章節 2: The Awakening of Stelle
The Astral Express smoothly arrived at the Herta Space Station. This time, Himeko, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Kevin got off the train, while Pom-Pom stayed aboard, and Welt remained as the "empty-nest elder."
The train stopped at the platform of the control module. As the group disembarked, they overheard...
"Huh? Isn't he being a bit too much?"
"Exactly. You can't act like that as a person."
"But seriously though, don't you feel like we're also being a bit... you know?"
"Wait, which 'you know' are we talking about?"
They saw two workers, both rubbing their chins, seemingly lost in conversation. Judging by their uniforms, they appeared to be staff.
March 7th tugged at the corner of her mouth and quipped, "What are they talking about? Feels like they've been sent here by the 'Riddler.'"
"Let's go. We need to meet Station Master Asta. She just sent a message asking for our help with something," Himeko said as she brushed her red hair and headed towards the elevator.
---
"Asta, we brought the artifact Herta requested," Himeko said, stepping forward with a briefcase in hand. A petite girl with pink hair turned to greet them.
The girl was small and adorably cute, with an ID badge hanging on her chest marked "ID: 00001," signifying her authority.
Kevin, still suffering from memory loss, was curiously observing everything around him, finding it all very new. He paid little attention to the station master.
However, the girl was studying him closely. Tall, white-haired, with a restrained, ascetic look, he bore a striking resemblance to Dan Heng, who stood nearby.
"And who might this be?" Asta asked.
"He's a new member of the crew, Kevin," Himeko replied with a smile.
Asta nodded politely and greeted Kevin, "Nice to meet you. I'm Asta, acting station master of the Herta Space Station."
Kevin, somewhat distracted, still managed to reply, "Nice to meet you, I'm Kevin."
Asta glanced at her phone and said, "I apologize, but the director hasn't responded yet. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait a bit longer here at the station."
"No worries. I already sent Herta a message before we arrived, so it shouldn't be too long. Besides, the train's scheduled to stay here for seven days anyway," Himeko said, waving off any concern. "Now, why don't you tell us what you need help with?"
"Right, well..." Asta began, just as the station's alarm system blared:
"Warning! Warning! Antimatter Legion invasion! Warning! Warning! Antimatter Legion invasion!"
The announcement echoed throughout the station, startling most of the people present.
The "Antimatter Legion" is a force under the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook, with the most dangerous among them, the "Lord Ravager," possessing the power to destroy entire planets. This made everyone tense up.
The station's defense systems activated quickly, giving Asta precious time to respond.
"Start the evacuation! Move quickly!" Asta ordered her panicked staff.
She then turned back to the Astral Express crew, urgently saying, "The Antimatter Legion forces are gathering at the Base Zone. I need your assistance there."
"Dan Heng, March, Kevin, you go to the Storage Zone. I'll stay here and help; we're short on hands," Himeko quickly divided the group.
The three nodded in agreement and were about to leave when Asta hastily handed a card to March 7th. Due to the urgency, March didn't ask any questions and followed Dan Heng and Kevin out.
---
The trio sprinted through the Storage Zone, busy evacuating the researchers who hadn't yet reached safety.
With an Antimatter Legion Marauder hot on their heels, Kevin, without turning back, raised his Judgement of Shamash and fired a shot. The bullet pierced the Marauder's chest, leaving a large, burning hole that continued to expand.
With a thud, the Marauder collapsed, utterly motionless, its chest now a smoldering crater about twenty to thirty centimeters wide.
"Wow, Kevin, that was incredible! You didn't even need to aim!" March 7th exclaimed, utterly stunned.
Even Dan Heng cast an approving glance in Kevin's direction.
Kevin, however, was taken aback. He had just picked up the gun and instinctively fired it, almost as if his body had acted on its own.
"Not bad," he said calmly, though inside, he was equally shocked by his own reaction.
Who knew he was capable of such...
Just as they reached the central courtyard, a sudden explosion of light blocked their path.
