A young man runs through the rubble of a city consumed by flames. In the distance, he glimpses a samurai wielding a katana, surrounded by darkness; however, in the blink of an eye, the warrior stands before him. With a frigid strike to the chest, the youth collapses. His final vision is the enigmatic smile of the mysterious samurai.
Leaping forward in time, two young men face a train.
"So this is the train to Lutherking?" Yasoke asks. His eyes are golden and gleaming, and his hair is short and straight. He wears a white tank top under a jacket, jeans, and red sneakers.
"I believe so. The village of Northrot sponsored us to go to a tournament, and this was the description of the train," Jhony says doubtfully. He has brown eyes and a red pompadour. He wears a zipped-up blue jacket, matching pants, and black sneakers.
The description sent by the town of Northrot to Yasoke and Jhony referred to a train that seemed endowed with life, something that pulsed. Both observe the vehicle again with expressions of shock. Seized by curiosity, Yasoke touches the train door and, as if it were a living organism, the part he touched spasms. Yasoke recoils his hand with a horrified expression.
"Jhony, do you really think it's worth going into this piece of crap!" Yasoke huffs, inflating his cheeks like a hamster while awaiting Jhony's response, who replies seriously:
"There's no other way, right? We have to go in."
After those words, the train door opens, releasing a dense mist from inside the car. Amidst the fog, the figure of a collector emerges, startling the two friends.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I see you are Jhony and Yasoke. Please, hand me your stubs." They are startled by the fact that the mysterious figure—dressed as a conductor, with extremely pale skin and hot-pink eyes—knows their names. Even though hesitant, they hand over the tickets.
"Thank you very much for the stubs, gentlemen. Besides being the collector, I am the engineer of this train. In fact, you can call me The Conductor!" Even without being asked, the man introduces himself. He enters the car and, enveloped by the mist, disappears.
"Well Jhony, let's get into this thing," Yasoke says enthusiastically with a smile on his face, forgetting the previous bizarreness. Jhony nods and enters the train accompanied by Yasoke.
The interior of the vehicle was extremely luxurious, furnished with various tables and armchairs. The entire decor had a burgundy tone. They look for their seats, located in front of the window. Yasoke runs to take his spot, and Jhony, not wanting to be left behind, tries to outrun him but cannot keep up. Yasoke sits down first.
"I won, Jhony! You're way too slow, hehehe!" Yasoke mocks. Jhony settles in beside him, staring at him.
"You've always been slower since we were kids!" Yasoke recalls the past, the time when they were small and lived in the Northrot junkyard.
"How cool, Jhony, my first time traveling by train." Yasoke rests his hands behind his head, stretching with his legs propped up on the table.
"It's my first time riding one, too." Jhony remains well-behaved, sitting correctly.
In this brief moment of peace, they begin to remember their previous life and the trajectory that brought them there.
"Yasoke, I remember the first time I met you." Yasoke looks at Jhony and smiles.
Yasoke, still a boy, was a newcomer to the Northrot junkyard and was fleeing from older boys. He jumped over piles of debris trying to lose his pursuers. Though small, he was fast and agile; however, in the rush, he got tripped up and ended up in a dead-end alley. The boys cornered him. Without many options, Yasoke assumed a fighting stance when, suddenly, a voice echoed from above:
"HEY YOU!! LEAVE THE KID ALONE!"
Wearing entirely blue clothes and sporting his red pompadour, the boy climbs down from a pile of trash, tossing his jacket aside and puffing out his chest.
"Who do you think you are?" one of the bigger boys confronts Jhony, who, losing patience, lands a punch on one of the opponents.
"TAKE THE CHANCE AND RUN!!"
Yasoke follows the advice and runs. The aggressors turn on Jhony and begin to strike him. Jhony stood no chance of fighting back due to their superior numbers. The youths use steel pipes to beat him, leaving him bleeding. After some time, the boys leave, frightened by their own violence.
Yasoke returns to the site to check the situation and is shocked by the scene: Jhony was standing, bloodied and covered in bruises.
"Bro, you okay?" Yasoke approaches, trying to touch him.
"OF COURSE NOT, YOU IDIOT!!!" Jhony turns, grabs Yasoke, and shakes him. "Look at what I had to go through to save your hide. Lucky for you, I'm already used to this."
Yasoke gives a thumbs up.
"By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jhony. I'm an orphan; my parents died in a work accident and I'm here in the junkyard to have some fun."
Yasoke listens intently and responds:
"My name is Yasoke. My parents died too—actually, everyone in my village died. We have a lot in common. I ended up here in the junkyard because I got lost."
Jhony stares at Yasoke, incredulous, but the boy extends his hand.
"Since we're both orphans, let's become friends."
Jhony hesitates for a moment but decides to shake the new acquaintance's hand.
"I accept, but that's a pretty sad reason to become friends."
Yasoke asks:
"Is it really a sad reason? Before my father passed away, he told me I should look for something called 'inner peace'."
Jhony smiles and responds:
"That kind of thing... we find it by exploring the world. At least that's what the books say."
The two shake hands, sealing the friendship.
"Good times," Jhony says, settled in the armchair. Yasoke smiles and agrees.
As they relax and reminisce about the past, a female voice announces that the train will begin its departure. Yasoke, excited, watches the window, and at the moment the train starts to move, the lights flicker.