15 April
9:45 A.M.
The journey to Mistwood Town would take two days.
And from there to Rozanta… Nicolas wasn't even sure anymore.
He leaned back against the cold window of the train, staring at the blur of trees rushing past. His reflection stared back faintly, distorted by the trembling glass.
He should have been thinking about what to say to Mr. Williams.
He should have been planning every word.
But his mind kept drifting back to the man at the counter.
Something about him was… wrong.
The clerk switched shifts right at the beginning of his duty, Nicolas thought. And that mist… it appeared right after I saw him.
He frowned.
And I couldn't see his face. No matter how hard I tried.
His fingers curled slowly.
Too many strange things had happened.
Too many to ignore.
Thoughts crashed into each other inside his head, piling up, overlapping, suffocating.
Then he remembered.
Rozanta.
That was why he was here.
That was the reason he boarded that train.
He closed his eyes.
Focus.
9:38 A.M.
Moonshine Town
"Sir… may I sit here, if you're not uncomfortable?"
Nicolas looked up.
A girl stood beside him.
His breath caught.
She looked like someone who didn't belong to this world—green eyes that shimmered softly in the light, black hair flowing neatly over her shoulders. She wore a black jacket over a white shirt, paired with black pants.
She looked about his age.
For a moment, Nicolas forgot how to speak.
"Si—sir? Sir?"
Her voice snapped him back.
"Y-Yes—yes," he said quickly, turning toward her. "You can sit."
She smiled and took the seat beside him.
Minutes passed.
Silence.
Nicolas sat stiffly, his mind screaming at him to say something—anything—but his mouth refused to cooperate.
The girl noticed.
She cleared her throat gently.
"My name is Sierra."
He blinked. "Oh! I'm Nicolas. My name is Nicolas."
She smiled.
"Where are you going, sir?"
"Mistwood Town," he replied. "I'm going to Mistwood Town."
"I'm heading to Evergreen Town," she said brightly.
The conversation slowly continued.
At first, Nicolas answered awkwardly, stiffly—but as time passed, the tension faded. Words came more naturally. Laughter slipped out.
For the first time since boarding the train, he felt… normal.
Then Sierra asked—
"So, why are you going to Mistwood Town?"
"I'll catch a train to Rozanta from there," Nicolas said confidently.
Sierra froze.
"…Sir," she said carefully, "I think you might be mistaken."
Nicolas blinked. "Mistaken?"
"There are no trains from Mistwood to Rozanta."
His smile faltered.
"What…?"
"In fact," she continued, "Rozanta is in the opposite direction from Mistwood."
The color drained from his face.
"No… no, that's not right," he said quickly. "The man at the counter told me—he was a booking clerk!"
Sierra studied his face.
"You're wondering whether to believe me or not," she said calmly. "So let me tell you—my father works in the railways."
Nicolas laughed nervously.
"You're joking, right?"
She didn't smile.
His chest tightened.
"…You're not joking."
At that moment, memory struck him like lightning.
The black suit.
The black cap.
The mist.
The hidden face.
His fists clenched.
"Shit… shit… SHIT!" he snapped. "I knew something was wrong about that guy!"
Sierra flinched.
"Why would someone change shifts right after starting work?!" Nicolas growled. "That bastard tricked me!"
His anger exploded.
"I swear, I'll smash him into pulp if I ever see him again!"
"Calm down," Sierra said quickly, placing her hand near his arm. "Please. Calm down."
He took a shaky breath.
"You can get off at the next station," she said softly. "Everything will be fine."
He swallowed.
"How long until the next station?"
Sierra hesitated.
"…We just passed the last one."
His heart sank.
"The next station is a hundred kilometers away."
"…Fuck."
He leaned back.
"Alright," he muttered. "We'll wait. I'll get off at the next station."
"Yes," Sierra said gently. "That's the right thing to do."
Nicolas exhaled.
Then something hit him.
"…Sierra."
"Yes?"
"There hasn't been anyone else in this coach for a while."
She looked around slowly.
"…You're right."
Her brows furrowed.
"I boarded after you. And before that… I don't remember seeing anyone else."
