Chapter Text
It’s been almost two years since the resurrection of the Ambrosial Arbor on the Xianzhou Luofu. Time surely flies, though the Astral Express flies more quickly.
Within this time period, while the Nameless have not gone on any major trailblazing adventures to new worlds, they have been jumping back and forth between the Herta Space Station, Jarilo-VI and the Xianzhou Luofu for various reasons, ranging from doing random errands for the Genius Society to attending the War Dance, or on one memorable occasion, to stop the IPC from colonising Belobog.
Overall, while things are usually hectic for the Astral Express, there are also plenty of moments of joy in between. Today, their youngest members, Stelle and Caelus, have officially turned four years old.
“Happy birthday! May you be healthy and grow a lot this year!” Bailu tells the children, giving them a bottle of vitamins as a gift.
Stelle and Caelus do not even glance at it. They simply beam and jump onto the young Dragon Lady, aiming for her squishy tail. Bailu, who has learned to expect this reaction, dodges the hyper kids with a swoop. Then, as always, the trio starts a game of chase around the party car.
Pom-Pom simply stands aside with a calm expression, knowing that Bailu is one of the gentler kids among those that Stelle and Caelus hang out with. The Vidyadhara child is the opposite of Hook, who caused quite a few fires the last time she visited the Express. It’s probably fortunate for the Nameless babysitters that the twins’ birthday is happening while they are on the Luofu this year.
“Wahhhaha~”
“Be careful.” Dan Heng reminds the children in a gentle tone, still watching them like a hawk while March takes the chance to snap a bunch of photos.
“Dan Heng, don’t you want to join the picture? Go and stand there.”
“No.”
Welt and Himeko chuckle as they glance at the happy children while sorting through the other gifts that arrived through various spatial delivery services. They used to allow the twins to open all their presents themselves but that stopped last year after Kafka sent the kids a pair of flamethrowers and a time-bomb assembly kit.
“Please, just one sword.” Yanqing says. “I promise it's completely safe, Miss Himeko. They are very good with it!”
“What do you mean ‘they are good with it’?! Haven’t I asked you not to train them?” Himeko sighs, pushing the gift back.
“Eh, well... But they kept popping up in the middle of training…” Yanqing averts his eyes guiltily, looking away from the navigator as he trails off.
Recognising Yanqing’s talent for teaching, General Jing Yuan has delegated the task of coaching various Cloud Knight squads to his student. The young Lieutenant has also represented the Xianzhou Luofu during the recent War Dance. Even though the event ran into a lot of trouble, they managed to conclude it successfully—just in time for this birthday celebration.
Yanqing has definitely grown a lot over the past two years. Unfortunately, one of the few things that has remained the same is him not being able to say no to the youngest twin trailblazers.
“Hah, I told you it wouldn’t work. Even my hand-crafted swords weren’t accepted,” Yunli tells Yanqing, looking unnecessarily smug.
Before the two can start bickering again, a childish voice interrupts their conversation.
“Mister Yang!” Caelus runs towards the man, holding up one of the pastry-based lifeforms Ruan Mei has dumped on them. “Can I keep this on my bed, please?”
As expected, he picks out a critter that looks like a trash can. What’s worse is that it smells like one too.
“Uh. No, my dear... That’s meant to be on the floor.” Welt replies to the boy after exchanging a quick glance with Himeko.
“Oh… Okay then.” The four-year-old pouts but doesn’t protest.
He runs back to his sister, still hugging the trash cake against his chest. It doesn’t look like he will put it down any time soon.
“Tsk. Has it seriously been two years? They still seem illiterate to me.” Herta comments from the hologram.
It seems obvious that the condensed growth elixir they found earlier in a parcel was sent by the genius. Himeko thinks perhaps what the Astral Express truly needs is better acquaintances.
*******
After all the guests have arrived, they sing the happy birthday song for Stelle and Caelus, and then enjoy a great feast of various cultural delights.
Everyone seems to have a good time. They, too, have been especially noisy today.
>>> (Xipe) □□□ sings happy birthday to you!~♪
>>> (Xipe) □□□ sings happy birthday to you!~♪
>>> (Xipe) □□□ sings happy birthday to (Akivili) □□□'s children!~♪
>>> (Xipe) □□□ sings happy birthday to you!~♪
>>> (Aha) □□□ wishes you a life filled with fun and laughter.
>>> (HooH) □□□ hopes you lead a balanced life—half happy, half sad.
>>> (Xipe) □□□ sings happy birthday to you!~♪
>>> (Yaoshi) □□□ wishes you a blessed life that will never end.