---
Meanwhile, in an elevator elsewhere, a woman stopped playing her violin mid-movement.
"Looks like my timing couldn't be worse," she remarked.
A holographic screen materialized in front of her, accompanied by a voice.
"No, I think your timing is perfect."
"System time: 23:47:15. You're right on schedule, Kafka."
"Elio's visions never miss. So, what caused that explosion just now? Was it part of his 'script'?" Kafka asked, raising an eyebrow as she stared at the screen.
"Indeed. 'System time: 23:44:59. The pulse from the explosion caused extensive damage to the control systems.'"
Kafka raised her eyebrow again. "Was it your doing?"
"The Antimatter Legion did it. They launched a full-scale invasion two system cycles ago."
"I see. Understood. From now on, I'll take over the operation. But if you're looking for some fun, I won't stop you. After all..."
Kafka stepped out of the elevator, only to be immediately surrounded by Antimatter Legion forces.
"—after all, anything not written in Elio's script doesn't matter."
With both hands, Kafka pulled out her guns and began firing wildly at the creatures. Sparks flew, and bullets swiftly tore through the Voidrangers, leaving their bodies riddled with holes. Moments later, all that was left on the ground were the corpses full of bullet wounds.
Looking down at the bodies, Kafka smirked, "When did the Antimatter Legion become so weak?"
"I could only summon this much. You wouldn't want to attract too much attention from the Legion's true forces, would you?"
"With just these grunts, they won't be able to stop the Astral Express crew."
"Don't worry. A Doomsday Beast is coming too."
In the open-air corridor of the Base Zone, Kafka caught sight of a portrait: "Zandar, the first genius in history, rumored to have created the Erudition Aeon. If that's true, then he's the one who created a god."
"Good thing the rumors aren't true. I don't fancy being hunted by Zandar."
Glancing at a few more portraits of other Genius Society members, Kafka casually strolled towards the reception area. As she passed through the automatic doors, a Voidranger's suddenly lunged at her from behind. Just before its blade could touch her, a virtual shield appeared, reducing the Marauder to a stream of data.
"Cleaning up other people's messes isn't my job," came a voice.
Silver Wolf jumped off a nearby desk, blowing a bubble with her gum, clearly unbothered.
"Don't you agree, Kafka?"
Kafka didn't respond. Instead, she looked curiously at the data panel Silver Wolf had been viewing.
"What interesting things are you looking at? Let me have a peek too."
Silver Wolf nodded and pushed the data panel in front of Kafka, adding a brief explanation.
"A toy from Herta's collection. In the space station's 'Strange Object' catalog, there's a Rating pistol. It can rate any living thing in its crosshairs, from 0 to 100."
Kafka glanced at the information about the Rating Pistol and nodded indifferently.
"If we pass by it, we can give it a shot. Where's the target?"
"Through the door on the left, down the corridor. There's a Strange Object there that can help us find the Stellaron."
"Then let's go. No point in delaying."
The two headed deeper into the corridor.
---
Containment Bay.
"Just got a message from Asta. The system detected that Allan from the Security Division is moving quickly, possibly being pursued," Dan Heng said, looking at his phone.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save him!" March 7th exclaimed.
Kevin checked the map on his phone. Someone had sent him a set of coordinates. He raised his phone to show the two.
"Let's split up. There might still be people around here. March and Dan Heng, you go find Allan. I'll check the coordinates."
March 7th was about to protest, instinctively feeling it might be dangerous for Kevin to go alone. They'd never been to the location marked on the map—who knew how many antimatter soldiers or creatures could be there?
But then she remembered Kevin formidable combat strength from before and her worry vanished. It wasn't Kevin in danger—if anything, it was the antimatter legion that should be worried.
"Uh… fine. Just don't go overboard with the destruction."
---
"The vessel is ready. It's your decision now."
Silver Wolf fiddled with the panel for a moment and then pushed it toward Kafka.
