Chapter 62: Chapter 62 Three forms of Death
"Orion!!!"
The scene in front of Stelle felt so real that she could barely contain her excitement. She reached out to touch Orion, but her hand passed right through him like he was a ghost.
Her surprise quickly turned to fear. No matter how hard Stelle tried, she couldn't touch him. It was like Orion Astra was just a memory, something that only existed in her mind for a brief moment.
Orion just stood there, silent, with a gentle smile.
As Stelle began to tremble in fear, a steady voice came from behind her.
"Alright, Orion, don't scare her. Stelle's been the most worried about you on the Astral Express," Welt Yang said as he walked up, leaning on his cane but smiling.
"Okay, okay, no more jokes," Orion Astra said, and suddenly, it felt like he was really there, not just an illusion.
"What's going on, Uncle Yang?" March 7th asked, still confused and shaken from what had just happened.
"Let Orion explain," Welt replied, giving them some space as he walked away.
Orion looked at the three friends in front of him—partly confused, partly scared, and partly hopeful—and began to tell them what had happened to him in the spiritual space.
---
Orion's mental power had been completely drained seven years ago, and the last bit of his presence was devoured by the stellaron.
People say you experience three kinds of death. The first is when your body dies—your heart stops, your pulse fades, and your brain no longer works. At that point, you're considered physically dead.
The second death happens when your body is cremated and your social identity is gone. People officially recognize that you're dead.
The third and most terrifying death is when no one remembers you, when every trace of you is gone. That's when you're truly forgotten.
Orion, who was in spiritual space, was moving from the second death to the third. If he hadn't left behind stories and memories, everything about him would have vanished from the galaxy years ago.
Orion still lingered, though not in the way he once had. His very existence now seemed fragile, a ghost tethered to the shifting sands of memory.
"People's memories can never exactly match the person they remember."
Even those who know you best—your parents, friends, or partner—would describe you in ways that might be different from the real you.
If Orion Astra were to be brought back to life now, it wouldn't be the real him. It would be like a new version of him, made from other people's memories.
When Welt and the others entered the spiritual space of the stellaron, the stellaron's hold on Orion Astra weakened enough for Welt to do something important.
Welt's cane was created using his ability to "understand and recreate structures." This ability was similar to Orion Astra's power to "reappear through memory." Before, Orion could only come back through others' memories and his own.
Having gone through two kinds of death, Orion Astra had taken his abilities even further. He could almost recreate himself entirely if the right opportunity came along.
But with his existence being eaten away by the stellaron and his thoughts and consciousness gone, how could he bring himself back?
Welt's memory of Orion Astra might not be perfect, but there was one thing Welt could accurately recreate: Orion Astra's body.
By transforming the cane into this object and wrapping Orion's body with the shell of the Star of Eden, Welt used the weakened power of the stellaron to give Orion a "victory chance."
Orion's soul returned to his body, like a seed that suddenly grows into a huge tree. His thoughts returned, his soul grew, and the changes in his body reshaped his image in the spiritual space.
Orion, who had once become stronger by letting go of his body, now had to regain his freedom through it.
"So, our bodies are both a limitation and a support for us as humans," Orion said, reflecting on his experience. His return from the dead left the group from the Astral Express speechless—they'd never experienced anything like it.
"By the way, the situation in Belobog isn't looking good," Stelle said, her voice slicing through the haze of Orion's thoughts. The urgency in her tone jolted him back to reality. "You should check on Cocolia!"
They stood in the heart of Belobog, where chaos reigned. The intense battle on the city walls was visible, with artillery fire lighting up the sky and black meteorites making it hard to breathe.
"Don't worry," Orion Astra said calmly, as if everything was under control. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking much taller than before, which made Stelle feel a bit uneasy.
"The one talking to you now is just a clone of mine. The real me..."
"...is already on the battlefield."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
stone