Chapter 9 — A Hero’s Wish: Please, Just Drop a Meteor

The magic train is… insane.I sat by the window, staring at the endless grass fields “running” away from us under the bright blue sky.
“Woooow…” Yeah, that just slipped out.
“Bro, seriously? Is this your first time on a magic train? You sound like a literal five-year-old.” Lucas smirked and nudged my arm.
“It’s not like that! I’ve been on trains before, okay? Just… not magic ones. Back on Earth, they run on magnets and electricity,” I said, my face glued to the window like a kid seeing Disneyland for the first time.
“Electricity? What even is that?” Lucas tilted his head, confused.
“You know when you get hit by lightning? That zap feeling? It’s basically that but controlled—like low-key lightning magic.” I waved my hand, fully expecting him to get it.
“…Yeah, nope. Still lost.” Lucas stared at me blankly.
Ugh, fine. Time for some hands-on education.
I spotted a small chain lying nearby—perfect. I handed one end to Lucas.“Here, hold this.”
“Why do I feel like I’m about to regret this?”
“Alex, Selena, you too. Grab it.”“Huh? Whatever.”“Leo, you as well.”
Once everyone was holding it, I lightly channeled lightning magic into the chain. Just a tiny spark. Totally safe. Probably.
As I did it, a thought hit me:“…Wait. Is this training… or am I just casually risking their lives for science?”
“Alright, that’s enough,” I muttered, letting go.
“AAAH!” Everyone flinched.
“I didn’t feel a thing,” Roland said, blinking.“Huh. Not bad,” Alex added, staying cool like always.“…” Leo stayed dead silent.“BRO. That hurt!” Lucas yelped, shaking his hand.“Haruto! Are you trying to kill me?!” Selena glared daggers at me, her hair sticking up like she got electrocuted.
“See? Now you get what electricity is, right?” I grinned at Lucas.Then, just because I like living dangerously, I teased, “Also… angry Selena is kinda cute.”
Her hair somehow puffed up even more.“Cute? THIS?!”
Yup, I was dead. She launched into a full lecture mode while I just sat there like a scolded puppy.
---
We finally reached Eryndor’s magic train station, but Leo told us we had to switch to horse-drawn carriages to get to the city center.Great. Love that.
“Found us a carriage!” Leo waved.
“...Cool. Totally what I wanted,” I grumbled.
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you sound all hyped earlier? What’s with the sudden mood drop?”
“I’m the hero, okay? People probably hate me or whatever. It’s safer if I just don’t show up.”
And then, before I could finish my brilliant excuse, Roland scooped me up like a sack of potatoes.“Wait—PUT ME DOWN!” I kicked, but everyone ignored me.
We hopped into the carriage Leo booked. Honestly, it wasn’t bad. Felt like grabbing a cab back home—except instead of taxis or motorbikes swarming train stations like in Indonesia or India, we had actual horses.
---
Eventually, we rolled up to Eryndor Castle. The guards welcomed us in. The place was huge—golden décor everywhere, vases that probably cost more than my entire life.
“Selena, if you could take one thing from here, what would it be?” I whispered.
She glanced around. “Hmm… that vase. The carvings are gorgeous.”
I nodded. Fair.
Before I realized it, we were standing before massive double doors. Definitely the throne room.“Wait! Don’t open it yet—I need a mask.”
I rummaged through my bag like a madman, found nothing, then improvised—wrapping part of my spare shirt over my face like some weird budget ninja.
The doors swung open.
“Presenting: The Skystride team from Calvessia!”
Inside, another team was already waiting, plus a man on the throne—definitely the king.
“Which one of you is the hero?” someone from Eryndor’s team asked.
Instantly, my whole team pointed at me.
“…I hate all of you,” I muttered, silently praying for a meteor to just wipe this country off the map.