Chapter Text
There was trouble in Penacony.
This wasn’t news, of course. The Planet of Festivities had its share of problems ranging from petty theft to Sunday-level madness. However, this issue caused enough concern for the Astral Express to return and lend a hand when they heard it affected Stelle’s Radiant Feldspar.
Stelle, in particular, had no qualms about the sudden vacation. She loved Penacony. All the weirdly interesting stuff was there.
“Are you sure you can handle this on your own?” March 7th asked. Her friend trusted her, sure, but they worried about her, too. “I can go with you like last time.”
“You’re sick, March. It took us seven system days to thaw you out when your whole room became a block of ice,” Stelle reasoned. “Besides, I’m not alone. I heard Aventurine is here, too. Maybe I can use him.”
“Or he can use you,” March mumbled. “If only Mr. Yang and Sunday aren’t busy with Madam Herta…”
“Sunday is an outlaw in Penacony. Mr. Yang bringing him away to be my proxy guinea pig for Herta is a novel experience for him. It’s all good,” she reasoned. It would give her the excuse to keep him away from Penacony and give him more exposure as a Nameless.
Ms. Himeko joined them at the Parlor Car with Pom-Pom, offering helpful thoughts. “Stelle will only inspect a faulty device in the Radiant Feldspar. She also has business to discuss with Caldwick. Perhaps we can pick up Dan Heng from the Luofu and join Stelle in her endeavors? Circumstances hindered Dan Heng from enjoying the trip last time.”
Stelle gave Himeko a thumbs up—one returned with a wink from the older woman.
“That’s a great idea, Ms. Himeko!” March instantly took the bait.
“I’d say I want to go with you, but I can’t,” Pom-Pom said, ears down and all. “Bring me SoulGlad when you return?”
“I’d say milk is better for you if you want to get taller.”
“You meanie! You know I don’t drink milk!”
Stelle ruffled Pom-Pom’s fur by the head. “I’ll get you tons of SoulGlad enough for you to get sick of it.”
March’s worry dissipated into thin air. “We’ll make it quick, Stelle. Don’t cause any trouble on your own, okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll wait for you two before I do,” Stelle jested as she waved goodbye at them. “Take care of Puffball and Trashcake for me.”
“I will never understand your naming sense,” March replied, waving back. They were in a rush after that, true to their word. Stelle could only watch as the Astral Express left the docking area and warped back to Xianzhou Luofu.
Contrary to her rocky welcome when she first came to Penacony, the staff accommodated her with the best service possible. She was a VVIP—the priority amongst priorities. Once she finished her Hi’s and Hellos, it was time to get into business.
Stelle entered the dream world and crash-landed from the sky (as usual)—accustomed to breaking concrete with every visit she had to the real sight of Penacony. However, unlike before, most of the familiar faces were gone.
Everyone knew where Robin was. Only Herta and the Astral Express knew where Sunday was. Acheron and Firefly were on their separate endeavors while Boothill was tracking an IPC baddie. Black Swan was chilling in their Party Car, and Sparkle was a different topic. No one knew where she was.
Who else did she miss?
Ah, Jade and Topaz went back to do intergalactic business. Stelle was mindful not to pry about those two.
“Fancy meeting you here, friend. Are you on vacation this time?”
At least there was one old face from the bunch. Stelle turned back and saw Aventurine. He looked expensive, as usual. Fur coat and accessories in the like. Beautiful eyes and skin. He glowed as he walked, but what caught her attention was how hard he tried to do so.
Fortunately, Stelle’s life was filled with beautiful people. She was used to such blinding sight. She gave him a genuine smile, happy to see a friend. “Aventurine, I thought you were on house arrest for breaking your rock.”
Aventurine chuckled as he took off his hat and gave a formal bow. “They let me off with a flick of the wrist. I owe Topaz and Lady Jade for keeping my position and, what you call to be, a rock. I’m here for official business with the Alfalfa Family. Negotiations and whatnot.”
“Sounds boring, but I guess business talks are your forte.” Seeing as he walked with her, Stelle guessed they were bound in the same direction.
“You’re not with the rest of the Astral Express?” Although he asked this of her, he didn’t seem surprised. “Taking a break from trailblazing, Miss Stellaron?”
Stelle smirked, quite proud to be a responsible adult. “I’m here for official business, too. I’m here to fix a simulation machine.” Screwllum sent her a message, informing her that the Divergent Universe Simulation had a bug. In the name of Herta’s guinea pig and Genius Society, she simply couldn’t have that.
