Aeon Impact

Chapter 1: Awakening and Revelation

Groggy from sleep, Caelus opened his eyes to the familiar cabin of the Express, but something felt off. His body seemed heavier, and his clothes clung uncomfortably tight.

Ignoring the odd sensation, he tidied his bed and room before heading to the bathroom. Carefully stripping off his clothes, Caelus stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the remnants of sleep. As he dried himself with a towel, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and froze.

The face looking back at him was still his, but his eyes—once golden—were now swirling galaxies of purple, with bright golden diamond-shaped stars for pupils. His silvery-gray hair, now tipped with cosmic hues, had inexplicably lengthened, and his athletic frame had transformed into a powerful, muscular physique.

Unable to resist, he flexed in front of the mirror, marveling at his newfound strength, but reality soon set in. None of his old clothes would fit this new body. Using the train's communication system, he reached out to Pom-pom.

"Pom-pom, could you call Mr. Yang? I seem to have a slight clothing problem," Caelus requested over the comms.

"Caelus! When did you wake up? Mr. Yang is with Kiana," Pom-pom responded.

"Kiana? Who's that?" Caelus asked.

"She's the one who saved us from your uncontrolled Honkai energy release and reverted you back to human form, stopping your passive release of Honkai energy. Now everyone can be near you without risk. By the way, I left your new clothes folded neatly in the cabinet. Don't mess them up, okay?" Pom-pom replied.

"Got it, thanks Pom-pom," Caelus replied with a smile, appreciating Pom-pom's usual attention to detail.

Caelus found his new clothes in the cabinet and took a moment to adjust his longer hair into a low ponytail before dressing. He wore a black tank top under a white inner shirt, paired with black pants and a long-sleeved jacket that did little to hide his impressive physique.

His muscular form was evident through the fabric, displaying a chiseled eight-pack and well-defined chest.

Feeling ready to leave his room after four months of self-isolation post-ascension, Caelus stepped out into the passenger cabin, eager to reconnect with everyone in the Parlor Car.

"Hey everyone! I've missed hanging out in the Parlor Car," Caelus exclaimed, waving to his friends.

Pom-pom, Welt, March, Kiana, Himeko, and Dan Heng turned their attention to Caelus."Caelus!" they greeted, except for Kiana, who introduced herself.

"Hey Caelus, my name is Kiana Kaslana, the Herrscher of Finality," Kiana greeted, extending her hand.

Caelus shook her hand, feeling a strange connection to her concept of 'Finality' that echoed his own 'Deliverance End.'

"Nice to meet you too, Kiana. Mr. Yang must have mentioned me," Caelus replied.

"He did. He explained how this universe differs from mine, spared from the ravages of Honkai, unlike our world," Kiana remarked, her gaze flickering to Himeko, seated on a luxurious red sofa, engrossed in her books and coffee.

"Himeko-sensei... I've mastered Finality after all these years," Kiana muttered under her breath, her words catching Caelus's attention.

Moved by Kiana's words, Caelus instinctively pulled her into a warm embrace, feeling a profound connection between their paths of 'End' and 'Deliverance.'

"Congratulations, Kiana. We're all glad to have you here," Caelus said warmly.

Himeko, glancing up from her book, noticed the exchange and smiled knowingly, sensing the unspoken bond forming between Kiana and Caelus. Meanwhile, March, Dan Heng, Welt, and Pom-pom exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the unfolding dynamics aboard the Express.

As the atmosphere settled with newfound camaraderie, Caelus felt a surge of optimism, confident that his transformation and the arrival of Kiana marked the beginning of new adventures and revelations aboard the Astral Express.

Himeko glanced at Kiana with a spark of excitement in her eyes. "Would you like to join the Astral Express and journey across worlds, helping us eliminate the Stellaron?" she asked eagerly.

Kiana nodded firmly. "I'll fight for all the beauty of this world and protect it from the Stellarons, Aeon of Destruction, and their minions," she declared with determination filled her blue-purple eyes.

In response, Himeko presented Kiana with a golden train ticket badge, accented with red. Kiana affixed it to her clothing as an accessory, officially joining the Express.

As time passed, the bonds among everyone aboard the Astral Express deepened, forming a close-knit family bound not by blood but by shared experiences and unspoken secrets.One evening, Kiana opened up about her past traumas, revealing that she had been an experimental clone created to serve as a vessel for Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void. She recounted the horrors of the Honkai, her struggles with Sirin's persona, and the heartbreak of battling and inadvertently causing the death of her teacher, Himeko, in her universe.

Hearing this revelation, Himeko was visibly shaken, realizing the fate she had narrowly escaped. Pom-pom, Caelus, March, and Dan Heng shared in shock, each processing the gravity of Kiana's experiences. Welt nodded solemnly, understanding Kiana's journey all too well.

