(POV - 3RD)

The walk back to the Master Control Zone of the space station was awkwardly quiet especially when Himeko left the group first to meet up with the very owner of this entire station but not before having March and Dan Heng stay back with Welt to guard the Express.

Naturally, the elderly bespectacled man who for some reason recognised (Y/N) was under his very suspicious scrutiny as to how or why the former knew him even though he didn't.

Welt Yang was his name, but his mind came up blank for him which was not at all too concerning unless the man was once his enemy yet the former's shocked expression betrayed not animosity or the look of someone seeing a foe. 

No, he almost looked to be seeing an old acquaintance or friend.

"Mhmph..." A small groan stopped (Y/N) from growing ever more cautious as he looked to see Stelle squirming around as she woke up.

"Are you conscious?" He asked as the girl's golden eyes opened up to take in the surroundings before she refocused on the former.

"(Y/N)? What happened..?" She questioned.

"The Doomsday Beast did something to you but someone stabilised your condition before it went out of control, can you stand?" (Y/N) answered.

"...No." Stelle said after a short pause to which (Y/N) narrowed his eyes before holding up the girl by her armpits, legs dangling down-

Which he then set down, Stelle standing perfectly fine.

"...I'm not a packmule." (Y/N) stated with a deadpan as Stelle pouted.

"Fine... you said the Doomsday Beast did something to me?" She then asked again in confusion, not knowing whatever that meant.

"I do not have the exact idea of what happened but you somehow absorbed the beast's blasts which resulted in an explosion that killed it." (Y/N) replied, intrigued as well.

"What happened next is just a blur for you but Welt Yang managed to stop your ailments from destabilising before it harmed you further."

"A blur..." Stelle muttered before she remembered a key memory, one of a titanic being looming over her motionless form with a soulless golden gaze.

A golden gaze like (Y/N)'s yet it was a far-cry from his eyes who held the look of a protector, a person who fights against meaningless death and destruction. 

The titanic being's gaze, in contrast simply held utter contempt for all that breathed out life as it revelled in decimation and chaos, meaningfully spreading death and destruction everywhere.

One who says the eyes are the window to the soul would be correct in this situation, Stelle quietly tightened her fist as a sparkle of blue and gold crackled around her hand, her bat materialising into existence as it glowed under the foreign power.

"Hey, you're lagging behind." (Y/N) called from the front, standing in front of a door.

"Coming!" Stelle called back before the two made their way through the hallways and station until they finally met up with Himeko again.

 "Ah, you're awake. That's wonderful, you're just in time to meet the owner of this station who should be arriving any moment now." Himeko said.

"I've only been gone for what? A few months? And the space station is already reduced to this state?" A new voice belonging to a young girl making itself known.

"Welcome back, Herta." Himeko greeted as a petite girl donned in a white frilled dress with black long-sleeved top and a black cap made her appearance.

"I'd like to introduce both of your to the true master of this space station and Genius Society's No. 83 member; Herta." Himeko continued.

"At least give me a proper introduction! Genius Society's No. 83 member... of all my outstanding achievements, that's what you want to mention?" Herta grumbled.

Meanwhile, (Y/N) and Stelle only stared at the newcomer in surprise at her appearance not as a seemingly young girl but a mechanical doll as evident by her visibly interconnected joints.

"A robot..?" Stelle commented as (Y/N) stayed quiet.

"Wrong, this is just one of my puppets, I'm using it to talk to you to save time... speaking of which, you're the twerp that's housing the Stellaron inside you?" Herta then stated.

"Uhm..."

"Quite correct, Herta. After the Doomsday Beast attacked, the Stellaron almost went on a rampage before it was quelled by Welt."

"Fascinating, I had this entire space station built just to contain the inactive Stellaron and to keep The Blue from disaster and yet, someone was able to achieve that with this little twerp's body. How did they do it is the question." Herta remarked.

"Moreover, even though Welt quelled it, a Stellaron should still have some significant effect on its container or host yet it's stable within Stelle's body." Himeko interjected.

