Himeko checked her phone to see the time.
A moment later, she looked toward Caelus and Kouga.
Himeko: "It's almost time. She should be arriving any moment now."
Caelus and Kouga exchanged confused glances before Kouga spoke up.
Kouga: "Who should be arriving any moment now?"
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the corridor.
The three turned toward the source of the noise and saw... a small girl?
Or rather, a puppet.
She resembled a finely crafted ball-jointed doll depicting a petite young woman with long ash-brown hair and striking purple eyes. Matching purple nail polish adorned each finger. She wore a frilled white minidress decorated with a lilac diamond motif beneath a black-and-purple coat that left her shoulders exposed. A golden lock and chain were pinned elegantly across her torso. Completing the outfit were a black beret adorned with a purple flower, a purple choker with a tiny key hanging from it, and a pair of dark purple and white heeled boots decorated with gold safety pins and indigo ribbons.
The puppet glanced around the station and frowned.
The puppet: "I've only been gone, what? A few months? And the space station is already in this state?"
Himeko smiled and greeted her.
Himeko: "Welcome back, Herta."
She then turned toward Kouga and Caelus.
Himeko: "This is the true master of the space station—Genius Society Number 83, Herta."
Herta immediately looked offended.
Herta: "At least give me a proper introduction! Genius Society number 83... Of all my outstanding achievements, that's what you want to mention?"
Caelus blinked.
Something about that introduction sounded familiar.
Caelus: "Space station... Herta...?"
Herta turned toward him.
Herta: "Yeah, up to speed yet? That place you and the red head all turned upside down? That's my property."
Judging by her gaze, she clearly meant Caelus and Kouga.
She then turned back to Himeko.
Herta: "So this little twerp has the Stellaron now? Huh."
The unfamiliar term caught Kouga's attention.
Stellaron? Is that the thing that absorbed some of my power? he wondered.
Herta stepped closer to Caelus.
Herta: "Hmm, I'll have to take a good look."
She looked around the station before continuing.
Herta: "Hmm, truly amazing! I built a whole space station just to contain this unactivated Stellaron and keep The Blue from disaster... Yet someone was able to achieve that with this little twerp's body. How did they do it?"
Himeko nodded.
Himeko: "Moreover, the Stellaron is still very stable in Caelus's body."
Herta nodded in agreement.
Herta: "You're right. This little one's body truly is strange..."
Caelus looked mildly offended by the nickname.
Caelus: "My name is Caelus."
Herta waved dismissively.
Herta: "Alright, Caelus. I got it. But I'm still gonna call you little twerp. The space in my brain is too valuable to store people's names."
Kouga immediately facepalmed.
Dear whatever higher beings exist beyond even me... not another narcissist.
Himeko chuckled.
Himeko: "Oh! Well, thanks for remembering my name then."
Herta looked at her.
Herta: "That's different. We have business with each other. Umm, what was your name again? Forget it, let's focus on the one who can store a Stellaron in their body... Can I bring him in for some research?"
Himeko calmly redirected the question.
Himeko: "That's not up to me to decide. You can ask Caelus yourself..."
Caelus looked confused.
Meanwhile, Kouga immediately became wary.
The word research brought back unpleasant memories from countless worlds he had visited. Experiments. Laboratories. Researchers who cared more about results than people.
None of those memories were pleasant.
Yet Caelus's response caught him completely off guard.
Caelus: "What's your price?"
Kouga nearly snapped his neck turning toward him.
His expression practically screamed WHAT?
Herta's eyes lit up.
Herta: "This little twerp's pretty financially motivated. I like it."
Himeko sighed.
Himeko: "Alright, give the poor child a break, Herta."
Herta continued regardless.
Herta: "I'm very interested now, so there's almost nothing I won't accommodate. A Stellaron in your body, how interesting is that! Be grateful that I'm offering to help you out. This is a service even the IPC can't buy."
Seeing Caelus still looked uncertain, Himeko explained more clearly.
Himeko: "You understand now, Caelus? Herta wants you to stay in her space station."
