Inside a body, sleek hints of crimson and azure melded vividly with hints of luminous green that emerged in the pulsating area's veins.
Roots extended up and left, wounding down and around the streaks of her red heart like a sea of vicious serpents.
As the mystical stems dug deep into the glistening, healthy heart, faint traces of luminescent green cracks appeared and unfolded throughout every corner of this crimson, fleshy cavern, forcing a faint, uncomfortable chuckle out from a white-haired girl.
"Ah!"
From her left, someone asked her.
"What's wrong?"
As Aletha's eyelids parted, she found herself directly under the warm sun rays peering out from the window. The carriage bounced back and forth, with people aboard it anticipating what was to come.
"Nothing," Aletha replied as she scratched her head nervously. "I just felt something inside me, that's all."
When the carriage crossed a sturdy wooden bridge, Aletha analyzed her surroundings.
People held weapons in their hands, prideful voices bandied about the carriage, and all seemed eager to do this mission, sharing discussions with each other.
Although most of the group anticipated this mission, Aletha felt unsure and uneasy about this.
She had done so much to not be separated from her brother already. It surprised her that she ended up separated again. In reaction, she crossed her legs and looked down, eyes casting out the floor, sighing anxiously.
(I just hope that my brother is safe.)
Not long after, a girl with long shamrock hair patted Aletha's head, grinned, and nudged her shoulder, asking as the carriage crossed an avenue of hills and railroad tracks protruding down the lush hills.
"Why the sad face?" She asked with a raised eyebrow of concern. "Something the matter?"
"No. Not really." Aletha replied. "It's just... I have been working so hard not to be separated from my brother for so long. It feels like a slap in the face to me that we are forced to part from each other again."
"Oh, that," Isa replied with a soft nod. "Need not worry. Your brother will be safe. It won't be an issue as long as he is with Joshilyn."
"Are you sure?" Aletha asked with a slight lean in her head.
As the inaudible conversations around them continued, Isa replied, head lifted high, exposing the neck.
"I am most certain." She commented. "Joshilyn is a secret warrior in of herself. She had survived many, many bad battles. Fortunately, she's still around."
Taking a tilt to her side, Aletha twiddled with her thumbs, sweating nervously at the thought. She still had a lot more to learn about her changed world. Not long after, suspicions of the whereabouts of their destinations started to dawn in Aletha.
She curiously leaned her head to Isa once more and asked her with a soft tone.
"So, Isa." She said as she anchored her eyes over to the window. "Where are we going?"
"Oh, that's your question?" Isa replied with a light chuckle. "We're going to a railroad station not too far from here. It is one of the main stations of Linuxinia."
Aletha's eyebrows raised, drawing her head back quickly.
"Really? There are train stations?!" She expressed with shock.
"Indeed," Isa replied as she looked at the railroad behind the window with her eyes. "It's one of the most efficient ways of transportation in this world. They say that the people of Destia and Zomrack co-operated with each other to make a huge transport system to deliver goods and people. After, the wizards in Destia used their magic and knowledge to fabricate beautiful trains while Zomrack made the payment and started crafting railroads everywhere. And so, the result is this."
As the carriage crossed a railroad intersection, traveling across the dirt road leading over to a distant building far in the distance, Isa shrugged her shoulders and continued.
"But that's not the type of train we're going on." She ensured as she pointed to the vibrant blue sky beyond the window. "We're going on what people call, Sky-Railroads."
Aletha's eyes bulged at the rather strange statement.
"Sky... railroads?"
"Yeah! Sky railroads!" Kali intervened in the conversation as Isa made room for her in the long wooden seat. "They are far more advanced than regular railroads. The winged train uses clouds and wind as its tracks. It's kind of dream-like, if I'm being honest."
"Woah..." Aletha commented with sparkling eyes. "That's so cool!"
"It is!" Kali said with an expressive, round face. "And right now, we're preparing for departure! I can't wait to see your reaction!"
. . .
While the carriage crossed more kilometers of scaling grassy hills and flora, Aletha felt a strange rise in her chest. Her eyes broadened to see a green flicker of luminance shining beneath her skin, extending its luminescent green lines over and around her body.
As the luminance shone brightly in her body, Aletha stammered confusedly.
"Um... uh... what is this?"
Following her reaction, Isa and Kila, too, grimaced at the strange phenomenon. But as time continued, and the luminance started to fade, a feeling of recognition flared up in Isa's green eyes.
"Oh, that?" She repeated her words with a curious look, maturely caging her fingers. "It appears that The Sealed Beatific had awakened in you. The power usually only does that when foreigners arrive at Linuxinia."
"So... it awakened in me?"
"Practically yes," Kali said as she straightened her sitting posture. "Don't worry. It will not do any harm to you at all. It's a positive thing to experience. It means that you're getting used to Linuxinia!"
With that reply, Aletha made an upturned smile and eased her anxiousness, transforming it into anticipation and eagerness for what was to come. While they remained idle, Isa decided to give a further in-depth explanation of the strange occurrence.
"So, Aletha. About The Sealed Beatific."
"Yes? What about it?" Aletha responded with an attentive look. "I'm not that scared about it anymore."
