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

Chapter 7: The Man From Earth

“That’s a rather catchy tune. Do you know the name of the artist?” Himeko asked curiously, raising an eyebrow as she released my hand and led me toward the Express.

Blushing slightly at being caught, I shook my head with a nervous smile.

“I honestly don’t know. All I know is that the song is called Take the Journey,” I admitted, scratching the back of my head while trying to disguise the small disappointment I felt when Himeko let go of my hand.

The song was from my Earth so who knew if it existed here.

“Hmm, rather fitting then~” she replied with a warm chuckle.

Anything I was about to say next was cut off when I suddenly felt a feminine form crash into my back in a hug.

“Yippee~ So you did accept! That means from today on we’re fellow Nameless!” March cheered happily before hopping off my back and grabbing my elbow, immediately dragging me along.

“Come on! I’ll show you around the Express~ I’m sure you’ll love it! Oh! You still have to meet Mr. Yang and Pom-Pom!” March rambled excitedly, causing Himeko to chuckle softly nearby.

“Huhuhu, it seems you’re in good hands, Caelus,” Himeko said with amusement, leaving me entirely to March’s energetic guidance.

Before long we boarded the Parlor Car, and I got my first real look inside the luxurious yet stylish train.

The moment I stepped inside, I could tell this place was special.

It wasn’t something I could see or hear, it was just a feeling.

‘The power of the Trailblaze, perhaps?’ I wondered silently.

My thoughts were interrupted when several notifications appeared in the corner of my vision, but for the moment I ignored them as March pulled me toward the windows, where we waved to Herta, Asta, and Arlan outside.

“Bye everyone~ See you again sometime!” March shouted enthusiastically, as if they could somehow hear us from inside.

I could only shake my head in amusement at her antics.

Then I blinked as I felt someone tug on my pants.

Turning around, I came face-to-face with possibly the most adorable creature I had ever seen.

‘Must not touch fluffy ears. Must not touch fluffy ears,’ I repeated internally like a mantra.

Standing before me was the conductor of the Astral Express.

Pom-Pom.

A small bunny-like creature with black-and-white fur, impossibly big blue eyes, and a red, black, and gold conductor’s outfit topped with a massive hat.

They looked up at me sternly.

Which somehow made them even cuter.

When Pom-Pom spoke, the squeaky voice only made it worse.

“Hey, you over there looking dumbfounded. Yes, Pom-Pom’s talking to you,” Pom-Pom squeaked seriously.

This was not helping my self-control.

“Himeko told Pom-Pom about your situation. Now listen carefully, Pom-Pom will only say this once.”

Pom-Pom crossed their tiny arms.

“Pom-Pom’s sure lots of people have been telling you how special you are lately. But this is the Astral Express, and everyone here has their secrets.”

I nodded slowly while doing my best to keep my twitching hands away from those fluffy ears.

“Since you chose to board, you follow the rules. You’re not the only special one here. You’d best remember that.”

Pom-Pom nodded firmly.

“I’m Pom-Pom, the conductor. If you have any trouble, come find me.”

With that, Pom-Pom waddled away.

“Will do, Pom-Pom,” I replied to their retreating back.

Once they were far enough away, I let out a small sigh.

‘I wonder how they will react when they find out about my condition?’

Beside me, March giggled.

“Hihihi, I bet you wanted to touch Pom-Pom’s ears, huh? Don’t worry, I felt the same way when I first met Pom-Pom~”

She leaned in smugly.

“And just so you know… they’re exactly as fluffy as you think~”

“Tsk.” I clicked my tongue playfully and looked away. “Just you wait. I’ll touch them soon.”

March responded in the most mature way possible.

By sticking her tongue out at me.

“By the way, you might’ve already figured it out, but don’t take Pom-Pom’s words to heart. They’re actually really excited to meet you. I’m honestly a little jealous,” March continued, pouting slightly.

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I was too focused on stopping my hands from betraying me and touching those fluffy ears,” I said, waving off her concern before puffing out my chest playfully.

