Kiana was currently riding a massive wave of novelty, and she was absolutely buzzing with excitement.
After all, this was a train sailing through the stars.
Man, she had never seen such an interesting vehicle back in the Solar System.
Spaceships just didn't have the same "cool factor" as a locomotive.
And it wasn't just the train.
There was the Interastral Peace Corporation, which had established a credit system for the entire universe, and Penacony, the world built on dreams.
There was Punklorde, a planet of natural-born hackers where the entire world was made of data. And then... there were the Giants of Light and the Land of Light, which felt like they stepped straight out of a tokusatsu film!
Plus, there were dragons! Actual, literal dragons!
Even though the dragons here seemed to share some subtle similarities and differences with the ones back home, the comparison was night and day.
Compared to the Solar System—which wasn't exactly diverse in species and was basically a crowded house of gods and superhumans—this vast, colorful cosmic stage was clearly much more alluring.
Kiana still hadn't quite wrapped her head around the whole "Path" and "Pathstrider" business. But she had figured out one thing: people here used Imaginary Energy, too.
At least that was a term she recognized.
Beyond that, though, she was clueless. It was hard to tell if she was actually a bit of a ditz or if she was just too lazy to think about it.
The pair made their way together toward the location of the Astral Express. Since leaving Herta Space Station, the Express had made a pit stop at the nearest Washtopia. It had just been scrubbed until it was gleaming and brand new.
"There, see it? That train about to depart is the Astral Express."
From a distance, 'Finality Kiana' raised her hand, guiding Kiana's gaze across the long void of space to catch sight of the train docked at the platform.
"What a badass train! But aren't they about to leave? Why don't we just head over there?"
"Well, for the sake of the surprise, of course. Go on, Kiana! Rush out in front and intercept it!"
"Hey!"
Kiana immediately got a bad feeling. She whipped her head around to look at her other self, but her vision blurred.
With a sudden, dizzying whirl of the world, she felt herself ripped through space. The next thing she knew, she was staring down the Astral Express as it accelerated right toward her!
"AAAAH—?! I'm gonna get hit!!"
Wham!
Kiana felt like she'd been struck by a stroke of destiny—or a literal truck—as she was instantly sent flying by the Astral Express.
Although a certain power was at work to dampen the impact to a negligible level, Kiana, clutching her head and clinging to the front of the locomotive, couldn't help but feel that her other self was definitely not a "normal" person.
--+--
Meanwhile...
The Nameless, who had just set off and were waiting to get clear of Washtopia before jumping, were jolted by a sudden vibration.
Accompanied by Pom-Pom's startled cry, they realized they had just been in a traffic accident in the middle of space.
"This is bad! The train hit something!! My freshly polished engine!!!"
In the parlor car, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. A car crash in space? That was a rare sentence to hear. The odds were about the same as finding a specific needle in the ocean.
Welt adjusted his glasses and looked at the conductor. "Does the Conductor know what we hit?"
"It... it looked like a person! She just appeared on the tracks out of nowhere! I didn't have time to brake!"
"..."
"..."
The group exchanged looks. Void Archives let out a blunt chuckle.
"Look on the bright side. At least we don't have to pay the repair bill for another spaceship."
"..."
Welt might not be an expert at fixing spaceships, but when it came to mending a flesh-and-blood body, Mr. Yang had things well in hand. And honestly, compared to hitting a ship, hearing it was just a person did put everyone at ease.
After all... anyone who could just pop up in space, get hit by the Express, and not end up scattered in pieces generally wasn't that easy to break.
Still, Void Archives' ill-timed laughter and phrasing—while logically sound—was a massive bait for trouble. If the person outside heard him, he'd probably get a punch to the face.
Welt shook his head with a sigh, thinking that the man really didn't need a mouth, then pushed up his glasses. "Let me go take a look."
Just as Welt started toward the hatch, suddenly—
Thump—Thump—Thump!
A series of dull knocks echoed from outside the train. Welt's footsteps faltered. Half of his anxiety vanished, while the other half spiked.
He was relieved because the person clearly had enough strength to bang on the incredibly thick hatch, meaning they were perfectly fine.
He was worried because they might be a powerhouse who would demand an explanation—and with Void Archives' big mouth, a fight was practically guaranteed.
Welt began to rapidly weigh whether he should open the door first or fix Void Archives' attitude first. But Himeko beat him to it. She walked past him with a smile and unlatched the heavy door.
