AN: Helloooo, everyone!!! I'm back for this week's latest batch of chapters!
This will be the start of an entirely new Arc. I will be honest, this arc is not planned. It is not part of my original draft.
This was supposed to be just a filler chapter, just to show how Noah is doing. But the content was too tempting not to use for a complete arc.
And I'm kinda happy how it turned out. I hope all of you will also like it!
Feel free to comment on what you thought and your expectations. I will be happy to know that.
Now then, enjoy reading.
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Hyperion, Sea of Quanta…
Noah Alden—Captain of the Hyperion, Navigator of the Astral Express, the Trailblazer, the most dangerous Nameless, the Jedi Knight, God's Joker, and many more titles… was currently confused.
He, along with Sirin Schariac-Kaslana and Hayate Yagami, was about to disembark from his other self's Hyperion to continue their chase against the dimensional entity, Dormammu.
But just moments ago… he felt something strange through the Force.
It wasn't anything dangerous. It wasn't a warning either.
If anything… it felt oddly light. Almost like excitement. Like someone who had just witnessed something romantic and couldn't help but get swept up in it.
"…What the hell was that…?"
Even now, he couldn't properly describe it. It bothered him enough that he crossed his arms, frowning as he tried to make sense of it.
"...kun?... oh-kun!... Noah-kun!"
Noah's thoughts were interrupted by someone shaking him. He blinked a few times before looking around. He was currently at the Hyperion's hangar.
Not far from him was the red-haired version of himself, the Captain, talking to his small group: two Theresa versions, One who is in teenage years and one with the usual Theresa, a Bronya variant, a long-haired Rita Rossweisse, and two others he hadn't met yet in his universe.
One was a pink-haired ninja girl with animal-like ears—Donkey? Bunny? Fox?—Yae Kasumi.
The other was a stoic girl with pink hair streaked with mint-blue, with horns—Delta.
Eventually, his eyes landed on Hayate and the tiny figure floating beside her, her unison device, Reinforce Zwei.
Both of them were watching him closely with worry.
"Noah-san… are you worried about something?" Reinforce tilted her head, "You can tell Hayate-chan and me anything, okay? You don't have to hold back from us."
Hayate stepped a little closer, trying to peek into his face.
"Noah-kun, are you alright? You seem out of it for quite a while… should we postpone our departure?"
Hayate's hand reached for the sleeve of his robes, holding onto it. Her brows came together; that worried look softened her features. Her round, deep blue eyes locked onto him, scanning his face for any discomfort. Her lashes fluttered with each blink, slow and gentle. Her cheeks were faintly pink, soft and warm, making her look even smaller… cuter. The slight tilt of her chin, the way her lips parted like she didn't know how to say what she felt, added to that charm.
And when she lightly tugged at his sleeve… Noah's brain short-circuited.
'…Okay, focus, me. There is a serious situation here. An Unknown Force disturbance—'
She blinked again.
'—Nope. I'm gone.'
To Noah, Hayate's actions were just dangerously cute.
'Yep… My Hachan is seriously too cute. Especially with that Kansai accent.'
"Noah-kun?" Hayate tilted her head, her brows pinching together, somehow making her look even more endearing.
"…Sorry. My brain short-circuited for a second. You're just… really cute when you worry like that." Noah blinked, finally snapping out of it.
"Wha—wha—whaaa?!"
Hayate.exe has stopped responding.
"Cute," Noah added, completely unhelpful.
Hayate's face went from pink to full-on red, like she might start steaming any second. Even Reinforce blushed, clearly caught off guard by how direct Noah was.
"H-hold on! What was that just now, Noah-kun?! Y-you can't just say things like that so casually!" she stammered, hands waving in front of her as if trying to push the words away. "I was being serious! Worried! And you—y-you just—! W-where did that even come from?!"
She pointed at him, then immediately looked away, then pointed again... completely unable to decide what to do with herself.
"A-and don't call me cute like that in public! T-there are people here, you know?!"
"…Noted," Noah said, watching her with a soft smile.
"D-don't 'noted' me!"
She kept going, words spilling out faster the more flustered she got, which only made her cheeks burn even hotter.
Noah simply watched her, amused and gentle, letting her vent.
"…Geez!"
Finally, she turned away with a pout, crossing her arms.
'Now I feel silly for getting worried about him…'
"Ahahaha—okay, okay. Sorry, both of you." Noah laughed lightly, patting her head. "It's just that my Hachan is just too cute. I couldn't resist teasing her. Ah—but that doesn't mean I don't think you're cute too, Rein, alright?"
