"The coordinates are right around here."
A cute pink-haired girl, as if a manifestation of intertwined fate, dashed swiftly through the corridor of the space station, heading toward the received coordinates.
The girl was named March 7th, a member of the Star Rail Express.
The space station had been attacked by the Antimatter Legion. March 7th and her companion, Dan Heng, were entrusted by Station Manager Asta to venture deep into the sections occupied by the Antimatter Legion to rescue the trapped station personnel.
To improve efficiency, the two decided to split up temporarily for the search. Unexpectedly, they received rescue coordinates along the way and immediately rushed over without delay.
"Is this... the Curio Room?"
Muttering softly, March 7th exchanged a glance with Dan Heng and quickly ran inside the room.
Fortunately, the Curio Room appeared untouched by the attack, and there were survivors inside.
"Hi..."
March 7th stepped in, ready to greet the survivors, but the next moment, she realized something was off about the scene before her.
A gray-haired young man knelt on the ground, his expression filled with sorrow, on the verge of tears. His eyes, glistening faintly with unshed tears, were fixed on a gray-haired girl who lay unresponsive, like Sleeping Beauty.
Completely absorbed in his own world, the gray-haired young man seemed unaware of their arrival. His hands, gripping the girl's shoulders, shook her violently, as if trying to wake her.
"Stelle~!"
"Stelle~!"
"Wake (↘) up (↘) now (↗)!"
His cries echoed through the room, sorrowful and lingering, making March 7th feel as if she could hear her own ancestors calling her.
The grief in his voice was enough to sadden anyone who heard it and bring tears to anyone who saw it.
Seeing this, March 7th quickly covered her mouth. Dan Heng, who followed behind her, couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly at the sight.
They were too late...
Another heart-wrenching farewell between life and death.
The Antimatter Legion had struck fiercely, like wolves and tigers, causing significant casualties at the space station.
This wasn't the first farewell March 7th had witnessed today, and she could only hope it would be the last.
Gazing at the gray-haired young man, who was sobbing uncontrollably, March 7th could clearly see the profound grief etched on his handsome face.
That gray-haired girl must have been someone incredibly important to him.
Even March 7th could tell from their clothing, hair color, and the almost tangible resemblance that the two were likely blood relatives.
Brother and sister?
Or perhaps older sister and younger brother?
Hearing his heart-wrenching cries, March 7th couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness herself. Biting her lip, she walked over to the young man and gently patted his shoulder.
"Please accept our condolences. Perhaps our timing isn't the best, but the Antimatter Legion is still lurking around, and this place isn't safe..."
The young man, lost in his sobs, was snapped out of his sorrowful trance by the hand on his shoulder. He looked up, somewhat dazed and bewildered, warm tears still streaming from the corners of his eyes.
"I'm March 7th, and this is Dan Heng. We were sent by Station Manager Asta to rescue you..."
March 7th lowered her gaze. Though it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.
If she and Dan Heng had arrived just a little earlier, perhaps they could have prevented this tragedy.
"I'm sorry we were too late."
"No!"
Hearing the word "late," the gray-haired young man raised his head as if struck by a sudden impulse, his golden eyes blazing with fiery determination.
"I won't let Star leave me like this!"
"I will bring her back to life!"
"Huh?" March 7th's clear eyes widened in astonishment.
"Bring her back to life?"
Dan Heng immediately furrowed his brow, his gaze sharpening with alertness.
The desire to resurrect someone due to the unbearable pain of losing a loved one—this situation...
"Sir, I can understand your feelings, but you must know that the dead cannot return to life."
He took a step forward, attempting to persuade the young man not to stray down a misguided and sinister path.
"No, it must be possible!"
A surge of intense emotion and obsession flickered in those golden eyes. Caelus seemed not to have listened at all:
"In my home planet, a 'Fool' known as the Schicksal Overseer had left behind a method. It is said that it can bring someone back to life as long your willpower is enough."
The word "method" had already put Dan Heng on edge, but the mention of "willpower" triggered a keyword alert, and he nearly drew his Cloud-Piercer spear right then and there!
The look in Caelus's eyes—a mix of despair, agony, and obsession—unwittingly stirred fragmented memories deep within Dan Heng's mind.
Though he firmly believed in his heart that he was no longer the person he once was, he could still feel that "other's" profound and unforgettable sorrow. Precisely because of this, he would never allow a similar tragedy to unfold before his eyes again.
Dan Heng concealed the hand gripping his spear behind his back, ready to strike at any moment.
If this person before him displayed any signs of Abundance energy or Abundance artifacts, he would immediately unleash "Dreams of the Past, Illusions of the Present"!
But Caelus's next words made that hand freeze in place.
"As long as you go to a certain tree, take care of it until new branches start to grow. you can bring them back to life."
Caelus spoke with absolute conviction, as if he firmly believed in this ancient legend.
