Chapter 57: Like Owner, Like Cat Cake
Leon stood over the chaotic scene in the Parlor Car, his gaze sweeping past Stelle, Caelus, and March 7th, all of whom were currently sprawled across the carpet in various states of twitching unconsciousness. He silently, and very deliberately, placed his untouched cup of coffee back onto the nearest side table.
He hadn't taken a single sip. He had been waiting to observe the effects first.
Looking at the fallen Trailblazers, he realized that caution was absolutely the right call.
"As expected of Himeko's Cat Cake," Leon mused, eyeing the little creature. "Is its ability to brew coffee just as lethal as its owner's?"
The dark, sludgy liquid had effectively 'drugged' the entire Astral Express Crew with a single round of tasting. Initially, Leon had thought Himeko's Cat Cake merely smelled like roasted coffee beans—a harmless, cute trait. Clearly, he had underestimated the terrifying reality of its culinary skills.
Himeko sighed, elegantly pressing a hand against her forehead as she looked at her fallen companions. In her lap, her miniature replica—the elegant, red-haired Cat Cake—mirrored the gesture perfectly. It tapped its own tiny forehead with a soft paw and let out an innocent, high-pitched "Awoo."
"Himeko, your coffee... no, excuse me, your Cat Cake's coffee has truly inherited your legendary legacy," Leon remarked, his tone laced with thick admiration.
This kind of raw, unadulterated potency was rare. I wonder what would happen if Aha drank this? Leon thought, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips. If it actually manages to knock an Aeon out, I am definitely recording it.
"Actually, I find it quite rich and fragrant..." Himeko replied, entirely unfazed. She lifted her porcelain cup, taking another graceful sip.
The Cat Cake at her feet nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Perhaps... their Trailblaze simply isn't mature enough to appreciate such a delicacy," Himeko concluded with a warm smile.
Her logic was flawless. If she could drink it without issue, but the others suffered catastrophic system failure, it certainly wasn't her problem. It was theirs. Himeko never suffered from internal conflict over her brews.
The frantic patter of short legs suddenly interrupted the silence. Pom-Pom scurried into the car, their oversized ears flopping wildly, with the little "Pom-Pom Cake" clinging tightly to the top of their conductor's hat.
"Oh my! What is going on here, Pom?! Why has everyone collapsed, Pom?!" The Conductor stared at the scene, their ears standing straight up in sheer panic.
The Cat Cake on their head nervously perked up its own ears, emitting a highly inquisitive, "Awoo-pom?"
"Don't panic, Conductor," Leon explained calmly. "They merely sampled the latest brew produced by Himeko's Cat Cake. They're just taking a mandatory rest."
Upon hearing this, Pom-Pom leaned forward, twitching their little nose at the lingering, acrid scent of the dark sludge in the air. Their furry face instantly paled, struck by a wave of realization and lingering fear.
"S-so that's how it is, Pom... Then they certainly do need to rest, Pom..." Pom-Pom patted their chest, thoroughly shaken.
The Cat Cake on their head covered its face with its tiny paws, acting dizzy in solidarity.
After a few more minutes of agonizing silence, the bodies on the floor began to stir.
"I... I saw stars... in the middle of the daytime..." March 7th groaned, her pink eyes completely unfocused as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
"It feels... like my brain was taken apart, put through a blender, and reassembled by Herta..." Stelle muttered, sitting up and clutching her throbbing temples.
"In a certain sense... it is quite refreshing..." Welt Yang wheezed slightly. He leaned heavily against the base of the sofa, trying to steady his breathing while his bespectacled Cat Cake rubbed its soft head against his knuckles in deep concern.
Dan Heng sat up in complete silence. He didn't say a word, merely hugging his blue-grey Cat Cake tightly against his chest. The little creature licked his pale cheek, doing its best to comfort the traumatized archivist.
Caelus simply curled into a fetal position, burying his face into the soft fur of his Trash Cake. "You smell so much better..." he mumbled indistinctly into the creature's fluff.
"Don't go vomiting on the Cat Cake," Leon laughed, kicking Caelus's shoe lightly. He then turned his attention back to the freshly brewed pot of doom. "By the way, are any of you planning to finish this? Because if you don't mind, I'd like to save some for a friend."
Leon always acted on his impulses. Since he felt Aha should "get a taste" of this masterpiece, he had to make sure it happened. This was his personal "Way of the Ninja"! also, Leon had a very strong premonition: Aha would absolutely love it.
