I, The Aeon of Trailblaze, Trailblazing the Multiverse

With a crisp laugh, the Jester Mask flew off the display stand.

The concept of the Path of Elation manifested, and in an instant, it transformed into a gentleman dressed in a suit, wearing a jester's mask—equal parts absurd and enigmatic.

"Ah~ Akivili, my dear friend! I knew there was a high probability you'd appear here, so I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"You must be thrilled to see me, Aha."

Aha gave a slight bow, mimicking the grace of a true gentleman.

Of course, this would be more convincing if the mask's mouth weren't stretching unnaturally to the back of his head.

Kafka and Silver Wolf were immediately overwhelmed by the manifestation of the Path of Elation, as though intoxicated, their senses spinning. In that instant, their consciousness glimpsed the Aeon of Elation.

Though neither stepped onto the Path of Elation, Stelle, in her dazed shock, stumbled onto it like a clueless child.

Elias noticed this and felt a pang of frustration. The first path she chose was the Path of Elation! It was as if someone had pulled a fast one on him.

His face darkened, his fist clenched.

"Aha, what are you doing here?"

Aha spun in circles like a top, speaking in an exaggerated Yordle-accented tone.

"Ah-la-la-la-la-la~"

"My dear friend, haven't I told you? I knew you'd show up here, so I camped out ahead of time."

Without hesitation, Elias landed a punch square on Aha's face. Aha tumbled to the ground, his jester mask shattered.

"Ah! That hurts! My dear friend, you hit me!" Aha's shattered mask revealed yet another beneath it, now showing a crying expression.

"Don't give me that nonsense. There's no way you could have known which coordinates I'd jump to." Elias's massive fist hovered menacingly above Aha, his foot pressing firmly down on him.

Of course, this amount of force was just a joke to Aha. To take him seriously would require Elias to fully unleash his Aeon state.

Though Aha was more powerful, Elias knew he could at least escape if a real fight broke out. After all, he inherited everything from Akivili. To Aha, he was Akivili—but with a few clear differences.

To Aha, the changes in Akivili might seem natural, perhaps even amusing.

"How heartless of you, dear friend," Aha lamented dramatically. In the next instant, his mask shifted to a comical expression. "Fine, I'll admit it. One of my deployed masks detected your presence and activated. That's how I tracked you down so quickly. Ahahaha!"

"But Akivili, you've changed. You're not the same as before."

"You've become someone else entirely."

"Still, you remain my dear friend. In fact, you're even more fun now! Haha!"

"Just a moment ago, you could have easily claimed the title of Aeon of Joy yourself."

"Oh, by the way, I've just had a delightful idea."

"How about you take over as Elation, and I'll try being Trailblaze? Doesn't that sound hilarious?"

Elias glared at Aha as if he were trash, kicking him again. "Shut up, you intergalactic surveillance maniac!"

"Tell me your real reason for being here. And change that ridiculous appearance. It's disgusting."

Aha, reforming himself into smoke, reassembled his body with an exaggerated flourish.

"Fine, fine."

"Don't be so cold, dear friend. We've always had a great relationship."

"Your return makes me happier than ever."

"So, naturally, you wouldn't forget to include me in the fun, right?"

"Especially if it involves exploring worlds beyond this universe."

Elias calmed himself, his gaze contemplative. "How much have you figured out?"

Aha, like a shrewd merchant, rubbed his hands together incessantly. "Hehe, not much, not much."

"I just know, dear friend, that you've achieved the groundbreaking feat of exploring different universes. The Path of Trailblaze truly lives up to its name."

"And I also know that those three beautiful girls are humans from another universe." (Aha couldn't peer into the interior of the Astral Express; it was within the control of Trailblaze.)

"The life aura of that universe is simply too conspicuous. Even if I didn't want to notice it, I couldn't help it."

"Moreover, the universe is currently experiencing a massive upheaval."

"The future of the universe has descended into complete chaos."

"Erudition's calculations of the universe's future have been disrupted, the gears of Finality have been damaged, the Nihility's reflection has been diluted, the domain of Remembrance has expanded, Equilibrium's harmony has been disturbed, and the Enigmata's veil has grown even deeper."

"And all of this, dear friend, is because of you."

Elias's expression remained calm, but inwardly, his thoughts churned.

He had anticipated that exploring different universes would impact the Star Rail universe to some extent.

But he hadn't expected the repercussions to be this immense—affecting so many Paths.

The last time something had disrupted so many Paths was when Tayzzyronth intervened.

For the Aeons, disturbances to the Paths were monumental events.

Surely by now, they must have identified the source of the new variable that had entered the universe.

Would the Aeons team up against me?

Aha's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Inserting a fresh, chaotic variable into a stagnant, predestined universe is such a fascinating endeavor! You have to bring me along, dear friend!"

Elias rejected him without hesitation. "I refuse. I absolutely won't let someone like you board my train."

Without waiting for a response, Elias turned to look at Kafka and Silver Wolf, who were pretending to play dead in the corner, and at Stelle, who tilted her head in a dazed, foolish expression.

"The three of you are now the newest Nameless."

"Follow in my footsteps."

Silver Wolf's face froze, her thoughts muddled.

Oh my god, I must be dreaming.

The person teasing her just now turned out to be the fabled Trailblaze Aeon.

Then Elation had shown up as well.

Her mind was spinning with questions.

Where am I? What am I doing? This must be a dream. I haven't woken up yet.

Kafka, on the other hand, remained relatively composed, unaffected by emotions like fear.

"This really feels like… a dream."

"Let's go, Stelle."

"Oh, oh," Stelle responded quickly with a nod.

Though she didn't fully grasp the situation, the will of an Aeon was not something anyone could reject.

And so Kafka and Silver Wolf both grabbed Stelle and followed Elias.

"Waaah—dear friend, I'm begging you! Please, please let me board the train!"

Aha, shamelessly clinging to Elias's leg, wailed pitifully.

"Let me on, dear friend! I, Aha, will do anything!"