A flash of metal was the only thing the monsters saw before they breathed their last. Silence consumed all noise in the vicinity until all sounds returned once more when the bodies of these monsters fell in dull thuds.

The man who was dressed with the robes resembling those of a duelist sheathed his longsword. The pristine blue crystal adorned in the centre of the handguard gleamed one last time as if in satisfaction before going dull. The man who only had a name and a sword left resumed his steps with nary a word, unbothered by the stupefied gaze of those whom he happened to run across and saved earlier. He eventually disappeared and continued on his journey.

A name and a sword, that was all he was left with. Where had he come from, where would he go? He doesn't know. He is but a lost droplet among the sea of stars.

His phone rang. He took it out, memories of how long it took for Welt and Himeko to teach him how to use a phone properly briefly flashed past his mind because while he's now an amnesiac, he's absolutely certain that he had never seen or used a phone in his entire life until he boarded the Astral Express and became a Nameless. It's oddly fitting how he is now a Nameless, because he really couldn't remember anything other than his name, his sword, and how to wield the power of water that so naturally came to answer his call.

"It's me, I should be back in… two hours?"

"Have you gotten lost again?" Lucine could hear Welt's fond exasperation from the other end of the line.

"Kind of, but I ran into monsters and saved some people, so it wasn't all that bad," Lucine reported back, his steps neither hurried nor slow. "Don't worry about me, I will be back soon."

"Understood. Don't rush if it's dangerous out there. Stay safe, we will be waiting."

"The water here is not the one I'm searching for," Lucine spoke to nobody in particular after hanging up on the call. All that answered him was the brief dim glow of the crystal adorned on his sword that has a mind of its own. It's the only thing in his possession that holds a clue to his origins but it's unable to tell him what he needs to know. It's semi-sentient, but yet not fully. The clothes he wore do not count as his possessions in the strictest sense. They simply are a physical manifestation of his power over water.

Welt and Himeko told him about the galaxy, how there are many planets and worlds out there and one of them had to be where he came from. There's not a lot he can remember about his homeworld but he vaguely remembered that it's a place full of life and water.

And that it's a very beautiful place that he loved with all his heart.

So he joined the Astral Express as a Nameless, venturing from world to world. He would seek out the water of each and every planet that he had visited – which was not a lot considering he just joined not too long ago– and just by coming into contact with the planet's water he would somehow know if the planet was the one he was searching for. Till date, none of the planets he had visited had water that could resonate with his soul.

None of the water he came into contact with can speak to him in the manner he just knew he was once capable of.

He eventually returned to the parked train. A redhead woman was the one who first noticed his return. She was at the Parlor Car drinking coffee.

"You're back."

"I am," his gaze wandered to the stranger sitting next to Himeko, who looked very tense despite the stoic look on his face. Lucine cannot presume to know who he was before he was found by the Astral Express, but somehow all he needed was just a single look to know that the young man was not a stranger to combat.

"A new passenger?"

"His name is Dan Heng. He rescued me from some particularly nasty monsters earlier and he had nowhere to go, so I invited him."

"You were in danger?" Lucine's attention was on the part where Himeko said she had to be rescued.

"I'm already fine, thanks to Dan Heng. He had agreed to be our guard and archiver."

"I see," Lucine nodded to show that he had understood before turning to their new crew member and offering his hand. "My name is Lucine Fontinas. Welcome aboard."

"Dan Heng. Please take care of me," the young man stood up to politely shake the hand offered to him. Lucine shook Dan Heng's hand in a firm grip. He wasn't expecting spurts of acute pain to suddenly assault his mind upon the contact.

A lance of stone, golden horns of a dragon, amber eyes that promised the wrath of the rock if promised contracts were not upheld

"Lucine?" Himeko was already up on her feet when Lucine was suddenly holding onto his head in discomfort. Their newest crew member looked lost at Lucine's sudden adverse reaction, which was perfectly understandable, but Himeko was more concerned about Lucine's sudden discomfort.

"I'm fine," Lucine shook his head. "It's just… I had flashes of memories again. I think… Dan Heng might have resembled someone I used to know. Excuse me, I… shall rest in my room for a while."

It was with a look of concern that Himeko and Dan Heng watched Lucine shakily return to his room. Dan Heng wanted to go up to offer his assistance but Himeko silently held him back with a shake of her head.

"Lucine lost his memories. He only had a name and a sword when Welt and I found him. You might not believe it, but he was only a pool of water when we found him. He gave us quite the scare when he suddenly took the form that he shows us now. I'm not too sure where his sword came from but Lucine claimed that it's tied to his soul. He joined the Express in order to search for his missing memories and to find a way back home."

