The blazing sun cast its searing warmth; though it was a temperate spring day, the temperature in the desert felt as if the very air might ignite.
Inside the quiet, enclosed carriage of the train, the atmosphere was stifling, akin to that of a toaster baking bread.
The train clattered rhythmically along the tracks that traversed the desert, colossal sand dunes rapidly receding outside the window.
Through the carriage's glass, the oppressive heat poured in, mercilessly scorching the slumbering passengers seated within, their exposed skin rendered an unhealthy shade of dark red by the unrelenting sun. Yet, not a single soul complained, nor did anyone utter a word.
The entire speeding train felt eerily silent, as though it were a desolate ruin.
If one were to peel back the roof of the train and gaze down from above, they would witness a scene of disarray: within the driver's cabin and the crowded compartments, passengers lay sprawled across their seats, at the washbasins connecting the carriages, and even on the floor of the aisles...
Travelers lay in various positions, lost in their dreams, while the only sound that permeated the air was the rhythmic "clank... clank..." of the carriage connections.
The stillness was unsettling...
Suddenly, a pair of obsidian eyes slowly opened...
Within the realm of consciousness, a demonic voice echoed instantly.
(Wow! Human boy! Human boy! You've finally awakened! You've finally awakened! Hahaha... I almost thought you'd never wake up! Hehe... Just imagine if you had slept through it all; then I would be free, hahaha...)
Xiao Mu Yu gradually straightened up from his seat, his icy gaze sweeping over the sleeping silver-haired woman across from him, and the little creature, Teemo, who was blissfully dozing on her lap like a cat. His eyes lingered momentarily on the glistening droplet at the corner of Teemo's mouth before finally resting on the small girl nestled against him, her weight almost entirely pressing down on him as she slept.
Observing the serene face of the sleeping child, the man remained silent.
"I die, you... free?" Carefully savoring the words, Xiao Mu Yu asked coldly, "Do you know the one who dragged us into this dream?"
(Hahaha... Human boy, we haven't communicated in days. I didn't expect your instincts to remain so sharp, hahaha... Yes! Indeed! I know the one who pulled you into this dream; he was an old friend of mine. If you had slept for another two or three days, allowing him to absorb your vitality and souls, perhaps he would have noticed me, the poor little guy sealed away.)
(Without a doubt, he would release me and recruit me into his ranks... Hehe... But alas, I never anticipated you would escape the dream, truly... fate is not on my side! Hahaha...)
"Is that creature... powerful?" Slowly closing his eyes, feeling the strange aura that had permeated the air since his awakening intensifying within the carriage, Xiao Mu Yu inquired coldly.
(Powerful? Hehe... Godly and demonic level combat prowess, would you consider that strong?)
Suddenly, a panicked cry shattered their conversation.
"Don't! No!" The previously tranquil silver-haired woman suddenly sprang up from her seat, as if she had been gripped by a terrifying nightmare, flailing her arms as if to push away something dreadful.
As she stood, the little creature, who had been comfortably dozing on her lap, tumbled off with a thud, landing heavily on the solid floor.
"Don't... uh, what is this..." As her consciousness returned, Riven took in the sight of the train carriage, rows of seats, and sleeping passengers...
For a moment, the silver-haired woman appeared bewildered. "What... is happening?"
Glancing indifferently at the confused silver-haired woman, Xiao Mu Yu silently withdrew his arm from the girl's embrace, remaining wordless.
He stood coldly, reached up to retrieve a bag containing water from the overhead storage, and gently cradled the now partially awakened girl in his arms.
"Let's go." He coldly addressed the still bewildered silver-haired woman, raising his tattered sword.
With the icy blade aimed at the ceiling of the carriage, he struck down gently, instantly unleashing an invisible force that rippled through the air, compressing it to its limits before erupting with a thunderous explosion.
The thick ceiling of the carriage was torn apart by the sudden force, creating a massive void through which fragments of the train flew, revealing the azure sky to the astonished occupants inside.
"Uh... big brother, where are we?" The little girl, startled awake by the explosion, rubbed her eyes and looked around in confusion while nestled in Xiao Mu Yu's embrace. "Weren't we in the Tauren tribe? How did we end up back on the train?"