"Indeed, how very curious... but I'm also quite interested in twerp no. 2 here, especially when I assume he's the owner of this spear I found." Herta said.

"I found it drifting in the middle of nowhere and encased within a shell of golden crystal, who knew I'd see the Antimatter Legion cower away from me and my entourages."

"And who would have known the discarded crystals around the spear fetched up to price ranging from hundred thousands if not almost a million."

(Y/N) visibly shifted away from the puppet whose gaze snapped from Stelle to him as he gripped the spear more tightly in slight trepidation before Herta leant back and continuing.

"Speaking of the Antimatter Legion, the whole fight with the Doomsday Beast came to an end after the little one here absorbed its attack and then redirecting it back to its sender."

"Stop calling me a 'little one'." Stelle interrupted with annoyance which only grew as Herta ignored her words as she refuted swiftly.

"Hah! Compared to me, you are a 'little one'. How old are you even?"

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Herta. Isn't the puppet body of yours actually smaller than Stelle herself?" Himeko interrupted with a smile.

"...That's beside the point. Hey, is this one the same kind as that March 7th girl? If that were true then..." Herta replied before trailing off.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out, well it took mostly Himeko to figure out what Herta was implicating at especially when the bubbly archer's happy-go-lucky nature often resulted in some... incidents which caused some minor headaches.

"Anyway, can I bring her in for some research?" Herta suddenly asked, her gaze inquisitively boring into Stelle as Himeko answered.

"That's not up to me to decide, but you can ask Stelle-" 

"My body only belongs to (Y/N)." The said girl interrupted Himeko, speaking out boldly as the two women went silent along with (Y/N).

Whose face is less than pleased to hear that statement.

Before he raised his fist and then smacked it hard on Stelle's head.

"Don't say things that will cause misunderstandings." (Y/N) berated, he may have amnesia but he still has his morality and dignity damn it!

"Owwie..." The racoon- Stelle whimpered, rubbing her head.

"Actually, I believe it's best you give the poor children a break here, Herta. After all, they did managed to destroy the Doomsday Beast for you." Himeko said.

"Whether this station gets destroyed wouldn't have mattered to me either way, it's just a place to store some trinkets and whatnot." Herta retorted swiftly without remorse.

"Yeah... not gonna be leaving Stelle here..." (Y/N) thought, eyes narrowed at Herta's dismissive attitude to the potential deaths of hundreds of lives.

If that's the main attitude of most members of the Genius Society then he'll need to reconsider meeting any other them in the coming future, perhaps never even go near one.

"Nevertheless, I am quite interested now so there's almost nothing I won't accommodate. A Stellaron in your body, how very interesting is that! Be grateful that I'm offering my services here, this is one that even the IPC can't buy." Herta stated.

"If you get the gist of it, Stelle. Herta wants to keep you on the space station." Himeko said before getting interrupted by the said genius.

"Let me modify your wordings for you properly; this little twerp can stay temporarily until the research is done, or maybe when I've lost interest halfway through then they can just beat it."

"And after that?" Stelle wondered.

"Not my problem what you want to do next." Herta shrugged nonchalantly.

"Stelle, you also have another option; the Astral Express. If you want, you can leave with us. The Express has its fair shares of experiences with Stellarons. The very thing you're worried about and the answers we're looking for are one and the same." Himeko began.

"Besides... we can come back any time to let Herta conduct her research since she's absolutely fascinated by now." She added, glancing at the genius.

"Hm... works for me, keeps this subject fresh and fit too, and that way I won't need to keep worrying about this little twerp all the time. Perfect!" Herta agreed.

"Get on the Express, or stay behind..." Stelle trails off as she gave the two options a thought.

"I'd say get on, you're honestly not doing much favours for me by staying on the station so it's best you get some adrenaline going." Herta suggested.

"I go where (Y/N) goes." Stelle declared, pointing at the said boy.

"Then it's up to (Y/N) whether he wants to stay or come with the Express." Himeko remarked.

