Into the Cosmos (Star Rail SI, Chaos Gacha) (Patreon)

Chapter 3: The First True Trial

Feeling my face warm as I realized I’d said that out loud, I smiled nervously and scratched the back of my head.

‘Way to make a good impression on the pretty lady, dumbass,’ I silently chastised myself. ‘Now she probably thinks you’re some cute kid with a crush or something.’ The thought made me feel a bit deflated after embarrassing myself in front of such a beautiful woman.

Seeing my reaction, Himeko’s smile grew a touch warmer as she let out a soft giggle before shifting her attention to March and Dan Heng.

“March, Dan Heng, it seems you’ve been through a lot,” she commented lightly.

“Himeko, what took you so long!? That last wave of Antimatter Legion came at us like a swarm of locusts! Have you ever tried shooting locusts with a bow?” March complained in exasperation, though it was obvious she was mostly venting. Himeko simply listened with an amused smile.

“I wouldn’t have made much of a difference,” Himeko replied gently, resting a hand on her chin. “My orbital cannon can handle large groups at once, but I couldn’t exactly blow up the space station with it. Herta would not like that…”

She then turned her attention to the still-injured Arlan, who was being supported by Dan Heng.

“Are you alright, Arlan? Asta’s been worried about you.”

“I’m fine. A quick patch-up will do. Thanks for asking. I’ll report to Lead Researcher Asta immediately. Bye,” Arlan said hurriedly before limping off.

“Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express,” she said, turning her focus back to me, which made me tense slightly as I remembered my earlier slip.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Himeko. March had nothing but good things to say about you. I’m Caelus,” I replied with a polite smile, thankfully managing not to embarrass myself this time.

Her gaze flicked teasingly toward March for a moment before returning to me. “She has, has she? Speaking of March… she hasn’t been any trouble for you along the way, has she?”

March planted a hand on her hip and turned her head toward me with a warning smile. “Caelus, think very carefully about how you answer that.”

“I’ve never met a more reckless girl in my life,” I said seriously, keeping a straight face while giving Himeko a relaxed, teasing smile that she immediately caught, her eyes glinting with amusement.

Seeing March about to fire back, I continued, my tone softening.

“At the same time, I’ve never met a more lively, understanding, and compassionate girl in my life.”

It was the truth. March had been looking out for me the whole time, and Dan Heng had joined in once he noticed my coughing.

They were both great.

March froze mid-retort as a faint blush spread across her cheeks, which she quickly tried to hide by turning her face away.

“W-Well, I’m glad you think so. You’re pretty lucky having a girl like me looking after you, you know? He’s a discerning one, isn’t he, Dan Heng?” she said, trying to shift the attention.

“I have the right to remain silent,” Dan Heng replied calmly, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

“Haha, look at you all, you’ve already gotten really close,” Himeko said with a light laugh. “Come on, Asta’s been worried about you.”

With that, she turned and led us further in, and we followed behind her.

Soon we reached a wide open area, and I slowed to a stop as I noticed how clearly the stars and cosmos could be seen from this spot compared to anywhere else on the station.

“They’re so beautiful,” I murmured, my eyes briefly shifting into the red of my Sharingan as I tried to imprint the sight of the universe into my memory.

It reminded me again just how small we really were. Here I stood, aboard a spaceship orbiting an unknown planet, with the infinite expanse of space stretched out before me.

‘For some reason, looking at the stars like this makes me feel so cold.’

A moment later, I snapped out of it and caught up to the others, noticing March and Himeko glancing at me from the corners of their eyes. When they saw me looking, they smiled before facing forward again.

Before long, we reached Asta, a beautiful girl with pink hair, soft blue eyes and a white outfit.

She was busy issuing orders and communicating with multiple people about the situation and just how dire it truly was, making me frown as I remembered that even though this was the start of the game, we still had to deal with a planet-destroying entity called the Doomsday Beast, something they had barely managed to survive thanks to the Stellaron inside me.

The problem was…

‘Could I even control the Stellaron inside me for a moment without it going out of control and killing me?’ I wondered anxiously.

March soon caught Asta’s attention, and she turned to us with a relieved smile after confirming we were alright. She and Himeko started talking, but I didn’t pay any attention to the conversation. My mind was too busy worrying about the incoming threat.

Eventually, their discussion ended, and suddenly I felt someone grab my wrist and pull me along.

Blinking, I finally snapped back to the present and saw March was the culprit, leading me somewhere with determination.