Herta immediately corrected her.
Herta: "Well, I'm going to have to modify your wording here: This little twerp can only stay temporarily until the research is done. Or maybe I'll lose interest halfway through and they can just beat it."
Kouga's opinion of Herta somehow dropped even lower.
Himeko glanced at her.
Himeko: "And after that?"
Herta shrugged.
Herta: "Not my problem."
Yep. Don't like it one bit, Kouga thought.
Himeko then turned back to Caelus.
Himeko: "Caelus... You also have another option - the Astral Express. If you want, you can leave with us. The Express has its fair share of experiences with Stellarons. The thing you're worried about, and the answers we're looking for are one and the same. Besides... We can come back any time to let Herta conduct her research. She's absolutely fascinated now."
Herta nodded.
Herta: "Hm, works for me, keeps this subject fresh, too. And that way I won't need to keep worrying about this little twerp all the time. Perfect!"
Caelus considered both options.
Kouga, however, couldn't resist commenting.
Kouga: "You really are the most self-centered person I've ever met."
Herta looked entirely unbothered.
Herta: "You should meet the others of the Genius Society. Some of them will trick you into thanking them after they milk you dry. At least I have my honesty going for me."
Then she pointed at Caelus.
Herta: "Just remember to come back often. Make an appointment in advance with Asta or Arlan so I can make time to study you."
Himeko stepped in once more.
Himeko: "There's no need to rush into this, Herta. Asta's in the master control zone. Let's let Caelus have a talk with Asta first and decide for himself."
She then turned toward Caelus.
Himeko: "Caelus, I'll be waiting for you on the platform. It's no hurry if you still have things to do or someone to see. Come find me when you've made your decision."
With that, Himeko walked away, leaving Kouga, Caelus, and Herta behind.
A moment later, Caelus's phone suddenly chimed.
He pulled it out and checked the message. After reading it, he put the phone away.
Curious, Kouga asked,
Kouga : "who message you ?"
Caelus answer.
Caelus : "Uhm Herta told me to meet her at her office."
Kouga is confuse a bit as he pointed to Herta here.
Kouga : "But, isn't she here ?"
Caelus answer as he scratch the back of his head.
Caelus : "I'm also confuse."
Must be a remote control puppet then, Kouga thought to himself.
Kouga then ask : "Can i come and see too ?"
Caelus, who don't see the problem here agree.
Caelus : "Sure."
With that, Kouga and Caelus made their way to Herta's office.
When they entered, the first thing they noticed was the decor.
On the right side of the room hung an enormous self-portrait of Herta. On the left were portraits of several people neither of them recognized.
Standing at the far end of the office was yet another Herta puppet beside a strange machine unlike anything either of them had ever seen.
Kouga and Caelus approached her.
As soon as she spotted Caelus, Herta spoke.
Herta : "Hey, there you are."
Her gaze then shifted toward Kouga standing beside him.
Herta : "Why did you bring him along ?"
Before Caelus could answer, Kouga answered for himself.
Kouga : "You never said i can't."
Herta merely hmphed before turning back to Caelus.
Still confused, Caelus asked,
Caelus : "How did you get here so soon?"
Herta answered matter-of-factly.
Herta : "I haven't moved. What you're seeing is one of my remote-controlled puppets. They're all over the station. I just connect to one wherever I am needed."
Kouga nodded to himself.
So my guess was correct.
Herta folded her arms.
Herta : "Enough chit-chat, Caelus. I am working on a big project with a few colleagues. If we succeed, it will answer the ultimate question that's been puzzling us for thousands of Amber Eras: the truth about Aeons."
Kouga blinked.
Aeons?
The term meant nothing to him.
Herta continued, her eyes practically shining with excitement.
Herta : "Aeons... think about it. What mystical existences! Some Aeons used to be ordinary humans like you and me, but somehow they managed to obtain power beyond our imagination! They are mysterious, powerful, silent and terrifying! It's hard to explain all the mysteries surrounding them. How were they created? Why were they created? What were they created for? Caelus, have ever you thought about these questions?"
By this point, Caelus was looking increasingly overwhelmed.
Caelus : "What's this got to do with me?"
Herta waved her hand dismissively.
Herta : "Well indeed, it's got nothing to do with you, but we need you. Give me some time, Caelus, I'll make this worthwhile for you too."
She then pointed toward the enormous machine beside her.
Herta : "The four geniuses of the society wrote a program together. You see the big machine in the office? That machine contains a universe, just like the universe we live in, but it's more streamlined and customized. I call it the "Metaverse"! "
Kouga let out an impressed whistle.
Despite possessing abilities and forms that granted him the intellect to create stuff that can destroy, manipulate, and govern countless realities, he still found the machine remarkable.
Creating an entire simulated universe was no small feat.
Caelus, meanwhile, looked even more overwhelmed than before.
Caelus : "Let's just keep it simple."
Herta sighed dramatically.
Herta : "Oh really? That's what my partners said as well. Fine, I am a team player. Then let's call it the "Simulated Universe." "
She then looked directly at Caelus.
Herta : "Now go and experience it for yourself. I will guide you in the Simulated Universe to make sure nothing happens to you! I'll even give you a substantial reward."
Having nothing better to do at the moment, Caelus stepped onto the machine's platform.
Herta watched with satisfaction.
Herta : "Yes, just stand there and the computer will read your brainwaves, then automatically generate an immersive simulated experience..."
The machine immediately began to hum with energy.
Lights flickered across its surface as countless streams of data flowed through its systems.
A moment later, Caelus felt the world around him blur.
His vision darkened.
Then his consciousness was pulled into the machine.
Meanwhile, Kouga remained standing beside Herta, watching the process with interest.
Inside the Simulated Universe, Caelus slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing inside a familiar room.
After looking around for a few moments, he realized it was one of the rooms aboard Herta Space Station.
Everything appeared identical to reality.
The walls.
The lighting.
Even the smallest details seemed perfectly recreated.
If he hadn't known he was inside a simulation, he would have believed he was still in the real station.
Then a translucent screen suddenly appeared in front of Caelus.
A familiar message was displayed on it.
Herta :
- Caelus, can you see this message? If you do, just tap anywhere on the screen ---
Caelus raised an eyebrow before tapping the screen.
The message changed.
Herta :
- Your body is still sitting in the office. This is a Simulated Universe generated from your memories.
Caelus tapped the screen again.
A third message appeared.
- This is only the Alpha test server, where the features are not fully available. Now, try to walk around.
Following the instructions, Caelus cautiously took a few steps.
To his surprise, his movements felt completely natural.
The sensation was no different from walking in reality.
Another message appeared.
Herta :
- See? You can move arpund now. I want you to play Akivili...
The text suddenly froze.
A few strange symbols flickered across the screen.
Then nothing.
Caelus waited.
Several seconds passed.
Still nothing.
Caelus scratched his head.
Caelus: "Uh... is everything alright?"
Back in reality...
Kouga watched as Herta repeatedly tapped on the tablet in her hands.
At first she merely looked annoyed.
Then irritated.
Then increasingly frustrated.
The more she tapped, the darker her expression became.
Eventually Kouga decided to ask.
Kouga: "Something wrong? Maybe I can help."
Herta didn't even look up from the tablet.
Herta: "Something is very wrong."
She furiously tapped several more commands.
Herta: "The Simulated Universe is supposed to assign him the role of Akivili. It's a simple process."
More tapping.
Nothing happened.
Herta's eye twitched.
Herta: "Why isn't it working?"
She opened several windows and diagnostic reports.
Herta: "The permissions are correct. The simulation is stable. The memory data loaded successfully."
More diagnostics.
More failures.
Herta: "Then why can't I overwrite his character data?!"
Kouga quietly listened.
Herta continued muttering to herself.
Herta: "Every time I try to insert Akivili's information, something rejects it."
Tap.
"Rejected."
Tap.
"Rejected."
Tap.
"Rejected."
Herta: "This makes absolutely no sense!"
