Palamon
Silence is Purple
- 8,970
- Posts
- 16
- Years
- Age 28
- he/him
- Snezhnaya, Teyvat.
- Seen yesterday
Hi, there and welcome to the second season of my honkai verse which was titled Colorful Intergalactic Journeys the last time I wrote this. This time, it is called: Patchwork Astral Voyage. It's a continuation of the first season, but it'll all be anthologies like last time. And, while this is a continuation of what happened last time, most of these are probably self contained stories, probably. Anyway.
The Orchid Navigator
"It's been quite awhile, I believe, uh, hello, it's
Siorc Ingne, inventor and member of the Astral Express.
Uh, though, it's been awhile since we've gone to another
Planet. So, I have
Pretty much just continued my life working
On the Herta Space
Station mostly with Madam Her--, Screwllum and
Err, I think her name is Ru-- M--.
I don't really encounter her often. I have
To earn my keep
Here, after all. I haven't solved the mystery
About whether there's more
Siorcs in the universe,
But, it's fine. I haven't seen any more
Ever since I had that dream about,
Err, what was their
Name? I don't have
Any clue, but I guess it doesn't matter.
Well, anyway, I
Have basically just done my work.
I haven't seen Stichtite in awhile. We have our separate
Lives. Yes, I know they're
Evidently a clone of me. But,
He has his own life
At Pier Point.
So, we haven't crossed paths. And, I have
Not seen my family since, either.
Though, I suppose
It's only been a few months since I had
That dream anyway, and it's just been a normal life since then. I
Have been accepted as an inventor, too. I'm looking to
Expand my gadgets soon. But, it's not really all that
Likely this one will succeed. I'm
Looking to make a device that can detect
Other people who have more
Than one of themselves in this universe.
However, it's very
Expensive to make, and
Rather complicated, too. So, it's
Ended up being benched for now.
Anyway, we've decided to vote for the next
Stop on our journey,
To be honest, I think the silver
Rail should go to The Blue. I have heard there's
Absolutely gorgeous flowers there!
Like, a ton of them! I'm
Especially thinking we should go there! I've been hearing Mar-- wants to go to the
Xianzhou to train for something, but we're
Probably not going there. I'm
Rather certain that's
Especially not going to be our next
Stop. Since, we already
Stopped there a few
Months ago, but, I don't know it's not like we don't
Ever return to previous planets.
Maybe I'll just vote the
Blue. I've heard D-- He-- is
Err, hmm, he's voting for Jarilo VI? I think that is what he
Remarked. I'm going to
See if he might be
Interested in voting
On going to The Blue, but he's
Rigid, so I suppose I doubt it. I
Can't foresee him agreeing
In the end. I guess it's fine. As for Him---, I'm thinking
She'll vote on going to Jarilo VI, too. I
Have to say, that's her choice.
Even still, I would
Rather vote for The Blue
Even if pretty much
No one else wants to go there.
It's fine, I suppose, I
Can't act like I didn't
End up seeing
That coming. After voting, I
Obviously have to go to work.
Screwllum needs me for something. I'm not
Especially sure what that might
End up being, but,
You know? It beats meeting any
Of my copies.
Ugh, no, let's not go there. Today's going to be a good day."
It had been a few months since the hyena had that strange dream about another version of himself, or possibly, another clone of himself in another world. Not a lot had really happened since then. Continuing work as normal, there hadn't been another trip across the universe in quite some time.
Continuing to do tasks for Madam Her--, Master Screwllum and Ru-- M--, the inventor's life continued as it normally did. Not seeing Stichtite ever again since then, it was almost like he never had any clones to start with. But, he knew that at some point, he would probably run into that mirror copy of him again. But, for now, everything was as it should be.
But, today, after all this time, the Astral Express would once again vote for the next location. Wishing to head for The Blue after that puppet kept on talking about the nature there, the young adult knew that no one would likely vote with him on this. But, he knew, perhaps, it was possible he could convince someone to join him with a good argument. Maybe, but he knew he could not count on such.
But, today would also be the day everything would break apart once again.
"Astral Express Crew, we will be commencing the vote for our next location in thirty minutes!" Pom Pom screamed through the speaker. "I repeat, Astral Express Crew, we will be commencing the vote for our next location in thirty minutes!"
Hearing a loud announcement blare out over the speakers, the hyena let out a yawn. Man, it was morning already? He was having such a nice dream. Memories of the sleep world fading, he shrugged his shoulders. Ah, never mind, it's all gone. Tossing and turning, he shut his eyes once more. Thirty minutes? Can he get an extra thirty five, please? Nodding off once more, he had soon been brought back to reality once more.
Door opening from the opposite side, the inventor could see the familiar pink locks peek through the crack. Scrunching up and letting out a fake snore, he buried himself beneath the covers. Man, as usual, Ma--- was wide awake and ready to go. Can't she think of the people that aren't ready for once? For example, him! Fleura powering on, the false zzes continued.
"Come on, Siorc, that's the fakest snore I've ever heard, you're not fooling me!" Ma--- shouted with an annoyed tone from the other side of the door. "Come on, sleepyhead, get up! Don't you remember? We're voting on our next stop today!"
Removing the covers, the hyena let out a groan. Who does this girl think she is asking him if he remembered something? She forgot things all the time! But, no, she's just going to pretend that's not the case, right? Classic Ma---, she's always the same. How long has he been with the Astral Express Crew now? Ah, who knows? He hasn't been keeping track anymore.
"Master will be ready in a few minutes!" Fleura cried
"Wow, you still have your friend here call you master, huh?" Ma--- Se----- said with a groan. "Mr. Self Important, don't take too long, or we'll start the vote without you!"
Reaching for his Portable Dialogue Articulator, the chimera's cuticles tip tappied away upon the keyboard. Artificial voice reading out, "I'll be ready in about fifteen minutes, Ma---," he could feel the pressure to move faster coming his way. Ah, maybe he should have said five or ten.
"Alright, alright, I get it, all girl's need to look pretty!" Ma--- cried, she then pouted. "But, you'll never be cuter than me!"
"Master's super cuter than you, Ma---!" Fleura cried. "The cream of the crop!"
"Hmph, showing off as always!" Ma--- cried. "Anyway, I'll see you in the Parlor Car!"
Ma--- soon stomping away, the chimera let out a sigh. Every day here had been so full of life. Unlike on Punklorde. He could still feel that moment from awhile back now when he denounced his former family. He should have done that a lot sooner. But, too late for that, huh? He couldn't change how things had turned out for him.
Going towards his drawers, the young adult took his outfit out for the day. Pitch black shirt with cut shoulders and pink spiky flowers on the chest area, pink belted skirt, rosy fingerless gloves, and a spiky choker to match, the hyena stared at his reflection in the mirror. Maybe he could use a new hairstyle to differentiate himself from Stichtite. But, he shook his head. No way, perish the thought. Singular drill shining as always, he reached for the silicon, like always.
Eyeing the cups, the chimera tilted his head. Should he start wearing smaller ones so Ma--- could look cuter? Maybe he should. That would be a good idea, wouldn't it? Reaching for the smallest pads possible, he slipped them over. Chest soon barely having volume, he sighed. This would do for today. Pitch black ankle bracelets placed on as he put on light pink boots.
Everything in place, the chimera put on the golden hook earrings. Punk hairpin clicked in as well, he readied himself to be the only one would vote for The Blue. Mechanical flower companion floating beside him, the inventor plopped the Portable Dialogue Articular into his back pocket. Slipping out the door in the usual fashion, the chimera could already feel the weight of eyes ready to glare at him.
Room to the data bank slightly open, the young adult placed his finger on his chin. Was D-- He-- not voting this time? He supposed he should have possibly seen that coming, he had heard he had abstained from votes every once in awhile. Should he check in with him? Knocking on the door, he waited for an answer.
"Siorc? Is that you? Come in, if you'd like," D-- He-- responded.
Stepping into the man's room, the chimera could hear him tinkering with something. Screen glowing in the corner, he reached for his Portable Dialogue Articular. D-- He-- was the same as always. He was updating the Data Bank this early in the morning. What entries is he updating? Probably something about the Anti Matter Legion. He had heard Madam Her-- talking about them a lot lately while at work.