He raised his other hand and gently squished Reinforce Zwei's cheeks, earning a soft, ticklish laugh from her.
"Hehehe~ stop it, Noah-san, it tickles!" she giggled—yet she didn't pull away.
For a moment, Noah just watched her laugh, his expression softening without him realizing it. The earlier confusion… slipped to the back of his mind.
"…Anyway," he continued with a small smile, "sorry for worrying you two. I felt something from the Force… but I can't really explain it properly."
Hayate was ready to keep pouting… but the moment he mentioned the Force, she looked back at him in a snap..
"…The Force?"
Reinforce's eyes widened. "Noah-san…"
Her hands moved immediately, gently pulling his finger away from her cheeks as her expression turned serious.
If Noah, of all people, felt something off… then they couldn't afford to ignore it.
"…Alright. Can you try to describe it?"
Noah gave a small, helpless smile, watching Hayate switch from flustered girl to commander in a split second. Reinforce nodded so hard it looked like her head might fall off.
"Well… let me think." He looked up, sorting his thoughts. "It felt like… when someone finally sees their favorite ship successfully sailed."
Hayate and Reinforce blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Hayate pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to process that.
"…So you're saying the Force got excited because its 'oshi' became canon…?"
"…Yeah."
A beat of silence passed.
Even Reinforce didn't know how to react. The three of them just stared at each other, equally confused.
"…That's… a very unique way to put it," Reinforce added a second later, tilting her head.
"…That's a first," Hayate muttered.
"…Tell me about it," Noah replied.
Before long, they found themselves smiling at each other.
"So, Noah-kun… are you excited about the next universe we're jumping to?"
"Definitely. I keep wondering what kind of weird things we'll run into this time."
"Hehe~ I just hope it's not another world with strange rules again… or zombies... I'm fine."
In the end, they decided to skip it and not think about it too much.
"Oh, oh! like that one world where couples had to file an official application before they were allowed to hold hands in public~."
Noah's cheeks twitched immediately.
"…Don't remind me of that."
"Right? And the penalty was community service if you got caught!"
"…I almost got arrested just for helping Hayate cross the street."
"That was romantic though!"
"That was a misunderstanding!"
He let out a long sigh.
"Seriously… And just when I thought I was already used to seeing familiar faces of people I know in different worlds, but… seeing them in completely different universes still feels weird."
"Ahahaha! Different universe, different lives, I guess!" Hayate laughed.
"…And then there are cases like that…" Noah muttered, his voice dropping.
He looked away, his expression turning a bit gloomy.
"…Who would've thought even my own family… wouldn't be connected to me at all in those worlds…"
Hayate glanced at him, then sighed.
"…You're just upset that Mahiru-chan doesn't know you… and is living with a boy her age."
"—Guh!"
Noah held his chest like he'd been stabbed. Tears formed in his eyes instantly.
"Don't remind me!!! Not only was she born into a different family, but those people even neglected her!!! Waaaah!! Mahiru-chan!!! Onii-chan's heart is broken!!!"
He pointed dramatically at the ceiling.
"I should've blown that world up as compensation!!!"
"Well… at least she has Amane-san to take care of her?" Reinforce said, trying to comfort him.
"NOOOOO!!!" Noah held his chest again. "My little sister is not allowed to have a boyfriend until she's 50!!!"
"…That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"
Hayate tilted her head, then added, "But didn't Sirin-chan say that the Fujimiya-kun from your world already got your approval?"
"That is that, this is this!!" Noah declared with full conviction.
"…You make zero sense."
Hayate could only shake her head, completely exasperated.
"Noah, Hachan, Rein, Sorry to keep you waiting!"
A familiar voice called out.
"Sirin-chan! You're finally here!" Hayate turned and saw Sirin floating toward them.
"Sirin-san!!! Welcome back!" Reinforce gave Sirin a big smile and a wave.
"Sorry, I was talking to my other self and lost track of time!" Sirin apologized.
"Geez, you…" Hayate puffed her cheeks, placing her hands on her hips—half scolding, half relieved.
"Ah, hello, Sirin-san. No need to worry." Noah said casually. "I know Sii just loves talking about magical girls with someone. She can go on for hours with Hachan, Non, and Fii."
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
Hayate and Reinforce look at him in shock. They were not expecting that kind of reaction from him. His tone was still friendly… but it lacked his usual warmth. And more importantly, he didn't call Sirin by her nickname.
"Eh?"
Sirin blinked as well, clearly noticing the difference in how Noah addressed her.
And then…
"See? I told you he'd notice."
