The steady hum of the Mage Train filled the air, the rhythmic clanking of the enchanted rails beneath us almost soothing as I stared out the window. Mountains, dense forests, and misty valleys rolled past, all tinged with an eerie glow from the setting sun. It felt surreal, this mix of ancient wilderness and arcane technology, like a relic from a world both familiar and impossibly distant.
I leaned back in my seat, letting the cool glass of the window press against my temple. My mind drifted back to the events that had brought me here—the battles, the discoveries, the ever-present sense of being out of place yet somehow right where I needed to be.
At my feet, Dog—my wolf companion with fur as silver as moonlight—lay curled up, his sharp blue eyes lazily tracking the passing landscape. His ears twitched every now and then, as if picking up on some faint sound I couldn't hear. Despite the sleek, predatory look of him, Dog had grown to be more than just a creature I saved. He was my closest companion now, always by my side, ready to defend me or offer silent understanding.
I hadn't given much thought to his real name—Cyprus—since the day I tamed him. It didn't fit. He wasn't some majestic beast tied to a grand legacy. To me, he was just Dog. Plain, simple, and unassuming, but no less important. He didn't seem to mind the nickname either, though his occasional grunts made me wonder if he'd prefer something a little more dignified.
"Dog," I said under my breath, testing the sound of it again.
He flicked an ear, acknowledging me in his usual, half-interested way, before letting his head settle back on his paws. It was odd, really—how quickly I'd gotten used to his presence. In a world filled with uncertainty, he was a constant, someone—or rather, something—I could rely on. The bond between us was deeper than I'd ever expected. Even though no words passed between us, there was an understanding there. A shared instinct.
I absently reached down, scratching behind his ear, and he huffed contentedly. It was the simple moments like these that grounded me, keeping me from getting too lost in the craziness of my new life.
My thoughts drifted back to the Fate Scripts—that power I still barely understood. I hadn't used another since the library, and yet I could feel them, lingering just beneath the surface, waiting for me to pull one of the threads and alter reality again. I could almost hear them whispering, tempting me to intervene, to shape the course of things to come.
10,321 left. I knew the exact number. Each one was a choice—a step toward something unknown. I wasn't sure how long I could resist the temptation to use them. Fate itself seemed to be bending around me, and every time I activated a script, it felt like I was nudging the world toward some grand design. But whose design? And to what end?
I shook off the thoughts and looked at Dog again. "Bet you don't have existential crises like this, huh?"
He didn't respond, of course. But I could tell he was content, resting here, riding with me through the wild lands.
The train rattled slightly, pulling me from my musings as the conductor announced the next stop: Valmaris Station, a hub town known for its arcane academies and trade. It was where I was headed next—another step in this journey I had yet to fully comprehend.