Chapter Text
Caelus feels dizzy before he even opens his eyes. It gets worse when he does open them only to find he still can't see anything.
Why is it so dark?
He tries to think back to what he last remembers, wading through the foggy cloud of his head. The Express. That's right. He was on the Astral Express.
Is that where he is now? If that were the case, wouldn't there at least be a window where he could see the stars? No, they were still on Penacony, and the lights of the Reverie were always bleeding through into the train cars.
Since he can't see, he relies on his other senses to figure things out. The silence doesn't tell him much, but from what he can feel, he's lying down on a hard surface. The floor, probably. Which is fine. Dan Heng says sleeping on the floor is good for you. It's why he sleeps on the floor in the…
The archives. He remembers now. He'd been in the archives with Dan Heng late into the night cycle and instead of politely waiting for him to leave like he always does, Dan Heng had let him share his bed. Maybe he'd noticed how dark the circles under Caelus' eyes had become over the past few weeks and took pity.
It was warm under the covers, and all he could smell was the earthy scent of Dan Heng's soap. It was so comforting he fell asleep faster than he ever had in his own bed. The last thing he remembers is feeling someone's arm wrap around his waist, though maybe that was just the edges of a dream. It doesn't matter now. The current chill in the air and the absence of Dan Heng's scent tells him that's not where he is anymore.
Still…
"Dan Heng?" He calls out, hoping maybe this is another dream and his friend is just waiting somewhere in the darkness.
More silence. Then his vision goes from dark to overwhelming light. He squints, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness. Slowly, his vision adjusts until he drops his hand, finally able to see a little, though he soon discovers the bright light only extends to a small radius around him.
A…spotlight?
Sorry. VIPs only. No Dan Hengs allowed.
Caelus' insides twist, going cold. He searches for the source of the voice, but he can't tell where it's coming from. Even if he could, it's still mostly dark outside his little bubble, the spotlight not allowing his eyes to adjust further. The voice sounds odd. It's layered, like multiple people are speaking at once. It feels like it's reverberating from within him rather than coming from an outside source.
He takes a shallow breath, willing himself to calm down. This probably is just a dream, anyway. Nothing to do but play along until he can wake up.
"Who are you?" Caelus asks.
The real question is…who are you?
Caelus hesitates.
"Uh…my name's Caelus."
Caelus…Caelus…two syllables short of perfection. The voice giggles. Cute, though.
Caelus' brow furrows.
"Did I have too much sugar last night or something?" He mutters to himself. "My dreams aren't usually this kind of weird…"
Genuine laughter echoes, rumbling in his chest and bouncing around his ribcage.
A dream? More laughter. These past centuries have been the dream. Now is the waking up.
Centuries?
"Okay, seriously, who are you? What am I doing here?" Caelus feels a little more on edge as he starts to question whether this is a dream at all. Sentient trash cans, human Pom-Pom, Dan Heng in a maid dress (though he'd never admit to anyone else how much he liked that last one), those are all things his subconscious is capable of imagining. This, though, seems too out there to be just him. Unless the stellaron is giving him strange dreams again?
Footsteps. Directly ahead of him. Then, another spotlight, illuminating a figure. Caelus' eyes widen with recognition.
"Sampo?"
Okay, he was wrong. This has to be a dream. Why else would Sampo be here, much less a Sampo with white hair instead of blue, red eyes instead of green? Even his outfit is bizarre and dreamlike. The outfit itself is similar to Sampo's usual ensemble, but the color is constantly shifting and moving, sort of like the lights in the sky he saw on Jarilo VI when he was keeping an eye on Lynx. Clothing doesn't do that in the waking world, last he checked.
"I'm as much Sampo as you are Caelus," Sampo says, like it's some kind of riddle. Though his mouth moves, Caelus still only hears the layered voice that comes from within instead of Sampo's voice.
Sampo walks toward Caelus, the spotlight following him until the two circles of light converge and he stands directly in front of him. He reaches out a hand, gloved fingers brushing against Caelus' cheek.
