Bael gazed at the disappearing silhouette of the man he once taught. Once he was no longer in view, Bael picked up the suitcase and left the train station. His tuition fee could be paid in the city so it was fine if he didn't take the money. It was best he didn't take the money. He might get robbed along the way.

Bael returned to the store. He opened the door and felt the sheer silence wash over him. The sound of someone hammering away was no longer apparent. Bael stood there for a few seconds, before returning upstairs. He put the suitcase in the most secure place in his store, under his bed. He sat down on his bed and gazed at the sword that hung above his bed. No longer was the blade long and curved, and instead was a normal longsword with some primitive inscription in his eyes.

And yet it was probably the most valuable thing he owned. Probably more valuable than the chest under his bed.

He looked to the window and gazed beyond the skies.

“I wonder how the kid is doing.”

This isn't good.

I looked left and right and saw that everyone was already seated. There were no seats in sight. I was in a Third-Class compartment, and it seemed that the Third-Class compartment was already full. I want to check the 2nd and 1st Class compartments but my ticket is only Third-Class. Oh, this is not a good start.

But I kept moving forward. And it was not until I reached the very end of Third-Class did the realization hit me. It was full the seats were full. The journey was a sixteen-hour ride, and like hell I'm gonna spend sixteen arrows standing on cramped spaces. But it seemed I had no choice. I sighed, and just as I was about to go back. The door that divided the 3rd from the 2nd class compartment opened.

Looking to see who it was, I was shocked and quickly turned around. Let's just hope he didn't see it was me.

“Fight me.”

Fuck.

Gazing outside the passing scenery, I admired the beauty of nature as we sped past it. Only. If only I could be there instead of here. There was a certain someone who kept staring right at me, so much so that his gaze could bore a hole right through me. He no longer insisted on fighting me, and instead just stared at me like I was some piece of art. I wanted to tell him to stop staring at me, but the person at his side was watching over us, particularly watching over me, and I'm sure that if I said the wrong thing, my head would roll.

I slightly looked back at him and the moment I did he said. "How did you train? Where did you train? Did anybody teach you? What technique are you using? And why didn't you fight me seriously back then?” Crap. He could have said any other thing, but why did he just mention that last part. I felt my blood turn cold. I glanced at his side and saw that Guard was glaring at me, his hand on the handle of his sword. I wanted to answer since he did get me a seat at the 1st-Class Compartment, but the pressure that his guard was putting on me was too much.

"Stop. Go Away.”

“But young master-”

“I don't repeat myself.” The white-haired rich kid said. The guard seemingly wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut. The young master in front of me didn't even look at his Guard and instead continued to stare at me, waiting for my answer. His Guard obeyed, bowing and then leaving. But before he did, he took one final glance at me and then, he left.

Now it was just the two of us. I'm starting to miss his Guard.

He kept staring at me. Fine.

“First off, what's your name. I don't even know your name. You know mine for some reason, yet I don't know yours.”

"Severin von Schlieffen. Heir to House Schlieffen. Now answer my question Kayde.”

"Okay. To answer your question, I just trained. At my house. Yes, a blacksmith. And I just wanted it to be over.”

“Those are not good answers.”

“Tough.”

Severin furrowed his brows yet I did not mind his reaction one bit. Now, why would I antagonize a person from an obviously uber-wealthy family? Which could probably end me tomorrow if they wanted to. Simple. I don't fear them. Why should I fear them when my greatest fear has already happened to me? And plus, they're like bullies. Once you give them an inch, they're gonna want a whole tract of land. It has to stop and it ends here.

“Why are you so rude Kayde.”

"Seriously?”

"Indeed.”

“Wow okay. Hm. Maybe it's because you kept trying to fight me for hours at that time. And even when I fulfilled your wish, you still insisted. I'm not the rude one. You are.”

I said, almost to a level where I almost shouted. I took a deep breath and reclined on my chair. Im frustrated. I looked back at Severin and saw that he had a puzzled look on his face. “I see. Then I apologize Kayde.” He said. I was startled. I just wanted to vent my frustrations but I didn't actually think he was going to apologize. When has a noble ever apologized? Now I'm embarrassed. I coughed on my mouth and said.

“Ah, I'm sorry too. I lost my temper there. I apologize.”

Silence ensued. Then it broke as Severin said. “I am not naive Kayde. I may have made a mistake in treating you like a practice dummy, mostly because I know not the feeling of getting rejected. But what I do know is that something is bothering you Kayde. I am trained in virtually everything there is, which includes Human Nature.”

Oh, what the heck. It's not like he's gonna tell anybody.

“I'm sad. But also excited. I do not know if I can even pass the coming trial, much less endure the harsh academic environment of the Academy. I also left everything I ever knew so that. But do I regret it? No, not really. I know the price I must pay for what I desire, and I'm willing to pay it a thousand times. ”

“And what is it you desire Kayde?”

I stopped myself. Considering whether I should tell my dream to this Psycho. But for some reason, even though my every sense of reasoning is telling me not to tell it to this crazy guy, my gut tells me I can. “Find my parents,” I muttered under my breath. I was hoping that he didn't hear it, but I was wrong.

