Robin clasped both hands before her chest and closed her eyes. As she sang under her breath, she used the power of Harmony to tug at the Stellaron's frequency, sending faint ripples of Harmonious power outward.
Under normal circumstances, someone would've noticed almost at once. Right now, though, every member of the Family was pouring out their strength, united against the pressure Zephyro was exerting on them.
Robin mimicked the Stellaron's frequency and blended her power into theirs, making herself almost impossible to pick out.
--+--
Far away in Dreamflux Reef, Sylvia paused with her coffee halfway to her lips.
"What's wrong?"
Himeko noticed the change in Sylvia's expression and set down her own cup.
"Robin's started."
Sylvia rose, gave Himeko a small nod, then walked to the edge of the rooftop. She raised one finger as though she were tracing ripples across the surface of water and began to move it in a slow, gentle rhythm.
As she did, threads of golden light quietly emerged from the pitch-black accretion disk.
At the same time, the brilliant ripples surrounding the Penacony Grand Theater suddenly began shifting frequency at a violent pace. The golden radiance grew harder and harder to hide, especially inside the room where Robin and the others were gathered.
Golden light streamed in from every direction and slowly took on the shape of a Stellaron. There was nothing subtle about it anymore. Anyone could've sensed the gathering light.
Yet the Stellaron was like the moon reflected on water. Its presence caused no discomfort at all.
Locating it had gone smoothly, but now that the Stellaron had been dragged into view, the commotion was more than enough to draw attention.
Then again, the same problem remained.
The Family simply didn't have anyone to spare.
The few Family members who did rush over hadn't even managed to get a word out before the lance-and-bat duo put them down. March 7th hadn't even had time to throw up a shield.
Meanwhile, the other tourists and the factions taking part in the auction also recognized the Stellaron. The venue erupted into chaos all over again.
Over on the IPC trio's side, Topaz stared at the scene in disbelief.
Sylvia had really dragged the Stellaron out?
And she'd done it this openly?
Judging by the Family's reaction, they'd probably reached some kind of tacit agreement long ago.
Jade's gaze shifted toward Maeven at the center of the stage.
That Stellaron had to be the one the Family had hidden. The forces of Destruction hadn't had nearly enough time to infiltrate Penacony, so there was no chance it had come from Zephyro.
Yet Jade couldn't see even a hint of panic on Maeven's face.
Had the Family expected this?
"There's no need to rush. Judging from her expression, the Family must've known this was coming."
"Heh. They'll probably dump the blame on the Antimatter Legion. Zephyro just happens to be here, after all. You couldn't ask for a better scapegoat."
Aventurine toyed with the coin in his hand as he chuckled.
Once her initial shock faded, Topaz quickly pieced together what had happened. She puffed out her cheeks.
"So Sylvia really did play me."
The information about the Stellaron had been real, but Sylvia had mixed truth with half-truths and hidden the most important parts. After luring Topaz here, she'd gotten her to waste quite a bit of time chasing the Stellaron.
The result was that Topaz hadn't found the decisive evidence she'd wanted, but she'd still helped Sylvia put more than enough pressure on the Family.
"That's business. A favor given is a favor returned."
Jade smiled, remembering how Sylvia had practically handed Topaz a profit for free before.
"She looks all sweet and harmless, but she's got schemes for days."
Topaz clicked her tongue, though she didn't complain any further.
--+--
On the stage, the Family's representative was Madam Maeven.
Because she was hosting the auction, she hadn't joined the rest of the Family in their Harmonious ensemble. She could still sense the Stellaron's presence, of course.
She'd never intended to stop Robin in the first place. But even if another Family head had been standing here, their first priority couldn't possibly have been going after Robin.
They would've had to calm the guests first.
"Everyone, there's no need to panic. The forces of Destruction attempted to deploy a Stellaron to disrupt the Family, but they failed to account for the preparations we'd already made."
With a few words, Maeven completely rewrote the situation.
Robin hadn't been stealing the Family's Stellaron. Instead, she'd joined forces with the Astral Express on the Family's behalf to suppress a Stellaron deployed by the forces of Destruction.
Of course, another Family head probably wouldn't have brought up Robin or the Astral Express at all. They would've claimed everything in the Family's name and made the outside world believe the Family had maintained perfect control from beginning to end.
Maeven was different.
She'd always been on good terms with the Watchmaker and understood many of the things he'd wanted to accomplish. Now that the Astral Express had come to Penacony to seal away the Stellaron that should've been sealed long ago, Maeven didn't mind giving them another helping hand.
