(New update. You know what that means)

"So... you've regained your memories?"

"M-Maybe."

Dan Heng gave y/n a quizzical look and she immediately turned her face away. Caelus watched the two of them in confusion, Bailu clinging to his back.

'What's up with her?'

Y/n figured it'd be easier not to look at Dan Heng.
It was... difficult to remind herself that he was Dan Heng and not Dan Feng anymore.

She knew, yes, she wasn't DUMB.

'But it's really damn difficult.' y/n thought irritably, "So! Didya miss me?"

"You weren't dead long enough for us to actually start missing you." Dan Heng retorted and y/n flinched.

Ouch...

"What he means is we were all still in shock about it. I couldn't believe you'd died, and what do you know? I was right!" Caelus chirped, "Can't say the same about March, though. She skipped several stages of grief and went right to depression. When we broke the news to Pom-Pom, the conductor wouldn't even look at us. Oh yeah, I sent a message to the Belobog group chat as well—"

"YOU WHAT?!" y/n shrieked.

Caelus pulled out his phone and showed her the chat. There, approximately two days ago, there was a message from Caelus that read, Y/n made it back home, but at the cost of her life. F in the chat for our attack dog, she will be missed. Fly high, y/n.

'He even had the audacity to add a picture of my 🚚ing corpse. When did he even take that?!' y/n thought in disbelief as she gawked at the message.

"March tased me, which was kinda deserved, but everyone else already saw it, so..." Caelus scrolled down.

Seele
Who?

Bronya
The one who carried around the plush.

Seele
Ohhh.
F.

Natasha
Guess she didn't heal fast enough this time, huh.

March 7th
...

Natasha
Sorry, didn't mean to be rude
My condolences

Hook
WHO GOT TO THE DEMON KING BEFORE I DID?! I'LL KILL THEM! I'LL PUT THEIR HEAD ON A STAKE AND LEAVE IT FOR ALL OF BELO—AMSHSJWNSUHAusjiaayusiWhisnsiajsiamaoaiaAAHKAWIOEEIWNWIWAJENWOMAJAAJWOQHAIANA

Caelus
Is Hook okay?
Is she having a seizure or smthn

Natasha
She started crying and threw the phone

Sampo
Damn, that's tough.
Anyways, have you guys paid for a funeral?

*Sampo was muted by Dan Heng*

Seele
How'd she die?
Wait, wait, let me guess

*Seele was muted by March 7th*

Serval
I just got here, what happened?

Caelus
Y/n died.

Serval
Oh. Skill issue
WAIT, FR-?

March 7th
Yes. Did you not see the picture of her lifeless corpse?
THAT CAELUS SENT

Caelus
I DIDNT THINK THEYD BELIEVE ME
WTF
WHY AM I GETTING POP UP ADS
DID YOU PUT A 🚚ING VIRUS ON MY PHO

*Caelus was muted by Svarog*

Svarog
Clara is in this chat, so please don't send graphic images. I'm very sorry to hear that Miss Y/n has passed, and it's unfortunate that she died so young. You have my condolences.

*Gepard Landau left the chat*

Serval
Ah. I should go check on him.

Young? Tf?
She ain't young.
She's at least a millennia old.

Y/n stared at the phone in silence.
"You're a psychopath."

"My bad."

"Whatever, we can address this mess later, let's continue on." y/n groaned with a shake of her head, "I want to go see the General as soon as possible!"

"The General?" Caelus echoed, "Why?"

"So he can get the Ten Lords Commission off my 🍑, of course!" y/n sputtered, "That crazy Judge is out for my head!"

"You give—"

"NOT THAT HEAD, CAELUS, THE ONE ATTACHED MY NECK AND SHOULDERS!"

The hydrogen bomb coughed and looked away.
"Right."

Bailu gave the idiot a curious look before glancing back at y/n, "The General is resting up at the Alchemy Commission, so I can take you right to him after we get out of here safely!"

"That'd be great. Thanks a ton, Bailu." y/n hummed with a little smile. Caelus opened his mouth to talk but a squeal came out instead as one of those assassins popped up again.

Dan Heng and y/n were both quick, y/n grabbing them by the back of their clothing before they could reach Bailu and the Archivist— wait, he's train guard now, the train guard docked the assassin in the face so hard he hit a pillar.

Too bad the thing was worn away with age. The top teetered off and crushed the poor 🚚er. Anyways.

