Aletha's face turned red with embarrassment, looking over at her body and wobbling back and forth.
She answered as Phthonus and Duron stared at her, their expressions filled with confusion.
"H…Hey… y-you be quiet! I am a Ruler, you know! The original Ruler, one from the Adtraic Family!"
Suddenly, the creature laughed hysterically at the bold and unbelievable claim.
"Psshhht, you… a Ruler?! HAHA, that's the greatest joke I have ever heard. You don't look anywhere NEAR a Ruler."
Aletha hurriedly turned over to Phthonus and asked tremblingly.
"Hey, can you prove to me that I'm a Ruler?! Anything? Think of literally anything."
Phthonus shrugged his shoulders.
"I mean… I guess I can give it a try. Don't get mad if I get something wrong, though."
Just as the creature could approach any further, Phthonus stepped in like an actor, knelt on his knees, and presented Aletha to the creature with a fake smile.
"See, creature? This is where you are wrong. This girl, Aletha, is a Ruler, and I can prove it to you!"
Aletha kept her proud smirk and stood in a prideful posture, watching as Duron and the creature stared dumbfounded at Aletha, wondering what her plan was. Phthonus quickly exclaimed as the winged train flew back up into the sky.
"Firstly, just look at her white hair! It's unlike anything you have ever seen!"
The creature raised an eyebrow.
"Eh? How does that prove anything remotely close to a divine status!"
Aletha stammered and whispered to Phthonus.
"Hey, Phthonus, t-think of something else! Not whatever you are doing!"
"Okay, okay…"
Phthonus nodded his head and gave a thumbs up.
After the commotion, the young man knelt and displayed Aletha to the creature, like showing customers a doll in a shop. He stammered in his head as his heart raced in anxiousness.
"Just, um… L…Look at her beauty. From her chest to her waist, there's nothing on her that can disappoint!"
Aletha's gray eyes broadened in shock, blushing immensely at Phthonus's unexpected commentary. She screamed.
"EH?! That's even worse! T…That's not what I had in mind! Phthonus, what are you saying--"
But despite her facial warnings, Phthonus continued while cringing from his performance, having not a clue about what he was doing.
"Her skin is so natural and smooth, not even facial cleansers could compare to her! Her beautiful gray eyes, her rare and clean tattoo on her face-- it's so perfect and attractive, that any man within a radius of--
(Scratch)
"Okay! Okay!" Aletha interrupted, unable to take it anymore. Absorbed in complete embarrassment, she pushed Phthonus to the wall and screamed.
"YOU CAN STOP NOW! T… That wasn't what I meant when I said to prove to them I'm a Ruler!"
Phthonus raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What? I was listening to your request?! Don't get me wrong —I know you're gorgeous —but I, too, have a love for someone else. I'm just speaking out from another male's, or rather-- person's perspective."
"T… That wasn't what I meant."
Phthonus backed away, his face flushed red. He scratched his head and took a deep sigh, muttering in confusion.
"Oh. So… then, what DID you mean by your request?!"
Aletha fidgeted with her hair, twiddled her thumbs, and muttered with a calmer tone.
"I meant… y-you know… saying I have powers, fought monsters, owned a kingdom -something like that! N-NOT, whatever you said!"
As the passenger car continued to roll along with the train, the creature nodded its head, smiled, and made a high-pitched expression.
"Hmm, yes, yes, I see your point now. Now that I see her, she DOES have a beautiful appearance, so it's understandable why some idiots may deem her a Ruler. I entirely forgot the Queen mentioned a boy of your same blood, too. "
Aletha cried and shrieked in humility with a nervous sweat sliding down her face.
"No, no, no! Ahh! Dang it, Phthonus, why?!"
Suddenly, Phthonus twitched in fear, feeling a sting, a shine, and a blister on his cheek.
(Smack)
The sound of a loud slap echoed over the walls. He quickly rubbed his head and tore his scarf off his mouth, complaining to Aletha as Duron and the creature stood awkwardly on the sidelines.
"What? Why did you have to slap me?! I was doing what was asked!"
Aletha's face heated red.