“Besides, I can’t blame them. A celebrity just joined the Nameless.” I grinned and mimed swinging for a home run. “The Galactic Baseballer~.”

“Hihihi, I figured~” March giggled, covering her mouth before lightly slapping my chest. “And who the heck is the Galactic Baseballer? This is the first time I’ve heard of them.”

“Of course you’ve just heard of him. He only made his debut today, after all,” I said, shaking my head as if disappointed in her ignorance before placing my hands on my hips.

“Just you wait. Soon there won’t be anyone in this universe who doesn’t know that name.” I said, knowing full well that it was only a matter of time based on what adventures awaited us.

“Whatever you say,” March replied with a small deadpan expression, though the amusement on her face was obvious.

If I live long enough, that is.

The cynical thought slipped quietly into the back of my mind.

My mood dipped, and my smile faded, something March noticed immediately.

“…I guess there’s no point delaying it,” I said softly after a moment. “March, could you call everyone to the Parlor Car? I do owe you a story after all.”

She looked up at me, chewing lightly on her lip.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to push yourself,” March said gently. “Like Pom-Pom said, a lot of us have secrets too.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I replied with a nod. “What I’m about to tell you, and everyone else, will explain a lot about the things I can do… and the things I might do in the future.”

March studied me for another moment before sighing softly and nodding.

“Alright… if you’re sure.”

With that, she walked off to gather the other Nameless while I made my way to the plush red couches in the center of the car. Dropping into one, I let out a long sigh.

‘Might as well see what I got earlier,’ I thought, opening my notifications.

[Feat Achieved! Helped Herta with Simulated Universe.]

[+1 Gold Random Ticket.]

[Feat Achieved! Helped Arlan.]

[+1 Silver Random Ticket.]

[Feat Achieved! Helped NPCs around the Space Station.]

[+2 Silver Random Tickets.]

[Feat Achieved! Finished the tutorial.]

[+1 Gold Random Ticket.]

Not bad, I guess.

At least now I know I’ll get tickets for doing side quests.

Ugh… which probably means I’m destined to become everyone’s messenger or delivery boy.

A new universe, a new life, powers beyond imagination, and I still can’t escape manual labor.

Typical.

Shaking my head, I triggered the rolls.

[Rolling Tickets…]

[Digestive Expulsion Independence]

|Trash Trait|

You never piss or shit. Don't ask where all the waste in your body goes.

[Durable Baseball Bat]

|Common Item|

An extremely durable baseball bat, it would take at least a nuclear bomb to deform it.

[Minty Breath]

|Trash Trait|

No more bad breath, your breath always smells fresh and minty regardless of what you ate beforehand.

[Natural Scent]

|Uncommon Trait|

Upgrade of Perfumer - You always smell pleasant, even your sweat. Your natural body odor is like a subtle perfume that most people find appealing. You never have to worry about smelling bad ever again.

[Finger Gun]

|Rare Ability|

"Bang" Allows you to point with your index finger and say the words bang to blast a target with telekinetic energy.

I stared at the results for a few seconds with a blank expression before closing my eyes and feeling my eyebrow twitch slightly in annoyance.

‘Is this thing trying to tell me something?’ I wondered, opening my eyes again and looking over my rolls.

Practically every pull, with the exception of Finger Gun and the Baseball Bat, which I planned on using at the earliest opportunity, was basically a quality-of-life improvement.

Especially the one about never having to produce waste again.

But to me, it felt like the Gacha was sending a message.

Like it was telling me not to ignore my impulses to dig through trash cans.

I mean, why else would I get two traits that basically removed the downsides of rummaging through smelly garbage looking for valuables?

It was like a cosmic nudge from the Gacha, or whoever had given me this system, saying:

Go for it, man. I’ve got you covered. Nothing’s holding you back now. Go on… become the Hero of Trashcans across the universe!

And I refused to believe this was just random luck.

For all I knew, the R.O.B. who brought me here was fucking with me.

“Oh well,” I muttered quietly with a small chuckle. “At least I get to troll people with the Finger Gun ability.”

I grinned.

