“He took me back four days after the orientation day, which was… 2019 middle of August. It was not the best time of my life, I can say. To repeat a process was suck, especially when something has changed. I have no one to tell about this, not even my parents; they could call me crazy, meeting a god dressed in a priest or fashion designer attire. I bet my mom dragged me back to church, to cleanse the evil spirits from my body.”

“They kinda strict to religion are they?”

“Do not ... say bad things about my parents.”

“Sorry,” Ansel looked at the table. Then he stared Maven again, “so that was the first time you made a story?”

“I already write when I was junior high, I kept all my stories in a diary. Most of it was love stories or teen lit. I use it as an escape from reality because I was bullied and picked up to unnecessary fight." Maven lowered her voice at the end, she was ashamed.

Ansel opened apart from Maven's life that she never told to anyone on the internet. He was glad that he could be someone that could understand other's pain. "At least you have a chance to escape."

“I hope I never meet Chronos, he was evil, for me.”

“He was a jerk, but maybe it was his motive to protect our world from evil.” Ansel retorted.

Maven stressed her eyebrows, "but he tortures me, so he is still a jerk regardless of his motives."

Ansel released a short breath, panic and frustration mixed, “if she appeared here, that guy must be somewhere.”

“And I'm afraid if he throws us again, or tortures us, or killed us, not only us but the whole train," Maven supported her head with her hands, "I was afraid if he throws me to my childhood. I was… it was traumatic, I don’t want to repeat it once again.”

Ansel patted Maven’s shoulder, "Well, I just hope that he will throw us to the pleasant point in our life, maybe to the future. No torture at all.”

"At all? Throwing ourselves into the future counts as torture, because we don’t have the knowledge yet, we acquire it through experiences, fault, and conflict. It was all controlled by fate if someone manipulates it; no one knows what the future will be.”

Ansel nodded slowly; somehow he was still pissed of what the professor would say if he hadn’t passed the thesis in the future. “It will be an imperfect future.”

There was silence between them, only the sound of chatting stewardess, other passengers, and diesel machine. They were anxious about something that no one else knows.

Maven's mind filled with the scene of the accident, but it didn't happen when she returned in another timeline. She never met her nemesis anymore; her nemesis went to another university, but still in the same town. Still, the scenario played in her mind.

Meanwhile, Ansel kept thinking, professor ‘Hitler’ classes could be passed perfectly. It was out of his character to give a perfect score. Also, he never heard of Professor Ivan Sigmund, only Brian knew him.

Ansel arm crossed, he leaned closer to Maven, “Could it be that Chronos also appeared to them?”

“Them?”

"The ones those were so despicable to us." Ansel's sight sharpened. He tried to concentrate. "It seemed that everything was fine, but the change was too strange."

“Probably, I would be glad if Chronos scares Andini.” Maven slightly nodded. “Or, was it Thabit?”

“Man, I missed the opportunity to see that professor being chased by a wild woman." Ansel giggled. "Yeah, it could be another speculation. Brian might have seen her but maybe he wasn’t able to tell it. I want to discuss it together—“

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Maven scratched her head, “I should prepare for my presentation tomorrow. I wished I have more time.”

They went back to their cargo. On the way back, the train moved oddly, it shook as if it was turning direction. Ansel stopped for a while, he stood between two cargos, the two cargos felt like about to separate. Brian stood up, anxiety could be seen from his face. It was something that made the ground moved.

“Earthquake?” Brian asked.

Lintang ducked below the chair, he held Mega, covered her head with his arms. “Stay low!”

Brian followed. Ansel and Maven couldn’t move from their position. Maven held the chair strongly, she felt uneasy.

“Someone should stop the train now.” Maven said in a low voice, her fear arisen.

The ground stopped shaking, low and short earthquake. Probably somewhere else, the buildings were destroyed by the bigger quake, or the sea moved like a bowl of water being shaken abruptly.

Brian stood up again. Silently feeling the cargo moved, it was normal for now. Brian was an overly cautious person when it comes to something emergency.