“Sounds complicated, but I guess fixing broken things is what you’re best at. May it be machines or an entire world, you never seem to miss.” Aventurine returned the sentiment, giving a close-eyed smile. They entered a Space Anchor directed to the Terminal Interface at the heart of the Radiant Feldspar. “Would you like a quick, harmless game?”
Stelle blinked idly at him, aware of where this conversation was headed. “Is it about luck? I have terrible luck. I lose fifty-fifty at hard pity in all of my gacha games.” They soon reached her stop.
Aventurine followed her nonetheless. “Then you’re simply fantastic at getting what you want in real life despite the odds.”
She highly doubted that. Aventurine was a terrible flatterer. “Okay. What’s this bet about?”
“I bet you won’t be able to fix it.”
Stelle raised a brow, her pride tested.
Aventurine cocked his head to the side, as if doing so proved a point. “It gets dull if you win all the time, no?” They walked on the red carpet, heading to where Screwllum stood in the center of the room. “Now, there should be a consequence to seal the deal. There’s not much I can offer to someone who owns a ship—” Stelle almost snorted at it. “—but I do notice you don’t wear accessories aside from that pocket watch dangling on your waist. So, how about this golden ring of mine? It matches your eyes. If I lose, then you can have it.”
Rings weren’t her style, but if it was free, then she’d take it. “Fine. If you win, I’ll give you this ship for seventy-two system hours. No extensions.”
He whistled, lips stretched to an amused smile. “I didn’t know you’re a hardcore gambler, Miss Stellaron. I like that.”
Screwllum noticed their approaching figures and nodded in greeting. “You came at the right time, Stelle. I see you’re also with Mr. Aventurine of the Ten Stonehearts.”
Aventurine took off his hat and nodded. Manners maketh man, Stelle thought. “I didn’t think #76 of the Genius Society would know about me. What an honor, Mr. Screwllum.”
“Likewise.”
“He’s here to see if I can fix this problem of ours.” It would be amazing not to know who Aventurine was after everything he did in Penacony. “What’s on our plate for today?”
“There’s a malfunction inside the Divergent Universe. I inspected the contents to update next week’s simulation, but only an Occurrence Domain shows up whenever I switch it on, and it’s an occurrence event that I’m unfamiliar with.”
Stelle pursed her lips to a thin line and placed a hand under her chin. “Was it hacked? Can we fix it?” It was ironic how a genius hacker like Screwllum got his masterpiece affected by a virus.
“That is one of the possibilities, yes, but I couldn’t fix the domain since I know nothing of it,” Screwllum honestly stated. “I would need to identify the occurrence properly and find a countermeasure to erase it from the interface.”
“To put it simply, we need someone to go inside the Occurrence Domain and trigger the event?”
Screwllum nodded. “I wouldn’t want to force this on you, Stelle. I decided to put the project on hold until further notice.”
“It’s going to take how long?”
“I need to communicate this issue with Dr. Ratio and plan the next steps. So it might take a while.”
Stelle folded her arms across her waist. “That’s going to take forever. That man must be sculpting a new statue or mask for all we know.”
“He wouldn’t want to hear that,” Aventurine said. “It’s one of his hobbies that makes him human.”
“He wouldn’t want to hear that,” she repeated. Aventurine dissing Dr. Ratio was just another Tuesday morning. Those two were more alike than they ought to be.
Nonetheless, the whole situation sucked real bad. Stelle favored this project over the other one. No offense, Herta. “I can take a quick look.” She glanced at Aventurine, recalling the bet they had made five minutes ago.
“But we know nothing of this Occurrence Domain. It is highly dangerous,” Screwllum warned. “You might face tough enemies.”
“That’s nothing new.” Stelle couldn’t admit she didn’t want to lose that stupid bet. “You’ll look after us, won’t you?”
“If it’ll assure you of her safety, I can go with her,” Aventurine offered, a diplomatic smile plastered on his lips. He might’ve wanted to see if she could truly fix this problem or not. See the bet through and through. He shifted his gaze to hers, sending a knowing look. “Not that she requires protection.”
She stifled a laugh. Oh, he knew what she was thinking. What a sly man.
Screwllum relented after a moment of silence. “If you insist, I’ll monitor the simulation from the outside. And if I see any anomaly, I’ll pull you two out.”
Stelle nodded and shifted her attention to Aventurine. “This is your first time, isn’t it? I’ll be your guide.”
“By all means,” he replied, letting himself get swept by her whims.