Typing in, are you not voting this time, D-- He--, a robotic voice played through the speakers. Maybe he was planning on staying behind this time. Sometimes, only a few people go journey on the planets voted upon. Or, so the story goes. He was not sure how many times out of ten that was true. Could it have been true all the time, or only some of the time? Maybe it was only some of the time, who knows?
"Oh, no, I am voting," D-- He-- responded. "There is still time before we need to head for the Parlor Car, so I am updating the Data Bank before I depart."
D-- He-- continuing to add an entry on the Anti Matter Legion, the hyena wondered. How bad was this faction again? They could basically attack at any point in time, anywhere. Was the Astral Express safe? Maybe he should withdraw his vote regarding The Blue and vote for something else? Perhaps this next location was thwart with that group again.
"What's wrong?" D-- He-- asked. "You seem like you are lost in thought about something."
Flinching, the chimera tip tappied away upon the keyboard. Typing out a question regarding if the Anti Matter Legion were all around the universe, he could feel himself shiver. If they were indeed everywhere, what should he do? He didn't really have what it takes to wipe out every single one of them. Maybe it's due time he tried a little harder to gain a little more combat prowess against the unknown.
"That, they are, and they are quite dangerous," D-- He-- responded. "But, you needn't concern yourself too much over them. Their minions are pretty easy to take out."
Hearing such, the hyena turned towards his mechanical flower companion. Maybe Fleura and he could easily knock out a monster aligning themselves from the Anti Matter Legion. Surely, it couldn't be that difficult, could it? But, his thoughts had soon been interrupted by yet another screech upon the loudspeaker.
"Astral Express Crew, please report to the Parlor Car!" Pom Pom shouted. "I repeat, please report to the Parlor Car! Voting starts in five minutes."
"We should get going," D-- He-- said. "We mustn't keep the conductor waiting."
Exiting D-- He--'s room, the inventor swore he could hear Ma--- Se----- in the corner crying they should just start the vote without them. Making a run for it, the chimera almost tripped on the carpet. Ah, no, please don't disregard him! This was only his second vote ever. He's taking this seriously, he swears!
Reaching the parlor car, a familiar scene soon awaited him. Ma--- on the left corner like last time, Miss Him--- had been in the center. Mr. Ya-- beside her, eyes soon wandered towards D-- He-- and he. Sweating, he knew. He was in trouble now, wasn't he? Pom Pom's little paws crossed around their waist, he could feel his heart sink. He definitely kept everyone waiting, didn't he?
Ma--- pointing at him saying she knew he'd strut in late, the chimera reached for his portable talking device, typing out an apology and mentioning he was conversing about D-- He-- about the Anti Matter Legion, a wave of nervousness flowed through him. That wasn't a good enough excuse, was it? Maybe it hadn't been after all.
"It is quite alright, Siorc, you are keeping yourself informed," Mr. Ya-- said. "Nothing wrong with that."
"There's no way that's all Siorc was doing!" Ma--- cried. "I bet he was programming Fleura to be able to vote with us or something!" But, such had been met with a sigh.
"Ma---, he was just asking me about the Anti Matter Legion," D-- He-- said, sighing. But, another voice had added itself to the mix.
"Master's vote is Fleura's vote!" Fleura cried.
"Right, well, now that everyone's here," Miss Him--- said in an important tone. "Are we all ready to vote?"
"Ready!" Ma--- cried.
"Affirmative," D-- He-- nodded.
"If the youngsters are ready, consider me ready as well," Mr. Ya-- said.
Pom Pom soon standing in the center of the circle, the chimera's eyes had begun to wander. What if the Anti Matter Legion was hiding somewhere within the Herta Space Station? Maybe after this vote, he should ask Madam Her-- about it. But, no, if the topic didn't interest her in any way, she probably wouldn't answer him about it. He needed to focus us.
"Miss Him--- and D-- He--, thinks we should stop at Jarilo VI! There has been some reports about something really strange going on the underground in a place known as Belobog, and some strange energy was spoken about as well!" Pom Pom cried. "Ma--- thinks we should go to the Xianzhou and participate in the Wardance." They rose their paw at such, pointing at Mr. Ya-- "We-- thinks we should head for Salsotto. There's been rumors some civilization has been built there again recently!" They then pointed towards Siorc. "And, Siorc thinks we should stop at The Blue because there's been a ton of new plant life discovered there!"
Choices presented to him, the chimera turned towards D-- He-- and Miss Him---, those two were thinking the same thing, weren't they? Their option sounded much more practical than his. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned The Blue awhile ago after all. He knew that last time, D-- He-- mentioned it, but he looked so ignorant saying that, for sure. Here he was, only thinking about himself.
Ma--- wanting to go to the Xianzhou, the hyena placed his finger on his chin. What is the Wardance anyway? He had never heard of such a thing before. That panda chimera he met on his last adventure, would they be participating? He could feel himself being slightly swayed towards that option for some reason.
Mr. Ya-- mentioning Salsotto, a chill dropped down his spine. That place had been abandoned for so long, there was life there again all of a sudden? What if it's because of a Stellaron? Maybe he should vote for that instead? Look at him, only thinking of fun and whimsy. What in the world was he thinking?
Gazing at the conductor, the inventor wondered. What did Pom Pom want? They always had to stay behind on the train, didn't they? Maybe it would be best to vote for the option that made the most sense. Something strange had been happening in the underground in that Jarilo VI planet, right? Maybe that's what he should vote for.
"Really, Siorc? You want to go to The Blue?" Ma--- asked eyes in a squint. "We took you there already! Remember?"
"Miss Ma---, we just went there on a shopping trip, it's not like we explored the planet more than that!" Miss Him--- said.
"It could be possible that the Anti Matter Legion has taken over the underground in Jarilo VI," D-- He-- said, hand out in front of him. "I'm voting Jarilo VI."
"If what D-- He-- is saying is correct, leaving that issue unchecked could lead to certain destruction," Mr. Ya-- said. "I am also voting Jarilo VI."
"Not those Anti matter Legion guys again!" Ma--- cried. "In that case, I vote Jarilo VI, too!"
Miss Him--- also voting for Jarilo VI, the hyena's cuticles hovered over the keyboard. Maybe he should also vote for Jarilo VI, everyone else had already casted theirs. After all, the Anti Matter Legion was bad news, wasn't it? What should he do? If he voted for something else, everyone would tell him to stop fooling around. Typing out Jarilo VI, the screen turned towards the rest of the Astral Express crew.
"So, it's been decided, our next destination is Jarilo VI!" Pom Pom cried. "Unless someone wants to change their mind?" They turned towards Ma--- as they said such.
"Why are you all looking at me for?!" Ma--- cried. "Jarilo VI is fine with me!" She'll then sigh. "I hope that the underground and overworld aren't fighting again."
Hearing such, the chimera wondered. What kind of adventures did the Astral Express go on in Jarilo VI before he came here? These four must have gone through a lot in their various adventures across the cosmos over who knows how long. Meeting soon adjourned, he returned to his room for a moment.
Staring at his abandoned gadget in the corner, the inventor sighed. Maybe he should make an invention that can detect Stellarons or Anti Matter Legion members instead of one that can detect if a person has more than one version of themselves across the universe. Dropping the unfinished tech into his drawer, he prepared himself to head to the space station.
Time focus his attention on work.
***
"That planet, Jarilo VI. I wonder what could have
Happened to it. It's kind of concerning that there's something going on there. I haven't
Ever been there. So, I don't know what it's like.
Should I ask D-- He-- if I can look in the Data Bank about it?
Eh, maybe not. I don't want to trouble him. I
Can't say that I know a
Lot about that place, but if the Anti Matter Legion is there, that's
Unfortunate. Or, maybe there's a
Stellaron there, but I don't know.
