Gruß Gott! Just got back From exams! It was really hard. Anyways, thank you all for your support for this fanfic I made! Made sure this chapter was the longest so far! Without further yapping lesgo!
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Third Person POV:
The icy wind howled across the barren snowfield as Sora, now fully clothed in an outfit eerily reminiscent of Mahito's from "Jujutsu Kaisen," landed with a soft thud, sending up a cloud of snow. As the cloud dispersed, he found himself in the middle of a tense standoff between two groups: the Astral Express crew and the Silvermane Guards. The thick tension in the air was almost palpable, and the silence of the snowfield was broken only by the distant clatter of armored footsteps.
Sora surveyed the scene, eyes gleaming with mischief. Then, with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips, he turned to the grey-haired male standing at the forefront of the Astral Express crew, casually holding a bat. That mischievous energy was unmistakable—it was Caelus, the Trailblazer.
"You, what's your type?" Sora asked suddenly, his voice playful as he mimicked Yuki Tsukumo's iconic line, catching Caelus off guard. The grin on Sora's face widened as he awaited the young man's response.
Caelus blinked once, then tilted his head slightly before answering with a smug grin, "A sweet girl… or a lady with nice proportions."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Caelus seemed pleased with himself. That is, until the reactions of his companions broke the moment.
March 7th gasped audibly, her face a mixture of shock and anger. "You idiot!" she yelled, her brows furrowing with frustration. "That question was completely unnecessary to answer from a complete stranger! Why would you even need to answer something like that?!" Her arms flailed in exasperation, her voice rising in pitch as her rant continued.
Dan Heng, however, remained calm, though his patience seemed to be wearing thin. His brows furrowed slightly as he let out a long sigh. "Sigh We are facing a serious problem here, and you two are arguing over that?" His voice was stern, but there was a tinge of disbelief at the sheer absurdity of the situation. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, clearly trying to keep his cool amidst the chaos.
Sora, on the other hand, was enjoying every second of the banter. His eyes twinkled with amusement, and he let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Ha! Nice answer!" he said, still grinning ear to ear. "Because of that, I'll help you and your friends, raccoon boy!" He quickly moved to stand beside the Astral Express crew, his focus shifting as he channeled cursed energy into his hands. The dark, twisted energy crackled around his fingers, filling the air with a foreboding presence.
The captain of the Silvermane Guards, Gepard, stood tall and imposing in his armor, his sharp eyes observing Sora's sudden entrance with suspicion. His voice cut through the chatter like ice. "...And the prime suspect?" he asked, his gaze shifting to a nearby Silvermane Guard, who stiffened under his captain's cold stare. "The one with the blue hair?"
The Silvermane Guard beside him tensed, clearly nervous. "Apologies, Captain!" he stammered, his voice shaking slightly. "W-We lost him during the pursuit. We can't find his footprints…"
Gepard's expression remained stern as he let out a deep sigh. "Sigh No matter," he replied, his voice carrying the weight of command. "We have his accomplices—and now, it seems, another who might be working with them as well." His piercing gaze landed on Sora, then back to the Astral Express crew. "The suspect will be close by, plotting his next move."
Caelus met Gepard's cold gaze with one of his own, his usual nonchalance replaced by a spark of determination. "You might be waiting longer than you think," he said, his voice calm yet defiant.
"...As in forever," March added quickly, standing beside him, her arms crossed. There was a flicker of hope in her eyes as she tried to reason with the Silvermane Guards.
Sora, seemingly oblivious to the mounting tension, yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah, what they both said," he added lazily, his sloth-like expression only adding to the absurdity of the moment.
March, not one to let things slide, kept her momentum going. "I'm not talking our way out of this," she continued, her frustration showing, "but… we're not friends with that scoundrel! Did you see how fast he ditched us?" Her voice was sharp, and the anger from being abandoned was evident in every word.
"We rescued him from the snow out of the kindness of our hearts," she added, her words becoming more intense. "We had no idea he might be using us to get past you!" Her arms flailed in exasperation once more, and she shot an indignant look toward the guards. "Are you really dumb enough to fall for his—"
Gepard cut her off, his voice firm and unyielding. "I'm a captain, not an adjudication panel," he said, closing his eyes briefly as he maintained his composure. "As a citizen of Belobog, you have the right to defend yourself, but that can only take place under the authority of the Architects. Not now." His eyes snapped open, cold and focused. "Take them away."
The Silvermane Guards stiffened, preparing to carry out their captain's orders. The tension thickened, the cold wind slicing through the air.
"But we're not from Belobog!" March interjected, her voice rising in desperation. She pointed toward Sora. "And from the looks of this guy, he probably isn't either!" Her voice carried urgency, hoping to sway the guards into reconsidering.
Caelus, finally catching onto an idea, spoke up quickly. "March, show him the photos."
March blinked in surprise, then realization dawned on her. "Ah! Caelus, great idea! You're a genius!" she exclaimed, her mood flipping in an instant. Quickly, she pulled out her camera and began flipping through the photos. "You've probably never seen what your planet looks like, right? I took this one, behold Jarillo-IV!" she added with a wide grin, holding the camera up for Gepard to see.