"Oh? I thought she'd claim the Family had done it themselves. I was already thinking about how to stir things up."
A trace of surprise crossed Jade's face.
She'd expected Maeven to announce that the Family had the entire situation under control. If that happened, Jade would've needed only a little prodding to tear a hole in the Family's credibility.
Maeven's choice had caught her off guard.
Was this another part of the understanding between Sylvia and the Family?
Jade couldn't help wondering.
--+--
Dreamflux Reef.
Himeko waited quietly nearby.
The Stellaron's power was growing denser by the second. More and more of it gathered together, and though the golden light itself remained dim, the pressure behind it was anything but ordinary.
Even Dreamflux Reef was beginning to feel the effects.
Sylvia frowned slightly and formed a hand seal with her other hand.
A water dragon surged into the sky, then scattered into streams that formed a barrier around the area, suppressing the Stellaron's spreading power.
"Why does this Stellaron feel so strange?"
Himeko studied the dull, lightless Stellaron with a puzzled look.
She'd only been thinking aloud and hadn't really expected an answer, but Sylvia spoke at once.
"The Family used the nature of the Memory Zone to separate the Stellaron's power from its outward appearance. They sank its actual power into the accretion disk to hide its traces, then placed the part they couldn't conceal openly over the Grand Theater."
Himeko understood at once.
They'd placed the visible part over the Grand Theater and turned it into a spectacle anyone could see. Since it displayed none of the Stellaron's actual power, no one would've had any reason to suspect it.
Meanwhile, the Stellaron itself had been hidden here, quietly influencing the entire sweet dream.
"Even with the Memory Zone and this synthesia dreamscape helping them, pulling off something like this... The Family's research really can't be underestimated."
Himeko had seen plenty of bizarre ways people used Stellarons, but she'd never seen anyone make one play hide-and-seek like this before.
The unique environment had certainly helped, but the technique itself was still impressive.
"Yeah. It's pretty incredible."
Sylvia nodded while continuing her work.
At this stage, there wasn't much left to do besides repeat the same steps and wait. The whole process would take a little under half a standard system hour.
She could only hope nothing went wrong on Robin's side.
Though that probably wouldn't happen.
The IPC was watching the Family like a hawk, while the Family itself still had Zephyro to deal with. If they chose this moment to make trouble for Robin, Sunday wouldn't agree to it, and the IPC representatives certainly wouldn't waste such a perfect opening.
None of the Family heads were reckless fools.
At worst, they'd settle accounts afterward. Right now, they were even more afraid than Sylvia was of some new disaster breaking out.
As those thoughts crossed her mind, the conflict in the real world finally began disturbing the stability of the synesthesia dreamscape through the flow of the Memory Zone.
Tremors with no clear source rippled through Dreamflux Reef as though they'd appeared from thin air.
Sylvia gave a small nod.
It looked like Zephyro and the Family had finally started fighting in earnest.
"This is..."
They'd expected it, but when Himeko actually felt the disturbance, she still looked toward Sylvia with concern.
She knew what came next in Sylvia's plan.
Sylvia was going to face that Lord Ravager.
Assuming, of course, that the Family hadn't driven Zephyro off first.
"Zephyro must've arrived. His timing's almost too perfect, though I wouldn't rule out the Family choosing this exact moment on purpose."
A lot of things between Sylvia and the Family had never been discussed openly.
The Stellaron was one example.
Neither side had said it aloud, yet they'd still reached an understanding of sorts.
The Family had realized Sylvia and Robin weren't going to give up, so they'd decided to do them a favor. In return, Sylvia would stand with Penacony once this whole affair was over.
In other words, she'd invest in Penacony.
Whether it was her earlier connection to the Astral Express or her current status as an Emanator, Sylvia's involvement would undoubtedly serve as insurance against the worst possible outcome now that the IPC had made its hostile intentions clear.
The Family had even been generous enough to arrange the timing around Zephyro's arrival.
That way, the Stellaron could be pinned squarely on him.
The IPC wouldn't be able to use it as grounds for an attack, either.
Himeko had seen more than enough of the universe to understand that much. Working backward from the situation in front of her, she'd already guessed most of what the Family was thinking.
Still...
"If you're entering the struggle between the Family and the IPC as a third party, you'll need to be careful from now on."
Himeko worried that Sylvia wasn't quite calculating enough to avoid being used by two powers of that size. Some things couldn't be solved through strength alone.
And while Sylvia was an Emanator, neither the Family nor the IPC had only one Emanator on their side.
In the end, being an Emanator simply gave Sylvia a ticket to sit at the same table as the greatest powers in the universe.