“I see. I understand where you are coming from Kayde.”

“Do you though? You come from such a rich and powerful family. Do you even have problems?”

Oh crap. That was too far. I froze and saw that Severin was no longer looking at me. Instead, he was looking at the passing scenery. I was about to apologize again when Severin said. “My mother. I also miss her.”

Me and my big mouth.

Alright, get it together.

I splashed some water on my face. I stared at the mirror and inspected my face. I looked tired, to say the least. It's already been a few hours since the train ride started, and I'm already exhausted when dealing with the little prince. Mostly because it was my fault. I just had to mention his family. Sometimes, I gotta realize to stop talking and just start listening.

Sighing, I dried my face with a dry cloth and exited the bathroom. Just as I exited, a fellow passenger bumped into me. As I was about to apologize, the guy who bumped into me just glared at me before continuing on. In the moment that he turned, I think I saw something glint, like a dagger of sorts. That wasn't weird. It wasn't strange for a fellow passenger to have a weapon, hell I have a sword on board.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The dagger wasn't the strange part. It was what soaked the dagger. And If I am not mistaken, that was blood. Once I realized it, I wanted to confirm and check to see if it really was blood, but I think I was too late. I quickened my steps to chase after the guy. It seemed that he realized someone was chasing him, as he promptly turned around and stared at me. I paused. He paused.

The air seemed to have frozen over between us. Then he bolted. He ran straight for the door leading to the next compartment. I started chasing after him. Once he passed through to the next compartment, I tried following after, and yet when I did, his figure vanished.

What? That can't be. I squinted my eyes, alert and cautious. I kept my composure and relaxed myself. I passed through every chair, glancing sideways ever so often making sure that he didn't just hide himself among the crowd. Once I checked the entire compartment, I was sure that he was truly gone. Something strange is happening on this train, and I'm not liking it.

Seriously, if a cliche murder on the train just happened here, then I would be really disappointed. I stared forward and back, and it seemed that there were no suspicious individuals for now. I think I need help.

Yeah, no thanks. Like I'm asking for help from that guy.

I then checked the subsequent compartments and there was still no trace of him. Now, I'm starting to think I'm going insane from the stress. Like, come on. A murder happened on a train that carried one passenger of Nobility and who knows what else. I rubbed the sides of my head and made my way back to the passenger.

“Something wrong.”

“Gah! You scared me.” I flinched and realized that Severin was staring at me with his ice-cold eyes. “What? No, it's fine. I checked. I think I was just hallucinating from all the stress.”

“No. I'm sure of it. Something is wrong with this train.”

“Uhuh, how?”

“Wulfin. My family's innate ability. It's telling me that something dangerous is on the train right now. Something going to happen. “

“Your what?”

“Wulfin. It's something that every Schlieffen direct descendant has. It's akin to that of a wolf's instinct that warns them whenever something dangerous is near.”

That's overpowered and unfair. Does it also tell them how strong an opponent really is? Because if so, then I don't understand why this guy keeps challenging me. Does he have a fetish for challenging people weaker than him? Hey, I'm not judging but still... Can he do that on some other poor schmuck? “I know what you are thinking right now, but put it aside. Something-”

BOOM!

A deafening explosion occurred. It rocked the compartment that we stood on. We both gazed towards the direction where the sound came from and dashed toward it. It was coming from the 1st-Class Compartments. This aint good. We arrived at the boundary between the 1st and 2nd Class and realized that the damage was less extensive than we thought. Without even me saying anything, Kigen materialized from Severin which reminded me of the winter cold, and bolted towards it.

Without using Kigen, I followed behind him.

It was carnage. Smoke billowed from the various parts of the compartment. The fire was nearly everywhere. People were either passed out from the shock or were simply lifeless. A man then emerged from the carnage, and I realized that it was the guard that was with Severin. His right hand was limp, his left leg injured and scorched. It was already a miracle that he was still alive. Besides that, he was still injured but not enough to stop him from moving.

"Young- Young master.” The guard spat out blood as he said those words. He fell forward yet Severin caught him on time. “What happened,” Severin asked, his voice ice cold, making the atmosphere feel that it was submerged under the winter storm despite the heat. "Bomb.. There was... a bomb. The others..” Severin stared at the rest, and seemingly focused his senses.

“There are still survivors aren't there,” I said.

I didn't wait for his confirmation and dashed there first. I smashed the door of one room and almost puked from what I saw. None survived there. I continued and systematically checked one room. Thankfully, there was only one compartment for 1st Class so it didn't take long. Once we save everyone we can. Severins gaze and mine collided in the air.

“What do we do?” I said.

“It's not over. If they blew up one bomb, then I'm sure there are others.”

“Surely not. If they wanted to make a statement, then blowing up a carriage that carried wealthy merchants and nobility was plenty.”

“No. Indeed, that is a logical argument. But when were Terrorists ever logical beings?”

I didn't have a retort for that one. The train was still hours away from reaching its destination, and if everything went as they were going now, then there was the possibility that the train would never reach its intended destination. I can't have that. It was then that a lightbulb sparked inside my mind.

“The Central Control!” Just as I said it, the train went to a screeching stop.

Fuck.

We checked in on the 2nd-Class Compartment and it was pandemonium. The people were panicking left and right. Some tried running towards the other compartments, while others just sobbed on the spot. There were a few that kept their composure but they were the one percent. I quicked my steps towards a window and realized that we really were in a precarious situation.

The sky already darkened overhead. The forests were sighted. Everything seemed fine except that when I looked down, I realized that it was just water. “Severin. We are in the middle of a bridge aren't we?” I asked in case I was hallucinating, but Severin quietly nodded an affirmation. I sighed.

"Alright then. Severin, use your princely aura to calm them down, while I go check on central command.”

“Agreed.”

Infusing some Kigen on my feet, it took only a second for me to move from one compartment to the other. I wasn't worried that Severin couldn't calm them down. He had this commanding aura that cannot be denied. Would be nice If I also had it but whatever.

I arrived at one of the three 3rd-Class Compartments and realized that a hostage situation was going on. Five men and women, holding various assortment of weapons, were herding the passengers to the other compartment. They had their face covered as they wore a mask that covered their face. It was pitch black, and a yellow star was at the center of it. How can they even see that thing? Hiding behind a chair, I peeked towards them and checked them out.

It seemed that they disguised themselves as normal passengers since all they were were casual suits and dresses. They pointed their weapons at the panicked and fearful passengers and directed them to the next compartment. One of them suddenly turned their gaze towards me. So this is how it's going to go ain't it.

The lady who realized I was hiding didn't even say anything and made a dash towards me. I tried grabbing my sword at my side, but I belatedly realized that it wasn't there. This literally couldn't get any worse.

I stand corrected.

The Kigen that the lady was using had destructive properties. Meaning that if I get hit by her attack, then I'm most probably gonna get ripped apart. Ah, fuck it. I focused all my attention on the lady, ignoring the others that were following after her. I could see that their Kigen was still dangerous, but not as dangerous as the lady. The lady reached me and vertically swung her sword at me. I sidestepped her attack and used a Kigen-infused fist at her.

She blocked it with her own hand. She held my fist tight, flipped her blade, and tried swinging it at my sides. I looked at the blade and saw the particles of Kigen that were infused on the sword. It was destructive, to say the least. Hmmm. Well, time to put my great old dad's Techniques to use.

The Simple Technique: 24 Styles of Simplicity.

Nullifying Hand.

I used the opposite type of Kigen that she used, positive Kigen, and used my left hand to stop her sword in its current direction. Instead of my hand being ripped apart from the sheer negative energy that the Kigen had, It was blasted apart along with my own Positive Kigen. I grabbed the edges of the blade and stopped its path. The blade lightly shook as she tried pushing it further, but that's what all it could do, was shake.

I stared straight at where her eyes would be and wearily smiled. "Annoying right? I also thought so when I learned about it.” I think she just snorted and pulled back, letting the other two that followed after her attack me. One held a Scimitar while the other held two daggers. The one with the dagger reached first, slicing the air as he tried opening me up, but I infused some Kigen on my hands. I grabbed both his wrists and pulled and twisted him mid-air. I pulled back my right arm, still infused with Kigen, and hit him directly in the chest as he flew across the compartment. The guy with the scimitar didn't react fast enough and collided with him.

Picking up the daggers that fell on his hands, I swung it around and felt that it was enough for a temporary weapon.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, so you guys speak? Thats cool. So, mind telling me why you guys hijacked the train.”

“Answer my question Imperial Dog.”

“First off, I don't even like the empire, second off, I uh. I'm Bob.”

“Lies. Die then.” The woman then started radiating a destructive aura, as the ground she stood on and the surroundings around her started being obliterated on a molecular level. What the hell. I knew that Destruction-type Kigen existed but I didn't expect them to meet so soon. They were usually really rare like a Unicorn. She dashed towards me as she said. “You can't nullify my attack every time Imperial Dog.”

Again, not an imperial dog, but it seems like she doesn't care even if I tell her again. I kept my distance from her, dodging her attack ever so often but it was becoming an arduous task in such a small space. A combo attack then. Just as she swung her sword for the umpteenth time, I used Nullifying Hand to scatter her destructive aura. But it's only gonna last for a few seconds. But that is enough.

24 Styles of Simplicity.

Heaven’s Fist

My right hand shone with a golden Kigen, and I sent it flying toward the woman. She tried blocking with her sword but she still skidded on the floor as she was sent back. Just as she stopped, she seemed to have spat blood as blood started dripping from inside her mask. I stood tall and signaled for her to come. I'm really hoping she won't.

But it seemed that the heavens had finally pitied me, as she signaled for her companions to retreat. They vanished towards the next compartment. I waited for several seconds more, and just when I was sure that they were gone. I released the breath that I was holding and collapsed on the ground.