"I see no reasons to stay here so I'll leave with the Astral Express, plus that Welt Yang guy seems to know me so I have some questions for him." (Y/N) answered.

"Then it's settled, do you want to leave now or do you still have some business at the space station before we depart?" Himeko inquired.

"I don't mind leaving now but..." Stelle began, sticking close to (Y/N) who sighed lightly.

"Stelle, take this chance and explore or familiarise yourself with the Express, I won't be going anywhere and I know where to find you all." He assured.

"...Okay..." Replied the girl who (Y/N) could almost imagine a racoon tail and ears drooping down dejectedly which did make for a cute imagery.

"Come now, he won't be going anywhere unless he has his own Astral Express." Himeko said, patting Stelle as they left, leaving (Y/N) with Herta.

"You know you could have left with them, no? Or did you want to stay back to give me some warnings about staying away from the twerp?" The genius questioned, unfazed.

"Somewhat about that but I want to know how you came across this spear, my spear in greater details." (Y/N) asked, gesturing to his weapon as Herta replied.

"It was nothing special, the station's sensory radars on the space-time continuum just suddenly spiked in the sector which your spear was found floating around and I went and got it."

"However, I will admit that The Destruction themselves deciding to cast a glance towards that place is also unexpected but that only increases the questions."

"The Antimatter Legion is the Ruin Author's very own army so to have a single spear make them all shy away from me is quite intriguing." Herta noted.

"If you're expecting answers from me then I'll have you remember that I'm an amnesiac." (Y/N) reminded as Herta scoffed.

"No need to even say it, I may be older than I look like this puppet but I have yet to go senile." The genius stated before continuing.

"On the topics of bodies, don't think I haven't noticed your unique physique... I've heard of some races possessing strange features but never had I've ever heard of one having literal stone for arms which can flexibly move around like a normal flesh and bone one."

"Just what are you? I'm getting more curious by the seconds." Herta said, narrowing her mechanical eyes at the silent (Y/N).

"...That... remains to be seen." Was all (Y/N) vaguely said in return after a few seconds.

"Hmph, so even you don't know yourself well but I did hear someone mention you being an amnesiac so perhaps the answers will indeed remain to be seen."

"..."

"If you have nothing more to ask or say then I suggest you return to the twerp, she looks like she was about to throw a tantrum without you going with her." Herta said.

"Gladly." (Y/N) agreed before leaving the area without much of a farewell.

===============================

His walk back to the platform was relatively calm since (Y/N) was preoccupied by his thoughts which ran a thousand miles every minute as he wondered every single reasons why he could be in this place and surrounded scenarios that might as well be out from a video game.

It didn't help when Welt Yang had supposedly recognised him before his amnesia which only caused more questions to pop up in his head; who was he? How did he possess his powers?

So many questions yet not a single answer came to mind.

"Heeeey~!" A voice from across the area called out to (Y/N) as he snapped out of his thoughts to see the Astral Express crew waiting for him.

"We've been waiting just for you~! Are you ready?" March 7th asked with a smile.

"Staying on this station won't do me much good so yes... I suppose I am ready to leave but where's Stelle?' (Y/N) answered.

"Oh, she's inside exploring the Express and meeting Pom-Pom! Oh, right! Pom-Pom is the Astral Express' conductor so you'll need to abide by his rules!" Said the archer.

"Duly noted." (Y/N) replied.

"Hmm... you know, with that kind of face and tone, you might become Dan Heng 2.0! C'mon, loosen up! It won't hurt much!" March 7th remarked.

"I take offence to that." Dan Heng interjected from the side, greeting (Y/N) again with a nod to which the latter responded in kind.

"See? He can't even take a joke!" March 7th commented with a pout.

"Some people are just built different, maybe take that in account." Welt added, walking by the side before pausing at (Y/N).

"Should you have any questions then I'll be in the main compartment, don't hesitate to ask." He sincerely said before entering the train.

"I'll be in my room, there's still some data that needs to be sorted out but you're free to come and go only at suitable times." Dan Heng stated, following Welt.