They both went silent.
"So this whole time…" Sierra whispered, "…we've been alone?"
A chill crawled up Nicolas's spine.
Nicolas forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"If being alone is making you uncomfortable," he said lightly, "we can go check the other coaches."
Sierra hesitated, then nodded. "Yes… that might be better."
They stood up and walked toward the next coach.
The door slid open with a dull metallic sound.
Empty.
No passengers.
No luggage.
No voices.
Just rows of vacant seats.
Sierra's steps slowed.
"Maybe everyone is asleep," she whispered.
Nicolas didn't answer.
They moved to the next coach.
And the next.
And the next.
All empty.
Not a single soul.
No signs of anyone having been there.
No bags.
No coats.
No footprints.
No warmth.
The silence began to feel heavy—unnaturally heavy.
"This…" Sierra whispered, "this doesn't make sense."
Nicolas swallowed.
"We passed stations," he said slowly. "People should have boarded."
Sierra nodded.
"Yes… they should have."
They stood still, surrounded by emptiness.
A strange pressure filled the air.
"This isn't real," Nicolas muttered. "Something is wrong."
Sierra wrapped her arms around herself.
"Yes," she said. "Very wrong."
After Some Time
2:00 P.M.
The train suddenly jerked.
Not violently—but noticeably.
Nicolas grabbed the edge of a seat.
Sierra frowned. "Did you feel that?"
"Yes."
The scenery outside had changed.
The trees were denser.
Darker.
Twisted.
Sierra leaned closer to the window.
"The train… changed its path."
Nicolas stiffened. "What?"
"These tracks—" she said slowly, "—they aren't on any official route."
Nicolas turned to her. "Do you memorize every railway path or something?"
She nodded. "My father is in the railways. He used to show me the routes all the time. I memorized them."
A cold feeling crept into Nicolas's chest.
"Okay," he said, serious now. "Then this is bad."
Sierra nodded.
"I'm going to talk to the pilot," Nicolas said.
"What?" Sierra asked. "Why? We'll just get off at the next station."
"I don't have a good feeling about this train," he replied. "I'm going."
She hesitated.
Then straightened.
"I'm coming with you."
Nicolas looked at her. "You don't have to."
"I know," she said. "But I will."
They exchanged a look.
And began walking.
They passed through coach after coach.
All empty.
Every step echoed.
The lights flickered.
A low hum filled the air.
When they reached the final coach, Nicolas stopped.
"You stay here," he said. "I'll go to the engine room."
Sierra grabbed his sleeve.
"Be careful."
He nodded.
He climbed onto the narrow platform between the coaches.
Cold wind rushed past him.
The metal beneath his boots vibrated violently.
He climbed up.
Then down.
Then carefully made his way toward the engine cabin.
His heart pounded.
When he opened the door—
He froze.
There was no one inside.
Not a single person.
No engineer.
No pilot.
No crew.
Nothing.
The controls moved on their own.
The levers trembled.
The gauges flickered.
"What the hell…?" Nicolas whispered.
He rubbed his eyes.
Once.
Twice.
Still empty.
"How is this train moving without anyone driving it?" he said, panic rising.
His breath became shallow.
His hands trembled.
I have to stop it, he thought.
But he didn't know how.
Then—
He remembered Sierra.
He rushed out and shouted—
"Sierra!"
The sound of the train swallowed his voice.
"YES!" she shouted back.
"There is no one in the engine room!"
"What?!" she cried.
The train's speed increased.
The wind roared.
They could barely hear each other.
Nicolas's heart slammed against his ribs.
"Sierra! Do you know how to stop a train?!"
There was a pause.
Then—
"There's a lever!" she shouted. "Pull it!"
Nicolas rushed back inside.
He grabbed the lever.
Pulled.
It didn't move.
He gritted his teeth.
Pulled harder.
Nothing.
His muscles strained.
His arms burned.
The lever didn't budge.
"Come on—COME ON!" he shouted.
The train roared louder.
The tracks screamed beneath them.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
And deep inside Nicolas, a terrifying realization began to form—
This train was not meant to be stopped.***