"No. It's not that." She said with an opening gesture. "I'm curious if you want to learn more about it. We are still at a distance from the train station, so I assumed to cure your boredom, I should share some information."
Slowly drifting her eyes, Aletha felt stuck in between a choice. She wanted to view the beautiful surroundings from the window, but her curiosity urged her to receive more knowledge. After seconds of pondering, Aletha answered.
"That's fine." She replied with a vibrant smile. "There's not much to do in this carriage except look outside. I'm okay with a lesson!"
With that retort, a prideful grin emerged on Isa's face. She stretched her legs and adopted a wide-open stance as she began her explanation.
"Understood." She said with a nod. "So, what you have inside your heart is called a stem. It's a thing everyone in this nation possesses. Here in Linuxinia, the emotion of happiness thrives inside you. The more joy that you feel, the more power awakens inside you. Some even say The Sealed Beatific's leverage can amplify magic and bless the landscape. It's quite a unique power, I must say."
Hearing this knowledge, Aletha tipped her neck back in awe. As she stared deeply into Isa's emerald green eyes, Aletha pondered.
(Wait, now that I realize it. That explains what happened to me in the fields with Asahi. My powers were so stimulated that I could fly for a bit.)
After keeping a fixated look on the window, Aletha snapped her fingers and expressed herself with wide, knowledge-filled eyes.
"That explains a lot." She said. "So, will this... Sealed Beatific grow on me more the more that I feel joy?"
"Exactly," Isa replied with a sure nod. "I'm surprised you caught on so quickly. You acted quite stubborn back there, so I never guessed you would act so humble."
"No, I'm just excited," Aletha said as she tilted over to the green hills in the window.
After Isa, Kali, and the others waited patiently and peacefully for the carriage to arrive at the train station, the wheels eventually touched a solid stone road leading directly to a grand open building composed of long, thick dark oak beams and windows.
* * * * * * *
A warm feeling started to enter Aletha's heart in a flash, hearing the wheels stop. People onboard the carriage stepped out one by one until only Kali, Isa, and Aletha were the only ones remained seated. When she felt the fresh breeze enter the inside of the carriage, she slowly stepped outside and heard roars echo across the horizon.
Turning to her left, she saw an oversized silhouette cast upon the sheening horizon. A bulky locomotive raced and dashed across the railways in the offing, zooming toward the docking station composed of steel, wood, and stone. Hearing the loud shrieks of its departure, Fintan gestured Aletha and the other group members over to the entrance booth along the stone border.
Great wooden pillars guarded the entrance to the railway, holding crafted iron and crystal gates that spanned out a few kilometers in a symmetrical rectangular shape.
Along the entrance stood five ticket booths, each containing an individual. Chaotic noises filled the station as Fintan and the others gathered around the second ticket booth, waiting for their tickets to be given to them. The fast-paced footsteps and the loud shouts from the announcer and conductor, alerting people where to go, filled the area.
If not for how far the booths were from the trains, they would have gone deaf from the amount of noise residing around this outdoor, nearly roof-less train station.
"It's so busy here," Aletha mumbled with overwhelmed eyes. "I can barely tell what is going on."
"Well, today is a busy day for trains," Kali answered as she looked around with Isa, seeing the lines of individuals boarding in and out of the approaching train cars. "... if it wasn't for our early departure, we would have never gotten a ride. At least now, we're here. Right, Isa?"
The clover-haired girl responded with a silent nod and focused more on the surrounding scenery around the train station. Lacy substances retreated among the groves and hid along the open trails. The environment was lush and vibrant, with a cloudscape as dazzling as Aletha's silky white hair hovering over them. The sun shone bright, and trains continued to pass through the lush hills.
On the other hand, Aletha, Kali, Phthonus, and the others, gathered around the ticket booth with Fintan, waiting impatiently for their tickets. A red-haired woman with thick, hairy eyelashes sparkling behind a window stood before a microphone, asking.
"How many do you want on board today?"
The process was relatively simple, unlike Aletha's predictions. Fintan and the others slid their Gincoins through the hole at the bottom of the window; the ticket master turned over to the flashy board behind her and informed them what train they were designated to go to, and they received all their tickets.
"Your winged train will arrive in seven minutes. It will be the last one in the station."
"Understood," Fintan answered. "We will be there on time."
In less than five minutes, the group could grab their tickets, navigate through the crowds of people and the multitude of signs, and finally find their designated station. Along the way, they met beggars pleading for spare change, children running around without their parents, and businessmen walking toward the express.
However, when they arrived at the last docking station, something, or rather... someone, caught Phthonus' eye.
Who caught his attention was a tall, dark-haired man wearing a black suit and tie, long dark pants, and a glistening azure, heart-shaped gem walking over to the shadows of the train station. Though his mouth may not be seen, it was clear from Phthonus' repetitive, shaking movements that he had some sort of feud with the man.
Without thought, he parted away from the group and sprinted across the station, pushing and shoving people to chase after him. Aletha and Kali quickly caught on to this and followed Phthonus, apologizing for being driven by Phthonus.