“I can already picture it, some random bad guy monologuing, I’m looking at you Skott, and then I casually point my finger and go bang… and send them flying.”

I leaned back into the couch, amused.

“Oh man, I really want to try that now.”

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the other Nameless approaching, March leading the way.

Standing up from my seat, my gaze briefly settled on the middle-aged man with brown hair.

Welt Yang.

Then my attention shifted to Himeko and March.

“I brought them just like you asked, Caelus,” March said with a nod as she walked over and sat beside me.

“Caelus, March said you wanted to speak with us about something?” Himeko asked gently, following March’s lead and sitting on my other side.

“Yes. Thank you for coming, everyone,” I replied with a grateful nod.

Dan Heng and Welt took seats opposite us, leaving Pom-Pom the only one standing. Since the conductor seemed perfectly comfortable that way, I continued.

“Before I begin, I want to thank you, Mr. Yang.”

Turning to the older man, I gave him a respectful bow, causing him to blink in mild surprise.

“I heard you were the one who helped me when the Stellaron inside me was going out of control.”

“Please, think nothing of it,” Welt said with a calm smile. “I was glad to help.”

I nodded gratefully before sitting back down.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves before opening them again.

“Right… as I told March, there’s something I want to share with everyone.”

My voice turned serious.

“Sounds serious. Is this about your illness?” Himeko asked gently, taking a sip from a cup of coffee that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Glancing around the room, I noticed that neither Dan Heng nor Welt looked surprised by the mention.

So they already knew.

There was one member, however, who clearly didn’t.

“Wait! You’re sick!?” Pom-Pom shouted immediately, looking at me with wide, worried eyes.

“In part,” I nodded to Himeko before turning back to Pom-Pom with a reassuring smile. “I am. But don’t worry too much yet, Pom-Pom. There’s still hope.”

Pom-Pom stared at me silently for a moment before slowly nodding.

“…Okay. So what did you want to tell us?”

“Haah… this might be a bit confusing to explain, so I ask that you please let me finish first. I’ll do my best to answer any questions afterward.” I began, receiving nods of understanding from the others.

“I suppose I should start with this,” I muttered seriously as I looked around at everyone.

“When March and Dan Heng found me on Herta’s Space Station, I told them I had no memories of how I ended up there. While that part is still true… the part about me not remembering anything about my past isn’t entirely correct.”

I deliberately focused on March and Dan Heng as I said that.

Both of them looked surprised by the admission, though March’s reaction was far more obvious thanks to her expressive personality. I also caught a flash of hurt in her eyes, which made me wince internally.

Still, I pressed on when they thankfully remained silent.

“You see… I currently possess two different sets of memories inside my head. Though it would probably be more accurate to say I have one complete set of memories and another that’s mostly blank, since most of it was erased, leaving only my name and a few blurry images.”

That little bombshell earned several blinks… and a gasp from March and Pom-Pom.

Seeing their bewildered expressions, I smiled self-deprecatingly and nodded.

“Yeah… trust me, I know I probably sound crazy right now. I’d probably think the same thing if I were in your shoes. But there are… certain things that don’t quite add up.”

“Anyway,” I continued, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly, “I’ll start from the beginning. And you’ll have to excuse me if I ramble or confuse you. I’ve never really been great at explaining things.”

My awkward admission seemed to help a bit. Himeko and March both offered me reassuring smiles.

“Don’t worry, Caelus,” Himeko said gently. “Please continue.”

She briefly placed a hand on my knee and gave me an encouraging look.

“Thanks,” I nodded gratefully before letting out a small sigh. “Alright… here goes.”

“In my first set of memories, I remember growing up in incredible detail on a planet called Earth, with regular parents and everything. I’ll spare you the long story, but I lived what would be considered a normal life in my world, going to school, graduating, moving out on my own, getting a job… the usual stuff.”

I paused briefly to make sure everyone was following along.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Welt was watching me very carefully after I mentioned Earth. That wasn’t surprising, but I decided to ignore it for the moment and continue.

“My life went on normally until I turned twenty-two. That’s when everything changed.”

