"Frigora?"
Vlad asked, surprised.
'He knows about the invitation?'
Even though it has been around a month since he got the letter, it shouldn't be possible for normal people to know about it. The information was supposed to be hidden until everyone had gathered together at Frigora, which then would be followed by someone who represented this gathering to give a short explanation to the group.
At least that's what the letter told him, not counting the list of names which he thoroughly remembered.
'And how does he know about me going there?'
Vlad looked down at himself, at the lavish suit he wore, just like most of the passengers on the train. Then turned back to the boy without much of a reaction.
The boy stared with a scowl at Vlad's unchanging expression; it looked like he expected something from him as his eyes kept drifting towards the scar on his cheek.
His brows furrowed.
"I thought you'd at least be on guard."
"What?"
"Your memory seems pretty short too~."
'Memory?'
Did that mean they had met already? But when?
Vlad racked his brain for an answer, not remembering meeting someone like the boy even once in his life.
The boy sighed before suddenly folding the empty popcorn bucket in half.
"Well, not that I care."
"What are you talking about?"
Vlad asked, to which the boy let out a short snort, turning around with his arms crossed.
"I'll tell you when we reach the first stop."
The boy shook a little, shifting in his seat like he was trying to make himself comfortable.
"I won't speak with you anymore. I need to rest."
"You're the one who spoke to me first-"
"I said I won't speak!"
He let out a quiet Hmph before closing his eyes and hugging the seat tightly.
...
The cabin was quiet.
To the point that a single person passing by was enough to make Vlad shut his ears. He never felt such after effects from a barrier forming around him; he thought he had already become accustomed to the nausea of the train's occasional shakes, but a headache kept reminding him that he couldn't fall asleep even if he wanted to.
Cesar didn't bother to send more messages, only leaving a few directions he should follow in case something might have gone bad.
He looked at the strange boy's back, where his short hair moved like it was torn off from a lake and glued to his head, making it look strangely beautiful in his eyes.
It reminded him of the garden of rebirth and the calm, flowing river he always sat next to, not minding each other even once.
Vlad turned to the window and closed his eyes in hopes of getting a minute of rest.
Watching the static pass by the cabin outside, he kept tracing the fingerprints Cesar left on the window.
'My head hurts.'
***
- Bzzt!
My ears twitched as loud static came from above the cabin, making me cover my head and snuggle against the soft seat.
"Hello, this is your conductor speaking! We had finally left the premises of the Flux barriers and would soon reach the main checkpoint. Please make yourself comfortable and get ready to exit the train in the next couple of hours!"
- Bzzt!
The conductor's voice was drowned by static as the cabin, which was previously as quiet as an empty room, started to wake itself up.
All around me, I could hear people waking up in their seats and standing up to go somewhere, their steps echoing close.
My eyelids felt heavy with the constant headache keeping me awake, and I started to regret ever trying to accept the damned invitation and boarding this train.
It looks cool.
But it made me even more exhausted.
- Bump.
My brows furrowed as I turned around unwillingly and saw Marco retracting his fist and sitting with his legs crossed on the seat.
'How is he sitting like this in such a narrow space?'
I was unsure whether or not this was an incredible feat of flexibility or simply another freakish aspect of how strange he looked.
Marco opened his mouth, showing his white teeth that seemed to be sharper than those of regular humans.
There was a big difference between those who had awakened and those who hadn't. Of course, regular people had no chance of matching the awakened in prowess, but there was another set of aspects one could get when awakened.
For example, Marco's freakish appearance or Cesar's strange weight that seemed no more than a feather.
'I wonder what I would look like if I could have awakened.'
I traced my scar, flinching at the pain of touching, and pulled my hand down to my knees.
'Haah...'
"Are you even listening?!"
Marco squealed from the side with a stupid look on his face.
"I am, I am."
"Then what did I say?"
'Shi-"
- Bzzt!
Another sudden burst of static made both of our heads snap towards the dark speakers from which the conductor spoke once more, saving me from answering the question.
"Attention passengers! We will soon lift the flux barriers! You can go to the cabin number fourty-two in case you're interested in looking at your surroundings, and remember! Taking pictures is strictly prohibited, so any attempt at doing so will result in a ban from Lightning Express! Have a great Day!"
- Bzzt!
As the announcement repeated in the train, Marco turned to me with narrowed eyes.
"So?"
I looked at his expression and laughed internally, because I knew that no matter what he did now, he couldn't force me to actually acknowledge his attempts at gaining some attention.
With that, though, I pushed him to the seat and squeezed past into the aisle.
"Hey-"
"I'm going to go to the cabin forty-two, you can stay here if you want to, but I'd prefer to make a look around."
Dodging him, trying to hold onto my sleeve, I quickly bolted from the seats and Marco, passing by other passengers who were also trying to stand up.
A door stood at the end of the cabin, looking like it didn't belong here in the first place.
It was made of reinforced metal with a thick handle mounted at its side, looking as if I wouldn't be able to grab onto it unless I held it with both hands. It was tall, a little over half a meter above my head it ended by blending with the beige walls of the cabin that caved in around the door's edges.
"Can you hurry up?"
A tall woman spoke from behind me, as I tried to pull on the handle to no avail.
'Aren't doors supposed to be open?'
With a low grunt, I held onto the handle with both hands, pulling it as much as I could.
But it didn't even budge.
"Ugh, step aside."
The woman pushed me to the side, making me almost fall onto the seats nearby and feel her long nails brush against my suit.
She held up her hand to the door, waiting for something.
And then a click escaped from it, making the door crack open.
'So you needed flux to open it.'
Why am I still surprised?
I waited for a moment, watching people go through the metal door one by one, which in the meantime gave me a moment to look around the exit.
The walls weren't as blank as the rest, this time with a couple of ads flickering under the occasional static disrupting the image. They weren't really interesting, but above that was a sign with the number of the current cabin and a small map of the train, which was just a straight line.
Under a red dot that read 'You are here.' Was a number forty-three, the cabin in which I was currently.
'Lucky.'
I thought after I pushed myself up and walked through the small opening of the door.
And watched wide-eyed as an endless void appeared beneath my feet, threatening to swallow me whole.