"Ansel, Maven, please move, stay low. Another earthquake sometimes occurs in a few minutes."

"I hope we're safe." Mega worried, she still stayed low below the chair. Even though it was so filthy, cobwebs chewed gum.

Safety over vanity.

Maven shook her head fast, she refused Brian’s offer, “better for us to stood beside the door, or the joint.”

“You fool! If the train rolled down, what would you do? You’ll be smashed than safe!” Brian told her harshly.

“No—“

Another earthquake, this time it was stronger. Ansel jumped towards Maven. His body was above her, they lay down on the floor, low. Ansel closed his eyes, he didn't want to think beyond this. He just wanted to be saved.

“Dear passengers, we’re about to pass the long tunnel. Please watch your luggage—“ the automatic voice audio was cut.

*Bzzt* “Dear passengers, this is a word from the captain, stay calm on your seat. We have an earthquake going on. May God always protect us—“the captain’s message cut by a long buzz.

The ground shook hard. A whole train filled with cries, sorrow, prayers, echoing through the walls of cargo hoping that it walked faster, to escape from being crushed by the tunnel. It was dark; the lights were turned off, the hum of diesel now changed into a roar. The train was forced to move faster than the speed of light. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The measurement of time was still, but at this moment, it made people think that time moved slower.

A sound of the roaring wind, the cargo that Ansel rode was the last to pass the tunnel. Ansel hoped that he will be saved, not knowing what or who saved him and his friends. Another soaring sound, and then faded slowly. There was no sign of a quake, the floor doesn’t move at all.

Ansel opened his eyes; the floor was no longer filthy. It was blinding white. Maven was beside him, she lay on the floor. Brian, Lintang, and Mega lay on the floor, but further from them. When they rose up, there was one big question being asked by three persons at the same time.

“Where are we?”

Ansel dared not to speak this to anyone. He visited this place before, in his dream. A dream that felt too real and bizarre that made him think that he was not dreaming. He was taken to this place. A place that everything was washed white, except, there was the black pool that placed on the centre of the room. The walls that circled the pool on his dream now had gone.

“Is this the place that you told me?” Maven whispered.

“Hem, yes.”

“Ansel! Wake up!” Brian shook him.

“It’s a dream bro, don’t be worried.”

“A dream? What kind of nonsense is that?” Mega furiously demanded an answer.

“Just. Stay calm, maybe we are all sleeping.”

“Sleeping eternally?” Lintang made a hypothesis. “There was a quake and this appeared. We’re dead.”

“Guys,” Maven cut, “maybe we’re in a coma.”

"Well I believe in you rather than your friend's nonsense," Mega agreed, "besides, we could see nothing at all here. What scared me was how long does the time passed in the real world if we are in a coma?"

“You’ll know that soon when you’re awake.” Maven stated.

"Someone wake me up!" Mega screamed, "if you could hear me! Please, anyone!" she cried while she was screaming. "Please…"

Lintang didn't comfort Mega this time. He too needed comfort for himself, being dead was a deal rather than in a coma. Taking care of a comatose patient would cost a hand, leg, or kidney. Lintang fell on his knees. Brian lose all of his strength from his body, he decided to lie down beside Ansel, waiting for something that could save his life.

All of the despair made weight on Ansel's shoulder. He wasn't able to tell them where exactly are they, he still didn't understand much about this place.

“You are the ruler of dream and hope, you own a dream dimension. This is where you used to work.” He remembered the words.

“I wish I could take you out of this place, the sooner the better.” He tried to prove what Thabit said was right.

"No, someone has to wake us up," Lintang said hopelessly.

“Then I wish someone wake us up, sooner the better.”

A big crack on the white ground, exactly below Ansel’s heart, Ansel couldn’t move his body, he let himself fall aimlessly. The crack spread wider to Maven and Brian position, they too let themselves fall. Mega was scared, she ran away from the crack, Lintang was behind her, but he didn't manage to run away, his step failed him and he fell. The crack now below Mega's foot, she stepped on a fracture and fell.

Far below them was a black hole, with nine walls surrounding. The black hole swallowed them into nothing.