Seeing the chat's reminder, Ah Xian hurriedly opens the character interface and clicks the info page.
Sure enough, the story section, which hadn't unlocked even at level 40 breakthrough, now has a new entry.
[Character Story II]
A red-haired woman steps onto the ground, her intelligent and elegant face showing faintly furrowed brows.
"According to the archives, Ether Star had autumn-like seasons year-round, with beautiful mountains and clear waters. How did it come to this?"
A reserved, steady man adjusts his glasses.
"The train's survey results are clear: Ether Star is on the verge of collapse and could be destroyed at any moment."
To his eyes, Ether Star is a wilted flower, ready to vanish with the wind at any time.
"No gravitational ripples from life activity can be detected. Himeko, we shouldn't stay long."
"Wait a bit, Welt. The travel recorder picked up some footage. Quick, back to the landing pod."
The two return to the landing pod and head toward a specific coordinate without a word.
They move fast, and about ten minutes later, the pod stops at a flat terrain.
Stepping back onto the ground, they realize where they are—
A graveyard.
Under the dim sky, the landscape is desolate, not a single plant in sight.
The air is thick with a sense of bleakness and decay.
Strands of sorrow climb from their feet to their hearts, seeping into their minds.
Himeko and Welt are momentarily lost, snapping back only after a long pause.
The area is empty, with only echoes of heroic souls from the past.
"The people of Ether Star fought against their doomed fate until the very last moment… is that right?"
"I think so…"
Himeko quietly receives those echoing voices, her eyes reddening.
Just hearing the voices of the past is enough to paint vivid scenes of history in her mind.
Tragic, yet heroic.
"Himeko…"
"Hm?"
"Look over there—"
Following Welt's gaze, Himeko's pupils tremble slightly.
There, standing before nameless tombstones eroded by countless years, is a figure.
Like a lifelike statue, unmoving.
Both feel an illusion.
The space around the figure seems like shattered mirrors, as if he himself is breaking apart.
His profile is etched with the weariness of ages, one eye dull and lifeless, a trace of aimless confusion within, signaling he's still alive.
But even from a distance, the aura of loneliness radiating from him is palpable.
Perhaps… he's the only one left in this world.
Himeko approaches first, step by step.
"…Do you still remember who you are?"
The statue-like man gives no response, as if his senses are gone.
After a moment, Welt and Himeko exchange a glance.
"Sir, we're Nameless from the Astral Express. This place will soon become history. Will you come with us?"
Perhaps a keyword stirs him, as the man by the inscriptions finally turns his eyes toward them.
With just one glance, a resolute cry echoes in their minds, piercing their souls.
[My body falls, yet the mountains and rivers endure…]
There's another line, but it's inaudible.
Even his old oath can't escape the erosion of time.
"Astral Express… history…"
The man murmurs, his gray-white hair fluttering in the wind, covering half his face.
Himeko asks again if he remembers his past and himself.
"Sky Haven Clan's Saint… Leon."
"May I ask, Mr. Leon, how many years have you lingered here, watching over what? What unfinished business do you have?"
"I… don't remember now. Perhaps I'm waiting for someone, something…"
"But I haven't found it, and I don't know if I ever will…"
"You should go. My past has lost its meaning."
Himeko wants to say more, but Welt stops her.
He shakes his head at her.
Himeko falls silent for a few seconds before leaving her final words.
"Mr. Leon, this world has withered and is about to meet its end."
"If you want to reclaim the meaning of your past, please board the Astral Express and leave this place."
"Only by living can you give meaning to the past."
With that, Himeko signals Welt to leave.
Every few steps, they glance back at Leon.
Until they board the landing ship, casting one final look from the hatch.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Half a minute…
Himeko sighs, letting go of her lingering thoughts.
The hatch closes, the ship's engines roar, and it vanishes into the sky.
The nameless tombstones dissolve into fine sand, disappearing before Leon's eyes.
He slowly reaches out, as if trying to hold onto what's fading, but grasps nothing.
"Cold tombstones bear old oaths… reunion at the place of parting…"
But the last thing to linger has vanished with the wind.
"Why bother, why persist."
A pair of wide white wings suddenly unfurl.
His dull eyes gradually regain a spark of life as he looks to the stars and soars upward.
"Welcome aboard the Astral Express, Mr. Leon."
After reading the final lines, Ah Xian is at a loss for words.
She keeps gnawing at her lower lip.
Until she bites too hard, tasting blood, she takes a deep, pained breath.
"Before seeing Character Story II, who would've doubted Leon's fun-loving persona?"
"Didn't expect his past to be all about the passage of time."
"It really fits what someone once said…"
"A fun-loving personality might just be a defense mechanism to hide inner pain."
"He smiles at you, but you don't know if that smile conceals past sorrows."
"Though Character Story II doesn't give much info, it's enough to spark a lot of guesses."
"Considering Leon has a five-star form and three more background stories for his four-star form, they might not reveal everything."
"But that's fine—it'll come eventually."
[My body falls, yet the mountains and rivers endure, cold tombstones bear old oaths, reunion at the place of parting… damn, every line cuts deep!]
[There's probably one more line that even Himeko and Welt didn't hear.]
[I'm not super educated, but let me try a quick reading—]
[First line: Willing to die to preserve the mountains and rivers.]
[Second line: Even in death, the cold tombstones must bear the old oaths.]
[Third line's broader—maybe a reunion at the place of parting once everything settles?]
[The last line's the sharpest. Guess where those tombstones were set up? The reunion spot?]
[…]
When a theory gains enough support, even if its truth is uncertain, it becomes a temporary truth.
Many players start to think the graveyard might've started with just one… no, maybe no tombstones at all, but several people.
Over time, the tombstones grew, and the people dwindled, until only Leon remained.
What burdens does he carry, and what fate does he bear?
"Ahh—I'm dying to know!"