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Caelus was never one to get pissed off easily in all his life, though that sentence didn't hold much weight because, as far as he could remember, he was born a few days ago. BUT BELIEVE HIM when he says he was pissed off when he woke up. The last thing he remembered was Sampo's smirk. He didn't see him exactly, but he knew that Sampo was responsible, as he had heard his voice before another voice screamed something—Shamul, or was it Shamak? Whatever, it didn’t matter. What mattered was the horrible experience he had to endure ahead, as thick black smoke invaded the ambush set by the Silvermane guards and their commander, Bronya.
The smoke didn't simply blind him, oh no sir, it robbed him of all his senses save for his sense of touch, as he could still feel the ground, but other than that, nothing worked. The entire world was nothing but darkness in his eyes; closing and opening them didn’t make a difference. His sense of direction was lost—no matter where he ran, he couldn't tell where he was. He tried to call March and Dan Heng, but he couldn't even hear himself in the total silence, so chances were they couldn't either. Then dizziness hit him. The last thing he knew was his hand touching the ground so as not to fall, and somehow the dark world went darker as he lost his remaining consciousness.
Now here he was in a hospital, all alone, except for the doctor named Natasha, who told him his friends had already woken up. Having nothing else to do and wanting to confirm the safety of his friends, he headed outside and immediately spotted March, surrounded by children. He smiled a little as he headed towards her.
“There you are, sleepyhead. You know how long me and Dan Heng have been waiting?” March said, relieved that her friend was okay. “And if you are wondering where Dan Heng is, the doctor told me after I woke up that Sampo had taken him with him. I went around in circles trying to find that blue-haired scoundrel and bumped into these kids. They say they know where he is.”
“BUT they said I had to join ‘the Mole’ or something by proving my strength in a game of hide and seek, and also get approval from their second-in-command, whoever that is. Do you get it?”
“I get it, you're getting bullied by children,” he answered with a smirk.
“So what if I am? Why don't you help me, huh!?”
“Hey, are you done with your secret talk? The Mole's time is precious! Yeah, precious.” Hook and Julian said, impatient with their constant talking.
“Okay, okay, we’re done. Pitch-Dark Hook the Great, this is my friend Caelus. He also wants to join the Moles. Can he join too?”
“Ummmm… sure, I guess so. Then you guys are seeking,” she declared.
Thus began the practice round, which both he and March cleared with no problem. The round after, they had a little problem, as two of the kids SOMEHOW used a large coat to disguise themselves as an adult, which really didn’t work as they got found out. But there was still a problem—they had to find all the members present, and according to them, they still hadn’t found the second-in-command.
“Okay, okay! You win. Now, where is this second-in-command even hidden? I will give them a piece of my mind,” March said.
“Whoever it is really knows how to hide, that's for sure,” Caelus commented. He thoroughly searched the entire area and didn’t find any kid that could be part of the Moles. There were a few adults who looked at them with suspicion, though strangely there was a person who looked around their age. He was wearing a plain black shirt and pants with orange stripes, had a jacket wrapped around his waist, bandages wrapped across his right arm, and, strangely, a whip attached to his waist. He was looking at them with interest—and also trying to hold a laugh… wait a minute.
“Oh, Pitch-Dark Hook the Great, I have just one question—is this second-in-command around our age and height?” Caelus asked.
Hook gave it away with the shocked expression plastered over her face. Seeing this, he used all of his brain cells to deduce one possibility.
“You over there,” he pointed at the boy with the nasty eyes. Instead of being surprised at being called out, he simply smiled and threw his hands in the air as if surrendering himself to the authorities.
“Ahh, you got me. It was pretty fun watching you both run around like headless chickens,” the man commented before stopping abruptly. Hook sighed, knowing what was about to happen. The boy put one hand on his hip and the other pointing towards the heavens and proudly exclaimed,
“My name is Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I illiterate, but also mostly clueless about my situation!”
