"There's a lot of clouds today…"
Leading the way ahead of him, Huohuo seemed to notice the sky turn a shade darker as nighttime began to settle in.
Yuuto followed her gaze as he also looked up. "Is this a lot of clouds? I don't notice a difference compared to before."
"I guess it's understandable since most visitors don't really pay that much attention to the sky."
Huohuo took a second to stare at the sky one last time before bringing Yuuto to the main street, where people moved at their own pace.
As night began to fall, the stands that were once busy dispersed. Leaving only the echoes of Cloud Knights roaming around the area.
Feeling the silence empty, Yuuto curiously asked. "It sounds like you enjoy watching the sky quite often."
Huohuo jumped a bit when Yuuto suddenly caught up to her but she tried her best to manage her expression.
Feeling a bit embarrassed when he noticed how she was staring at the sky.
"W–Well, the nighttime is usually the time when I find the sky the closest thing to calming me down…"
It wasn't exactly a surprise considering the nature of her job. Heliobus are hardly active during the morning or daytime for the fact.
But as night begins to approach, those are times when activity starts to show a sharp increase, and she then has to get involved.
"You already know about how day and night work on the Luofu, right?" She asked.
Yuuto simply nodded. "Since the Luofu navigates through space and not around a set 'sun', they developed a simulated sky that is then displayed on the outer shield of the ship."
It was a simple idea, honestly. Also, one that held benefits to the natives that lived on this planet-sized ship.
"While it helps with managing how days work, it also provides a sense of psychological comfort. S-Since living on a planet where it's constantly nighttime…"
"It would sound like a nightmare."
"Exactly!" Huohuo strongly agreed. "So while it's dark at the moment, I still remember how the sun and day looked and in a way it helps manage my stress a bit…Since I notice that it always rises during the nighttime…"
[If only you had this type of optimism when doing your job, then I could sleep without having someone crying in my ear for help every hour of the night.]
"Those types of situations can't be helped—!"
Huohuo's tail flickered as it seemed to scoff at her words.
While Huohuo tried to defend herself, albeit a bit weakly. Yuuto felt a bit impressed.
'The person or people who designed the Xianzhou ships thought everything out.'
Unstable emotions and a buildup of memories brought along by living for hundreds of years. These were just some of the ways mara could flare up within a person.
So, while measures such as simulating an artificial sky to keep track of the day-night cycle on the Luofu could help with time management.
It also had another effect of providing a sense of comfort.
'I wonder if they really meant for this to happen or was it just a coincidence?'
He was curious but knowing how insane it was to make a planet-sized ship to have countless natives living inside.
He was certain that the person behind the Xianzhou already had this issue in mind.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Huohuo and he walked for a few more minutes before reaching an area where workers wearing the same uniform as Huohuo began to appear in larger batches.
Each carrying an eight-trigram mirror, these workers all were muttering verses under their breaths while ripples of green passed through them.
"Madam Hanya is in the deeper sanction, so we could meet her there."
Huohuo pointed towards a gate that had a few guards that had a rather… ghastly aura that was hard to ignore.
Adorned with a black and white mask that symbolizes a netherworld envoy, each wielded a guillotine blade that stood right by their side.
Huohuo approached without hesitation and waved a black talisman that had an inscription embedded right on the surface.
One of the guards nodded just slightly and Huohou waved Yuuto to follow her.
He joined her quietly but as he passed through the gate, he felt a soulless gaze land on him.
It lingered for just a second before eventually disappearing as he moved deeper into the sanction.
"Did the Ten-Lords Commission create a temporary base here?" Yuuto asked since there wasn't an area like this from what he remembered.
Rows of temporary booths. Rattled with prisoners chained by the wrist.
Each with a designated spiritfarer and devices meant to capture individuals consumed by mara.
This sight would be pretty hard to miss if you played the game.
"You could say that. Some cases were brought up in the commission where we needed to do an on-site investigation; it made more sense to create a base here."
