Chapter 32: Three Months Later

Chapter 32: Three Months Later

Three months had passed since that day.

Deep within the Ember Base, inside a silent gravity training chamber...

Tendou sat alone in the very center, shirtless, cross-legged, motionless.

The air was thick and heavy—five times normal gravity.

Yet the boy’s breathing remained calm and steady, as if the crushing weight didn’t even exist.

Three months had changed him. His frame had grown taller, his posture sharper, his aura steadier.

Gone was the kid who always wore those tiny black sunglasses.

Now, his eyes were hidden beneath a pitch-black blindfold.

But it wasn’t because Tendou had some strange obsession with looking cool.

No—there was a much more practical reason.

His Star-Eclipse Eye—a gift that allowed him to see the flow of every strand of star energy in existence—was both a weapon and a curse.

In battle, they let him read every motion, every fluctuation of power, every weakness in his opponent’s stance.

But in daily life… they were unbearable.

Because in this world, star energy was everywhere—as common as air, as impossible to ignore as light.

For him, the world was a chaotic, dazzling “oil painting” of colors and motion, so vibrant it could make his head spin.

To keep from being blinded by that brilliance, he needed a kind of “noise filter.”

That’s what the sunglasses were for.

With them, he could dim the endless flood of star-light colors, enough for his mind and eyes to finally rest.

After all, who in their right mind would wear sunglasses indoors otherwise?

“Hey, Tendou! The Doctor says he wants to see you.”

A knock came from the window on the gravity room door. Caroline’s voice followed soon after.

Tendou exhaled deeply, ending his meditation.

“Got it.”

He stood up, walked toward the shower room, and soon the sound of running water echoed softly.

Moments later, he emerged, towel in hand, hair still damp, now properly dressed.

As he dried his hair, he glanced at Caroline.

“Did he say what it’s about?”

Caroline shook her head. “No idea. He didn’t tell me anything.”

Tendou shrugged lightly. “Alright then. Let’s go.”

“Mm.”

The two left the gravity chamber, footsteps echoing faintly in the corridor.

Not long after, the guard stationed outside glanced at the timer beside the door.

18 hours.

“…Eighteen hours under five-times gravity,” the man muttered. “Masamune Tendou… you really are a terrifying monster.”

He chuckled softly, half in awe, half in fear.

“Everyone else measures their training time in minutes. But you? You go for half a day.”

“Even without considering your Star Origin development, your basic star energy levels must already be close to those of a veteran first-order Starbearer…”

The man’s expression hardened.

“And monsters like you… we can’t afford to let you grow any further. Otherwise, the Association’s going to be in real trouble.”

He looked down at the watch on his wrist, whispering to himself.

“Hope the Association’s preparations are ready. If we wait too long, these cunning bastards might realize what’s happening.”

“And once that happens, taking them all down in one sweep won’t be so easy.”

. . .

—Inside one of the Ember Base’s conference rooms.

“Doctor, you wanted to see me?”

“Mm.”

The Doctor gave a small nod, then gestured for Tendou and Caroline to sit down.

“You don’t have to stand. Take a seat anywhere you like.”

He adjusted his glasses and added calmly, “Wait a bit. Instructor Tachibana and the others should be here soon. Once everyone’s arrived, I’ll explain the next phase of our operation.”

At that, the ever-composed Caroline immediately sat properly on the couch, back straight, hands on her knees—the perfect picture of a model subordinate.

Tendou, on the other hand… was the exact opposite.

Rather than sitting properly, he slouched into the chair, one hand already rummaging through the fruit basket on the table, creating an irritating rustling noise.

Typical of someone who couldn’t stay still for five seconds.

After some noisy digging, Tendou finally found what he wanted—a bag of dried fruits.

Without a shred of hesitation, he tore open the plastic with a loud snap! and began munching away.

The sound of crinkling plastic and crunching filled the air.

Caroline tried to ignore it for a while, but her patience had limits.

She finally turned, glaring at Tendou, whose cheeks were puffed like a hamster.

Her eyes clearly said: “We’re about to have a meeting. Can you at least pretend to be serious?”

But the blindfolded Tendou completely misunderstood.

Instead of stopping, he simply grinned, shook the bag in her direction, and said wordlessly:

“C’mon, don’t just sit there! Try some!”

Caroline hesitated for a moment… then sighed and politely took one, nibbling on it with all the grace of a lady at afternoon tea.

Watching the two of them, the Doctor couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It’s fine, Caroline. You don’t have to be so uptight. Those fruit baskets were actually prepared for Tendou.”

He smiled knowingly.

“After all, if this kid doesn’t have something to chew on, he can’t sit still for more than five minutes.”

At that, Tendou’s face lit up as if he’d just been vindicated by divine authority.