Once they approached the last docking station for the winged train, Aletha, Isa, Fintan, and the other passengers watched as a floating locomotive bearing giant white wings landed all its passenger cars onto the station like a bird.
(Choo choo)
As Phthonus' feet crossed ways from the mysterious suited man, he watched as he disappeared into the passenger cars with a line of people. Holding his back and grabbing his wrist, Phthonus spoke through his teeth with forced restraint.
"That...fool. When I get my hands on you, you will pay for every bad deed you have done." He grunted as he heard Aletha and the others approach him from behind. The angered man tightened his fists and raised his voice, alerting everyone in the station, "Especially for slaying my friend!"
After his voice echoed across the station, a tall lady with long dark brown hair and crimson eyes, wearing a conductor hat, hurriedly rushed over to Phthonus and warned as the chaotic sounds of the train station bounced once more. Her chains and objects on her jingled and jangled with each movement she made, with her arms crossed, clearly showing signs of impatience.
"Hey! It is against the rules to yell at strangers like that!" She yelled as she watched Aletha and the others reel back from her. "If you do such a thing again, you will be expelled from this train station and restricted from ever using any train station in Gincad again! Do I make myself clear?!"
Though Phthonus might have regarded her warning, nothing could restrain his anger for the man at that moment. He clenched his jaw and pointed at the man, standing stiffly as other people walked around him, giving weird stares.
"No! I won't allow a killer to escape."
"Phthonus, stop!" Aletha yelled, clueless about the reason for his anger. "What are you doing?!"
Before Phthonus could escape, the conductor dominantly rooted her feet before him and raised her voice.
"This is your last warning!" She ordered with a deep and stern voice. "Disregard and disobey the rules, and you and all the others with you will be banned from reaccessing these railroads. Now, again, do I make myself clear?"
After Aletha, Fintan, Isa, Kali, and all the others rushed to Phthonus to persuade him to listen to the conductor's orders, he finally settled down and took deep breaths.
"Okay. Okay. Fine." Phthonus said as he slumped his shoulders down. "I'll listen. If only you knew why I am like this, Aletha."
"I wish I knew too." The white-haired girl replied as they followed the line of people over to the passenger cars.
. . .
After that random outburst of commotion, Aletha, Phthonus, and all the others in the group boarded the passenger cars peacefully. As each boarded the train, Pridia screamed at Fintan, who stood beside the lady conductor.
"And so, I had to face this mountain climbing expedition with my sister before finally reaching over--"
"Fintan! Stop flirting with the conductor, and come on!" Pridia interrupted abruptly. In reaction, Fintan jolted in shock, noticing the conductor's face turning red as Pridia's screams continued to reach him. "We don't have all day!"
After seconds of annoyance, Fintan turned over to Pridia and answered.
"Understood! I will be there shortly." Upon his reply, he turned over and winked at the conductor in a flirtatious tone. A smile from her came up from his wink. As the sounds of steam engines brewed in the station, Fintan leaned over to the woman and whispered. "Goodness, people can be in such a rush sometimes."
"Yeah." The conductor replied with a nervous smile, scratching the back of her head. "People can be quite impatient when it comes to transportation."
After a silence erupted between them, both turning back with nervous blushes, Fintan leaned over to the woman and whispered as he slowly stepped back to the passenger car.
"How about we meet up somewhere?" He said as he heard Pridia scream at him to hurry up at the top of her lungs. "I want to learn more about you. You seem rather formal and elegant."
"And you sound so adventurous and formal too." The conductor replied while sliding her fingers down her long brown hair. "Sure."
After writing down her location on a page in her notepad, she tore it off and gave it to Fintan willingly before hurriedly sprinting down the train to accompany the passengers. Although it couldn't be seen, she hid a large blush.
"Finally. Took you long enough." Pridia said as she crossed her arms, watching Fintan board the passenger car with the note. "What took you so long."
Returning to his formal manner, Fintan shook his head and snapped his fingers.
"Nothing of your concern." He said as he slid the note into his pocket. "Now get to your seat."
* * * * * * *
"All aboard!" The conductor announced as the wings attached to the train flocked and propelled the cars upward.
Inside the passenger cars, a crimson rug stood between the alleys of sets of chairs and windows, while wooden doors stood at each end of the carriage. As people began boarding the train, Aletha decided to sit at the third aisle of chairs next to a window.
"Finally, I found a seat," Aletha mumbled as she planted her bottom onto the soft cushion. "That took forever."
When the train started to make its ascent into the clouds, Phthonus casually approached a seat next to Aletha and tilted his head downward. Guilt and doubt consumed his thoughts. His body seemed hunched forward and tenser than before the carriage, constantly thinking about that man as he sat.
"Mind if I sit here?" Phthonus asked Aletha with a weary tone.
A pause broke in between his question.
(Why should I let him sit beside me?) Aletha thought as he stared directly at Phthonus' amber eyes. (After seeing what he had done to the conductor, there's no reason other than for me to say no.)
After some thought, Aletha nodded her head and came to a decision.
(But if I allowed Phthonus to sit next to me, I could find out what's happening with him.)
And so, straightening her posture, Aletha answered Phthonus with a welcoming grin.
"Sure!"