Chapter 42 – What Do You Want To Ask, Oppa?

“So,” Anemone said, a small smile playing on her lips, “feeling a little less… suspicious now?”

She’d remained silent throughout our meal, observing us, her lavender eyes missing nothing. And now, as we finished the last of the food, she was ready to talk.

I set down my teacup, a comfortable warmth spreading through my stomach, my mind feeling clearer, sharper. The wariness hadn’t completely vanished, but the tension between us had eased, the distance… lessened.

Yuri stared at the empty plates, her expression unreadable, while Luna, her small belly full, leaned against me, yawning contentedly, her eyelids drooping.

The post-meal drowsiness was settling over us, a pleasant warmth, a temporary reprieve.

“Alright,” I said, looking at Anemone, my voice steady, my gaze direct. “Let’s talk.”

“Finally,” she said, a mischievous glint in her lavender eyes. “Now… we can begin.” She leaned back in her chair, her posture relaxed, almost… languid. “So, what do you want to know?”

I took a deep breath, my mind racing. So many questions. Where to start?

I rested my hands on the table, my gaze fixed on Anemone. Moments ago, we’d been focused on satisfying our physical hunger. Now… it was time to satisfy a different kind of hunger. A hunger for… information.

“…Where are we?”

Anemone blinked, a playful smile touching her lips. “I told you, silly. The submerged station.” She gestured around the lounge, her tone light, dismissive. “What else would you call it?”

“It’s more than just… a station,” I said, my voice low, my gaze unwavering. “Isn’t it?”

She chuckled, resting her chin on her hand, her lavender eyes sparkling with amusement. “It’s not that it’s ‘more’ than a station, oppa. It’s that you… don’t understand.”

“Then… enlighten us,” I said, my voice a quiet challenge.

She tilted her head, considering. “Let’s just say… it’s a… transit point. In the Abyss. A place… for those who are… passing through.” She twirled her teacup, her gaze distant. “Some take the train. Some… wander off… and disappear. And some… well, some… stay.” Her gaze returned to us, a knowing look in her lavender eyes.

I met her gaze, the implications of her words sinking in. This wasn’t just a station; it was a crossroads, a place of arrivals and departures, a place where souls… were lost, or… found. Some leave. Some stay. And we… we’re still here.

“…And you?” I asked, my voice low, my gaze unwavering. “Who are you?”

Anemone paused, her playful smile fading, then returning, brighter than before. “Now that’s a boring question,” she said, her voice light, teasing.

“Answer it anyway,” I said, my gaze holding hers.

“Fine.” She chuckled, her gaze sweeping over us, a hint of… something… in her lavender eyes, something… calculating. “I’m just… the one who… watches. The trains. The passengers. And… kids like you.”

“Kids like us?”

She grinned. “Those who descend… into the Abyss. Those who seek… nothingness… or what they used to call… nothingness.” Her gaze pierced me, as if… she knew… where we were going… what we were looking for.

She took a sip of her tea, then set down the cup, her voice barely a whisper. “I just… watch.”

The lights in the lounge flickered, a subtle shift in the atmosphere, as if… the very space itself were… reacting to our conversation.

I stared at her, her words echoing in my mind. Those who descend into the Abyss. And the word she’d almost used… nothingness. Why had she corrected herself? Was that the old term? The one the robed figures on the ninth floor had used? Or was it… something else? A subtle warning? A test?

“…So…?” I prompted, my voice low, my gaze unwavering.

She didn’t flinch, her posture still relaxed, her expression still playful, but I could see… a flicker of something… in her lavender eyes, something… that acknowledged my question, its weight, its importance.

“Why are you helping us?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the question hanging in the air between us. “What do you… gain from it?”

She twirled her teacup, the liquid swirling, reflecting the dim light, her expression unreadable.

I pressed further. “What’s your… motivation, Anemone?”

She hesitated, then chuckled, a strange, unsettling sound. “Amusement, mostly,” she said, her gaze meeting mine, a mischievous glint in her lavender eyes. “It’s… entertaining, watching you… struggle. Seeing you… descend.” She looked away, her gaze distant, her fingers tracing a pattern on the table. “It’s been a long time… since anyone… with such… intact selves… came this far. Hundreds of years? Thousands? I’ve lost track.” She shrugged, her lavender eyes sparkling with amusement. “It’s a… welcome distraction.”

“…A distraction?” I murmured, the implications of her words sinking in. We were… entertainment. A novelty. A plaything.

Yuri scowled, her hand twitching towards her bow, her anger barely contained. Luna pressed her lips together, her small body tense, her golden eyes fixed on Anemone, a flicker of… something… in their depths, something… unsettling.

Anemone, however, seemed unfazed by their reactions, just chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “Don’t take it so seriously,” she said, her voice light, teasing. “Besides, if I wanted you dead, you’d be dead already. Wouldn’t you?” She tapped the table again, her gaze meeting mine. “So relax. Eat. I’m not that… cruel.” Her eyes twinkled. “Usually.”

“And besides,” she added, her gaze sweeping over us, a knowing look in her lavender eyes, “you’re going to need your strength, aren’t you? Unless you plan on… staying here… forever?”

Her words, though spoken lightly, were a stark reminder of our situation. We were trapped, for now, in this strange, timeless place. And if we were going to survive… we would need… her.

The lights in the station flickered again, a subtle warning.

“So,” I said, my voice low, my gaze unwavering, “tell us…”

“Enough questions, oppa,” Anemone interrupted, waving a hand dismissively.

“What?”

“Don’t spoil the fun,” she said, grinning, her gaze meeting mine, a challenge in her lavender eyes. “Where’s the mystery… if I tell you everything?”

“You’re not going to… tell us anything…?”

She pretended to think, tapping her chin with her finger, then shrugged, a playful smile on her lips. “Not really. Besides,” she added, her gaze sweeping over us, “you’re not planning on taking the train, are you? So what’s the point… of staying here?”

And with a flick of her wrist, the world dissolved around us once more.

“Wait… what…?”

The lounge vanished, the walls blurring, the lights fading, the comfortable chairs, the small tables, the ornate clock… all disappearing, as if… they’d never been there. We were back on the platform, the cold, damp air clinging to our skin, the faint, blue light of the Abyss illuminating the empty space, the ghostly outlines of the departed passengers still lingering in the air.

“…She just… kicked us out…?” I said, my voice filled with disbelief, looking around at the empty platform, the faint, white outlines a chilling reminder of the train, of its ghostly passengers, of the choice we hadn’t made.

Yuri sighed, crossing her arms, her brow furrowed. “Charming. Just… charming.” She glared at the spot where the lounge had been, her expression a mix of frustration and… something else… something… I couldn’t quite decipher.

Luna looked at me, her golden eyes wide with confusion, her small hand gripping my sleeve tightly.

I took a deep breath, the weight of our situation settling upon me. Anemone hadn’t wanted to talk. She’d made that… abundantly clear. And now… we were back where we started. Alone. Lost.

“…What do we do now…?” I murmured, my gaze fixed on the empty tracks, the faint hiss of steam the only sound in the vast, silent station. We were still here. And the train… it was gone.