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For the average person, failure was an opportunity to learn and grow, a motivation to do better next time. For a man who inherited the mission to protect the world, every failure was a life lost. Another soul to gnaw at his conscience.
The night was quiet, moonlight accompanied only by the soft taps of raindrops as they met with the ground covered by debris. The gentle rain was quick to extinguish the fiery remnants of what went down just moments ago, leaving behind only a soulless wasteland devout of the joy and laughter that once echoed through the streets.
Welt took a long look at the scenery before him, seemingly unbothered by the rain soaking deep into his clothes, mingling with the dirt and grime that covered his old-fashioned shoes. The thunder was his only companion as he wandered aimlessly through the ruins, lost in thought. Perhaps he was recalling the simpler times, before his days became rooted with destruction, before he lost the sparkle of light in his eyes. He thought about the time he had spent with his family - watching his father conduct experiments, Einstein and Tesla’s chaotic “parenting” when they took on the burden if taking care of him after his father passed, and eventually his own parenting of Joey and mentorship of Himeko, Bronya and the many other pupils.
How many years has it been since he last saw his family? He stopped counting after the first five years of separation, partially because time passed differently in this new universe he had found himself in. At first, the signal Madame Herta managed to capture from his home planet served as a beacon of hope. Daily, he would record messages that she would try to broadcast to his Earth. Every day he would repeat the same script - he was alright, he missed them, and he would find a way to come back. But after a while, the frequency went dead, as if the other side had completely vanished, eliminated by some merciless force as if it had never existed in the first place.
The others have insisted he stay optimistic. One day the signal would surely reappear, they assured. They didn't know that by this point, Welt had long given up hope of seeing in the darkness.
He glanced at the sleeve of his coat, his expression unreadable as he ran his hand over the smudged fingerprints left on it - once crimson, though now, the color closer resembled an old wine stain on the living room carpet of his childhood home. He could still almost feel the pressure of the author’s hand tugging on his sleeve, a little girl looking so distraught as she cried for him to save her parents.
And he did. Not just them, but all the other residents. That was his duty, after all.
Leaving this destroyed planet behind, he returned to the familiar train which he had been calling his home these past years. Aboard the Astral Express, his friends eagerly awaited, gathered aboard once more after a day full of adventures.
He set his coat on the nearest hanger, making a mental note to wash it later, before sitting down at his usual spot in the train’s parlor car, toying with his glasses absentmindedly.
“Mr. Yang, there you are! Do you want to see the new photos I took?” The ever so energetic March 7th asked, wasting no time approaching the older gentleman. There's always been a sort of an unspoken battle among the youth for Welt's attention now that he started disappearing from the express for most of the day, coming back late in the evenings or sometimes long after everyone has already gone to bed.
“Of course.” Welt gave her a gentle smile, ruffling her pink hair gently, like his father used to do to him when he was a young boy. He had become a father figure of sorts to the express members, his natural aura of authority mixed with his knowledgeable demeanor radiating a parental aura to this group of misfits who had no biological family of their own.
He listened patiently as the young woman spoke in detail about each image, recalling the memories tied to them. Her enthusiasm was admirable - she still had that youthful spark, having yet to be consumed by the pessimism. The Herrscher was also this naive once. He always encouraged her to take photos of anything she found worth commemorating, that way, she wouldn't forget those dearest to her, something that he started struggling with after being separated from his home universe.
In a way, he saw himself in the Express kids. After all, while he's always been shy, he always enjoyed running around his father's lab looking for secrets, the same way Stelle and Caelus ran around the new places they have visited, hoping to find new treasure or enemies to defeat. Meanwhile the banter between March and Dan Heng reminded him of the endless playful squabbles that Tesla and Einstein lead at every opportunity. And Himeko… In every universe, she has that unyielding will that he once also possessed. A drive to fix all that's wrong in the world, a fantasy of making an impact.
He wished he had photos of his family. As time passed, his memories were starting to blur, the names, dates and appearances of his closest kin becoming increasingly foggy in his mind. The shift between worlds had broken him in more ways than one. He thought of his son Joey, with his messy blue hair and green eyes… Or were they also blue? And who were Einstein and Tesla again? The names were etched into his mind, together with images of two figures with indistinct features and blurred faces.
Welt shook his head, returning back to the present as he observed March 7th.
While she was a girl with an undeniably strong spirit, always insisting on seeing the positives in every situation, as if nothing could ever really break her, Welt knew that much like many others, on the outside March was as fragile as a small, spring flower, one that would inevitably meet her end at the hands of someone stronger who chose to tear it from the ground. Or perhaps, like him, she would also wither when her sun gets ripped away from her. One way or another, she would meet her demise, and become nothing but a memory in his heart, like the countless other people he had already lost.
The familiar words were replaying his mind as he stared at her happy, carefree smile:
“From now on… You will bear this name and become the new Welt.”
“This core is yours, along with the duty of protecting our world… Your hero begs you to accept this.”
He had to protect her, and all the world's weak, because humanity went beyond strength. He promised that much to Joyce. But with every person that died in his arms, his life mission felt further and further away. How could he protect them from what was a natural part of the life cycle? To combat the principles that stood at the very core or the universe?
