"Trash… can?" The girl's eyes widened, pointing weakly at Adrian.
"Hm?"
Kafka turned around, glancing at Silver Wolf and Adrian gaming together. Everything seemed normal.
She sighed softly and activated her Spirit Whisper ability: "Listen to me: Your mind is in chaos right now. You don't know who you are, why you're here, or what to do next. You feel I'm familiar, but you're unsure whether to trust me…"
Silver Wolf, still in respawn timer, looked up and nudged Adrian, who was recklessly attacking a tower with no minion support:
"Look, look! That's the Spirit Whisper control I told you about!"
"Hold on… we're about to win!"
Stelle's attention was entirely on the talking trash can. Kafka, ever considerate, pulled out earphones from her coat, placed them on Stelle's ears, and blocked out the noisy duo.
Then, she took out her communicator, her jade-like lips parting softly:
"…But none of that matters. What matters is that I'm leaving, and you'll be alone in this space station. So from now on, you don't need to dwell on the past or doubt yourself."
Her clear, resonant voice echoed in Stelle's mind—a truly wondrous sensation.
Oh, I'm wearing earphones.
"Listen to me: You'll face many dangers and find yourself in terrifying situations. But you'll also encounter wonderful things. You'll have companions like family, embarking on adventures you couldn't even dream of…"
"And at the journey's end, all the mysteries troubling you will be unraveled."
"This is what Elio foresaw, the future you'll reach… Do you like it?"
Kafka awaited Stelle's response.
"The enemy's about to respawn—time to test our hand speed!"
"Wait, let me swap to attack speed boots… Oh no, kids, run! My revive passive isn't up!"
"Trash can…"
Stelle's answer caught Kafka off guard.
"Time's almost up. I have to go…" Kafka said reluctantly. "Listen to me: Someone will find you soon. Go with them without worry. You remember nothing but me…"
She paused. "And you'll probably remember that trash can."
Stelle nodded dazedly, the image of the trash can etched deeply in her mind—beyond even Spirit Whisper's influence.
"When you have the chance to make a choice, don't let yourself regret it…" Kafka gently closed Stelle's eyes.
"Take a quick nap."
As Stelle's consciousness faded, she saw the trash can morph back into a black-clad man, leaving with Kafka and Silver Wolf.
"Don't play games while walking," Kafka warned Silver Wolf.
"Reverse sweep!" Silver Wolf beamed at the bold [Victory] on her screen.
"With [Eternity] here, the enemy never stood a chance!"
Silver Wolf and Adrian fist-bumped.
"What's with that kid muttering about a trash can?" Kafka asked, glancing at Adrian. Stelle never had a thing for trash cans before.
"You didn't know? That's the true form of the Aeon of [Eternity]!"
"Pfft, the Aeon of [Eternity] as a trash can? That's hilarious. Be careful the Eternity Church doesn't hear you," Silver Wolf said, pulling out a pack of bubble gum.
"The Cancer of All Worlds belongs in a trash can. Not her, of course," Adrian said, taking a piece of gum from Silver Wolf. "That kid might actually think the Aeon of [Eternity] is a trash can."
"Hope she doesn't pick up a habit of rummaging through trash cans," Kafka remarked.
"Don't worry," Adrian assured her.
"It's getting late, Silver Wolf," Kafka said, checking her phone. "Time to go."
"I'll come back to play in a few days," Silver Wolf said, tossing the whole pack of gum to Adrian as a farewell gift.
"Always welcome."
Adrian glanced at the still-unconscious Stelle. The Express wasn't leaving anytime soon—not with a Doomsday Beast still to deal with.
"I won't show up in person. My target's the Aether Cartridge! The Legion's a bunch of primitives, the IPC's not much better. Only the Genius Society folks can keep me entertained."
"Need me to tag along?"
"Nope," Silver Wolf said confidently.
Adrian didn't press further. He'd done his part.
After Silver Wolf and Kafka left, Adrian approached Stelle, placing a custom baseball bat in her hand.
"Compensation for the scare. This is yours now."
Who wakes up to a talking trash can? That's enough to spook any kid.
Adrian gripped the silver-black baseball bat. He used to tease kids with it back in the day. Now that kid had become a magical girl, swapping the bat for a wand.
Sigh, bats are so cool.
Adrian admitted he loved characters with stark contrasts—like Yunli, a tiny girl wielding a massive sword.
