Chapter 5: The Surgery was a Success, You're a Girl Now
"Where is..."
"Where?"
Amidst the quiet murmurs of the room, Caelus groaned. His golden eyes fluttered, fighting against the heavy fog of artificial slumber. He shifted on the cold floor, blinking rapidly to clear his blurry vision.
Before his eyes could even focus, a shadow loomed over him.
"Congratulations," Leon announced, his voice carrying the solemn, professional weight of a seasoned doctor. He leaned in so close that his nose was practically touching Caelus's forehead, flashing a brilliant, pearly-white smile. "The surgery was a complete success. You're a girl now."
Kafka froze.
Silver Wolf's jaw practically unhinged.
Caelus just stared blankly, his newly awakened brain completely short-circuiting as he tried to process the information.
"Be good. Don't cause trouble." Kafka stepped forward, placing a firm, gloved hand against Leon's chest and shoving him back without a second thought. She shot Silver Wolf a sharp, meaningful glance—a silent command to keep the masked nuisance occupied and far away from the newly awakened receptacles.
If Stelle and Caelus picked up Leon's eccentric, chaotic habits within their first five minutes of consciousness, Elio's script wouldn't just be broken; it would be thrown into a blazing dumpster fire. What if this man completely corrupted them before their journey even began?
Leon stumbled back a half-step, brushing off his jacket with an offended gasp. 'Huh? Corrupted by me? I am the pinnacle of a good role model.'
Beside Caelus, Stelle also began to stir. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, her gray eyes wide and unfocused. The two of them looked around the dimly lit room with the absolute, unadulterated confusion of newborn fawns.
"Kafka?" Stelle murmured, her voice raspy.
A fleeting, incredibly soft micro-expression crossed Kafka's usually composed features. The corners of her lips softened into a genuine smile. "That's good. You still remember me."
Then, the Stellaron Hunter shot a guarded sideways glance at Leon.
Leon crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. 'Is such a high-level defense really necessary?'Kafka's eyes narrowed slightly in response.'I am absolutely terrified you will corrupt them.'
"Listen to me..."
Kafka turned her attention back to the two Trailblazers. Her voice dropped an octave, taking on that hypnotic, velvety cadence. She wove her Spirit Whisper into the air with the effortless grace of someone who had rehearsed this exact moment a thousand times in her head.
Leaning against a nearby control console, Leon watched the scene unfold. The corners of his mouth curled upward, forming a handsome, appreciative arc.
In the dim light of the space station, Kafka truly radiated an overwhelming maternal glow. The way she spoke, the gentle yet sorrowful look in her eyes—it painted the perfect picture of a mother reluctantly saying her final goodbyes to her children before a long, uncertain separation.
It was a dazzling sight. Elegant. Deeply captivating.
Naturally, Leon pulled out his smartphone and snapped a picture.
Click.
He stared at the screen, admiring his handiwork. 'Wait a minute... why does it feel like I'm doing Fuli's job right now?'He pocketed the device, shaking his head.'Oh no. Could it be... okay, enough joking around.'
Beneath his casual exterior, Leon was acutely aware of the terrifying changes within his own body. His abilities were deeply, absurdly strange. If he closed his eyes, he could vividly sense eighteen distinct Paths branching out before him, glowing like cosmic veins in the dark.
He could feel the rigid, suffocating chains of the defunct Order. He could sense the ancient, lingering echoes of the damaged Permanence.
Energy from every single Path flowed into his fingertips like obedient water. More than that, if he focused his gaze toward the absolute furthest reaches of those conceptual roads, he could actually see the Aeons themselves. Well, 'standing' might have been a strong word. When he looked down the Path of Nihility, he just saw IX—a colossal, depressing purple blob. He honestly couldn't tell if the entity was standing up or lying down in a puddle of its own despair.
The Aeon of Nihility IX: O_o
It was a magical, intoxicating sensation. Leon felt as though he could snap his fingers and rewrite reality. He felt all-powerful.
'Hmm... I shouldn't get cocky,'Leon mused, tapping his chin.'What if this is all just a massive, elaborate illusion Aha shoved into my brain for a laugh?'He nodded to himself. Yes, attributing every single irrational, logic-defying event to the Aeon of Elation made perfect sense.'Praise Aha. Hamen!'
"When you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret..."
Kafka's voice brought him back to reality. She finished her final instructions, her Spirit Whisper taking full effect. Stelle and Caelus slumped forward, falling back into a deep, peaceful slumber.
Kafka stood in silence, her burgundy eyes locked onto the two sleeping figures. Her mind raced.
In Elio's original script, there was only supposed to be one Stelle. That single receptacle was destined to draw the gaze of all the Aeons, growing into the ultimate weapon to stave off the destruction of the universe.
But now, there were two of them.
Could two receptacles still attract the gaze of the Aeons exactly as the script demanded? Or would this split the cosmic attention, ruining everything? For the first time in a long while, a heavy knot of worry tightened in Kafka's chest.
"Let's go," Silver Wolf said, popping a bubblegum bubble with a sharp snap. She adjusted her jacket, letting out a long sigh. "We'll head back and ask Elio what the hell is going on."