Huohuo navigated through the crowd before telling Yuuto that they needed to enter a building just slightly ahead.
"There was also the case that you were involved in regarding the 'Saint' so it only further fueled the need for an area where we could contain the damage."
"More damage control?"
"The Cloud Knights are busy maintaining order at the moment, so the duty has shifted a bit into our hands."
Passing through one more set of doors, Yuuto thought Huohuo's words made sense.
Reaching another checkpoint, voices started to pass as Yuuto saw many workers belonging to the Ten-Lords Commission holding strange-looking lamps.
Each pair spewed out aggressive green coloured flames before each one had a talisman placed in the center.
Dimming the light and subduing the hostile fire that wanted to escape.
"Those are just some of the heliobus we captured after a long case within Fyxestroll Garden started to get out of control."
"You were a part of it?"
"Only near the end since I was still… recovering in the Alchemy Commission, haha."
Huohou shyly scratched her cheek as she said this but as Yuuto's curiosity began to peak, there was an odd detail that caught his eye.
"Is it typical for Vidyadhara members to help out with cases as well?"
Among every member that belonged to the Ten-Lords Commission, some individuals had distinctive pointed ears that he was familiar with.
And seeing them here was a bit out of place for them. Especially since there were quite a few of them.
"The Vidyadhara? Usually, we have a few members come by to help heal casualties using their Cloudhymn magic but this time we needed a bit more help…"
"Was the case that bad?"
"A little since it involved a few high-level heliobus that were a bit difficult to contain."
Yuuto thought back to the number of members he saw earlier and wondered just how bad the case was.
His eyes lingered on a Vidyadhara who released his Cloudhymn magic to heal the arm of a spiritfarer.
Sensing Yuuto's eyes on him, the man smiled softly and greeted him before returning to healing the next person in line.
'Am I being too paranoid…'
This feeling stayed for a while before arriving in a garden where the person they were looking for was silently sitting.
"M-Madam Hanya! Judge Huohou reporting that the inspection returned as negative." Huohuo came to a salute before relaxing as Hanya waved her hand to be at ease.
The large brush in her hands stopped as she noticed another presence and her empty eyes stared at Yuuto, who stood just a few steps behind Huohuo.
"A visitor?"
"T=Thats…" Huohuo turned to Yuuto as she wanted to see if she should say it but he just shook his head.
"It seems like you've been rather busy since the last time I saw you, Madam Hanya."
"I could say the same to you as someone who was recently involved with the Sanctus's so-called Saint."
Hanya lowered her brush before asking. "So, any reason as to why you arrived with Huohuo?"
At this point, Yuuto could tell that Hanya was a person who didn't like wasting time, which honestly, was something he liked.
Straight to the point.
He ushered Star out of his pocket and the little fox landed gently on his shoulder.
Hanya's empty gaze widened a bit as she noted the heliobus on his shoulder and placed her brush on the parchment paper she was writing on.
"My little friend over here was saying that she was feeling a bit weird during the time the Arbor was being used. So I wanted someone to see if there was anything like mara that could have affected her."
"Mara is not something that could manifest within an energy-based lifeform." Her voice was steady.
"I know but it still makes me a bit worried so I wanted an expert to check."
Hanya fell silent as she placed all her attention on Star, who felt a bit uncomfortable from being stared at.
Her soulless eyes seemed to pierce through her body. Her very being.
And all she could do was wait. Like a convict waiting for the judge to pass their verdict.
"One question before that, where did you find this creature?"
Yuuto paused as he sensed a faint shift in the way she spoke. Rather than carrying the same stoic and emotionless front he was already familiar with.
It now carried a subtle hint of… hatred.
An intense emotion.
While she managed her expression normally, it was easy to notice this hatred that made even Huohuo shiver stiffly.
'She knows something…' He guessed in his head.
Yuuto's eyes flickered a faint silver. "With the way you're speaking, I assume you must know something."