Moved by Kiana's courage and resilience, Caelus wrapped her in a warm embrace, his heart swelling with empathy and admiration. Unbeknownst to both, a tender romantic connection began to blossom between them.

"Enough of the heavy stuff! Let's take a break," March interjected cheerfully, her bright smile dispelling the lingering somber atmosphere. "Yeah, Kiana, let's focus on the present and future," she added, her enthusiasm infectious.

Kiana returned March's smile. "Thank you, March. I was just reflecting," she replied with a softer expression.

March's announcement interrupted the moment. "Good news, everyone! The Family has resolved the issues in the Dreamscape. Who's ready for an excursion?" she exclaimed, eager to shift the focus to something uplifting.

"I'll cover Kiana's hotel VIP room fee in the lobby," Caelus volunteered, prompting surprised looks from Himeko and the others.

"Are you sure, Caelus? It could be quite expensive," Himeko cautioned.

"I've won two seasons of competitive gaming. I can afford it, especially since I've been saving half of my earnings. Besides, Kiana is new here," Caelus explained with a warm smile.

Welt intervened, handing Caelus a set of hotel keys. "You forgot these when you left your room last time," he said, passing them over.

"Thanks, Mr. Yang," Caelus responded gratefully.

As the Astral Express members—Himeko, Welt, Caelus, March, and Kiana—prepared for their journey, Dan Heng accompanied Pom-pom, who, for reasons unknown, couldn't leave the Express and felt lonely when passengers disembarked. Dan Heng, as the administrator of the Express data banks, found solace in organizing and categorizing information within the databanks, keeping busy during their stays at various destinations.

[Scene Break]

As the Trailblazers (Himeko, Welt, March, Caelus, and Kiana) arrived at Penocony's Grand Hotel, The Reverie's grand hotel lobby, everyone except for the Trailblazers noticed Caelus' very muscular physique, which had noticeably grown taller over the past four months since the incident that nearly collapsed the dreamscape. They were met by Alley, the hotel's receptionist, except for Kiana.

"Welcome to the Reverie, dear guests. How may I assist you?" Alley said, blushing at Caelus' impressive physique and handsome charm, accentuated by his silver-grey, low-ponytailed long hair with purple cosmos-hued tips. She knew Caelus had looked quite different four months ago.

"Could we request another VIP room for Ms. Kiana? She's a Trailblazer who joined us a week ago, but we'll cover her room," Himeko said.

"That will be 20 billion credits, and her room is Platinum Suite 670, located in Zone 12 of the Red Heart," Alley said.

Caelus paid for Kiana's room, leaving 20 billion credits in his bank account after the transaction.

"Thank you. Enjoy your stay!" Alley said, still visibly blushing at Caelus's presence.
While Himeko, March, and Welt went to their respective rooms, Caelus and Kiana were bumped into by Robin.

She had narrowly escaped death when a certain eldritch monster tried to kill her in the dreamscape due to Caelus' timely ascension into Aeon a higher-dimensional god-like being, state triggered by the overwhelming release of energies, including Honkai and Imaginary bursts from Caelus, which almost caused the dreamscape to collapse.

Sunday, a leader of the Oak family and one of the leaders of 'The Family'—the governing body of Planet Penocony—along with his sister Robin, were unaware that Caelus' ascension had caused the near collapse of the dreamscape and indirectly saved Robin's life.

The only witnesses to Caelus' ascension were Acheron, a 'Galaxy Ranger' or Emanator of Nihility, Black Swan, a Memokeeper, and Sam, a Stellaron Hunter. They did not share this information with anyone else. Additionally, only all the members of the Astral Express knew that Caelus was an Aeon, as Caelus had disclosed this information to them.

Robin saw Caelus and blushed at his godly muscular physique, while Sunday gave Caelus a death stare because he's a sis-con type older brother. Kiana also gave a death stare to Robin, who was staring at Caelus, although Caelus and Kiana were not yet in a romantic relationship. Kiana is the Herrscher of Finality and Emanator of Deliverance End, she is closest to Caelus.

"Robin, how's your voice?" Caelus asked.

"Um, it's okay but still raspy. It's on the way to recovery," she shyly replied to Caelus' question.

"You know, I'm quite a fan of yours—your written songs and covers. But my friend March is a die-hard fan of yours," Caelus said.

"Oh? So you weren't a die-hard fan of me?" Robin asked Caelus.

"I only became a fan of yours when my friends introduced me to your music," Caelus said sheepishly.

"Let's go, Robin. We're going to be late," Sunday said.

"Bye, Caelus and Kiana. Okay, let's go, big brother—I mean, Mr. Sunday," Robin said.

