Work Text:
The parlor room of the Astral Express was unusually empty today as everyone else was busy making preparations for the next step on their Trailblaze journey. Welt and Himeko were off to attend an important meeting somewhere, Black Swan was nowhere to be found as she usually was these days, Sunday decided to hole himself up in the data archives and Caelus was busy doing somewhere else as usual, leaving only March and Dan Heng by themselves aboard the train.
The pink haired girl laid about on the couch scrolling through her phone while her male companion sat next the jukebox, reading a book. Neither of them spoke a word to each other, an awkward silence encapsulating the room until March finally grew tired of it.
“Hey, Dan Heng?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do we suck at making friends?”
The words that came out of March’s mouth were so sudden and unexpected that it made even Dan Heng do a double take. Once the words registered in his mind, he slowly put his book down and walked over to March, concerned as he looked her over.
March, her face reddening slightly under his gaze, shifted about before asking him, “Ok, why are you doing that?”
“Just making sure you’re still March.”
“Hey! Even I have these kinds of moments sometimes. Now, answer the previous question!” She said, pointing a finger at him.
“Would you mind explaining why you asked such a question in the first place?” He said, still not sure if she was replaced or not. Whether March was aware of his suspicions or not, she answered him regardless.
“I was just thinking, doesn’t Caelus have way more friends than us despite being here for way longer than him?”
Her answer made him think for a moment, suddenly remembering all of their adventures ever since Caelus became a Nameless and joined them on the Astral Express. Nodding along as he also remembered that Caelus was often extraordinarily busy these days, presumably spending time with his friends across the different planets they’d been to.
“That is true. Well? Is that all you wanted to ask?” Dan Heng responded, not seeing it as a big deal. His eyebrow was raised when March suddenly smirked, sending a questioning glance down to her. Rather than answer, March merely turned her phone around, showing Dan Heng what she was watching earlier.
Dan Heng’s expression grew dismayed as he stared at what was on the screen, showing their newest member, Caelus going about his day. Right now he was on the Herta Space Station, presumably diving into the Simulated Universe again.
Deadpan, his gaze shifted from her phone to March’s still smirking face, sending her a gaze that encompassed everything from ‘When did you do this?’ to ‘What is wrong with you?’. Unfortunately for him though, March only saw fit to answer the first question.
“I got curious about what he was so busy with all the time so I attached a camera to him yesterday. This is what it recorded.”
Dan Heng didn’t respond, disappointment still apparent in his gaze.
“H-hey! I know you’re curious too? Besides, we still got some time left before we head out.” She protested.
After a few seconds of deliberation, he sighed, only able to say a long drawn out, “Fine… Just let me get a cup of tea first.” before quietly gesturing for her to move over.
“C’mon, he just finished his session in the Simulated Universe.” She said, scooching over for him. Once he sat down, March got a whiff of the tea he was drinking and asked, “Hey, what tea is that? That’s not your usual blend, is it?”
“This is peach tea. Caelus has been making these for the past couple of days. He has pretty high standards though so he leaves the ones he deems unworthy to us but I personally think they still taste great.”
“Really? Guess I’ll try one for myself then.”
March soon came back with her own cup of tea in her hands. Tasting it, she found that it was actually just as great as Dan Heng said. She pondered for a bit as to what got Caelus so into teamaking all of a sudden but decided to put it out of her mind as she and Dan Heng got comfortable. She set the phone on the table and they both leaned in and began watching.
“Hehe! Today is the day I find out your secret Caelus!”
Caelus exited the Simulated Universe, looking refreshed as he made his way to the master room to report his findings. He passed by several researchers on his way there, exchanging friendly pleasantries with every single one of them, to March’s chagrin.
“He’s even friends with all the researchers!?” March exclaimed. Dan Heng, meanwhile, merely took a sip of tea as he continued watching.
March’s ire would only grow greater as Caelus stepped into the meeting room to be greeted by-
“Hey! Isn’t that her real form? Why’s she bringing it out just to greet him!?” March exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table as she watched Caelus and Herta drink tea together. March recalled her experiences with the narcissistic Genius and compared it to the bright, pleasant expression she was currently showing to him, unable to reconcile the difference between the two.
