Chara stood on the soil of an unfamiliar planet, placing the last Space Anchor on the ground.
The anchor made a dull sound as it landed, its base embedding into the soil.
The signal light at the top lit up, the blue light blinking slowly under the grayish sky.
She straightened up, patted the dirt off her hands, and turned to look at the path behind her.
It took her about two hours to walk from where the train stopped to here, passing through a patch of low shrubs and a dried-up riverbed, without encountering any danger.
Dolly stood not far away, holding a data pad.
She looked down at the positioning signal on it, then raised her head and nodded at Chara.
“That’s the last one.”
Chara walked back to her side.
She was wearing a new dark green coat.
The sleeves were still a bit long, but at least they didn’t drag on the ground anymore.
Dolly put away the data pad and looked at her.
“You did a great job.
You’re getting more and more skilled.”
This wasn’t her first time placing a Space Anchor alone.
She had done it many times in the past, from needing someone to follow her at the very beginning, to now being able to complete an entire route by herself.
She had learned the markers on the star maps, the clauses in the documents, and the procedures for negotiating with the local residents.
She could now confidently say she was a true Nameless.
When they returned to the train, Isee was sitting by the window holding a cup of tea.
When he saw them walk in, his gaze paused on Chara for a moment.
After confirming she was fine, he shifted his gaze back out the window.
If one looked closely…
the corners of his mouth were barely suppressing a smile.
Akivili stood in front of the star map, his finger tracing an unmarked star rail.
He spoke, “Come here.”
Chara walked over and stood beside him.
Akivili pulled his hand back from the star map and turned to face her.
Those androgynous, light-colored eyes looked at her, showing no emotion, but his tone was a bit softer than usual.
“You did a great job, Chara.”
“The will of Trailblaze has taken root in you.
You can walk those paths and finish those tasks.
Now no one needs to teach you, because you can walk them yourself.”
He raised a hand, his fingertip touching Chara’s chest.
Chara felt something spread from that point, like a very faint stream of water seeping into her body.
The red heart emerged from her chest, hovering between Akivili’s fingertip and her chest.
The light on the surface of the red heart was a bit brighter than usual, and the halo at the edges expanded slightly.
Akivili pulled his hand back.
“I gave you something.
Not much, just a trace of power.
Its function is that when you need it, it will help you steady yourself.
A Navigator can hear the pulse of the train.
You can’t hear it yet, but one day you will.”
Chara looked down at her chest.
The red heart had already sunk back in, leaving no trace on the surface of her skin.
“Why?”
“Because you are worth it.
Dolly was the same back in the day.”
Akivili turned his head to look at Dolly.
She was leaning by the window.
Hearing this, she blushed slightly and shakily lifted her water cup to drink.
Flowey poked his head out of the flower pot.
“Does this mean Chara can be a Navigator in the future?”
“Not necessarily.
A Navigator isn’t chosen by one person, but by the train.
I just planted the seed. This story is hosted at g.com.
Whether it sprouts is up to it.”
● You felt your SOUL gain power.
This fills you with DETERMINATION.
● You earned 999999999999 EXP, and your LV increased.
● Action: Status
● LV 99
● HP: 2999/2999
Weapon: None
Armor: Heart Locket
The carriage was quiet for a while.
Then, the entire train shook.
A sudden, violent lateral shake, as if something had crashed into the outer wall of the train.
Cups slid on the table, and a few books fell from the shelves, spreading open on the floor.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Dolly walked to the window and looked out.
“What’s wrong?”
Dolly didn’t answer.
Her expression froze, her brows furrowed, as if she had seen something she didn’t know how to describe.
Chara also walked over and stood by the window to look out.
Outside the window was a giant red mask??
Floating in the void, its size unimaginable.
The mask was red with a smooth surface, without any carved facial features.
There were only two hollow, squinting slits for eyes, and a horizontal slit for a mouth.
The slit was open, as if smiling: Aha, the Aeon of Elation.
