Derick knew the whole truth, so he was the first to notice something was off about Misha.
And right after, the perceptive Stelle also sensed that something wasn't right with Misha.
She then looked at Misha and asked.
"Misha, who are you, really?"
Hearing Stelle's question, Misha took a step forward and said with a faint smile.
"Since I've recovered my memories, allow me to reintroduce myself."
"I was born on Planet Rusalka in the Przemyśl star system, the adopted son of the navigator Mr. Mikhail and Mrs. Challes. The two elders gave me a treasure, a name that carried their hopes and wishes—Lagvork Challes Mikhail. Or, for short, Misha."
Hearing this, Stelle was taken aback, her eyes wide with shock.
"You, you're Mikhail!?"
Before the Astral Express arrived on Penacony, Himeko had told Stelle about Penacony and Mikhail's situation.
Mikhail, the Nameless who disembarked, helped Asdana regain its freedom and single-handedly created Penacony, turning the former prison into the land of dreams it is today.
"Strictly speaking, I'm just a memory bubble left behind by Mikhail, meant to appear only when the Nameless arrived. But after I gained consciousness, I left that place on my own. Fortunately, my luck is pretty good. I was able to see you all again on Penacony," Misha said with a smile to Stelle, Himeko, and the others.
Himeko took out a device from her side and said, "There's more. I made other preparations as well."
"What's this?" Misha asked Himeko.
"It's a communication device for the Astral Express. I've been thinking about how to contact the real world from the dreamscape for the past few days. Luckily, I prepared in advance. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult to whip up a device like this on short notice," Himeko replied.
After she finished her reply, her gaze shifted to Derick, a hint of gratitude in her eyes. If it hadn't been for Derick's reminder, she wouldn't have prepared in advance and would have been unable to contact the Astral Express, leaving everyone with regrets.
Now, there was still time, the device was ready, and communication was possible.
"You mean you want me to contact the conductor?" Misha had now figured out what Himeko was planning.
Himeko nodded and handed the communication device to Misha.
Misha took a deep breath, accepted the device, and opened a video call.
On the video screen, the rabbit-like conductor of the Astral Express, Pom-Pom, appeared.
"Hey, Himeko, what're you calling Pom-Pom for~"
Pom-Pom had just started to complain when they saw Misha, and their expression froze.
"Conductor, it's been a long time," Misha said to Pom-Pom.
"Waaaah, Passenger Mikhail, you're still here! This is wonderful!" Pom-Pom said, tears streaming down their face.
Mikhail wasn't very old when he boarded the train. Seeing Misha's current appearance, Pom-Pom recognized him in an instant.
As the conductor of the Astral Express, Pom-Pom held deep affection for all the Nameless on the train and cherished the memory of every single one. Even someone like Aha, who blew up the train, Pom-Pom still considered a Nameless.
The worst of the Nameless was still a Nameless.
The only exception was Oswaldo. To this day, Derick still didn't know what kind of monstrous things Oswaldo had done to make even Pom-Pom refuse to acknowledge him as a Nameless.
As for Mikhail, he disembarked to save an oppressed people. Pom-Pom had always kept his departure in their heart. They had thought that, given his lifespan, they would never meet again. To be able to communicate once more at this moment, Pom-Pom couldn't help but be emotional.
"Conductor, you're still as emotional as ever," Misha said softly.
Watching their exchange, Himeko walked over and patted the shoulders of Derick, Stelle, Castorice, and March 7th.
"Let's go. We shouldn't disturb their time together."
"Okay."
The group naturally didn't want to interrupt their reunion, so they found a secluded spot to wait for Misha and Pom-Pom to finish their conversation.
While they were waiting, Welt Yang also walked over. Seeing them waiting there, Welt Yang asked, "What happened here?"
Himeko then recounted everything that had happened to Welt Yang.
After hearing about Misha's identity and his story, Welt Yang nodded silently.
After waiting for some time, Himeko, Welt Yang, and the others felt it was about time and prepared to check on Misha's situation.
When they reached Misha, they were surprised to find him still talking with Pom-Pom.
Pom-Pom was currently chattering away, telling Misha all about the recent events on the Astral Express.
"...Passenger March 7th is always bringing back weird things. One time she brought back something called a Score Gun and even gave Pom-Pom a one-point score."
Misha couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Pom-Pom continued at this point.
"Also, be careful of Passenger Himeko's coffee. It's the most terrifying beverage Pom-Pom has ever seen. But you can't tell her that."
As soon as they said that, the gazes of Derick, Welt Yang, and Stelle all turned to Himeko.
And when Himeko heard Pom-Pom's comment about her coffee, she simply smiled.
The sight sent a shiver down Derick and the others' spines.
"Somehow, Miss Himeko right now feels several hundred times more terrifying than Nanook."
Misha, still unaware that everyone's eyes were on him, continued to ask Pom-Pom, "How bad is it? Is it worse than the tea from Gram's hometown?"
"A hundred times worse, pom!"
Hearing Pom-Pom's miserable complaint, Misha laughed and said, "I'd really like to try it."
Mikhail, you really are a true Trailblazer! Hearing Misha say this, Derick complained in his heart.
Just then, Misha sensed something and turned to look toward Derick's group.
"Mr. Derick, Miss Himeko, Miss Stelle... you're here! And this must be Mr. Welt, right?"
His tone held no trace of awkwardness. After all, he was about to disappear, so it wasn't worth wasting time on such emotions.
"Yes," Welt Yang nodded.
After the greetings, Misha turned back to Pom-Pom and said, "Conductor, I have to leave now. The future of the Trailblaze is in your hands. I hope you all will see many more sights that I never got to see."