“Who is that girl?! There’s no way that’s the same person who keeps bossing us around all the time!” March shouted out.
It should be noted that the camera March attached to him did not come with any auditory capabilities, leaving the two only able to use their imagination to fill in the gaps. Whether fortunately or unfortunately however, the video provided more than enough context.
“Hah?!”
March’s face turned the shade of a tomato as she watched Herta slowly approach Caelus, standing behind him and leaning in close as she whispered something in his ear. The flirty expressions, slightly blushing faces left no room for speculations as March and Dan Heng watched what was less of two coworkers convening for a meeting and more like two lovers having a secret rendezvous.
March’s scandalized face and Dan Heng’s surprised and curious expression already spoke to their current emotions as they watched the two seemingly flirt with each other. March in particular was peeved as, as far as she was concerned, all she could see was Caelus rubbing his relationship with his hot, rich and very influential girlfriend right in front of her face!
“Do you think Himeko and Welt know about this?” Dan Heng suddenly said, breaking March out of her stupor.
“Wait, do you think this is why they dragged him out for that meeting a few days ago?” She asked, remembering when the senior members of the Astral Express called him over for a private meeting during one of their gaming sessions.
“Wait, someone’s coming.” Dan Heng suddenly said, gathering March’s attention as they both leaned in to see who this newcomer was. A door opened up to reveal another Genius Society member, Ruan Mei, entering the room.
At first, the pair thought that this was a normal occurrence with Ruan Mei joining the meeting to offer her own expertise on the Simulated Universe. However, judging from Herta’s annoyed scowl, it was clearly anything but.
The two watched, now with worried expressions, as the two Geniuses began having what looked like a friendly discussion with expressions that both resembled murder. In the middle of all this was Caelus, the same dopey, puppy-like expression as always as he occasionally chimed in with the Genius’s discussion, seemingly oblivious to all of the discourse storming around him.
March and Dan Heng watched the discussion with bated breath, waiting for the moment in which the two Genius’s tempers would finally hit their limits. Surprisingly though, things remained remarkably civil all the way through. Throughout the discussion however, both Herta and Ruan Mei stayed in very close proximity to the trailblazer. To the point where multiple times, the Genius’s hands would stray and linger on his shoulders and arms. It was almost a miracle that Caelus stayed oblivious to the attention throughout.
A couple minutes later, Caelus got a notification from his phone. Reading it, he quickly excused himself from the meeting before exiting the room to find the nearest space anchor.
Right before he left though, Herta looked as if she was about to call out to him when the feed suddenly went dark. March raised her eyebrows at this phenomenon.
“Hey! Why’d the recording stop? We were just getting to the good part!” March said as she grabbed the phone and fiddled with it, upset that she had missed out on what looked like prime material.
“I don’t suppose the cheap camera you bought was the issue here?”
“Shut it, Dan Heng!” March complained to him before finally managing to get it working again. This time, showing Caelus aboard the Xianzhou Luofu this time.
“Hey Dan Heng, look! He’s on the Luofu this time! What do you think he’s doing here?” March asked.
“How am I supposed to know? Even on the Xianzhou, Caelus’s connections far surpass mine anyways.” Dan Hang answered nonchalantly.
“Isn’t that more your fault than Caelus’s? Ow!” March’s jab earned her a forehead flick, causing the lively, young girl to recoil in pain while Dan Heng nonchalantly sipped his tea once more.
“The Skysplitter? Why would he be here of all places- Ah.” The duo’s eyes turned deadpan as they watched Feixiao quickly run up to Caelus and wrap him in a giant bear-hug. One that lasted a few seconds before Caelus feebly tapped her shoulder to get her to drop him.
After a couple taps, she got the message, dropping him onto the ground with what must have been quite the audible thud judging from the dust cloud that appeared from his landing. The two shared a laugh as Caelus got back on his feet with some help from Feixiao.
“What do you think they’re meeting for?” She asked Dan Heng, who in response, merely stared at her in silence.
“What?”
“Do you remember what they said to each other before she returned to the Yaoqing?”