"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"
Her hands continued to fly around like pigeons on Phthonus' face, showering him in blisters and stings of her humiliating attacks.
(SMACK) (SLASH) (SWOOP)
Phthonus cried.
"Ow! Stop!"
. . .
Meanwhile, on the other passenger car…
"Um, Isa, don't you think the train is going a LITTLE too high for us? I can't even see the ground from the window!" Said Kali to Isa as she looked over to the blanket of clouds flying across the window. "It doesn't look like it's going to stop."
Isa facepalmed and sighed with a tone of dismay.
It was clear to her the extremity of the height on which the Winged Train was going, but she didn't mind, since she had magic powerful enough to save them from a previous fall.
Unlike the sheer chaos happening on the other carriage, the one Kali, Isa, and the rest of the group occupied was one of peace and tranquility.
Isa was lying around and slouching on the chair, acting very slothful compared to how she had worked in the past.
Her legs were crossed, her eyes half-shut, and her body was slanted like a bag.
This sight concerned Kali; she had never seen Isa act anything remotely close to this. With a tone moderately pleasing, she tilted over to Isa, patted her on the shoulder, and alerted her as the Winged Train continued ascending.
"Um, hey, not to be rude, but… can you stop being lousy for once?"
Isa slowly and lazily tilted her head to Kali, yawning and drooling.
"Uhh… what did you say?"
Kali's face steamed red with frustration, pushing herself out of the seat and inadvertently alerting the other passengers.
"Ever since we entered this train, you have been acting lousier than usual. Get up and answer me!"
She pushed her long shamrock-green hair to the side and gave out another contagious yawn, smiling with a drowsy face. Isa answered as Kali, and the other passengers anchored their attention to the windows.
"... yeah yeah, what is it that you want?! Can't you see... I'm busy, relaxing?!"
A tone of fear and anxiety resonated within Kali's cries.
" I was about to say that the train was above the clouds, but now…" Kali gulped, staring at the clear view of a mountain's peak scraping the edge of the train car.
She quickly bounced away and shook her head, racing over to the green door and seeing if all the other carriages had experienced the same problem.
"Oh no…"
The passenger cars flew around and scraped the edges of summits, the clouds fought against the wheels, and the steam engine in front continued to whistle for no apparent reason.
(CHOO CHOO) The train was so high that even its loud hoots echoed over the skies.
"Wait... what?!"
After she heard those loud whistles, Isa's eyes broadened in shock. She hurriedly raced to the door and poked her head over, seeing a dark, goopy creature, a white-haired girl, a man, and an enraged scarf-teen battling it out inside a trashed room.
Just as her hands could engulf into a green luminance, she heard all the passengers scream at the massive thing shredding the passenger car's roof.
"A dragon!"
Tables, chairs, and furniture flew up into the sky like feathers; a potent torrent of wind tore through the train car, accompanied by the sound of a beastly roar echoing over the tall peak. A large shadow covered the sunlight streaming inside.
Isa's heart pulsated rapidly, seeing the sight of two sets of giant claws grasping onto both sides of the train. Dizziness overwhelmed her, almost stopping her from intervening in the conflict. Luckily,
"What's happening here?!"
A white-haired girl breached the door, allowing four others inside the carriage. A dark foreboding aura flooded the atmosphere as the sight of nails cut through the ceiling. Kali screamed at Aletha.
"W-What happened to you?!"
"Um, how can I answer this? To summarize it, we--
(ROOOAR!)
The loud cry of another malicious roar suddenly trembled every corner of the carriage. Isa gulped, raced over to Kali, and pointed above as her green daggers fabricated into thin air.
"I... can't believe it. The train has gone to such heights that it can disturb the Guardian of Linuxinia Peak. I know I should be the one to interfere, but there's some leech inside me that is… draining my powers. Everyone inside the carriage, brace for cover and save yourselves!"
As the rough winds howled and stormed inside the room, Duron beat his chest, kicked his legs, and raised his voice.
"It's here! I wish I had never bought this necklace inside, but I had no choice-- For it was Wraileza that made me do this!"
