Chapter 198: Return to the Xianzhou
Elio.
The name echoed in the cold silence of your mind, a single point of focus in a storm of newfound, agonizing memories. That black cat, the 'Slave of Fate,' had promised you something. A way to find them.
You stood in the darkness of your new quarters, your back to the viewport, seeing nothing of the star sea outside. All you could see was fire, the disintegration of the Fanghu, and the impossible, all-consuming white light of an arrow.
Jiang Li. Neergul.
You had thought Elio meant he would lead you to Neergul. But Jiang Li... your sister... she died too. Vaporized by the same indifferent, divine power.
A cold, quiet rage, deeper and more terrifying than any 'Peeping Tom' frustration, settled into your very bones. You finally had your memories. You finally had a purpose.
You had to get a clear answer from Elio.
But before that… those who harmed them must pay with blood.
The Borisin must be annihilated. Every last one of them.
And the Reign-Bow… the Aeon of The Hunt, Lan… must also pay the price.
For the next two weeks, the Stellaron Hunters' starship was quiet. There were no new missions, no new scripts from Elio.
"Ugh, are we just keeping idle people now?" Silver Wolf groaned, slumping back in her gamer chair. The simulation she was running wasn't fun. Nothing was fun. She kicked her feet up, annoyed.
She knocked on your door for the fifth time this week. "Orion! Come on, I found a new co-op challenge. Let's play online! I'll even let you win... maybe."
A moment of silence, then your voice came from inside, flat and devoid of its usual, slightly flustered energy. "Sorry. I have something to do."
"You always 'have something to do'!" she complained, pouting at the closed door. "What's more important than setting a new server record?"
No reply.
Silver Wolf sighed in frustration. Ever since that day—the day you returned from the Fuyuki mission—you seemed like a different person. The amnesiac, slightly goofy, easy-to-tease newcomer was gone. In his place was this... cold, quiet stranger who spent all his time locked in his room.
She sighed again, defeated, and went to find Firefly. "Firefly! You're bored too, right? Play games with me again."
"Huh? Oh... okay." Firefly, who had been listlessly polishing SAM's armor plating, took the offered console. Her fingers moved over the controls, but her heart wasn't in it.
"Ah!" she suddenly cried out. "I... I accidentally let another shiny Pokémon get away…"
"It's okay… I'm used to it…" Silver Wolf said weakly, slumping onto a nearby crate. She still wanted to play with you.
"Hey, Firefly," Silver Wolf suddenly spoke, her voice uncharacteristically serious. "How about we go talk to him? Haven't you noticed he's been... really off lately?"
Firefly's polishing movements slowed. "He has a little…"
"Right?" Silver Wolf sat up. "He doesn't even play games anymore! Is he even human?"
Firefly looked at her, her own expression darkening. "He hasn't been looking for me to train much lately either… Not since that one time. He just… avoids me."
The two girls sighed in unison, a strange melancholy settling over them. Unbeknownst to them, you, the "Peeping Tom" and "New Recruit," had become an unexpectedly important part of their routine.
Meanwhile, in your room, you were not busy. You had just finished packing a simple, dark duffel bag. One change of clothes. Your sword. You were ready to leave.
Just then, a light knock sounded on your door. "Orion? It's us."
The door slid open, and the two girls walked in, Silver Wolf leading the way with a forced, bright smile. "Orion, you must be tired lately, right? You've been cooped up in here."
She grabbed your left arm, her smile a bit too wide. "Let us give you a massage! My gaming fingers are great for hitting pressure points!"
Firefly, her face a little red, hesitantly grabbed your right arm. "That's right… you need to rest well. You've been working too hard on… whatever it is you're doing."
For the next few moments, you were served like a king, though you remained perfectly still. Silver Wolf awkwardly massaged your shoulders, her attempts feeling more like she was trying to input a cheat code. Firefly, even more flustered, offered you a piece of cake she'd saved from the mess hall.
"And this!" Silver Wolf, seeing her massage wasn't working, pulled out a rare, holographic game cartridge. "It's a limited-edition 'Stellar Invaders' cart! I'm... I'm giving it to you!"
"What… what's wrong with you two?" you finally couldn't help but ask, their desperate cheerfulness a stark contrast to the cold void in your chest.
"We just feel like you haven't been very happy lately," Silver Wolf said, her bravado fading, her voice becoming small. "We're… family, right? You can talk to us."
You looked at their concerned expressions, and for a fleeting moment, a genuine warmth welled up in your heart. They were good kids. They were kind.
But that warmth was instantly extinguished by the memory of a white arrow. They weren't your family. Your family was dead.