He silently observed as her fingers moved by instinct across the holographic screen, maneuvering to the level difficulty and its settings. There was a rare display of focus—yet as transparent as ever. The minuscule oddity stitched her brows in displeasure. She pursed her lips to a thin line, seeing no option but one.
Conundrum Level: Unknown
“I don’t know if this is good or bad. The level could be super easy or ultra difficult,” she muttered, raising a hand to her chin. “You were hacked pretty bad, Screwllum.”
The genius let out a sound of dismay. It wasn’t every day that someone could outwit him.
“It’s just one domain anyway. I think we can handle it,” Stelle said dismissively, offering a comforting smile. She booted the system and stepped into the simulation. Aventurine followed suit—not too close and not too far. He was just there as he said he would be, and Stelle was satisfied.
They watched as their world transitioned into a simple white plain. Screwllum was gone, and they were no longer in her airship. But so was everything else.
“This is… super weird,” she whispered as she scanned her surroundings, perturbed by the absence of life. Their voices echoed and spoke back at them, eerily confirming they were left alone.
Screwllum always had a familiar setting in all of his simulations with Herta, Ruan Mei, and Stephen. It could be the sullen snowy mountains of Jarilo-VI or the barren land of Scalegorge Waterscape. It didn’t matter what it was, it only mattered that something was happening inside.
The simulation they were in only housed Stelle, Aventurine, and a floating black frame before them. It had an image of a candle at the center. That was all.
???
It didn’t even have a title.
“Are we in trouble?” He asked. Although the nonchalant tone was gone, he was good at keeping himself calm. Stelle had no inkling what this was.
“I don’t want to think we are,” she answered. “Screwllum, are you there?”
Only silence beckoned them from afar.
“Screwllum, I don’t think this is a normal bug.” Again, silence. Stelle sighed and rubbed her temples to ease the growing wrinkles. “There goes our way out.”
Aventurine approached the floating frame and inspected its content. “How does this normally go? Do we interact with it?”
She went around, trying to search for its content. “There’s nothing… It usually plays out a scenario and then lets me choose how it goes. Depending on my choice, I get rewards, punishments, or nothing. It’s never the same, but they all ask for something in exchange for it.”
“So, it’s a gamble?” He inquired, lips curved into a small smile. “I see we have options, at least. Since you’re my guide, I’ll let you choose.”
Just like this whole simulation, Stelle had never seen this Occurrence either. No scenario to play out. No factors to consider. There were only two options given, and it didn’t feel like an option at all.
> Leave.
> Fight the curse of fate and save the world.
Stelle had no clue about the second option, but it sounded dreadful, so she picked the first one, hoping the card would just disappear like a normal occurrence domain would and they could leave.
Yet, it didn’t.
It remained floating like a physical manifestation of her nightmare.
She scratched her head, frustration bubbling. “This is cheating! It’s not making us decide at all. This is an illusion of free will!”
Aventurine, although amused by her loss of temper, was also intrigued. They were certainly in trouble, and he did feel threatened by the lack of choice, but he was more curious about who could do such a thing—Messing with the Genius Society inside a Nameless’ territory within the Family’s jurisdiction, that is. They sure had the audacity for theatrics.
“What does curse of fate even mean?” Stelle whispered to herself as she tried to get more information on the card. There was none. “Are we getting negative curios when we enter here? That’s mega cheating.”
He inclined his attention to hers, curious. Stelle could pick up on it at a glance.
“It’s a debuff. It basically nerfs you.” What a great way of putting it into words. She sighed and gazed at her nonexistent options. “You can stay here. I’ll go on my own. I can’t risk your safety more than I already have.”
“You jest, Miss Stellaron. Regardless of how you see it, I truly came here to be of aid to you,” he replied, taking off his sunglasses.
“You came here to see if I win the bet or not.”
“That as well, but I'd rather help you and have the odds against me than see you fumble in defeat.” Aventurine joined her in front of the Unknown Occurrence and winked at her. “If I win despite the leverage, it’ll make my victory even more satisfying.”
Stelle shook her head. This was very like him to do so. “Whatever suits you. I can always save you when you’re in trouble.”
“How assuring.”
“Besides, I saved four worlds by now. This will be just another lunch break for me,” she psyched herself as she interacted with the domain.
> Fight the curse of fate and save the world.
Stelle grinned at him. “Try not to die before I can save you, okay?”
