A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 93: Two Arixes
Chapter 93: Two Arixes

The training base was shrouded in gloom.

At the emergency meeting called by the Alliance President, the expressions of the five Admirals were grim.

”As is customary, whenever a hero of the Alliance sacrifices their life, the Memorial Hall will officially publish their life experiences and achievements. We are holding this meeting to ask everyone whether we should announce Arix’s story,” Zeta asked, breaking the heavy silence as he looked at the five somber admirals.

”It doesn’t matter to me,” Matis responded. His usual vigor was gone, his silver hair more pronounced. Since learning his granddaughter had fallen into the black hole, Matis seemed to have aged years overnight.

”Announce it. There are a lot of rumors on the interstellarnet. It’s time to clear Arix’s name,” Mael, holding traditional views, emphasized the importance of reputation.

”Those who spread rumors should be sentenced or at least, fined. Charge them with insulting a military martyr,” Fane said coldly. Slandering military martyrs is a severe crime in the Alliance. That suggestion showed how much Fane cherished Arix.

”I also suggest that the military file lawsuits against these people to hold them legally accountable. These individuals enjoy the peace brought by others’ sacrifices yet fail to appreciate it. Many of them hide in dark corners, judging others with the darkest of worldviews,” Sykes added, clearly displeased.

”Huh, they think they can escape by hiding in dark corners. I’ve already gathered their information. Zeta, it’s up to you now,” Virek said, handing over a thick stack of documents to Zeta.

Zeta skimmed through the documents, his eyes sharp. ”I’ll discuss with the judicial department on how to deal with these irresponsible people,” he declared. The five admirals trusted Zeta; with him taking action, these rumor-mongers would at least face severe consequences.

After the meeting, the Alliance released three headlines on the interstellar net.

The first headline announced that any future comments insulting martyrs or soldiers could be subject to legal action. This was well-received by the people of the Alliance.

Some accounts continued to make jokes about Arix’s sacrifice, but investigations revealed that these account holders were not from the Alliance. Most people simply laughed it off and moved on.

The second headline detailed Arix’s life and contributions to the Alliance. It was then that people discovered that Drexel and Arix, whom they had shipped as a couple, were actually siblings. This revelation shocked many fans who had supported the pair, leaving them in disbelief.

Soon, sharp-eyed netizens noticed that Arix was also the researcher behind the psychic power healing potion.

However, before everyone could fully celebrate the revelation of Arix as a potion genius, the third interstellarnet headline dropped: ”Yesterday, in the Sugli Forest, Arix sacrificed herself to save numerous classmates from an insectoid massacre. She delayed the attackers long enough for others to escape but ultimately fell into a black hole and are now tragically missing.”

Falling into a black hole was effectively a death sentence.

In the entire history of the Alliance, no one who had fallen into a black hole had ever returned alive.

Realizing this, those people, who had been following the story, felt as if they had been struck by a thunderbolt.

Upon seeing the final headline, many people couldn’t hold back their tears. After almost crying their eyes out, a large number of Alliance citizens spontaneously went to the guarded outskirts of the Sugli Forest to lay flowers for Arix.

The compassionate people of the Alliance used these flowers to express their tribute and sorrow for the martyr Arix.

Chapter 105 Two Arixes

While the world outside mourned the loss of Arix, inside the black hole, a young woman was busy giving Arix a piece of her mind.

”Hey, Raya! How long are you going to sleep? I don’t have much time left!” an irate female voice echoed.

Arix groggily opened her eyes to see her past life’s face, clearly upset. Still dazed, Arix stared blankly for a few seconds before letting out a piercing scream that echoed through the black hole.

”What the hell? Where am I? Help!” Arix shouted, trying to run but finding herself unable to move. She was trapped in a transparent spherical barrier, forced to watch her past self slowly approach.

Cupid, equally confused, joined in the screaming and attempted to flee, while Vita and Sophia remained calmly squatting in place.

”Don’t come any closer! I’m warning you, come any closer and I’ll fight back!” Arix yelled, on the verge of a breakdown.

”Raya, are you out of your mind? You’ve been in my body for so many years, and you’re still this scared of me?” ”Arix” looked at her with disdain, her tone full of irritation.