"It's okay," you said, your voice softening slightly, but the distance was still there. "I'm fine now. With you two here, I'm already very happy."
Although you said so, deep down, the cold flame of hatred burned fiercely. Only by killing all the Borisin and destroying the Reign-Bow… only then will I truly be happy.
"Really?" Silver Wolf looked at you suspiciously. Your words didn't match the coldness in your eyes.
"Really."
"That's great!" she said, forcing her enthusiasm back. "Then play games with me now! Just one round!"
"Sorry." You gently pulled your arms free and stood up, picking up the duffel bag from your bed. "Let's play when I get back. I need to go out for a bit."
Firefly's face fell. "Where are you going?"
"The Xianzhou."
"The Xianzhou?!" Silver Wolf exclaimed, her eyes wide. She knew your history. She knew what that place meant. "You… are you coming back?" Her voice was small, worried.
"Don't worry," you patted her head, a rare, gentle gesture. "I'm just going back to take a look. I'll be back soon." It was a lie, but it was a kind one.
Firefly just looked into your eyes, her own filled with a thousand unasked questions. "Then… we'll wait for you."
Just then, a new figure appeared at the open doorway. "Are you going out?"
Kafka stood there, leaning against the frame, her wine-red eyes fixed on you. She wasn't surprised. She knew.
You nodded. "Yes. I'm going back to the Xianzhou."
"I know." She walked into the room, stopping directly in front of you. "I'm here to see you off."
Saying that, she suddenly leaned in. Before you could react, she lightly pressed a kiss on your forehead. Her lips were soft, the touch fleeting, but it left a faint, electric tingle and the scent of spider lilies.
"Remember to come back," she whispered, her voice low and intimate. She stepped back, that charming, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.
You paused, your mind processing the gesture. It wasn't a lover's kiss. It was a brand. A reminder. You nodded, your face impassive. "…Okay. I will."
Then you turned and left, walking past her without a second glance.
Behind you, Silver Wolf and Firefly's exasperated, slightly jealous voices could be heard.
"Kafka… what did she just do?!"
"Damn it! She totally got ahead of us…"
Your small, stealth-capable ship sailed into the port of the Xianzhou Yaoqing. The familiar, yet alien, scenery came into view. The jade-green, city-sized structures floating in the void, the rivers flowing upside-down, the scent of ancient wood and incense.
This place was once your second home. Now, it felt like the heart of the enemy.
The Arbiter-General's Seat.
Inside the sprawling General's office, Feixiao sat at a massive, dark-wood desk. Mountains of official documents, data-slates, and holographic reports were piled high in front of her.
"So annoying…" she propped up her chin, her silver-to-teal hair falling over her face. She stared out the grand viewport at the endless stars. "Why did I become a General just to be buried in paperwork?"
How could this possibly compare to the exhilaration of fighting on the battlefield?
"Report!" A Cloud Knight in full armor walked in, saluting crisply. "General, someone wishes to see you. He has no appointment, but…"
"I'm not seeing anyone," Feixiao said, her voice flat, not even turning her head from the window. "Tell them to submit a request like everyone else."
"But General," the Cloud Knight hesitated, "that person said… if I just mention his name, you will see him…"
"I said I'm not seeing anyone," Feixiao repeated, her patience wearing thin.
The Cloud Knight flinched but stood his ground, as if bracing for impact. "That person said his name is… Orion."
Clatter—
The ornate, ink-filled pen in Feixiao's hand fell from her numb fingers, clattering onto the desk and spattering black ink across a pristine report.
She whipped her head around, her movements stiff, robotic. Her sharp, green eyes stared intently at the Cloud Knight.
"You… what did you just say?"
The Cloud Knight was startled by her intense reaction but repeated, "That person's name is Orion, General."
Feixiao froze completely.
Orion...
How many years had it been? That name was a ghost, a wound that had never healed.
Impossible.
He's... he's already dead. Dead in battle. She had personally witnessed the intelligence report. She had seen the after-action logs. The Fanghu was gone, annihilated by the Reign-Bow's light arrow. No one survived.
"General?" the Cloud Knight asked cautiously, alarmed by her deathly pale face.
Feixiao forced herself to calm down, her hands clenching into fists on her desk. "Bring him in."
She paused, her mind racing. No.
"No," she said, her voice unsteady. "I'll go see him myself."
She stood up, her steps a little unsteady. The composed, brilliant General of the Yaoqing, one of the seven Arbiter-Generals, was visibly trembling.
If it really is him… If he is truly still alive…