Caelus doesn't flinch, doesn't move away, but his eyes narrow.
"If you're gonna be all weird and cryptic, can I just wake up already?" It'd be nice if he could wake up to find that sensation of an arm wrapping around his waist wasn't a figment of his subconscious, but Dan Heng reaching for him in his sleep. Waking up in Dan Heng's arms, breathing in his scent, sounds world's better than the cold, eerie feeling of this dream.
There's a wild look in Sampo's eyes as a smile creeps onto his face.
"Yes. Time to wake up, my dear star."
Caelus is about to tell him not to call him that when the shock of Sampo taking his face in his hands and leaning down to kiss his forehead stuns him into silence.
Before he can react, he starts to feel foggy, and he can't shake it off no matter how hard he tries. A sudden splitting headache brings him to his knees as he clutches his head. His entire body burns and aches and he feels like he's brimming with energy. A brief flash of recognition hits him and he gets the fleeting thought that this is almost what it felt like when the stellaron inside him nearly erupted on Herta Station. But this isn't a stellaron. It feels just a little different. No, not a stellaron, but something like it. The power of an Aeon.
Now the unease becomes panic. If this isn't Sampo, is it an Emanator? An Aeon? Either option is terrifying.
He takes trips to other planets in between missions all the time without telling the others. How long before they notice he's missing? Would they even be able to find him by then? He doesn't even know where he is.
March, Dan Heng, please find me, he thinks, pleads with everything he has. He wants to see them again. March and…and…
Who was he just thinking about?
He? No, They. No. What? He's not a They, he's…
His name. What's his name? Why is he forgetting?
Caelus. His name is Caelus. His name is…
After what feels like an eternity, the pain subsides and Sampo…no, not Sampo—who's Sampo?—smiles excitedly. They don't know this face, but those eyes are unmistakable.
"There you are."
That voice is forever etched into Their bones. They'd surely recognize it anywhere. Their favorite troublemaker.
"You've been away for so long, my darling Trailblaze."
They blink. They've been away? For how long, exactly? They look down at Their hands. This body feels strange. Off. Their power is faint, a ghost of what it should be, but there's something in Their chest that feels close to it, though it's dormant, sealed away.
"But now that you're back, we're going to have so much fun together."
The Express…why aren't They on the Astral Express? They can sense it still, but it's so far away…
"Just you and I."
What trick has Their dear friend pulled this time?
"Trailblaze and Elation."
They sigh internally. Pom-Pom's going to kill Them for sure.
"Akavilli and Aha."
March, Dan Heng, please find me.
Dan Heng's eyes flit open. Had he just been dreaming? It wouldn't be the first time Caelus made an appearance in his dreams, but he doesn't remember this one. All he remembers is that one statement, the quiet desperation in Caelus' voice. He feels a sudden sense of urgency, and it only doubles when he realizes Caelus is no longer in his bed. He looks over at the desk where Caelus often sits and reads through data bank entries. His jacket is still there, so he can't have gone far. Dan Heng takes a breath. It was just a dream. He's probably fine.
It is strange, though, that Caelus not only managed to leave without waking him, but got up first at all. They'd shared his bed before he got his own room, and in all that time Caelus never woke up before him. They've learned he can sleep through just about anything. He even slept through a warp jump, once.
Dan Heng gets up, gets dressed, and heads out to look for him.
March opens her door before he can knock, and she starts when she sees him.
"Geez, Dan Heng. You scared me."
"Have you seen Caelus?"
March crosses her arms.
"Well, good morning to you, too," she grumbles.
"He slept in my room last night, and…I just want to make sure he's alright."
March narrows her eyes.
"Did something happen between you two?"
Dan Heng picks up on the implication immediately, suddenly realizing how it sounded to admit that they slept in the same bed when they didn't have to. He feels warmth in his cheeks as he flusters.
"I—no, of course not. He was just in the archives late, and he doesn't seem to be sleeping well lately, so I offered to let him sleep with me."