Of course, everyone on the train was stunned.
After all, in their entire lives, besides seeing Akivili and Qlipoth, they actually got to see a third Aeon?
And it was Elation?
“Ehahahahahaha!
Akivili!
Long time no see!
I missed you so much my head almost fell off!”
That laughter pierced through the walls of the train, drilling directly into everyone’s ears.
The moment Akivili heard that laughter, his expression changed: impatience.
He wanted to curse, but given the occasion, he barely suppressed it.
“Aha, what are you doing here?”
“Nothing much, just passing by.
Saw you were here, so I wanted to come say hi!”
Akivili turned around, looking at the giant red mask outside the window, and was silent for a few seconds.
“Last time you came to say hi, you turned half a carriage into a giant rabbit?
That’s your way of saying hi?” (▼へ▼メ)
“Aha?
That was an accident!
This time it’s a pure greeting.”
“Then what about when you disguised yourself as a mortal, got on my train, and Trailblazed with us for over a year?
One of those times, while I was negotiating with the locals, you told me you were actually here to steal their ancestral seasoning.
What was that about?” (▼へ▼メ)
“Ehehe!
You still remember that?
Akivili~ You really do have me in your heart!”
“Of course~ Pom-Pom still remembers it too, along with that bill.
Come to the train right now and explain it to Pom-Pom~” (▼︶▼メ)
The laughter behind the mask quieted down a bit, as if choked.
“You’re right.
I was wrong~”
“Are you sure you’re wrong, and not just savoring the memory??”
“And you turned the train’s boiler into a joke launcher.
The entire train laughed on the star rail for three days and three nights.
Over thirty planets we passed thought we were crazy.”
“That was also an accident!”
Then the mouth opened again, but noticeably more restrained than before.
“Alright, alright.
I’m here to see you, and just passing by.
Really just passing by.”
Akivili didn’t answer.
He directly walked back to the star map, his back to the window, using his actions to show the conversation was over.
The mask floated outside for a while, as if waiting for Akivili to turn around.
When he didn’t, wasn’t that a form of Elation in itself?
His laughter rang out again, much lighter than before, carrying a sense of self-amused satisfaction.
“Eheh, I’m leaving.
I’ll come play with you next time.”
Then the mask slowly turned around and floated away into the depths of the void.
The red silhouette grew smaller and smaller, finally disappearing among the stars.
The train returned to normal…?
Yeah right, he came back.
“Oh, I almost forgot.
I also dropped by to see how your prospective Navigator is doing?”
“Mm~ Not bad, not bad.
Has your style!”
“Kid~ Want to come to Elation?
If you come, there’s a lot of fun waiting for you here!”
Akivili instantly blew up.
“No way!
Don’t you even think about stealing my passengers!”
The giant mask sighed and laughed.
“Ah~ What a pity.
But seeing this expression on your face, Akivili, I’m completely satisfied!
Mwahahahaha!!”
Chara exhaled, only realizing she had been holding her breath.
Flowey poked his head out of the flower pot, his petals slightly open, as if just recovering from a gust of wind.
“So that’s the Aeon of Elation?”
“Yes.”
“He’s so loud.”
Chara turned her head to look at Isee.
From the moment Aha appeared until now, Isee had been standing in the furthest corner of the carriage, his back to everyone, looking out the window in the direction the mask disappeared.
The expression on his face…
a faint indifference?
“Isee?” Chara walked over and stood beside him.
“It’s nothing.
I just don’t want to see Him.”
Chara didn’t ask further.
After all, he had said it before: I hate negative Elation.
She walked back to her seat, placed Flowey’s flower pot on her knees, and leaned back in the chair.
“Akivili…
I won’t let down your expectations.”
She raised her head, looking at the stars outside the window, the corners of her mouth twitching.
● The visit of Aha, the Aeon of Elation, didn’t affect your DETERMINATION.
Instead, it made you even more resolute.