"Visitor. While being an ally of the General ensures a certain degree of innocence. That abomination you brought along may very well make you an enemy of the Xianzhou."
'Okay, what the hell. I just wanted Star to get a check-up, but why am I suddenly being convicted as a criminal?? What kind of development is this?'
And it wasn't just the Luofu. But Hanya specifically said the Xianzhou.
Not just the one ship but the entire fleet. All just from showing Star and voicing his concern for her.
"Am I cursed or something..? Why can't I just be on my own and not have trouble knocking on my door…"
Yuuto's face twitched as mist slowly gathered in his palm after noticing the thick chains manifesting around Hanya's arms.
With one already coiling around his leg, keeping him in place.
"W-Wait you two!! Why are you guys suddenly fighting!??"
Huohuo felt a sense of shock seeing the situation happen so quickly and felt a tinge of guilt as she was the one who initially brought Yuuto to come with her.
Now he was suddenly being marked as a criminal.
Her question dissipated into the air as the room became tense with a confrontation that would arise at any moment, but Yuuto didn't move to retaliate.
Not when he felt like Hanya was still in the process of judging him right now.
Call it intuition that naturally formed when meeting a wide range of eccentric people through his time.
With a moment of contemplation, Yuuto let out a big sigh and let his mist go. Not forgetting to rub his face in exhaustion.
"Look, I won't run away but let's get rid of his chain."
Yuuto shook his leg and the sound of chains rattled.
His intentions were pretty clear but Hanya didn't budge. An even deeper sigh escaped him.
"If you want to know where I found Star, then I'll be brief."
There, Yuuto began to recount the time he found that hidden room of the Sanctus during his chase with Kafka.
Where Star was found within a sealed jar. The moment when Huohuo fainted. Everything that occurred in just a few sentences.
Hanya's frown relaxed a bit but there were still questions.
"So that abomin—"
"Not abomination but Star. Also, she's not as dangerous as she sounds since she even helped me take down that 'Saint' you guys have been gossiping about."
Hanya's mouth thinned as Yuuto interrupted her.
[Hah! Seeing someone so fearless in front of the demoness is refreshing–!]
"M-Mr. Tail, don't say that now…."
Ignoring the comments in the background, Yuuto looked into Hanya.
'Whatever it is, Hanya must have some sort of history with Star if she's showing this much emotion.'
From anger to hatred. All of this appeared whenever she looked at the little fox on his shoulder.
'Ah, now she's biting her nails.'
Yuuto was intrigued by the wide range of reactions she was giving, saying that it was almost comical to see from the stone-faced judge.
From being straightforward, to anger, almost fighting and now showing frustration.
All he could do now was wait.
"If it's really true, then the Sanctus must have reached the depths… But Marshal Hua and even Seer Yao Guang mentioned that all remains were sealed…
…Plus the seals are only known to a select few.."
Hanya's teeth bit onto her nail faster as her thoughts and murmurs increased. Before finally…
Crack.
Yuuto flinched seeing her nail break apart but that didn't bother Hanya in the slightest.
Blood poured down her finger and her emotionless eyes finally released a bit of their tension. But the animosity remained, only shimmering beneath the surface of her facade.
"...If what you said was true, we must inform the General immediately."
Hanya made the chains that trapped Yuuto fade before gathering her things.
"Wait! I still don't understand the situation. Why are you—"
"Shuhu. That cursed creature carries Shuhu's essence."
"What…?"
Shuhu…
That name seemed to cause Yuuto's ears to ring as it was a name he was familiar with.
While he wasn't a lore-heavy nerd when he played, this name popped up in dialogue on several occasions.
Emanator of the Abundance and a prominent figure of the Denizens of Abundance.
He has come into conflict with the Xianzhou Alliance on several occasions, and also serves as an exalted figure for the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus due to his close affiliation with Yaoshi
Several crises had him at the helm.
Bringing the dead planet Rahu back to life, which eventually devoured the Xianzhou Cangcheng.