"I've already decided—of course, a beautiful girl."
Without hesitation, Kafka tapped on the figure on the left side of the panel.
"Activate vessel 'Stelle.'"
In an instant, a tall female figure materialized, her long gray hair and cold expression radiating immense energy.
Kafka held the Stellaron in her hand and quickly approached the vessel, which was still in slumber.
"How much will she remember?"
Kafka gently stroked Stelle's face and asked.
Silver Wolf continued browsing the panel and glanced at Stelle before responding.
"She'll remember you, at the very least."
Kafka let out a soft chuckle, slightly curling her fingers as the Stellaron appeared in her hand.
Then, supporting Stelle's body with one arm, she pressed the Stellaron into Stelle's chest with the other.
"It's time to wake up."
As the Stellaron merged with her body, a surge of energy suspended them both in midair until…
Stelle slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the woman before her, who wore a face full of affection. Confused, Stelle murmured:
"Kafka?"
"Good, you still remember me."
Kafka smiled warmly, but her tone quickly turned colder, her deep, wine-red eyes devoid of any light.
"Listen to me: your mind is in chaos right now. You don't know who you are, why you're here, or what to do next. You feel like you know me but aren't sure if you should trust me."
"But none of that matters. What matters is that I'm leaving now. I'll be leaving you alone on this space station. So, from now on, stop thinking about the past, and stop doubting yourself."
"Listen to me: ahead, you'll face countless dangers, frightening situations. But you'll also encounter many wonderful things. You'll find companions who'll become like family, and embark on adventures beyond your wildest dreams."
"And at the end of your journey, all the questions troubling you will finally be answered."
"This is the future Elio foresaw for you, the future you will reach… Does it sound good?"
As Kafka finished speaking, Stelle, still in a daze, asked:
"Where are you going?"
Kafka gently caressed her head, her voice tender.
"To the next place, to prepare for the future that awaits."
Silver Wolf, growing impatient, interrupted with a hint of irritation.
"How much longer are you going to talk? The Astral Express crew is going to arrive soon—we shouldn't cross paths with them."
"I know, Silver Wolf. Just a moment longer."
"Time's almost up. I need to go… Listen to me: soon, someone will come looking for you. Go with them. Other than me, remember nothing."
"And when the time comes for you to make a choice, don't let yourself regret it."
With that, Kafka and Silver Wolf turned and left.
"No… don't go… Mom…"
Before Stelle could finish, she lost consciousness again.
---
Bang! Bang!
The sounds of a fierce chase and battle echoed in the air. Stelle's consciousness slowly resurfaced, and a wave of nausea hit her. She opened her eyes to a shocking scene—she was being carried over someone's shoulder.
The man carrying her was spinning and leaping, skillfully evading the monsters surrounding them. He twisted mid-air, pulling off a 720-degree turn, almost making Stelle's stomach turn inside out.
The man landed lightly on his feet, casually firing his gun over his shoulder, the shots passing dangerously close to Stelle's hair and striking the creatures behind them.
The heat from the blasts brushed past Stelle's face, making her duck to the side in a panic. She looked back to see the monsters had already been blown to bits.
"This… this is terrifying…"
The man glanced at the remains of the creatures, then walked over and gently placed Stelle against a wall. Her eyes closed again.
"Alright, stop pretending. I know you're awake."
Stelle slowly opened her eyes and, feeling a bit awkward, gave a small laugh. "Uh… heh…"
"What's your name? Were you the one who sent the coordinates?"
Stelle rubbed her head, thinking for a moment before responding. "My name is Stelle."
"As for the coordinates… I don't know. I woke up here."
"Stelle, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Kevin. I came to rescue you after picking up the signal from the coordinates. So, you've lost your memory?"
Kevin raised an eyebrow.
"Four people, and none of them have a complete memory."
That voice echoed in Kevin mind again, and he couldn't help but feel like it just enjoyed watching the chaos unfold.
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