The Train

Every step Shen took outside the briefing room felt heavier than the last as the weight of the admirals' remarks weighed down on her shoulders. Recent occurrences and the intimidating task that now awaited him swirled in his mind. Over an hour had passed since the meeting ended, yet as he made his way down the lengthy hallway toward the exit, their conversation continued to reverberate in his mind, a constant drumbeat of responsibility and peril.

His brother Geno was waiting outside. His gaze was as steady and determined as ever, and he stood erect and unwavering, a tower of strength against the military complex's sterile architecture. Shen came to a halt in front of him and met that stare in a hush that lingered between them, full with unsaid ideas.

Even though Geno had shown his satisfaction that Shen had been selected for this mission, he was unable to completely conceal the underlying worry that dimmed his eyes. His concern was revealed by a glimmer of fear in their otherwise unwavering depths. He spoke steadily and calmly, delivering each word with purpose when he eventually broke the silence.

"The council meeting has been adjourned by President Tetelyus. He is currently getting ready to speak to the country. Although the issue is currently under control, it is still far too soon to put your trust in anyone. Even if they seem to be helping the King, we still need to be on guard.

Shen paid attention, taking in all that was said. It was not surprising that Geno was wary; it was a reflection of the knot of uneasiness that was twisting in his own stomach. With its many unknowns and dangers, this endeavor was a plunge into the dark. He paused, letting the question settle on his lips before he said.

"Do you believe that all of this could have been planned by him?"

Though his face remained unchanged, Geno's eyes searched Shen's. This time, the silence was deeper, a place where worries and opportunities coexisted. At last, he exhaled deeply and slowly.

"I don't know," he said, the words being incredibly powerful. But when you arrive, I hope you'll discover the solution. Our route is obvious, regardless of the assassination attempt's perpetrator. We have to act morally and be ready for everything.

Shen found a silent strength in his brother's faith. He gave the one promise he knew he could fulfill, the only assurance he really felt.

"I'll try my hardest."

Geno put a firm but encouraging hand on Shen's shoulder and nodded slightly in agreement. It was a final transfer of power, a grounding gesture. "Take the train and utilize the Republic's transportation system. It will take you to the parts of the Kingdom that are next to our own, which will make it simpler for you to enter Regalia covertly. Take caution.

Shen nodded, holding his brother's gaze for one more time before heading for the neighboring station. A wave of thoughts swept through the walk. Who was responsible for the murder? Was the Republic's assistance a front for something darker, or was it really an ally? Is it possible that this was the product of another country? When he got closer to his destination, the questions kept coming up with no answers.

The train spread out in front of him, a long, metallic serpent that was completely unlike any locomotive he had ever seen and gleamed in the station's lights. Shen had anticipated the recognizable rattle of traditional travel, steel wheels on steel tracks. Rather, this engineering wonder appeared to float just above an odd track system, propelled by an unseen power that kept it in a quiet, frictionless embrace.

The mood was quiet inside. Shen sat down in his assigned seat and looked out the window. A sea of people gathered in front of the capital's huge pyramid in the distance, anticipating the president's speech. With a little shake of his head, he diverted his attention from the political drama. To calm the fury inside of him, he needed to concentrate himself.

Just as a gentle, growing hum announced the train's departure, he closed his eyes. The sound soon turned into a calming drone, a background vibration to his rushing mind, which kept weaving itself into a complex, unbreakable web. As the darkness grew deeper beneath his eyelids, the day's fatigue eventually overtook him and dragged him into a deep sleep.

He was alone. He floated weightless in an infinite, confusing vacuum where there was neither earth nor sky. He was gradually drawn downward by a silent, unstoppable force toward a scene that emerged from the shadows—a realm of ominous, frigid, and suffocating fear.

The sight came into vivid, scary clarity as his boots hit the earth with a startling finality. He was standing among skeletal, ragged trees in a pitch-black jungle. Massive rocks and massive boulders loomed all about him like old, dormant animals. The harsh, metallic tang of burning metal and the pungent smell of smoke filled the air, making it oppressive and heavy.

The silence was broken by a shrill scream. He felt a chill run down his spine as the distant sound splintered through his chest. Shen whirled, his gaze racing through the suffocating darkness, but he saw nothing. This time, the scream was much closer and eventually turned into words.

"You misled her!"

He was rooted to the spot by the accusation, which echoed in his ears like an explosion. Shen felt like a desperate prisoner in his own chest as his heart pounded against his ribs. As the voice repeated its charge, louder and more poisonous than before, his breath seized in his throat and came out in short, ragged gasps.

"You misled her!"

The words hit him as if they were a real strike, a psychological hammer that would break him to pieces. He made a valiant effort to locate the voice and make sense of it, but it was an audio phantom with no name or origin—just direct, unadulterated condemnation.

All of a sudden, his surroundings started to fall apart. The earth beneath his feet vanished into thin air. Like dark glass, the trees, rocks, and sky broke apart and vanished into the emptiness from which they had come. As the voice reverberated in his thoughts, turning into a deafening chorus, Shen fell into an endless pit, spiraling out of control.

"You misled her!"

He was crushed and suffocated by the screaming that filled his head. Breathing became become a futile, terrible fight. All was dark.

Shen's eyes suddenly sprung open.

His chest heaved as he forced breath into his hungry lungs, and he was gasping. His clothing were soaked in cold sweat, and his irregular breathing made an unusually loud sound in the eerie train car silence. The ghost of the voice was a whisper at the border of his hearing, and the phantom pressure of the emptiness still held on to him.

He blinked quickly, forcing his environment into focus as the truth of his predicament gradually returned. He rode the train. He was secure.

He sat motionless for a few long moments, shaken and confused by the nightmare's physical brutality. At that moment, he became aware that the train's soft hum had stopped. It had ceased.

A station loomed in the dim twilight beyond the window. It was a desolate, lonesome outpost encircled by a gloomy, ominous terrain that appeared to suck out the light.

He was here. Just ahead were the Kingdom's lands, and beyond them lay the road to Regalia.