Archive of Our Own

While her journey through Amphoreus had brought her no shortage of new experiences, this was not one of them.

Immersed in the darkness, Stelle recognised the same strange sensation she had felt not once, but twice before. Even though she couldn't see anything, it was as if a spotlight was shining over her, making her the centre of attention for an invisible audience. But the gaze that had been cast upon her wasn't that of an ordinary human. It was a majestic and somehow unsettling one, and just being under it made every fibre of her being tremble. Something was stirring inside her. She couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was in her body, but she was sure of what was resonating with the entity's gaze.

An Aeon was gazing at the Stellaron within her.

I think after Preservation and Harmony, time has come for a nice dose of Remembrance.

But how did she get here? And... where was here!? She couldn't remember. Surely she had done something big to get Fuli to take an interest in her. From what she had learned from Black Swan, this Aeon was a particularly strange one. On one hand, it wasn't even known when THEY had been born. While some believed that THEY had ascended to Aeonhood during the Swarm Disaster, others like Herta were certain that THEY were even older.

To think that Firefly is from that time... now that I think about it, she's even older than Nanook!

But if THEIR birth was mysterious, the same couldn't be said for THEIR appearance. Although rarely, Fuli had actually appeared before mortals and had even been recorded. Stelle had watched in amazement the video of Fuli appearing at the farewell speech of Louis Fleming, one of the founders of the IPC. THEY looked like a humanoid figure carved from crystal, with a diadem of pearls covering THEIR featureless face.

I wonder what gift THEY have prepared for me.

Quilphot's lance had saved her more than once. And Mikhail's hat was just so damn cool... At least that was what Firefly kept telling her.

Maybe a cool sword like Acheron's or Kafka's? Wait, those don't fit the Remembrance theme... maybe some spooky tarot cards like Black Swan's?

But whatever it was, it didn't seem like she was going get her hands on it so easily. Minutes passed without anything happening.

"Um... hello? Is anyone there?" Stelle asked. Her voice reverberated around her, almost as if she was standing in a huge empty hall.

"At least turn on the light, pretty please?"

As if on cue, her vision was immediately impaired by a burst of light.

"Don't do it so suddenly though!" Stelle complained, squinting her eyes. 

As she slowly regained her sight, she realised that she really was in a strange, empty hall, the end of which she couldn't see. The ceiling, floor and walls were made of a shining crystal-like material. Stelle looked down and saw a distorted reflection of herself staring back at her.

What the hell is this place? Is this Fuli's home or something? , she thought as she bent down to touch the cold pavement.

When her fingers touched those of her reflection, she caused a ripple to spread through the floor, as if she had touched water.

What the...?

Stelle raised her eyes to find that the environment around her had changed. She was still in a long corridor, but it was no longer desert. Massive shining garbage cans had appeared at the sides, like knights in a parade of honour. There were also huge golden statues depicting her, pointing forward like a general signalling an attack. Banners bearing her smiling face hung from the ceilings.

"Wow, whoever decorated this place has good taste!" Stelle exclaimed as she started to walk.

Soon she noticed that among the giant statues there were some smaller ones, made of the same crystal-like material as the walls, depicting...

"What?!"

Two girls were sitting on small stools in front of what looked like a bar. Stelle approached the statues of herself and March with a furrowed brow.

"Is Fuli spying on me like Black Swan? I guess the Path of Remembrance has some stalking tendencies..." Stelle muttered. She couldn't help but be impressed by how realistic this piece of art was. If it wasn't for the translucent material it was made of, it would have been like looking at herself in a mirror.

I really am pretty handsome, aren't I?, Stelle thought as she reached for her statue's cheek.

At that moment, a tear in reality opened in front of her. In a split second, she was back in the party car of the Astral Express.  March was at her side, looking into her steaming mug filled with hot chocolate with a worried expression.

"Time works in strange ways here. Since we're on the train, it shouldn't affect us much. But Black Swan said we should be careful when we go to sleep because we might see visions of the past. But when we get to Amphoreus, things get a lot more hectic. Apparently, time could speed up or slow down randomly there, and we could experience not only moments from our past, but our future as well!"

Huh? This is our convers-!

Stelle felt her lips parting on their own:

"Do you think you'll be able to find out about your past?"

Those words had been spoken without her realising it. As she tried to touch her own mouth, she realised that she couldn't even move her arm... or any part of her body for that matter. As panic began to set in, she suddenly found herself back in the strange crystal hall, her hand slightly away from the statue.

She took a quick step back.

Are these statues... my memories?

That was the only explanation she could come up with. Remembrance as a Path was, after all, about collecting events from the past to save them from Destruction.

"But that was super creepy!"

Even though she was in her own body, she couldn't control it at all! It had been like watching a cutscene in a first-person VR game with herself as the protagonist.

Stelle began to move along the corridor, examining the many statues that adorned it.

She smiled brightly as she saw herself and Firefly sitting side by side on a bench, dressed like high school girls.

She felt her blood pumping in front of the statue of herself raising Luka's fist in the air during the Wardance.

She felt a pang of sadness as she gazed at the graves of the Nameless of Penacony and the silhouette of Acheron in the distance.

Standing in front of the statue of her and Firefly, falling into a sky lit by fireworks, she couldn't help but touch it, just to relive the moment a little.  Even if she didn't get anything from Fuli, the feeling of the breeze of Penacony's night sky and the sensation of Firefly's lips on hers was worth the strange vouyaje she was taking part in.

But Stelle soon realised that this trip down memory lane wasn't going to be entirely pleasant. It was enough to see that multi-eyed creature out of the corner of her eye to make her heart race and her breath become ragged.

When are you going to stop torturing me?  she thought as she walked past the Memory Zone Meme, her eyes fixed on the floor. Even in her own distorted reflection, she could see all her fear and misery.

"But I have to accept this... it's nothing to be ashamed of, just like Firefly said," Stelle muttered, raising her chin.

She walked on, past the depictions of her many adventures. Not everything that had happened to her was portrayed. But a stroll through this corridor would have been a good enough summary of her journey so far for any visitor.

But why are you showing me these things, Fuli? I'm not a granny with memory problems yet.

As she went on, the atmosphere in the room began to change. It was as if some kind of fog had entered the room, even though there were no windows. Soon Stelle couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her.

What's going on? ,she thought as she walked past a sculpture of herself, Dan Heng and March confronting the Doomsday Beast.

Is it because my memories are about to run out?

That must have been the case. And Stelle received confirmation just a few minutes later. After passing the statue representing her awakening in the Stellaron's room inside Herta Space's Station, the corridor finally ended. In front of her was a solid wall of crystal, and to the side...

What is that?

It wasn't a statue like the others. From its shape, Stelle thought it looked like one of those big mirrors they had in clothes shops, but she couldn't see her reflection in it.

Are those... spider webs?

She was right again. The mirror was completely covered in them, obscuring its surface. On impulse, Stelle grabbed her trusty bat from her belt. With its tip she tried to unravel that forest of webs, but it was useless. Those little silk threads could have been steel chains, the way they resisted her attempts to get them out of the way.

They remind me of Kafka's threads.

As this thought crossed Stelle's mind, a glimmer of light began to shine in front of her.

Is this...?

Just as when she had touched the statues, reality changed before her. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a maze of mirrors, golden eyes staring at her from all sides. Stelle raised her own to escape that gaze, only to find another. A massive figure towered over her. The same one she had seen in that video. With a sound of crystals grinding against each other, THEIR cloak shimmered with prismatic light. And then THEY were gone. In THEIR place, hovering over Stelle, was something else.

Is that... a quill?

As usual, she was right. It was a fountain pen with a glowing rose feather, similar to the ones she had seen in those fancy shops in Oti Mall. The moment Stelle jumped up to grab the quill, a blinding flash of light shattered the mirrors around her.

And just like that, she was back in the previous hall, in front of the clouded mirror.

Stelle studied the artifact in her hand. It was truly beautiful, but what could she do with it? Unlike her spear of Preservation, using this relic of Remembrance wasn't going to be straightforward, it seemed. But it wasn't her first rodeo with strange-looking weapons.

There must be a trick to it, just like with Mikhail's hat.

So Stelle did the only thing she could think of: she wrote in the air.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed in satisfaction as a golden substance began to flow from the tip of the pen. But her excitement was short-lived as it disappeared without doing anything.

Mmmh... maybe I need to write something special.

Stelle turned to the spiderweb-covered mirror. If Fuli had brought her to this strange hall and gazed at her in front of this thing, there must've been a reason.

What if...

With a quick gesture, Stelle drew a huge X in front of her.

"Yes! I'm a genius, as usual!" she exclaimed as the golden letter imprinted itself on the dense webs and cut through them with ease.

As the threads fell to the ground, the surface of the mirror was finally revealed and... Stelle looked at her own face in confusion.

"Is it really just a regular old mirror?" she wondered with a raised eyebrow.

Her reflection stared back at her with the same confused expression and scratched its chin.

"Eh?"

Stelle looked down to see her hand hanging at the side of her body. She lifted her eyes to see her own reflection staring back at her with an open mouth.

"EEEH?!"

Stelle stepped back just in time for the mirror to shatter in front of her. Out of the frame emerged a girl who looked exactly like her. For a moment, Stelle and the girl looked at each other in disbelief. Then...

"Who the hell are you?" Stelle shouted, the quill in her hand disappearing with a flicker of pink light as she released her bat from her belt.

After the initial shock, she had understood what was happening. She was facing a copycat, just like in the Shackling Prison. This was probably a test from the Aeon to see if she was really worth THEIR gaze.

But THEY should have been a little more thorough, this cheap copy clearly isn't as good-looking as me!

But the grey haired girl in front of her scoffed. She also seemed to have gotten over her initial shock, although that was probably just an act.

"I'm Stelle, Miss Impostor! I can see why someone as lowly as you would try to copy my appearance. But... too bad... you got found out by the real thing!" she exclaimed, assuming a strange fighting stance with her fists.

"Of course you are gonna try to act dumb!" Stelle sighed, "Come on, just drop it! I know you are just a minion of Remembrance or something! If you take off that disguise, maybe I won't bash your head in with my bat!"