Rallied a great army to attack the Luofu and set up the Sanguinary Abyss to block the Xianzhou soldiers, eventually being known as —The Shuhu Upheaval.
Faced against the High-Cloud Quintet 700 years ago leading to the death of one of their members. Eventually breaking the group internally when two of the members used his flesh to resurrect their deceased friend.
While also being responsible for the death of Xueyi…
He was behind each one.
But now hearing that Star carried this very emanator's essence.
"Are you sure? I thought that the Luofu took care of him?" He still questioned her.
Hanya paused for a while before answering.
"We did and we made sure to seal him deep inside the Shackling Prison where light will never reach him. Only to be accessible to Marshal Hua and the Ten Lords."
She rolled the documents on the table as she continued.
"But seeing how there is still a piece of Shuhu's essence on the surface means that the Sanctus somehow got a hold of his flesh and even made a weapon.
The question remains as to how they got a piece of his flesh when Marshal Hua made an effort to seal his being in its entirety.
…But seeing as you got a hold of it before they used it properly, it could be both considered a blessing despite being a curse at the same time."
'But it can still be a mistake?'
This thought lingered in his head after hearing her but this idea was shaken off immediately.
Knowing Hanya and her history with Shuhu, it would be almost impossible for her to be mistaken.
Both as a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission and as a person who lost their sister to the emanator.
"What the hell… why are these types of things popping up now…"
He reeled in his thoughts as he tried to calm his mind and looked at Star who suddenly flinched under his gaze.
Hearing that Star contained Shuhu's essence made him feel stumped at how he should treat her.
The voices she was hearing? It might be the influence of Shuhu manifesting from the Arbor's appearance.
Was the Star he was talking to all along… was it Shuhu himself?
He honestly didn't know.
[I'm sorry… I don't know who S-Shuhu is but I'm sorry…]
Yuuto heard her tiny voice that offered an apology despite not understanding the reason as to why she needed to feel sorry.
Maybe she took in what she heard earlier and judged it based on the reactions to the name.
That she felt the need to apologize.
Her ears curved down and all Yuuto could see was the top of her head.
Yuuto was silent.
This scene shouldn't have prompted any memories to form but hearing her apologize made him think of Cyrille.
Cyrilla's sister and the one who promised to help find her back in Belobog. A person who was influenced by Stefan and the Stellaron.
Even his friend and crewmate who was burdened by his past, appeared in his mind.
'Another one, huh.'
Yuuto didn't think for much longer and rested his finger on Star's head.
"I just have one question for you, do you mind answering it?"
[Sure…]
"What is your name?"
A simple question to him but it felt rather soothing for her.
Hesitation appeared but seeing that he was waiting for her answer. Star eventually decided to answer what she felt was correct.
[It's Star.]
"Of course it is. Star, our little fox that's both a glutton and feisty as a newborn cat."
[What do you mean by glutton!? I'm not a glutton!!]
"Sure, whatever you say."
Yuuto chuckled and carried Star back into his pocket.
Hearing her answer, he decided that he should believe in her. Believe in the entity that calls herself 'Star'.
It may be foolish. Yes.
But once he makes a decision, he will not back off and turn against it.
And if it were to backfire...
He will claim responsibility for his actions.
Off to the side, Hanya looked at him with both a strange and complicated stare.
"How can he act like that with a heliobus that carries Shuhu's essence?"
Hanya narrowed her eyes as her blood felt like it was on fire each time she thought about the emanator.
She was tempted to act and contain that creature on her own but strangely enough, even with the sensation of Shuhu radiating off of her.
There was no suffocating aura that she remembered back then when he took the life of her sister.
Perhaps it was only a sliver of his essence but it was still undeniable that Star carried that emanator's signature.
It was a conflicting feeling.
"Maybe he felt like Star was already someone different compared to what she's initially made out of…"
Out of the blue, Huohuo spoke her thoughts, which caught Hanya off guard. Huohuo herself was even surprised at what she said.