She finally looked up from her tablet.
Herta: "It's like there's some kind of defense mechanism protecting his information layer."
Kouga immediately understood.
Ah... so it's started already.
The power is protecting him.
The fragment of power Caelus had absorbed was automatically defending its host.
Anything attempting to alter Caelus on an informational level was being blocked.
Kouga folded his arms.
Kouga: "Let me handle it."
Herta looked at him as if he'd just said something ridiculous.
Herta: "And pray tell, what exactly can you—"
She stopped.
Both Herta and the puppet froze.
Kouga's body was beginning to break apart.
Not into particles.
Not into light.
Into streams of glowing orange digital code.
Countless lines of data flowed from his body like a river.
Then, before Herta's eyes, the code streamed directly into the Simulated Universe machine.
The room fell silent.
For several moments, Herta simply stared.
Wide-eyed.
Speechless.
Then she slowly looked down at her tablet.
Then back at the machine.
Then back at the empty space where Kouga had been standing.
Herta: "...What."
Inside the Simulated Universe...
Caelus was still trying to figure out what had happened.
Suddenly—
Tap.
Something touched his shoulder.
Caelus immediately turned around.
Standing behind him was Kouga.
Caelus blinked.
Caelus: "Mr. Hayata? You're here too?"
Kouga grinned.
Kouga: "Yep. I decided to invite myself in."
Before Caelus could respond, a new screen abruptly appeared beside them.
Herta's face filled the display.
Herta:
- What was that?! How did you convert yourself into data?! How did you enter the simulation directly?! What kind of technology is that?! What are you?! Explain immediately! -
Kouga casually swiped the screen aside.
The screen disappeared.
Herta's distant protests could still be heard.
Ignoring her completely, Kouga turned back to Caelus.
Kouga: "Anyway, I'm here because it looks like that power has started manifesting."
Caelus looked confused.
Caelus: "Manifesting?"
Kouga nodded.
Kouga: "Think carefully. From the moment you lost consciousness until now, did anything unusual happen?"
Caelus tilted his head.
Kouga continued.
Kouga: "Did you see anything strange? Hear anything? Maybe a dream?"
At first Caelus looked puzzled.
Then his eyes widened.
He remembered.
That dream.
Caelus slowly nodded.
Caelus: "Actually... yeah, there's this dream i had."
Kouga gestured for him to continue.
Caelus thought for a moment before speaking.
Caelus: "I found myself in some kind of dark place. There was nothing around me."
His expression grew distant as he recalled the memory.
Caelus: "I just kept walking."
Caelus: "Then I saw a tiny spark of light."
Kouga silently listened.
Caelus: "It felt like the light was guiding me. So I followed it."
Caelus: "The closer I got, the brighter it became."
Caelus: "Then I touched it."
Caelus paused.
Caelus: "And it exploded."
He raised his hand as if shielding his eyes from the remembered brilliance.
Caelus: "The light was so bright I couldn't see anything."
Caelus: "When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a huge field beneath a clear blue sky."
Caelus: "There was grass stretching as far as I could see."
His voice grew more animated.
Caelus: "But the weird part was the armies."
Caelus: "One side was made up of armored warriors of all different shapes and sizes."
Caelus: "Leading them was a warrior with a grasshopper motif."
Caelus: "The other side was an army of gigantic robots."
Caelus: "Each one was around fifty meters tall."
Caelus: "They were led by some kind of aircraft."
Caelus looked at Kouga.
Caelus: "Then the grasshopper warrior and the pilot of the said aircraft jumped down."
Caelus: "They landed right in front of me."
Caelus: "After that... they both held out their hands."
Caelus: "And gave me some sort of golden energy."
The moment he finished speaking, Kouga nodded in satisfaction.
As though he had just received confirmation of something important.
Another screen appeared.
Herta:
- And what exactly does any of that have to do with—
Before she could finish, Kouga casually swiped the screen away again.
The screen vanished.
Kouga then raised his hand toward Caelus.
Kouga: "Now, take my hand, Caelus."