"A minion of Remembrance? What are you babbling about? Don't try to bullshit your way out of this! Besides," her copycat looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "a bat? Seriously? If you want to impersonate me, at least get it right! I would never use such an inefficient weapon!"

Stelle was left speechless. She had heard those words before, but that wasn't the point now:

"You... did you seriously take my appearance without knowing anything about me except my name? You are talking to the Galactic Baseballer of the Astral Express! If you have to pretend to be me, at least do your homework, woman!"

Stelle watched with satisfaction as Stelle's haughty attitude immediately dropped:

Ah ah! My fame has even reached this strange Hall of Remembrance!

"Did you just say... the Astral Express?" the copycat asked slowly. Stelle saw her eyes go down to the ticket on her jacket, "Wait, is that...?"

Oh!

Stelle hadn't noticed that the impostor didn't even have one.

She went to the trouble of making such a convincing disguise, only to lose herself in the details. That's probably why she's so shocked!

Stelle tapped on her ticket with a cocky expression:

"The one and only! You messed up, girl. Now that I have exposed you as a fake, you better drop the act and just tell me who you are. Or else..." she pointed her bat forward again.

But Stelle didn't seem to be listening.

"The Astral Express... could it be?" she murmured, not even looking at her anymore.

"Oi, didn't you hear what I just said?" Stelle asked irritated.

"Shut up for a second, idiot, and let me think..." Stelle said, massaging her temples.

What the...!

Had this stupid copycat just called her an idiot? It seemed they really wanted a beating.

But before she could follow through it, Stelle raised her eyes and stared straight into hers. Golden met golden, as she said slowly:

"I think... you might be me after all."

The fact that she had dropped all hostility surprised Stelle for a second. But she quickly shook her head:

"Don't try to confuse me by changing tactics! The fact that you didn't know I was a member of the Astral Express has already revealed that you can't be me!"

Stelle sighed at her words:

"Sorry, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let me introduce myself again - I'm Stelle. I guess I'm not technically part of their organisation but, for all intents and purposes, I'm a Stellaron Hunter."

A tense silence fell in the hall.

"A... Stellaron Hunter?!" Stelle repeated, lowering her bat.

Was this another trick to confuse her? But what if...

I'm in a strange place filled with memories of the past... so... what if...?

"Are you... the past me?"

Stelle nodded:

"That's what I'm thinking. At first I thought I'd just woken up from a hangover... but now that my head is a bit clearer, I'm starting to remember what happened before I fell asleep. And when I saw that ticket, things started to add up."

"You mean...?"

"You're the future me who's carrying the Stellaron and is travelling on the Express, aren't you?" asked Stelle in a slow voice, "you said something about Remembrance, didn't you? I suppose you are collecting the powers of the Paths, just as he predicted... What is this place anyway?"

"No idea," Stelle said, fastening her bat to her belt.

She still wasn't entirely convinced that what was happening was real, but at least this "Stelle" didn't seem to mean her any harm.

"But it has to do with Fumi, the Aeon of Remembrance," she continued, "I was shown a lot of statues depicting my memories, and then I was given this cool fountain pen."

The quill appeared in her hand and she showed it to Stelle.

"I have no idea what to do with it, except clean dirty mirrors with beautiful girls inside them. Do you know anything about it? Maybe you are here to help me unlock its true powers or something..."

Stelle looked at the pen with a raised eyebrow:

"I can't really help you with something like this... you see, the last thing I remember before I woke up here was Kafka using her Spirit Whisper on me."

Her eyes swept across the hall. The mist that had surrounded them had apparently dissipated after the mirror had been broken.

"You say you freed the mirror with this quill?" Stelle asked after a moment of silence.

"That's right..."

"And you are here to unlock the power of the Path of Remembrance."

"Yup."

"Then... maybe we are in your mind or something!"

Stelle looked at her confused.

"In my mind? Do I really have a crystal hall like this in my brain?"

"Have I really become such an idiot?" Stelle gave her a disappointed look, "I don't mean inside your literal head. This is probably just a reconstruction of it made by the Aeon, but still... it makes sense since you saw your memories and then... you freed me!"

"Freed you... you mean those webs were...!?"

Stelle nodded:

"Kafka's powers that sealed your memories, or in other words, myself. To think that her Whisper could be broken like that..." she remained silent for a second before adding in a bitter tone, "of course... you could have just told me... you stupid cat!"

"Cat?" Stelle asked, raising an eyebrow. She had heard the other Hunters mention a cat before. Did they have a very vicious pet in their base or something?

"Forget it. I'll tell you later, if we have time... first we have to find out what this meeting means. You are probably right... you may need my help to fully master the Path of Remembrance. After all, it has to do with memories, and yours are broken."

"Broken... that's a good way to put it," Stelle murmured, "well, then maybe you have to fix me somehow, like by telling me stories about my past!"

"That would take ages!" Stelle replied, "I doubt an Aeon would go for something that crude."

"Then..." Stelle tried to come up with something else, massaging her forehead, "then maybe I really do need to beat you up. Maybe it's a 'face your true self' situation. Maybe if I defeat you in a duel, I'll be able to use this quill to summon Aether Spirits!" she exclaimed.

"Aether spirits?" Stelle repeated, clearly confused by her sudden enthusiasm.

"Yeah! How about you try to say this: I am thou, thou art I!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sorry, it's a line from a game Silver Wolf recommended to me!"

Suddenly, her past self leapt forward and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt:

"What did you just say?" she snapped, shaking her.

"Woah, what's wrong with you? I just said it was from a game!"

But Stelle shook her head:

"Not that! You said Silver Wolf recommended it! Are you two friends?"

"Of course we are! We're gaming buddies... I'm sure you know, but me and the Hunters are-"

But she didn't get to finish her sentence as Stelle, after abruptly letting go of her, darted away.

"What's got into her?" Stelle said, "She got all weird when I mentioned Silver Wolf. Why is she so surprised that we are pals? I mean, if she was with the Stellaron Hunters, shouldn't she have known they'd come after me?"

Puzzled, Stelle began to retrace her steps in the hall, looking for where her past self had gone. It took her only a few minutes to find her.

What is she doing?

Stelle was on her knees in front of one of the sculptures she had passed earlier. The one... that showed her and Firefly having lunch together at Paperfold University.

"She's fine... thank the Aeons she's fine..."

"Oh..."

Stelle slowly approached her copy, finally understanding what was going on in her heart. It was a feeling she knew very well.

"She is.. she still has Entropy Loss Syndrome, but she's still alive and she's determined to find a cure. And I'm going to do everything I can to help her!"

"Find a cure...?" Stelle lifted her face to look at her. 

Stelle had to look away. Seeing her own face streaked with tears wasn't something she was comfortable with.

"I see... so she wants to go on living now... I'm so happy..."

"Yes... she was a little hesitant about it when I met her, but now she's decided to defy her fate. But besides that... I also know that she missed you very much".

"I... see..." Stelle repeated again, apparently too overwhelmed to form a coherent sentence.

The two identical girls remained silent for several minutes before Stelle finally spoke again:

"...Kafka, have you met her too?"

"Yes, she was actually the first person I saw when I woke up in the Station," Stelle replied, "I can't say I have the same relationship with her as I do with Firefly, but I guess we are still... friends maybe?"

"I can see why she might be hard for you to deal with," Stelle smiled a bit through her tears, "what about Blade, is he still alive?"

"Yes... although he's probably not happy about it!"

Stelle let out a small chuckle:

"That sounds just like him," her eyes went to the nearest statues, "Say... I know it's a bit selfish since I'm the one who's supposed to help you, but... could I look through these memories of yours? I... want to see them again."

Stelle could only imagine how her past self was feeling. Just the thought of how terrible it would have been if she'd been torn away from the Astral Express, with no hope of ever knowing how her friends were doing, made her shudder.

"Of course! Take your time, I'll wait for you at the end of the corridor," but  as she was about to turn around she remembered something, "just be warned, there's a memory... where Firefly gets hurt... but it was just a dream, ok?"

Just thinking about it was enough to make her chest hurt. Stelle stared at her with a strange expression for a second, but then she smiled:

"Alright... Thank you!"

It was such a strange experience to see herself happily smiling like that.

Is this really how I look to other people?, Stelle thought, retracing her steps.

She didn't know how long she had to wait for her past self to return. It could have been minutes or many hours. But she didn't go looking for her. Seeing herself cry again was something she really couldn't bear.

When she finally saw Stelle appear in the distance, her chin was high and she seemed to be in a good mood.

"Ahh... that was quite a journey!" she exclaimed as she came closer.

"Tell me about it..." Stelle muttered, making her past self giggle.

"You really are something, eh? I can't believe I turned out like that after leaving the Hunters," Stelle said with a slight smile.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stelle scoffed, "Don't try to lie about it, you were a weirdo too. Firefly told me so..."

"Well... I guess that's true," Stelle replied after thinking for a second, "but... we're definitely different in some ways... you're much more... Ahh, I can't really find the way to say it. But... I have to thank you, I guess."

"Thank me?"

"Yes, for making Firefly happy. She used to not smile much back then... but now she lights up every time she's with you. Thank you, Stelle."

This smile again...

The girl in front of her must have really loved Firefly. And Firefly...

"...I'm the one who should thank you," Stelle babbled, looking down at her feet, "you're the person Firefly fell in love with first. If it wasn't for you, she would never have approached me... so it's all thanks to you that we're a couple. You must have been a very cool person... unlike me."

Stelle bit her lip as an uncomfortable feeling took hold of her heart. But before she could even think about it, she felt someone touching her chin, propping it up.

"Are you really getting jealous of yourself, idiot?" Stelle admonished her, shaking her head.

"Huh? How did you..."

"What do you mean, how did I!? I'm you, of course I know what goes on in our little heads. As I said, we are very different, but we also have a lot in common. We are both Stelle..."

Before Stelle could find a good way to reply to that, she found herself in the arms of her past self.

"These huge statues and banners with our faces around here clearly tell me that I haven't changed much... the same goes for all the bragging and boasting... it's all just an act... because we always think we're not good enough."

"Fuck! This is so weird!"

Had she found the true meaning of self-pity?