"I see," Dan Heng whispered. Unlike him who travels to escape his past, Lucine travels to recall his past. They had similar yet different motivations, and are now all crews of the Express.

"It's not the first time he had such reactions. He called them flashes of memories, as he put it earlier. Welt and I had learnt that whenever that happens it's best to just leave him alone to rest and recover. He will be right as rain in an hour or two," Himeko assured their newest member. "You are very skilled in combat. If you are interested, you might be interested to spar with Lucine? He's very good with a sword."

"Really?" Dan Heng's interest was piqued. He's not a battle junkie or fanatic but he could appreciate a good spar from time to time.

"Why not go talk to him when you are free? He's not a talkative individual and spends far too much time trying to recall his lost memories, but he's a righteous man with a strong sense of justice and is highly dependable."

"I will try," Dan Heng promised.

The man's eyes opened, having just woken up from a short nap. He slowly sat up and took a look outside the window of his room. The sea of stars greeted him, telling him that the Express had resumed its journey while he was knocked out.

It wasn't the first time he had sudden spurts of discomforts arising from flashes of memories from the most random and unexpected moments. There was once where he suddenly called Himeko by the name of Haborym when she offered him coffee, or had sudden cravings for an unknown beverage called Dandelion Wine that nobody had ever heard of. There were other small little events like these that he wouldn't go into detail but it was clear that some mundane things could jolt a little of his lost memories from time to time and yet, he still wasn't able to recall anything useful at all.

Sometimes, even these memories that he suddenly recalled would be forgotten as soon as it came. If it wasn't for Himeko or Welt remembering those occasions for him he wouldn't even know that he had brief flashes of memories of his mysterious past. He didn't know how or what made him lose his memories but whatever it was, it was severe enough to even impair his ability to retain recent memories. He's not the best at doing supply runs for the Express because he would often forget what items he should help stock up on if he wasn't given a list of them and he had a tendency to forget that he even had a list on him at all.

He's not just amnesiac. He's equally prone to bouts of forgetfulness on a daily basis and he had no other choice but to adapt to this new lease of life.

Where's he from? Why is he here? Why had he left his homeworld? Who is he? Where should he go?

Is Lucine Fontinas even his real name?

He got out of bed, washed up, and exited his room. Pom-Pom would worry if he hid himself in his room for too long and he would prefer to just willingly show himself to save them all from the trouble of Pom-Pom's nagging. The sword that came into existence together with him shrunk in size until it was the size of a very small cross. A small metal chain appeared from thin air and extended from the handle to wrap around his neck like a necklace, moving as if it's alive. Most would never notice that this accessory was in fact, a powerful weapon capable of massive levels of destruction until he revealed it in its full glory.

"Lucine, you're awake! I was about to get you!" The conductor greeted the duelist enthusiastically when he finally made his appearance in the Parlour Car. The crew was about to get started on dinner, it seemed. He was just in time.

"Feeling better?" Welt asked in concern and Lucine nodded as he took his seat beside the brunet bespectacled man. The crew began their meal, sharing their individual experiences that they had at their previous stop.

"So everyone encountered monsters at one point or another? Guess that place really isn't safe."

"It's the work of the Stellaron, but it should be fine now since you had sealed it," Himeko smiled at Welt while Lucine and Dan Heng simply played the role of the quiet listeners. Till date Lucine had no real idea what a Stellaron really is. It's not something he could remember from his fragmented memories, but he understood enough that it is a dangerous object, dangerous enough to be referred to by the galaxy as the Cancer of All Worlds.

"If there are monsters, I will deal with them," Lucine quietly spoke up. There are too many things he cannot remember, the only thing he remembered and is still good at is swinging his sword. It's like fighting is the only thing he knows and excels at. The only time he found himself being of use to the crew was when there were threats to be dealt with by his sword.

"We will be counting on you then," Himeko directed that same gentle smile at the white-haired man. It was apparent that Lucine would feel more at ease with the crew if there's something that he could contribute as a crew member but wherever he came from, whoever he might be before becoming a Nameless, none of his knowledge or skills were applicable to operating a train or navigating the sea of stars. He didn't even know what a phone was or how to use it when they gave him one.

The only thing he was brilliantly good at was combat and so Welt and Himeko had an unsaid agreement to allow Lucine to be the Express' main frontline combatant whenever the crew ran into monsters during their expeditions, since the man also looked eager to prove his worth and to also contribute to the Express. This arrangement was also how Lucine gradually opened up to them and how their bonds were forged.