"Well then, shall we go?" Himeko asked as (Y/N) nodded, taking his steps one by one onto the Astral Express to which he is greeted by the sight of an opulent room.

The Astral Express' main compartment was lit up by the combination of exterior lights and the interior lighting that was shaped into that of a whale along with rows of other lights which lit up the red and golden room with marble floor.

Overall, it was quite a sight to behold for a newcomer.

"Ahem!" Out of nowhere, a voice coughed to which (Y/N) looked around for the owner but only to see no one before the voice shouted again.

"Ahem! I'm down here!!" 

What greeted (Y/N)'s sight was a short talking rabbit-like creature donned in what appears to be a train conductor's outfit which matched the themes of the train itself.

"...What's with this sassy little rabbit?" (Y/N) asked, pointing at it while Himeko giggled as the "rabbit" shouted with indignation.

"I'm Pom-Pom, and what do you mean by sassy?!"

"I said nothing." The amnesiac immediately retorted blankly with a poker face as the rabbit fumed for a few more seconds and then sighed.

"Nevermind, forget about it. At least you're not as reactive as March was back when we first met... the girl is a menace to society..." 

...Sounds like an experience he'd rather not relive.

"So you're the conductor of this train..?" (Y/N) questioned as Pom-Pom beamed.

"That I am indeed! Himeko and March has already told Pom-Pom about your situation so listen up! Pom-Pom will only say this once, Pom-Pom's sure there have been many people telling you how special you are-!" 

"No one's been telling me that and frankly I don't think I deserve much praises..." (Y/N) interrupted the conductor... pessimistically.

"...Is he alright in the head..?" Pom-Pom whispered to Himeko in concern after staring at the amnesiac after a few seconds.

"Now, don't be like that (Y/N). I do believe you're downplaying yourself a bit too much, seeing how well you did during the battle against the Doomsday Beast." Himeko reassured.

Meanwhile, Welt who had been sitting on the compartment couches perked up slightly as he heard the amnesiac's admittance which had him raised a brow.

Even though he came back without his memories, looks like his pessimistic humble modesty still remained in his characteristics which is somewhat comforting to hear and hopefully mean there will be a chance of recovering his memories.

"There's no need to deny what you have achieved and I'm sure Pom-Pom doesn't mean to be harsh on you, he's like that to everyone. If you need to find me, I'll be preparing the Express' navigation route for take off." Himeko stated with a smile as she walked off.

 "A-ahem, Pom-Pom is glad you will abide by the rules but worry not, as a conductor of the Astral Express, Pom-Pom will also keep your secrets as did with others."

"Understood." (Y/N) said in return.

"Well, that's all Pom-Pom has to say, if you have any questions or troubles then just come find me." Replied the conductor as he waddled away.

"...There's that and now..." (Y/N) murmured before walking towards the senior member of the Express who almost seemed expectant of his approach.

"I'm assuming you have much to ask?" Welt questioned as he gestured for (Y/N) to sit.

"Before I begin, where's Stelle?" The amnesiac asked.

"She went to explore the rest of the Express but I'm sure she'll be back before we warp." Welt answered as (Y/N) stared at him long and hard.

Finally, he asked the questions.

"You claim to know me, yet I know you not. How can I trust a stranger's words when we have just met each other?" 

"Your suspicions and hostility are certainly justified in this situation but even if I want to make you remember, it's rather pointless unless something triggers the lost memories first."

"I can assure you that we have fought side by side but not many times which is why you may not remember me much... however, I can speak of others who you were closer with."

"Such as who..?" (Y/N) asked as Welt hummed quietly.

"Depends on your own cognitive abilities, amnesia can be naturally cured but due to your unique situation which I daresay is nothing more of a miracle- it may be more difficult."

"..."

"Let me say a few words and names that you might find familiar... I'll begin with who you were to me and the others... you are or were the Geo Archon." Welt stated.

"...Archon..?" (Y/N) repeated the word, rolling it off his tongue but he felt nothing trigger.

