Stella

'Let the Other Side know salvation.'

Countless alchemical constructs surged forth, their steel claws and fangs tearing asunder the shimmering stars of her homeland.

Mist veiled the sun. The constructs fouled the water, and all things withered into ruin.

A girl who bore the name Noah took a vow: even if she must stand alone—even if she must pursue them across realms—she would never cease her hunt.

Her vow, her war, unyielding and eternal.

After that less-than-successful attempt at written conversation, Stella never reached out to me again. I still saw her often around the castle—like a newborn cub, she regarded this strange world with equal parts curiosity and caution. I tried to approach her, but whenever our eyes met, she would pause for a heartbeat… then quickly turn and leave.

I asked Regina about it. She told me that in a few days, the home-leave granted by Captain Ami would end. After that, they would return to their own world, board the El Dorado, and set off on a new adventure.

…Perhaps I should be the one to seek her out.

Stella wished to learn this world's history. But my time since waking had been brief, and I knew little more than she did. So we arranged to meet in the library.

As she stepped into the room—lined with parchment scrolls and timeworn tomes—her face lit up with wonder. In her world, under the Mastermind's orders, constructs had destroyed nearly all written works to obstruct and monopolize the spread of knowledge.

What little remained—knowledge that fueled the fight for freedom—was preserved only in hushed whispers passed between those who dared resist.

I had never truly understood how precious books could be.

After learning Stella's wish, I extended an invitation to Aiona and the rest.

They accepted without hesitation, and we agreed to meet at the dining hall.

Perhaps it was disbelief—or the quiet fear that often comes with returning home—but the radiant joy Stella had shown upon first meeting Asta was nowhere to be seen. She appeared reserved, even a little shy.

Thankfully, Empousa and Hati were there to soften the silence. With warm smiles, they took her hands in theirs and gently coaxed out the emotions she'd kept hidden.

At last, her guarded walls gave way. Aiona pulled her into a quiet embrace, letting her tears fall freely onto flowing robes.

I rose without a word and stepped to the dining hall's entrance—keeping watch to ensure this long-awaited reunion would remain undisturbed.

Let this beautiful moment belong to her, and her alone.

A parting gift from Stella to Noah before her departure.

These alchemical war machines once pushed the world to the brink of destruction under the Mastermind's control.

But this little construct has been tenderly disarmed—its power core removed, its frame reduced to a harmless size.

No longer a weapon, it now serves a far gentler role: not as a tool of war, but as a companion.