As Sunday and Robin left Kiana and Caelus, they bumped into Black Swan and Acheron. Kiana mistook Acheron for Raiden Mei, her 'BBF' back in her home dimension, while Black Swan shamelessly touched Caelus' godly muscular physique—his pecs, hard eight-pack abs, huge muscular arms—as she shamelessly admired him.

"My my~ We meet again, Caelus, and ah, a new face. Is she a friend of yours, Caelus? Is this your Human form, but your Aeon form has more power and authority, Mr. Stellaron—no, I meant Mr. Aeon of Deliverance End. You are such a handsome guy~," Black Swan said in a flirty tone, causing Caelus to blush deeply.

"I will treasure these wonderful memories. It will be my number one memory collection," Black Swan added.

While both Kiana and Acheron gave Black Swan a death stare and showed killing intent, Black Swan's PTSD kicked in because of the 'dance' she had previously experienced with Acheron.

Both Kiana and Acheron hurriedly and tightly hugged Caelus' very huge muscular arms, inadvertently making contact with their assets on Caelus' arms. Caelus's face turned bright red as he blushed causing his manhood to erect.

Caelus quickly managed to calm his emotions when Aventurine arrived and joined the conversation with Caelus, Kiana, Black Swan, and Acheron.

"Hello there, friends. What do we have here?" Aventurine said, instantly causing Kiana to feel distrustful. Black Swan and Acheron raised an eyebrow, while Caelus tried his best to remain neutral, aware that Aventurine's scheming, rich-boy attitude might provoke him into punching Aventurine and destroying Universal in scale as collateral damage.

Aventurine's definition of a friend was merely a tool for him, his gamble. Sensing the tense atmosphere, he decided to leave them be.

Meanwhile, Sam, the Stellaron Hunter, a mecha, eavesdropped on everyone from the shadows, a jealous expression evident behind 'his' light-blue visor.

Black Swan and Acheron bid farewell to Kiana and Caelus, saying they'd see them in the dreamscape. Kiana and Caelus then headed to their respective drive-in dreampools to connect to the dreamscape within their hotel rooms.

As they fell from the sky within the dreamscape, Caelus executed a superhero-style landing while Kiana backflipped mid-air, unleashing her light wings. She then delivered a powerful kick upon landing, creating a controlled, comic purple-colored explosion.

"That's awesome!" Caelus exclaimed to Kiana.

"It's my ultimate move—pretty cool, right!?" Kiana replied proudly.

"Interesting use of the authority of Finality," Caelus muttered, though Kiana overheard and smiled.

"Technically, you're the new Cocoon of Finality—no, I mean, you surpass the CoF and Aeon of Finality, so you can do cooler stuff with your Aeon authority of Deliverance End," Kiana whispered into Caelus' ear.

Caelus nodded in agreement with Kiana's words.

"Kiana, let's go meet with the others; they're waiting at Clockie's statue in the Golden Hour," Caelus said with a smile, ready to continue their Trailblazing Adventures!

As Himeko, Welt, Kiana, and March chatted in the lounge, Caelus suddenly received a DM from Black Swan and excused himself from the group. Black Swan guided Caelus to Aventurine, revealing her role as a Memokeeper collecting unique memories and personal goals. This caused Caelus to feel a bit distrustful towards Black Swan, though he understood everyone, even Aeons, has desires.

"Hello, my friend. It seems you've changed and grown stronger in these 4 months," Aventurine remarked, noting Caelus' muscular physique. "Oh, a lot of time has passed. If I were you, I wouldn't trust that woman who calls herself a Galaxy Ranger," He warned, bringing up Acheron.

"Why shouldn't I trust Acheron?" Caelus asked as he crossed his arms. "You know this applies to you as well; we weren't exactly friends," he added.

"Hahahaha that good one that's my friend," Aventurine laughed at Caelus' remarks.

"Because she is an Emanator of Death and Finality. Don't disappoint me, my friend, because the game has already started. Which side will you choose—the winning side or the losing side?" Aventurine cryptically stated. "But before death within the dream is possible, you may witness the death of another victim," Aventurine continued, providing Caelus with the room information of the victim before leaving him alone.

"Acheron is an Emanator of an unknown Aeon. She is definitely not my Emanator, but her path is close yet far away from my path of Deliverance End. My gut tells me I should trust Acheron. But who is the second victim after Firefly?" Caelus pondered deeply.

Caelus went to the room indicated by Aventurine and found Robin lying dead in her bed, with a corrupting purple crack-like scar on her body. This revelation caused Caelus to step back, realizing the truth that anyone could die in the dreamscape. He immediately messaged Himeko, Welt, Kiana, and March in their group chat to inform them of his findings. Their reaction was shockingly unanimous about the two murder cases (Firefly's and Robin's) and the unsafe nature of the dreamscape, contrary to what The Family had assured them.