Carriage 7, 30 Minutes Earlier
The train rumbled through the ominous Blackthorn Forest, its tracks punctuating the silence like a death knell. The carriage, once filled with chatter, had fallen quiet, passengers' faces etched with tension. Code's gaze wandered, taking in the old lady praying three seats away and the young mother clutching her daughter's hands, their faces frozen with fear.
"Blackthorn Forest, really?" Code thought, turning to stare out the window. The trees loomed, their branches like skeletal fingers reaching for the train. Alpha remained fixated on the window, though she'd moved back slightly. Nara and Hina, who'd been complaining about boredom earlier, now looked like they'd lost their last marble.
Code shifted uncomfortably, letting out a deep sigh. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax, but a voice cut through the silence. "Scared?" Code's eyes snapped open, and he realized his hands were shaking.
"Looks like I am," he admitted, glancing at Ken. Ken's lips twitched into a weird smile. "I like that you're not hiding it."
"Aren't you scared too?" Code asked, his brow furrowed, but Ken's response was unexpected - a loud, booming laugh that drew everyone's attention.
"What's wrong with him?" people whispered.
"Ha! Me, scared? Nah," Ken said, still chuckling. Code's mind sparked - where had he heard that phrase before?
"Well, I can't relate," Code said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, but Ken's chuckling only intensified, a stark contrast to the growing unease. Then, without warning, Ken's laughter ceased. Code turned to him, curious about the sudden shift.
Then his gaze met Ken's eyes - they gleamed as he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
Code's gut tightened. He knew that look. Hina and Nara sat up straight, their gazes fixed intently on Ken.
"I can sense it," Ken whispered, his lips twisting into a grin. Then suddenly, a strange, toxic aura swept through the carriage, shaking everyone to their cores. The air felt heavy with malevolent energy - anti-tenzen aura.
"A demon is close," Ken announced, standing up. Code, Hina, and Nara exchanged tense glances. "What kind of aura is this?" Hina demanded, her hands shaking under its impact.
Code felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside out. Sweat trickled down his cheeks as the passengers' faces contorted in worry. Some began to murmur, their voices barely audible.
Before long, the passengers' murmurs escalated into frantic cries. "I don't want to die!" a lady wailed, her eyes wide with terror. The malevolent aura intensified, suffocating the carriage with its toxic presence. Hina and Nara stood frozen, their faces set with determination, Hina's hand gripping her katana hilt.
Ken remained statue-still, his gaze fixed on something outside, his eyes burning with an unnerving intensity. Alpha, oblivious to the chaos, continued staring out the window.
Suddenly, Ken's eyes snapped down, his voice booming through the carriage. "It's coming!" Hina's voice trembled. "What's coming?"
"Everyone, take cover!" Ken bellowed, but it was too late. An invisible blast of energy smashed into the train, shattering windows, ripping metal apart, and sending debris flying. Code's scream was cut short as the force hit, sending him crashing into the seat in front of him.
The train bucked and twisted, derailing with a deafening screech. The carriage tumbled, throwing everyone around like ragdolls. Metal screamed, glass shattered, and the sound of crunching wreckage filled the air.
As the train came to a catastrophic stop, an eerie silence fell. The passengers' screams were replaced with groans and whimpers. Code struggled to sit up, his head spinning, his ears ringing from the blast.
"What the hell was that?" Code groaned, wincing in pain as blood dripped from his forehead. The destruction around him was staggering - the train was a mangled wreck. Hina and Nara sat nearby, also nursing their injuries. Alpha, surprisingly, seemed unscathed.
Nara groaned, and Code turned to him. "Oi, you guys okay?" Nara nodded, still wincing. "Yeah, it's nothing." Hina stood up, her right arm bleeding, but she flashed a reassuring grin. "Just a scratch."
Code breathed a sigh of relief, but his gaze quickly swept the area, and his eyes widened as he realized Ken was missing. "Guys, have you seen Ken?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
Nara and Hina exchanged worried glances, standing up to scan their surroundings. Alpha's expression turned tense. "Ken? Where is he?" she demanded, her voice firm.
The team combed the wreckage, but there was no sign of Ken. "Where could he have gone?" Hina asked, her brow furrowed. "Don't tell me he's gone off to fight alone?"
Nara shook his head. "I don't think so. His swords are still with Alpha. He wouldn't go without them." Code nodded in agreement, his mind racing with possibilities.
Alpha's eyes widened in terror. "Where's Ken?" She whispered, as she ran off.
*******
Behind carriage 7, a mountain of debris and mangled metal stretched across the ground. Then suddenly, a hand broke free from the wreckage, covered in blood.
"Cough!" Ken's voice rasped as he pulled himself out from beneath the rubble. His clothes were shredded, leaving only tattered trousers that exposed his muscular physique. Blood dripped from his arms as he stumbled out of the debris.
Ken's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the devastation. "Good grief, I almost didn't make it," he whispered, recalling the moments leading up to the blast. He'd used his body to deflect the force, but the impact had thrown him clear of the train.
As Ken approached the wreckage, his footsteps faltered. He sensed something - a malevolent presence drawing near. Ken's gaze snapped up, scanning the horizon. And then, he saw it:
Krator stood on top of a hill, grinning at the wreck before him. With a slow and precise motion, he stretched his right hand forward, and his ruby cube floated into the air. "Anti-tenzen art...", he whispered, as the air began to vibrate with tension.
"Domain of horrors!"
The cube crackled with dark energy as it began to roll and twist.
Then suddenly, the cube's rotation ceased, and in that instant, a massive surge of dark energy burst forth, radiating outward in a vast, pulsating veil. The veil expanded and covered the whole forest, casting a sickly red glow, as if the very trees themselves were bathed in blood.
***
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