"..." Looking down at the seemingly still drowsy girl, Xiao Mu Yu replied coldly, "There are no Taurens, nor any tribe... that Tauren tribe... was merely a dream."
"Uh... a dream?" Upon hearing Xiao Mu Yu's words, the silver-haired woman seemed to grasp something, her expression turning to one of surprise and confusion. "Mr. Mu Yu, what... what is happening?"
"..." With his dark eyes slightly closed, sensing a foreboding aura gathering in the air, Xiao Mu Yu did not answer Riven's question. Instead, he pushed off the ground, soaring through the gap he had created with the girl in his arms.
In the air, only his cold voice lingered, "Let's go! Your questions... will be explained later."
"Uh... what... is happening? My head hurts! Who dares to ambush Teemo? Show yourself! The great Captain Teemo will make you understand why the flowers are so red!"
A round, plump figure rolled out from beneath a seat, rubbing the large bump on its head that had formed from the abrupt awakening. The little creature, irate at the rude interruption of its slumber, exclaimed, "Does he not know that I, Captain Teemo... wait? What is going on?"
With wide, confused eyes, Teemo stared at the rows of seats filled with sleeping passengers and the rapidly retreating sand dunes outside the train window, stunned. "This... is... the Magic Train? Uh... weren't we in the Tauren village? How did we end up back here?"
"Hey! Riven, what is going on?" Spotting the silver-haired woman beside him, Teemo tugged at her sleeve, demanding, "Tell me, what is happening? How did we suddenly jump from the Tauren village to here? And where did Xiao Mu Yu go?"
"Uh... could it be that... Xiao Mu Yu's proposal triggered some mysterious magical array, transporting us here in an instant?" Teemo chuckled mischievously. "It seems that proposing to you is indeed a disastrous affair; perhaps Xiao Mu Yu was torn to shreds by spatial turbulence during the transfer... No wonder you're almost thirty and no one has proposed to you; it turns out that proposing to you invites calamity."
Ignoring Teemo's teasing, the silver-haired woman abruptly snatched a bag from the overhead storage and threw it to the little creature. "Catch."
"Uh... it's so heavy..." The little creature opened its arms to catch the bag, looking puzzled. "Why are we taking luggage?"
Not responding to Teemo's question, Riven gripped her lake-green greatsword with her right hand and reached out with her left to embrace Teemo.
In an instant, Teemo leaped back two meters, his large eyes filled with alarm as he regarded the silver-haired woman. "Riven, what are you trying to do? I warn you, the only reason I follow you around is that you're different from those strange human women who want to treat me like a pet. With you, I can protect myself from their torment, so I'm willing to be your friend."
"But I warn you! Just because the great Captain Teemo acknowledges you as a friend doesn't mean I will tolerate your insults... I'm not a pet! You can't just pick me up! Let me tell you, I'm usually quite agreeable, but on this matter, it's non-negotiable! I've had enough!"
Recalling the dreadful mistreatment he had suffered at the hands of human women since leaving Bandle City, the fearless Captain Teemo shivered involuntarily.
"..." Watching the little creature clutching the oversized bag with a wary expression, as if guarding against thieves, Riven felt a wave of irritation. "Ah! What a troublesome little creature!"
Though she was unaware of the specifics, her keen instincts as a ninth-tier warrior sensed the intensifying ominous aura in the air. Growing impatient with the little creature's antics, Riven swiftly seized Teemo by the neck and took to the sky.
"Wow! Let go! Ah! Ah! That hurts! Riven, let go!" As the silver-haired woman hoisted him into the air, Teemo cried out in distress. "You're pulling my fur! Let go! Please!"
As the speeding Magic Train shrank beneath them, Riven ascended several dozen meters before halting her flight, her gaze scanning for the indifferent figure of the man who had flown ahead, now appearing as a mere black dot in the distance.
After soaring over dunes composed of fine grains of sand for several kilometers, the silver-haired woman suddenly sensed a tremendous dark energy erupting behind her.
Instinctively glancing back, she saw the Magic Train, which had resembled a slumbering beast, awaken violently, a massive gray current surging skyward.
In the realm of black and white thought, it was as if a plan had been disrupted, and an evil presence roared silently in fury!
"Curse it all!!!!"