"But I know you are good enough. You have fulfilled the wish I made before I disappeared!"

"You mean reuniting with Firefly? It's all thanks to her, I didn't do anything."

"That's not true! She was pretty cold back then, you know? But you made her open up to you in no time. It took you a day to make her fall for you, while I had to work my hardest to break through her wall."

"But if you hadn't... oh hell, let's just call it even!"

"That sounds good!"

Finally, that awkward embrace was over. Stelle looked at her as if deep in thought:

"That's something I don't get, though... Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade and Firefly... they're someone most people would do their best to avoid. Yet you never seemed intimidated by them... I wonder if..."

This time Stelle understood immediately what she was getting at:

"Yes, I still remember them deep in my heart. Like... I can't remember anything about our past together... but my heart still knows that they are someone I once knew and held dear".

"I certainly did..." Stelle commented, her smile a little sour, "But then... this means that those memories should still be around here, trapped just like I was. Maybe it's my job to help you find them. I think I felt it when I looked at some of your past deeds... a feeling of longing, the same as I'm feeling for them now. Making peace with that may be what you need to fully master Remembrance."

"That sounds good! I'd really like to see how we were back then."

"All right then... let's do some brainstorming. Even if it's not our strongest suit."

Her past self fell silent. Stelle knew she should have used this moment to come up with a plan of action, but she couldn't help but continue to stare at her.

She was right... they were definitely not the same. While they looked identical, this Stelle had a completely different vibe from hers. The way she spoke and acted made her feel much more mature than her present self was. The way she was able to quickly understand what was going on in her heart and found the right words to soothe her had clearly brought that home.

Somehow... she reminds me a bit of Kafka.

"Ah!"

The exclamation startled Stelle and brought her back down to earth.

"What?"

"You said that quill could draw things in the air, right? And its drawing managed to free me... so how about trying to do the same with your memories?" Stelle asked, pointing to the wall they were near.

"Free my memories? But there is nothing in here? It's a dead end... oh!"

Stelle materialised the quill in her hand. As she had done before, she waved it in the air, this time tracing a wide arc instead of an X. The golden substance imprinted itself on the wall, taking the shape of a door. As it did so, the crystal-like material it was made of shone with a golden light and suddenly an entrance appeared.

"Nice! We're a genius!" Stelle exclaimed.

"Before you insisted I was the cooler one though," Stelle grinned, "oh well, let's go... this place looks like it has seen better days though."

Inside the door was a staircase filled with cobwebs, leading down into a dark depth.

"Mmmh... maybe I can live without my memories after all!"

"Don't be a coward! Aren't you a Trailblazer or something?"

Stelle slapped her on the backside.

"Hey! That's plain sexual harrassment!"

"What do you mean? That's my butt I just touched! but it's pretty flaccid... have I become a slacker?"

"Shut up... you know that my bum is the one that gets to have fun with Firefly, right?"

"That's such a low blow..."

The two Stelles made their way down the passage, bickering with each other. The current Stelle was in the lead, using the quill to clear the path of the cobwebs.

"There's just one thing I don't understand..." Stelle muttered after they had finished arguing.

"What?"

"'What's with the giant garbage cans upstairs?"

"...Maybe you are not the real me after all."

"What do you mean?"

"The fact that you weren't mesmerised by their metallic sheen and didn't try to find the treasures they hid tells me that we could never understand each other!"

"Metallic sheen? Hidden treasures?" Stelle was silent for a moment before she started to laugh out loud.

"Huh? Are you making fun of me?" Stelle turned to glare at her.

"No, no," Stelle replied, wiping a tear from her eye, "It's just... ah, it's nothing. But... I kind of get it now."

"Mmmh... is that so?" Stelle gave her a suspicious look before turning away again.

Soon they reached their destination. It was a hall similar to the previous one, but in a dilapidated state. The crystal walls around it were dull and Stelle couldn't see her reflection in them. It was also very dark. The only light came from her quill and a new series of crystal statues.

"We should start at the beginning," Stelle said as she approached the first of them.

But as they got closer, they realised that something was wrong.

"Is it broken?"

It looked like it. If this statue was supposed to represent something human, Stelle couldn't tell. It was shapeless and several of its pieces had fallen to the ground. Its crystals were completely dull, like the walls.

"I thought it would be the case," Stelle commented with a disappointed look on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Kafka told you, right? We are an artificial being created with the power of an Aeon to carry a Stellaron."

"That's right."

"But how that happened... I have no idea. You see... you are not the only one with missing memories!"

"Then... did Kafka use Spirit Whisper on you too?"

"I have no idea. You know how she is... Outside of Truth and Lies, you can never get her to talk straight. All I know is that the first memory I have is of her taking me back to the Hunters' base. What happened before... I guess not even the Aeon of Remembrance could see it."

"Not even an Aeon... but then?"

Stelle nodded:

"It probably has to do with the power of the Aeon that created us. Well, too bad. Let's go..."

Stelle left her behind to go to the next statue. Stelle brushed the shapeless statue with her fingers, but nothing happened. It seemed that even after leaving this place, there would still be many secrets to uncover.

"Ah, this is it, my first memory!" Stelle exclaimed as she rejoined her.

The statue depicted her sleeping on a bed. She was wearing her oversized shirt, but not her inseparable jacket.

"Am I going to see myself acting like a toddler or something?" Stelle asked, her hand halfway to touch the sculpture, "because I would die of cringe if that's the case."

"Don't be an idiot," Stelle scowled, "I told you our circumstances were similar. Even though I was pretty ignorant and lacked a bit of common sense, I still acted like a normal person when I first woke up. Like... I knew how to talk and stuff... a bit like when you woke up on Herta Station... only a lot dumber."

That's hard to imagine!

Stelle could hear March's voice shouting this rebuttal in her head. With a slight smile, her hand landed on the sculpture's leg.

"An unfamiliar ceiling," she murmured as she opened her eyes.

Where am I?

She looked around. She was lying in a small room with just a bed and a small desk with a small mirror on the side. She could hear a rumbling sound from beneath her.

"Is this an airship cabin?"

How did she get here? Was she travelling somewhere?

"But most importantly... Who am I?"

She couldn't remember. She stood up. The metal floor was cold under her bare feet. She slowly approached the mirror to look into it. A girl with fluffy grey hair and golden eyes was staring back at her with a puzzled expression. She passed a lock of hair through her fingers as she frowned.

I must be a model or something with a face like this... did I party too hard last night?

Shrugging, she headed for the door, which opened automatically for her. She found herself in a narrow corridor surrounded by metal walls:

I really am in an airship, it seems... I guess I should find the captain and ask them whassup!

She began to follow the glowing trail on the floor, hoping it would lead her where she needed to go. Soon she found herself in front of what looked like an elevator.

"Guess I'll have a look."

Whoever she was, she certainly seemed the type to go with the flow. A lot of people would've panicked after waking up in an airship heading who knows where with no memory of the past, but she was perfectly calm. Somehow she knew everything was going to be fine.

She pressed the glowing button on the elevator and began to ascend. Soon the door opened and she found herself in a new environment.

"Wow!" she let out in amazement.

Stars surrounded her, illuminating what must have been the observation deck of the ship.

"You're finally awake."

Those words, spoken in a soft and seductive tone, startled her. She had been so dazzled by the magical atmosphere around her that she hadn't noticed the chair in the centre of the deck.

"Um... yeah? Who are you? My kidnapper or something?" She asked.

The chair turned to reveal its occupant. A woman with red wine coloured hair looked in her direction, her enigmatic smile lit by the stars.

"Kidnapper? You are a funny one. No, even if you don't remember it, you chose to begin this journey with me on your own accord, child. As for my identity, you could say I'm your destiny," the woman said.

Somehow those words made her shiver. But she wasn't about to fall for the first person she saw. Maybe after losing her memories she had been transported to a world full of ridiculously hot women like the one in front of her.

I should at least look around a bit before making any hard decisions.

So instead of courting her, she asked:

"'Your destiny' doesn't really roll off my tongue. How about a name instead? Do you have one?"

The woman chuckled softly:

"Kafka, you can call me that. But is my name really the first thing you want to ask me?"

"Well, I have a lot of questions, but I didn't want to overwhelm you. But since you don't seem to mind, here we go: Who am I? Why am I here? Where are we going? Are you single?"

In the end, she couldn't help herself.

Kafka laughed again:

"Ara, for an amnesiac you are pretty straightforward. Let's see... you are an artificial being created by the leader of my organization to save the universe. In order to achieve this goal, you're going to train under me. As for our destination, I'm bringing you to meet my companions. They're a strange bunch, but I'm sure you'll get along."

"I see," she replied, nodding, "I didn't understand half of that. And you didn't answer the last question!"

"Yet you seem to have accepted what I told you anyway. You are quite amusing..."

"Well, you're the first person I've ever interacted with. It would be rude to doubt you... even though you are clearly brushing me off!"

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of opportunities to get to know each other... just in time for you to forget everything."

"Are you saying I'm a chronic amnesiac or something?"

"Something like that... but the next time you wake up, I'll make sure you're better equipped to handle the situation."

"Sounds like we are going to be buddies from now on!"

"Buddies... ara, you changed your tune pretty fast. I thought you were flirting with me for a second."

"I am not one to chase people. But you'll see, soon you'll be the one pursuing me. In any case, tell me something, Kafka. A name, do I have one?"

Kafka remained silent for a second, looking into the distance:

"Stelle. Your name is Stelle."

"You obviously just made it up, because there are stars all around us!"

"Is that a bad thing? Names don't have to have a deep meaning, they are just a small facet of who we are. But if you're disappointed, there's another meaning to yours."

"Another meaning?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Sure... I already know that you will be a handful to deal with."

So my name... she's the one who chose it. That's probably why I thought of it back in the Station.

"She really hasn't changed at all since then," Stelle said with a slight smile on her face.

But Stelle shook her head:

"No, she's changed a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't understand," Stelle replied with a small chuckle.

"Asshole, what are you Kafka the Second? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Stelle glared at her, "but you were right, you were very stupid. Going after Kafka of all people and making such a pathetic attempt at it."

