Chapter 61 The Return

"What's up, doc? Did you miss me?"

If the Stellaron could feel fear, it would have felt it now, a chill creeping through its entire being like static raising invisible hairs. It was something primal, an instinct buried deep within the cosmic entity, triggered by a sound it hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity.

Humans forget many things. The brain discards countless memories each day, clearing out the trivial and the fleeting. But some sounds, some voices, are unforgettable, etched into the very essence of existence. For the Stellaron, this was one of those voices.

If a stellron could have felt her hair stand on end, it would be happening now.

People forget a lot of things in life. Even in just one day, the brain clears out memories it doesn't need. But there are some voices you never forget. For Stellron, this was one of those voices.

"Orion Astra?!"

For a moment, it felt like Stellron's soul left its body, and it instantly vanished, turning into countless points of light that disappeared.

These lights scattered in every direction, each containing a piece of stellron, ready to regenerate if needed.

"How is this possible? How could you wake up now?"

Behind Stellron stood the last person she wanted to see—a completely different Orion Astra from seven years ago.

Orion had recovered from his near-death state. His long white hair flowed behind him like a waterfall. Even with his eyes closed, he gave off an intimidating presence, like a tiger resting. There was no colorful aura around him, just a simple but terrifying calmness.

The Stellaron's mind raced, trying to comprehend what had gone wrong. It had crafted the illusions meticulously, trapping Orion and his companions in endless cycles meant to wear them down. Layer after layer of illusions, each one more twisted than the last, designed to exploit their deepest fears and shatter their spirits. 

Everything seemed perfect; even if they escaped one layer of the illusion, there were countless more waiting for them. After all, the human mind has its limits, and Stellron had once worn down Orion until he was no more.

"How?" she thought, frantically replaying the scene in her mind, searching for the detail she had missed. Then it hit her—a small, almost insignificant observation. "That brown-haired one," she muttered to herself, recalling the man who had been with the others, Welt. "He was holding something... something that looked like a cane."

It's thoughts spun faster, trying to make sense of it. In the mental space it had crafted, Welt's hands had been empty. His face was calm, giving nothing away. There had been no cane, no hint of anything unusual.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

The voice shattered her thoughts. Her gaze snapped back to Orion, and there it was—the cane she had been searching for. It appeared in his hand as if from nowhere, the end of it lightly touching the ground with a soft, almost mocking thud.

Orion's voice was low and measured, his calmness unnerving. "Your next line is, 'Why is that thing in your hand?'"

The star's mind froze, then fury ignited within it. "Why is that thing in your hand?" it spat, her voice laced with shock, repeating the words involuntarily. Realizing she had fallen into his trap, her surprise quickly morphed into a blinding rage.

In a flash, the air itself seemed to tremble as the stellaron's overwhelming power materialized behind its towering form. 

Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning all appeared at once, the space around them cracking. It was like the end of the world was crashing down on Orion.

But Orion seemed completely uninterested in the powerful attack, and a yawn escaped his lips, casual and unhurried, as if he found the Stellaron's apocalyptic display more boring than terrifying.

Completely relaxed, he didn't take the attack seriously. And indeed, the earth-shattering blow passed by Orion as if it wasn't even there. No matter how powerful it was, when it got within three inches of him, it vanished like it had been erased.

"You!" Stellron took two steps back, horror creeping across her face. Orion's return didn't make any sense. His power should have been weakened after seven years, so how could he be so strong now?

"How could I crush you so easily now, right?" Orion said, reading Stellron's thoughts. It wasn't just a coincidence that he spoke before Stellron could.

"In the spiritual realm, whoever is stronger can read the other's mind," Orion said, stretching as if he were catching up on missed exercises.

"I don't have time to chat, so why don't you..."

"Get lost?"

At a speed faster than the eye could see, Orion disappeared. His long white hair left white trails in the space, turning everything he passed into a blank, white field. In an instant, he passed by Stellron, and half of her body disappeared into thin air as if erased. Orion didn't stop but shot off like a meteor out of Stellron's sight.

"What... how is this possible?"

Looking at the missing half of her body, Stellron couldn't understand why Orion was so powerful after his rebirth. It was supposed to be her spiritual realm, but Orion was moving around like it was his own home.

As Stellar struggled with disbelief, "I'm done with these games in the spiritual realm," Orion's voice echoed through the void.

His figure blurred, moving so fast that his words seemed to drift behind him like an afterthought. "If you're still eager to play, then why don't you crawl out of that twisted shell of yours and face me for real?"

"Arghhh!" It bellowed, her voice a guttural roar that reverberated through the void. It's hatred boiled over, and it's gaze shifting wildly. "I'll tear your friends apart, limb by limb!"

It wanted to torture the others on the Astral Express crew in the most horrific way. As it scanned the space around, only to realize that they were gone. The illusions it had crafted so carefully, the prison it had meant to trap them in—it was empty. The crew had vanished without it even noticing, leaving the Stellaron standing alone, its threats hanging uselessly in the air.

...

The scene changed again, and Stelle found herself back in the cold wind of reality. She stayed on guard, thinking this was just another illusion.

"Curse you, Stellron!" she yelled, her baseball bat ready to strike.

But in front of her were Dan Heng and March 7th, looking startled.

Without hesitation, Stelle swung her bat at the "phantoms" of her friends, ready to strike.

Dan Heng and March 7th stood just behind her, tensing for the inevitable clash. But just as the tension peaked, a familiar voice cut through the air, light and teasing yet unmistakable.

"Whoa there, tough guy! What happened while I was away? You guys always this intense?"

A pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around the three of them.

The sudden action stunned Stelle and March 7th, but Dan Heng only looked exasperated.

"Who are you?" Stelle asked, looking up at the man in front of her. His long white hair was as white as snow, and his broad shoulders felt like a warm shield against the cold wind.

The man seemed familiar, but Stelle couldn't place him until she looked into his eyes.

"It's like looking at a river of stars."

That was the only thought Stelle could come up with. His eyes were bright but not blinding, and the warmth made Stelle's eyes fill with tears.

"Orion!!!"