Chapter Text
The Astral Express is heading to its next destination. Thaipra, a planet in the Vosore star cluster, was known for its jungles. It is a lush and plentiful planet, despite having little human life on it. It is a planet of resources, not civilizations.
However, that changed when researchers noticed a large energy increase a few years ago. It was causing nearby plants to die, and animals to flee. It took a while, but they eventually realized that something was sealed in a cave. They named this cave Fēngmì Shelter.
Recently, the energy began decreasing unsteadily. The Astral Express was arriving to see why, and help them settle this matter.
“Aah, it's so hot here!” March exclaims, shedding her jacket.
Himeko chuckles. “Of course it would be. This is a jungle planet, after all.” Stelle nods. The three of them decided to make this a girls trip.
They begin chatting with the researchers before they hear a frantic beeping.
“The energy levels are becoming unstable!” Someone yells out, and the three rush over.
“What does this mean?” Himeko asks, eyes taking in every detail of the programs.
“We don't know, this…this has never happened! We need you to…to go to the site and investigate.” The researcher frantically gets out, before giving Himeko a map. “This is where you need to go.” She nods, before turning to March and Stelle.
“Ready?” They nod, and the group sets out.
“Are you sure Fēngmì Shelter is here? I don't see any special caves or anything!” March calls out, and Himeko sighs.
“It has to be. Maybe it's…” she trails off, pushing aside more vines and continuing forward.
Stelle turns to the right, seeing a faint blue glow. “Over here!” She should, pushing past the undergrowth. The group eventually stumbled into a clearing, with a glowing cave in front of them.
“This has to be it!” March exclaims, to which the others agree.
“Be prepared for whatever's inside.” Himeko warns. March summons her bow, and Stelle grabs her bat. And they head in.
They continue through the tunnels, seeing the icy glow grow brighter as they continue. The three eventually come to a halt in front of the illuminated seal.
“This is…Fuli’s power. The Rememberance. What could THEY be trying to hide?” Himeko questions. “The seal is fluctuating. Whatever’s in there, it's trying to get out.”
The seal suddenly begins to crack. Splinters of energy are splitting off of it, disappearing into nothingness. The light goes from being a light blue to a dark red and purple. “What's going on?!” March yells, nocking an arrow. “What's breaking it?!”
“Nihility.” Stelle replies. This power is too similar to be anything else.
The seal detached, falling to the ground. The light shifts to a light purple, before evaporating entirely. And the three finally see what's been sealed.
A young woman.
Chapter 2
Summary:
As discoveries are made, they fail to notice parallels between her and two other people. They soon realize the similarities to one of them, and they wish they hadn't.
Trigger Warnings: Panic Attacks, and flashback from the perspective of an observer
Notes:
Let's do this, more exposition with some plot, too! Motivation is back, baby!
Yes, this is short, but who cares? 😅😆
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Whoa!” March exclaimed. March and Stelle lowered their weapons, as Himeko walked closer to the young lady. As Himeko neared her, the woman opened her eyes. They were a startling turquoise. Her arm is partially covered by a black stain, like she burned herself and never healed.
“Who…are you?” she murmured, sluggishly taking a step back.
“My name’s Himeko. This is March and Stelle.” The two waved their hands. “We’re passengers of the Astral Express.”
The girl’s eyes brightened slightly. “The Astral Express? Is it…that train that flies through space? I heard about it as a child.” Himeko nods.
“Yeah. What planet are you from? I don’t mean to sound rude, but you don’t look like you’re from this planet.”
The girl thinks for a moment. “I’m not sure. I never…heard people talk about my planet. My family talked about it, but we just called it ‘the world’, since we never left it.”
“Well, do you have a name? We need to call you something, after all.”
The girl smiles. “Aster.”
As the group walks back through the forest, Aster suddenly cries out. The three whip back, seeing her grasping at her head, pulling on the white strands. A blue glow surrounds her, before fracturing and fading away. Himeko runs over, catching Aster before she collapses.
Aster curls into Himeko, clutching at her like a child. “It hurts…no…” she whimpers out. Her eyes glaze over, seemingly staring at nothing.
“Fuli’s power. It’s…trying to make her remember.” Himeko solemnly notes, as March and Stelle crouch down next to them.
Himeko lets go of Aster as she begins thrashing and screaming. Tears roll down her face as red lightning envelops her. After a few moments, the red lightning fades, and she goes limp again.