Hiss—
With a release of air pressure, the heavy hatch slid open. A white-haired woman appeared before them, clutching the door handle, rubbing her forehead, and frowning slightly.
Welt's pupils contracted the moment he saw her, though he composed himself quickly.
Himeko reacted similarly; she looked at the white-haired woman with an amused expression, reaching out to support her arm and pull her into the car.
She couldn't help but tease, "You gave me quite a fright, Madam Bai Ming... If you wanted to visit the Express, you could have just come inside. Why such a wild entrance this time? Landing right on the nose of the train."
"Eh? No, I'm not the other me. My name is Kiana... Himeko-sensei?!!"
As she was helped inside, Kiana felt a jolt at the touch, the voice, and the sight of those crimson locks.
It was all so familiar. But just as she realized she'd been mistaken for someone else and looked up to introduce herself, she saw Himeko's face.
It hit Kiana like a thunderbolt. She froze on the spot.
Her eyes shook as she stared at the face she had missed so dearly. Her mind was flooded with a million things she wanted to say, but her mouth hung open, and not a single word came out.
Himeko blinked, looking at the girl in confusion.
It seemed she had indeed mistaken her for someone else. This white-haired girl—the one Bai Ming had once roleplayed as—was the real deal?Did that mean this girl named Kiana was someone Welt knew?
But the way she was looking at her was a bit...
For some reason, looking into Kiana's eyes—which were practically brimming with tears—Himeko felt a pang of heartache. She reached out and gently patted Kiana's head.
"My name is Himeko, the Navigator of the Astral Express. Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ah... ah..."
Kiana could clearly feel the weight and warmth of the hand on her head. It was real. Himeko was right there in front of her. This wasn't the fleeting phantom she saw in her dreams.
Kiana broke.
That single touch shattered every last bit of her composure. Even though she knew, deep down, that this was likely just the Himeko of this world—just like the other "her" she had met—she couldn't help it.
Kiana threw her arms around Himeko, buried her face in her chest, and let out a loud, wailing sob.
"Waaaaah—Himeko-sensei!!!"
"Uh... there, there. It's alright."
Himeko certainly hadn't expected this. Moreover, the girl had a serious grip; Himeko was pinned and couldn't move an inch.
Between the strength of the hug and the look on the girl's face moments before, Himeko didn't have the heart to push her away.
And for some reason, she found it very easy to accept this overstepping of personal boundaries from the girl named Kiana.
A surge of pity and tenderness welled up in her heart, along with an urge to comfort her—as if this child really was her own student.
Seeing this, Cerydra and Hysilens shook their heads and stood down.
Mei looked on thoughtfully, having guessed the truth, but remained silent.
Meanwhile, Welt, who had realized the reality of the situation, was having a minor internal crisis.
Was this actually the real Kiana?! How on earth did the Herrscher of Finality end up here? And if Kiana was here, what about Earth?
Even if the Honkai was dealt with, it didn't mean Earth was out of danger.
Welt's mind raced with a thousand questions. But seeing Kiana crying like a child, he sighed inwardly and pushed his doubts aside.
Right then, another figure appeared at the train's entrance. The sight of a person identical to the Herrscher of Finality in his memories made Welt's lip twitch.
If the Kiana with the braids was the original, then this newcomer "Finality" was almost certainly Madam Bai Ming. He couldn't imagine anyone else in the universe capable of inviting the real Kiana onto the Astral Express.
Ever cautious, Welt pushed up his glasses and spoke first. "Madam Bai Ming, this girl calling herself Kiana is..."
"She is exactly who you think she is: Kiana Kaslana. The Herrscher of Finality, the God of Earth. However, her physical body didn't come over; it's just a manifestation of her consciousness."
Ssssp...
Welt took a sharp breath. It really was Kiana.
Void Archives walked over, looking intrigued. He gave a perfectly poised bow and asked, "Greetings, Madam Bai Ming. I must ask, have you truly constructed a path to the Solar System?"
"No. Only consciousness can travel through it, and essentially only someone of Kiana's caliber could manage it."
While sending a consciousness through the channel wasn't hard in itself, the difficulty lay in maintaining a stable connection over such a staggering distance.
Even with Bai Ming's power assisting, it wasn't something anyone below the level of a Herrscher of Finality could easily achieve.
However, in the midst of this, Miss Himeko—who felt entirely left out of the loop, left only to comfort a crying girl while no one bothered to explain a thing—felt her fist tighten.
Can't they see there's a young girl crying here? Is now really the time for a technical discussion?!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL