Lucid, Ayame, and Arthur spent some time in Lucid's manor. The place was still in disrepair, dust gathering in corners, but it served its purpose.
Lucid tried to use the pendant to speak to Karmen. He held it up, channeling a bit of fate essence into it. Nothing. Static. Silence.
"Come on," he muttered, shaking it. Still nothing.
For some reason, it just would not go through.
"Karmen, you said…"
"Yeah?" Lucid replied.
Arthur managed a breathless chuckle.
"It brings me back."
"We were classmates when I was a first year."
"I thought him my house… I mean, my signature move."
Lucid interjected, "Tempest of Shadow?"
He remembered one of the sword techniques he had used in his iterated lives as Karmen. He had not truly learned it. He had simply possessed the muscle memory and knowledge at his disposal back then when he faced Ivy. It had felt right, and it had been surprisingly effective.
"It is a widespread sword technique," Arthur said.
"You have a lot of known ones, and some that are rare."
"But the big ones are usually Heaven's Principle, The Tempest, and The way of the Ninefold Dao Style. You also have sword styles that derive from those three."
"Whoa… you happened to be the founder of one of the most used ones?"
"Well, no. That would be my ancestors …"
Ayame interrupted before Arthur could continue.
"But the core principle of the sword remains the same, no matter which style or technique you use."
Arthur nodded. He understood what she was insinuating.
"You wield it with the purpose to take a life, not for glory or honor."
Lucid fell silent. He had no real understanding of the sword. It looked cool and flashy, but he was going to stick with his chains for now. They were far more practical both close and for long distance combat. Plus he have already grown used to them.
"Moreover, I heard the Ninefold Dao style does not only focus on the sword but other weapons as well. Well anyways that is not the point."
"I see Karmen is alive and kicking."
"Send him my best regards."
So he knows him, Lucid thought.
Maybe the mission he sent him to Vex was not a coincidence. Maybe he wanted him to meet Arthur. But whatever had happened on that rail on his end did not seem like anything planned.
Arthur sat on one of the couches, watching. "Maybe he is busy?"
"Or maybe the signal does not reach this far," Lucid said, pocketing the pendant.
Ayame stood by the window, silent as always. Watching. Observing.
Arthur leaned back. "So. The Transcendence. That was quite the announcement."
"Yeah," Lucid said, sitting across from him. "Quite the show."
"Do you trust her?" Arthur asked. "The queen, I mean."
Lucid laughed. "Hell no. She played us all. Used us like pawns on a board. She told me herself it was checkmate."
"Then why are you going along with this?"
"Because I do not have much of a choice. And besides, six diamond coins plus interest."
Arthur smiled despite himself. "You are insane."
"Maybe. But at least I am getting paid for it."
Ayame spoke from the window, her voice quiet. "The coronation. It was rushed."
Both of them looked at her.
"The king's passing was abrupt," Arthur said slowly. "Now that you mention it, yes. He set out on an expedition a few months ago to the northern parts of Osteria. Basically where Lyssandra, the paladin, was stationed. I looked into the files as well. They really focused on covering the whole thing up."
"You think she had something to do with it?" Lucid asked.
"I do not know. But it is suspicious."
Ayame asked, still looking out the window, "Where are the southern reaches of Osteria? Would that lead us anywhere useful?"
Lucid stood and walked to a map hanging on the wall. Dust covered parts of it, but the major regions were visible.
"Apparently, Port Vexis. It is rumored to be a generally flourishing economy where many trade routes converge. Bustling. Lots of movement."
He traced his finger along the map. "It will take a week on foot. It is all the way to the southern parts of the continent."
"Can we not just take a carriage?" Arthur asked.
Lucid grinned. He pulled out a key from his pocket and dangled it. "I have something better. I have access to the golden pathways. Well, sort of. This thing can traverse the void. So it will only take a day to get there if we use it."
Arthur rose from his seat, eyes wide. "Where did you get that?"
"Oh, I guess I just crushed the self-esteem of some noble," Lucid said with a smirk.
Arthur laughed despite himself. "Alaric."
"Yep."
"Now we depart tomorrow. Any questions you got? Well, too late. I do not answer questions."
"Question," Ayame said.
Lucid jerked up, surprised she spoke. "Yeah?"
"Are you really okay with all of this? I have my reasons. Fredrick has reasons to uphold an oath and return as a knight. And well, you. Is it all to be rich?"
She said it with simplicity. No judgment. Just curiosity.
"Yes, of course. I want to be stinking rich."
"Very well," Ayame sighed.
Some time later, they entered the Starlight Train. The moment they stepped inside, the interior revealed itself. It was really vintage looking but also had a hint of modernism. Wood paneling mixed with sleek metal accents. Brass fixtures gleaming in the soft light.
Lucid made his way to the central panel and sat down. Controls spread before him like an instrument panel. Buttons. Levers. Dials.
"Can you steer all that?" Arthur asked, looking over his shoulder.
"No way in hell I can. Is there an auto-pilot function?"
Arthur looked at him with a patient smile. "Yes. When we are in the void, it navigates automatically. But you need manual control to enter and exit."
Lucid stood and gestured to the seat. "All yours then."
Arthur sat down. It seemed he had minor training in steering one of these. His hands moved with practiced ease over the controls.
Right now, they were at the edge of Vex. The train had stopped at a cliff where Alaric stood, hands crossed, looking at the ground that gave way to an endless void of clouds and mist. This was where the terrain of the continent of Osteria gave away. Where the land ended and the void began.
Alaric looked up as they opened the window.
"Well then. Goodbye. I hope you guys do not make it back."
"I hope your whole family goes bankrupt," Lucid replied.
They laughed.
Alaric's smile faded slightly. "I will atone for my sins. And for that, you try to do your best as well."
He waved.
Lucid waved back, then closed the window.
Arthur announced that they were ready. He pulled a lever. The train started to climb. Up into the sky. Into the mist. Into the purple void that stretched between continents.
Arthur looked down at the controls, amazed. "This thing can go wherever it wants? It is not set on rails?"
"Yup, I guess so," Lucid said.
A flashback flickered through his mind. During his inherited lives as Karmen, he had worked with his older brother on a blueprint. Was this what it meant? To reshape the whole transit system of the scattered realms?
How neat.
Ayame sat by a window overlooking the debris and the purple void. There was a light fireplace in the living room that doubled as a passenger seat area. Comfortable. Warm.
There seemed to be a remote. Lucid picked it up. A projection came alive at the window. Advertisements. Shows. Anything.
He turned it off immediately. It gave him nightmares about the whole train incident from before. The blood. The screams.
There seemed to be doors leading to places. Rooms, perhaps. It certainly was a big train with two floors.
He went inside one.
There was a room. A bed in the middle. A lamp that doubled as an alarm clock. A small table next to a starry window overlooking the void.
He was mesmerized. The purple mist swirled outside like living clouds.
He lay down on the bed for a brief moment, looking up at the ceiling.
'What in god's name have I gotten myself into?'
Before he could shut his eyes, he smelled something burning.
"The hell?" He made his way toward the living room and opened the door toward the kitchen.
Arthur was cooking. Next to him stood Ayame, watching with curious eyes.
"Why are you cooking?" she asked.
Lucid had a frightened look on his face, eyes wide.
Arthur looked at him and smiled. "Relax. It is on auto-pilot."
Lucid allowed himself a breath of exhalation. "Thank god."
Ayame asked again, "But why are you cooking?"
"Because Lucid will burn down the whole train if I let him near a stove," Arthur said matter-of-factly.
Lucid crossed his arms in annoyance. "Oh? Is that so?"
Ayame smiled. A real smile this time, not just the faint twitch from before.
Arthur laughed. "Yes. That is so. I tasted your oatmeal, remember? I think it qualified as a war crime."
"It was not that bad!"
"Lucid, I saw you spit it out yourself."
"That was just quality control!"
"Quality control," Arthur repeated, shaking his head while stirring something in a pot. "Sure."
Ayame's smile grew slightly. She looked at Lucid. "I also did not touch the porridge you made."
"You too?" Lucid threw his hands up. "Fine. Fine. I am a terrible cook. Happy?"
"Very," Arthur said.
As the train wound through the endless mist, the windows revealed a quiet, living warmth inside the carriage. For the first time, Lucid found himself genuinely enjoying the company of two other people as the journey continued.
He smiled.
He laughed, an obnoxious laugh. Maybe it was because he had started to enjoy this. Maybe it was because he had finally found the courage within himself to confide in others. Or maybe it was because he realized that in this vast world, this vast universe, he had never truly been alone.
***
End of Volume One: The Written Path
Author's Note:
Hey, I just wanted to thank you all so much for reading this far. It was a long volume, but from here on out I'll focus more on moving the pieces forward rather than just building the stakes. Once again, thank you so much for your support, and I hope you have a great month!