She quickly wakes back up, sitting upright with a panicked expression. Himeko reaches out to comfort her.
“Don’t touch me!” Aster screams, pulling back. A shadow lashes out at Himeko, causing the three to jolt back as well.
Himeko freezes once she studies Aster more closely. As her eyes flicker between turquoise and red, they seem…dead. Shadows dance across her, as she curls in on herself.
“I think she’s…a Self-Annihilator.”
Notes:
Plot is happening now, and it's going to hurt! I'm so sorry 😅
Chapter 3
Summary:
Night falls, leading two broken souls to find solace in each other.
Trigger Warnings: Mentions of imprisonment, mentions of abuse, mentions of murder
Notes:
So...ADHD kicked in. It's now summer, and my brain refused to get past the 3/4 point for like days. I'm sorry, the update schedule will be absolutely awful, but I'm trying. Anyways, here's some hurt/comfort. Not sure how hurt/comfort-like it is, it's more "people talk about the hurt, and the comfort is knowing someone's listening."
Also this isn't a very dark chapter, but I felt the need to put any trigger warnings up. Better safe than sorry.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“A Self-Annihilator? Are you sure?” March questions, concern and disbelief visible on her face.
“So she’s like Acheron…” Stelle mumbles, and Himeko nods.
“It would explain a lot. Either way, we need to get her back to the Express. While I know these researchers have good intentions, they can be a bit…much sometimes.” Himeko explains, before turning back to Aster. “Can you hear me? It’s me, Himeko.”
Aster nods. Tears are streaming down her face, but recognition is finally back in her eyes. She breathes for a second. “C-can we go? This place…I want to go.” She quietly says, and the group agrees.
“I’ll check in with the researchers. You two can go back to the Express.” Himeko says, getting up. Aster slowly comes to her feet, using a tree to support her. They begin walking back to the camp.
As Himeko joins the researchers, the rest of the group heads back to the Express. They’re immediately joined by Pom Pom.
“What happened? You’re here early! And who’s this?”
“I’m Aster.” she mumbles, fidgeting with her hands. Stelle watches her. If not for her hands, no one would know how nervous she is. Is that intentional?
“She’ll be joining the Nameless.” March confidently states.
“Well she’ll need a ticket, won’t she?” Pom Pom says, pulling out a ticket and giving it to Aster. She cautiously pins it on her dress.
Himeko soon joins them. She brings Aster to her new room while the others talk about the day's events.
“Is this my room?” Aster questions, eyes flickering with a multitude of emotions.
Himeko nods. “Yeah. We have rooms in case we have guests, which works perfectly for you. While you might not have any now, you can decorate it with possessions and souvenirs.”
Aster cocks her head. “Souvenirs?”
“Yeah, gifts or things you buy from other planets you go to, to remember fond memories there.”
She thinks for a moment. “I've…never gotten one of those. I do have something though.” Aster pulls a necklace from her pocket. “This was…a gift. My mother gave it to my sister. Sister gave it to me, because I always adored it.” She smiles fondly down at the necklace, but Himeko notices her eyes growing duller.
Himeko nods. “I'll leave you to unwind. It has been a long day.” Aster pauses, contemplating, before nodding.
“Good night, Himeko.”
“Good night, Aster. Sweet dreams.” Himeko leaves.
Aster stands there. She knows she's not getting either of those things tonight.
Aster wakes up, shaking and huddling in on herself. She's too used to the nightmares to cry. She gets up, walking out of the room. Now that she’s gotten through the adrenaline of her discovery, she’s much calmer than before.
Aster walks through the hallway. Her steps are quiet as she heads to the kitchen. I need some tea.
When she enters the kitchen, she's surprised to find someone else there. She walks up to him.
“Dan Heng, is it? I guess neither of us are lucky with sleep tonight.” she says, as he turns around sharply.
Dan Heng sighs. “No. I suppose you’re still nervous from the recent events.”
Aster shakes her head, letting out a soft chuckle. “Not really. I haven’t gotten good sleep in…a while. Not unless you count when I was sealed.” She pauses for a moment, looking over Dan Heng’s shoulder. “Make enough for two?”
Dan Heng nods. He turns to pour you a cup. “It’s Earl Grey. I like staying awake after…those, so the caffeine helps.”
