Chapter 40 – Just Observing

“…So… we’re supposed to… get on?” Yuri murmured, her voice barely audible above the hiss of steam, the rumble of the ancient engine.

The train doors remained open, a gaping maw of darkness, a silent invitation… or a threat.

I looked at Anemone, still leaning against the pillar, her lavender eyes watching us, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“Nah,” she said, her voice light, almost flippant, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m just… observing.” Her eyes shimmered, a strange light flickering within their lavender depths. “Get on… or don’t. It’s up to you.”

Her casual tone, her indifferent shrug… it was a calculated performance, a subtle test. She knew something we didn’t. I could feel it.

I looked back at the train, its open doors a gateway to… something… the darkness within impenetrable, no light, no sound, no hint of what lay beyond. If the train has arrived… there should be light… shouldn’t there?

“Besides…” Anemone added, her voice lowering, a mischievous glint in her lavender eyes, her gaze shifting towards the train, “…there are… plenty of passengers… already.”

I didn’t understand. And then, the platform… shifted. The air shimmered, distorted, the world around us blurring, the past… merging with the present, and I saw them.

Faint, white figures, translucent, ghostly, lined up along the platform, waiting to board the train, their heads bowed, their forms indistinct, as if… they weren’t quite… real.

“What… are those?” Yuri whispered, her voice tight with apprehension, her gaze darting nervously from one figure to the next.

Luna gripped my arm tighter, her small body trembling. “…Luna not see… before… when…?”

I didn’t know. They hadn’t been there before. But now… they were everywhere, a silent, ghostly procession, moving towards the train, their movements slow, deliberate, as if… drawn by an invisible force.

Their faces were obscured, their features… blurred, their eyes… empty. They were… passengers. But passengers to… where?

A cold dread settled over me, the implications of their presence… unsettling. What is this train? And where is it going?

Anemone watched us, her lavender eyes gleaming in the dim light, a subtle smile playing on her lips, as if… she were enjoying our… confusion, our… fear. She knew. She knew what the train was, where it was going, what these ghostly passengers were. She knew… everything.

“The train… it’s leaving soon,” she said, her voice light, teasing, tilting her head, her gaze meeting mine. “You sure… you don’t want to… get on?”

Her words were a challenge, a test. Should we board? What if we miss our chance? What if this is… the only way? But what kind of chance was it? A chance for… what?

I looked at Yuri, her jaw clenched, her eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on the train, a mixture of fear and defiance in her expression.

“Something’s… not right,” she muttered, her voice low. Even Yuri, with all her experience in the Abyss, was hesitant, uncertain.

Luna, her small hand gripping my sleeve tightly, refused to move, her body trembling, her golden eyes wide with fear.

I looked back at the train, the ghostly figures still boarding, their movements silent, their purpose… unknown. This was a choice. A choice we had to make. But what were we choosing?

This might not be a path we can return from.

I bit my lip, my gaze shifting from the train to Yuri, to Luna, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn’t risk their lives. Not again.

“No,” I said, my voice firm, stepping back from the platform, pulling Yuri and Luna with me. We wouldn’t board this train. Not now. Not like this. There had to be another way.

“…Not getting on…?” Anemone’s lavender eyes widened, a flicker of… surprise? …in their depths. “That’s… unusual. Most passengers… they don’t… hesitate.” She leaned against the pillar, her head tilted, her gaze fixed on us, a strange mix of amusement and… something else… something… unsettling… in her expression. “Curious…”

The train lurched forward, the sound of its wheels scraping against the metal tracks echoing through the station, a high-pitched squeal that sent shivers down my spine. The entire platform vibrated, the train’s engine chugging, the sound a deep, rhythmic rumble, a final… goodbye.

The ghostly figures continued their silent procession, disappearing into the train’s dark interior, the doors sliding closed behind them, the sound muffled, distant, like a fading memory.

And then, the train… departed.

It moved slowly at first, then faster, its black form disappearing into the fog, its white steam trailing behind it, leaving us standing there on the empty platform, the silence… deafening. Where was it going? What awaited its ghostly passengers at the end of the line? I didn’t know. But I knew… it wasn’t a journey I wanted to take.

And on the platform, where the passengers had stood, faint, white outlines remained, ghostly imprints, their presence lingering in the air, a chilling reminder of their… passage.

Are those just… afterimages? Or something… more? A trace of their… essence… imprinted on this place?

I reached out, my hand passing through one of the ghostly outlines, a cold sensation, a shiver, as if… they were still there… somehow. But as I touched it, it dissipated, like smoke, like a dream.

We were alone again, on the empty platform, the train gone, its destination unknown, our own path… uncertain. What do we do now?

I looked at Anemone, still leaning against the pillar, her lavender eyes watching us, her expression unchanged, no hint of disappointment, no regret, just a quiet curiosity, a subtle amusement, as if… she were waiting… to see… what we would do next.

“Anemone, was it?” I said, my gaze meeting hers, my voice steady, despite the turmoil within.

“We need to talk.”

Her lavender eyes widened slightly, then a mischievous grin spread across her face.

“Oh my,” she said, tilting her head, covering her mouth with her hand, as if… suppressing a giggle. “Two isn’t enough for you, oppa? Need a third… to complete your… collection?”

I sighed, recognizing the tactic. She was playing with us, testing us, pushing our buttons, knowing… exactly… what we wanted.

Yuri scowled, her hand tightening around her bow, her knuckles white. I glanced at her, and saw the anger simmering in her eyes, a dangerous glint. Careful, Anemone. You’re playing with fire.

“…What’s with her…?” she muttered under her breath, her voice low, menacing.

Luna looked from Anemone to Yuri, then back to me, her brow furrowed with confusion.

Anemone just shrugged, a playful smile still on her lips. “Well,” she said, leaning against the pillar, crossing her arms, her gaze sweeping over us, a hint of… something… in her lavender eyes, something… calculating, “I am… intrigued. I suppose… a little conversation… couldn’t hurt.” Her smile widened. “But don’t get too… curious. I only answer… what I want to answer.”

Her tone was light, teasing, but her words… they were a warning. She wasn’t going to give up her secrets easily.

The train is gone. Now… the real test begins.

I met her gaze, my voice firm. “Then answer this. Why are you here?”