“See, Caroline? I told you the Doctor doesn’t mind! You’ve got to relax a little—take it easy, live a little! That’s how you stay happy!”

He said it proudly, and to prove his point, tossed a piece of dried fruit into the air, mouth open to catch it—but before it could fall, a slender white hand snatched it midair.

“Tsk tsk, Tendou-chan,” a teasing voice said. “Eating snacks during a meeting? You really have no manners these days.”

Tachibana popped the stolen fruit into her mouth right in front of him.

Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise as the flavor hit her tongue.

“Mmm—sweet! Not bad at all.”

Without another word, she reached over and grabbed the entire half-eaten bag from Tendou’s hands.

“Confiscated. Now sit up straight and behave.”

“Hey, hey! Yume-nee, what the hell! That’s mine! The doctor said I could eat!”

“What do you mean yours? It’s in my hand now, which means it’s mine. You can grab another one from the basket.”

“But that’s the only pack of premium dried fruit! C’mon, give it back!”

“Give it back?” Tachibana snorted. “When have I ever returned something once it’s in my hand? Move aside!”

She planted one hand on his shoulder to keep him at bay while her other hand emptied the rest of the bag into her mouth, effectively destroying the evidence.

Watching the two bicker like children, Chen Xing and Chen Kong—who had entered with Tachibana—silently took their seats, pretending not to notice.

At the head of the table, the Doctor sighed and smiled faintly.

“Alright, Tachibana, Tendou. That’s enough. Save the wrestling for after the meeting.”

Both froze mid-motion, Tachibana still chewing triumphantly while Tendou sulked beside her.

The atmosphere in the room slowly settled—though the faint smell of dried fruit still lingered in the air.

At the Doctor’s words, Tachibana immediately stuffed the now completely empty snack bag back into Tendou’s hands.

“There, there—happy now? I’m giving it back. It’s just a bag of fancy dried fruit, not like I actually wanted it. You’re so stingy.”

Tendou stared blankly at the weightless bag in his hands, his expression darkening by the second.

Oh, sure, she didn’t want it. But could someone please explain where the half a bag of premium dried fruit had vanished to?

They couldn’t have just… grown wings and flown off, right?

Before Tendou could open his mouth to protest, the Doctor spoke up—his calm voice cutting neatly through the air.

“Alright, everyone. I’m sure after these past few months of training, you’ve all grown more familiar with your own star sources. Many of you have even begun to master the use of your Origin. Your progress has been remarkable.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room.

“However, training alone can only take you so far. There are things that can’t be learned through drills or simulations. Some lessons… must be experienced firsthand.”

He leaned forward slightly, fingers steepled.

“That’s why—it’s time for you all to see the world beyond this base.”

“To witness the cruel and beautiful thing we call reality.”

The room fell silent.

At once, the four Children of the Stars straightened in their seats.

After all, for nearly two and a half years, they’d been confined to the walls of this underground fortress. The thought of stepping outside again filled them with equal parts anticipation and nerves.

Among them, none was more curious than Tendou.

Since arriving in this world, he’d never left the Ember Base—not once.

Sure, he’d watched enough of the “original story” to have an idea of what the outside looked like, but seeing something and living it were two completely different things.

And now… he was finally going to see it for himself.

The real world of the Stellaris: Embers.

But to Tendou, the Doctor’s words also meant something far more significant.

This moment—this “outside mission”—marked the beginning of the final arc of Season 1 of “Stellaris: Embers.”

According to his knowledge of the source material, once this mission ended, the story would move directly into that infamous battle—the one that led to Ember’s destruction.

Of course, there was one major difference this time.

In the original, the mission team had only consisted of the Chen siblings and Caroline.

But now, he was joining them.

Fortunately, that change wouldn’t alter the flow of the main story too much.

After all, the mission itself was designed to be a controlled field exercise—a simulation orchestrated by Ember’s higher-ups.

Whether they succeeded or failed didn’t really matter; the organization would handle cleanup either way.

For Tendou, though, the mission itself wasn’t what preoccupied him most.

What was important… was the fact that Caroline’s birthday would fall right in the middle of it.

In the original story, that detail had been used to emphasize Caroline’s stoic, logical nature as a Starbearer of the Machina Type.

Even when the Chen siblings tried to celebrate her birthday, she’d politely refused—saying there was no need for “irrelevant distractions” during a mission.

But this time, with him there?

There was no way he was going to let her brush it off like that.

Birthdays were meant to be remembered. To have meaning.

Especially when… their time together was running short.

‘So… what kind of gift should I give her?’

Tendou leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

Because this gift wouldn’t just be a surprise—it would be the final memory he and Caroline would share in this first season.

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