March raises a suggestive brow, and Dan Heng flusters, face feeling even hotter now.
"Not—my bed. I let him sleep in my bed."
March smirks.
"That doesn't sound much better, you know."
Dan Heng knows better than to argue with her further. He sighs.
"Have you seen him or not?"
March shakes her head.
"I only woke up a few minutes ago. I haven't seen him, but funny enough I think I had a dream about him."
Dan Heng freezes. Surely it's coincidence. Yet he can't help but ask:
"What was the dream exactly?"
March's brow furrows as she tries to remember.
"I'm not sure. I just remember he asked us to find him."
He tries to ignore the dread building in his gut.
"What were his exact words?"
March frowns.
"Why—"
"It's important, March. What did he say?"
March hesitates, then closes her eyes like she often does when she's concentrating.
"He said…'March, Dan Heng, please find me.'"
The crew search the entire train to confirm what Dan Heng already knows.
Caelus is no longer aboard the Astral Express.
They've all sent him messages, but none are going through.
They contact their friends from Herta Station to Penacony, and nobody's seen him.
He's not simply away on another one of his errands. He's missing. Dan Heng was supposed to protect him, just like he protects everyone on the Express, and he failed.
Usually all it takes is the faintest noise, the slightest movement nearby to wake Dan Heng. It's part of why he doesn't sleep much, and why he's always the first one up after Pom-Pom. How had he not noticed Caelus' absence, his leaving?
March and Welt leave to search the less-populated areas of Jarilo VI and the Luofu while Sunday searches the hidden corners of the Dreamscape. Dan Heng and Himeko tell Black Swan the situation in the hopes that she might know something.
"I'm afraid Caelus' affinity for memoria wouldn't enable him to send a message to your subconscious from afar no matter how much of it he was exposed to," she says. "However, we haven't yet left the Asdana system. It's possible you and March 7th simply shared a dream. Are either of you sensitive like Caelus?"
Dan Heng shakes his head. That didn't sound right. The message felt no different than if Caelus were right next to him saying it aloud.
"It was him," he says. "I know it was. Even if we don't have an explanation for it, I cannot ignore this feeling."
Himeko looks at him for a moment, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder before turning back to Black Swan.
"Please. Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated."
Black Swan hums.
"I may not be able to decipher the origins of that message, but I may be able to help another way," she continues. "You and Caelus were together when he went missing, right?"
He shakes his head.
"I was asleep when it happened."
Black Swan looks at him appraisingly.
"It's faint, but we can still sometimes retain sensory input while we sleep, enough to create partial memories within our subconscious. If I look into your memories of last night, I may be able to find something you can't recall with your conscious mind."
The idea of anyone sifting through his memories is uncomfortable to say the least, but he'd let Black Swan dig through all the decades of this life and all the centuries of Dan Feng's if it meant finding Caelus.
"Alright. What do I need to do?"
Himeko's hand on his shoulder gives a gentle squeeze.
"Just close your eyes and try to relax."
He does, managing to stay relaxed even as her fingers touch his temples and he feels the icy grasp of the Remembrance.
After only a few minutes, she pulls her hands away.
"You can open your eyes," she says.
Her expression is as composed as it always seems to be when he does.
"Anything?" He asks, trying not to sound as desperate as he feels.
Black Swan's eyes flick to the door to the passenger car.
"I have a theory, but it's mere speculation. Before I share it, I'd like to take a look inside your room. May I?"
The three of them make their way to the archives. At first, Black Swan merely stands at the center of the room, carefully inspecting. Soon, her eyes find the futon on the elevated platform, and she approaches it, kneeling down to inspect the side Caelus had slept on the night before. She traces a hand over the pillow, then reaches underneath it, pulling out an envelope. She meets his gaze.
"Might this belong to you?"
Dan Heng feels a knot forming in his chest, restricting his lungs.
"No."
She holds it with both hands now and closes her eyes. When she opens them, she frowns.