"Look who's talking," Stelle retorted, "if Firefly hadn't been the kind girl she is, you'd have been lonely forever from what I've seen!"

"Shut up… let’s continue."

Using her quill to light the way, they were soon at the next sculpture. In this one she was in front of a door with Kafka at her side.

Without hesitation Stelle touched it.

"Calm down, Stelle," Kafka admonished her as she held her hand over the scanner near the base's door.

"How can I calm down after all the stories you told me! I'm about to meet three of the most wanted people in the universe!"

"You've already spent a lot of time with me, the one with the highest bounty."

"Yes, but you are the first person I saw when I woke up. I feel comfortable with you... it's almost like you're my mum or something!"

"Interesting that you call me that after you tried to flirt with me," Kafka replied quickly with a small sigh. But Stelle wasn't paying attention to her anymore.

"I have to make a good impression, especially on Sam, since you told me he's so scary. Mmmh... I don't think I can impress them with my combat skills so... I know! I'll make a funny entrance and take the role of the comic relief!"

With these words Stelle darted into the door Kafka had just opened. Since the base was bathed in darkness, she didn't even look around, she just headed for the first lighted room. She kicked open the door and shouted:

"Hands up! This is an IPC raid! You are under arrest!"

The three people sitting around the table of what looked like some sort of breifing room didn't give her the laugh she was hoping for. Two of them, a tall man with red eyes and black hair and a very short girl with a loose ponytail, weren't even looking at her.

But Stelle wasn't going to let it get to her:

"Eh, just kidding!" she shouted and stepped into the room.

Behind her, she heard Kafka say:

"Stelle, behave."

But she wasn't going to stop here. She quickly made her way to the short girl who was intent on playing on a handheld. She must have been Silver Wolf, from the way Kafka had described her.

"You must be Silver Wolf! Nice to meet you, I'm... wait, is this the latest model!?" she asked, looking at her console with eyes full of desire.

"It is... stop talking to me now, can't you see I'm in a raid?"

"Alright! But you have to let me play sometime!"

"Of course..."

Stelle could clearly see that Wolf hadn't even listened to what she had said. But she wasn't the type to give up. Sadly though, her next target was an even tougher one.

Stelle approached the man known as Blade but she couldn't help but stammer in front of his imposing presence.

"You're Mr Blade, right? N-nice to meet you!" 

Blade merely nodded at her, signaling the end of a conversation that hadn't even started.

There was only one chance left for her to make a good impression. And it was with the silver-haired girl who was staring at her with a very cold expression from the opposite end of the table.

Who is she?

Stelle looked straight into her ocean blue eyes. They had a strange pink undertone to them, almost as if the sun was setting inside them.

She's beautiful!

Unable to contain herself, she ran up to her and took her hands into hers:

"And you... who are you? Kafka didn't tell me that another girl of my age would be here! Are you new, too?" she asked at hyper-speed.

Unfortunately, the silver-haired girl didn't seem to like this enthusiastic approach. With a strength that surprised Stelle, she freed herself from her grip.

"Don't touch me!" she blurted out.

Even though her voice was clearly charged with anger, it was smooth and pleasant to Stelle's ears.

Crap... I messed up!

"Sorry! I shouldn't have done that... I was just a bit excited!" she quickly apologized, staring at her feet. As she slowly raised her eyes to see if she had been forgiven, she noticed something in the pale face of the girl:

"Wait... what are those... scars?"

She had screwed up again. The expression on her conversation partner's face had hardened even more.

"None of your business," she snapped in a frigid tone.

Man... why are my social skills so bad? She obviously doesn't like people staring at them.

"I see... they look very cool though! You are also very pretty! So don't worry about it!" she tried to salvage that situation.

It seemed to work as the girl's expression softened. Finally, she looked Stelle in the eye.

This girl... who is she? Why does she act so cold and yet her eyes are... so kind?

"I'm Sam."

"Uh?"

Stelle looked at her in confusion. Sam? But that was...

"Sam... wait... Kafka, did you trick me?" Stelle turned to her guardian.

"I didn't," Kafka replied, sitting down at the table, "this girl is Sam."

"But isn't Sam supposed to be a big robot guy or something?"

"I'm the pilot, you might say."

Stelle turned back to look at Sam. This girl was a pilot for a huge mech? That was... so cool! She needed to get to know her better. Maybe she could even get a ride from her or something!

"I see... it's kind of hard to imagine you piloting a huge mech. But then... is Sam the name of the robot, your name... or both?" Stelle asked, walking around the table.

Sam looked at her with a hint of surprise in her face, but quickly regained her composure.

"My name is Firefly."

Firefly... I can see that... she's so beautiful she almost shines of a light of her own.

But that would’ve been a bit too much to say to someone she had just met.

"Firefly! Much better! Such a cute name, it certainly suits you much better than Sam!" she said instead, sitting down.

I hope I can make her smile... I'm sure she'd be stunning.

"Damn..." was all Stelle could say after returning to the Remembrance hall.

"Right... I don't think it's right to call it love at first sight. That came later, when I found out that she was not only beautiful on the outside, but also a wonderful person. Still, I was immediately attracted to her. Like a firefly to a flame... that's probably what she would say."

“Me and you both," Stelle sighed, "but I’d never thought I’d see her look at me so coldly. To be honest… it was kind of hot."

Stelle looked at her for a moment...

"I... totally get you."

"..."

"Let's move on to the next memory."

"Yeah."

But those scars... were you worried I wouldn't like you if I saw them? You are so silly, Firefly.

Stelle stuck her arm out of the car window to feel a bit of  breeze as they accelerated down the road that would lead them to one of the largest cities on Epsilon-X, the theatre for the first part of their training.

"So what do you think of my fellow Stellaron Hunters?" Kafka asked, looking at her over her round sunglasses.

"You really should look at the road, Kafka. I know I accepted to get a bomb implanted in me, but I don't intend to die young, you know?"

"Don't worry, this car has perfect self-driving capabilities."

"Don't flex your money on me, woman... it won't work... unless you buy one for me too. As for your question, they are very cool, but... don't you think you should get along better? No wonder they didn't like me if the atmosphere between you guys is always so tense."

"Getting along isn't something we need to complete our scripts, Stelle. We are criminals, relationships are something that would only weigh us down," Kafka retorted, adjusting her hair in the rear-view mirror.

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean you can't keep each other company between missions. That base feels freezing cold! Wouldn't it be better to go back to a warm home?"

"A warm home... that’s not something I’m familiar with," Kafka said, looking at the road ahead, "I can hardly see the benefit of such a thing. In the end, every fire dies. And all that's left is cold ashes."

"But you can still cook some delicious meals on it in the meantime, like the one you made for me before we left the base! Come on, Kafka... please?"

Kafka let out a small sigh before smiling slightly:

"If it's my sweet apprentice who's asking me, I can't just say no. But if you want that kind of home, you are the one who has to create it. You may not be officially one of us, but you can see it as your first mission as a Stellaron Hunter."

"But that's not in the script, is it?"

"Well, I never said we were not allowed to write our own footnotes. Just make sure you think about it carefully when you do, so you don't end up with any regrets."

"Am I really the one who brought those guys together?" Stelle asked in disbelief.

"I wouldn't say it was all our doing... All they needed was a little push. Kafka was lying back then... humans are made to be close to each other. Even if they are criminals," Stelle replied.

Stelle sighed: "Cool lines like that don't have the same effect when I say them instead of Kafka."

The next set of memories were all kind of similar to each others.

In the midst of her training with Kafka, Stelle was trying her best to connect with her new colleagues. But, as expected, it wasn't going to be easy. Silver Wolf was pretty much locked in her room 24/7 when she was at home. Blade was a man of few words, and when they had done some workout together, she had been too scared to disturb him.

So she had set her sights on the one who looked the most approachable: Firefly.

The way that girl tried to keep people away was much more obvious than Kafka's. But Stelle wasn't one to give up so easily. She tried everything to get Firefly to look at her, even for a second. Every time they met, she always tried to strike up a conversation, pay her a compliment or just smile at her. Her efforts were in vain at the start. But one day things changed. One night, after Firefly had just returned from one of her missions, Stelle managed to find a way to breach her defensive walls.

That night, Stelle had seen a flare from the windows of her room. Curious as always, she had gone down to see what it was. She couldn't help but gasp when, after opening the door to the base, she found herself face to face with a massive mechanical armor. Stelle took a step back, stunned.

This... holy shit...

The armor stood still, its visor looking down at her.

I... can't resist!

Regaining control after that brief moment of shock, Stelle threw herself forward and hugged SAM's leg.

"SO THIS IS SAM! How bloody cool! Such shiny metal, such a solid build... it sparkles! Beautiful!" Stelle exclaimed, stroking the armor's thigh.

It took a second for Firefly to react.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Don't touch me like that!"

"Huh? You can feel my hand from inside?"

"Of course I can! I'm fully connected to SAM's systems... How could I even fight if I couldn't feel my surroundings?!"

"Unbelievable..." Stelle muttered, continuing to feel SAM's leg.

"Stop that! It tickles!"

SAM grabbed Stelle's arm with surprising care for something so massive. Still, Firefly couldn't help lifting Stelle a few inches off the ground. But that didn't put Stelle off, it only made her more enthusiastic:

"Wow, so strong... but are you really the one in there, Firefly? This Mecha suit is so big and your voice is so deep!"

The armour let out a deep sound. Probably a sigh.

"It's just a voice-changing module... step away for a moment or you'll burn yourself."

After having been suddenly released, Stelle obeyed and took a few steps back. In a vortex of flame and a flash of green light SAM disappeared. In its place a silver-haired girl landed gracefully on the ground in front of Stelle whose eyes were shining.

"Woah! It really is you! So cool! You almost looked like a superhero transforming back to their  normal appearance after a mission!"

"Superhero? Stelle... maybe you still don't understand what we Stellaron Hunters do... we're the villains. And I'm probably... the worst of us.  While the others act with finesse... the only thing I know how to do is wreak havoc."

If she was trying to scare Stelle, it didn't work. The girl wasn't even listening, her eyes were fixed on Firefly's hand, where the Hunter was holding SAM's control device.

"Don't even think about it!"

