn't really feel like it would adhere to the philosophies of the Harmony. Terminus? Qlipoth? Doesn't feel right. What other Aeons are there…

Fuli? Idrila? Mythus? Or maybe Ena? Ena would sound likely, since Lucine's modus operandi was all about correcting all wrongs and upholding justice, and Order is an aspect of justice. No, wait, there is another Aeon he didn't consider.

The Aeon of Equilibrium, HooH, one of the oldest Aeons in the universe. THEY separate concepts, splitting all beings into an interchangeable duality, thus fusing all "positives" and "negatives" in the universe into an equilibrial whole. HooH is often represented by the depiction of a scale by THEIR followers and come to think about it, isn't the scale the same instrument frequently used to represent the ideals of justice as well? HooH is believed by some to be one of, or if not the strongest Aeons in the universe. If Lucine really is unknowingly an Emanator of HooH…

It actually would explain how he casually possesses such vast and unending power.

"I can't help but notice that you are frowning."

"Just thought of a very unbelievable possibility," Welt assured Lucine. Emanator or no Emanator, it will not change the fact that they are fellow Nameless and friends. It was him that had unknowingly narrowed his view of the world and unnecessarily complicated things.

"To me, there's no such thing as unbelievable or impossible. Then again, I'm an amnesiac with no memories or concepts of what's possible and what's not, so maybe that's why," Lucine was finally done with polishing his sword and the Sword of Temporal Justice reverted back to the unassuming accessory that quietly hangs from Lucine's neck.

"A very refreshing take and opinion of possibilities. You are right, what we believe to be possible or impossible is a concept constrained by our individual experiences, and not conclusive verdicts," Welt agreed with a smile. "Given your power, maybe you were once a god among your people in your homeworld?"

"Me? A god? Can't imagine it," Lucine snorted, "but… I had a feeling that I believed in the notion of gods and deities. There probably was a certain god that I am a follower of and that I was a strong believer of their faith."

"Oh? What else do you recall?"

"That… I probably was very close to somebody important to me who's also in a position of very high power in my homeworld. Maybe I was their bodyguard or something?" Lucine tried and failed to recall anything useful. The only reason why he could come up with this conjecture was because of his unreliable instincts.

"Perhaps the faith you once believed in was what cultivated the strong sense of justice you have now. Maybe the god of your homeworld is a god that represents the notions of justice?"

"I don't know, but it would make sense. A God of Justice… the very idea of that appeals to me, I will admit."

"Who knows, maybe you are the God of Justice that you are looking for. After all, anything's possible, right?"