Gepard stared at the camera, his expression unreadable. He seemed caught between disbelief and suspicion, as if trying to comprehend the situation in front of him. March, oblivious to the cold stare of the captain, excitedly clicked through the images, showing off the winter of Jarilo-VI from a perspective only the Astral Express can see.
"...You mean to say that this... white ball... that's here? That's our home?" The Silvermane Guard's voice wavered, his disbelief palpable as his eyes remained glued to the image before him. He took a small step back, overwhelmed by the stark, glowing sphere that shimmered in the dim light of the room. His expression was a mix of confusion and awe, as if the very notion of what he was seeing contradicted everything he had ever known. "How can that..." His voice trailed off, too stunned to finish the thought.
Gepard stood nearby, his brow furrowed in thought, arms crossed tightly against his chest as if the weight of the question hung heavily on his shoulders. His eyes flickered with something distant, a memory perhaps, as he seemed to dive into the depths of his mind for an answer—an answer buried in the annals of time.
"..." He remained silent for a moment longer, the air thick with tension as everyone awaited his response.
Finally, Gepard spoke, his tone thoughtful, almost reverent. "It is said that a long time ago, strange visitors from beyond the sky would visit us here..." His words were measured, as if each syllable held the gravity of ancient knowledge. "But after that, the eternal freeze came. The blizzards made passage here impossible, closing us off from the stars. And with it, Belobog would cease to witness such arrivals."
"But the people are—" the Silvermane Guard began, his voice rising with urgency, as if grasping for some counterargument to ground him in the present. His words were cut off by Gepard, however, the thought left incomplete, as the weight of the situation seemed to press down on him, silencing any further protest. His expression was tense, the unspoken question lingering in the air, as though he were desperate to reconcile what he knew with the reality being presented to him.
"This decision is beyond us..." Gepard's voice was firm yet heavy, as though the burden of the moment weighed on him. His gaze swept across the room, taking in the anxious faces of the Silvermane Guards and the looks of the four in front of him. But even the Captain of the Silvermane Guards knew that this matter was far greater than the three of them.
"Only the Supreme Guardian may decide their fate," he continued, his tone resolute yet solemn. His words echoed through the chamber, a reminder of the rigid hierarchy that governed Belobog. He lowered his head slightly, as if paying silent respect to the authority of the Guardian, the one figure capable of making such a monumental decision. The room seemed to grow colder, as though the very air acknowledged the gravity of what lay ahead.
"Our job here is to present them before her," Gepard stated, his voice calm but edged with duty. He stood tall, his arms crossed as his sharp eyes scanned the four individuals before him. Each one stood out in their own way—strangers, perhaps even threats, yet they had arrived here under circumstances too unusual to ignore. He studied their expressions, their posture, weighing their intentions, but even so, it wasn't his place to judge.
"Nothing more," he added firmly, his tone leaving no room for interpretation. The authority of the Supreme Guardian loomed large, and no decision, no matter how curious or dangerous these individuals seemed, could be made without her judgment. His gaze lingered a moment longer on them, as if to remind himself and his guards that they were merely the bridge—nothing more, nothing less.
"Outsiders, follow me. Belobog lies beyond the blizzard," Gepard commanded, his voice cutting through the icy air with the crisp authority of a man used to being obeyed. Without waiting for a response, he turned sharply, his heavy boots crunching against the snow-covered ground as he began to lead the way. The swirling winds howled around them, the relentless blizzard forming a nearly impenetrable barrier, but Gepard pressed forward with the confidence of someone who knew the land by heart. The four strangers and a contingent of Silvermane Guards fell in line behind him, their forms quickly swallowed by the white haze of the storm.
As they walked, the weight of the situation seemed to settle on everyone, the cold silence stretching out. But Sora, ever the optimist, leaned toward the Astral Expressers, a small grin breaking through the tension. "At least we got out of trouble, am I right?" he said, his tone light, trying to ease the palpable sense of unease among her companions. Her eyes flickered with a playful glint as a way to cope with he burden of taking in the negative emotions of the souls that are stored inside of his body, as if seeking to dispel the weight of their predicament with a little humor, despite the uncertain road ahead.
(Timeskip)
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"Welcome to Belobog—the city of preservation," Gepard announced, his voice carrying with it a sense of pride and duty as he turned to face the group following him. The blizzard that had once cloaked the landscape began to thin, the dense snowy fog lifting gradually to unveil the city beyond.
As the swirling snow cleared, the towering walls and structures of Belobog slowly came into view, emerging like a fortress standing defiantly against the endless winter. The city stood proud, its towering architecture carved from the same ice and stone that surrounded it, gleaming with a resilience that spoke of centuries of survival against the harshest of elements. Warm lights flickered in the distance, casting a golden glow that contrasted with the stark white landscape, offering a glimpse of life within this frozen world.
Gepard paused for a moment, allowing the newcomers to take in the sight, his expression unreadable but marked with a quiet reverence. This was his home—a bastion of hope amid the eternal freeze.
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Thank you all for your patience and support and Tschüss everybody! Hope to see all for you next chapter!
(2,000+ words)