"I-I mean she was made from a combination of different heliobus that each fought to the end to become one. S-So maybe Star's not Shuhu's reincarnation in a sense…"
Hanya stared at Huohuo who grew more flustered but never offered her thoughts as she kept them to herself.
"How touching. This scene certainly brings a tear to my eye."
"....!!!"
"Wha—!!!?"
Yuuto and Hanya felt a shiver down their spines when a sweet voice appeared like a whisper in the wind.
Chains formed and a piercing cold filled the room. All of which headed towards a far corner where a single individual raised her slender fingers.
"An interesting greeting."
"Lady Tingyun? What are you doing here….?"
Seeing the foxian lady appear in the room without her noticing, Hanya was initially confused but the smile she wore held a different impression that was hard to ignore.
Especially when she noticed the strong hostility radiating off Yuuto.
"Why are you here?"
"What do you mean, Sir Yuuto? You went missing just now and I was tasked to bring you back."
"You can drop the act, Phantylia."
Yuuto felt the room tense as he pointed his sword at Phantylia. Hanya and Huohuo couldn't register what he just said but Phantylia's soft laugh filled the room instead.
"Finally deciding to stop your act?" Yuuto's words cut through her laugh.
"Act? How are you certain that it was just an act?"
Yuuto didn't think of answering back and instead stuck his sword forward, which riddled the room with countless streaks of sharp moonlight.
"No room for talking? I guess it's expected of you since you've been rather active in dealing with all my plans recently."
Phantylia moved her hands to deflect the sharp blades of light aimed at her vital points and felt the pressure he was slowly letting out.
[Illumine: Sever]
Multiple gashes appeared instantly around her body and traces of blood leaked out from each site.
"You've gotten proficient in the way you handled your sword compared to when you first arrived. A true monster in the making."
Phantylia didn't seem phased by the blood pouring down her body but a satisfying glint shone brightly, which made Yuuto uneasy.
"However, you've been pretty annoying these past few hours so now I must personally act before you do something unexpected again."
Goosebumps rose as Yuuto pulled his sword back to avoid an attack. But his leg was captured in the process.
He wanted to speak but a thick line of fire covered his mouth and chains brought his body to sink into the ground.
Yuuto attempted to break free and cut his way but the chains acted too quickly and he faded into the portal she opened up.
Transporting him into the unknown, where no one except Phantylia knew.
"Now for you two…."
Seeing Huohuo and Hanya stuck in place, she snapped her fingers and watched them fall lifelessly to the floor.
"Now that the biggest variable has been handled, let the climax of this crisis take place."
Phantylia felt a grin rise, thinking about how Yuuto's companions would react seeing as one of their pillars suddenly disappeared.
Even more considering that she had an 'interesting' gift for the Luofu. Awaiting its slow presence was a thrill she couldn't wait but see.
"Enjoy this sight before your inevitable end."
The injured body she carried blew up in flames and the persona she kept with her faded as the light of the moon was eventually engulfed by a dreadful presence.
***
"Yuuto's late…"
March whispered as Welt, Fu Xuan, Yanqing and Jingyuan gathered around a table.
Stelle's presence was the same but it didn't worry her as she volunteered to search for him, considering that she was the last person he spoke to.
So she knew a rough idea of where he was.
"I apologize, Yuuto is usually on time for meetings like this, so I'm sure he's been backed up by something."
"No worries, I've seen how he's been very diligent so far and that some of us here could speak from experience."
Jingyuan gestured at Welt calmly and left a soft smile as he stared at Fu Xuan and Yanqing.
Each with different reactions to the name but he knew how helpful he's been during this time of crisis.
"Let us begin ahead of time and I can help fill Yuuto in later when he arrives."
Jingyuan waved his hand and a holograph of a certain location appeared.
Vast oceans with only a few cases of land appearing.