An awkward silence lasted for a few seconds. March looked at Subaru with a deadpan face, while Hook and the other kids looked away from secondhand embarrassment—but Caelus didn’t. To him, this was… this was divine. The humor, the absolute confidence needed to say something so cringy and embarrassing—could he be one of his people?
Then something that would be written in books for generations happened. Caelus put one hand on his hip and the other pointing to the heavens. Subaru looked at his form with awe, after which Caelus declared:
“I am the Galactic Baseballer! Not only am I clueless about my situation, I was also technically born a few days ago!”
SILENCE. That was all there was. Two men—NO, two brothers—were looking at each other with nothing but respect and camaraderie. Both walked towards each other, hands ready, and when they reached dap distance, they perfectly executed a heavenly dap that reverberated through the underworld. March looked at them with an uneasy smile, happy for Caelus to make a new friend, but horrified that it would be a person with the same sense of humor. It was as if Aha themself were laughing at her.
Little did she know!?
After the introductions, Subaru volunteered to guide them to Dan Heng and Sampo. Apparently, he was friends with Sampo and knew that the first place Sampo would take their friend was the fight club, based on his description as a strong dude. While going, he whispered something into Hook's ear, her eyes widening with excitement as she rushed off somewhere with her friends.
“What was that about?” March asked.
“Nothing, just a simple precaution check,” Subaru replied, which only made March more confused.
After they reached the fight club, Subaru gave a brief description of the place, with disdain evident in his voice, describing it as a shitty place where people had to put their fragile lives at risk for some spare change.
The moment they entered, it became obvious where Dan Heng was, as it was being blasted through a speaker, announcing his fight against two robots who appeared to be holding detonators. Without a moment's notice, both March and Caelus entered the ring, with Subaru following after them.
“Look, look, it’s the fixer! Oh god, will he ruin this again? Can't stand that brat!”
“Shhh, if he hears you, you know what will happen.”
Hushed whispers started to roam among the audience as he entered the ring, unbothered by their noise.
“So you're awake,” Dan Heng said to Caelus with a hint of worry on his face. He then looked at Subaru with a cold and distant look, as if analyzing whether the individual in front of him was a threat to his friends or not.
“My name is Natsuki Subaru, and we can do the rest later after the fight, I suppose,” he offered, clearly not comfortable with the look Dan Heng was giving him.
“Okay,” was the response Dan Heng gave.
The fight was the easy part. Ratting out Sampo, not so much. He owed the guy, to say the least. If it weren’t for him, he perhaps would have gone mental a long time ago.
As they caught up to him in an empty alleyway, he began giving his excuses and explanations to the three of them.
“H-Hey, it’s you! I was just thinking to myself: Am I getting robbed? Who are these people following me? But now I’m seeing it was my old buddies—and I see you got acquainted with my pal here,” he pointed to Subaru, who just waved as March continued.
“Save it! You ran the moment you saw us,” March retorted.
“Me? Scared? From what, my friends? Surely I haven’t done anything to offend you?” Sampo replied.
“You threw Dan Heng in a cage,” Caelus commented.
“Hey, that was simply to get some cold hard cash down here. Look, I didn't have much of a choice. We were wanted criminals up there. Sure, the underworld is not sunshine and rainbows, but it's still better than up there.”
“Be that as it may, did you really have to use that horrible black smoke on us?” Dan Heng asked.
Subaru choked a little at that comment, catching the attention of the group.
“Ahh… a bit of a confession I have to make… I was the one who did that. Though the knocking out part was Sampo’s job. I was simply told to disarm and confuse the guards, so I put a little more juice into the spell, as I didn’t know how mentally strong the commander was. I am sorry.”
As Subaru apologized, he bowed down to show his sincerity, catching the trio off guard.
March acted first. “Well, I guess you wanted to help and didn’t have any other choice, so we really can’t stay mad at you.”
Caelus followed. “Yeah, man, it’s okay. Just don’t use it near us again unless you really have to.”