I really don't know where Stellarons could be,
Or anything like that. It's
Not like I know much about Stellarons. I heard they are very dangerous. They can destroy entire
Zones across the universe,
Or even worse, entire planets. I'm
Not too sure what I'll do if there is a Stellaron there. But,
Eh, now that I'm with the Astral Express Crew, I
Have to expect danger. Whether it's because of a Stellaron or other factors,
Unless I am told I don't
Have to go, I am going on all the same adventures.
I'm still pretty young and I want
To see all the flowers in the universe. Maybe there's
Some pretty ones out there.
But, if there isn't any, I guess that's fine, too. Maybe next time.
Even still, anywhere I go, it could be possible I'll
End up finding another clone of me. Ah,
No, Stichtite's the only one, right?
Aha, of course, why would there be more? That's not
Likely, right? Stichtite didn't say there's more than
One clone of me. But, I'm thinking
Now it's probably likely there's more than just him. But, I
Guess I'm overthinking it. Besides,
Those dreams I had of that version of me that is a Valkyrie, that was awhile ago, and
It's not like I'll ever
Meet him. Whoever he is, Dragonfly Posey, he's in an
Entirely different world. And,
Same goes for that one that went to that High School suffering a zombie apocalypse.
I'm pretty sure I'll
Never see them at all. They're in
Completely different worlds. Probably
Entire different universes, even.
I don't know. Could they be clones of me? I
Hardly know. How many of me
Exist in this universe? That I have
Absolutely no idea, either. I need to stop thinking about all this. It's
Ridiculous to cling onto these thoughts. It
Doesn't matter how many of me
There are in the universe, the point
Here is that I probably won't run into
Anymore! It's fine, it's fine.
That's right, it's fine. There's
No more of me
Across the universe. There's just, Stichtite, Dragonfly Posey, that one fighting the zombie apocalypse, and
Me. That's all, there aren't any more. I'm
Especially overthinking this."
Heading off towards Madam Her---'s office, the hyena swore he could hear something really strange from down below him. Was it just him, or had there been something going on beneath the Herta Space Station? Maybe it was his imagination. It had to have been. After all, it's not like the Anti Matter Legion was here, were they? Surely, that couldn't have been the case.
Puppet turning towards him with a bored look on her face, a sweat drop poured down the inventor's neck. This mannequin always looked so uninterested in everything except for her own Simulated Universe. Could it be possible she didn't have any work for him? Maybe. Should he go look for Master Screwllum instead?
"Oh, it's you," Madam Her--- said in a bored tone. "I don't have anything for you to do today. Why don't you ask Ru-- M-- to give you something to do?"
Ru-- M-- mentioned, the young adult blinked. Where could he find her again? He had rarely encountered her on the Herta Space Station. She was always away for one reason or another. When did she come back? Whenever he was told to go see her, he could not help but feel it was the means to shoo him away.
Portable Dialogue Articulator out in front of him, the chimera tip tappied away upon the keyboard, typing in, where is she? He turned the device around. Fleura dancing around beside him, he turned to them. Were they aware of where they were? Maybe, or maybe not. Perhaps it was better to not think about it.
"She's in the Reception Area," Madam Her--- said. "Now, please go. I have other things to attend to here, shoo."
Shooed away, the chimera proceeded towards the space elevator. He swore all this puppet cared about was the Simulated Universe and other things that might have interested her. Maybe he wasn't a worthy adversary to her after all. Reaching the Base Zone, he looked far and wide for that black haired lady.
Spotting Ru-- M-- heading towards the space elevator, the young adult made a run for it. Oh, no, was she leaving? No, no, he needed to hurry. Dashing towards her, he almost fell backwards. Ah, great, now he's going to look like a bumbling fool in front of a member of the Genius Society! Was all of his credibility as an inventor about to go down the drain?
"What is it?" Ru-- M-- asked. "Oh, it's you. What is it? I'm a little busy here."
Annoyance coming his way, sweat poured down the chimera's cheek. Ah, these Genius Society members sure didn't like it when their time was being wasted, did they? What should he do, what should he say? He needed to type quickly, or it was all about to be over. Think, think, don't dwell on this for too long, or she'll walk away.
Tip tappying away on the keyboard, the words, Madam Her--- sent me to you appeared on screen. Adding she said she might have work for him, a sharp gaze was ready to send him six feet under. Ah, that piercing look, she really didn't want him to ask that, did she? Great, now he's gone and done it!
"I don't have anything for you today," Ru-- M-- said, but she hesitated for a moment. "Why don't you go check on my creations in the Seclusion Zone? I'm sure they miss you by now."
Seclusion Zone mentioned, the inventor's eyes practically lit up. Did she mean those cute little kitties inside those big pastry beanbags? Count him in! Maybe he could learn a thing or two about that oven of creation while he's down there, too. It had been so long since he had seen those critters. Were they doing okay?
Nodding, the chimera swore he could hear Ru-- M-- sigh. She didn't want his business either, did she? Maybe he should have just gone and looked for Screwllum instead. Would that have been the better idea? Maybe it would have been, he didn't know. Genius Society member exiting the elevator, he placed his finger on his chin.
How does he reach the Secluded Zone again? There wasn't any easy way to reach there, was there? Last time he went there, someone told him to open up a digital map and click a space anchor and it'll instantly take him there. But, how would he return once he's done? Maybe it's about time he invents a portable map sphere or something. Strutting off towards the reception desk, he could see a scientist in the corner. Excusing himself, eyes turned towards him.
"Hello, Siorc, working hard, or hardly working?" the scientist asked. "How's your friend doing over there?"
"Fleura's doing fine, thanks for asking!" Fleura cried. "Master needs to go down to the Seclusion Zone!"
"Oh, do you?" the scientist asked. "You can borrow this to get down there. You can leave it at the reception desk when you're done with it."
Bowing in gratitude, the chimera gazed at the little tiny digital map. Seeing an option to go to the Seclusion Zone, he searched for the entrance. Finding a Space Anchor next to the oven of creation, he clicked such. Body burning for a moment, he broke into a sweat as he could feel himself transport somewhere else.
Finding himself in that room with all the nice plants next to them. Spotting a lot of weeds in there, a wave of unease flowed through him. Oh, no, look at all those nutrient stealing vermin! He needed to get rid of them right now! Cracking his knuckles, he prepared himself to dig. Here goes nothing.
Nutrient sucking fiends cropped out one after another, the hyena wondered. Was no one maintaining this place? All these plants looked a little dry. He had heard Ru-- M-- was always too busy to look after her creations. Maybe she was too busy to check on anything down there. This place, it felt so empty, forgotten, terrifying. When was the last time anyone was down here? Was he the only one who ever came to this place?
Little creatures mewing, the inventor's heart sank. These poor little things when was the last time they ate anything? What did they eat again? It was soybean cakes, right? He believed so. Where could he find those again? He believed there had been a bag somewhere by some puppy in the corner. Right, that sounded about right.
Strutting towards the puppy, the chimera swore he could hear some loud commotion from close by. Oh, no, was something going on down here? Were there monsters down here? He swore he could hear some buzzing noises from afar and some sort of battle. Was someone else down here?
Turning around, the chimera reached for the soybean cakes. He needed to take care of these poor critters first. They had to be hungry! Why wasn't Ru-- M-- feeding these things? They must have really missed her. Wouldn't they feel in so much pain since she hadn't been feeding them? Maybe he ought to put them in charge of giving them food from now on.
"Master's got some food for you!" Fleura cried, floating around.
Little pastry kitties hopping right towards him, the hyena broke into a sweat. No one was feeding them at all, were they? How sad. In the future, he's really going to have to make sure to come down here at least twice a week to make sure they're getting their nutrients. Critters munching away one after another, he swore he could hear a loud buzzing noise again.
Hearing something or someone, scream, a chill dropped down the chimera's spine. There was definitely another person down here, wasn't there? But, who? That voice, there was something about it that felt familiar. Was someone from the Space Station down here as well? Maybe. Should he go help them out?
Gazing at Fleura, he sheathed a two handed sword from behind him. Whoever it was, if they were part of the Anti Matter Legion, watch out, he's armed! But, ah, no, maybe it was just someone doing a routine cleanout or something. After all, there's some monsters down here sometimes. Well, ready or not, here he comes.