"Huh?" March 7th looked utterly bewildered.
"..."
Dan Heng remained expressionless, his body stiff for a long while. His face contorted as if he had endured a grueling battle, exhaustion written all over it.
He sighed and put away his Cloud-Piercer spear.
"Take care of a tree? New branches? What kind of nonsense is this?"
March 7th wore a look of utter confusion.
Could it be that the Synesthesia Beacon's translation was faulty?
What kind of bizarre secret method was this?
And, beloved?
Aren't you two twins?
Could it be...?
Could it be that forbidden love from the stories?
As if suddenly realizing a crucial detail, March 7th's pupils began to tremble as if struck by an earthquake.
"So, Miss March 7th, can you help me?"
Caelus gazed at the pink haired beauty with eyes full of sorrow, heaviness, and obsession—like a drowning person clinging to their last straw—pleading desperately.
"Huh?"
Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, March 7th short-circuited once again, stunned.
She never thought a person's eyes could genuinely convey such complex emotions—and the key point was, she could distinguish every single one of them!
In his previous life, Caelus had been nothing more than an ordinary office worker, at most participating in some cringe-worthy club plays during college. His acting skills couldn't be called impressive—in fact, they were practically nonexistent.
But now, things were different. He had embarked on the Path of Elation.
And then, there was the mask's ability.
The invisible mask of elation, worn on his face, allowed Caelus to make any expression he desired, down to the subtlest micro-expressions, flawlessly executed without a single flaw.
Moreover, it provided considerable resistance to abilities that could perceive or manipulate emotions, only allowing others to touch upon the surface-level emotions Caelus was feigning.
Even though Caelus had said he no longer wanted to use the mask to conceal his true feelings, it had still gifted him such a mask.
"As expected, Aha is truly the most amusing!"
"Me?"
March 7th poked her head out, pointing a finger at herself with an expression of disbelief, as if she'd just been told to go fight Sukuna.
The ever-kind and beautiful Miss March 7th didn't mind helping someone grieving the loss of a loved one, but her synesthesia beacon had been malfunctioning since earlier, making it impossible to understand what this person was saying.
"That's right, you."
Placing both hands on March 7th's shoulders and staring directly into her blue-purple gradient eyes, Caelus nodded solemnly.
"This is for you."
Caelus handed March 7th a Curio he'd picked up from the Curio Room—the MiHoYo protagonist's ancestral weapon, a baseball bat!
Looking at the bat shoved into her hands, March 7th was at a loss.
"From now on, you're under my care." Caelus patted her shoulder with his right hand.
"Huh?" A flicker of confusion surfaced in March 7th's sky-blue eyes as she instinctively retorted, "But I'm not a tree!"
Dan Heng: "..."
Shouldn't the focus be on the "care" part?
And isn't the owner of that Curio Herta?
Using someone else's property as payment for "care"...
Even if you're going to take something, why a baseball bat?
You could easily find a Curio on the ground that's more fitting for a girl—something soft, cute, and adorable.
There were too many points to criticize, as if he'd been hit by Garen's Judgment three times in a row, Dan Heng fell into silence.
"It's fine, as long as you're sturdy like one."
Caelus said with a serious expression, "I once took care of a tree so it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Now, I'm going to perform the final step."
Without giving March 7th time to react, Caelus turned and returned to Stelle's side.
At that moment, March 7th sensed a change in the gray-haired young man's demeanor.
Solemn and dignified, his face filled with reminiscence, he simply gazed at that figure.
Having experienced many adventures and being an avid reader of various novels, March 7th could already imagine countless past experiences between the two.
A forbidden love unacceptable by worldly morality, the disputes and condemnations from outsiders, the despair of parents...
"Wait, what about the growing step?"
As March 7th asked this, she didn't notice the look Dan Heng gave her.
"I added it earlier—fertilizer."
Of course, this was just a joke~!
"Huh?" March 7th's entire demeanor seemed to glitch for a moment.
The gray-haired young man seemed to be gathering his emotions.
Then, at a certain moment, the boiling emotions, like a suppressed volcano, erupted instantly. It was as if he had cast aside all external factors, shattered worldly prejudices, and cried out with all his might:
"Re~vive~!" My~ lo~ve~!!!"
The grand, layered voice echoed through the space station's corridors.
March 7th watched the young man, who seemed to have fallen into a trance, her eyes filled with even deeper sorrow and sympathy.
This person... is probably driven mad by excessive grief.
Just as March 7th was about to open her mouth to comfort Caelus, she suddenly froze like a statue, stunned.
Because the gray-haired girl who had been lying on the ground all this time was actually called awake!
She opened her eyes, looking at the group with a bewildered expression.
The dead... really... came back to life!!!???
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Otto apocalypse...
I really liked this chapter since I really like otto's character
Also Stelle! my love
anyway good morning, good afternoon and good night