Glancing around, I noticed Dan Heng already heading off in another direction while Himeko watched us with a small smile that grew warmer when she noticed me looking.

March finally stopped and practically forced me into a chair at a small table before taking the seat across from me.

“Alright, mister. You’re going to sit there and rest. Don’t think I didn’t notice you weren’t looking too good earlier,” March said sternly, crossing her arms with a small pout.

“Haha… so you did notice, huh?” I muttered nervously, scratching the back of my head as I looked away, avoiding her eyes.

“Of course I did. Dan Heng did too. Now spill it, mister. Are you really alright?” she pressed, her tone still firm, though her expression softened at the end.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I finally looked up and faced her properly, giving her a small smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

“I… I’m okay. For now.”

March blinked, only growing more worried, so I looked away again.

“You remember how I said that once we had more time, and there wasn’t an emergency, I’d tell you what I know about myself?”

Tilting her head, clearly recalling our earlier conversation that now felt like it had happened days ago rather than just hours, March nodded slowly.

“…Yeah?”

“Can we save that conversation for later too?” I asked softly, still not meeting her gaze. “For now, just know that I’m alright… and there’s nothing that can be done about my situation currently.”

My words didn’t reassure her at all. Her pretty face tightened with worry, but after a moment she nodded anyway.

“…Okay. I’ll stay quiet for now. But please don’t push yourself too hard if something’s wrong,” March said, her voice softening into a quiet plea.

Looking back at her, I had to swallow the response sitting on my tongue.

That was impossible.

With how the Gacha System worked, and with my limited time, I had no choice but to push myself again and again. Harder than I ever had before. All while my body grew weaker as the curse slowly progressed.

“I’ll try,” I said instead, offering what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

She didn’t look convinced.

Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the station.

Our conversation cut off instantly. After exchanging a quick glance, we both stood and hurried over to Asta and Himeko to see what was happening, just as the space station trembled beneath our feet like an earthquake.

A holographic screen was already pulled up showing what was responsible, and I felt my blood run slightly cold as it displayed what looked like a massive white-and-blue dragon trying to break through the station’s defenses.

“Take the Express and leave,” Asta suddenly ordered, turning to Himeko beside her. Despite looking slightly worried, Himeko didn’t seem to disagree. “I’ll stay.”

“But…” March muttered weakly, glancing anxiously between Asta and the researchers still scrambling around the control room.

“Let’s go,” Himeko declared suddenly, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along with firm urgency. March hurried after us.

We met up with Dan Heng, who was already heading our way, and quickly left the Master Control Zone.

We moved fast through the station while Asta’s voice stayed in our ears, urging us to hurry, until eventually, all we heard was static.

“…We lost communications,” Himeko said, worry creeping into her tone.

“Are you thinking of going back?” Dan Heng asked calmly, arms crossed. “Let me remind you, that’s the Doomsday Beast. The Legion’s planet destroyer.”

“The space station is Herta’s creation. As long as a Lord Ravager doesn’t intervene, it should hold,” Himeko replied confidently.

“B-But we can’t just run away like this, right…?” March asked, her voice tight with worry.

“The Doomsday Beast can tear through the defense shield like paper, and Herta isn’t here. The station’s defenses aren’t strong enough to withstand the Antimatter Legion,” Dan Heng explained.

“Either way, the Legion has the blessing of the Aeon Nanook. They came prepared. Everyone here did not.”

“That’s exactly why we have to leave, and take Caelus with us,” Himeko said, turning her gaze toward me.

March and Dan Heng followed her eyes, both staring now, which made me shift slightly under the attention.

“Caelus?” Dan Heng murmured. “He’s… that important?”

“He’s the one who can help us turn the tide. Of course, I may be wrong,” Himeko said, nodding faintly before glancing down for a moment.

Dan Heng considered that in silence.

March, however, looked at me with worried eyes. I gave her a small shake of my head, silently pleading with her to keep quiet for now. I had a feeling she was thinking about my condition.

She narrowed her eyes in frustration, but thankfully stayed silent.

“…If you say so,” Dan Heng finally replied. “Alright. What should we do next?”

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when neither of them seemed to notice our exchange.

“This is the supply zone where the maintenance crew works,” Himeko explained. “There’s a path here leading to the nearest railway platform. Let’s head there and meet up with Welt.”

“Mr. Yang? He’s here too? Didn’t he stay on the Express?” March asked, sounding both surprised and relieved.