Caelus looked confused by the request.
Still, after everything that had happened today, he decided there was no harm in trusting Kouga.
He reached out.
The moment their hands touched—
Everything vanished.
The room disappeared into darkness.
Startled, Caelus immediately let go and took a step back.
Caelus: "What happened?!"
Kouga remained completely calm.
Kouga: "Relax. We're simply in a deeper layer of your consciousness."
Caelus blinked.
Caelus: "My consciousness?"
Kouga nodded.
Then he looked into the darkness ahead.
Caelus followed his gaze.
There, floating in the endless void, was a familiar spark of light.
Caelus's eyes widened.
Caelus: "That's..."
Before he could finish, Kouga gestured for him to follow.
The two walked toward the distant light.
As they approached, the tiny spark grew brighter and brighter.
Finally, Kouga reached out and touched it.
The moment his fingers made contact—
The world exploded into light.
In an instant, the darkness vanished.
A vast green field stretched endlessly beneath a brilliant blue sky.
The wind danced through the grass.
And standing before them was the same army Caelus had seen in his dream.
The army of armored warriors.
The army of colossal machines.
Everything was exactly as he remembered.
Kouga smiled.
Kouga: "Not bad."
He glanced around the battlefield.
Kouga: "So this is what it looks like after you absorbed my power."
Caelus turned toward him.
Caelus: "Your power?"
Before Kouga could answer—
His body began to shine.
At first it was merely a glow.
Then it became a radiance so intense that Caelus instinctively covered his eyes.
Yet despite its overwhelming brilliance, the light felt familiar.
Warm.
Protective.
Heroic.
It was the same warmth he had felt from the two leaders in his dream.
Except this was infinitely greater.
Far more powerful.
Far more majestic.
A light that inspired awe.
A light that demanded respect.
And yet somehow still made one feel safe.
When the radiance finally faded, Caelus slowly lowered his arm.
His breath caught in his throat.
Kouga had changed.
Gone were his ordinary clothes.
In their place was magnificent silver armor adorned with intricate patterns.
A white cape flowed behind him in the wind.
His crimson hair had become silver.
One eye remained red.
The other had become a brilliant blue.
But more than his appearance, it was his presence that had changed.
The man standing before him now seemed almost divine.
Not distant like a god.
Not terrifying like a monster.
But like the very image of a hero.
Someone who would always reach out a hand to save others.
Someone who would continue moving forward no matter how impossible the challenge.
Caelus stared.
Caelus: "Mr. Hayata..."
His voice nearly failed him.
Caelus: "What... are you?"
Kouga simply smiled.
Then he answered.
Kouga: "Allow me to introduce myself properly."
The wind swept across the endless field.
The armies stood silently in the distance.
Kouga's voice echoed through the world.
Kouga: "I have been known by many names."
Kouga: "I have carried countless titles."
Kouga: "I am the Man of the Beginning."
Kouga: "The God of Genesis."
Kouga: "The Will of Helheim."
Kouga: "The Knight who rewrote stories to create a happier tomorrow."
Kouga: "The Embodiment of humanity's Infinite Potential and Evolution."
Kouga: "The Destroyer of Worlds."
Kouga: "The Demon King of Space-Time."
Kouga: "And countless other ..."
For a moment, silence filled the field.
Then Kouga continued.
Kouga: "But above all else..."
His expression softened.
Kouga: "I am the embodiment of the concepts of Heroism and Justice."
Kouga: "The universal archetype that exists within the hearts of all people throughout creation."
He placed his right hand over his chest.
Then bowed politely toward Caelus.
When he straightened again, he gave him a playful wink.
Kouga: "I am Kouga Hayata."
His smile widened.
Kouga: "It's a pleasure to truly meet you."
...
Caelus stared.
And stared.
And stared.
His brain attempted to process everything it had just heard.
Failed.
Attempted again.
Failed again.
Then, for the sake of self-preservation, his mind effectively crashed and began rebooting.
Caelus: "...Huh?"
That was the only response his overworked brain could produce.