Aster nods, taking the cup and sipping on it. Dan Heng looks at you in mild shock. “Careful, it's practically boiling. I don't want you to burn yourself.”
Aster looks up. “It's boiling? I thought it was just warm. I drink tea like this all the time.”
Dan Heng slowly nods. “Just…be careful about that.” He clears his throat. “Anyway. Do you want to talk about it?”
Aster chuckles. “Why? It wasn't that bad. It's just memories now.”
Dan Heng sighs. “That's all they ever are, really.”
Aster pauses, looking over at him. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Dan Heng pauses. “We should go to the Parlor Car if we talk about that.” Aster nods, following him out.
The pair sit down on one of the couches. Dan Heng takes a deep breath. “I was dreaming…of this person from my past. He…I couldn't consider him a friend, not then. Maybe not even now. But he…was the closest I had to one. He visited me when I was in the Shackling Prison.”
Aster tilts her head. “What is that?”
Dan Heng chuckles grimly. “Exactly what it sounds like. A place of chains. I was there for a long time. The guards hated me. He stopped them from hurting me too badly. Some of it fell under the radar, but it…helped. He brought me books sometimes. He once got me an actual blanket instead of the rag they gave me. Food was always better with him too.”
Aster smiles softly. “That…sounds nice.”
“It was. He was the one who exiled me. At first I hated him for it. But then I realized…it kept me from having to be there any longer. It saved me.” Dan Heng smiles minutely.
Aster stares out the window. “I…had someone like that. My brother. We…protected each other. Or at least, we tried.” Dan Heng nods, waiting for her to continue. “He…was my twin. We looked identical as kids, but now…I look nothing like how I did before. Aside from my eyes. Those never changed.”
“Why did your hair change? What was it like?” Dan Heng questions.
“Stress, I suppose. Nihility didn't help either. I think I was blonde. The wind would blow my hair into my face.” Aster smiles wistfully. “We were all we had. We had some things from our family, but…it's not the same as having them with you.”
Aster pulls out something from her pocket. A necklace made of gold. It's incredibly simple, yet clearly holds sentimental value. “My sister gave me this. It used to be hers, but she wanted me to have it. She wanted it to leave our planet.”
“You've kept it for so long.”
Aster chuckles. “Yeah. It has been a long time since then. I was surprised I still had it after everything. But…my brother. I hope he's alive. I haven't seen him for…it must have been years by now.” She puts the necklace on. “Last time I saw him…he was being arrested.”
Dan Heng stares at her for a moment in shock. “Arrested? What for?”
Aster chuckles. “Murder. Do you know what scares me though?” She turns to Dan Heng, crying despite the smile on her face. “I'm glad. I'm glad he did it. I would have done the same. Does that…does that make me a sick person?”
Dan Heng waits for a moment. “No. If you're worried like that, then no. If your brother is as good of a person as you say, then he must have had his reasons.”
Aster nods, wiping away her tears. She slumps against Dan Heng’s shoulder. Aster smiles, closing her eyes.
“I just hope…wherever he is…I hope he's happy.”
Notes:
I've thrown in some more hints, and I hope I didn't make it too hard or too obvious. I know I introduced the necklace twice, but since it was two different people talking to Aster, I think it still makes sense. Aster opened up more to Dan Heng, but she wasn't necessarily lying to Himeko. Everything she told Himeko was true, it just wasn't the whole truth about it. Dan Heng didn't get the whole truth either, but he got more of it.
And yes. I remember saying that Aster has a fear of being touched. However, in moments like this, where she's (mostly) calm, with someone she trusts, and is making the choice, I believe she would have less of a problem with it. Comforting and caring touches would be ones she didn't have trauma with, so she wouldn't react as badly. Plus I think she's too tired to care at this point. No idea if that is how phobias actually work, I only share one with her, so...if this isn't how it works then I'm sorry.
Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter, hopefully it'll be out sooner than this one was. Because god, the guilt of not having this even close to ready was killing me 😂
BwmixoFan on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 09:20PM UTC
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CheCheryzz on Chapter 2 Sun 02 Jun 2024 03:24PM UTC
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PluralFrog13 on Chapter 2 Sun 02 Jun 2024 03:26PM UTC
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CheCheryzz on Chapter 2 Sun 02 Jun 2024 04:02PM UTC
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BwmixoFan on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 09:32PM UTC
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