“The Astral Express tracks our coordinates in real time,” Dan Heng said. “With a disturbance this large, there’s no way Mr. Yang wouldn’t notice.”

“Hm. I’d wager your Mr. Yang is already on his way,” Himeko added. “Right now, we might still be able to manage if it’s only the Doomsday Beast. But if the Destruction’s Emanator were to appear…”

She trailed off, a faint frown tugging at her lips while biting her bottom lip softly immediately causing my eyes to focus on them.

‘Dammit, focus, Caelus! You can stare at Himeko all you want later, if you manage to survive this mess.’ I silently scolded myself.

“Let’s get moving then,” I said aloud, nodding.

Himeko gave me a gentle smile in thanks for my support that I did my best to stay composed through, even if my heart skipped a beat.

“Right. Let’s hurry,” she said, turning and leading the way once more.

=====

Half an Hour Later

With a clear goal in mind, we traversed the space station toward our destination, encountering and defeating several more members of the Legion along the way while pushing through a few obstacles before finally spotting the platform in the distance.

Thanks to Himeko being with us, we were able to dispatch the Legion goons quickly and efficiently. Because of that, I didn’t have to push my body as hard, resulting in me only coughing once or twice before quickly recovering. It also helped that I didn’t have my Sharingan active, which conserved even more of my energy.

March and Dan Heng still threw me worried glances, March especially, likely because of our earlier conversation, that even Himeko eventually noticed. Since we were in a hurry, no one said anything, and with March keeping a close eye on me, we continued forward at a brisk pace.

“Aww yeah, it’s the platform!” March exclaimed excitedly as we exited the last room onto a bridge leading toward it.

“…The Express isn’t here,” Dan Heng noted immediately.

“It has to be nearby! Let me go take a peek with my sharp eyes,” March said eagerly, preparing to run ahead—

—but I quickly reached out and gently grabbed her wrist.

“Hey! Why’d you stop me, Caelus?” she complained with a pout, turning toward me—

only to blink when she saw my Sharingan already active.

“Wait,” I said quietly but firmly as my gaze locked onto a massive energy signature approaching fast. “Something’s coming.”

A moment later, my words proved true.

A massive dragon-like creature flew overhead, clearly spotting us before circling back.

“The Doomsday Beast… It’s really here,” Himeko said, her expression sharpening as she tightened her grip on her briefcase.

March pulled free of my hold and summoned her bow, forming an arrow of ice.

“Hey! Get down here!”

As if responding, the beast dove straight toward us, causing all of us to tense.

“Careful, everyone,” Himeko warned.

A moment later, the monster slammed down onto the edge of the platform with a deafening screech.

Adrenaline surged through my veins. I gripped my bat and channeled the power of Destruction into it, the metal glowing with a radiant silver-blue light.

“Looks like we have no choice but to defeat it,” Dan Heng said, tightening his grip on his polearm.

‘Here’s hoping everything turns out alright,’ I told myself silently as I tried to steady my nerves while facing something capable of destroying planets.

And to think the enemies only get stronger from here…

Hesitation crept into my chest as I stared up at the monstrous being.

I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die. I’m going to die.

The thought repeated like a mantra, my courage shrinking with every beat of my heart as despair threatened to swallow me whole.

Then—

faces appeared in my mind.

A girl with silvery-blonde hair, sunset-colored eyes.

A tall woman with long dark purple hair and violet eyes.

A young woman with lilac eyes and lavender hair.

Another with long light-pink hair, purple eyes and shimmering pupils.

And finally—

“Caelus! Snap out of it!” March’s voice rang out as she cast a shield around me with her powers while the others held the Doomsday Beast back.

I turned to her and saw the worry in her pink and blue eyes.

And then it hit me.

That’s right.

This wasn’t a game anymore.

If I didn’t move forward… if I didn’t fight…

Most of the girls I just thought of would die.

Even if I’d only met them through a screen before, I wanted to meet them here. Talk to them face to face. Learn what they liked and disliked. Share a meal with them. Protect them.

This power of mine could save them. Something the original Caelus hadn’t been able to fully do.

Maybe I wasn’t the original.

But it didn’t matter.

I wouldn’t let my new—or future—friends die.

Unbeknownst to me, the bat at my side began glowing with an almost blinding white light, energy gathering along its surface as I gave March a grateful smile and stepped forward.

“Sorry about freezing up like that, March. Thanks for protecting me.”

I stopped beside her and looked up at the monster threatening to tear us apart, my gaze hardening.

“Now let’s kick this wannabe dragon’s ass.”