Listening for the sound once more, the chimera placed his hand behind his ear. The noise, it was coming from that door outside the plant room. Whoever it might have been on the other side of the door, he needed to ready himself for anything. Dashing towards the automatic entranceway, what waited for him on the other side was a surprise beyond ages.
Buzzing creatures of doom running towards a person from afar, the inventor's eyes opened wide. No, what was the Swarm doing here? Were these creatures part of the Antimatter Legion? He thought that bug at the bottom of the Seclusion Zone was eliminated ages ago. What happened, did it come back? This isn't good, this isn't good at all. Hearing a voice scream, he listened carefully.
"Master, there's way too many Juvenile Stings today!" a high pitched voice cried. "What should we do?!"
Hearing the word master, the chimera's heart fluttered. Did someone else have a little machine companion with them? How could this be? This wasn't good. No, maybe Peppy learned how to talk. Right, that was it, surely! And, maybe it was calling Arl-- master! That's all, of course. That's all it was.
<Zinnie, calm down, I'm figuring something out, okay?!> a robotic voice from afar cried.
Hearing a robotic voice, the chimera backed three steps away. Did he hear that just now? He could have sworn he just heard a little machine with text converted speech speak. What's going on here? That person, could they have been? But, he shook his head. No, of course not, why would he have any other clones? He's thinking nonsense.
But, such hopes of such not being the case were stabbed with a sword.
Large insects coming straight towards him, the young adult knew he had to fight. Person from afar coming straight towards him, their eyes met. Individual eye's immediately growing wide, he gazed at the person in kind. But, what stared back at him was a mirror with a crack in it growing wide as ever.
Locking eyes with him had been a short, feminine appearing individual with dark purple hair that had been gold towards the bottom. Locks going towards his waist, two golden twintails had been on the top of the head as well. Twin star golden hairpins clicked into the hair aside a ringed smiling planet the same shade, there had been a braid on the left side of the mirror image's head, but not the right. Cracked golden ringed planet earrings dangling downward, he couldn't help but notice the reflection had something covering the purple eye, but not the green one. Monocle over the right pupil, it, too, had a dangling ringed planet charm on it. Bright yellow dress adorning a ribbon beside a large chest and one above it, the chimera did a double take. Maybe he should have put on bigger cups today after all! Black hanging tassels on the dress's edges, attached to it had been a little compass beeping. Cute black socks with stars on them, he nearly dropped to his knees.
There was a clone of him hidden deep beneath the Herta Space Station. Why hadn't he ever seen him when he came here last time? Where had he been hiding all this time? Little yellow robotic flower next to him, his cheeks grew pink. He even had his own flower companion, why? He could feel his thoughts buzzing as he thought such. What if he was the original Siorc Ingne and not him? But, such thoughts were cut short.
"Master Pyxis, he looks a lot like you!" Zinnie shouted. But, loud typing had soon taken the stage.
<No, no, if Ru-- M-- learns I met him, she's going to kill me!> the compass on Pyxis's tassels cried in a robotic voice. <We weren't supposed to see one another.> But, as such sentence dragged out, a hiss released.
"Master, we don't have time! The True Sting is going to hatch soon!" Zinnie shouted.
<Now?! But, I thought we were able to hold that off!> the compass exclaimed in a robotic voice.
"Nope, so it looks like you two are going to have to work together to defeat it!" Zinnie shouted.
"Master, should we work together with them?" Fleura asked.
Nodding, the hyena's eyes grew heavy. Why did there have to be a clone of him all the way down here at the forbidden zone of the Herta Space Station? Who hid him down here? Ru-- M-- even told him to not meet him. Did she tell him to never leave this place either? She's going to kill him if she finds out about this!
Juvenile Stings destroyed one after another, the inventor's heart leaped. He shouldn't have abandoned his quest to make that other versions of oneself in other universe detector, ugh. Sword continuing to eat the insects up like they were hot, he could hardly contain himself anymore. This place, it was starting to feel cold.
Reaching a room all the way towards the bottom floor, the chimera slapped his cheeks. Huge big red bug with pinchers clapping them together, the young adult could feel the world ready to fall apart. That thing, it looks like it could destroy the space station! He needs to hurry! Glass cracking, a battlefield around him opened up.
Large red bug creature letting out a loud hiss, the chimera removed the two handed blade from behind him. This monster, if he didn't act fast to defeat it, the entire space station could be destroyed! He had to hurry, he couldn't let it live for much longer! Sprinting forward, his blade clapped upon it, in an instant.
"Master, it's our turn!" Zinnie shouted.
<I know, I know, can you give me a second, please?!> the compass cried in a robotic tone. Pyxis sighing, he placed himself into a fighting stance. <Take this!>
Pyxis charging forward at the large bug with a gigantic lance with a compass attached to it, the chimera wondered. What kind of occupation did this clone of his have? Everything about him screamed the stars. Was he some kind of navigator? But, he threw such thoughts out. Focus, he's in the middle of a battle right now! Insect creature dividing itself, the chimera shook. No, why did it have to have more friends. Enemies slapping him aplenty, the other flower on the battlefield screeched.
"Master Pyxis, we need to protect ourselves from any nasty things those Juvenile Stings send to us! If they hit, we might be imprisoned!" Zinnie cried.
<I know, I know, don't remind me, okay?!> the robotic compass cried. <It's not my turn yet, though, I have to wait!>
Glowing light planted above him, the hyena leaped upward. Yellow vortex clapped down upon the creatures, Fleura took a spin at the enemies as well. Furthest insect from the back looking weak, he pointed at it. But, something had soon been shouted, in an instant that would shake the stage.
<We have to be careful with what we attack!> the robotic compass cried. <If we attack the leader, they'll divide themselves again! Ah, no, it's fine, I'll just.> He clapped his hands together as he did such. <Night Sky Petunia, protect us!>
Large flower thrown at the leftmost enemies and then bouncing towards the other two, the chimera could see a flower shaped shield in front of him. Seeing such, a realization washed over him. Was Pyxis on the path of Preservation? His clones, did all of them wield a different damage type and follow a different path? How strange. What path was Stichtite on?
Insects one after another shot down, the chimera could feel a burst of energy flow through him. Big boss looking about ready to wobble over the hyena let out a battle cry. Fleura launching pixelly bullets, he could hear a loud cracking noise somewhere up close. Enemy trapped in some strange vortex, he could feel it. It's about to end, surely.
"Master, it's looking weak!" Zinnie shouted. "Go for the final blow!"
<Okay, okay, I heard you!> the robotic compass cried out. Pyxis then took a deep breath, glowing energy surrounding him. <I'm the navigator of the stars, and in this globe is my galaxy!>
Large snowglobe taking the insect creature hostage, the hyena watched as the True Sting had taken a nearly fatal blow. It's almost down. Surely, this would be the end. Vortex launched at the enemy one last time, it crumbled into nothing, in an instant. Battlefield fading away, the party of two gazed at one another.
Fingers quivering as he typed on his Portable Dialogue Articulator, the hyena almost wanted to erase what he just input. But, he knew he couldn't. Robotic voice reading out, how long have you been down here? He almost wanted to take it back. Maybe he shouldn't be asking these kinds of questions to them.
<I don't know.> the robotic compass said. <But, we shouldn't have met.> Pyxis turned away as the compass finished that sentence slowly. <I didn't want to meet you. I should have just stayed in the furthest underground space in the Seclusion Zone. Please, can you leave? If Ru-- M-- finds out we met, she's going to be really angry.>
Nodding, the chimera removed the digital map from the bottom of his pocket. Returning to the reception area, he dropped the device off. Dragging himself back to the Parlor Car, he shut the door to his room behind him. Body shaking, everything cracked. Why? Why was there another clone of him? Just how many were there? Gazing at the abandoned gadget at the bottom of his drawer, he shut it back in the container. Crawling into his bed, he could feel a terrifying dream ready to eat him as he was ready to sleep.
Just how many of him existed across the universe?
Please let Pyxis be the only other clone.