"But I haven't said anything yet!"

"It's obvious what you are going to ask me!"

Firefly clutched the device to her chest to make sure Stelle didn't try to snatch it away.

"Just for a minute!" Stelle begged her.

Firefly sighed again.

"Even if I gave you the controller, you wouldn't be able to activate SAM anyway. Only I can pilot it. It's the only reason I exist..."

"Just let me try!"

"I said no!" Firefly blurted out in now clear frustration, "SAM is not a toy. It's just a weapon whose only purpose is to burn everything in front of it... just like me."

After those words she tried to enter the base, leaving Stelle behind, but she grabbed her hand. Firefly turned to look at her, annoyed. But to her surprise, Stelle wasn't smiling anymore. She looked pissed off.

"You are not a weapon!" she said in a firm tone.

After a moment of silence, Firefly glared at her:

"Oh, and what makes you say that? Do you really think you know anything about me? We have barely spoken! I was born as a weapon to defend Glamoth against the Swarm, and now I am the weapon of the Stellaron Hunters... Fighting is my only reason to live."

"You're right, I don't know you well, but... a weapon... that's not the impression you gave me."

"Impression? What do you mean?"

"You know, before she brought me here, Kafka told me a bit about you: SAM, the Molten Knight, the most dangerous Stellaron Hunter, a death machine who leaves nothing but scorched earth wherever he goes.  Imagine my surprise when I met you for the first time and found out that you were the one she was talking about!"

"... Is my appearance enough to make you doubt Kafka's words? That's a bit... superficial."

"I'm not talking about your looks... I'm talking about your character. You are rather cold and distant, but... I can still feel the warm kindness you try to hide. You always sigh, as if you are filled with regrets. And that's not all: when I saw you leaving for a mission, I could tell from a mile away that you were reluctant... It kinda made me think!"

"About what?"

Stelle smiled at her again while putting a hand behind on the back of her head:

"Of all the Stellaron Hunters, you're the one who intrigued me the most. Kafka... well, she's Kafka. Silver Wolf seems willing to do anything as long as it's exciting. And the same goes for Blade, if there's even the slightest chance of him finally finding a way to die. But looking at you... I immediately thought, 'Why is she here if she seems to hate what she's doing?'"

"That's... none of your business!"

"Too bad! I already asked Kafka, since I was so curious!"

"... Nosy..."

"You want to find a new reason to live, right? And manage to subvert an inevitable fate?"

Firefly sighed for the third time.

"That's right... but it's useless, I've never managed to go against Elio's script. Fate is really inevitable, you can't change it."

"But you are trying to! That's what matters!"

"What matters? I have only collected failures after failures... In the end, my fate is to die as a weap-"

"No! Even if you have failed so far, the important thing is that you are trying to rebel against your fate!" Stelle interrupted her, "that already proves that you are not a weapon. A weapon is an object in someone's hands, they have no say in how they are used. But you... the fact that you are trying to find a new way forward... means that you have a will.  And a weapon cannot have a will of its own!"

Those words made Firefly's eyes widen. 

"I..."

"And anyway, you know how it is... first impressions count. Even if you're inside a weapon like SAM, you'll always be Firefly to me!" Stelle said, beaming at Firefly.

There was a long silence after that. And then..

Firefly handed her the device.

"You can hold it for a bit... but don't you dare leave my sight," she said.

Stelle eyes lit up.

"You're the best Firefly! I want to take pictures while I'm doing some poses! Come on, I'll help you get on the couch!"

From that moment on, Firefly began to indulge Stelle in her silly conversations. She accepted her compliments, at first dismissively, then with a slight blush. And in the end she smiled. A beautiful smile that made Stelle's heart leap.

Against all odds, the two girls had become friends.

"Say, Firefly... how do you behave when you are on a mission inside SAM?"

By now Firefly was used to these out-of-the-blue questions from her.

"Behave? What do you mean?" Firefly asked Stelle, giving her a confused look across the kitchen table. 

"Suppose you meet someone and you need to talk to them... how do you deal with them?"

Firefly gave her a bitter smile:

"Usually my targets don't even have time to see me coming, let alone start a conversation..."

"So you're always silent?"

"Not really... I told you, I used to be a soldier. When you spend a good part of your life in an army... certain things get stuck in your head. So every now and then... I find myself repeating phrases that we Iron Cavalry members used during our missions."

"What kind of phrases?"

"I..."

Firefly blushed slightly for some reason.

Is she embarrassed to say them in her normal voice without SAM's voice change module?

"Come on, I promise I won't laugh!" Stelle encouraged her.

"Things like 'Initiate: Cleanup!' or... 'Now commencing: Scorched Earth Operations.'"

Stelle's face twitched slightly. It was quite a spectacle hearing those kind of battlecries in Firefly's girlish soft voice. But she couldn't laugh. Not only she had promised but she those sentences were relics of a past that was very painful to Firefly. She shouldn't make fun of them

"I think you could do better... you should come up with something more effective," Stelle commented after finally managing to compose herself.

Firefly looked at her with a raised eyebrow:

"Stelle, how many times do I have to tell you? This is not a game for me. When I'm on a mission, I just want to finish it as soon as possible..."

"That's exactly why I'm suggesting it to you. Since you don't like what you're doing... why don't you try to distance yourself from it? You could build yourself a character... you are a villain after all."

"Stelle..."

Stelle had actually put a lot of thought in this playful suggestion. Not only it sounded fun but she really hoped that it would make Firefly feel better during their missions. To her surprise, Firefly, after a moment of silence, asked her:

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, if you want to create a proper villain, you need to have proper one-liners. How about: ALL THE WORLD WILL BURN!!!”

From the look on her face, it was clear that Firefly had immediately begun to regret the decision to indulge her. Stelle started proposing an endless series of phrases, one cheesier than the other, while begging Firefly to try to recite them.

"I would rather die than say something so embarrassing!" Firefly exclaimed after yet another suggestion.

"Phew... you're really impossible to please," replied Stelle pouting, "why don't you try creating one then?"

"Me?!..."

Firefly was at a loss of words again but, after a moment, she clenched her fists and, with her eyes closed, hurriedly uttered:

"I... shall... set the seas ablaze!"

After a moment of silence, Stelle burst out laughing at loud.

"YOU PROMISED!"

"I'm sorry... it's just that's the lamest thing I've ever heard...  how the hell would you even set fire to water?!"

"I hate you..."

"Are you sure you want to keep going?" Firefly asked.

If she was worried about her, Stelle couldn't tell. SAM's voice was cold and mechanical, hiding any emotion in her friend's tone.

"It's fine, just a bruise," she panted, trying her best to get back on her feet.

"I really think you shouldn't try so hard... it's not like you're being sent on a difficult mission," Firefly stated as he approached Stelle, offering SAM's hand to help her up.

But that was exactly what Stelle wanted. In an instant, she stepped on the huge mechanical arm and used it to prop herself forward, aiming at SAM's visor with the katana in her hand.

"Got you!"

But before she could hit her target, she felt a rib-crushing blow on her left side. She was flung away and landed on the ground again.

"Stelle, are you ok?!" Firefly yelled.

"Urgh... if you were going to worry about me, you shouldn't have hit me so hard! I think I have some broken bones!"

"Sorry! It was just a reflex! But you really should stop trying to imitate Kakfa's style, it really does not suit you. If you're going to launch a sneak attack, you shouldn't scream before you do it!" Firefly admonished her as she carefully slid Sam's arms under her.

Soon Stelle found herself being carried by a knight in shining armour. Her body hurt like hell, but she had no regrets.

"So back on Feldspar it wasn't the first time I got the princess treatment, huh?" Stelle muttered.

She had just witnessed something very precious.

"That's how our sparring sessions usually ended," Stelle chuckled, "Even though she always held back so as not to hurt me too much, she's just so damn strong. But the way she used to hold me with those mechanical arms... it just made me feel safe, you know?"

Stelle immediately grabbed her hands and nodded excitedly:

"Ok, now I'm sure! We are the same person after all!"

After a second of surprise, Stelle smiled at her:

"Make sure you get lots of hugs from Sam for me too, ok? She'll probably be uncomfortable with it at first, but if you ask her nicely, she'll definitely indulge you."

"Yeah... Firefly's like that. She always goes along with all my stupid ideas... I'll be sure to tell her about our meeting. She'll probably cry about it, but she'll appreciate knowing how much she meant to you."

"...Thank you."

Letting her go of her past self's hands, Stelle looked away, unable to look at her own face bearing that melancholy expression.

"So this is how she and I became close... but when did you start to be in love? You didn't say that before."

She didn't want to torture Stelle, but she needed to know.

"I don't know. It's kind of hard to pinpoint a specific moment, because I was attracted to her from the moment we first met. What I do know is... I realised it too late. Maybe you'll see it later," Stelle said in a sombre tone, "but first there are other things you need to witness. There are still two other Hunters after all."

Stelle nodded:

"Silver Wolf and Blade. You might have seen it in my memories, but I often hang out with that hacker girl and play games with her in  voice chat. She also visits the Express sometimes, even though Himeko hates it. So far, though, she has always done her best to change the subject when I tried to get her to talk about our past together. As for Bladie... I can't say we've hit it off."

"Things haven't changed much with them, eh eh," Stelle chuckled again.

"But there's something else... shouldn't there be another person? All those broken statues we passed by made me think of him: Elio. Have you... no, have we met him? Because it's strange that he hasn't appeared in your story yet."

Stelle was silent for a second:

"I doubt we'll see him. You're right, he should have appeared in my memories by now. After all, he was the one who explained the details of my mission to me. If I have to guess, we won't find anything about him. The Aeon he's an Emanator of would not allow him to be recorded by Remembrance. He exists somehow out of time itself, I guess."

"I want to say that makes sense, but I'm not sure it does. Well, can't you just tell me about him then?"

"I'll try, but something tells me that if I do, our journey together will come to an abrupt end. So let's save it for the end. Come."

Without waiting for her answer, Stelle pulled her wrist towards the next sculpture.

I guess me and him had a complicated relationship, as I expected.

But she had no time to think about it as she was pushed into another memory.

"Wolfie! I have come to play!" Stelle yelled, kicking open the door to her room.

