Train Passengers (Hiroshi)

Two weeks ago, on the day of the argument, I found myself south of town. In a sudden fit of rage and anger, I had left the others behind. Despite the presence of soldiers outside, I was determined to make my way to the meeting point to see Lena as we had planned.

As I navigated the side streets and made my way to the southern part of town, I noticed something strange. Unlike the rest of the town, there were no soldiers in sight. The area was eerily calm and quiet. It seemed as though the residents had locked themselves inside their homes to avoid any confrontation with the soldiers. This worked in my favor as it reduced the chances of me being recognized.

I scanned my surroundings, searching for any sign of Lena. But there were no tracks or clues to guide me. Standing in the middle of the street like an open target made me feel uneasy, but I knew I had to keep moving.

Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind me. "I didn't expect you to come," it said.

"But I'm here, aren't I?" I replied.

"Well, we'd better get going. The soldiers will be here soon," she warned.

Confused and unsure of what was happening, I asked, "Where are we going?"

"Come on, don't ask questions," was the only response I received.

With no other options available to me, I followed Lena. It was too dangerous to go back to the others now. I felt safer with someone familiar by my side, someone who knew the area well.

Lena had been my friend since childhood. Despite the warnings from the others not to trust an elite soldier, I was confident that I could trust her. So we ran quickly and quietly through the southern part of town towards the railway station.

When we arrived at the station, Lena gestured for me to follow her. We had to be careful and keep our voices low as there were king's soldiers standing guard nearby. We couldn't approach the train directly, so ı followed Lena's lead.

The train was filled with passengers, but it wasn't as crowded as we had anticipated. The soldiers were aware that their targets were in town and had stationed themselves inside the train. We didn't have to engage them in combat as they were moving in a line through the carriages. Once they had left our carriage, we quickly made our way to a suitable compartment and drew the curtains closed.

As the train began to move, Lena and I sat opposite each other and started talking. I had many questions that I wanted to ask her, so I was the first to speak.

"Are you going to tell me why we're on this train?" I asked.

"I'm taking you away from here," Lena replied. "The soldiers have taken over the town. If you had stayed, it would have only been a matter of time before you were caught."

"So what's this all about?" I pressed. "Why were you in that town? Why did you make a deal with the epic? And what does he want with you?"

Lena turned her gaze towards the window and began to recount her story. "A long time ago, after the samurai attacked, we were all taken prisoner to become soldiers of the fourth epic. The strong ones were made into soldiers, but the weak ones like me were made into slaves. We lived like this for a while until something happened. The king grew tired of the weak slaves and their inefficiency, so he issued a death warrant for us all. They were going to kill us until a child set fire to the castle. We took the opportunity to escape, but many of us were killed in the process."

"What happened next?" I asked.

"We were captured again," Lena continued. "But this time it was by the third epic. He had just won the title of epic and was recruiting elite soldiers for himself. For some reason, he threw everyone except me into the dungeons. I didn't understand what was happening until he made me an offer. He wanted me to work for him and become an elite soldier in exchange for the freedom of my friends and my brother."

I was curious and wanted to know more, so I asked Lena, "Where are they now?"

"They're still prisoners," she replied.

"Why would the third epic want an ordinary girl like you?" I asked.

"He gave me the power of the Kamuvulaj clan," Lena explained. "He also used the prisoners to manipulate me whenever he needed something done."

I wanted to know how I could help her. "What kind of help do you want from me?" I asked.

"I want you to help me save my friends and my brother," Lena said. "After we rescue them, we'll leave this kingdom and never look back."

"Do you know where they are?" I asked.

"They're on a moving train right now," Lena replied. "The train is scheduled to arrive at the epicenter palace in three days. If we can stop it before it gets there and rescue them, there won't be any problems. But if it reaches its destination, it may take an entire army to get them out."

I hadn't seen Lena in ages, and it was clear that she had been through a lot. But when she came to me for help, I couldn't ignore her desperation. The people she was trying to save were my friends and neighbors, and I knew she would never lie about her own brother. So, I decided to help her.

"I'll help you, but it won't be easy," I told her. "I need to know everything you know about the train - its route, the number of troops on board, everything."

Lena looked at me, her eyes full of determination. "The train has twelve wagons," she said. "It's carrying food and weapons supplies. It won't be difficult for us to enter, but there are many soldiers on board. The real problem is the elite soldier."

"Elite soldier?" I asked.

"His name is Tag," Lena said. "He's the strongest elite soldier since me. He's from some kind of bloodline, and he's pretty strong. But if we stick together, we should be able to handle him."

"How?" I asked.

"Don't forget that I'm still an elite soldier for now," Lena said. "While I distract him, you'll neutralize the other soldiers and rescue my friends without any problems. Otherwise, it'll be hard to deal with Tag."

"They'll kill you if you do that," I said.

"After we rescue my friends and brother, I'll leave this kingdom and never return," Lena said.

I burned the pro I had bought at the shop, "We'll have to get it done before the tournament," I said.