It was early morning. The sun had not fully risen yet, but its soft golden light had already begun spreading across the sky. The city's central rail station was slowly coming to life. The sounds of people talking, metal wheels scraping against the tracks, and the distant hum of steam engines created a strange but lively atmosphere.
The station was not overly royal, yet its old architecture carried a certain charm. Massive stone pillars supported the platform, each carved with ancient symbols worn down by time. Iron lamps were still glowing faintly since the morning light had not completely taken over. The air carried a mix of warm tea, engine smoke, and iron.
On platform three, Leo, Ray, and Chris stood waiting with their bags beside them, ready to leave for Morveth. Ray kept glancing at the station clock while Leo silently observed the crowd around them.
A few moments later, Skye walked toward them through the crowd. In her hand were three dark-blue tickets with silver-lined edges. At the center of each ticket was a glowing crest, and beneath it, written in golden letters, were the words: "Morveth central line." The paper itself looked unusual, almost magical, as a faint blue glow continuously moved across its surface.
"Here," Skye said as she handed the tickets to Chris.
At that exact moment, loud metallic vibrations echoed from the far end of the platform. Seconds later, a massive black steam train slowly entered the station. Thick grey smoke rose from the huge pipes above it while a silver emblem gleamed brightly on the front of the engine. Its heavy wheels screeched against the tracks as the train came to a stop.
The train's horn roared across the entire station.
Chris stepped toward the train, but before entering, he stopped in front of Skye.
"Take care of the division," he said calmly. Then his eyes turned cold. "And from now on… if anything suspicious appears near the division, or if anyone attacks…"
He paused for a second before speaking in a chilling voice.
"Kill them. No matter who they are."
Silence spread for a few moments. Skye simply looked at him before giving a faint smile.
"You guys better come back alive."
Chris said nothing in return. He simply turned around and walked into the train with Leo and Ray.
Inside the train, warm yellow lights spread a soft glow across the dark wooden walls. Rows of soft leather seats filled the cabin while the station slowly disappeared behind the windows. The vibrations of the engine and the rhythmic sound of the tracks echoed continuously throughout the train.
Leo, Ray, and Chris sat near a window seat. For a while, none of them spoke. Leo kept staring outside at the passing scenery, and the excitement in his eyes was impossible to miss. Meanwhile, Ray quietly pulled a book from his bag and started reading.
Chris observed both of them for a moment before finally asking in a low voice, "You two really don't have a problem coming with me?"
Leo and Ray both turned toward him.
"Why would we?" Leo replied with a small smile. "We wanted to come with you in the first place. Besides… this is a golden chance for me to ride a train."
Ray closed his book and looked at him. "Wait… this is your first time on a train?"
Leo smiled faintly as he looked out the window again. "Yeah. I never really got the chance to travel anywhere. I grew up in a small town far away from the city. My father was also a knight, and he was always busy. I spent most of my days playing around… and every evening I would hang out with Rim. I guess that's why I never had the chance to go anywhere."
Chris quietly listened to them before speaking in a more serious tone.
"Enough joking around. Listen to me carefully."
Leo and Ray immediately turned toward him.
"I don't know how strong those cultists are… but even so, I'm dragging both of you into danger. And if something happens to you two…"
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"I'd probably die from guilt."
His voice was calm, but the weight behind his words was heavy.
"You two are still kids. You should've refused to come with me."
Leo answered without hesitation. "We're not coming because of you. We're coming because we want to. Besides, opportunities like this don't come easily. Someday we'll become Knight Captains too, so we need experience."
A grin appeared on his face.
"And besides, a junior's job is to support their senior."
Ray simply smiled beside him and nodded in agreement.
Chris stayed silent for a few seconds before quietly saying, "Thank you… I'll always be grateful for your help."
Suddenly, Ray spoke up again. "There's something that bothered me."
Chris looked at him. "What?"
"Last night, when you were talking to the king… he didn't seem to care at all about how many people died."
Leo immediately added, "Yeah. The way he talked made it feel like he was just putting all the blame on you."
Chris let out a tired sigh and held his head. "I can't even trust the kings anymore…"
Then Leo spoke in a quieter voice.
"Steven said the kings might also be involved in this ritual."
The moment those words left his mouth, both Ray and Chris looked at him.
Chris closed his eyes and leaned back against his seat.
"Great… now I can't trust anyone anymore."
After a few moments of silence, he stared out the window and muttered,
"Looks like we'll have to handle everything ourselves now."
Leo and Ray silently nodded as the train continued racing toward Morveth.