One moment, the hills were there, wide open and safe; the next, there were loud noises, acrid smells, and pain that one may or may not recover from.
The train raced through the sky but halted abruptly as a giant dragon swooped up into the clouds, roaring and warning them not to go that high again.
Passengers flew in all directions, including Phthonus, a stoic observer with a keen eye for detail; Kali, known for her quick reflexes and courage; Isa, the quiet strategist who always stays calm under pressure; and Emine, whose cheerful energy lifts everyone's spirits.
. . .
A few moments of hustled chaos pass, and the dust clears.
As smoke began to ascend into the air, the steady coughs of passengers trying to clear their airways began to echo through the crash site.
Disoriented and coated in dust, Aletha pushed herself up from the ground, ears ringing loudly and drawing her attention.
Her sight was blurred, but she forced herself to keep moving, stumbling forward on the oddly untouched terrain. Each step made her feel dizzier, yet she pressed on, determined to find a sense of stability.
Exhausted, Aletha slumped onto an overturned rock just outside the wreckage, her mind racing with thoughts.
"What happened? Where am I? What was that dragon?" She took a deep breath to calm her senses down, then she looked over to her body, making sure that she was okay.
Luckily, she remained uninjured.
Because of her injury, Aletha's mind was foggy from the crash. After a while, her vision cleared.
Beyond the wreckage, a damp and humid mist enveloped her surroundings.
A forest of giant pine trees stood around, their roots winding across the uneven ground. In the center, a large village grew, surrounded by strange plants and thick greenery.
As she slid down the hill, resting her back against the shade of a brown canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight, Aletha began to wonder about everything that had just happened.
"Why did those people want me in the first place? That's so… weird."
A girl with thick dark hair, blue eyes, and light-bluish skin emerged from the debris and sprinted over to Aletha with two limping people behind her.
"Hey! A… Are you okay?!"
Aletha brushed dirt from her shoulders, narrowing her eyes at the girl. She glanced at the two green-haired individuals limping behind. Scratching her head and sighing, Aletha tried to recall who this energetic girl might be.
Luckily enough,
"I'm Emine, remember? I'm the one who saved both you and your brother's lives."
Aletha shook her head slowly, eyes drifting back to the train wreck as she struggled to recall past events. She replied, her vision drawn involuntarily to the hill behind them.
"Do you know where the others are?"
While loud bird chirps echoed over the thick, solid bark of the gigantic pine trees, Emine nodded her head and answered calmly.
"Yes. One was found inside making a campfire, while the others were wandering around. I don't exactly know the reason why they didn't come with us, but… oh well."
After the short conversation, Emine walked over to Kali and Isa to share what she knew about Aletha's condition and location.
Emine hauled a log over, sat down, and announced, "It looks like we've landed several kilometers from where we meant to go. With our problems, it'll take hours to reach our destination. Let's rest here for now."
* * *
After the abrupt and unexpected crash landing, Aletha, Emine, Isa, and Kali all came to gather around a fairly scenic spot just a few meters away from the train wreck.
After about an hour of planning, the group set up camp on a medium-sized cliff. They had a fire, several logs for seats, and a few supplies Isa found.
As they sat in a circle at the campsite, Emine spoke up to address the group.
Emine cleared her throat and addressed the group around the fire. "Okay, girls! Since we are all stranded and have formed our own group, I'll give each of us an identification number. I will serve as the group's leader. Isa, you will be my backup. Kali, you will be the scavenger, and Aletha, you will serve as the watcher of this site. Do I make myself clear?" Isa nodded with a confident grin, feeling proud to be entrusted with such responsibility.
Kali gave a thumbs up, excitement sparking in her eyes at the thought of exploring and gathering resources.
Aletha hesitated, her hands clasped nervously, feeling less confident about her role as a watcher but still wanting to help. Emine scanned the group, sensing determination and camaraderie. "Yes, ma'am!" everyone replied, feeling a sense of unity.
"Alright, girls, let's do our jobs and get moving!"
* * *
Before leaving, the others assigned Aletha to watch over the campsite and search for survivors. Determined to do her part, she took her place near the scattered supplies, fighting off a sense of restlessness.
"Gosh, this is boring," Aletha grumbled as she fidgeted with a branch. "Why couldn't I be the scavenger?"
Stuffy and warm air pressed against her side.
Why was it that Aletha, the one who had fought her way to defend herself from those monsters lurking inside the train carriage, was suddenly tasked to watch over the place?
Perhaps it could be because of that initial thought, the idea of a relaxing break?
"No, that can't be it," Aletha muttered to herself quietly. "Why would I need a break? Is it because they know that I am weak? No, that's a dumb idea. Maybe it's because…"
She shrugged and sighed deeply, unable to think of any more ideas. "Umm..."
Instead of dwelling on the reasoning behind her abandonment, Aletha simultaneously recollected and hypothesized.