"Okay, pom! Goodbye, Mikhail!"
Even though Pom-Pom knew what was about to happen and that this was a final farewell, they still made their promise to Misha in the happiest and firmest tone they could muster.
Misha looked at Himeko and continued, "For this last stretch of the road, would you all be willing to walk with me, Miss Himeko?"
"Of course," Himeko nodded seriously.
Welt Yang, Stelle, and March 7th also nodded earnestly.
But at that moment, Derick raised his hand and said, "Wait, I might have a way we can try!"
Huh!!!!
Everyone looked at Derick with astonished eyes.
"In this dream world, my body is also constituted by my immortality. Maybe I can help Misha reconstruct his body, just like I helped Castorice and the others," Derick explained to the group.
The bodies of Castorice, Polyxia, and the others were, so to speak, data from the Imperial Scepter, transformed into physical entities by Derick's blood. So, for a character existing in the dreamscape, could he use the special nature of his body to reconstruct them?
"Is... is that possible?" March 7th asked Derick doubtfully.
"How will we know if we don't try?" Derick said to March 7th.
"That's true." Stelle strongly agreed with Derick's idea. At worst, Misha would just disappear. But if it succeeded, they would have saved a Nameless.
Himeko looked at Misha and asked, "Misha, what do you think?"
"Of course we have to try," Misha said in a firm tone. "Whether it fails or succeeds, it's still an attempt, an act of [Trailblaze]. Let's do it, Mr. Derick. Please begin your attempt."
Derick looked at Misha and said, "But first we need to find an empty room, because after being reborn, you won't have any clothes. So it's best to be somewhere private."
Aside from the followers of Aha, not many people enjoy running naked in the streets, even if Misha is a boy. At the same time, Derick was a very jealous person and didn't want Castorice and the others to see a naked Misha.
So naturally, they had to find an empty room.
"I'll arrange it," Gallagher, who had just arrived, said to Misha.
At the same time, he saw Misha about to speak and made a gesture to stop him.
"Don't say anything yet. Wait until you're truly reborn."
"Mm." Misha nodded.
Afterward, Derick prepared to take Misha to reconstruct his body. But before they left, Himeko smiled at him and said, "Misha, we'll be waiting for you here. Weren't you curious to taste my coffee? I'll go brew some while I wait for you."
The moment Himeko said this, everyone present froze as if time had stopped.
Misha looked at Derick and said, "You know what, Derick, maybe you shouldn't reconstruct my body? I, I feel like leaving just like this would be fine, too."
When he couldn't drink it, Misha talked a big game. But now that it was his turn, Misha felt a sudden terror.
He wasn't afraid of dying, but he was afraid of a violent death.
"D-definitely," Stelle and March 7th nodded in agreement. "Life and death are part of the natural order. We shouldn't go against the heavens!"
Derick also began to wonder if he was harming Misha.
Originally, Misha could have had a very peaceful departure. But in this situation, the time of his departure might not change, but the manner of his death might be a hundred times more gruesome.
However, their "resistance" couldn't stop Derick's actions.
Taking Misha with him, Derick arrived in an empty room.
With only the two of them left in the room, Misha asked Derick, "Mr. Derick, what do you need me to do?"
Derick replied, "You don't need to do anything, just stand here. Brace yourself, it might hurt a little."
"Mm." Misha nodded.
Then, Derick acted, directly infusing energy into Misha's body. The force of this attack directly molecularized Misha's body. Derick then tore open his own skin, extracted some of his own body's molecules, and combined them with Misha's.
Once they were combined, Derick once again used his energy to reconstruct Misha's body.
Soon, a naked Misha appeared before Derick.
He took a look. Hmm, completely unfazed.
Derick wasn't a priest; he had no interest in little boys' bodies.
At that moment, Misha's eyes opened. Derick then materialized a set of clothes for him.
"Here, put these on."
"Mm." Misha nodded and quickly dressed.
"Misha, how does your body feel now? Are there any problems?" Derick asked.
Hearing Derick's question, Misha immediately checked his body. After assessing his condition, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.
Misha told Derick, "There are no problems, Mr. Derick. My body has changed. It's now in a state between the Memoria of the dreamscape and the Matter of reality. In other words, I can leave Penacony's dreamscape."
Hearing this, Derick nodded.
Just like Castorice, Cipher, and the others, Misha could now live freely in the universe.
"Looks like you can get back on the train," Derick said to Misha.
"Mm." Misha nodded.
The current situation on Penacony no longer required Mikhail. Misha now intended to return to the Astral Express and embark on a new Trailblaze.
"Let's go out and tell them the good news," Derick said to Misha again.
"Okay."
Misha and Derick came out of the small room together.
As they walked toward Himeko's group, Derick asked Misha, "By the way, Misha, should I call you Misha, or Mikhail? Which name do you plan to use from now on?"
Misha thought for a moment, then replied to Derick, "Let's stick with Misha! Let's leave Mikhail here on Penacony!"
"Alright, Misha," Derick said with a nod.
The two then approached Himeko and the others. The group was already waiting for them expectantly.
Seeing them return, Stelle eagerly asked, "How did it go? Was everything successful?"
"Everything went smoothly. The Astral Express has one more Nameless now," Misha replied.
Hearing this, Stelle and March 7th jumped for joy.
Just then, Himeko took out two cups of coffee and said with a smile, "Here, you must be tired. Have some coffee to relax."
Staring at the coffee, Derick and Misha both froze.
"I think... when you reconstructed my body, you didn't do it right. It needs a do-over," Misha said to Derick.
"Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing," Derick nodded in absolute agreement.
The two looked at each other and were about to make a run for it.
______
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