March took a moment to try to remember what had happened on that day, putting a hand to her chin as she pondered. After failing to remember anything, Dan Heng sighed and directed her gaze to the screen.
“Ah.”
She had no more need to think as her questions would soon be answered when she saw Caelus and Feixiao get into positions on the opposite sides of the arena. From how accustomed they were to this, March and Dan Heng assumed that this was far from the first time the pair had sparred with each other.
Feixiao with her polearm and Caelus with his bat and lance, both of them standing ready. The two stared at each other for a while until suddenly, as if both receiving some unknown signal, raced towards each other and fought. March and Dan Heng watched the fight intensely, waiting to see who would come out on top in this highly intense duel.
“Popcorn?”
“No, thank you.”
“More for me.” March said as she shrugged, shoving a bite of popcorn into her mouth before wincing as she watched Caelus get sucker punched in the face again.
“That lance is really doing work, huh?”
“The power of the Preservation is quite fearsome indeed.”
Yeah no, they just wanted to watch Caelus get pummeled. While usually, they would have a bit more sympathy for their fellow Nameless, after what they just witnessed aboard the Herta Space Station, some physical punishment was definitely called for.
Obviously, he lost. Neither March nor Dan Heng had any hopes in that regard. Having been knocked on his back once again, Caelus tried to get up just like before only for his arms to fail him as he collapsed back down on the ground, exhausted and unconscious. Feixiao, a satisfied smile on her face, slowly walked up to the collapsed Caelus.
She crouched down next to him, observing him for a few seconds before a mischievous smirk appeared on her face. March and Dan Heng’s face returned to their previously deadpan state as they watched Feixiao gently lift Caelus up and laid him down on her thighs . The two were silent as Feixiao gave him a lap pillow right there in the middle of the stadium. No wonder there were no spectators here to watch or else the rumor mill would’ve made Guinaifen’s channel look like small fry.
“Do you think she also…?” March tentatively asked.
Dan Heng sighed before answering, “Just look at her face.” Sure enough, the General was gazing at the trailblazer below her with a soft, tender, almost loving expression on her face, which was enough to inform March exactly what she felt toward her comrade.
Seeing as nothing was going to happen while he was asleep, March decided to fast-forward the video until he woke up. Caelus opened his eyes, gazing softly at the person above him. The two duelists exchange smiles with each other as they conversed.
Eventually, it was time for them to part ways with the same occurrence from earlier happening. Before Caelus teleported away, Feixiao called out to him just as Herta did before, the screen turning black as Caelus made his way to a space anchor and teleported to his next destination. March held her chin with her hand, a scowl on her face as she despondently said , “Man, I can’t learn anything from this.”
“Why not? I’m sure someone like you will have no problems replicating his methods.” Dan Heng replied sarcastically.
“How could you say that?! I’d be lucky to get stabbed in the back! From the way Caelus is doing it, he’d be lucky if there’s even a back left to stab.” March rebutted, dreading the what-if scenario of her in Caelus’s position. “And the worst part is that he’s not even doing it on purpose!” She said, wildly flailing her arms about at the screen to illustrate the wildness of the situation.
“Well, the day’s about to end so the next clip will probably be the last here so hopefully it’ll be over soon.”
“Wanna guess who he’s gonna meet this time?”
“The likelihood of either of us guessing right is incredibly low so no.”
“Spoilsport.”
Before Dan Heng could reply back, the screen began to clear up, revealing Caelus standing by himself in a field somewhere. Both March and Dan Heng raised their eyebrows and leaned in closely, the location a place neither of them had ever seen before.
“Huh? The screen looks different than before? Dan Heng, did you change the settings?”
“No? I don’t know the first thing about cameras.”
For some reason, the camera quality looked much clearer than before. The footage looked so realistic that it almost as if it seemed like they were there in the flesh.
Unaware of the pair’s confusion, Caelus merely remained where he stood, a patient and waiting smile on his face as if he were expecting someone. Both March and Dan Heng paid far more attention to the screen this time, trying and failing to discern wherever in the universe this was.
“!”
As if she’d been here all along, a young girl suddenly appeared. She had short, pink hair with sky blue eyes. Seeing her for the first time, the girl bore a striking resemblance to March. Something the person in question took great shock to.