I wanted to do a second season of my Honkai Verse because since I finished writing that, we got a new path: Remembrance. And a whole ton of new characters from the Xianzhou Luofu. And, more Penacony to explore. And, not going to lie, I wanted to write Amphoreus and Siorc's other clones, so here we are. This is going to be twenty six episodes, by the way.
The Orchid Navigator
"It's been quite awhile, I believe, uh, hello, it's
Siorc Ingne, inventor and member of the Astral Express.
Uh, though, it's been awhile since we've gone to another
Planet. So, I have
Pretty much just continued my life working
On the Herta Space
Station mostly with Madam Her--, Screwllum and
Err, I think her name is Ru-- M--.
I don't really encounter her often. I have
To earn my keep
Here, after all. I haven't solved the mystery
About whether there's more
Siorcs in the universe,
But, it's fine. I haven't seen any more
Ever since I had that dream about,
Err, what was their
Name? I don't have
Any clue, but I guess it doesn't matter.
Well, anyway, I
Have basically just done my work.
I haven't seen Stichtite in awhile. We have our separate
Lives. Yes, I know they're
Evidently a clone of me. But,
He has his own life
At Pier Point.
So, we haven't crossed paths. And, I have
Not seen my family since, either.
Though, I suppose
It's only been a few months since I had
That dream anyway, and it's just been a normal life since then. I
Have been accepted as an inventor, too. I'm looking to
Expand my gadgets soon. But, it's not really all that
Likely this one will succeed. I'm
Looking to make a device that can detect
Other people who have more
Than one of themselves in this universe.
However, it's very
Expensive to make, and
Rather complicated, too. So, it's
Ended up being benched for now.
Anyway, we've decided to vote for the next
Stop on our journey,
To be honest, I think the silver
Rail should go to The Blue. I have heard there's
Absolutely gorgeous flowers there!
Like, a ton of them! I'm
Especially thinking we should go there! I've been hearing Mar-- wants to go to the
Xianzhou to train for something, but we're
Probably not going there. I'm
Rather certain that's
Especially not going to be our next
Stop. Since, we already
Stopped there a few
Months ago, but, I don't know it's not like we don't
Ever return to previous planets.
Maybe I'll just vote the
Blue. I've heard D-- He-- is
Err, hmm, he's voting for Jarilo VI? I think that is what he
Remarked. I'm going to
See if he might be
Interested in voting
On going to The Blue, but he's
Rigid, so I suppose I doubt it. I
Can't foresee him agreeing
In the end. I guess it's fine. As for Him---, I'm thinking
She'll vote on going to Jarilo VI, too. I
Have to say, that's her choice.
Even still, I would
Rather vote for The Blue
Even if pretty much
No one else wants to go there.
It's fine, I suppose, I
Can't act like I didn't
End up seeing
That coming. After voting, I
Obviously have to go to work.
Screwllum needs me for something. I'm not
Especially sure what that might
End up being, but,
You know? It beats meeting any
Of my copies.
Ugh, no, let's not go there. Today's going to be a good day."
It had been a few months since the hyena had that strange dream about another version of himself, or possibly, another clone of himself in another world. Not a lot had really happened since then. Continuing work as normal, there hadn't been another trip across the universe in quite some time.
Continuing to do tasks for Madam Her--, Master Screwllum and Ru-- M--, the inventor's life continued as it normally did. Not seeing Stichtite ever again since then, it was almost like he never had any clones to start with. But, he knew that at some point, he would probably run into that mirror copy of him again. But, for now, everything was as it should be.
But, today, after all this time, the Astral Express would once again vote for the next location. Wishing to head for The Blue after that puppet kept on talking about the nature there, the young adult knew that no one would likely vote with him on this. But, he knew, perhaps, it was possible he could convince someone to join him with a good argument. Maybe, but he knew he could not count on such.
But, today would also be the day everything would break apart once again.
"Astral Express Crew, we will be commencing the vote for our next location in thirty minutes!" Pom Pom screamed through the speaker. "I repeat, Astral Express Crew, we will be commencing the vote for our next location in thirty minutes!"
Hearing a loud announcement blare out over the speakers, the hyena let out a yawn. Man, it was morning already? He was having such a nice dream. Memories of the sleep world fading, he shrugged his shoulders. Ah, never mind, it's all gone. Tossing and turning, he shut his eyes once more. Thirty minutes? Can he get an extra thirty five, please? Nodding off once more, he had soon been brought back to reality once more.
Door opening from the opposite side, the inventor could see the familiar pink locks peek through the crack. Scrunching up and letting out a fake snore, he buried himself beneath the covers. Man, as usual, Ma--- was wide awake and ready to go. Can't she think of the people that aren't ready for once? For example, him! Fleura powering on, the false zzes continued.
"Come on, Siorc, that's the fakest snore I've ever heard, you're not fooling me!" Ma--- shouted with an annoyed tone from the other side of the door. "Come on, sleepyhead, get up! Don't you remember? We're voting on our next stop today!"
Removing the covers, the hyena let out a groan. Who does this girl think she is asking him if he remembered something? She forgot things all the time! But, no, she's just going to pretend that's not the case, right? Classic Ma---, she's always the same. How long has he been with the Astral Express Crew now? Ah, who knows? He hasn't been keeping track anymore.
"Master will be ready in a few minutes!" Fleura cried
"Wow, you still have your friend here call you master, huh?" Ma--- Se----- said with a groan. "Mr. Self Important, don't take too long, or we'll start the vote without you!"
Reaching for his Portable Dialogue Articulator, the chimera's cuticles tip tappied away upon the keyboard. Artificial voice reading out, "I'll be ready in about fifteen minutes, Ma---," he could feel the pressure to move faster coming his way. Ah, maybe he should have said five or ten.
"Alright, alright, I get it, all girl's need to look pretty!" Ma--- cried, she then pouted. "But, you'll never be cuter than me!"
"Master's super cuter than you, Ma---!" Fleura cried. "The cream of the crop!"
"Hmph, showing off as always!" Ma--- cried. "Anyway, I'll see you in the Parlor Car!"
Ma--- soon stomping away, the chimera let out a sigh. Every day here had been so full of life. Unlike on Punklorde. He could still feel that moment from awhile back now when he denounced his former family. He should have done that a lot sooner. But, too late for that, huh? He couldn't change how things had turned out for him.
Going towards his drawers, the young adult took his outfit out for the day. Pitch black shirt with cut shoulders and pink spiky flowers on the chest area, pink belted skirt, rosy fingerless gloves, and a spiky choker to match, the hyena stared at his reflection in the mirror. Maybe he could use a new hairstyle to differentiate himself from Stichtite. But, he shook his head. No way, perish the thought. Singular drill shining as always, he reached for the silicon, like always.
Eyeing the cups, the chimera tilted his head. Should he start wearing smaller ones so Ma--- could look cuter? Maybe he should. That would be a good idea, wouldn't it? Reaching for the smallest pads possible, he slipped them over. Chest soon barely having volume, he sighed. This would do for today. Pitch black ankle bracelets placed on as he put on light pink boots.
Everything in place, the chimera put on the golden hook earrings. Punk hairpin clicked in as well, he readied himself to be the only one would vote for The Blue. Mechanical flower companion floating beside him, the inventor plopped the Portable Dialogue Articular into his back pocket. Slipping out the door in the usual fashion, the chimera could already feel the weight of eyes ready to glare at him.
Room to the data bank slightly open, the young adult placed his finger on his chin. Was D-- He-- not voting this time? He supposed he should have possibly seen that coming, he had heard he had abstained from votes every once in awhile. Should he check in with him? Knocking on the door, he waited for an answer.
"Siorc? Is that you? Come in, if you'd like," D-- He-- responded.
Stepping into the man's room, the chimera could hear him tinkering with something. Screen glowing in the corner, he reached for his Portable Dialogue Articular. D-- He-- was the same as always. He was updating the Data Bank this early in the morning. What entries is he updating? Probably something about the Anti Matter Legion. He had heard Madam Her-- talking about them a lot lately while at work.