The goopy-humanoid creature hastily leaned over and snatched the necklace from his hands.
(SNAG)
"Hey, give it back!"
"NO!"
Before he could defend himself, Duron was stopped by thick black vines rushing over.
All five coiled around his body, wrenching and tightening the man like a towel.
Aletha and Phthonus knew that if the grasp of The Necklace were given to anyone else, the fate of Drimi would be in dire danger.
With this thought grappled from their minds, Aletha and Phthonus did everything they could to stop the creature from grabbing The Necklace.
But, to their dismay, their attacks were nothing compared to the creature's. As it slowly crawled away and tried to sneak out of the flying train, Duron bolted over to him and unleashed a storm of purple bullets at it, having all memories of his life surge inside him.
"Give… my daughter… back!"
Everyone in the carriage besides Aletha and Phthonus fell into shock.
"Daughter?!"
Kept in distraction, the creature froze still in place, generating a purple shield luminance all around his body.
"Silence, traitor! You have no business speaking about your pathetic problems. That necklace belongs to us, not you! Maybe the Queen might give your forgiveness if you allow it--"
Before the creature could jump out and escape the scene, Duron clutched its wrist and threw it back into the passenger car with brutal force.
Aletha, Isa, Kali, and Phthonus all raced to it and tried to help, but were stopped by Duron, the necklace just within his reach. He announced to them in a relieved tone.
"Don't worry, I have it!"
The creature laughed hysterically and kicked his legs back, mocking Duron.
"Ha ha ha! You ARE a failure!"
"What?!" Exclaimed Duron with a raised eyebrow. "What are you playing at?!"
Silently, the goopy creature pointed over to the dangling silver chains.
"Heh.. heh... heh. Look up!"
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, seeing it slip off the titled passenger car's floor.
Duron's heart froze,
"NO!"
Despite his best effort, it was too late; for all the man knew, the precious necklace had already fallen several kilometers beneath the clouds.
With a broad sense of uncertainty, Duron muttered with a trembling tone.
"We lost… the necklace."
Every hope for Drimi's future was ruthlessly torn away after he had said that. All were speechless.
Seconds passed, and Aletha and the others fearfully realized the train was returning to the surface.
Every passenger ducked their heads and covered themselves on the floor, bracing themselves for impact.
The air was thick with apprehension, and time seemed to slow as each heart raced to its own rhythm of fear.
Muffled prayers and sobs echoed within the carriage, a stark contrast to the silent anticipation outside.
As they were hiding, Aletha saw the shadow that hovered over the carriage vanish and fade into the silhouette of a colossal-sized dragon.
The roar of the approaching ground grew louder, a relentless drumbeat that matched the quickening pulse of terror coursing through her veins.
The train shuddered violently as it descended, the metallic creaking and groaning of strained steel screaming against the force of gravity.
Debris rattled and clanged, while the fierce winds made the carriage sway unpredictably, threatening to toss its occupants like leaves in a storm.
In the final moments before impact, Aletha clung to hope as much as she did to the seat in front of her, the anticipation of earth meeting metal a terrifying certainty.
Despite the chaos, a surreal calm enveloped her as her mind raced with thoughts of her friends and the uncertain future they faced.
She watched, in disbelief, as the Guardian of Linuxinia Peak soared above her head, its majestic form a fleeting image against the tense backdrop of looming disaster. It was as if it was trying to tell her something.
"I... know... who you are."
Time completely stopped for Aletha as she saw her friends and the train skydiving through the clouds.
Across from her, Phthonus shouted.
"Aletha, there's a pool beneath us! Follow me!"
But before she could hear his cries, Aletha's attention was anchored at the majestic dark wings of the dragon flapping and brushing against the air.
"Such a majestic sight." She mumbled with cold and amused lips.
"BRACE FOR IMPACT--
. . .
Gears flew into the air like rain, railroad tracks split and sear apart, crashing onto hills.
The chunks of soil crumbled and sank, followed by the sound of gears, wheels, and chains crashing onto solid ground.
Aletha's vision, along with her hearing, was swiftly engulfed in a sea of darkness.