Unlike March however, the girl exuded a calm and mature aura far beyond her years, giving her an ethereal kind of feeling, even from beyond the screen.
The mystery girl gently grabbed Caelus’s hand and led him through the field. Together, the pair ran and ran, cheerful smiles on their faces all the while. Eventually, they reached a humble cottage in the middle of the field. Caelus opened the door and jokingly gestured for her to head in first. The girl laughed at his antics before pushing him into the house ahead of her.
Right before she followed him in, however. She instead turned towards the camera, staring directly at March and Dan Heng, who had widened their eyes in shock. A teasing smirk came across on her face as she snapped her fingers, ending the recording immediately.
The two trailblazers sat in silence for a while, staring blankly at the now dark screen. All evidence of the recording they had just seen wiped from existence.
Including their memories.
“I’m back!” Caelus said, walking into the parlor room. He looked at the couch and noticed the pair’s awkward behaviour. “Hmm? What are you guys doing?”
The two were broken out of their stupor as March answered blankly. “Huh? What were we doin-” She was about to say before an alert popped up on her phone. “Oh shoot! Dan Heng, it’s time!” March said, quickly pushing him out of the train, leaving Caelus with a “We’re leaving the train to you, Caelus. Bye!”.
Caelus stood there blankly for a moment before merely shrugging his shoulders. “Works for me.” He said as he made his way towards his room. Greeting him as he opened a traditional tea table in the center, a new addition he had bought recently.
He sat down and brewed two cups of peach tea, setting one to his side of the table and the other cup on the opposite. He took a sip of his tea, closed his eyes and waited. One minute. Two minutes. Ten. Twenty. An hour passed by before Caelus opened his eyes once more. The air in the room suddenly turned ice cold in a matter of seconds. All color and all sound were sucked away, turning his room from a resting place into an eerie void, a place that rejected any and all life that would try to inhabit it.
Despite the strange happenings however, Caelus merely smiled for his guest had finally arrived.
“I’m… here again?”
Seemingly appearing out of nowhere was Acheron in her Emanator form, white hair, red eyes and all. She stood there with a confused look on her face as she usually did when she was travelling. Now that she had arrived, the room soon regained its former vibrance along with her natural appearance.
“Here, have a seat. Tea? It’s a bit cold, unfortunately.” He asked her. Of course, it was merely courtesy. This was her favorite blend after all.
A thankful expression grew on her face as she sat down and saw the cup of tea he had laid out for her. “Thank you.” She said as she sipped it, a satisfied smile on her face as she did so. “You’ve gotten a lot better at this. I remember when you first tried your hand at tea making. It was quite the sight.”
“To be fair, that was my first time after all. Thank you though, seriously. I wouldn't have improved so much if you weren’t here to teach me.” Caelus said, a nostalgic look on his face as he remembered all the times Acheron had suddenly appeared in his room.
The first time it happened, he nearly fainted out of shock. Then it became so commonplace that they were even able to have regular teaching sessions together. Though she was never able to remain for long, he made great progress under her tutelage.
Black Swan’s adorable pout when she found out about it was still stuck in his mind.
“Sorry for appearing here so often. I’m sure it must be a hassle.” Acheron said apologetically, her face turned away from him.
“Hey, no worries. I don’t mind at all. Seriously. You’re welcome here anytime.” He reassured her.
His words drew a light chuckle out of her, the soft smile now returned to her face. “Well, since I’m here then I suppose I should make the most of this opportunity then. How’s Black Swan nowadays?”
“She’s fine. Right now, she’s busy making preparations for our trip to Amphoreus so she’s been hard at work lately. She’s always complaining to me about how she can’t join us in these meetings.”
“Fate takes me where I need to be. If she is unavailable in these times then so be it.” Acheron replied half-jokingly. Soon her face turned serious as she turned her attention to the Astral Express’s next destination.
“Amphoreus huh? The name doesn’t hold any meaning to me yet something tells me that this will be the Astral Express’s most dangerous expedition yet. Are you sure you are prepared?”