"Don't worry. I'll join in my own name and keep the Astral Express out of it as much as possible."
"Who cares about that, you silly girl?"
Himeko laughed helplessly.
When had she ever cared about something like that?
If Himeko truly worried about such things, she never would've agreed to let Acheron travel with them in the first place.
"Join in the Astral Express's name. This dream was pioneered by three Nameless, so I have a duty to protect it. The profits from your shares can still belong to you."
There were many subtle differences between acting in the name of a faction and acting as an individual.
Himeko also had her own reasons for wanting Sylvia's ties to the Express to grow stronger.
After all...
One of them was an Emanator of Permanence, while the other was an Emanator of Nihility.
Neither truly belonged to the Path of Trailblaze.
Even so, Himeko had to admit that having an Emanator backing them made an enormous difference. What had happened with Topaz was proof enough.
There was nothing embarrassing about it. Himeko genuinely wanted the Express crew to have Emanator-level strength capable of making other factions think twice.
They might not always need to use it, but there were many times when simply having it mattered.
That was why her words were also an olive branch.
As the Navigator, Himeko was offering to use the Astral Express's name to help Sylvia deal with certain troublesome matters.
Sylvia understood the meaning beneath her words.
But—
"Himeko, you're thinking about this too narrowly. If we're keeping score, shouldn't we figure out who's helping who?"
She pouted.
"You're making it sound like I'm an outsider. The second Express is mine too, you know."
That brought the conversation right back to where it'd started.
Sylvia had been the one to dig up the second train and pull strings to get it repaired.
If someone tried to make her leave, she'd be the one refusing.
There weren't many forms of interstellar transportation that could compare with the Astral Express, and Sylvia had no intention of giving hers up to anyone.
"Haha."
Himeko laughed.
For an Emanator, though, what form of transportation could really compare with their own ability to cross the stars?
"Enough about that. Himeko, once the Stellaron fully manifests, it'll enter an active state just like the one on the Xianzhou."
"Don't worry. With the information Miss Robin gave me, I know how to seal it."
Sealing a Stellaron inside a synesthesia dreamscape was certainly a first.
But with a full set of instructions in hand, it wasn't especially difficult.
"Leave this side to me, Sylvia. Go do what you need to do."
"You don't have to look so worried. The battle outside won't affect Dreamflux Reef."
Sylvia wasn't concerned about Zephyro.
The fighting outside was intense enough that Dreamflux Reef had still felt some of its effects, but Sylvia had already assigned the swarm she'd recently subdued to help stabilize the area.
Since they needed to stay hidden, they couldn't defend the place as perfectly as the Twelve Hours.
Even so, there was no danger of Dreamflux Reef sinking because of the battle outside.
--+--
Back in the Grand Theater, March 7th and the others had finally relaxed.
No one from the Family had come to trouble them again.
In fact, after Madam Maeven publicly announced that members of the Astral Express were helping stabilize the Stellaron—an excuse that was complete nonsense—the Family members rushing past began treating them with almost painful respect.
March 7th was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.
They hadn't done anything.
Robin had handled the whole process herself.
Thankfully, Robin spoke up in time and drew everyone's attention away before March 7th could die of secondhand embarrassment.
"We're almost done. Next, the Stellaron will rise into the sky and leave the Grand Theater. The Astral Express will then seal it."
Following Maeven's story, Robin went ahead and started giving instructions to the Family members guarding the area.
"Understood. We'll keep the visitors calm."
"Good."
Robin smiled and nodded. Then the melody of her song suddenly shifted.
She thrust both hands toward the sky.
The blinding light vanished from the Grand Theater as suddenly as air bursting from a punctured balloon.
And then—
Far beyond Dream's Edge, the Stellaron had been hovering steadily in the air.
The next instant, it was as though someone had flipped a switch.
The Stellaron became a blazing sun.
All the power that had been suppressed until now was released at once and swept across the whole of Penacony.
--+--
Dreamflux Reef.
Sylvia raised one hand and supported the Stellaron as she guided it away from Dreamflux Reef, preventing panic from breaking out below.
"The Stellaron's completely surfaced, Himeko."
"Leave the rest to me."
Himeko stood with confidence, toolbox in hand.
Now they were entering territory she knew well.
"I'll have them help you."
Sylvia beckoned.
A glass-colored True Sting silently stepped out of the void. At Himeko's startled look, it obediently lowered its body and offered her its back.
"They're another group of followers of Harmony who were hiding deep within the Memory Zone. I've already tamed them."
Himeko gave Sylvia a long look, then climbed onto the creature's back.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL