"You've got lives in you. Hard to kill. Storm, bullets, sand and wind. Yet you still walk…for now."

Chapter 1: Sapere Aude

F1…

F2…

Master Control Floor…

Stelle taps her foot against the floor of the elevator, staring at the clock of her phone with impatience. The life of the Nameless was usually one of adventure and fantastical experiences. As a crew member of the Astral Express, she didn't need to worry about supplies and chores when there are people to meet, worlds to explore and occasionally Stellarons to contain. But as Dan Heng - quoting a wise leader - once said, "The line between disorder and order is logistics." Still, this was just another Tuesday for her. She had finished most of her To-Do list and was going to do one more "daily". Today just so happens to be a day where Herta, the founder of the space station that she was currently in, called for her to run another test for her "Simulated Universe" for "purposes of research and the deeper understanding of Aeons". Though the experiment seems to have merit, the simulation feels more like a VR game. The only difference with the other VR games she'd played was that she was not limited to only floating hands and UI pockets.

The doors of Herta's office open with a whirr as the Trailblazer walks through, finding the genius' doll standing by the machine as usual. She takes a few steps forward and raises a hand in greeting, along with a smirk. "You called?"

"Of course, I did." Herta responded in a prim and snobby tone. "I wouldn't have contacted you if the Simulated Universe didn't require testing."

Stelle rolled her eyes. "Take the joy out of it, why don't you." She turned her eyes towards the machine. "What updates did it receive this time?"

"Minor patches here and there. We want to simulate running through the Aeons again. If you recall the Closed Beta we did solar cycles ago." The doll responded, tapping a few buttons from her tablet before the machine hummed to life. "I will be supervising and observing your progress - so proceed with the course as usual."

The girl popped her neck and rolled her shoulders as she stepped up the platform. "Alright, it shouldn't be too hard. Will I-"

"Yes, yes. Gods, you ask this almost every time. You'll receive your payment after." Herta interrupted her with a huff. Stelle would only give a cheeky grin before she connected to the Simulated Universe. Normally, she would be greeted with a menu on the tests to run in the form of different "worlds", but since this was a simulation constructed differently by Herta, the genius has full reign, and she'll just have to play along.

As she said, the simulation played out similarly to what she'd normally find - a segment for combat, revitalizing her in-game companions, fighting elite enemies and random encounters to get buffs. Stelle would feel each segment drag on after having done this so many times already, wondering if this was really a test to get the attention of the Simulated Aeons.

Thankfully, before she could claw out her eyes out of boredom, Herta called. "Here. Just past this combat encounter, we can try to simulate contacting the Aeons. Do your best."

Stelle nodded in response as she entered the next combat segment. She brought out her Simulated group: downloaded data of her comrades March 7th and Dan Heng, and the lead researcher of the space station, Asta. Upon seeing the virtual enemy, she raised her baseball bat over her shoulder and swung. The hit connected and the grunt stumbled backwards, commencing the fight.

The group stood before their opponents: Three beings in dark grey, pointy armor; one carrying a heavy cannon and two with arm blades. Intimidating, but Stelle has gained enough experience in fighting the Antimatter Legion to know that these are Voidrangers - the grunts of the grand army of Destruction. There was also a floating orb called a Baryon, acting as filler.

Since she attacked first, Stelle's squad gets the first turn. Ironic, a research virtual reality simulation with RPG game mechanics. She checked the HUD, checking the attack order. The same as before: Dan Heng, Asta, March and then herself. Not wasting any more time, she let the battle play out on its own as her simulated companions began their turns.

"Fighting is meaningless!"

"Who invited you?"

"Haha, here!"

When it came to her turn, she picked the Voidranger with the least amount of HP and swung her bat. The swing caught the two other enemies flanking the target, eliminating all three of them and ending the combat encounter in a flash. She sighed in relief, rushing towards the next event.

Stelle was soon greeted with a void, reminded of the first encounter with the Simulated Aeons during the First Closed Beta. Stelle wondered which one they were trying to contact. A cold feeling began to surround her as a being of mirrors began to manifest. She would recognize the Aeon to be Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance.

"Okay, Fuli is here. What's next?" she muttered. As she stepped towards the Aeon, her call line with Herta suddenly distorted.

"Stelle! We have a situation! You're l-looking at the real thi-!" The line was cut out as the interference was too great.

"Hello? Herta? HERTA?!" She tried to respond, but all she was met with was static. Stelle turned towards the Aeon with wide eyes, now faced with the fact that somehow the actual Aeon of Remembrance has appeared before her.

Memories of her first Trailblazing expedition, the woman with the umbrella Kafka, of Nanook swarmed her mind as she stared at Fuli. Whatever words she wanted to say got caught up in her throat.

"Anomaly…" The Aeon spoke, its voice low and clear. "Remember…the Fifth…"

Stelle furrowed her brow. Anomaly? Was it the Stellaron again? And what does the Fifth mean?

"I don't understand…" Her voice began to lower to a murmur.

Fuli spoke again, but not in a voice of his own. "Baby, getting outplayed and getting cheated ain't the same thing." Stelle blinked. She has heard that voice before…but she didn't know where or who it belonged to.

"The Fifth…" The Aeon spoke in its enigmatic voice once more, before the Simulation around her began to crumble. "...of August..."

Her mind suddenly became bombarded with visions of memories not her own: a large man in bulky bronze armor, a scaly monster bigger than Svarog with horns and claws longer than her forearm, a floating machine with eyes on a screen…

Then bright light that forced her to cover her eyes from the sheer luminance, soon followed by an orange cloud shaped like a mushroom. Stelle looked at the gargantuan explosion in awe at the beauty of it all, yet her stomach dropped at the implication. What sort of power could've caused such destruction?

The heat that was released by this destructive display suddenly blasted towards her, hotter than any fire that was thrown at her since then. Her skin felt like they were on fire, burning off from muscle. Her head was suddenly drowning in excruciating pain as the immense amount of data from Fuli in the Simulation began to overload her brain. She would hear voices, briefly snapping out of her agonizing visions. "SHUT OFF THE MACHINE NOW!"

The last thing she would feel passing out on her back was the warm liquid running down from her nose…

Herta stared at the unconscious Trailblazer on the floor, before turning towards the other personnel that had helped shut off the Simulated Universe. "Call the medical unit." She ordered. One of them brought out their phone while the others propped her up against the wall. The genius pinched the bridge of her nose.

How was it even possible for an actual Aeon to manifest to a mortal, let alone Fuli? What could Stelle have possibly done to catch his attention?

The paramedics came not long after, along with the Lead Researcher Asta. "Madam Herta, we–" She looked to find blood and ichor on the floor, and Stelle slumped by the wall. "Oh gods…what happened here?"

"Fuli happened." Herta replied with a sigh. "She was somehow able to make contact with the real Aeon."

Stelle awoke with a groan, moving her hand to her head. Her mind was fuzzy after the fustercluck that happened minutes ago. Everything seemed to happen all at once to the point where her body couldn't just handle it anymore. Her blurred gaze began to clear as she looked down to see that she was in a hospital bed.

"Stelle?" The cheery voice of her friend, March 7th, came from her right as the young photographer looked over. Her small frown grew into a smile when their eyes met. "She's awake! How are you feeling?"

"I'm…fine." The silver-haired girl answered as she sat up, still holding her head. "It's like my mind's been blasted to all hell."

"It's a good thing you're still thinking straight then." March's smile fell a little. "What happened back there? I overheard from Herta and Asta that the machine short circuited on you…"

Stelle's gaze became unfocused as her mind worked back to the memories Fuli had given her. Beyond the period where she was given the Stellaron by Kafka, her whole life was blank to her. It's unclear if she even existed until she was given life by those Stellaron Hunters. To be given visions of a bygone life in a different world, and Fuli specifically gave it to her was-

"Hellooo? Space Station to Stelle?" March's voice cut through her train of thought, making the girl flinch. "H-Huh?"

"You're spacing out…" March's voice was soft. Stelle's eyes turned to see her expression: eyebrows slightly upward and her smile now gone. Her eyes speak of compassion for her dear friend. "Do you need a moment?"

"I…" She shook her head. "Can you stay with me for a moment? I don't want to be alone just yet." March gave a small smile and put her hand against hers. For a girl who surrounds herself with ice, her hands are warm.

The doors to the medical unit suddenly open, revealing Asta. She put a hand to her chest. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake." She walked towards them. "How are you feeling, Trailblazer?"

Stelle gave a nod. "Fine for the most part. I just have these splitting headaches at random after what happened…What happened?"

Asta looked hesitant for a split second before deciding to speak. "We…had to temporarily disable the Simulated Universe after your encounter with Fuli. The main framework was fried, but it can be repaired in a week or so. I can't say the same for the data banks…I'm shocked your body was able to withstand so much information."

"Well, a nosebleed is still a nosebleed." Stelle snarked. March on the other hand, took things differently.

"You met the real Aeon?!" She gasped. "They practically never show up at all!"

"Unless something is of interest to them." Asta deduced, her hand to her chin. "Stelle, when the Aeon appeared before you, what did he show you?"

The Trailblazer pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure. Everything happened all at once…I only got a few words from him. He said that I was an anomaly, and something about 'the Fifth of August.'" She withdrew from talking about the new memories for the time being, that was something Stelle had to figure out on her own.