This was Scalegorge Waterscape that took part in suppressing the Arbor's roots a millennium ago.
"Judging by how the Sanctus are acting, it can only be assumed that their goal is to release the Arbor's true power."
Jingyuan dragged his finger to highlight a certain area.
"The Arbor's roots are still being sealed within the delve so at the moment it will not show its true power but who knows what might be attracted to it."
His words hung heavy with a certain deduction.
An emanator.
"We can resort to certain tactics but—-"
BANG!
Right as he was about to continue, Fu Xuan suddenly released a sharp breath and upon closer inspection. Her face was littered with sweat.
Her breathing became heavy, which caught the attention of everyone at the table.
"What's wrong? What's happening…."
Jingyuan went to Fu Xuan but she raised her hand to stop him. Trying her best to catch her breath.
"...The land that brought prosperity now withers and water brings great misfortune…"
March felt confused. "Withered? Misfortune?"
"It's a divination. However, it seems to be a rather grim one."
Knowing Fu Xuan best, Jingyuan felt his brows tighten as he tried to interpret this sudden divination in his own words.
As he tapped his finger for a while, his ears caught a faint commotion happening outside his door.
Before he could act, Stelle came running inside. Sweat was trailing down her face but her expression showed panic.
Feeling like an interlude to something ominous slowly arriving.
"Stelle, what happened to you? Where is Yuuto?"
"Th-That's…"
Stelle's lips quivered. She wanted to speak but a hand rested on her shoulder and a group of individuals began to enter the room.
Individuals who had carried a certain feature that Jingyuan was familiar with.
Sharp and pointed ears.
"Preceptor Taoran, I believe that you have an explanation as to why you've barged into the room uninvited."
Jingyuan carried her usual attitude but Taoran knew that he would face a heavy consequence if he were to speak out of line.
However, this didn't scare him and instead faced this attitude head-on.
"General, I will have to apologize for barging in unannounced but we must bear heartbreaking news…"
Jingyuan looked at Taoran who looked broken and waited for him to continue.
But what he said next wasn't something he would have expected to hear.
"The visitor named Yuuto has…" He paused. "Murdered our beloved High Elder Bailu…"
His palm revealed a white crystal that all of them were familiar with.
***
Located in an isolated alley, a sharp blade flickered lightly and the head of a mara-stricken soldier fell to the ground.
"That's the last one…"
Her sharp and cold red eyes fell on the soldier for a while before her sword faded into dust.
Feeling like she was done, she jumped onto the roof of the house nearby and felt the wind caress her face.
Her hair, blessed with light blue tips, danced in the air as she savoured this moment of silence.
The light from the moon allowed her figure to be seen but her appearance eventually faded as she moved to her next destination.
Her movements were fluid but there was a faint thought that appeared in her mind.
'I wonder what he's doing now.'
Jingliu thought about the man she trained with and recalled the sight she saw just a few hours ago.
"Pillars of golden light… that certainly belonged to him. There is no mistaking it."
As she had faced that distinct flame a few times already, she could already tell that Yuuto was responsible for it.
His face lingered in her mind but as she was about to hop onto the roof of a neighboring house.
She felt the moonlight caressing her face disappear.
Puzzled, she looked up but that only brought her to freeze in place.
A large planet. A planet that floated in place but slowly began to devour the sky it fell on.
Her Core Esse that hadn't trembled for hundreds of years felt a stir.
It boiled.
Like a ripe wheat grain about to burst out of its husk and swell to infinity. She saw herself trapped in childhood nightmares again.
The ominous planet is swallowing her overhead, and she, but an insect, cannot even struggle.
"How…."
The sound of teeth grinding filled the air and the building she stood on froze. Encasing itself in a frigid, piercing ice that would never melt.
"How!? Rahu….!"
Her blood red eyes shone with pure hatred.
Crack.
It was at that moment.
The bright diamond earring that hung on her right ear.
Lost its light.
***
Will begin speeding up.