"I believe in you. Carry on the legacy of the bat's original owner!"
…
"This person's coordinates weren't sent from the space station…"
"Who cares at this point? She's right in front of us—can't be fake. She's even holding a weapon for self-defense. Clearly, she's fought the Legion."
Some time later, Stelle's consciousness slowly returned, catching two voices.
"Her heartbeat and pulse are weak. March, prepare for CPR."
"What?! I… I don't have much experience! Nameless don't need CPR training. Dan Heng, you do it!"
Stelle groggily opened her eyes, seeing a handsome face leaning closer.
"Spare her lips—she's awake!" March 7th rushed over.
Stelle clutched her head, not fully lucid.
"Can you hear us? Do you remember your name?" Dan Heng asked.
"Stelle. I don't remember much else."
"Hi, I'm Dan Heng. This is March 7th."
After brief introductions, Dan Heng explained the situation.
"This space station was attacked by the Antimatter Legion. We're here on Stationmaster Asta's request to help."
"Antimatter Legion? Stationmaster Asta?"
Stelle couldn't make sense of Dan Heng's words.
"The former are [Destruction] Nanook's goons. You're lucky—the most dangerous Annihilation Lords aren't around. Just a bunch of scattered troublemakers," March 7th said confidently. "We'll wipe out the invaders soon, no worries."
"The latter's a pink-haired, petite, super cute girl. Appointed acting stationmaster by Lady Herta herself."
Stelle looked at March 7th—pink hair, petite, super cute, a girl…
"Wait, isn't that you?!" Stelle realized something wild. Were they sisters?
"Almost sounds like it… No, I'm not that short!"
"So where should I go…?" Stelle was still confused.
"Back to the main control cabin. Stationmaster Asta and the evacuated researchers are there," Dan Heng said.
"The Astral Express is parked nearby too! Once we're back, I'll show you," March 7th added.
Stelle finally understood the situation.
"No time to waste. Let's move."
"You and March head back. Arlan from the Defense Department lost contact nearby. I need to bring him back," Dan Heng said.
"Stay safe," March 7th waved. She'd heard from Himeko about Dan Heng's combat prowess—one spear thrust could fend off a beast.
"Let's go! Got your weapon? Still know how to use it?" March pointed at the baseball bat on the ground. "When we found you, you were gripping it tight. Must be special to you."
"Was I?"
Stelle didn't remember. As she crouched to pick up the bat, an intangible memory surged into her mind.
[Little Fu, when you visit other planets to… spread Eternity, keep this for protection.]
[You mean, if they don't join us, I can persuade them with the bat?]
[Huh? Only if they're bad guys. We're all about peace and love.]
[Got it. Anyone who doesn't join us is a bad guy!]
The dialogue ended, and Stelle's mind gained a memory not her own—how to wield this weapon.
"I think I know how to use this thing," she murmured, swinging the bat.
"Rules are meant to be broken!" she blurted out.
…
Control Room.
A dark-skinned, white-haired boy locked eyes with Adrian.
"Arlan, I genuinely think you've got the potential to be the Aeon of [Destruction]," Adrian said seriously, no jest intended.
If Arlan bulked up, grew out his hair into twin braids, went shirtless with golden contact lenses, and smeared yellow dye on his abs and arms, he could totally cosplay Nanook.
"Please, don't joke."
Just moments ago, Adrian had found Arlan hiding here, healing his wounds with a casual wave.
"So… why aren't we moving?" Arlan asked after a pause.
"Waiting for someone to pick us up."
Adrian settled into a chair.
"These days, even slacking off is tough," he sighed.
"The Legion's attack was too suspicious. The station's defense system failed suddenly, and they showed up right after," Arlan said, striking up a conversation.
"Miss Asta organized the evacuation immediately. I was supposed to cover everyone's retreat, but… I got careless."
He hadn't faced many Antimatter Legion grunts, just a centaur Voidranger. To keep it from reaching the main control cabin, Arlan was about to cut contact with Asta when a sneaky elite monster ambushed him.
"Oof," Adrian felt a bit bad for Arlan. He'd drawn all the small fry, leaving the kid to face an elite with rotten luck.
"Young man, want to get stronger?" Adrian changed the topic.
"I…"
Before Arlan could answer, Dan Heng walked in, spotting the two chatting leisurely in chairs.
Huh…
Why did these two look so relaxed?