Of course, if things really do get dire they wouldn't sit back and let Lucine do all the work. Welt is powerful and she's no slouch either, although till date they hadn't encountered anything that had even remotely posed a threat to Lucine. The man's mysterious power is as deep as the sea, unfathomable and all engulfing.

The crew went to indulge in their individual hobbies after dinner, but were all present in the Parlor Car nevertheless. Dan Heng noticed that Welt was drawing something in a sketchbook. Himeko was drinking her coffee while reading a book in hand. Pom-Pom was sweeping the floor even if nobody could spot a single speck of dust in the cabin but the conductor insisted that the floor must still be swept at least once every two system hours. Lucine…

Where is he?

The sound of a piano being played reached Dan Heng's ears. Even Himeko and Welt had perked up after hearing the sound of music being played.

"It's been a while since he touched the piano at all," Welt said softly.

"I think it's a good sign," Himeko replied, her voice also lowered and gestured for Dan Heng to take a seat next to them. Even Pom-Pom had temporarily put the broom aside to enjoy the performance.

Dan Heng had not heard music like it before, but it felt calm, melancholic, yet grand at the same time. It felt like a waltz telling a story of the finale of a story that nobody but Lucine would know, but could also no longer remember.

"When Lucine first joined us he had no hobby to speak of. The only thing he would do in his free time is to practise his swordsmanship to the point of obsession, believing that it might aid him in recovering his lost memories. None of us here thought it's a healthy hobby, so we persuaded him to pick up a real hobby," Himeko softly informed Dan Heng. The introduction of the piece that was being performed was quickly transitioning from its calm introduction into a dance-like waltz.

"Eventually he discovered that he apparently knew how to play a flute, even if he cannot remember how he knew how to play one. We just knew that he played it very well and that none of us recognised the songs he played, so we presumed it must have originated from his homeworld," Welt added. "Soon after, we realised that he knew a little of every classical instrument and that he had some talent, or maybe prior training, in the musical arts. He decided to master a second instrument like how he did for the flute. The piano was his choice."

"Still, it's not often he would willingly touch an instrument. It's rare to hear him play a piece."

" – hands… not in the right form– imagine holding a bulle fruit in each hand… that's it!"

" – ria… too difficult… prefer the flute instead."

The tune started to turn ominous, as if heralding a coming disaster looming over the performer, who was on the receiving end of another flash of memory again. He heard vague instructions from a faceless woman with an equally faceless voice teaching somebody– presumably his former self– how to play a piano.

And he also really wanted to ask: What even is a bulle fruit?

"Tap your fingers… Yes, like this. You really need to practice your scales and arpeggios more…"

The music turned solemn and grand as the recurring motif of the song returned, culminating in the grand finale of something he sure must have happened before he lost his memories and became lost in the sea of stars. The song eventually quietened down like a receding tide and the notes eventually turned silent in a decrescendo, marking the end of a song that he would never remember the name of.

But he just knew it's a song that he was fond of. For what reasons he loved it, he wasn't sure.

"Encore, pom!"

The conductor's enthusiastic clapping brought his attention back to reality. He spotted his three other crew members clapping their hands as well. When did they gather here? He must be very lost in his thoughts if he didn't notice their approach.

"I'm not too sure if I can fully recall any other piece from my homeland."

"That's fine. Just play whatever comes to your mind!"

Lucine eventually played whatever first came to his mind upon the crew's encouragement. His fingers started moving across the keyboard on their own accord. A soothing melody soon resounded across the cabin, like the comfortable breeze sweeping across a beautiful city surrounded by pure pristine waters. The continuous rise and fall of the music resembled the gentle tides until the piece eventually ended.

"Bravo!" Pom-Pom was certainly Lucine's most avid audience. "What's the name of the song? Do you remember?"

"I… don't," Lucine replied after a short moment, until another flash of memory hit him.

" – a ballad. I composed this song after… some inspiration from… You like it? I thought you might. Let me think, what should I name this piece–"

"Ballad of Many Waters," the name of the composition suddenly escaped his lips, confusing even himself as to why he could suddenly remember its name. The faceless woman had been a recurring figure in his flashes of memories and he was almost certain she had to have an important influence on him before he became a Nameless. He had a feeling that it was she who sparked an interest in him for the musical arts, because she herself was an avid enjoyer of it.

He might have lost his memories, but he enjoyed this piece too.