April 14th, Year 30;
Thornleigh Central Station, Thornleigh City, Republic of Ospana, Alsacian Federation;
Steam hissed from the engine.
The silver-plated express coach to the Heavenly Academy stood still, majestic and waiting.
Among the crowd, a tall, blonde-haired teenager waved his hand, eyes fixed on the boy before him.
"Just… try not to blow up a classroom this time, alright? You rarely get a second shot at something like Heavenly Academy. Try staying low-key. Less aggression, more… normalcy." Louis sighed and took a step forward, patting his friend.
The boy he addressed—dark-haired, sharp-eyed, dressed in a sleek navy cloak—glared sideways without turning fully. A black crest lay etched into the high collar of his jacket. His presence was still, yet heavy.
"You don't need to worry about me, Louis," the boy said. "That's the place where I'll grow strong. There's no way I'll get expelled."
He adjusted the strap of his shoulder satchel and then turned toward the train.
"I'll see you in the summer," he said over his shoulder.
Louis watched him board, his smile fading into something softer, something wistful.
"I hope you meet someone who can reduce that darkness inside of you, Ark," he murmured. "I truly hope so."
The train was spacious inside, with polished floors and a comforting amber glow under the glass ceiling panels.
Arceus passed through three cars until he found a mostly empty four-sleeper cabin.
He slid the door shut behind him and chose the window seat, letting his bag fall quietly onto the overhead rack.
He stared outside.
The clouds looked light today.
A few minutes later…
The door slid open with a click.
"Excuse me," a polite voice called.
Arceus glanced up.
A boy stood there with bright amber eyes and a princely aura around him, smiling, carrying an exquisite, feathery bow strapped across his back. His jacket was unzipped, revealing a simple white tee with the crest of an Elephant stitched near the collar.
"Mind if I sit here?" the boy asked warmly.
Arceus nodded, barely perceptible.
The boy took the seat opposite and extended a hand.
"I'm Ayush," he said brightly. "Special candidate for a foreign scholarship." He laughed gently. "Though technically I am a Prince, so that's a bit of a cheat."
Arceus blinked, didn't flinch a bit at that. He simply said, "Arceus."
That was all he said.
The silence after that was… thick. Awkward.
Ayush scratched the back of his head, still smiling. "So, what's your specialty? Mage? Warrior? Beast Tamer?"
No response. Just a faint shrug.
"Okay, okay," Ayush chuckled. "You don't talk much, do you?"
Arceus exhaled, not quite a sigh. "Talking doesn't make you strong."
Ayush tilted his head thoughtfully. "Maybe not. But having someone to talk to does help you stay strong."
No reaction.
"You've got that look, you know. Like… you've seen something rough," Ayush said, quieter now. "So, what's your story?"
Arceus finally looked at him.
For just a second, their eyes met.
"Don't try to understand me," Arceus said flatly.
"Well, I guess your story does seem tragic," Ayush said without flinching. "But anyway, alright. I understand."
For a while, each of them started doing their own thing without bothering the other.
Ayush was busy playing a game on his smartphone like a gaming addict, while Arceus was busy taking a nap.
The cabin was filled with silence for the next eighty minutes, but once the train crossed the border and stopped briefly at the first major stop of the neighboring country of Sylvanor, two beautiful teenage girls entered the cabin and transformed the atmosphere in a jiffy.
"Excuse me…"
Pale complexion, almond-shaped eyes, pointy ears, and graceful stature; the moment Arceus' eyes fell on them, he had already figured out their race. It's a pair of elves.
However, he just momentarily glanced at them and got back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Ayush's face lit up in delight, "Wow, an elf…" His loud voice startled them a bit, and when he realized it, he apologized right away, "Ah, I'm sorry. It's the first time I've met elves in person. Please come in…" He stood up and sat beside Arceus, who continued to nap. Or atleast pretend like he was napping.
"Thank you…" They adjusted their luggage and sat in their seats. As the older elf gracefully placed her left leg over her right knee, Ayush took the initiative to converse with the younger girl, who seemed around his age.
"Hello, I'm Ayush, and this is Arceus. We are going to join the academy as freshmen."
He merely offered a handshake as a formality without any expectations, but the younger elf surprised him by grabbing his hand with both of her hands and shaking it for a while as she spoke in a cheerful tone, "Same here. I'm Elysia Silverleaf. And this is my elder sister, Isolde Silverleaf. I'm also a fresher, just like you two, and my sister is a fifth year."
"Silverleaf?" Arceus snapped his eyes open at once. He commented with a frown. "It's the legendary cursed royal family."
Meanwhile, Ayush remained confused, "Hmm… the cursed royal family?" He asked.
The older elf named Isolde answered coldly, her attention more on Arceus. "Yes, we are cursed, but there's nothing legendary about it. So many elven families cursed by God still exist today. Secondly, the monarchy was abolished a long time ago. We neither hold the power nor the titles. I advise you to refrain from addressing us as a royal family."
Ayush was naturally surprised by her tone. But, fortunately, the younger girl eased the situation with an apology, "Sorry for her behavior. My sister has been this way since birth. Please don't mind her words. She doesn't mean any disrespect."
"No, everyone has their own circumstances. I understand," Ayush could only smile in awkwardness.
After that, there was a long silence, like hours of silence. Ayush went back to gaming. Arceus went back to napping. Isolde started reading in silence. And Elysia
Three hours away from the destination, after crossing the station of Equiza, the last stop before entering the neutral region, the train jerked to a sudden stop in the middle of a desert.
That woke up Arceus from his nap. He looked outside. It was still a desert. Ayush was too busy in the game on his smartphone, though.
But a few seconds later, he saw that the internet was suddenly down. He furrowed his brows and looked away. "What's going on?" He asked.
Isolde snapped his head at him, her eyes turning sharp. "Stopping in the middle of a desert, followed by the sudden disappearance of network signals on the phone, only meant one thing."
"Hmm?" As Ayush and Elysia looked at her, she said coldly. "It's a third-party interference."