"GET OUT!"

Stelle had lost count of how many times this particular interaction had happened. After gathering her courage, she had decided that if Silver Wolf was going to try and avoid her by staying in her room, she would just have to go there herself.

She smiled brightly at Silver Wolf's annoyed face, lit by the TV screen in front of her, the only source of light in the otherwise dark home base of the best hacker in the universe. If the other Stellaron Hunters' rooms were rather bare, since they spent so much time away from home, hers was completely cramped. Bookshelves filled with complicated tomes, video game, manga collections and anime figures coexisted with a massive supercomputer connected to 5 large screens. Barely fitting into the room was a sofa that doubled as a bed, placed in front of a giant television with a huge assortment of gaming consoles underneath. Most people would've found the atmosphere of this room suffocating, but Stelle considered it the most cosy place in the otherwise frigid Stellaron Hunter's secret base.

Ignoring the owner's protests, she quickly grabbed the second gamepad from under the TV and took a seat on the soft sofa.

"What are we playing today, Wolfie?" she asked, nudging Wolfie with her elbow.

"Ten simple ways to get rid of your annoying colleague." Silver Wolf replied, trying her best to ignore her by looking straight at the screen.

"Never heard of it, is it fun?" Stelle asked, stepping up her efforts to annoy her with her arm.

"FINE!" Silver Wolf sighed. After standing up, she quickly turned off the console to change the game from the platformer she was playing to a racing game called "Hanu Kart".

"Oh, you want revenge?" Stelle chuckled.

"You're good, I'll give you that. If only you could keep your mouth shut, you would make a good gaming partner," Silver Wolf huffed as she sat down beside her again.

"Wow... I didn't expect to hear you say that!"

"What, you thought I was the sour loser-type? Gaming is not just about winning, you know? Having fun is all that matters to me."

"Having fun, huh? That's why you joined the Stellaron Hunters, isn't it?" Stelle asked, choosing Clookie as her character.

"That's right. I see Kafka is being annoying as usual, telling you things about me and the others without our permission," Silver Wolf snapped as she chose Boss Stone.

"Well, she can't say no to me. And neither can you!"

"Shut up and play!"

The two began to race against each other, concentrating on the game. But soon Stelle asked a new question:

"Wolfie?"

"Don't call me that."

"Wolfie, can I invite Firefly to play with us sometime?"

There was a moment of silence.

"There's no way she would come. You two may be getting along, but we would never hit it off. We are too different. So just keep sneaking into my room when I'm not here if you want to play with her."

"So you knew..."

"Who do you think you are talking to?" Silver Wolf said, gritting her teeth as she made her character do a sharp turn.

"But you are wrong. I'm sure the two of you would be great friends. It's true that you're quite different, but you also have a lot in common. You are both very kind people, despite appearances."

Silver Wolf scoffed at her:

"Kind? What are you talking about? If I let you stay here, it's because I enjoy playing with you, not out of kindness. It's not often that I get to play split screen with someone, so I might as well use you while you're still here. That's about it. Making friends with you or that girl would be too much trouble. And I don't care enough to put the effort in."

"Effort like researching everything about hers and Blade's missions to make sure they don't get hurt?"

Silver Wolf's character bumped into a tree.

"What did you just say?" she exclaimed, turning towards her in disbelief.

"Or the effort you put into researching Entropy Loss Syndrome in the Genius Society archives to see if you can find a cure? Or what about the newest techniques to calm Mara's fervour?"

Silver Wolf looked at her with an open mouth.

"You know..a super hacker like you should really remember to lock her PC when she is away."

"YOU!... I... never had the need to, since there wasn't any nosy girl snooping around," Silver Wolf blurted out, looking away.

"Why are you trying to hide the fact that you actually care about her and the others?"

"None of your business."

"Come on, Wolfie. Is it so important for you to pretend that you don't give a shit about anything and that all you care about is having fun? Do you think it makes you look cool? Because I think your real self is much better."

"You... don't act like you know anything about me," Silver Wolf replied.

She was kind of cute sulking like that.

"You're right, I don't. But I want to! And I'm sure Firefly would like to know that you're looking after her too!"

"Don't you dare tell her!" Silver Wolf snapped immediately, "I... admit I want to help her. It's just... her life is like playing a video game in hardcore mode. Everybody loves hard games like that, but nobody want to actually go through that in real life. So I couldn't just sit around and do nothing, you know? That doesn't mean I want to be friends with her. So you better keep your mouth shut!"

"My lips are sealed... if you agree to invite her here to play with us."

Silver Wolf scowled at her:

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"Kafka's a really good mentor, you know?"

Silver Wolf glared at her for a good ten seconds before letting out a huge sigh.

"... Fine."

"Nice! Oh look, I won again! Isn't multiplayer fun, Wolfie?"

"Piece of shit."

"To think you pulled a fast one on Silver Wolf... but... she's actually like that deep down, uh?. I guess I should have guessed it from the effort she put to make sure Firefly was safe in Penacony."

Stelle smiled:

"Even if she tries to hide it, Silver Wolf is the most caring member of the Hunters. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was the most dishonest of them all. But I'm glad she and Firefly are still close after I left. That's what I hoped would happen. They both need each other to balance their personalities."

"I see... at first I wanted to tease her about it, but I think I'll keep my mouth shut like you did back then. What about Blade? Did you manage to make friends with him?"

Stelle sighed:

"I wouldn't say that, I wish I had more time. But still... you'll see."

"Good job!" Stelle clapped enthusiastically as Blade completed his hundredth lap of the Stellaron Hunter base.

Although he was sweating a bit, he was not panting at all. Stelle quickly approached him to hand him a towel and a bottle of water. The Xianzhou renegade looked at her for a second before accepting them.

Does he think I'm going to poison him or something? No, wait, if that was the case, he would just drink it all in one go.

No, Blade was probably just surprised that Stelle had finally found the courage to approach him after such a long time. Usually she just watched his training, but chickened out when it was time to have a chat.

But Stelle was done hesitating. Lately, the base had felt much warmer with her, Firefly and Silver Wolf hanging out so often, either playing in the latter's room or just lazing around the living room together, watching movies or reading manga.

Blade was her next target before moving on to Kafka, the final boss. Of course, she knew that this was going to be an uphill battle, and even if she won it, the ultimate victory was probably out of reach. There was a super-secret boss she couldn't hope to defeat, especially as her time was running out.

But I'll try my best anyway!

"So, Mr Blade, apart from training, is there anything you like to do in your spare time?" she asked while the tall man at her side wiped his forehead.

The silence that followed her question was somewhat uncomfortable, but she didn't let it get to her.

"A man of few words... I see, I see. The 'handsome, tragic hero who never speaks' act is quite popular these days! But it doesn't work for me! Because I don't like men at all!" Stelle announced in a haughty tone.

She hoped that letting Blade know that she wasn't flirting with him would make it easier for him to open up. But Blade didn't even look at her before taking a sip of water.

"Well... I guess I'll be going. Have a good day, Mr Blade." 

Trying to force things wouldn't have yielded good results. Unlike Wolfie, this man was still a mystery to her.

But as she was about to head back into the base, Blade's deep voice stopped her.

"Why are you trying to do this?"

"Huh?" Stelle turned around in surprise. For the first time, her golden eyes looked directly into the red ones of that sombre man. In that deep gaze Stelle could see remorse, hatred, fear and reflection, but also...  curiosity.

"Even though you are destined to disappear soon, you are trying to establish a connection with me and my companions. Don't you understand that such an effort is not only futile but also harmful?"

Stelle was silent for a second as she pondered his question:

"Harmful... yes, I think the others will be sad when it's time for me to say goodbye to them. What about you Mr Blade, would you be sad to see me go?"

"The time we spent together is just a grain of sand compared to how long I've walked this earth," the man replied, impassive as usual.

"But it's still there, isn't it? That's what matters to me. You see, Mr Blade, you are right, soon I will have the death you so desire. It won't be a physical one, but for all intents and purposes I will be gone from this world. So... how does a fleeting existence like mine live on? That's what I thought about when I learned my destiny. And the answer I found is: I'm going to make a difference in someone's life. At least that way I'll be remembered and you'll think of me from time to time. You may remember me as the annoying girl who tried in vain to bring a gang of criminals together, but in the end... I'll still be in your head," Stelle grinned.

Blade looked at her with a furrowed brow.

"I seek an end. Sam seeks a way to avert it. You seek a way to transcend it. But in the end we are all Destiny's slaves."

Stelle considered his words for a moment:

"I don't see it that way. Even if the path we're on seems to be set for now, I believe we'll find a way to transcend it, as you said. I don't really know how, but maybe my future self and her Stellaron will find a way."

"Mmph." Blade scoffed.

That was probably the end of their short conversation.

Well, at least I got him talking.

But before she could enter the base, the Stellaron Hunter said:

"I will probably forget your name and your appearance, but until I reach the end I seek, I will remember your determination."

"Um... I'm not sure I followed that conversation."

"I think he just meant that he liked us a bit. And it showed later, even though we never really got along."

"Well, he didn't seem to remember much about me when I met him."

"That's just his Mara. Just the fact that he remembers you at all means that we made an impression on him."

"I see..."

"Are you ready for the next part...? Things are going to get pretty heartbreaking now."

"I'm ready."

The next memories had a strong bittersweet taste.

The once cold and desolate Stellaron Hunter base had somehow been transformed into a warm and welcoming home.

The newfound trio of Stelle, Firefly and Silver Wolf could be found hanging out together pretty much every time they were not out on a mission. Eating delicious meals prepared by Blade had also become a common occurrence. And when Kafka treated them to one of her elaborate lunches, it almost felt like a party.

It was not only their routines that had changed. The feelings between them had also evolved and deepened. Slowly but surely, Stelle was beginning to realise that Firefly was more than just a friend.
The situation with Kafka had been similar. At first Stelle had thought that she was just a little pastime for that strange woman. But soon she had understood that the first Stellaron Hunter was an even more dishonest person than Silver Wolf. Even if she tried her best to push her away, Stelle always tried to get close to her and make her admit that she really cared for her deep inside. Speaking of Wolfie, seeing her and Firefly having fun together soothed Stelle's heart. Even if she left, these lonely girls would still have someone to turn to.