"Strange. There are no memories attached to this letter. None that I can see, anyway. Perhaps its contents will tell us more." She walks back and hands it to him. On the front is written in a rather disorganized hand:
To the Astral Express Family
Was this letter here last night? Did Caelus leave of his own volition after reading it? But, no, the envelope is still sealed. If he'd read it, he wouldn't have opened it neatly enough to reseal it, much less bothered to reseal it at all. He carefully opens it.
He reads the letter inside once. Then rereads it, grip on the thick paper tightening.
"What does it say, Dan Heng?" Himeko asks.
He takes a shallow breath and reads it aloud.
"Followers of the Trailblaze,
How very stressful your trailblazing efforts have been of late. I do pity you. All work and no play makes the Nameless a dull bunch. How about a game to lift your spirits? I call it: find the Trailblazer! As you can see, I've stolen your friend—the pride and joy of the Astral Express and its worst-kept secret. Follow the clues to locate your precious seed of destruction to win! If you find him within three days, you'll only have to pay a small price for his return. And not to worry, I'd never let your hardest worker miss out on a well-deserved break. While you all embark on your adventure, Caelus and I will be off having fun of our own. See you soon!" Dan Heng looks up, feeling sick as he tries not to imagine what sort of 'fun' this person was referring to. "The signature is merely the image of a mask."
He hands the letter to Himeko, who inspects it, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"It sounds like the work of the Masked Fools," she says. "Or rather, a Masked Fool, if the author of the letter has no accomplices. It's clear they want something from us, but what that could be I'm not sure."
"Could the Masked Fools have infiltrated the Express so easily?" Dan Heng asks.
"Perhaps," Black Swan says. "But there's more. I did find a fragment of a memory from last night in your mind, Dan Heng. I heard faint laughter as you slept, though it wasn't your friend. This particular voice is very distinct. I've only heard it before in the memories of those who have encountered the Elation Themselves."
Dan Heng's eyes widen.
"You can't mean—"
"So you believe Aha is responsible?" Himeko asks.
"Or one of Their Emanators. Aha has more than most," Black Swan says. "They've even been known to grant the powers of an Emanator to Their enemies purely for the fun of it. It's possible one of them may harbor ill will towards the members of the Astral Express as well. Aha and Akivili were quite close, after all."
"But why would they take Caelus?" Dan Heng asks, finding it harder to hide his frustration. None of this makes sense, and he hates it.
"I'm not sure, but now's not the time to dwell on such things. We should call the others back and discuss a plan," Himeko says.
The three of them retreat to the parlor car and inform Pom-Pom of the new development. The conductor begins stress-cleaning the parlor car to cope, not hounding the others to help him for once. Dan Heng sits alone, trying to gather his thoughts. He doesn't have much luck sorting through anything before Black Swan materializes next to him.
"Are you alright?" She asks.
Dan Heng looks out the window. From where the Express is docked, he can clearly see the Reverie, a glittering beacon in the night. A few days after they'd subdued Sunday, Caelus dragged him to Golden Hour. He showed him the dream bubble of Akivili's supposed memory that he'd spent far too many credits on, in Dan Heng's opinion. From there he took him sightseeing, sharing all the adventures he'd had while Dan Heng was on the Expess. He'd said he didn't want Dan Heng to feel left out, which only made Dan Heng's affection towards him stronger. Caelus held Dan Heng's hand the entire time as he led him around and even in a dream it was so warm. It's the same warmth he feels whenever he's caught in Caelus' orbit. The same warmth he'd felt lying next to him last night.
He wishes he'd at least asked what had been bothering Caelus. It was clear he hadn't been sleeping. He'd noticed even before that night, the dark circles under his eyes, the absence of his usual boundless energy, but he hadn't asked. Offering up his bed last night was the closest he'd come to acknowledging it. The thought unwittingly crosses his mind that he might not get the chance to ask now, and he hates himself for thinking it.
"I'm fine," he says quietly. A complete lie, but he doesn't really care if Black Swan notices.