And lastly, Dan Heng spoke. “It’s alright. The experience was a bit daunting to the senses, but other than that, it was nothing. Please stand up.”
Hearing this relieved Subaru, as evident by his sincere smile.
After the trio had interrogated Sampo for the third time, he had promised to lead them to the ‘leader’ of Wildfire, Oleg. On the way, the duo of Sampo and Subaru explained to the group some minor history of the underground—how it got shut off, etc., etc.—until they found not the leader of Wildfire, but Bronya, who was being harassed by the Vagrants.
As they discussed what they should do, one of the Vagrants pointed his gun at Bronya, and Subaru quickly detached his whip to strike him, but his effort was for naught as a familiar face flashed through them to the bullet, destroying it in a flash.
“Seele,” Subaru uttered.
Scaring the Vagrants away, Seele looked at the Express trio, Sampo, and Subaru, and finally at Bronya.
“Sampo, what the hell are you doing bringing the Overworld ‘princess’ here? Wildfire already has too much to deal with! And you, Subaru, why didn’t you come to tell us about this? Don’t tell me you didn’t know—you and Sampo always work together in schemes like this.”
Both of the accused looked away—one at the ground, the other at the sky—to avoid eye contact, and before they could get chewed out further—
“You kidnapped and brought me into the underground. What is the meaning of this?” Bronya demanded.
“Hmph, listen to her—‘What is the meaning of this?’... she still thinks she is an overworld princess.”
As both of them argued, Dan Heng pulled Subaru away from the group, surprising him.
“Look… I wanted to apologize for back at the cage. It was unruly of me.”
“No, no, I understand. Trusting a stranger you just met is not a good idea 90 percent of the time. That’s the one thing I learned after being isekai’d here for six months,” Subaru declared casually as he headed back to the group.
“Wait, what?” was the last thing Dan Heng said before rejoining them.
After the two girls were done arguing, Seele told them that if they wanted to see Oleg, they would have to help in the Great Mine. Apparently, some time ago, they found the largest geomarrow ore deposit in history, and so, like moths to a flame, many troublemakers went straight to it, causing havoc in the mines.
As they entered the mines, Subaru abruptly stopped in his tracks.
“Oh god… please not again.”
A wave of nausea hit him, the lights flickered, and a distant choir became louder. Scattered voices filled his head—too many to even understand what they were saying. He placed a hand over his face, trying to close his eyes and wait for the pain to subside, which did not go unnoticed by the others.
“Shit, Subaru, is your problem acting up again? Just go to Natasha and rest. We will meet you at the Goethe Grand Hotel,” Seele commanded.
“No… no, I can handle it. Just go on, I will meet you all there,” Subaru responded.
Seele sighed. She knew better than anyone that there was no point in arguing with Subaru of all people.
“Fine. Just be sure you are completely fine before chasing after us. Wouldn’t want a random to get the jump on you.”
He nodded along.
As the group—minus Subaru—traveled through the mines, Bronya posed a question.
“Who exactly is Mr. Natsuki?”
Seele took a moment to realize that the question was meant for her before answering.
“I mean, I don’t know that much. I met the guy like five months ago when Sampo brought him from the overworld. Said that he was falsely convicted of a crime and hunted by the Supreme Guardian. Then for two months, nobody really saw him much. He worked in the mines here and there to earn cash, but other than that, nothing much. Until suddenly, he started to make a name for himself as the fixer of the mines. He would break fights, negotiate peace between groups… and for people who didn’t listen to words, he took care of them.”
“That can’t be right! I would certainly remember if I saw someone with such ‘unique’ eyes in the overworld. And if he were to be hunted under the Supreme Guardian’s orders, I would have surely known,” Bronya retorted.
“Of course you would remember… just like the underworld,” Seele mumbled.
“What did you say!?”
“What, do the princess’s ears not work or something?”
Before an argument could start, Dan Heng continued the discussion.
“Anything else you know, Miss Seele?”