“I’ll try.” The last she heard were Aventurine’s carefree words as they touched the Occurrence frame, knocking them into the darkness as their consciousness faded away.
There were times Stelle was glad she ventured into dangerous worlds—worlds that could either make or break you. None did otherwise.
She liked the tales of adventure, painful and treacherous as they might be. For Aventurine, it might be through gambling, but the feeling was the same. It was one of the few things they shared.
“Oh, good. You’re awake. I’m starting to think you’d sleep until we're under attack.”
Stelle squinted her eyes as light peered into the room. There were various ornaments on the walls, luxurious as it all had a touch of gold from the full-length mirror to the stained-glass windows—and she was bizarrely dressed in silk. Silk was hella expensive as far as she recalled. Pom-Pom ingrained in her mind that she must not absolutely soil the silken sheets of their Parlor Car.
“Hey, are you there, or am I talking to no one?”
It smelled faintly of lavender incense. Another expensive vice.
She pushed herself up against the mattress, leaving the comfort of her soft pillows and queen-sized bed. Her hair was strewn across her face, with drool on her chin. Her eyes glanced across the room. None looked familiar.
“Stella, are you daydreaming? Do you want me to rat you out to Father?”
Stella…? Who in the world…
Her gaze tipped upwards, meeting the same waves of gold staring back at her dejectedly. Her mouth hung in surprise, slightly opened at the loss for words.
The man before her scoffed and took a seat at the edge of the bed. “What? You finally recognize me for my good looks?” He stood a solid six feet tall and wore robes in the color of gray and shimmering gold cufflinks. It gave off the vibe of high nobility with the gems on his uniform and the numerous medals strewn across his sash. He might’ve held a high position as well.
But for some reason, she could see herself in him.
Her body seemingly moved on its own. “Stop fibbing, brother. This is the worst way to wake up.” Then, her expression instantly clamped back to shock, slapping a hand to her mouth.
Brother? What brother? What was she saying?
And where in the world was Aventurine?
“You should be grateful I came to wake you before breakfast. Father won’t be happy if you’re late again. Ever since the fall of House Ena, things have been tense between the Great Houses of Glamoth.”
A pop-up window showed above her supposed brother’s head.
[You are increasingly immersing in your character. Your current immersion rate is 1%]
Immersion rate?!
Stelle wanted to hit whoever hacked into the system. What was she supposed to do when her body had a mind of its own?
“Calm down… calm down. Think, Stelle…” She whispered to herself, ignoring her brother. This man called her Stella, so the character she must be portraying right now was her—an entirely different person who had a distinct personality and habits.
Perhaps her auto-response was a trigger for immersing into her character. Because Stella was like that.
Fight the curse of fate and save the world.
Save the world… huh? This world should be in chaos since it needs to be saved.
Stelle could only wonder what would happen if her immersion rate reached a hundred percent. She would have no control over her character and the world might be fucked by then.
“Yeah, you should calm down. You’re quite odd today. Did you have a weird dream?” The man pressed a palm on her head, checking her temperature. “You don’t seem to have a fever.”
Peculiar as it might be, this brother of hers looked uncannily like her. It was as if he were the male version of her.
“March, come here. I need you to check on my sister.”
…March?
Stelle snapped her eyes at the door, seeing her pink-haired best friend dressed in a plain lilac dress.
[You are increasingly immersing in your character. Your current immersion rate is 2%]
Fuck whoever came up with this Occurrence Domain. How come thinking fondly of your best friend made her immerse with her character? Was Stella and March best friends in this world as well?
How dare they use the same people in her life as NPCs? Isn’t there a limit to how difficult things could be?
“Yes, Sir Caelus.” March curtsied by the door and excused herself before coming inside. Stelle didn’t trust herself to speak since her immersion rate might increase, so she kept her mouth shut. At least she discovered her brother’s name.
After checking her pulse and breathing, March surmised she suffered from a lack of sleep. “Lady Stella should refrain from strenuous activity. It hasn’t been long since that day, milord. She had pushed herself to her limits.”
Day? What day?
Great. More questions. Stelle had enough of this world’s setting.
“March, will you leave us for a moment? I need to talk to Caelus,” she said, ridding herself of any fond emotions. March visibly flinched at the command. Not used to the stern yet polite request. Caelus merely cocked an eyebrow and looked back at the lady.
Her brother seemed like a sharp man. An eye contact was enough to have him dismiss March from the conversation. “We will see you at breakfast, March. My sister needs… more time to prepare herself.”
