The railroad carved into the cityscape

‘Go simply, go safely, and go quietly.’

Those were the softened words that Theresia had spoken to me as she handed me a rectangular sheet of thin steel. It had been engraved gently with golden undertones that lined both its framing and its lettering. It was a card that had been inlaid with my name — ‘Agreste’.

It was the first gift I had been offered by her hands which had in turn been engraved into my memories. The card was one that would allow me to board both the mechanical beings that climbed upon the surface of the buildings in the bronze city, and the train that would cut through the buildings entirely.

Trains were a concept often explained to me by my mother, whose background was wholly enveloped in a haze of memory. The more I had begun to reminisce, the more I realised that my parents weren’t memories that I held dear.

Those who had left me behind were memories I didn't want to retain the whole of.

I didn’t seem to grieve them, however. Once again, an eerie calm had settled within my mind.

I had spent my days working throughout the theatre. I had not even had a thought to imagine how much work went into forming an event such as a play, but I quickly was surprised. I had never felt such an ache within my muscles as I had in that moment.

For a reason that confused my heart, seeing Theresia’s satisfied smile made all the aching worth it.

Today had been a day I had set aside for myself however, for I had a goal that sat at the forefront of my mind. My vision had narrowed, and I had been focused on the passion that sat within my heart in that moment. Working alongside Theresia, I wondered if her endless drive had been engraved into my own heart.

For the sake of the idea that I had cultivated within my mind, I had been making my way to the Grand Market, a grouping of brilliant minds who strived to sell the collections of their experience in one general space. It was a place of wonder and intrigue, one where I was sure I would find what I was searching for.

I stood high above the streets of the bronze city, on a platform made up of steel beams and iron plating. Dim lamplight had been hung about to combat the darkness of the street, but it was futile. The city of Aethine was like an upwards maze, a piercing tower of buildings endlessly stacked upon each other.

I wondered then if the sun was something that the undine wanted to touch upon as I did, building up so high into the clouds to do so. When I would gaze upon the sky, no matter what world I resided in, I wanted to bathe in its endless beauty if only for a moment. The horrid grey smog that hung within the sky was something that I wondered about often in that regard.

What would it be like touch? Would it have been hot against my pale skin? Would the steam graze gently upon the lines of my palms?

For all the experiences and offerings I was given as a noble within my old world, I had never once felt peace. Being of nobility was to be a prisoner of expectations, and I was set free in a new world where I could experience everything I had once dreamed of.

It was a cliché I was happy to live out, because there was not a moment within Crelle where my heart felt respite from endless elation.

Suddenly, I heard a large bellowing sound within the distance, as if a thousand wooden whistles had been blown in unison. The harmony of the whistles seemed to bounce wonderfully against the metal exteriors of the building around me, drowning out my endless thoughts.

My hair was nearly blown away from my scalp, a massive gust of warmed wind bursting forth. The entirety of the platform below me shook, and a screeching whine of grinding metal erupted outwards, sparks flying through the air around me as my eyes widened.

In a singular instant, the view of the street I had been staring upon was blocked out, and in its place, a fantastical steaming beast took shape.

My imagination was not something that could have wholly encapsulated the pure wonder of standing in front the steam train of Aethine. It was nearly three-times my height, and an inconsiderable multiplied amount of my form in length. Upon the railings that hung suspended high above the main street stood a giant that billowed out steam so wonderfully.

It was like a monster made of metal that no story could have ever prepared me for. Stepping up the metal steps towards the door, I was surprised at how lively it was inside. In comparison to the bustling streets of Aethine, the interior of the steam train was one where the undine were forced to stand idly.

The sheeted walls were lined with multitudes of metallic embellishments, serving as a gateway to my own heart. It was a sight beloved. Dozens of people scattered the train car I stood within, their voices echoing through the metal halls with a quaint freshness that sat upon my mind.

There was no mirror to gaze within, but I could see as I gazed at the steam train's polished steel frame the widened smile that was plastered against my face.

I had never been one for loud atmospheres, for they always seemed to clash with the endlessly racing thoughts within my head. Yet, when standing amidst the humming cacophony of both machinery and crowd alike, I felt a calm peace wash over my body.

Standing at the end of my destination, I was met with an entirely different experience. Whereas the steam train had taken my breath away, the life and bustle of the market had given it back in full. Hundreds of stalls and ajar doors scattered the floors of the market, which seemed to stack endlessly on top of each other. Within the darkness of the towering atmosphere, thousands of lanterns had been hung, bathing the market in faint orange light.

For a moment, my breath was once again taken away, for it was as if I was staring at my beloved starry nightscape once again.

“It’s been a short while since we’ve last seen each other, hasn’t it?” A voice croaked beside me.

I was shaken out of my bewildered daze, turning to the side to greet a wholly-familiar face.

She had hands that had been calloused, her skin aged by work, time, and the glaring heat of the sun that sat above us. The elderly woman seemed to stare at me gently with bright green eyes that glistened like emeralds.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Agreste.” The old woman smiled.

In that instant, I recognised her well. She was the woman I had helped up after she had fallen, only moments after I had arrived within Crelle.

“I came here to find a particular type of mineral, but I hadn’t expected to run into you here.” I smiled softly. “How are you doing, Miss? I hope you’re feeling well. It was a hard fall you took, wasn’t it?”

“I’ve been feeling wonderful in recent days.” The old woman smiled in return.

She let out a softened breath, glancing up to meet me with a tenable kindness upon her joyful expression.

“I never offered you my name, even despite having asked yours.” The old woman laughed. “To be so rude after so many years of living, I should really admonish myself... my name is Elin. It’s nice to be able to introduce myself to you in a more formal setting, Mr. Agreste.”

“What is it that you’ve set before yourself?” I asked of her.

She stood behind a small wooden stall, hundreds of gemstone-fragments scattered on a blackened cloth surface.

“These simple things?” The old woman asked simply. “They're crystals that soak in the light of Sol. They seem to glow in the dark if they’ve had the opportunity to catch enough sunlight.”

My eyes widened upon hearing their words. To have met Elin once again, and to have been greeted with the exact thing I had been searching for; I wondered then if it was an exaction of meaningful fate.

“Your existence means so much to me, Elin.” I smiled. “You have made my day this much happier.”

I spread out my arms to their fullest, as if to show off their length.

Her eyes seemed to brighten up upon hearing my words, and in turn set something forth within my heart. It was a string of words I had spoken that brought her fulfillment.

To be told that you as a person were valued was something that would soothe any iron-clad heart. Although, I had not thought to speak those words for that effect. I was just letting the endless thoughts of my mind flood forth.

I walked away from my meeting with the softened old woman with passion stewing in my heart.

Standing at the edge of an alleyway lain with stone blackened by soot and ash, I pulled a piece of chalk out of my pocket. Over the course of a month, it had been whittled down to its last words.

Placing it upon the stone wall set before me, I couldn’t help but smile. It was the encapsulation of the euphoria that clung to my body

Having met Theresia, having gotten to know her, having known of her inner workings - it had all begun to change me. Even writing simple words had grown to be wonderful in my eyes.

I had not lost my love of being a poet, but I had not wholly enjoyed it as much as I did now. It was a passion reinvigorated.

It was being told that I belonged beside her on her path that showed me a wonderful way forward.

With the last of the chalk, I scrawled its final words onto the surface of the stone wall. It was the goodbye of the start.

'Your existence is worth enjoying,

for you are the beauty of existing.

‘Baron of Lilacs’.'