“One night, while I was out drinking with my friends, I met… something at the bar. We ended up sharing a drink together on a whim, and we chatted for a bit.”

My tone grew more serious as I emphasized that part.

That alone seemed to grab everyone’s attention.

They exchanged curious looks, clearly drawing their own conclusions.

“An Aeon…?” I heard Dan Heng murmur quietly to himself.

“I honestly have no idea what it was,” I replied with a small shake of my head. “All I remember is that he, or it… or them, was wearing a fedora. And before we parted ways, they told me they’d pay me back for the drink.”

I let that sink in for a moment before continuing.

“Fast forward a few hours. I remember getting home, collapsing onto my bed… and falling asleep.”

“Then I woke up because of a bright light.”

“And the next thing I knew… I was lying on the floor of Herta’s Space Station, with Dan Heng and March standing over me.”

I let out a long breath after finishing that part of the story.

“There’s still more,” I admitted. “And trust me… it only gets weirder from here.”

I looked around the room at the crew.

“But before I keep going… does anyone have any questions so far?”

Judging by the looks on their faces, they definitely did.

March immediately took that as her cue and fired off the first question on her mind, which didn’t surprise me in the least.

“Does this story of yours have something to do with you saying there might be a way to cure you?” March asked, looking at me with worried eyes.

Unbeknownst to her, that only made me look at her with a warmer expression. The first thing out of her mouth had been concern for my health.

Yeah… I could definitely see myself falling for this girl if I wasn’t already halfway there.

The others also paid close attention to her question, clearly understanding how important it was considering I had less than a year left and that was being generous.

“Yes,” I nodded slowly, and I could see a small amount of relief appear in March’s expression. “That part will come later. Both the cause of my disease… and the possibility of curing it.”

That second part made her gasp.

“You mean to say somebody is responsible for your current condition?” Himeko asked, her voice calm but her eyes filled with concern, and something else beneath it.

Anger.

Protectiveness.

When I nodded silently, the look in her eyes hardened slightly. Which did nothing to lessen my view of her as the big sister of the Express.

“The something you encountered?” she pressed.

“Correct,” I confirmed.

“That’s a troubling thought,” Dan Heng said thoughtfully, a small frown forming on his face. “There have been several occasions where Aeons have interacted with mortals, and the results were rarely pleasant. From your description so far, the Aeon most likely to do something like that would be the Elation.”

While Aha certainly fit the description… I doubted it was that insane Aeon this time.

The abilities I’d been given were far too… structured.

Not to mention that if my Schrodinger Ability was only considered Mythical being as op as it was, there still existed 2 higher tiers than that. I truly had no idea as to the kind of powers I could receive in the future. For all I knew, one of them might even make me stronger than the Aeons in this universe.

“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted, shaking my head.

“You said your home planet was Earth?” Welt finally spoke up, watching me with a curious expression.

When I nodded, he followed up immediately.

“What country were you from?”

Blinking slightly at the sudden question, I answered anyway. I knew it was a small test to see whether I was telling the truth.

“I lived in America for most of my life, but I was born in Europe, specifically Spain.”

Welt blinked at my immediate answer before letting out a quiet sigh and leaning back slightly in his seat.

“I see,” he murmured. “To think I would encounter another person from Earth.”

“Whoa! You’re from the same planet as Caelus, Mr. Yang!?” March exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “That’s a crazy coincidence!”

The others all turned to Welt with similar surprise.

I did my best to look surprised as well, and apparently succeeded, since no one called me out despite the fact that I already knew that little detail.

“We can discuss that later, March,” Welt said calmly, steering the conversation back on track. “Caelus mentioned there was more to his story. Including how he came to be in his current condition.”

“Right,” I nodded.

I prepared to continue my story… but then a mischievous idea popped into my head.

A perfect opportunity to troll Welt Yang just a little.

Sorry, Mr. Yang, I thought with quiet amusement. But I can’t stop these intrusive thoughts. I blame Caelus for this.

I nearly lost my composure when Welt suddenly shivered slightly in his seat.

Almost as if he sensed something was coming.