She sits beside him, seemingly undeterred by his closed-off demeanor.
"You're worried about him. You needn't be. Whatever happens in the next few days, this is not the end of Caelus' story."
"Does he know that?" Dan Heng asks quietly.
Wherever Caelus is right now, is he scared? Dan Heng's been asking himself that over and over since they discovered he was missing. It's possible they know more than he does at this point, and even that isn't much. He's smart, capable, but what if it really is Aha Themselves who've taken him? What could they want with him?
Black Swan doesn't answer, but she follows his gaze out to the Reverie and beyond.
"You have many happy memories with Caelus, don't you?"
Dan Heng starts, attention turning to her with an accusing eye. She holds up a hand placatingly.
"No need to fret. I looked no further into your mind than I promised I would. The memories I speak of are clearly written on your face." She smiles. "You're right to hold close those memories now. Use them to remind yourself that this too will soon become a memory, and by then Caelus will be back where he belongs."
Dan Heng eyes her warily.
"How do you know?"
She looks back out the window, resting her chin delicately on her hand.
"Memories are the seeds of our future. The memories that have formed the bonds between the crew of the Astral Express will be the very thing that leads you back to him."
It doesn't make complete sense, but somehow it helps just a little. He nods at her.
"Thank you."
She nods back before leaving him to his thoughts.
Sunday is the first to return and brings with him no new leads. Welt is back soon after, and then March, both just as empty-handed. Pom-Pom mutters something about wanting to come home to a clean room and disappears into the party car. Himeko calls the others together and shares the letter, along with what they learned.
The first to speak after she's finished is Sunday.
"This is troubling. Those Masked Fools are not to be underestimated. Caelus could truly be anywhere."
"And three days will go by quickly. We're awfully short on time as it is. And the letter mentioned nothing about what will happen to him if we don't meet the three-day deadline?" Welt asks.
Himeko shakes her head.
"Aeon, Emanator, or some other jerk, whoever took Caelus is going to seriously regret it after I'm done with them," March says, determination sparking in her eyes.
Dan Heng knows Caelus would smile at that. Once again, he tamps down the brutal ache in his chest at the absence of that smile.
"We have to find him first, March," Himeko gently reminds her. "We need a plan to make the most of what little time we have."
"It is difficult to determine where else we can search without direction," Sunday says. "If we are meant to find him, would he not have been taken somewhere you've all been recently?"
Welt crosses his arms, looking pensive.
"But we've already searched all of the places Caelus has been since becoming a Nameless and found nothing."
"There has to be something we missed," Himeko says.
As frustration builds, Dan Heng thinks back to the letter. By now, he's read it enough to have it memorized, and after recounting a particular line, he perks up.
"Wait. The letter said to follow the clues," he says.
"Meaning his captor likely left some here for us to find," Welt adds.
"But we already searched the train and didn't find anything," March says.
"We were focused on looking for Caelus. Potential clues would be far easier to miss than him, especially if they're like this letter." Himeko says as she holds up the envelope.
As if on cue, Pom-Pom comes scrambling back into the parlor car. They take a second to catch their breath, and as they do, Dan Heng notices something in their hand.
"Caelus' room…found…this." They hold up a large card, and hands it to Himeko, who inspects it carefully.
"What's it say?" March asks impatiently.
With a frown, Himeko reads it aloud for the others:
"They say love is war…and they're wrong! Spring is war, summer is love, autumn is betrayal, winter is heartbreak. A never ending cycle…or is it?"
A lengthy silence falls over the train car, each desperately searching their minds for anything that could decipher the bizarre riddle.
"I don't get it," March 7th says, visibly wilting.
Black Swan hums thoughtfully.
"Masked Fools do love their games, but I do not think they truly wish to harm Caelus. They mentioned returning him for a price, meaning whatever it is they want requires that you find him. Therefore, they would likely not make the answer too obvious or too difficult for you. I am confident at least one of you has the answer."