March and Asta glanced at each other for a moment before March spoke. "How about we rest up first, we'll talk more about it in the Express, okay?" She looked towards Asta, who only gave her a gesture to come with her. The Trailblazer gave a thumbs up, allowing them to discuss about…whatever they're going to talk about. While they were talking, Stelle tried to go back to the memories in her head. Her eyes closed as she tried to visualize what these visions mean…

She would suddenly open her eyes a few seconds later, no memory of the time in between closing her eyes and now. Stelle yawned and blinked her heavy lids. "Shoot. Must've fallen asleep." She muttered to herself. She checked her phone to see a message from March, saying that she was already by the Express waiting for her. After thanking the nurse, she left the medical unit.

Wandering around the Space Station, she eventually found her way back into the Supply Floor where the Astral Express had docked for the time being. She would find the pink-haired girl standing by the docking bay, looking out into space.

"There you are!" She cried, rushing towards her. "How are you feeling now?"

"I just took a nap, really." Stelle sighed. "Are we leaving?" March gave a nod before pointing back to the train with her thumb. "The conductor just finished the resupply run. We're ready to leave when everyone's on board."

"Alright. By the way, what did you talk about with Asta earlier?" Stelle asked.

March twiddled her thumbs together. "It's about how you got the attention of Fuli. Something about it being different than what happened in Belobog. I've told you already, we can talk more on the Express with the others. Maybe they know what's going on with you."

Stelle's shoulders sagged. "Fine. I'd like to nap more on the Express…I can feel another headache coming." March nods without a word, helping the Trailblazer back onto the train.

Once they returned to the train, Himeko is there to greet them. "Welcome back, you two." She turns to Stelle with a slightly worried look. "Are you alright now? I've heard what happened back in Herta's office…"

"Mostly fine. I just keep getting headaches." Stelle waved the question away, holding her head. "I'll just crash back at my room to sleep it off. Night, y'all."

March quirked up an eyebrow. "But it's only afternoon…" But she got no answer, as Stelle walked back to the passenger car, passing by Dan Heng who had just entered the lounge area. When the door closed, the archivist looked at March and Himeko with confusion. "Did I miss anything?"

Himeko sighed. "Stelle had a…incident with Herta's Simulated Universe project. She needs some rest for now, before we can ask any more questions." She took a seat on a nearby couch. "While we wait, we can discuss about our next destination?"

March beamed at the idea. Dan Heng looked back towards the door to the passenger cabin, pondering for a moment before turning back to Himeko and nodding. "We shall…"

Little did they know, Stelle would get anything but rest…

[...]

"Look who's waking up."

Stelle would find herself in a dream. Similar to the ones she had during her expedition in Jarilo-VI. Only this time, it didn't seem to resonate with any Stellaron for this to happen. In fact, she was in a place she had never seen before. A desert hill at night, with the moon in front of her. A cold breeze blew through her as she looked down to see that she was wearing different clothing and straw gloves, and she was tied at the wrists with rope.

"Time to cash out."

"Will you get it over with?"

A man in a black and white checkered suit held up a finger to interrupt his associate next to him. "Maybe Khans kill people without looking them in the face." He then turns to the aforementioned man, presumably a Khan. "But I ain't a fink, dig?" The Khan seemed offended, before brushing off the insult. Stelle glanced to her sides, seeing more of these 'Khans' forming a U in front of her.

The suited man reached into his jacket, pulling out some kind of poker chip and brandishing it in front of her. "You've made your last delivery, kid. Sorry you got twisted up in this scene." Putting the chip back into his jacket pocket, he then pulled out a pistol decorated with intricate engravings and gold plating from the same place.

"From where you're kneeling, it must seem like an 18-carat run of bad luck." The man snarks with a smug smirk on his face. He aims the gun towards her. Stelle's eyes went wide, and her breaths became panicked as she stared at the barrel of the firearm, seeing the bullet tip. Was this how her previous life ended? Tied up like a criminal and executed?

"Truth is…"

She gulped.

"...The game was rigged from the start."

He pulled the trigger, and it all ended in a bright, resounding bang.

[...]

Stelle jerked up from her bed, gasping for air. She held her head and tried to calm down. It only left her with more questions than answers: Why was this only coming to her now? What's a Khan? Who was the man in the checkered suit? And that ending...

A sudden wave of nausea hits her, not taking in her own death well. Stelle stumbles to get out of bed and rushed out of her room, not caring if her feet get cold from walking in the passenger car barefoot. She needed to get to the bathroom quick; she'd rather not tick off Pom-Pom for making a mess. As if it couldn't get any worse, another splitting headache suddenly spiked in her head.

Reaching the end of the passenger cabin was a small, yet spacious bathroom enough for one person to use. Closing the door, a bit too hard behind her, she went straight to the toilet and let out her lunch. After coughing out what's left, she groaned. Curse this stupid side effect of Fuli's "gift" to her. She slowly went back up to her feet, flushed the toilet, and went to the sink to wash her face. The cool tap water seemed to soothe her for a moment, and she sighed. Reaching for the face towel, she wiped her face to dry herself. It seemed like just another terribly bad headache, but as she put down the face towel to look herself at the mirror, Stelle saw something that shouldn't be there.

Two scars appeared on her forehead - two clean holes just a few inches apart. Her mind called back to the "dream" she had seconds ago. How was this possible? There was no practical way for her, or anyone at all, to survive two shots to the head!

Stelle moved her bangs to the side to see it better, touching it with her hand. The sensation of her index fingers on her forehead was more than enough to confirm what was thought to be impossible.

"What the hell are you…" Stelle whispered towards her reflection in the mirror.

Soft knocking came from the door, making the Trailblazer turn. A muffled but recognizable voice came from the other side. It was Dan Heng, to her surprise. "Stelle? I heard vomiting. Do you need medication?"

She opened the door to the bathroom to see him standing there, arms at his side. "Uhm, I'm fine. Water will be fine." She answered.

He gave a nod. "Shall I notify Himeko about this?" He was surprised when Stelle waved her hand. "No, no, don't. I…just need water. I'll...tell her when I feel like it. What time is it by the way?"

Dan Heng checked his phone. "It's seven-thirty in the evening. We didn't want to wake you up, so we ate dinner ahead."

Stelle pouted, before sighing. "Man. What'd I miss?"

"…Buffalo wings."

Dang it. Those were her favorites too…

Somewhere in the vast universe, in a world decorated with neon lights and technology befitting a 'cyberpunk' world, three highly sought individuals sit idly in their apartment – awaiting orders from their leader.

A young woman in a short coat, crop top and shorts lounges on the couch, holding a gamepad in her hands and playing…whatever game she seems to have picked up recently. The screen can only be described as a "space-cowboy adventure in a dying world." A man sat across from the young woman, wearing a black and red oriental-style outfit and a shattered blade that was mended together in his hands, clearly bored. Lastly, an older woman stood by the doorway to the balcony, wearing a white dress shirt, black jacket, shorts and tights. She looks at her phone, looking at the message conversation with her leader, waiting for a response.

"Has Elio sent a new script yet? I was told there would be another along with our current one." The gruff voice of Blade sighed, tossing his blade into the air before catching it by the hilt effortlessly.

"Not yet apparently." Silver Wolf shrugged, continuing to focus on her game. A virtual roar sounded, followed by her video game character dying. She groaned. "Why does this game even have monsters that sneak up on you with this big of a profile, it's so stupid!"

"It's odd. He's usually punctual with this." Kafka added, before receiving the new message. She squinted, reading the name of the new script:

The Courier

Something felt wrong about this one, further evident with Elio's next message:

Elio: The Trailblazer's future suddenly diverged from what I expected.

Kafka raised an eyebrow. Fate has always been a predetermined path, no matter the choices one makes. There are choices that do happen that turn the path of destiny to a slight deviation, but never this severe. Nevertheless, she opened the script. She was met with more confusion as she looked at its contents.

Kafka: This has nothing to do at all with the current script.

Elio: It doesn't. That's my issue.

Kafka: So, will this conflict with the current plan?

Elio: It already has. You know your part. Good luck.

The Stellaron Hunter sighs before closing her phone. She turns to her comrades. "By now you've received your new scripts at this point." As if on cue, Silver Wolf and Blade look at their phones to see the scripts sent to them. Blade looked indifferent, while Silver Wolf just stared at the script before returning back at her gamepad.

"Improvising?" The swordsman looked at Kafka, almost uncertain.

The woman gave a nod. "We're diving deep into uncharted territory…and likely the past of our dear Trailblazer."

Hey all. My presence has been absent for almost half the year now, but I am back with a new story. Safe to say, the last story I've made is abandoned – maybe up for adoption if anyone wants to continue the storyline/concept.

Will it happen to this one too? This time I will try to finish it to the end, even if update times will be long (a month or two at best). I've changed out the weird introductory chapter with this one - barely any longer but should look like a proper chapter or one-shot.

Thank you for your time.

Addendum: If anybody asks, yes this was made before Hoyo dropped the room renovation thing so just assume that she was using a spare room in the passenger cabin before she decided to use the giant one above the Party Car.

Update - 01/07/25: minor changes on the Stellaron Hunters part