"Huh? Who is your friend... and exactly how much of a grudge do they have against you?" March 7th asked, looking at Leon with the kind of awe usually reserved for fearless, suicidal warriors.
Dan Heng and Welt also cast silent, deeply meaningful gazes his way.
"Just an old buddy I'm on pretty good terms with," Leon chuckled. His eyes flicked briefly toward Pom-Pom. The Conductor shouldn't be unfamiliar with this particular "old friend."
"I don't mind at all," Himeko nodded with a bright smile. She was more than happy that someone was actively promoting her Cat Cake's culinary efforts.
"Perfect." Leon picked up the pot. With a casual flick of his wrist, the fabric of space warped around the ceramic vessel. The coffee traversed the boundaries of reality, materializing directly in the hands of the Aeon of Elation.
Through their cosmic connection, Leon projected his thoughts. [Leon: Aha, please enjoy some premium coffee.]
Almost instantly, the sound of dramatic gulping echoed in Leon's mind, followed by a theatrical wail.
[Aha: Wuwuwu... This taste is so nostalgic! I miss you so much, Akivili!] Aha cried out. [Aha: We were the absolute most compatible partners back then, you jerk!] A loud sniffle echoed through the imaginary space. [Aha:...Although this really tastes absolutely terrible.]
Somewhere in the vast cosmos, Fuli the Remembrance silently observed the spectacle, instantly minting a brand-new Light Cone titled: [Aha Weeps Because the Coffee is Too Terrible].
Suddenly, a dark, oppressive presence entered the mental frequency.
[Nanook:...Akivili.]
Aha's grief vanished, replaced by manic glee. [Aha: Nanook, you're missing Akivili too, right? Hahahaha, I knew it...] The Aeon of Elation lowered their voice to a conspiratorial stage whisper. [Aha: I'll tell you a secret, kid. Nanook is actually Akivili's biggest fanboy...]
[Nanook:...Hmph.]
The Aeon of Destruction gave a cold scoff, refusing to dignify the accusation with a proper response.
Leon smiled knowingly. He was well aware of that particular slice of ancient lore. Nanook's homeworld had endured two catastrophic Imperial Wars and was utterly ravaged by The Swarm Disaster. It was upon that scorched, dying earth that a passing Akivili felt a pang of compassion, resolving to blaze a new path through the devastation.
Was that not a deep form of salvation?
Unfortunately, Akivili fell during their Trailblaze. This tragedy triggered Nanook's dark epiphany: If even such a magnificent existence could be annihilated, then a universe incapable of providing eternal salvation should not exist in the first place.
Thus, the Aeon of Destruction was born.
[Nous:...Is... is that mathematically accurate?] Nous chimed in, feeling its vast, mechanical neurons beginning to overheat and fry at the sheer absurdity of the gossip.
[Aha: Ahahahaha! That's right, that's right! Exactly!] Seeing Leon actively engaging in some top-tier "History Fictioning," Aha nodded vigorously, fully endorsing the narrative.
Leon decided to push the bit further, wailing with great, exaggerated emotion. [Leon: Wuwuwu, Akivili! You've left us, and your little fanboy doesn't even want to live anymore! I will create a world where you exist—]
[Nanook:...]
[Aha: Good, good, good! Keep promoting it exactly like this! Push the agenda!]
[Fuli: The photographic evidence has been recorded and minted into a new Light Cone: "Chronicles of the Birth of the Aeon of Destruction."]
Meanwhile, across the cosmos...
Silver Wolf lay draped upside down across her gaming sofa, carelessly snapping a bubblegum bubble while her fingers danced rapidly across her holographic phone screen.
[Silver Wolf]: Are you there?
[Firefly]: I am, I am!
[Silver Wolf]: Have you seen Elio's new script?
Firefly, sitting quietly in her own quarters, tapped her chin before replying.
[Firefly]: Elio only tells me the specific tasks I need to complete; all the other choices are left up to me. He didn't mention any changes to my script.
[Silver Wolf]: Then has Elio ever mentioned a guy named Leon to you?
[Firefly]: Leon? Elio did mention him... He told me to try and make contact with him, and then just let things take their natural course.
She quickly typed another follow-up message, her curiosity piqued.
[Firefly]: Elio also said that he counts as an external member of the Stellaron Hunters. A new colleague of sorts. So, is there a problem?
Before Firefly was scheduled to head to Penacony, the Stellaron Hunters had each received their own tailored scripts according to Elio's grand design. The fates written in those scripts would inevitably come to pass, but the specific, complex forms they took would only be revealed when the next page was finally turned.
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