Typing in, are you not voting this time, D-- He--, a robotic voice played through the speakers. Maybe he was planning on staying behind this time. Sometimes, only a few people go journey on the planets voted upon. Or, so the story goes. He was not sure how many times out of ten that was true. Could it have been true all the time, or only some of the time? Maybe it was only some of the time, who knows?
"Oh, no, I am voting," D-- He-- responded. "There is still time before we need to head for the Parlor Car, so I am updating the Data Bank before I depart."
D-- He-- continuing to add an entry on the Anti Matter Legion, the hyena wondered. How bad was this faction again? They could basically attack at any point in time, anywhere. Was the Astral Express safe? Maybe he should withdraw his vote regarding The Blue and vote for something else? Perhaps this next location was thwart with that group again.
"What's wrong?" D-- He-- asked. "You seem like you are lost in thought about something."
Flinching, the chimera tip tappied away upon the keyboard. Typing out a question regarding if the Anti Matter Legion were all around the universe, he could feel himself shiver. If they were indeed everywhere, what should he do? He didn't really have what it takes to wipe out every single one of them. Maybe it's due time he tried a little harder to gain a little more combat prowess against the unknown.
"That, they are, and they are quite dangerous," D-- He-- responded. "But, you needn't concern yourself too much over them. Their minions are pretty easy to take out."
Hearing such, the hyena turned towards his mechanical flower companion. Maybe Fleura and he could easily knock out a monster aligning themselves from the Anti Matter Legion. Surely, it couldn't be that difficult, could it? But, his thoughts had soon been interrupted by yet another screech upon the loudspeaker.
"Astral Express Crew, please report to the Parlor Car!" Pom Pom shouted. "I repeat, please report to the Parlor Car! Voting starts in five minutes."
"We should get going," D-- He-- said. "We mustn't keep the conductor waiting."
Exiting D-- He--'s room, the inventor swore he could hear Ma--- Se----- in the corner crying they should just start the vote without them. Making a run for it, the chimera almost tripped on the carpet. Ah, no, please don't disregard him! This was only his second vote ever. He's taking this seriously, he swears!
Reaching the parlor car, a familiar scene soon awaited him. Ma--- on the left corner like last time, Miss Him--- had been in the center. Mr. Ya-- beside her, eyes soon wandered towards D-- He-- and he. Sweating, he knew. He was in trouble now, wasn't he? Pom Pom's little paws crossed around their waist, he could feel his heart sink. He definitely kept everyone waiting, didn't he?
Ma--- pointing at him saying she knew he'd strut in late, the chimera reached for his portable talking device, typing out an apology and mentioning he was conversing about D-- He-- about the Anti Matter Legion, a wave of nervousness flowed through him. That wasn't a good enough excuse, was it? Maybe it hadn't been after all.
"It is quite alright, Siorc, you are keeping yourself informed," Mr. Ya-- said. "Nothing wrong with that."
"There's no way that's all Siorc was doing!" Ma--- cried. "I bet he was programming Fleura to be able to vote with us or something!" But, such had been met with a sigh.
"Ma---, he was just asking me about the Anti Matter Legion," D-- He-- said, sighing. But, another voice had added itself to the mix.
"Master's vote is Fleura's vote!" Fleura cried.
"Right, well, now that everyone's here," Miss Him--- said in an important tone. "Are we all ready to vote?"
"Ready!" Ma--- cried.
"Affirmative," D-- He-- nodded.
"If the youngsters are ready, consider me ready as well," Mr. Ya-- said.
Pom Pom soon standing in the center of the circle, the chimera's eyes had begun to wander. What if the Anti Matter Legion was hiding somewhere within the Herta Space Station? Maybe after this vote, he should ask Madam Her-- about it. But, no, if the topic didn't interest her in any way, she probably wouldn't answer him about it. He needed to focus us.
"Miss Him--- and D-- He--, thinks we should stop at Jarilo VI! There has been some reports about something really strange going on the underground in a place known as Belobog, and some strange energy was spoken about as well!" Pom Pom cried. "Ma--- thinks we should go to the Xianzhou and participate in the Wardance." They rose their paw at such, pointing at Mr. Ya-- "We-- thinks we should head for Salsotto. There's been rumors some civilization has been built there again recently!" They then pointed towards Siorc. "And, Siorc thinks we should stop at The Blue because there's been a ton of new plant life discovered there!"
Choices presented to him, the chimera turned towards D-- He-- and Miss Him---, those two were thinking the same thing, weren't they? Their option sounded much more practical than his. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned The Blue awhile ago after all. He knew that last time, D-- He-- mentioned it, but he looked so ignorant saying that, for sure. Here he was, only thinking about himself.
Ma--- wanting to go to the Xianzhou, the hyena placed his finger on his chin. What is the Wardance anyway? He had never heard of such a thing before. That panda chimera he met on his last adventure, would they be participating? He could feel himself being slightly swayed towards that option for some reason.
Mr. Ya-- mentioning Salsotto, a chill dropped down his spine. That place had been abandoned for so long, there was life there again all of a sudden? What if it's because of a Stellaron? Maybe he should vote for that instead? Look at him, only thinking of fun and whimsy. What in the world was he thinking?
Gazing at the conductor, the inventor wondered. What did Pom Pom want? They always had to stay behind on the train, didn't they? Maybe it would be best to vote for the option that made the most sense. Something strange had been happening in the underground in that Jarilo VI planet, right? Maybe that's what he should vote for.
"Really, Siorc? You want to go to The Blue?" Ma--- asked eyes in a squint. "We took you there already! Remember?"
"Miss Ma---, we just went there on a shopping trip, it's not like we explored the planet more than that!" Miss Him--- said.
"It could be possible that the Anti Matter Legion has taken over the underground in Jarilo VI," D-- He-- said, hand out in front of him. "I'm voting Jarilo VI."
"If what D-- He-- is saying is correct, leaving that issue unchecked could lead to certain destruction," Mr. Ya-- said. "I am also voting Jarilo VI."
"Not those Anti matter Legion guys again!" Ma--- cried. "In that case, I vote Jarilo VI, too!"
Miss Him--- also voting for Jarilo VI, the hyena's cuticles hovered over the keyboard. Maybe he should also vote for Jarilo VI, everyone else had already casted theirs. After all, the Anti Matter Legion was bad news, wasn't it? What should he do? If he voted for something else, everyone would tell him to stop fooling around. Typing out Jarilo VI, the screen turned towards the rest of the Astral Express crew.
"So, it's been decided, our next destination is Jarilo VI!" Pom Pom cried. "Unless someone wants to change their mind?" They turned towards Ma--- as they said such.
"Why are you all looking at me for?!" Ma--- cried. "Jarilo VI is fine with me!" She'll then sigh. "I hope that the underground and overworld aren't fighting again."
Hearing such, the chimera wondered. What kind of adventures did the Astral Express go on in Jarilo VI before he came here? These four must have gone through a lot in their various adventures across the cosmos over who knows how long. Meeting soon adjourned, he returned to his room for a moment.
Staring at his abandoned gadget in the corner, the inventor sighed. Maybe he should make an invention that can detect Stellarons or Anti Matter Legion members instead of one that can detect if a person has more than one version of themselves across the universe. Dropping the unfinished tech into his drawer, he prepared himself to head to the space station.
Time focus his attention on work.
***
"That planet, Jarilo VI. I wonder what could have
Happened to it. It's kind of concerning that there's something going on there. I haven't
Ever been there. So, I don't know what it's like.
Should I ask D-- He-- if I can look in the Data Bank about it?
Eh, maybe not. I don't want to trouble him. I
Can't say that I know a
Lot about that place, but if the Anti Matter Legion is there, that's
Unfortunate. Or, maybe there's a
Stellaron there, but I don't know.
I really don't know where Stellarons could be,
Or anything like that. It's
Not like I know much about Stellarons. I heard they are very dangerous. They can destroy entire
Zones across the universe,
Or even worse, entire planets. I'm
Not too sure what I'll do if there is a Stellaron there. But,
Eh, now that I'm with the Astral Express Crew, I
Have to expect danger. Whether it's because of a Stellaron or other factors,
Unless I am told I don't
Have to go, I am going on all the same adventures.