The lil group of four made their way to the entrance or exit of Scalegorge Waterscape where they found one of Bailu's maids.

"Miss Bailu? Is everything alright?" Huanxi *the maid* inquired, "You were in there for quite some time."

"I'm all good! Dan Heng and Caelus were protecting me, and even y/n popped in to help out!" Bailu chirped, "You should thank them!"

"Y/n?" Huanxi echoed, glancing to y/n before jolting, FULL ON FLINCHING, "Y-You! But weren't you—?"

"Dead? Nah, not at all. It's boring." y/n replied with a wave of her hand as Caelus helped Bailu down from where she'd been clinging to his back.

"Ahem, well it's a relief she showed up. I wouldn't have expected those assassins to be audacious enough to storm a place as sacred as Scalegorge Waterscape to pursue you..." Huanxi breathed, "Don't worry, Miss Bailu, I'll report them to the Elders to have them handled."

Bailu frowned, exchanging a look with Dan Heng as Huanxi as she just kept yapping about stuff that didn't matter.

"We never mentioned assassins." Dan Heng interrupted and Huanxi blinked, appearing a little flustered before quickly gathering herself.

"W-We were already attacked at the ferry, I wouldn't be surprised if those people attempted to take your life again..." Huanxi murmured, her gaze uncertain.

"If the assassins were only going after Mister Dan Heng, how come the ones here at the ruins attacked me?" Bailu questioned. There was a pause, and a smirk appeared upon Huanxi's face.

There was a glint of a blade as that damned maid made an attempt to stab Bailu. Blood flew, but not the blood of the intended target.

Y/n, what a Chad, took that stab to the hand like a champe and sucker punched Huanxi in the nose. It was almost comical how she went bouncing backwards like some kind of ball.

"Ugh! Meddling...!" Huanxi didn't finish the insult, cradling her nose as it began to bleed. Definitely broken.

"Oh. So she was the problem." Caelus mumbled, "Who sent you to kill this poor little kid, huh? The Preschoolers or whatever the hell they're called?"

Bailu gave Caelus a side eye, "I'm not a little kid."

Dan Heng gave him one as well, "Preceptors."

Y/n stared at the knife still stuck in her hand before giving her companions a wary look, "Can someone take this out? I think it's stuck."

"It was my idea and my idea alone." Huanxi scoffed in a ti s that seemed almost offended, "The Vidyadhara requires only one high elder. The second, who is weak and useless, must be rooted out and discarded."

Caelus prepared for a fight as more assassins emerged from the mist, surrounding the group as Huanxi crossed her arms with a cold stare.

"Miss Bailu. Our relationship as mistress and maid ends here. Farewell." the Vidyadhara woman hummed.

"As does your extended life. You're dying for good today." y/n replied as she stood protectively in front of Bailu, "You don't deserve to be given a quick death, nor do I want your filthy blood on my sword. So I'll kill you with my bare hands!"

"Y/n, you can't, Vidyadhara can't reproduce so this is gonna permanently slam their population!" Caelus warned and y/n gave him a scowl.

"Well that's too damn bad! Nobody 🚚s with my friends and gets away with it!" y/n snapped.

The trio formed a lil protective circle around Bailu, waiting for the assassins to make a move first.

"Dan Heng? Are you alright with y/n and I... y'know." he dragged his thumb across his throat before gesturing towards the assassins, "They are technically your people or whatever."

Dan Heng seemed uncertain, especially since y/n wasn't budging. Actually, she remained where she was, remaining aware of their adversaries but still awaiting Dan Heng's answer.

It was a kind of patience he didn't see from her often.

The train guard heaved a sigh, "Do whatever you deem necessary to keep Bailu safe. Even if that means killing them."

Caelus grinned while y/n merely nodded.
And then, the real battle began.

Ahem. Battle? I mean reverse jumping.

The assassins really thought that they were gonna do something when they pulled up on the Astral Express trio, but they quickly realized they were 🚚ed when y/n went and used their own tricks against them.

As they all rushed to attack the group, a heavy mist blew in, concealing the targets from the assassins' sight.

Within the thick 🍑 haze, Dan Heng looked around quizzically before glancing at y/n, "This is... how?"

Y/n met his gaze and laughed awkwardly, "It's a long story. I imagine you remember, don't you?" she didn't give him the chance to replied as she rolled her shoulders and did a quick little stretch, "Now isn't the time to discuss it. You lead, I'll follow,"

Her sentence remained unfinished as the "just like old times" died in her throat. She quickly turned her face away, Dan Heng just barely catching a glimpse of the pain in her eyes. He didn't say anything about it, now really wasn't the time.