“I’m sure. Speaking of Amphoreus however…” Caelus then went on to describe the recent dreams he had been having. Ones that always involved a distinct pink-haired girl leading him through an unfamiliar field. He was having them so often that, though he kept it from the rest of his fellow Nameless, he consulted Black Swan about them.
Though they were unable to identify why he was having these dreams nor who the pink-haired girl was, they were able to find out that those fields were from Amphoreus. Acheron adopted a concerned expression as Caelus recounted his story.
“Hmm… I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help you in this regard. If a memokeeper as accomplished as Black Swan was unable to get to the bottom of this then I doubt I can make further progress. All I can say is that it appears that you and that place are inextricably tied.”
Before Caelus could reply, the same phenomenon that occurred when Acheron appeared in his room happened once more. Both he and Acheron, now in her Emanator form once more, both bore sad smiles on their faces. Though no sound could pass through his room now, their messages would still be passed on regardless.
“I wish you well in your travels.” She mouthed to him.
“You too.” Was all he could mouth back before she disappeared entirely, returning the room back to its natural state. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, Caelus took the chance to retire for the night, laying on his bed as he reflected on Acheron’s words.
“Warned again, huh? Even I’m starting to get worried now.”
______________________
“Wait, Caelus.”
Right before Caelus was about to leave the space station, Herta stopped him. He turned around to see an uncharacteristically hesitant expression on her face with her hands behind her back.
Slowly, she walked up to him until they were face to face. “You guys… are heading to Amphoreus, right?”
He nodded.
“I see. While the name and place hold no meaning to me, my intuition as a Genius is telling me that there’s something there. Something big. That’s why- Hey!” Before she could finish what she was saying, Ruan Mei snatched whatever it was that Herta was holding behind her arms and presented it to him.
It was a small, rectangular device with a singular red button on top of it. Caelus took it from her and inspected it, wondering what it was for.
“What is this?” He asked.
Ruan Mei smiled mysteriously at his question. “Don’t worry about it. All you need to know is that if you ever find yourself in danger, just make sure to press this button okay?” She said, refusing to elaborate any further.
Sighing at her fellow Genius’s antics, Herta joined in. “Yeah, me and Ruan Mei worked our butts off on this thing so make sure you don’t lose it, okay?” She sternly said to him, inducing a flurry of rapid nods from him.
“Also…”
Caelus’s face turned red as Herta leaned in and placed her hand on his face. “Don’t die, okay?” Her tone soft but serious.
“Y-yeah. Got it.” He answered.
She backed away, her signature smirk back on her face. “After all, it would be a problem if my favorite guinea pig were to bite the dust suddenly. Now go on, we’ve held you here long enough.”
Saying his farewells, Caelus teleported off to his next destination, unaware of the worried expressions on the Geniuses behind him.
______________________
“Wow, it’s pretty late now. I suppose I should get going.”
“Ah, Caelus! Wait!”
Before he was about to return to the train, Feixiao hurriedly stopped him. Feeling a slight sense of deja vu, he turned around to face her. Rather than hesitantly step forward to talk to him however, she tossed something toward him.
Catching the mysterious object, Caelus inspected it. It looked similar to the Jade Abacas that Jing Yuan had gifted Dan Heng, the only difference being that this one bore a slightly different color.
“When I heard that Jing Yuan had given you guys one, it gave me the idea to give you one of my own. Can’t have the Yaoqing fall behind the Xianzhou, right?” She said jokingly, causing him to mirror the smile she had on her face.
Her face then turned serious. “The next place you guys are heading to, Amphoreus, was it? I don’t know why but it gives me a bad feeling so I wanted to at least give you something for the road.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll see you next time then?”
“Yeah, don’t die on me, okay?”
“You got it.”
______________________
Caelus reflected on the warnings his friends gave him. From the Geniuses, Herta and Ruan Mei, to the Yaoqing’s general, Feixiao and even the Self Annihilator, Acheron all saw fit to warn him of the perils ahead.
He glanced at his bedside table, the gifts from his companions sitting there as if to make sure that their words of wisdom still remained lodged in his mind. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and turned in for the night, hopefully ready for whatever would come next.
Surely, it couldn’t be that bad, right?