"Alright, so first of all, why did we even have to go to the train? What was my destination?" Aletha scratched her head and looked over to the woodpeckers on the fairly-sized pine trees dotted about the unusually lush terrain.
She shook her head and dropped her stick, scratching her chin and processing all those jumbled thoughts into one coherent line.
"I remember that guy said a Queen of some sort was looking after me. Wasn't I supposed to be forgotten? Are those people just like those creeps I saw in that underground place before? Also speaking of forgetting, what happened to Drimi? Gah-- I'm so confused."
After looking up into the starry sky veiled by the treetops, Aletha sighed deeply and concluded.
"You know what? Screw all of this training stuff, I want to save Drimi's soul and protect my brother. I never asked for all of this, and I surely never asked to be in this wreck to begin with."
Aletha rose abruptly from the parched ground, fists clenched, as flickering memories flashed in her mind like a film reel. She mumbled under her breath.
"Drimi is now a friend of mine. She has done so much good for us. I can NOT afford to lose someone else like that. Why have I never asked for help in the first place?! Maybe if I ask the girls for help, I could finally get some knowledge as to what the heck is going on."
After all her questioning, Aletha steadied herself and began searching for anyone else who might have survived the train wreck.
As Aletha neared the sharp edges of the shattered carriages, a surge of confidence pushed her forward. Suddenly, she stopped, reevaluating her decision and considering her next move.
"Wait, why am I searching for help? Didn't I tell those people that I am a Ruler? I should be independent!"
"Goodness, stop talking to yourself!"
"What?! W-Who are you?!"
. . .
To avoid any more danger, Aletha raced out of the ominous train wreck and back to the campsite. She panted heavily and glanced around, seeing Carla gather firewood, Jess comforting Mira, and Sam checking their supplies. All the girls had done their part.
Kali was looking over the treetops while Emine was declaring to the entire group.
"Good job, everyone! Because of how smart we are, we girls managed to make our own campsite!"
Kali's cyan eyes sparkled with awe. The confidence that surged around her was contagious, spreading to every girl and brushing aside the negativity of the crash.
Kali lifted her arm, shouted joyfully, dropped the wood beside the fire, and wiped sweat off her brow.
"Yeah! Girl power!"
Isa smiled and chuckled, lying back with Aletha as they saw strange magenta particles floating around.
Aletha noticed something strange about the tiny pink orbs floating over the pine trees.
A sleepy, happy feeling passed over all of them.
It was so strong that it felt almost like poison, as if it forced them to feel this way.
Once evening came and the orange sun set, Emine clapped her hands, excitedly leading the group in dancing around the bonfire and encouraging them to follow her steps in the moonlight.
Despite not drinking a single drop of any poison or alcoholic beverage, all of them danced around the campfire like drunk monkeys. Aletha's silly poses and wacky arm movements made the others smile, as if she were the youngest and goofiest of the group.
Emine still wore a bubbly, drowsy expression, laughing as she moved around the campfire. The scent of pine and smoke from the fire mixed in the air, casting an almost dreamlike atmosphere over the campsite. A dense, sweet-sour odor lingered subtly around them. Something was clearly off. The night was oddly silent, save for the crackling of the fire and the occasional rustle of leaves. Shadows from the moonlight danced across the ground, stirring an unspoken tension. Emine's laughter was light, masking a subtle hint of unease. "Come on! Relax and take a break, ladies! This night is for us!"
"Are you sure, Emine? I mean… WE still have people to look after. I like this party and all, but… don't you think this is a little disrespectful?"
Though the party was small, Aletha, Isa, Kali, and Emine celebrated like nothing bad had happened, despite what they had just gone through.
"Woo hoo!"
The strange pink particles accumulated in increasing numbers, engulfing the air and entering the girls' lungs without their notice.
Time elapsed, and the girls were still dancing around the campfire, ignoring the swarm of hypnotic pink particles encircling the group. Isa crawled up and approached Aletha closely, so close that her breath touched Aletha's face.
She tried to back away, but Isa lunged forward at Aletha, pressing her against the ground with both her arms. The white-haired girl shrieked.
"Hey, g-get off!"
Isa's voice sounded dizzying and uncharacteristic of her usual, cold personality.
"Don't worry, Aletha… Come here and hug me! After all, if it weren't for you and all that stuff you did in the train, we wouldn't have been in this situation.~"
Aletha gulped, her fingers trembling in shock and fear. Although she wanted to participate in the "party", she was the only one who felt suspicious about the situation.
She had the notion that the particles were to blame for this bizarre event, which made her even more suspicious. Yet despite the suspicion, Aletha continued to dance as if nothing bad had happened. As her arms flew around the bonfire like a hawk, she mumbled in her mind.
(I still feel uneasy about this. We've been dancing nonstop for the past two hours. S- Should we not be exhausted?)
Aletha's head hammered, seeing the environment around get engulfed by a swirling swarm of enigmatic bright pink particles.
Without her realizing it, her eyesight, along with her mind, abruptly went black.
. . .
Meaningless.