Archon. The word which refers to as a "ruler" but a ruler of what? He briefly recalled his abilities to morph weapons out of rock from nothingness so... an Archon of rocks? Welt mentioned him being the "Geo" Archon so that would make sense.

Ironically enough, even when he pieced the two seemingly logical evidence together, nothing came to mind even though Welt looked almost expectant of it. Unfortunately, he'll need to burst his bubbles, "Archon" certainly sounded familiar but it didn't rang any bells.

Or it did ring a bell and he just didn't hear it.

"Anything?" Welt asked but to his disappointment, (Y/N) shook his head.

"Nothing... you can try again if you wish." He said.

"...Then what about the enemy we fought against with? The Honkai?" Welt stated again.

"...Honkai..?" 

At that moment when Welt mentioned that very word, (Y/N) felt a burning sensation all across his body but most prominently on his left cheek where it burned the most to the point of aching.

"I... I do not recall anything concrete from that as well..." (Y/N) replied quietly, rubbing his cheek.

"That is unfortunate though from how much you're rubbing your cheek, I can safely assume there are some phantom sensations left ingrained into your body." Welt said.

"Still no recollections..." The amnesiac stated before feeling a hand pat his shoulder.

"Give it some time, but rest assured that I will help you-" Anything else Welt wanted to say to him was cut off by a sudden announcement from the train P.A.

"Ahem, hello, hello~! Attention all passengers! Attention all passengers! The Express is about to conduct a warp jump. All passengers please gather at the main hall!"

"Ah, looks like we're just about ready to depart." Welt remarked before (Y/N) saw Stelle entering the main compartment alongside March and Himeko.

"You seemed to have enjoyed yourself." (Y/N) noted as Stelle bounced over to him.

"The entire place looks bigger than it is from outside, Dan Heng is a bookworm and March is... March." Stelle responded.

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?!" The said archer rebuked but any words she wanted to complain out would soon be interrupted by the P.A.

"The Express has now reached a safe distance from the space station. We will be jumping in about ten minutes. Pom-Pom recommends sitting down before you get thrown around like March 7th, things could get bumpy!"

"Like March..? What?" (Y/N) repeated in confusion before seeing the said girl stand in the middle of the compartment.

"It's something she's been doing for a while now, usually it never ends up working for her." Welt explained as March seemingly braced herself firmly.

"Doesn't sound like it'll work this time if it never worked in the first place, why continue?" Stelle questioned as (Y/N) shrugged and Welt smile lightly.

"Well, it's not harming anyone... except March's pride so we usually leave her be. Oh, before we jump, I want to give you this." He said, passing (Y/N) a phone.

"I assume you don't have one of these beacons yet so I procured one in advance, do be sure to add the Express members' contacts onto it."

"Got it... should we continue our talk on a later date?" (Y/N) replied to which Welt nodded.

"That's fine by me."

"Hello! This is Pom-Pom. All passengers, please return to your seats... unless you're like March 7th. The train is about to make the jump! Hold on, everyone!"

"Looks like we're about to go." Welt noted.

Just as he said that, the entire train started to thrum with unknown energy as the stars outside the windows became a blur while the Astral Express turned into a holographic blue.

"5!" Pom-Pom began to count down.

"4!" March remained standing in the middle of the compartment, boosting her own confidence as she planted herself there as hard as she can.

"3!" Stelle was looking around as the train started to shake though if it was out of concern or wonderment from the entire situation, he didn't know.

"2!" Welt only smiled lightly, knowing he now has another task which is to bring back an old friend's memories while making new ones.

"One journey's end... is just the start of another..." (Y/N) muttered to himself.

"1!"

Suddenly, the passengers' visions were filled with blue as the stars turned to shining white lines as the Astral Express finally made the warp to another universe unknown.

Whether fate will be on their side or not, that remains to be seen.

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This took a while but then again, I'm more focused on the main story since most of the contexts will come from there so don't expect more chapters to come soon, I'm saying this for the good of all those who are waiting for more. Nevertheless, hope you've enjoyed.