A voice—identical to Sirin's—came from behind Sirin.
A spatial rift opened.
Another Sirin floated out, pouting.
"Haa… I guess you're right, Sirin. Your Captain can tell us apart pretty easily, even if we're the same person," the first Sirin said with a small sigh.
Hayate and Reinforce blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then it clicked.
"EH?! EHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
"Wait—so you were Sirin all along?! Not our Sirin-chan?!"
""That's right~!""
Both Sirins flashed matching cheeky grins, throwing up a V sign at the same time.
"At least our prank worked on Hachan and little Rein~," their Sirin added with a smug shrug.
"That is mean, Sirin-chan!!"
Hayate jumped at her and grabbed her cheeks, pulling them without mercy.
"YAAAAMEEETEEE…!" Sirin cried out, her voice muffled.
"Go, Hayate-chan! Punish the mean Sirin-san for me, too!" Reinforce cheered from the side—
then immediately added, in a hurry, "Ah—b-but please don't hurt her too much!"
…Still gentle as ever, Reinforce.
At the side, Captain and the rest, glancing over at the sudden commotion. Noah on the other hand… simply watched Hayate and Sirin with gentle eyes… while casually recording everything on his phone.
For… important documentation.
Yes.
Very important.
"Mm."
He nodded to himself, completely satisfied. Of course, the other Sirin noticed what he was doing and immediately deadpanned at him.
"…Still, how were you able to tell your Sirin apart from ours?"
The red-haired Noah—the Captain—stepped beside him as he asked.
Noah blinked, then gave a confident grin.
"Of course… It's love."
Silence fell over the Hyperion Hangar.
Captain. The two Sirins. Hayate. Reinforce. Everyone else.
All of them stared at him blankly.
"…Love?" Zhuge Kongming—a Theresa variant and companion of the Captain—blinked, her brows knitting slightly as she studied him more carefully. "Is that… truly your answer?"
She tapped her chin lightly, thinking it through.
"…Not by instinct. Not by observation. Or some hidden ability… but simply 'love'?"
"Ehem!" Noah puffed his chest with a proud expression.
"Mhmm, mhmm. As expected from my human's counterpart, you get it!" Luna Kindred, the grown-up vampire Theresa, nodded with approval.
"It seems Ms. Luna understands me!" Noah's eyes lit up.
"Of course! Because I'm the same as you! I'm confident I can identify my human even if there were hundreds of him—with my eyes closed!" Luna puffed her chest proudly.
"…Yeah, that's not exactly difficult for you."
"…You'd just follow the scent of Captain's blood."
Brownie—-Bronya's counterpart and the long-haired Rita 'Fallen Rosemary' Rossweisse–the counterpart of Rita Rossweisse, replied in unison, completely deadpanning at Luna's words.
"…Ahahahaha...."
The Captain scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Just like Ms. Luna, I'm also confident I can pick out my Sii or my Hachan, even if there were millions of them in front of me!" Noah puffed his chest, clearly not willing to lose to Luna's brag.
"Of course you can. You're cheating with your 'Captain Tingle.'"
"Of course you can. You're cheating with the Force."
"…Please don't use a legendary-like ability to cheat like that, Noah-san."
Sirin and Hayate said it at the same time, both completely deadpan. Reinforce floating between them, hands clasped together as she looked up at him, clearly unsure how to deal with such an… unusual use of the Force.
"I call it skill," Noah replied without hesitation.
The three of them just stared at him.
"…Shameless," Hayate muttered under her breath.
"Very," Sirin added with a firm nod.
"…Noah-san," Reinforce sighed, sounding completely defeated.
"Ehem… anyway," Noah coughed, smoothly changing the topic. "Other me, thanks for the hospitality these past two days."
He raised his hand toward the Captain.
"Ahaha! No worries! It was a pleasant surprise seeing another me!" The Captain laughed as he took his hand. "You're welcome to visit again—and maybe bring your companions next time."
"I'll take you up on that." Noah grinned as he let go. "But for now… We'll be heading out."
"Then, other me, see you!" The Captain grinned. "I wish you happiness with your own Theresa!"
"Thanks, me." Noah smiled back. "Good luck surviving your two Theresas."
"…That's not something I want to hear from myself," The Captain's eye twitched.
With a cheeky grin, Noah wrapped his arms around Sirin, Hayate, and Reinforce. Before they could react, the light of the trailblaze enveloped the four of them.
And... they vanished from the Hyperion.
—-----
"....And that's how we ended up in this universe."
Noah finished, looking at the elegant red-haired woman and the glasses-wearing man in front of him.
"Hmm… What a fascinating story." The man adjusted his glasses, clearly intrigued.
"Indeed. It carries the spirit of trailblaze in every part of it." The red-haired woman nodded, her smile soft and welcoming.
"You hear that, Caelus?! They came from a different universe just to chase some bad guy! That's so cool!!" the lively pink-haired girl said, practically bouncing as she turned to the gray-haired boy beside her.
"Hoo… so our little March 7th wants to jump into another universe as well?" Caelus replied, clearly amused.
"…So even other universes aren't safe from March 7th," The taciturn boy beside them spoke without even looking up.
"Hey! That's mean, Dan Heng!" March 7th shot back immediately.
Noah glanced at the noisy trio, his expression turning a bit complicated. He didn't know whether to laugh… or leave them be.
'…This feels like a family reunion.'
"So would you need our help to chase this… Dormammu?" the red-haired woman asked gently.
"Ah… about that…" Noah scratched his cheek. "We don't want to impose or mess with your plans, Ms. Himeko."
'Waaah… this Ms. Himeko feels closer to Great-Grandmother Himeko than Himeko-sensei from Saint Freya…' he added in his mind.
"You don't need to worry about that, Captain—ah—Noah. As fellow Nameless, it's only right that we help each other in times of need," the man said with a gentle smile.
"That… well… we're really thankful for that, Uncle Yang, but still…" Noah scratched the back of his head, giving a slightly troubled smile.
"Passenger Welt is right, Passenger Noah!"
A new voice joined them.
It came from a small humanoid creature with long white-and-dark-grey rabbit-like ears and bright blue eyes. Dressed in a black-and-red conductor's coat, a matching hat with golden gear accents, and a white satchel.
Pom-Pom, the conductor of the Astral Express.
"Even if you, Passenger Sirin, Hayate, and Reinforce, came from another universe, you are still Nameless! Part of our family! So you shouldn't hold back from us!"
"…Conductor," Noah murmured, a bit moved.
"…I suddenly feel sad that our Astral Express doesn't have Pom-Pom," Sirin said softly, then immediately reached out and hugged him.
"Wait, Passenger Sirin! Put Pom-Pom down! The conductor is not a stuffed toy!!"
Pom-Pom flailed, trying to escape from Sirin's embrace—but…alas, there was no escape.
Welt Yang watched Sirin hugging Pom-Pom with a complicated look. Even if Noah and this Sirin came from another universe… they still felt familiar to him.
Noah, or the Captain of the Hyperion, was someone he owed. Without him, their final battle against Kevin, the step needed to cross the End, would not have gone so smoothly.
And Sirin… despite the differences in attitude, the Sirin of his world and the Sirin before him shared the same past. The same Second Honkai Impact. The same pain.
But unlike the one he knew… this Sirin didn't drown in hatred.
She was saved.
By Noah. By Kiana.
By something as simple and powerful… love.
"No, no, no! Giving us access to this universe's Trailblaze network is already more than enough help!" Noah said quickly, waving his hand.
"That lets us move around easily. Besides, aren't you all heading to Penacony for the Charmony Festival? Wouldn't it be bad if you ended up late for something that important?"
"If that's what you're worried about, then there's no need." Himeko calmly set her cup down. "The Charmony Festival won't begin for a few more months. We may have been held for a while at the Xianzhou Luofu, but we still have plenty of time before the event starts."
"That's right!" Pom-Pom chimed in, from Sirin's arms. "And warping in your physical bodies will consume too much Trailblaze energy, right? So it's better if the three of you just board the Express! We'll take you directly to the world you need to go to!"
"The Conductor's suggestion would be the best option, Noah. Not only would it be efficient for the three of you, but it would also help the Express 'refuel' by Trailblazing new worlds," Welt explained calmly.
Noah was already mostly convinced… but one word caught his attention.
"Refuel? Is the Express here running low on Trailblaze energy?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Himeko nodded. "After I repaired the Express, its reserves were already quite low. We managed to recover some from our stops over the past fifteen years… but now, we do need a more reliable way to replenish it."
"I see…" Noah crossed his arms, thinking.
"Um—excuse me!"
Hayate suddenly raised her hand like a diligent student.
"Sorry to interrupt, but since I'm still new to this Trailblaze thing… how exactly does the Astral Express refuel?" she asked. "I've heard Noah-kun say that the crew uses Trailblaze energy to operate, but… how do you actually gather it?"
Even Reinforce looks at him with clear interest.
"Ah… right." Noah blinked. "We never really explained that to you two or to Non, and Fii, did we?"
"Now that they mention it… you haven't explained it to us either, Miss Himeko," March 7th cut in, raising her hand as well.
"That's right, 'Mom.' How could you not tell us something that important?" Caelus added.
Dan Heng, though silent as always, the way his eyes glanced at Himeko told her how much interested he was.
No one seemed to notice Noah's cheek twitch when Caelus called Himeko 'Mom.'
"Ahaha… that might've slipped my mind." Himeko scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed.
Noah, Himeko, and Welt exchanged a glance—then nodded.
"Well… the Astral Express runs on Trailblaze energy," Noah began. "Same as the other 'miracles' of the Trailblaze—our blessings, Space Anchors, even the Silver Rails."
He lifted a finger, like he was about to give a lecture.
"So to gather the Trailblaze energy we need… we Trailblaze."
"Huh?" Hayate, Reinforce, March, and Caelus all made the same confused sound.
Dan Heng frowns, already trying to piece together what Noah meant.
"In simpler terms," Himeko added, "We Nameless must practice the path of Trailblaze. That itself generates the energy."
"Traveling to new places, learning new things, experiencing new sights, meeting new people, forming new bonds…" Welt continued. "Every step we take in an unfamiliar or familiar world adds to it."
He gave a small nod.
"That is how we keep moving forward."
"Ohhh…!"
Hayate, Reinforce, March, and Caelus nodded together, finally getting it.
"Huh? But aren't we already doing that all this time? Then why do we still need to refuel like this?" March asked.
"That's because, Miss March," Noah said—still feeling a bit weird calling March 'miss', raised a finger, "the excitement you feel when you try a cake in a new place… is very different from how the locals feel after eating that same cake dozens of times."
He looked at her to make sure she was following.
"If we keep going back to the same place again and again… the number of new things we can experience there decreases. And the impact of those experiences gets weaker too."
He shrugs, "…We just get too used to it."
"I see…" Caelus nodded slowly. "So it's like grinding the same mob over and over. It starts to feel dull… and the EXP you get isn't that great after a while."
"Well… that works?" Noah gave a small, wry smile.
"So basically," March clapped her hands together, "we just need to experience completely new things once in a while to get a big amount of Trailblaze energy, right? Enough to keep the Express running for a long time?"
She leaned forward, eyes twinkling.
"Then wouldn't going with Noah on their hunt for Dor—mando—?"
"It's Dormammu," Dan Heng corrected her.
"Dormammu!" March quickly corrected herself. "Wouldn't that give us exactly the fresh experience we need to get a lot of fuel for the Express?"
She grinned brightly. "We hit two birds with one stone! We help our fellow Nameless, and at the same time, we refuel the Express! Isn't that great?!"
"Isn't that great!!" Caelus repeats her words immediately.
"Looks like your weird condition is acting up again… come here, I'll fix you!" March grabbed Caelus's cheeks and pulled.
"Wha—hey—ow ow OW!! March!!"
Noah watched the two with clear interest, unable to look away from their playful back-and-forth.
For a moment, something warm stirred in his chest.
This scene… felt familiar.
Instead of the older, more matured versions he knew—his grandparents, Caelus and Mitsuki—what he saw now was different.
Younger. Livelier. Unfiltered.
Like he was watching a small piece of their past unfold right in front of him.
Sirin, sitting beside him, felt the same. After all, she had only known the older versions of them, too.
"…It's kind of nice," she murmured.
Noah gave a small nod.
"Yeah… it is."
"Don't mind those two. They've always been like that."
Dan Heng spoke up, likely misunderstanding their expressions.
"Ah… no, it's not that…" Noah scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed.
Sirin looked away, hiding her expression.
"…They just remind us of someone," she added.
"Hm." Dan Heng gave a small nod, accepting it without pressing further.
"Alright, you two, that's enough." Himeko's voice cut in smoothly. "We're about to decide our next destination."
"Okay~!"
"Yeeess!!"
Caelus and March immediately let go of each other and sat properly in their seats—like well-behaved children.
"…That was easy," Noah muttered in surprise.
Eventually, the lounge slowly settled after the laughter, but the energy remained. Noah leaned back in his seat, his eyes went across the people around him, the Nameless of this universe.
Familiar faces. Different lives.
And yet… somehow carried the same feeling. The same familiar warmth that he and his crew shared. The sight before him gave him unparalleled confidence that whatever waited ahead, they could easily face it together.
And somewhere beyond that…Another story was already beginning.
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