I'm still pretty young and I want
To see all the flowers in the universe. Maybe there's
Some pretty ones out there.
But, if there isn't any, I guess that's fine, too. Maybe next time.
Even still, anywhere I go, it could be possible I'll
End up finding another clone of me. Ah,
No, Stichtite's the only one, right?
Aha, of course, why would there be more? That's not
Likely, right? Stichtite didn't say there's more than
One clone of me. But, I'm thinking
Now it's probably likely there's more than just him. But, I
Guess I'm overthinking it. Besides,
Those dreams I had of that version of me that is a Valkyrie, that was awhile ago, and
It's not like I'll ever
Meet him. Whoever he is, Dragonfly Posey, he's in an
Entirely different world. And,
Same goes for that one that went to that High School suffering a zombie apocalypse.
I'm pretty sure I'll
Never see them at all. They're in
Completely different worlds. Probably
Entire different universes, even.
I don't know. Could they be clones of me? I
Hardly know. How many of me
Exist in this universe? That I have
Absolutely no idea, either. I need to stop thinking about all this. It's
Ridiculous to cling onto these thoughts. It
Doesn't matter how many of me
There are in the universe, the point
Here is that I probably won't run into
Anymore! It's fine, it's fine.
That's right, it's fine. There's
No more of me
Across the universe. There's just, Stichtite, Dragonfly Posey, that one fighting the zombie apocalypse, and
Me. That's all, there aren't any more. I'm
Especially overthinking this."
Heading off towards Madam Her---'s office, the hyena swore he could hear something really strange from down below him. Was it just him, or had there been something going on beneath the Herta Space Station? Maybe it was his imagination. It had to have been. After all, it's not like the Anti Matter Legion was here, were they? Surely, that couldn't have been the case.
Puppet turning towards him with a bored look on her face, a sweat drop poured down the inventor's neck. This mannequin always looked so uninterested in everything except for her own Simulated Universe. Could it be possible she didn't have any work for him? Maybe. Should he go look for Master Screwllum instead?
"Oh, it's you," Madam Her--- said in a bored tone. "I don't have anything for you to do today. Why don't you ask Ru-- M-- to give you something to do?"
Ru-- M-- mentioned, the young adult blinked. Where could he find her again? He had rarely encountered her on the Herta Space Station. She was always away for one reason or another. When did she come back? Whenever he was told to go see her, he could not help but feel it was the means to shoo him away.
Portable Dialogue Articulator out in front of him, the chimera tip tappied away upon the keyboard, typing in, where is she? He turned the device around. Fleura dancing around beside him, he turned to them. Were they aware of where they were? Maybe, or maybe not. Perhaps it was better to not think about it.
"She's in the Reception Area," Madam Her--- said. "Now, please go. I have other things to attend to here, shoo."
Shooed away, the chimera proceeded towards the space elevator. He swore all this puppet cared about was the Simulated Universe and other things that might have interested her. Maybe he wasn't a worthy adversary to her after all. Reaching the Base Zone, he looked far and wide for that black haired lady.
Spotting Ru-- M-- heading towards the space elevator, the young adult made a run for it. Oh, no, was she leaving? No, no, he needed to hurry. Dashing towards her, he almost fell backwards. Ah, great, now he's going to look like a bumbling fool in front of a member of the Genius Society! Was all of his credibility as an inventor about to go down the drain?
"What is it?" Ru-- M-- asked. "Oh, it's you. What is it? I'm a little busy here."
Annoyance coming his way, sweat poured down the chimera's cheek. Ah, these Genius Society members sure didn't like it when their time was being wasted, did they? What should he do, what should he say? He needed to type quickly, or it was all about to be over. Think, think, don't dwell on this for too long, or she'll walk away.
Tip tappying away on the keyboard, the words, Madam Her--- sent me to you appeared on screen. Adding she said she might have work for him, a sharp gaze was ready to send him six feet under. Ah, that piercing look, she really didn't want him to ask that, did she? Great, now he's gone and done it!
"I don't have anything for you today," Ru-- M-- said, but she hesitated for a moment. "Why don't you go check on my creations in the Seclusion Zone? I'm sure they miss you by now."
Seclusion Zone mentioned, the inventor's eyes practically lit up. Did she mean those cute little kitties inside those big pastry beanbags? Count him in! Maybe he could learn a thing or two about that oven of creation while he's down there, too. It had been so long since he had seen those critters. Were they doing okay?
Nodding, the chimera swore he could hear Ru-- M-- sigh. She didn't want his business either, did she? Maybe he should have just gone and looked for Screwllum instead. Would that have been the better idea? Maybe it would have been, he didn't know. Genius Society member exiting the elevator, he placed his finger on his chin.
How does he reach the Secluded Zone again? There wasn't any easy way to reach there, was there? Last time he went there, someone told him to open up a digital map and click a space anchor and it'll instantly take him there. But, how would he return once he's done? Maybe it's about time he invents a portable map sphere or something. Strutting off towards the reception desk, he could see a scientist in the corner. Excusing himself, eyes turned towards him.
"Hello, Siorc, working hard, or hardly working?" the scientist asked. "How's your friend doing over there?"
"Fleura's doing fine, thanks for asking!" Fleura cried. "Master needs to go down to the Seclusion Zone!"
"Oh, do you?" the scientist asked. "You can borrow this to get down there. You can leave it at the reception desk when you're done with it."
Bowing in gratitude, the chimera gazed at the little tiny digital map. Seeing an option to go to the Seclusion Zone, he searched for the entrance. Finding a Space Anchor next to the oven of creation, he clicked such. Body burning for a moment, he broke into a sweat as he could feel himself transport somewhere else.
Finding himself in that room with all the nice plants next to them. Spotting a lot of weeds in there, a wave of unease flowed through him. Oh, no, look at all those nutrient stealing vermin! He needed to get rid of them right now! Cracking his knuckles, he prepared himself to dig. Here goes nothing.
Nutrient sucking fiends cropped out one after another, the hyena wondered. Was no one maintaining this place? All these plants looked a little dry. He had heard Ru-- M-- was always too busy to look after her creations. Maybe she was too busy to check on anything down there. This place, it felt so empty, forgotten, terrifying. When was the last time anyone was down here? Was he the only one who ever came to this place?
Little creatures mewing, the inventor's heart sank. These poor little things when was the last time they ate anything? What did they eat again? It was soybean cakes, right? He believed so. Where could he find those again? He believed there had been a bag somewhere by some puppy in the corner. Right, that sounded about right.
Strutting towards the puppy, the chimera swore he could hear some loud commotion from close by. Oh, no, was something going on down here? Were there monsters down here? He swore he could hear some buzzing noises from afar and some sort of battle. Was someone else down here?
Turning around, the chimera reached for the soybean cakes. He needed to take care of these poor critters first. They had to be hungry! Why wasn't Ru-- M-- feeding these things? They must have really missed her. Wouldn't they feel in so much pain since she hadn't been feeding them? Maybe he ought to put them in charge of giving them food from now on.
"Master's got some food for you!" Fleura cried, floating around.
Little pastry kitties hopping right towards him, the hyena broke into a sweat. No one was feeding them at all, were they? How sad. In the future, he's really going to have to make sure to come down here at least twice a week to make sure they're getting their nutrients. Critters munching away one after another, he swore he could hear a loud buzzing noise again.
Hearing something or someone, scream, a chill dropped down the chimera's spine. There was definitely another person down here, wasn't there? But, who? That voice, there was something about it that felt familiar. Was someone from the Space Station down here as well? Maybe. Should he go help them out?
Gazing at Fleura, he sheathed a two handed sword from behind him. Whoever it was, if they were part of the Anti Matter Legion, watch out, he's armed! But, ah, no, maybe it was just someone doing a routine cleanout or something. After all, there's some monsters down here sometimes. Well, ready or not, here he comes.
Listening for the sound once more, the chimera placed his hand behind his ear. The noise, it was coming from that door outside the plant room. Whoever it might have been on the other side of the door, he needed to ready himself for anything. Dashing towards the automatic entranceway, what waited for him on the other side was a surprise beyond ages.
Buzzing creatures of doom running towards a person from afar, the inventor's eyes opened wide. No, what was the Swarm doing here? Were these creatures part of the Antimatter Legion? He thought that bug at the bottom of the Seclusion Zone was eliminated ages ago. What happened, did it come back? This isn't good, this isn't good at all. Hearing a voice scream, he listened carefully.
"Master, there's way too many Juvenile Stings today!" a high pitched voice cried. "What should we do?!"
Hearing the word master, the chimera's heart fluttered. Did someone else have a little machine companion with them? How could this be? This wasn't good. No, maybe Peppy learned how to talk. Right, that was it, surely! And, maybe it was calling Arl-- master! That's all, of course. That's all it was.
<Zinnie, calm down, I'm figuring something out, okay?!> a robotic voice from afar cried.
Hearing a robotic voice, the chimera backed three steps away. Did he hear that just now? He could have sworn he just heard a little machine with text converted speech speak. What's going on here? That person, could they have been? But, he shook his head. No, of course not, why would he have any other clones? He's thinking nonsense.
But, such hopes of such not being the case were stabbed with a sword.
Large insects coming straight towards him, the young adult knew he had to fight. Person from afar coming straight towards him, their eyes met. Individual eye's immediately growing wide, he gazed at the person in kind. But, what stared back at him was a mirror with a crack in it growing wide as ever.
Locking eyes with him had been a short, feminine appearing individual with dark purple hair that had been gold towards the bottom. Locks going towards his waist, two golden twintails had been on the top of the head as well. Twin star golden hairpins clicked into the hair aside a ringed smiling planet the same shade, there had been a braid on the left side of the mirror image's head, but not the right. Cracked golden ringed planet earrings dangling downward, he couldn't help but notice the reflection had something covering the purple eye, but not the green one. Monocle over the right pupil, it, too, had a dangling ringed planet charm on it. Bright yellow dress adorning a ribbon beside a large chest and one above it, the chimera did a double take. Maybe he should have put on bigger cups today after all! Black hanging tassels on the dress's edges, attached to it had been a little compass beeping. Cute black socks with stars on them, he nearly dropped to his knees.
There was a clone of him hidden deep beneath the Herta Space Station. Why hadn't he ever seen him when he came here last time? Where had he been hiding all this time? Little yellow robotic flower next to him, his cheeks grew pink. He even had his own flower companion, why? He could feel his thoughts buzzing as he thought such. What if he was the original Siorc Ingne and not him? But, such thoughts were cut short.
"Master Pyxis, he looks a lot like you!" Zinnie shouted. But, loud typing had soon taken the stage.
<No, no, if Ru-- M-- learns I met him, she's going to kill me!> the compass on Pyxis's tassels cried in a robotic voice. <We weren't supposed to see one another.> But, as such sentence dragged out, a hiss released.
"Master, we don't have time! The True Sting is going to hatch soon!" Zinnie shouted.
<Now?! But, I thought we were able to hold that off!> the compass exclaimed in a robotic voice.
"Nope, so it looks like you two are going to have to work together to defeat it!" Zinnie shouted.
"Master, should we work together with them?" Fleura asked.
Nodding, the hyena's eyes grew heavy. Why did there have to be a clone of him all the way down here at the forbidden zone of the Herta Space Station? Who hid him down here? Ru-- M-- even told him to not meet him. Did she tell him to never leave this place either? She's going to kill him if she finds out about this!
Juvenile Stings destroyed one after another, the inventor's heart leaped. He shouldn't have abandoned his quest to make that other versions of oneself in other universe detector, ugh. Sword continuing to eat the insects up like they were hot, he could hardly contain himself anymore. This place, it was starting to feel cold.
Reaching a room all the way towards the bottom floor, the chimera slapped his cheeks. Huge big red bug with pinchers clapping them together, the young adult could feel the world ready to fall apart. That thing, it looks like it could destroy the space station! He needs to hurry! Glass cracking, a battlefield around him opened up.
Large red bug creature letting out a loud hiss, the chimera removed the two handed blade from behind him. This monster, if he didn't act fast to defeat it, the entire space station could be destroyed! He had to hurry, he couldn't let it live for much longer! Sprinting forward, his blade clapped upon it, in an instant.
"Master, it's our turn!" Zinnie shouted.
<I know, I know, can you give me a second, please?!> the compass cried in a robotic tone. Pyxis sighing, he placed himself into a fighting stance. <Take this!>
Pyxis charging forward at the large bug with a gigantic lance with a compass attached to it, the chimera wondered. What kind of occupation did this clone of his have? Everything about him screamed the stars. Was he some kind of navigator? But, he threw such thoughts out. Focus, he's in the middle of a battle right now! Insect creature dividing itself, the chimera shook. No, why did it have to have more friends. Enemies slapping him aplenty, the other flower on the battlefield screeched.
"Master Pyxis, we need to protect ourselves from any nasty things those Juvenile Stings send to us! If they hit, we might be imprisoned!" Zinnie cried.
<I know, I know, don't remind me, okay?!> the robotic compass cried. <It's not my turn yet, though, I have to wait!>
Glowing light planted above him, the hyena leaped upward. Yellow vortex clapped down upon the creatures, Fleura took a spin at the enemies as well. Furthest insect from the back looking weak, he pointed at it. But, something had soon been shouted, in an instant that would shake the stage.
<We have to be careful with what we attack!> the robotic compass cried. <If we attack the leader, they'll divide themselves again! Ah, no, it's fine, I'll just.> He clapped his hands together as he did such. <Night Sky Petunia, protect us!>
Large flower thrown at the leftmost enemies and then bouncing towards the other two, the chimera could see a flower shaped shield in front of him. Seeing such, a realization washed over him. Was Pyxis on the path of Preservation? His clones, did all of them wield a different damage type and follow a different path? How strange. What path was Stichtite on?
Insects one after another shot down, the chimera could feel a burst of energy flow through him. Big boss looking about ready to wobble over the hyena let out a battle cry. Fleura launching pixelly bullets, he could hear a loud cracking noise somewhere up close. Enemy trapped in some strange vortex, he could feel it. It's about to end, surely.
"Master, it's looking weak!" Zinnie shouted. "Go for the final blow!"
<Okay, okay, I heard you!> the robotic compass cried out. Pyxis then took a deep breath, glowing energy surrounding him. <I'm the navigator of the stars, and in this globe is my galaxy!>
Large snowglobe taking the insect creature hostage, the hyena watched as the True Sting had taken a nearly fatal blow. It's almost down. Surely, this would be the end. Vortex launched at the enemy one last time, it crumbled into nothing, in an instant. Battlefield fading away, the party of two gazed at one another.
Fingers quivering as he typed on his Portable Dialogue Articulator, the hyena almost wanted to erase what he just input. But, he knew he couldn't. Robotic voice reading out, how long have you been down here? He almost wanted to take it back. Maybe he shouldn't be asking these kinds of questions to them.
<I don't know.> the robotic compass said. <But, we shouldn't have met.> Pyxis turned away as the compass finished that sentence slowly. <I didn't want to meet you. I should have just stayed in the furthest underground space in the Seclusion Zone. Please, can you leave? If Ru-- M-- finds out we met, she's going to be really angry.>
Nodding, the chimera removed the digital map from the bottom of his pocket. Returning to the reception area, he dropped the device off. Dragging himself back to the Parlor Car, he shut the door to his room behind him. Body shaking, everything cracked. Why? Why was there another clone of him? Just how many were there? Gazing at the abandoned gadget at the bottom of his drawer, he shut it back in the container. Crawling into his bed, he could feel a terrifying dream ready to eat him as he was ready to sleep.
Just how many of him existed across the universe?
Please let Pyxis be the only other clone.
I wanted to do a second season of my Honkai Verse because since I finished writing that, we got a new path: Remembrance. And a whole ton of new characters from the Xianzhou Luofu. And, more Penacony to explore. And, not going to lie, I wanted to write Amphoreus and Siorc's other clones, so here we are. This is going to be twenty six episodes, by the way.
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