The hacker shot a covert, lingering glance at Leon. For a variable to completely shatter Destiny's Slave's absolute predictions, the probability of an Emanator intervening was astronomically high.
Or even worse... Silver Wolf swallowed hard. She could only pray to the stars that Leon hadn't been lying earlier. She hoped he truly was just an agent sent by Aha. Because if he wasn't, she would have to seriously entertain the horrifying suspicion that this man was actually the Aeon of Elation parading around in a human meat-suit.
"Let's go," Silver Wolf repeated, turning toward the exit. She paused, looking back at the grinning man. "Aren't you planning to come with us?"
Seeing Leon casually leaning against the console, making zero effort to move, a very bad premonition washed over her.
Did he plan to stay here?
Kafka remained silent, simply watching Leon with a faint, unreadable smile.
"I'm not planning to go with you," Leon replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I plan to stay right here and join the Astral Express."
He didn't bother hiding his intentions. His logic was flawless. Why on earth would he go hide in some dark, gloomy Stellaron Hunter base with Kafka and Silver Wolf, when it would be infinitely more entertaining to follow Stelle, Caelus, and March 7th across the universe?
Sure, the Stellaron Hunters had a solid roster. He liked Firefly, Silver Wolf, and Kafka.
But if he followed the Astral Express? The possibilities were endless. He could hang out with Herta and Asta right here on the Space Station. He could drop down to Jarilo-VI and meet Bronya, Seele, and Serval. He could ride the rails all the way to the Xianzhou Luofu and cross paths with Yukong, Fu Xuan, Qingque, and Tingyun...
Wait, scratch that last one. He wouldn't be meeting Tingyun; he'd be meeting Phantylia!
If he locked himself into the Stellaron Hunter faction, his dating pool was strictly limited to Firefly, Silver Wolf, and Kafka.
Comparing the two options... the Astral Express scores one victory.
The Astral Express has one victory, making this the second victory.
The Astral Express has two victories, making this the third victory...
In short, the Astral Express won by an absolute, indisputable landslide.
"What's wrong?" Leon teased, stepping forward with a dramatic pout. "Can't bear to leave me behind? Be honest, if I actually went back to your base right now, would you two even welcome me?"
Silver Wolf and Kafka stared at him, their eyes practically screaming distrust.
Leon sighed, throwing his hands up. 'What? Do I really look that unreliable? I am incredibly reliable!'
"True," Silver Wolf muttered, rubbing her temples. "Just thinking about you coming back with us makes my blood pressure skyrocket."
Despite his clownish behavior, the oppressive aura Leon casually leaked was terrifying. Whenever she stood near him, Silver Wolf couldn't shake the sickening feeling that her absolute mastery over Aether Editing was nothing more than a cheap plastic toy in his eyes.
"I hope you treat them well."
Kafka closed the distance between them. She leaned in close, the faint scent of her perfume washing over Leon. Her striking burgundy eyes searched his face, looking for any trace of sincerity. Her tone remained as smooth as ever, but Leon caught the subtle, genuine plea hidden beneath her words.
"Naturally..." Leon murmured.
Seeing that beautiful face hovering mere inches from his own, Leon's instincts kicked in. He leaned forward, aiming to close the final gap.
Kafka moved like water. She dodged his advance with effortless grace, spinning on her heel and walking away without a second glance.
"Sigh," Leon called out, rubbing the back of his neck. "We haven't even exchanged contact info yet!"
"I'll contact you once the operation is over," Silver Wolf called back. She raised a hand, swiping her fingers through the air.
A massive, pixelated void tore through the fabric of space. The two Stellaron Hunters stepped into the digital rift, and within a blink, the portal vanished, leaving the room in total silence.
Leon blinked at the empty space. Right, he almost forgot. Silver Wolf was the universe's most overpowered hacker. Breaching his phone's security to force-add him as a friend should be a walk in the park for her.
It should be easy, right?
Leon slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket—the strange, otherworldly device that had manifested out of thin air alongside his mask. He stared at the blank screen.
It should be easy... right?
Probably?
"Phew..."
The moment the pixelated portal closed behind them, Silver Wolf leaned heavily against the metallic wall of their escape route. She took a deep, shaky breath, her usual gamer bravado melting away.
"Are you really okay with leaving him back there at the Herta Space Station?" she asked, looking up at her partner. "He couldn't actually be the Aeon of Joy, Aha... could he?"
The more Silver Wolf analyzed the data in her head, the more absurd the situation became. What kind of normal, decent person could physically manifest a Stellaron with their bare hands?
"Probably not," Kafka replied, her footsteps echoing softly down the corridor.
"Why so sure?"
"Because I don't think my charm is quite enough to sway an Aeon," Kafka said, a faint, self-deprecating smile touching her lips. "As for the truth? Who knows. Maybe this entire sequence of events has just been a grand play, directed and performed by Aha from start to finish."
She paused, looking back toward the direction of the space station.
"All I know is that in that room, under that pressure, we were completely powerless to change the outcome." Kafka turned back around, her voice returning to its usual light, lazy, and faintly joyful tone. "Let's go ask Elio. Perhaps the answer to this anomaly has been written in his script all along."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]