Which did not go unnoticed by his two companions, who were caught off guard by his sudden interest in Subaru.
“I am only asking because I suspect he too is an outsider like us. Think about it—he said the black smoke came from him. I don’t remember any technology that allows smoke to remove all your senses, at least not in Belobog. He also casually mentioned being isekai’d here six months ago.”
“I don’t know about the ‘isekai’ stuff, but it sounds like you all got hit by the Shamak special. I really hate that spell of his—it really messes with your head,” Seele commented.
“Oh, so the black smoke was from him… I have to agree with you on that one. That smoke didn’t give the best experience,” Bronya added.
Before their conversation could continue, one of Svarog’s machines spotted them and engaged in combat.
Dan Heng drew the short end of the stick—literally. After their confrontation with Svarog and their meeting with the leader of Wildfire, they were recommended to go to the Goethe Grand Hotel to rest before confronting Svarog again at his base. But the problem was that there weren’t many rooms to begin with.
So either Caelus or he had to go to Subaru’s room and sleep on the couch, as it was the only room with one. Apparently, he had helped the owner many times and was rewarded with his own room, which he had decorated thoroughly. Dan Heng took the deal, as sleeping on couches and floors was something he was familiar with.
Entering the room, he saw the sleeping figure of the boy. He looked no older than 18, with a distressed expression still plastered across his face. Apparently, according to the hotel keeper, his headache hadn’t stopped for a long time, and in the end, he had gone to his room and straight to sleep.
Before heading to the couch, Dan Heng noticed him hugging a pitch-black book, seemingly for comfort. On a desk next to him was… was a…?
Okay, he didn’t know what the item was.
He stealthily picked it up, careful not to make any noise. It was square-shaped. Fiddling with it a bit, he found that it could be opened. On one side was a small screen, and on the other were numbers arranged in the same sequence as the number dial on a smartphone. It took him a second to realize—it was an old type of phone that was made on Earth a long time ago.
He silently berated himself for his ignorance, as for all the time he spent in the database, he couldn’t even recall something this simple. Deciding it wasn’t worth waking Subaru up to question him, he headed to sleep on the couch.
Caelus was tired, to say the least, but before that, he was disappointed that his newly acquired friend couldn’t go with them to the mines. Then came the strange dream involving Cocolia and even Subaru.
In the dream, he first saw Cocolia talking to a seductive voice, telling her to stand up and head towards a new world. Then he saw Subaru sleeping, while a dark silhouette of a woman wrapped herself around him, refusing to let him go.
Such a strange dream was sure to wake him up in a cold sweat.
After that, he went to Rivet Town with Seele and Bronya for some medical supplies, where they figured out that Bronya was from the same orphanage as Seele and was adopted by Cocolia from the underworld. During this, they met Clara, who was also there to pick up medical supplies for the vagrants living near Svarog’s base.
There, they got a surprising revelation—that two months ago, Clara, who was looking for spare robot parts, had been ambushed by a Fragmentum monster, which even managed to land a near-fatal wound on her. Luckily, Subaru was nearby and had saved her, and even somehow healed her. After that, he took her unconscious body to Svarog, where they had a whole argument about how Clara should be taken care of. In the end, Clara stayed with Svarog, and Subaru got a favor in exchange for saving her life.
So the plan was to use Subaru’s favor and force Svarog to spill everything he knew about the Stellaron.
As they wrapped up their supply run by giving everything to Natasha, Caelus, Seele, and Bronya regrouped with Oleg, March, and Dan Heng.
“Hey, they’re finally back.”
“Sorry for the unannounced disappearance,” Caelus replied sheepishly to March before noticing something.
“Where’s Subaru? Don’t tell me he is still asleep. If that’s the case, I will personally wake him up,” Caelus announced.
“No, that’s not the case. After telling him the plan, he hurried back to the hotel and told us to meet him outside the base, as he had a way to get us in.”
“Well then, let’s get to it, shall we?”
Sampo appeared out of thin air, startling the group.