"Caelus, Bailu. Stick together." Dan Heng instructed, "We'll handle as many assassins as we can. You two should only attack if they're too close. Got it?"

"Got it!" Caelus and Bailu chimed in unison before the little healer dragon looked up at the Hydrogen Bomb, "Alright, you know the drill! Head shots, throat punches, and gut checks only!"

"Yes ma'am!" Caelus declared.

"What the hell? Mist?" one of the assassins demanded, looking around in confusion, "Did some idiot go overboard on the Cloudhymn?"

The assassins all glanced at one of their comrades who waved his hands frantically, "N-No, it's not me! I stopped the moment they found out about Huanxi!"

"Then who the hell—!"

There was a loud CRACK as Caelus slammed his bat against one of the assassins' heads, causing them to crumple to the ground as they instantly lost consciousness.

The other prepared to attacked but Caelus backed away into the mist, leaving them to slice at nothing as he'd already put some distance.

"You've gotta be kidding, this isn't fair!" another assassin protested before Bailu jumped on her back, "WHAT THE HELL?! GET THIS BRAT OFF OF ME!"

As they floundered around, the other assassins were quickly downed by y/n and Dan Heng with swift gut checks either from unforgiving fists or a pearl literally breaking the sound barrier with how fast it was zooming through the air.

They were probably dead, but that was fine.
As long as a few were left half-alive for questioning.

They were both quick, and most of the assassins didn't even know what hit them until they were losing consciousness.

There was one lucky... mm, unlucky Vidyadhara who wasn't getting hit as he watched his brothers and sisters in arms get hit with whole mortal kombat finishers within the mist.

He was unable to see them well, but he did see the silhouettes and disturbances in the mist as the idiots they jumped started shifting the whole atmosphere of the situation.

'No way... no way! Are we seriously getting our 🍑es beat even after jumping them?!' the assassin thought in disbelief, backing up with wide eyes, 'Damn it, I should've stayed home!'

As more and more of assassins fell within the most, faint sounds of weapons clashing and fists breaking bone reaching the terrified Vidyadhara, he kept on backing up until his back hit something.

He let out a frightened squeak, and relaxed when he realized it was just another one of the assassins. The one who actually had a shield too, thank goodness.

"Oh, thank goodness, Opp Number 92761! It's just you." the Vidyadhara let out a sigh of relief, "What the hell do we do, we're getting our 🍑es beat!"

"First and foremost, we need to get rid of this damned mist. It's not cloudhymn, I've already confirmed that, but it's some kind of mimicry." the taller Vidyadhara replied, looking out into the heavy mist and more assassins just kept getting bodied, "It couldn't be the one wielding the bat, so it has to be..."

The smaller Vidyadhara yelped when his comrade suddenly slammed that big 🍑 shield in front of the two of them. His yelp quickly turned into a shriek when he saw the whole fist that blew right through it and nearly hit his face.

Opp Number 92761 glared at the fist's owner who was, you guessed it: Y/n. She was eerily silent upon her approach, so much so that he almost hadn't noticed her.

"For a dead woman, you're quite lively. You almost caught me off guard there, but I guess even the Divine Foresight's Shadow can't mask her own killing intent." the big 🍑 assassin sneered.

Y/n's menacing expression was immediately replaced by an ugh type of expression as she visibly cringed.

"Right... that's what people called me." she mumbled before actually gagging, "The nickname almost makes me wish I stayed dead. But not really."

"Quite the impressive smokescreen you've put up. Damn near had me fooled that it was cloudhymn." y/n blinked when she was grabbed by her wrist, "But no matter how impressive it is, it's still just a fake!"

The h/c haired lady was lifted up and slammed back down like a rag doll, looking unimpressed the whole time as she got yeeted like an empty soda can.

'Right. I'm off duty.' she thought right before she slammed into Caelus, sending the two of them tumbling away as the mist cleared up just a bit.

"Y/n, what the hell?!" Caelus wheezed.

"I'm off duty."

"What?"

"I said I'm off duty." y/n repeated.

...

"GIRL, NOW IS NOT THE TIME!"

"I WORKED OVERTIME, IM DONE!"

As the two began shouting at each other, Dan Heng watched them bicker with a look of disbelief.