“Of course, milord.” March turned to Stelle and nodded. “You are free to call me whenever you wish, milady. I shall see you when you break your fast.” Then she curtsied and left.
When they were finally alone, Caelus dropped the act. “What is wrong with you, Stella? You were unconscious for five days, and it's like you woke up as a new person.” He wasn’t entirely wrong, but she won’t say that.
“I can’t remember what happened,” she admitted, fists clenched onto her sheets. “Tell me, Caelus. I’m so confused. What happened before I lost consciousness?” Stelle shouldn’t rely on immersing in her character to know more about the world. She might just lose herself in the process.
Caelus was aghast. He looked at her as if he couldn’t understand, then he sighed and shook his head. “I shouldn’t be too tough on you. I’m sorry.” He ran a hand on his face and breathed. “Stella, you should know war is fast approaching. Our house, Father, everyone tried to save House Ena from Nanook, but there’s nothing we could do against their numbers. The one who suffered the most from that battle was the Lesser House, House Xipe. They’re in tatters.”
Xipe, Ena, Nanook—The great houses were named from Aeons. Stelle knew that much. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume the rest of her friends were also here as NPCs. Saved for Aventurine, she hoped.
“We barely escaped the battle,” he continued. “You used your powers too much. Father expressed regret bringing you to the front lines. We shouldn't have and I’m sorry.”
Hmm… powers. Stella had powers? How interesting.
“Where does our house stand? Are we doing okay?” Stelle had to know their current state. Allegiances and the like. The powers could come later. Caelus might even slip their house name along with it.
He gave her a warm smile and cupped her cheek. “Not to worry, dear sister. House Akivili is surrounded by the toughest sea. We are far from that bastard Nanook’s wretched reach and our people are safe from their legion. Skies would fall before they break our defenses.”
Wow. Her brother could spill some pompous words. Do people talk that elegantly here?
Then, he pinched her cheek, pulling out groans of complaint from her lips. “And call me brother. I’m fifteen minutes older than you. You never call me Caelus.”
Ah. That must be the reason she immersed herself in her character. Duly noted.
“Caelus, let me go before I punch you.” She threatened him, feeling her skin stretched by his calloused hand.
Her brother gasped, letting go. “You… what has happened to my dear sister? She would never say such words to me.”
Stelle guessed Stella was a typical noble lady, classy and filled with tact. Nothing like her. “House Akivili…” If her house was the same as the path she walked on, then Aventurine must be the same.
“Caelus—”
“Brother,” he corrected.
“Milord Caelus—”
Caelus sighed, dropping the subject. “Just call me anything but that.”
“Caelus,” Stelle repeated with a cheeky grin. “Do you know a man named Aventurine?” As the name slipped out of her tongue, she could feel her heart beating louder. It sang to the tunes of his name, and it unknowingly clawed discomfort to her being.
[You are increasingly immersing in your character. Your current immersion rate is 3%]
Caelus instantly frowned in displeasure. “How could I forget? What business could you still possibly have with a man like him?”
Yikes. Her brother’s dislike for Aventurine was palpable. Meeting him in this world might be tough. “I’m simply curious. He, uh, owes me money?” Most likely his ring.
[You are increasingly immersing in your character. Your current immersion rate is 4%]
Huh?
Caelus’ frown writhed into anger. “You haven't forgotten him, have you?
“I-I mean, how could I?” Stelle waved her arms in the air. “He lost a bet, and I have to get what I’m owed. I need to see him.”
[You are increasingly immersing in your character. Your current immersion rate is 5%]
What the actual fuck?
“A bet… I guess that man will never change,” he grumbled under his breath and stood up, leaving the bed. “Abandon any thought of seeing that man again, Stella. Hasn’t he broken your heart enough?”
Oh.
Oh no.
“He did… what?”
Frustration crept unto Caelus’ face. “Remember, Stella, do not ever forget how that man ridiculed you by having an affair with Catarina of the Ever-Flame Mansion while he was betrothed to you. Our ties with House Qlipoth of the north have only soured since then.”
Pain shot through her chest. It was as if her heart was broken and kneaded into bits and pieces of sorrow and pity.
[You are increasingly immersing in your character. Your current immersion rate is 6%]
Good gods.
Stelle hung her head low as sweat trickled down her cheek. The mere thought of Aventurine immersed her further into her character. If this simulation could laugh at her, then it would've howled by this moment.
“Fuck me…”
The Stella of this world was undeniably and irrevocably in love with the Aventurine of this world, and this might just be her downfall.