Inside the train, it was much larger than it appeared from the outside—almost impossibly so. The walls were made of dark, enchanted wood that glowed softly with ancient runes, casting an otherworldly warmth throughout the cabin. The air smelled faintly of cinnamon and rain.
Izmir let out a breath of relief. He wandered down the narrow aisle, then decided to enter one of the cabins.
Inside, two young men were already seated. One had jet-black hair and an easy posture, lounging as if he owned the space. The other, an albino with snowy white hair and glasses, was absorbed in a thick, leather-bound book. They looked to be in their early twenties.
The black-haired guy glanced up, noticing Izmir lingering at the doorway.
"Come on, join us," he said with a friendly smile.
Izmir hesitated. Should he sit with them or look for an empty coach?
After a brief pause, he stepped inside and sat opposite them.
"I'm Ray," said the black-haired guy, gesturing with his thumb toward the albino. "That's Snow. What's your name?"
'Snow?' Izmir thought. Sounds like a self-given name. Probably based on his looks. Should I tell them my real name?
"...My name is Kyle," Izmir lied.
"Nice to meet you," Ray said with a grin, his eyes briefly closing in amusement. "Oh, by the way—we're heading to Domingo. Where are you off to?"
The question caught Izmir off guard.
He hadn't thought that far ahead. In truth, he didn't even know where he was or what options he had.
Suddenly, the cabin door slid open with a metallic hiss.
A girl stepped in. Her blonde hair tied in a neat bun, dressed in an elegant black Lolita dress, with lace gloves and a closed black umbrella in one hand. Her presence was commanding, her posture impeccable.
"He's coming with me," she said coolly.
Izmir looked up and recognized her. Rachel.
This time, she didn't look like she belonged in a psychiatric ward. She looked... composed. Dangerous.
Ray's demeanor shifted instantly. Without hesitation, he pulled a sleek handgun from inside his trench coat and pointed it directly at Izmir, his previous friendliness gone in an instant.
"Then you must be an enemy," he said flatly.
Izmir didn't flinch. He met Ray's gaze, calmly trying to read him. Was this a threat? A test?
"Quit threatening the newbie," Snow spoke at last, his voice calm and refined. He didn't look up from his book but the authority in his tone was unmistakable.
Ray chuckled and lowered the gun, slipping it back inside his coat. "Alright, alright. Just joking. Let me give you the short version."
He leaned forward.
"You've probably just shifted here, haven't you? A few hours ago, maybe?"
Izmir gave a cautious nod.
"Well, by now you've realized things work differently in this world. People here aren't like the ones back home. Some have powers—abilities that defy logic. In your world, a few special people get shifted here for... reasons. Could be fate, could be something else. They live normally in the real world, but here—they're something else entirely."
Ray paused, giving Izmir a pointed look.
"But don't trust just anyone. Most of the ones you'll run into? They're violent. Assassins, mafias, whatever you want to call them. They're trained in combat. They can't use their powers back there, but here? Here, they can kill."
Izmir turned to Rachel. The one who had pulled him into this new world.
She met his gaze. "Don't worry—I won't kill you," she said casually. "Not yet, anyway. You're powerless right now. Uninteresting."
Her words were sharp. Cold. Almost villainous.
Izmir wondered—If I wasn't powerless... would she have killed me already? Maybe she was just waiting. Waiting for him to become strong enough to matter.
"I have a few questions," he said finally, exhaling. "Are all the people here from the real world? How do I get powers? How do I get back?"
Snow looked up again, finally intrigued.
Ray sighed and leaned back. "You'll need to find something called Lunes Stones. Special power sources. Rare, and dangerous to seek. Each one unlocks a part of your potential."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a golden card. At its center was a symbol—two inverted treble clefs, each with a small hole in its heart.
"You'll have to fix the stones here," he said, pointing to the holes. "Once you have them, they align with your essence."
Ray's card already held two stones—one golden, the other aqua blue. Izmir stared. How powerful is this guy?
Ray tucked the card away and turned to the window.
The snowy desert outside had slowly morphed into a lush green landscape, like the train was gliding between dimensions.
Ray didn't answer immediately. After a long pause, he said, "Not everyone here is from the real world. Some were born here. Some are from different timelines. Some... are reborn. And some," he hesitated, "don't really exist."
Izmir frowned. "What do you mean 'don't exist'?"
Ray chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, I probably shouldn't have said that. Haha! How embarrassing..." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
But before Izmir could press further, a sharp sound pierced his ears.
Beep...beep...beep
It was high-pitched, almost metallic. He looked around—but no one else seemed to notice. Instead, their eyes were locked on him.
Then, everything went black.
Izmir passed out.