Chapter 52 – Does a Train Run Without Passengers?

I paused, pendant clutched in my hand.

Something felt wrong. Opening this door felt… premature.

“Why couldn’t they obtain tickets? Why choose this path?”

The question tumbled out. Yuri and Luna looked at me, Yuri’s face etched with confusion. “Noah, what are you talking about?”

I traced the pendant’s cold, metallic surface. A key, not just an ornament.

But was it the right key? For our door?

“Think, Yuri. Tickets exist.”

“…But we searched the entire station and found nothing.”

“The problem isn’t finding them, but understanding the conditions for obtaining them.”

Yuri bit her lip. “We don’t know the method, Noah. That’s why we’re looking for a detour.”

“I don’t understand what Noah means…” Luna added, tilting her head.

“This place is a train station for a reason.” I looked up, picturing the platform above. “Every floor has required a specific condition, a choice, to proceed.”

“True,” Yuri conceded, crossing her arms in thought. “So you’re saying… this detour might not be the right path?”

“Precisely.”

I looked down at the pendant. “Tickets are required to board. That’s the rule.” I paused, turning the pendant over in my hand. “This religious group faced the same problem. They didn’t know how to obtain tickets, so they sought an alternative.”

I gestured at the floor. “They used this pattern to open a door, a detour.”

Luna looked at my hand. “…Are we making the same mistake?”

“I’m not sure this is the right choice.”

I looked at Yuri and Luna. “But one thing is certain.” I pointed at the discarded record. “We ran away again.”

They’d made a choice, but hesitated, ultimately retreating.

Was this truly the path we should take?

“We need to explore other options. Is there truly no way to obtain a ticket?”

“…Let’s go back up.” My voice was firm.

Yuri chuckled, scratching her head. Luna pouted, looking up the long staircase.

“Ugh, it was hard enough coming down…”

“We’re going back up, Noah…?”

“Yes. We need more information.”

Yuri sighed, starting up the stairs. Then she nudged me playfully. “Are you just trying to make us exercise, Noah?”

“What? That’s—”

I stared at her, momentarily speechless. She grinned, feigning exhaustion as she climbed. “Well, we struggled all the way down here, and now you’re saying let’s just go back?”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? Noah, even Hans wasn’t this demanding!”

Luna giggled. “Noah, Yuri’s realllly tired.”

“Then climb slowly. I didn’t say you had to race.”

“Fine, fine…” Yuri grumbled, but a smile played on her lips.

Luna took my hand, grinning. “Let’s go, Noah!”

I smiled back and started up the stairs.

Upward, once more. To find our true path.

The station was silent.

Night had fallen. The dim lights of the upper levels flickered, reflected in the gently rippling water.

I watched Yuri and Luna asleep on the sofa, arms wrapped around each other, breathing softly.

As if this were a safe haven.

But we were still trapped.

I stood, Milky X in hand, and began to pace the station.

Clang.

I shook the can, taking a sip. The familiar sweetness lingered on my tongue.

But I was still lost.

Find a ticket.

I’d made that choice.

But… how?

I walked to the edge of the platform, where the train had been. The departed passengers. The path we’d rejected.

Had we truly been unable to choose, before the train departed?

“…I don’t know.”

Perhaps it wasn’t simply about the absence of a ticket.

Perhaps there were other rules we hadn’t understood.

But now—

I had to find the answer.

Luna and Yuri trusted me. I wouldn’t let them down.

I took another sip of Milky X, the sweet carbonation momentarily clearing my head.

But it wasn’t enough.

I continued to pace, searching for a solution.

How… could we obtain a ticket?

Then—

a cool night breeze swept through the station. And from somewhere, I heard a familiar laugh.

“Still pondering, Oppa?”

I looked up. Anemone stood in the shadows, her damp uniform clinging to her, a playful smile on her face.

“Just as I predicted~”

“…Predicted what?”

She stepped into the dim light. “That you’d be lost in thought.”

The platform lights illuminated her violet eyes as she tilted her head, studying me.

“Don’t interrupt when someone’s thinking. Especially when they’re already confused.”

Anemone’s smile widened, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Oppa, what is a train?”

A strange question. “…A form of transportation?” I replied, though I’d never actually ridden one in the outside world.

She nodded, pleased. “Indeed. Transportation.” She walked to the edge of the platform, her shadow stretching long in the dim light. “So, what does a train require to move?”

I met her gaze, waiting for her to continue.

“…Fuel?”

She twirled a finger in the air. “Fuel is necessary, but not the most important element.” She turned, gesturing toward the empty tracks. “A train runs on a fixed path, a predetermined route.”

I frowned. “And?”

She wagged a finger playfully. “Patience, Oppa.” She paused, making a gesture as though plucking something from the air. “A train carries passengers to their destinations, doesn’t it?” She snapped her fingers. “So, here’s the question:” she turned to me, her violet eyes gleaming, “Does a train run without passengers? Unless it’s just carrying cargo…?”

I fell silent.

Passengers.

Unless it was a freight train, a train needed passengers to run. A fundamental truth.

Her smile widened. “And, Oppa,” her eyes twinkling, “even with passengers, does a train depart without a destination?”

Her words struck a chord.

A train required a destination. Without one, no engine would start.

A chill ran down my spine.

Anemone’s smile remained playful. “Oppa is clever…” she gestured airily, “so I’m sure you understand.”

I remained speechless.

She leaned against the edge of the platform, chuckling softly. “If a train isn’t moving, it might not be because the track is broken. Perhaps,” she tapped a fingertip on the platform, “it’s because its destination hasn’t been determined.”

I stared at the platform, her words echoing in my mind. A train without a destination wouldn’t depart.

And neither would a ticket.

I clenched my hand.

A ticket is required to board.

A ticket is needed for the train to depart.

Then…

Was the way to obtain a ticket to define your destination?

I bit my lip, and Anemone, noticing my reaction, chuckled.

“Interesting.”

She stepped back, waving slowly. “Think about it carefully, Oppa.” She winked. “Where… do you truly want to go, Oppa and friends?”

Then, she vanished.

Think.

I took a deep breath, turning Anemone’s words over in my mind.

A train needs a destination.

And passengers.

Such simple principles. And yet, I’d overlooked them.

I’d been so focused on where to find a ticket that I’d forgotten to consider what a ticket represented.

A ticket wasn’t just an object. It was a manifestation of intent, a guide through the labyrinthine Abyss.

I placed my hand on the platform floor, thinking of the choices I’d made, the actions I’d taken to reach the 10th floor.

Had I truly been focused on descending?

Descending to where?

Was reaching the bottom of the Abyss my true goal?

Simply continuing the journey wasn’t enough.

The train carried those with a defined destination.

Those without one received no ticket.

I’d failed to grasp this fundamental truth.

Was I moving toward a desired destination? Or simply clinging to a hollow hope, descending without purpose?

Without a clear destination, I would become lost, another soul swallowed by the Abyss.

I put my hand in my pocket, feeling the cold metal of the Milky X can.

And I smiled.

“I understand now.”