The situation with Blade hadn't improved much. 

Or so it seemed.

One day Stelle thought she was going to die. She woke up with a terrible fever, but neither her two friends nor Kafka were there to take care of her. When she tried to get up to put something in her stomach and ended up fainting on the floor, she thought that was it. So it was with great surprise that, when she woke up again, she found herself back in bed with a damp towel on her forehead. There was also a plate of hot porridge waiting for her on the bedside table.

Isn't this futile too, Mr Blade?, she thought with a slight smile as she began to eat.

But soon this new era for the Stellaron Hunters had to come to an end. One rainy afternoon, Kafka called her into her room.

"Yo Kafka, are we going somewhere?" Stelle asked as she found her mentor preparing her luggage as she usually did before a long trip.

"It's in a week Stelle."

Her heart dropped. She didn't need to ask what she meant. She had expected it. And, unexpectedly, dreaded it.

"I see..."

"Are you having doubts, Stelle?" Kafka asked without turning to her.

"What if I said that I am..."

Kafka let out one of her soft chuckles:

"To think that you agreed to Elio's plan without a single thought back then..."

"That's true... but it was different then. I was different. I was like an empty shell, clinging to the first thing that gave my life meaning. But now... I've filled my life with so many happy moments and... it's hard to let them go."

Finally, Kafka looked her in the face. As usual, it was kind of hard for Stelle to read her expression. But this time she wasn't smiling.

"I told you before... when you make a choice, you have to make sure you won't have any regrets. Do you regret getting close to us, Stelle?" Kafka asked.

"NO!" Stelle yelled immediately, "No, I'll never regret it. Even though it hurts now... I don't regret it. In fact, it's because it hurts that I don't regret it. The fact that it hurts so much is the proof that my short life had a meaning, a meaning that wasn't dictated by a script."

"..." Kafka stood silently in front of her for a second before turning away, "We are going on one last mission. Make sure you use your free time wisely."

"Is that all you have to say Kafka?"

"Our goodbyes can wait. Or do you want me to cry in your arms right now?" Kafka let out a small sigh, "I am not heartless, Stelle. I'll be sad without you. I grew quite fond of you during our time together. But I always knew that our relationship was destined to end. But don't worry, your future self and I will meet again. I told you before, we are each other's destiny."

"That's between you and her, Kafka. So I don't really care about this destiny crap. The Kafka in front of me is the one that matters to me. And... I don't want to leave her alone."

"Leave me alone? I walk the Path of Finality. I have always been alone, Stelle. You're my sweet, dear apprentice, but in the end you're just a extra in the script I'm following. So don't worry, I'll be fine."

But... Kafka had done too good a job during her training. Stelle knew all her tricks by now. So even if she was still the most difficult person to read, she understood that something was wrong. So she took a step forward and hugged her mentor from behind.

"Liar."

Stelle's heart was on the verge of breaking. To see all the work she had put into creating a warm home for her new friends destroyed in such a quick fashion was too much for her to bear.

Firefly was inconsolable at the thought that she, the first person to see her as a human and not a weapon, was about to leave her alone.

Though she tried to hide it, Silver Wolf was hurt too. Just like Firefly, Stelle had been the first person to see her for who she really was. But now that she was about to disappear, Wolf was realising the dangers of opening her heart to others and was  thinking of going back to her old 'I don't care' attitude.

A stranger would probably have thought that Kafka was perfectly fine. But from the tone of her voice, the way her smile trembled slightly, Stelle could tell that even the unbreakable armour of the first Hunter had been fatally pierced.

Even Blade seemed more sombre than usual and had stopped cooking their meals, a thing he seemed to enjoy very much.

But the one who was hurting the most was her. Stelle. Because she couldn't do anything about it. She had talked big, how she was going to save the universe, find a way to save Firefly from her condition and then reconnect with everyone. But... the one who was going to do those things... it wasn't herself. It was another Stelle she would never even meet. She was going to disappear completely, leaving no trace. At first she had thought that being remembered would be enough. But now she wasn't so sure. What if those memories would only be painful ones, full of regrets?

But most of all...

"I don't want to die," she murmured, looking at her own trembling hands on the morning of the fateful day.

She wanted to go on living. She wanted to go on living with her family.

"..."

Hot tears streamed down Stelle's face. For once, she wasn't ashamed of them. Because the only one who could see them was herself.

"As you can see... I'm not as cool as Firefly told you," Stelle said bitterly.

"Don't you dare say that... you are... the coolest person I have ever known. And I'm not saying it because I'm a narcissist. You are much braver than I could ever hope to be. Even after thinking those things... you still went ahead with the plan. You're the reason I'm here now."

But Stelle shook her head:

"...no Stelle, it wasn't like that... I..."

Her eyes went to the next statue. It was a broken one.

"I guess I'll have to tell you in my own words."

Stelle didn't understand what that expression was. Regret? Shame perhaps? What she did know was that she didn't want to see that girl hurt any more. She had suffered enough.

She pointed her quill forward as a warm sensation spread through her chest. At that moment, all the memories she had looked at lit up in her heart That warm feeling... was the love for her former family that she had forgotten.

"In Remembrance I have found my true self," she murmured.

A blinding golden light illuminated the entire hall. When it died down, the statue in front of her had been repaired. It showed Stelle in front of a closed door.

"This is... wow... I guess it was useful after all. Since you got what you wanted, shall we go back?" Stelle asked, "I... I'm not sure you should look at this new memory. You will only start to hurt like me."

"No. I won't look away anymore. Always looking forward... that's my Trailblazing spirit."

Taking a deep breath, Stelle knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer.

The room was completely dark. But she could still see something. A pair of icy blue eyes were staring at her.

"To what do I owe this sudden visit?"

Those words, as usual, had been spoken directly into her mind.

"We need to talk, Elio."

"Is that so?" the voice replied, "I don't think we have anything more to say to each other, my child. After all, you won't even remember this conversation by tonight."

Stelle clenched her fists.

"I..." she felt ashamed, so ashamed, but in the end she had to say it, "I don't want to do this anymore, Elio."

There was a moment of silence. Then the eyes moved close to her. As a black cat nudged her leg, the voice spoke again:

"Oh my. That's worrying. I thought you were determined to carry out my plan. You were so eager when I told you about it."

"Don't play dumb with me Elio. You knew I'd come here and you also knew what I'd ask of you," Stelle replied bitterly.

"I thought you didn't believe my powers were infallible. I see. You are very desperate, aren't you?"

Stelle had to stop herself from kicking him.

"Stop mocking me! Fine, I'll say it myself if you want to humiliate me. I don't want to follow your plan anymore. I want to keep my memories of everyone and... I want to join you, not the Astral Express. I... want to be a Stellaron Hunter."

The cat jumped away.

For a moment, Stelle thought Elio had just left her like that. But then the eyes lit up again. But this time they were on a human's face, not a cat's.

"So someone like you has chosen to follow Finality... amusing," a boyish musical voice said in the darkness, "I thought the will of the Trailblaze was pretty much second nature to you."

"I don't care about that stupid Path stuff... I just... care about them..."

"Is that so? Do you think you are that important to them? Do you think they need you and that's why you're willing to sacrifice everything I've built up so far?" Elio asked her in a sharp tone.

"They... they don't need me. As much as they hurt now, I know they are very strong people. They'll bounce back, even if it takes a while. But... I'm the one who needs them. They... they are my family, Elio. I love them all and I don't want to be separated from them. Kafka... I want her to be honest with herself. Same with Silver Wolf, I want her to be able to smile and open her kind heart to everyone. I want to calm Blade's mind and make him enjoy life just a little bit before he gets his wish. And Firefly... I want to love her. I want her to be a normal girl and stay by her side until we both grow old."

"Do you realise that all these wishes are not possible without averting the Destruction of the universe?"

"Then I will make them possible myself!" Stelle yelled, taking a step towards Elio, "I will change destiny and win against Nanook even without boarding the Express. I’ll win against Nanook as Stellaron Hunter Stelle!"

"Preposterous."

"Even so, I want to try! Please, let me try!"

She was ready to swallow her pride and beg on her knees if necessary.

"Why are you asking permission? Just like the other Hunters, I would never force you to do anything. I don't need to. Maybe it's because you know what kind of future your decision would bring. And you'd regret it in the end.  That's why you want to put the burden on me," Elio replied in a cold tone, the previous amiability gone from his voice.

"Elio..."

"You are right. I knew this would happen. I understood from the beginning that giving my tool emotions would create this problem. I would have done without it, but unfortunately you have to at least pretend to be human to be useful to me. And that's why your memories must be erased, otherwise you'll lose your way like a ordinary human."

Those words were as sharp as a knife, but they could not hurt Stelle. She took another step forward and grabbed the boy in front of her by the collar. She raised her fist, causing Elio to squint.

Wait... did he really think I was going to hit him?

Stelle smiled.

"If you wanted to make your lies believable, Elio, you shouldn't have handed me over to Kafka. I see through you. There's no way you, the person working to save Firefly from her fate, would see someone like me as a tool."

Incredibly, she saw those icy blue eyes light up with surprise.

"You... you really piss me off," Elio muttered.

Stelle grinned at him:

"Don't worry, if you let me stay here, I'll make sure I change you too, just like the others. I can't imagine how lonely it must be for you, always looking into the future without being able to enjoy the present. But it doesn't have to be like that," Stelle let go of him and offered him her hand, "let's work together to save the universe, Elio, you don't have to do everything alone."

"...what a joke..." the boy sighed, running his hand through his silver hair, "to think you'd mess up my script, with such idiotic lines..."

He turned and stood silent for a second:

"Very well, since you are so eager, I'll consider your request."

Stelle was stunned. Had she really managed to get him to change his mind?

"You mean I..."

"No, not now. First I want you to prove your resolve. You’ll have to ask me again in the future. Only then I will allow you to write a page of your own."

"In the future... but today... wait?" Stelle looked at the boy's back with an open mouth, "You mean you and the future me... will meet? What about the others? Will she be able to meet them?! Will they be friends?!"