He felt like he'd seen this before, though. Still, how idiotic were they to start arguing like this in the middle of a life or death situation?

As y/n and Caelus shouted at one another, Dan Heng took notice of Bailu who was left without protection. The remaining assassins clearly noticed as well, as they immediately rushed towards her, ready to finish her off!

"Radiant spirit, heed my word."

Wtf

From the remnants of the mist emerged that golden spirit that usually evoked a feeling of immense relief upon allies, and dread upon enemies.

Usually, the assassins would feel relieved.
Now was not the usual.
As they were on the receiving end this time around.

"Show no mercy!"

The shining spirit raised its weapon before slashing, literally obliterating at least 20 of the assassins while the few remaining ones were hit with start lightning bolts.

There was dust kicked up that left Caelus and y/n coughing and waving at the air, though y/n's coughing fit ceased with a squeak as she was hauled back to her feet.

She was greeted by Jing Yuan's smiling face, like the sun shining above the horizon after a long, dark night.

"Apologies for interrupting your rest, but I'll need you to keep fighting for just a while longer. Think you could handle that?" Jing Yuan inquired and y/n nodded, still a little dumbfounded after what she'd just witnessed.

"Yeah. I can." she breathed.

Caelus watched the two with a small pout.
'Damn, so I don't get helped up?'

"General! You're here!" Bailu exclaimed from where she'd been observing the ashes left behind by that last attack, "Did you bring reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements?" Jing Yuan echoed, letting out a chuckle as he turned to face the remaining assassins. His smile faded, a cold and stoic stare replacing it as he set his piercing gaze upon their adversaries.

"I am the reinforcements."

'Chills.' Caelus thought.

Three utls, ten skills, a 💩 ton of cloudhymn mimicry and twenty bat strikes to the head later, they assassins were dealt with. All that was left was Huanxi, gravely injured as she slumped against the steps of Scalegorge Waterscape.

She got reverse jumped after trying to murder a child and still had the audacity to laugh, "Hehe... a pity... so close..."

"Did the Preceptors truly believe that nobody knew what they were planning?" Jing Yuan questioned, his arms crossed, "They should return to their senses. Attacking the Dragon Lady only destroys what little bit of prestige they have left."

"Tsk, the whole thing was planned by me and me alone." Huanxi sneered, "Beware of false charges, General..."

Y/n stared at her for a moment.
"Shall I execute her?"

"I—!" Caelus was dumbfounded.

"No need. We'll know the truth once you're sent to the Judges of the Ten Lords Commission." Jing Yuan said with a wave of his hand, to which Huanxi breathlessly laughed again.

"Too late, General. I go no further..." Huanxi wheezed. And with that, she let out one last shuddering breath and just died. Just like that.
Dead.

Y/n couldn't relate.

"I guess I was too rough with her." she murmured.

Caelus gave her a blank look, "You killed her."

Before the two could start arguing, Dan Heng gave them a warning glare, and they all looked to Bailu.

"I always felt useless in the eyes of the elders — like a failure who couldn't inherit the power of the High Elder..." Bailu's tone was solemn, and her gaze down cast as she frowned, "Today, I realized they'll do whatever they can to get rid of me at a moment's notice."

"Not all of the Vidyadhara have malicious intentions. If you no longer feel safe, the Seat of Divine Foresight can arrange for you to stay elsewhere." Jing Yuan offered, his voice gentle and warm as he offered the little dragon a small smile.

Bailu returned it with a little smile of her own, "Thank you, General. But before we leave, I'd like to speak with Dan Heng some more."

"Very well. I will await you all at the ferry." Jing Yuan hummed with a small nod before beginning to head off. He briefly caught y/n's gaze as he walked by, and Dan Heng noticed.

Y/n watched the General leave before clearing her throat, "I'm ready to take a nap. You guys do what you need to do. I'll be at the ferry resting."

Before either Dan Heng or Caelus could ask her to stay, her hurried off in the direction Jing Yuan had gone.

"Damn. That overtime must have really tired her out." Caelus mumbled, "But she deserves the rest, so I can't complain."

"She's not tired."

"Hm?"

Dan Heng shook his head and turned away.
"It's nothing."

Y/n caught up to Jing Yuan about halfway to the ferry, the General pausing upon hearing her footsteps and turning around to allow her time to catch up.

Except... she wasn't slowing down.
She just kept sprinting.

Oh.
Oh 💩—

Y/n barreled into Jing Yuan