>>> (Lan) □□□ thinks a courageous life ending in a quick, swift death is far superior.
>>> (Xipe) □□□ is once again singing happy birthday to you!~♪
>>> (Nanook) □□□ wishes for your inevitable destruction, and for (Xipe) □□□ to shut the hell up.
When Himeko tugs Stelle and Caelus into bed for the night, they relay some of the redacted messages to her. Once again, the navigator dons a complicated expression.
“Let’s not pay attention to the Stellarons, alright? They are only saying nonsensical things.” Himeko tells the children, giving their hair a gentle ruffle.
As soon as the twins are taught how to read and have enough vocabulary in their arsenal, the Nameless learn the alarming truth that the Stellarons inside them have apparently been making frequent attempts to communicate.
The idea that Stellarons are sentient and often have voices and minds of their own is not a surprise to the crew. Nonetheless, they have been hoping that Stelle and Caelus could lead a normal life despite the mystery surrounding their unique body constitution. Unfortunately, that wish no longer seems to be possible.
If Himeko had a choice, she would reveal everything to the Genius Society and get their help to remove the cancer-like items from the children. Unfortunately, her hands are tied because Kafka has revealed that the kids would not be able to survive without these special Stellarons. While the Nameless do not trust the Hunters, none of them are willing to risk the children’s lives after hearing that claim.
As a result, the only thing the crews can do is stay by the twins' side and advise them to avoid answering or doing anything the Stellarons may suggest.
“If their messages get too distracting, or if there are any changes at all, you have to let me know right away. Can you promise me that?” Himeko asks the little trailblazers, who bob their heads.
“Okay, mama.”
Himeko exhales at the chirpy response, the corners of her lips instinctively curving up. It is difficult not to soften up whenever she hears that word.
Technically, given that most crew members may need to leave the Express for long term expeditions, the role of Stelle and Caelus’ official guardian is given to Pom-Pom, the Conductor. However, it is a common response for people to ask unattended children where their mommy is. And after the third time Stelle and Caelus pulled out Kafka’s wanted poster to answer that question, Himeko had to step up and take one for the team.
Despite and likely in spite of the many methods the Astral Express has tried, the twins seemingly refuse to unlearn what Kafka sneakily taught them during the one week she was holding them hostage during the Ambrosial Arbor crisis. Hence, the only option is to tell them they have another mommy, a better one, that they should mention rather than someone who has not shown up again in the past two years.
*******
A week after the birthday celebration, the Astral Express receives a special invitation to attend the Charmony Festival on Penacony, a planet in the Asdana star system.
There is also a secret message included in the invitation. It was encrypted using an ancient technique which should only be known to the Nameless. In other words, the message was likely sent by a former crew member of the Astral Express or a direct descendant of them.
"...Witness the impossible in the realm of dreams. Find the Legacy of the Watchmaker, Father of Penacony, and thus the answer to the question: Why does life slumber."
It is a cryptic message that naturally draws curiosity. Thus, the crew members are all in agreement to set Penacony as their next destination. The only concern, as always, is their youngest members.
The trailblazer twins are four now. That’s double their age back when they first visited Jarilo-VI, so by all means, their guardians should be less worried, right?
…Well, not really. If anything, their worry has also doubled.
“Stelle, Caelus, think carefully. If a stranger approaches you and offers you some delicious candy, what should you do?”
“Eat the candy!”
“No!!! No, you should not take anything from strangers!!” March dramatically holds her head, trying her best not to give up. “...Let’s try again. If some stranger gives you nice food and asks you to follow them, should you do it?”
Stelle and Caelus take a two-second pause this time, like they are seriously thinking hard. Then, they beam again.
“Yes!!!”
“NO!”
While March cries in defeat, Himeko is observing the whole ordeal with an air of resignation.
“I don’t think we should bring the kids off of the train. There will be a great mix of factions on Penacony. Even if the Family is in control, it’s better to take caution.”
Welt shakes his head. “The little ones were also grounded on the Express during the War Dance, and then they appeared just to fry Hoolay’s tail with the flamethrowers…”
While the kids’ sudden appearance helped save Jiaoqiu who was being held captive by Hoolay, it also added a new entry to the Astral Express crews’ collection of babysitting nightmares.
“...Mr. Yang is right. I think it’s better to let the twins come along so we can keep a close watch on them,” says Dan Heng.
“Alright,” Himeko sighs. “Then I’ll draw up a schedule for babysitting and supervising them during the trip.”
“Sounds good.”
Unfortunately, no matter how many plans the crews have prepared in advance, Stelle and Caelus vanish the moment the Astral Express completes its warp jump into Penacony.