Though ultimately, death was not the end. He knew that better than anyone. It was the only thing we all truly had in common, what brought us together. Perhaps, death was the true definition of humanity.
Eventually, he retreated back to his cabin, sighing deeply as he rid himself of his clothes, hoping a warm shower would clear his mind. Tonight was particularly difficult. It felt like the hundreds of thousands souls trapped within the herrscher core were disturbed, in some way. As if they disapproved of his actions. Or maybe he had overdone it this time - while he had learnt to coexist with the first few thousand, but as he kept accepting more to become a part of him, it felt as though he started losing his true essence.
It was difficult to tell if he was really the one making these choices.
With a sigh he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, letting himself be absorbed into the chambers of his mind. It was the closest he ever got to sleeping anyway.
Standing in the endless white void, he was immediately met with chaos. It was more crowded than usual, with faceless figures scattered around, moving like zombies as they wandered further into the depths. Strange, distorted cries echoed through the liminal space as some of them wept - those were the vibrant souls who still had their sense of identity. Recent deaths. The older ones, ones that were present within the core even before Joachim had inherited it, were transparent, almost faded, their behavior more resemblant of mindless insects.
He felt a shiver run down his spine as some passed right through him like ghosts, all walking into the opposite direction. He walked with purpose, looking to find that one soul whose face was still intact. Though as he approached the blue haired man, his hero, it felt as if every step he took prolonged the distance between them. All he could see was Joyce's stern expression of disapproval. It was hard to place when exactly the deceased hero’s expression turned from a smile of pride to this ugly expression.
Joyce was too harsh, Welt thought. Leaving a child to wield this power alone, then disapproving of the way he used it. He didn't have any right to judge - it was his death that started it, after all. His first heartbreak.
—
“Mr. Yang, Bronya invited us to come look at the progress of Belobog’s renovations. Wanna come with us?” Stelle approached the older man as he stared out of the large windows of the express, lost in thought.
Bronya… the name evoked an odd sense of familiar warmth within Welt, despite only hearing stories about her from the younger trailblazers. Must've been one of the souls’ fond memories of her, he rationalized.
“I'll join you another time, thank you.” He spoke softly, giving the ashen haired girl a gentle pat on the back, walking towards the door. He could hear her call out something else after, though he didn't truly register it. Today, his main focus was his latest rescue mission.
Idrehine-III, a small planet near Penacony whose only inhabitants lived in a small colony far north, which had recently been struck with the consequences of a Stellaron disaster.
Walking past the dark roots which have broken through the ground, destroying countless of the local civilization’s homes, he strides towards the shining star-like energy which pulsed with energy, fueling this outburst of nature. The cancer of all worlds.
He had gotten quite skilled at sealing the stellarons, dealing with the destructive force as if it meant nothing. Though a tug on the sleeve of his coat broke his concentration for a moment. A little girl, no older than ten, her hands all bloody, was trying to get him to follow her, mumbling something in a language he couldn't understand as she sobbed.
Hesitantly, he followed her steps to the ruins of a nearby building which was also destroyed by the vicious roots. Sat against the wall was a man, partially covered by the debris. He turned to investigate, though it only took one look to figure out the person was the girl's father, and another look to determine he was long dead. The scene was all too familiar - suddenly, he was little Joachim again, trying to stop the relentless bleeding in Joyce’s body despite knowing he wouldn't open his eyes again.
Welt kneeled down to eye level with the distraught child, taking off his scarf and wrapping it around the shivering girl, giving her a gentle hug before gesturing for her to look up. With a swing of his cane, he summoned countless glowing purple orbs, which descended down from the sky like glowing snowflakes, much to her awe.
Seeing her temporary distraction he smiles somberly. At least the memory of her last moments will be a happy one.
He waves the star or eden once again, and the orbs expand, turning into small black holes, humming the eerie tune of deep space. Within the snap of a finger, all which was once living is pulled inside, leaving behind only a quiet wasteland.
“Survive or be destroyed. There is no other choice.” He speaks to his nonexistent audience as he observes the results of his work. His mission was a success - a hundred more souls were now protected within the Herrscher core, hidden away from the cruelties of life.
And so he wrote a new visitor report entry into the databank. “Idrehine-III, a small planet near Penacony whose inhabitants did not survive the Stellaron disaster.”
—
The evening was lively at the Astral express, playful banter filling the walls as Himeko, the trailblazer twins, March and Dan Heng all played board games together, with PomPom observing from their seat nearby to make sure they didn't make a mess. A group of people all different, yet so similar at their core, similar enough to stick together through this endless journey through the stars.
To a stranger, they would look like an average family. Perhaps this is precisely what they were, a family by choice rather than by blood, their relationship sure to make any lonely soul envious.
“Glad you finally decided to join us, Welt.” Himeko’s warm voice sounded through the room, the others happily turning their attention to the doorway from which the brown haired man had been observing them.
“I wouldn't want to miss out on game night.” He smiled, his left hand tucked behind his back, carrying a familiar purple orb as he walked towards them. Only his Herrscher hearing was sensitive enough to notice the quiet noise it emitted while waiting to burst and expand, consuming everything in its proximity.
Humanity, protection and death were all the same, after all. And he would do anything to protect his new family.