"That... all depends on you." Elio turned to look straight into her eyes, "You will have to make that decision one day."

"...You should have told me. I was under the impression that I would join the Express and never interact with you guys as allies again."

"I never said you wouldn't..." Elio smiled at her, "if I had... would you be trying so hard to find another future right now?"

"..." Stelle glared at him, "that's why you don't have any friends..."

"If you're the supposed friend, I'd like to keep it that way."

But despite everything, the pain inside Stelle had eased a little.

"I trust it... my love for them. I think it's strong enough to reach them even when my memories are gone."

Stelle turned around, her steps now steady.

"All right, Elio... I'll bite. We'll meet again. But I'm sure my future self won't be as nice as me. The way you play with people's feelings... she'll make you pay for it one day."

With newfound resolve, Stelle left the room.

"Elio... so that's the guy who's been tormenting Firefly so much," Stelle muttered as she left the memory.

But the person she wanted to say those words to wasn't around.

"Where did she go?"

Stelle went on, using her quill as a flashlight as before. Luckily, Stelle hadn't run far. She was waiting for her near the last statue.

"You saw it..." she murmured as Stelle approached her.

"Yes... I... don't really know what to think. But... you didn't do anything wrong. Seeing how much you cared for them, I can't really blame you for wavering at the end. I probably would've done the same. I mean... I did."

Stelle gave her a sad smile.

"Thanks... it's just a bit selfish, isn't it? The way they meant more to me than the whole world."

"There's nothing wrong with being selfish... it's proof that we're human, isn't it?"

"Right," Stelle nodded. Her eyes returned to the sculpture in front of her, "This is the end of the line... I'm sure they'll be pretty angry if I show you this..."

"Well... it will be our little secret then."

The end had come. She was about to say goodbye to the person she cared the most in the world. The first friend she had made. And her first love.

"Firefly... I..."

Stelle took a deep breath, she could tell Firefly was doing her best to not break down in front of her. And she didn't know if she was going to be able to mantain her resolve if that happened.

"It's all right, Stelle. You made your decision and... I respect it," Firefly muttered, looking straight at her eyes despite her sorrow.

 Stelle could only gave her sad smile:

"You don't have to be so uptight, Firefly... you can cry... like me!"

In that moment tears began to flow from her golden eyes. Stelle lunged forward taking Firefly in her arms:

"I'm going to miss you so much! You are my best friend Firefly, I hate that we have to be apart! Even if it's just for a little while."

"A... little while? What are you...?"

"This is not a farewell, Firefly. It's just a temporary goodbye. I won't remember you... but you will. I know you'll find me. I'll be waiting for you!"

"Stelle I..." Firefly clung to her, almost like she was trying to absorb the warmth of her body inside her, "I don't know if I can..."

"You will! Even if our paths part for now, I know you'll find a way to bring them together again. You are the strongest person I know."

"I... you are stronger than me. I just want to take you and run now... even if it means condemning the universe to its grim fate."

"But you are not doing it, right? Wavering is human Firefly, the fact that you can still do the right thing even through your doubts is proof of how strong you are."

In a sudden impulse, Stelle's lips touched Firefly's cheek.

"There! You better not forget me either," she said, parting from the embrace and smiling brightly. She had to. She couldn't let Firefly find out what was going through her mind right now. It would've been too painful.

"I will never forget you," said Firefly, her eyes finally blurring with tears.

"I wish I could say the same, but... I look forward to getting to know you again!!"

"T-thank you Stelle. For everything you have done for me. I..."

Firefly was trying to say something. But Stelle didn't want to hear it. It would've been too painful. Instead Stelle stroked her cheek and wiped away a tear.

"Goodbye Firefly... may we meet again!"

"G-goodbye Stelle..."

Stelle turned around, her heart in pieces. Tears streamed from her eyes as they never had before. She just wanted to stop and sob for a while. But she couldn't. She had to march on. Or she'd regret it, as Kafka had often told her.

As she walked up the stairs of the Stellaron Hunter's airship, she caught a last glimpse of Firefly. She was crying. The girl who had once looked at her with cold, hard eyes was now crying for her. And there was nothing she could do to comfort her.

When she had said she was sure Firefly would find a way back to her, she had meant it. She knew that, despite the weakness she hid deep in her heart, that girl had a will as strong as steel. But the Stelle she would have been reunited with wouldn't have been her.

Please, my future self... take care of her, she thought as she walked through the ship's door. Before it closed behind her, three words left her lips. The ones that were too painful to say in front of Firefly:

"I love you."

Before she knew it, she was travelling to her final destination. At this point Stelle only hoped it would end quickly. Soon she'd be rid of all these sad thoughts and be reborn. So, when the voice of Silver Wolf called her from the intercom, she rose from her seat on the observation deck with steady legs.

Her Stellaron Hunter companion was waiting for her in front of a cabin, the same one where everything had begun for her.

"So you really decided to go through with this..." Silver Wolf commented without looking her in the face.

"I tried to find another way and... maybe there is one. But I'm not the one who will bring it forth."

Silver Wolf scoffed:

"You've spent so much time with Kafka you're starting to sound like her."

As usual, Wolfie always found a way to make her giggle. It would have been a perfect way to say goodbye. But Stelle couldn't leave it at that. As she passed her, she said:

"Wolfie... thank you for everything. I really wish you'd show your sweet side to the others. Please look after everyone for me, ok? I'm counting on you."

That was good, she thought. But soon she felt her wrist being pulled back. Her eyes widened as she saw Silver Wolf's face streaked with tears, her grey eyes red and swollen:

"WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO DO THAT? WHY CAN'T YOU DO IT YOURSELF?"

"Wolfie..."

Stelle felt her eyes fill with tears again. It was her fault. If she'd left things as they were, Wolfie would never have been hurt like this. She took her friend in her arms, despite her protests, and hugged her tightly:

"I want to, Wolfie... but I can't. So you are the only one I can ask."

"Stupid Stelle... why did you have to be such a nosy, stupid idiot..." Silver Wolf muttered, finally letting go as she pressed her face to Stelle's chest.

"I know I'm the biggest idiot ever," Stelle said, stroking her hair, "but you're smart, unlike me. I know everyone will be fine if I leave them in your care. And if you can... try to be friends with the future me too, ok? I think she'll really need someone like you in her life."

"I... how can you ask me such a thing? She... she won't be you. You'll be gone... forever."

"That's right... but that doesn't mean she won't make a good playmate, does it? I love Firefly, but she's not the best at it, and Blade and Kafka aren't the type either. So... get in touch with me, ok? I'm sure we'll have a lot more fun together. Multiplayer is much better than playing alone, isn't it?" Stelle asked, pulling away from the hug and wiping a tear from Silverwolf's cheek.

"You... oh fine. I guess I never won against you, huh?" Silver Wolf sighed as she looked away, "Goodbye Stelle... you... were a lot of fun."

"Thanks Wolfie, goodbye."

The cabin's automatic door opened as she turned away.  She couldn't bring herself to look back.

"So you've come," Kafka greeted her. She was sitting on the bed where she had first woken up.

"You really have a knack for theatrics, even at the end," Stelle sighed and sat down next to her.

Kafka put a hand on her shoulders and pulled her closer. Soon she was resting her head on her lap. The sharp red wine eyes of her mentor looked down at her as her lips curved:

"You're still in time to turn around, Stelle."

"Even if it means the end of the universe?"

"If that's the end of the story you want, I'll go along with it. Sounds like an exciting finale."

Stelle sighed:

"In the end... I'm not sure I've ever understood what goes through your mind, Kafka."

"Ara... after all this time?" Kafka asked, playing with a lock of her hair.

"Yes... I was right, you are quite a handful. But I'm glad that I could travel at your side and that you are the one who will bring me to the next destination."

That was the answer she had found. The one she was sure she wouldn't regret. And Kafka understood. Her mentor began to hum softly. In a second, Stelle began to feel sleepy.

"I feel... kind of tired Kafka..."

"It's okay Stelle, you can rest now. You've been such a good student."

So Stelle closed her eyes and the soft melody filled her ears. It was almost as if she could feel a breeze blowing through her air. And... was that a drop of rain?

"Kafka... I'm feeling sleepy."

"It's all right, Stelle, I'll be by your side.  Good night, my dear Stelle."

"Good night... Mum."

"This is just unfair..." Stelle wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket, "how am I supposed to look her in the eye now?"

"I don't think you have to act any differently with her..." Stelle replied, putting a hand on her shoulder, "in the end, the relationships we have built are different, Stelle. That's why I don't think you should worry too much about what you saw in the previous memory. You have a new family that you hold close to your heart."

Stelle nodded:

"I do, but... I also want to reconnect with my old one, now that I have seen how everyone, not only Firefly, cares for me. I... just don't know how to do it..."

I... can't leave the Express behind, but... she put so much faith in me. What am I supposed to do?

Stelle looked at her with a slight smile.

"I heard something pretty cool when I was looking through your memories... what was it? Oh yeah..." Stelle put her hand over her heart, "When the time comes for us to make a choice, the answer will already be in our hearts. So... when that happens, make sure you don't have any regrets. We have that right, don't we?"

"Stelle..."

Suddenly the hall began to shake. Her past self took a step back and gave her a wide, bright smile:

"Whatever answer you find, I'll be rooting for you. Please look after them for me, Stelle. As you Nameless would say... May your journey lead you starward!”

As the world around her shattered into a thousand pieces, Stelle tried to reach out to that smiling, grey-haired girl. But it was too late. 

The past had been behind her all along.

Stelle opened her eyes wide. Red wine coloured ones stare back into hers.

"Ara, you are finally awake."

"Good morning Kafka."

Somehow she wasn't surprised to see her here.

"Did you have a nice dream?"

"You could say that, maybe it's because your lap is so comfortable. So you're the one who was sent after me this time... I should have guessed."

Kafka chuckled softly.

"I'm afraid that's only half true."

"Huh?"

Stelle propped herself up on her elbows. Soon her heart was in her throat.

"You..."

The silver-haired boy grinned at her:

"Oh, it seems I don't have to introduce myself."

"Why are you here?"

"Don't you already know?... To bring you home of course."