Dan Heng barely registers the bits of conversation around him. He wants to consider the riddle as a whole, but he keeps getting stuck on one thing.
Spring is war.
The faintest sense of recognition tugged at him when he heard that part, but he can't remember where he's heard it before. If Black Swan is right, this should be something related to Caelus, but something related to the rest of the Express Crew as well, at least enough to be able to decipher the riddle. But they haven't exactly been anywhere that experiences seasons regularly since Caelus joined them.
Somehow that clicks the missing piece into place. He's taken back to one of the many times Caelus stayed in the archives far later than Dan Heng should've allowed to read entries in the data bank. Caelus' voice is so clear in his head as he recalls it:
Hey, Dan Heng? What do you think spring was like on—
"Jarilo VI," Dan Heng mutters.
The others turn to him.
"Dan Heng?" Himeko questions.
Without explaining further, Dan Heng practically runs to the archives. It takes him a few minutes to find the entry in the data bank he's looking for, and by then he realizes everyone else has followed him. He's not sure the archives have ever been so crowded before, and it makes the absence of its most frequent visitor more apparent. Trying not to think too much about it, he pulls up the entry and turns to the others, motioning them to come closer.
"Caelus gave me this book to add to the archives some time ago. It discusses some of the old pantheon of Jarilo VI from before the Nameless first trailblazed there. Take a look."
They all crowd around the small screen.
"Jarilo: God of Spring and War!" March reads in growing astonishment.
"The myth explains the progression of seasons as a repeating cycle of Jarilo's marriage with Morana, the goddess of nature and death," Dan Heng explains. "Jarilo emerges from the underworld to bring spring to the surface, falls in love with Morana, and they marry. But he's unfaithful, and in her anger, Morana kills him and builds a home out of his corpse."
March 7th cringes.
"That's pretty extreme. Why couldn't she just divorce him and be done with it?"
Dan Heng sighs.
"This is just a myth, March."
March sighs right back
"Yeah, yeah. Keep going."
Dan Heng shakes his head.
"Anyway, without Jarilo, Morana becomes depressed, creating a bitter winter, and eventually she dies. They're both reborn, and it happens all over again."
Welt nods.
"I see. This must be the cycle the riddle is referring to."
"Then Caelus is on Jarilo VI," Himeko says.
"He has to be," Dan Heng says, more to himself than the others.
"Then what are we still doing here?" March asks.
Dan Heng sits back in his chair.
"We still don't know exactly where on the planet he is. No one in the city has seen him and March found nothing on the plains or the underground, either. There must be something else to the clue," he says.
If Black Swan is right, and whoever this is doesn't intend to make this chase impossible, surely they wouldn't give them three days to search an entire planet, right?
"Did Caelus ever say where he found this book?" Welt asks.
Dan Heng thinks back.
"I think he mentioned he bought it from a merchant in Belobog."
"That doesn't sound like something you'd find in the underground, so he probably got it somewhere in the administrative district," March chimes in.
"We should start there," Welt says.
"It's a good lead," Himeko says, "but we should split our efforts. Let's search the underground as well as the plains surrounding the city, just to be safe."
"You're right. I'll search the underground," Welt says.
"I would offer to help search the plains, but I am unfamiliar with the territory," Sunday offers.
"I'll go with you," March says.
"Dan Heng, will you be alright searching the administrative district on your own?" Himeko asks.
"You aren't coming?" March asks her.
Himeko shakes her head.
"One of us needs to stay and keep an eye on the Express."
"I will go with him," Black Swan says.
Even Himeko raises a brow at that.
"While we appreciate all your help thus far, Black Swan, we couldn't ask a guest to go so far out of their way for our sake."
Black Swan smiles.
"It is no trouble. My motives are not entirely selfless. I have a feeling Dan Heng's experiences through this ordeal will be memories well worth preserving." Dan Heng looks at her warily, an unformed question stuck in his throat. She turns to Himeko. "But if the navigator requires some company…"
Himeko waves a hand dismissively.