”What are you talking about? When was I in your body for ten years?” Arix’s eyes widened with fear, tears welling up as she hugged Cupid. Both human and tiger looked pathetically innocent, as if the young woman before them was some kind of villain, and they were her persecuted victims.

”Hah!” ”Arix” scoffed, pointing to her own face. ”I’m Arix, got it?”

”Got it!” Arix and Cupid nodded fearfully, but Arix quickly realized something was off and shook her head. ”Wait, no, I’m the real Arix. Have I missed my past life so much that I’ve developed a split personality?”

”Arix” closed her eyes in exasperation and took a deep breath. Then, she delivered a swift blow to Arix’s head, shouting, ”You are Raya Kering, and I am Arix Vetti! Got it now? If not, I’ll fix that for you.”

”Ouch, ouch, ouch!!” Arix cried, clutching her head where a lump had formed. She squatted down, looking pitifully at ”Arix”. But seeing her angry eyes, Arix quickly nodded, still tearful. ”Got it, I got it. But why have we switched places? And how are we seeing each other now?”

Arix’s question actually stumped ”Arix”, who wasn’t quite sure either. Seeing ”Arix” momentarily quieted down, Arix sighed in relief. She quickly scooped up Vita and Sophia, asking with concern, ”Vita, Sophia, are you two okay?”

”We’re fine,” Vita and Sophia reassured her, shaking their heads adorably as they nestled in Arix’s arms. Then, glancing at the other ”Arix”, they whispered, ”Arix, she doesn’t seem like a bad person. It looks like she means no harm to you. And, we might have been saved because of her.”

Arix looked curiously at the young woman before her and then finally took in her surroundings. They were still inside the black hole, but the spherical barrier seemed to be keeping them safe. This odd barrier could only have been created by the other ”Arix”.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Arix cleared her throat. It felt awkward saying her own name out loud like that. Meanwhile, the other ”Arix”, having gathered her thoughts, asked seriously, ”Did you receive incomplete memories? How could you forget that you are Raya?”

Arix was taken aback. She indeed had no memories from before she was five. She had always assumed it was a normal part of growing up. But now that the other ”Arix” mentioned it, something seemed off. ’If I was really Raya and had changed my name, how could I not remember something so big?’

Moreover, what the other ”Arix” said couldn’t be a lie. The girl standing before her was in her psychic incarnation form, and she looked exactly like her past self, which means she was the original owner of the Arix Vetti body.

Psychic Incarnations reflected one’s soul, and while physical appearances could be faked, the soul’s appearance could not.

Despite the strangeness of the situation, Arix found it oddly natural. Then, another question arose: If she really was the interstellar Raya, why had she traveled to the modern world and lost these memories?

”I really don’t have any memories from before I was five. So, I’ve always thought I WAS Arix Vetti. Do you remember how you ended up in the interstellar era?” Arix asked, her curiosity piqued.

The other Arix’s expression grew serious as she pinched her chin, thinking for a moment before replying, ”I don’t know why it happened. One day, I suddenly found myself in the interstellar era, waking up in your body, a girl that was younger than me. I was afraid your family would notice something was off. Also, there was a maid who tried to kidnap me, so I let her take me. Once I was out of the Kering family, I knocked her out and hid in a garbage transport ship to escape.”

”Wait, wait, hold on. You let her kidnap you on purpose?” Arix was stunned. She hadn’t expected such a bold move from the other ”Arix”. A normal person’s reaction would be just to pretend to have amnesia or lay low for a while.

The other ”Arix” gave Arix a stare. After getting back to the modern world and absorbing Arix’s memories of the time when she was absent, she couldn’t help comparing their lives. Seeing Arix’s life, surrounded by love, and then looking at her own, where she had to scavenge through garbage to survive, ”Arix” did feel some regret, and jealousy.

However, the interstellar era was different from the modern age, especially with the added complication of psychic powers. Arix’s own psychic power was so low it was embarrassing. If she were to have her psychic power tested, it would be game over. So, leaving the Kering family might not have been the worst thing.

With this in mind, ”Arix” found peace with her situation. Despite scavenging on Planet Waste for ten years, she had ultimately gained something valuable. She hated studying chemistry, but after the switch, she not only had all of Arix’s chemistry knowledge but also a natural aptitude for it.

It was like suddenly acquiring a magical medical cheat code—an undeniably thrilling advantage.