"As long as Dan Heng is comfortable with it."
Black Swan looks back to him expectantly. He considers the pros and cons. As before, there's always a chance that the memokeeper has her own ulterior motives that she won't reveal until it favors her. And yet, he's not sure what kind of trouble he'll encounter. Her skills might be useful. She may notice things he wouldn't on his own.
"Alright," he finally says.
Black Swan nods gracefully.
"Let us go find your Trailblazer."
The earth is buried by snow as far as the eye can see. The world around Them is hardly anything but a sea of sparkling white. Akivili shivers. The Trailblaze path protects Them from the worst of the frigid air, but not as thoroughly as it should. They've always loved snow, and it truly is beautiful here, but…it's all wrong.
"This cannot possibly be…"
Aha raises Their arms as if presenting some large display.
"Welcome back to Jarilo VI!"
Akavilli frowns.
"This is nothing like the Jarilo VI I knew. What happened here?"
Aha feigns despair.
"Oh, it's a sad tale, dear Akivili. But the situation is as resolved as it can be…for now, anyway. All that's left to do on this planet is the fun part of trailblazing. Exploring until we find some chaos to raise."
Akivili makes a show of rolling Their eyes.
"I never cause chaos intentionally," They say.
Aha smiles wide.
"And I do so love that about you."
Akivili looks at the snowy wasteland around Them.
"We shouldn't go looking for trouble. Not while I'm like this." They gesture down at Their body. "Which you still haven't explained, by the way. Why are we so…?"
"Human?" Aha supplies. "I'm afraid you upset poor Qlipoth again. They built one of Their massive walls right on the path of Trailblaze, blocking you from your power! The horror! It's no wonder you can barely harness your path and have such a weak body."
Akivili laughs.
"I see. And what actually happened?"
Aha hums and leans in close.
"The details aren't important, but the short answer is most of you has been sealed away." They tap twice on Akivili's chest. "Right. Here."
Akivili raises a brow.
"And what about you?"
Aha smiles and steps back, giving Them a spin. "If my darling Trailblaze is stuck as a human, then I want to be human with Them! It's not like we haven't done this before, anyway. You used to love playing mortal, remember?"
Akivili frowns.
"Yet now I can't change back."
Aha tuts.
"Oh, I hate to see you look so down." They sigh. "Alright. I suppose you can borrow some power from my path for the time being."
Akivili's eyes widen.
"But—"
Before Akivili can protest, Aha takes Their hand and brings it to Their lips. Bubbles of laughter and bursts of excitement bloom under Their skin and spread from the point of contact through the rest of Their body. It's different from Their own power, but still warm and familiar. The bitter cold in the air no longer affects Them. Aha smiles.
"Better?"
Akivili sighs wearily.
"You can't make another Aeon your Emanator."
Aha huffs.
"I can do whatever I want." They throw an arm around Akivili. "And you walk the path of elation just as easily as you do the trailblaze." They gasp dramatically. "What if you're Aha?!"
Akivili holds back a smile.
"And what would that make you?"
Aha pulls away and bows with a flourish.
"Your most loyal Emanator, of course. I simply follow the path of elation so diligently I keep getting mistaken for Elation Themselves!"
Akivili can't help but smile now, more fond than humored.
"And what of the Trailblaze?" They ask.
Aha looks up at Them, still bowed.
"They are one and the same. Trailblaze is Elation."
Akivili laughs again, the bit reaching its endpoint.
"Alright, be serious."
Aha straightens, and for just a moment, their smile falls. But in a flash it's back again.
"Me? Impossible."
Akivili would never truly ask such a thing of the embodiment of elation, but They wouldn't say no to a straight answer to even one of the many unknowns They've encountered since waking up. They aren't even sure how long They've been away. Aha wouldn't tell Them. Stranger still, this whole time, Akivili hasn't been able to shake the feeling that They're forgetting something. Something very important.
"Come along, my dear Akivili." They smile wickedly. "Let's go see what trouble we can get into."