The achromatic-haired Vulpian sighed as she carried her black and gold briefcase that matched her attire which consisted of a long black coat, black pants, and boots. She had the briefcase swapped between hands every couple of minutes to avoid fatigue.
"I can't believe we got kicked out for saving the academy the other day, absolute dumb shit," Akko said as she walked beside Yukina with her briefcase over her shoulder.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, the actual reason is that we intruded on campus after hours," Yukina replied. "At least we got some helpful information about how I can further my expertise as a blacksmith and where you can learn some martial arts." The two Vulpians were on their way to Vertelia's bustling train station, which is usually filled to the brim with tourists to see the legendary tropical beaches.
"Ms. Kojima said to visit Mabel, right? I've never really seen Mabel for myself. Isn't that place primarily Virian, kinda like Hyperborea?" Akko asked. Before Yukina could respond, the Draconian foreigner, who is usually seen with this 'legendary' trio, finally caught up to them.
"Alright, I'm ready for the trip!" Adeo exclaimed; he apparently wasn't equipped with any sort of travel baggage. The man grinned at the two but was only met with judging eyes and disappointed air.
"Adeo, I hope you don't mind my inquiry, but where is your baggage?" Yukina asked with her face held in the palm of her hand. Once again, Adeo surprised no one with his antics.
"Oh, I accidentally left it at the apartment!" He replied before turning back to grab his forgotten valuables.
"Hurry back." Yukina waved; both Vulpians made their way to the National Altian Train Station. The station was bustling with people from all over the continent. Steam from the train filled the air and gave the station a welcoming humid atmosphere despite how busy it was.
"Alright, I'm back with my bag," Adeo said, walking up to the two with a grin. Yukina decided that since everyone was accounted for that, they could present their visas to the Altian Train Security Association, or 'ATSA' for short.
"Wait up!" Lily exclaimed from the entrance of the train station, waving to her friends. She was exhausted from running with her suitcase; once she caught up with Yukina and company, she placed her luggage down and doubled over to catch her breath.
"Lily? Aren't you supposed to be attending your tavern?" Akko asked as she scratched the back of her head to try and dispel her confusion. The trio waited for Lily's reply as she was still huffing from the run.
"Tis okay; once I heard that you guys were quitting town, I rang up my brother to see if he could take care of the tavern whilst I'm aw-"
"Wait, you have a brother?" Adeo interrupted, which in turn attracted the attention of several bystanders. He cracked his knuckles with a self-assured grin. "Is he strong?" He asked as his eyes lit with battle-ready flare.
"No, he's a tavern keeper; why would he-" Yukina cut herself off before looking at Lily before she continued her response. "-want to fight you when he has such a busy line of business?" Adeo's would be response was interrupted by the sound of a bell. The bell signified to the passengers that the train was leaving soon.
The quartet scrambled to the female ATSA officer, who was dressed in a black button-up shirt, a gold-colored tie, black pants, black shoes, and a lanyard wrapped around her neck that held a casing for her Altian Government Issued Visa; a card for identification with the picture of the visa's owner. The woman asked for the citizen visas of each of the party members before asking them for five-hundred Aurum to pay for a single ticket. Yukina paid for everyone's ticket, and they continued to the ticketer to get their tickets punched before boarding the train. The ticketer seemed to be part of the ATSA as he wore the same uniform and was skilled with the hole puncher as he made orifices on the ticket in the form of the word: 'accepted.' A loud whistle came from the train before the wheel slowly began rotating on the tracks. This magitech train was, as the name implied, powered by magical energy, the specific term by which most engineers, scientists, and various other fields called the particle: Arcatoms, short for Arcane atoms.
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The interior of the train was illuminated by the lights from the roof. The seats were fashioned with Blue leather cushions in a booth with a table in the center of the booth, and each booth was separated from the aisle by a glass door.
Yukina's eyes grew wide in amazement as her Cerulean-colored eyes surveyed the room; she couldn't help but admire the architecture and the sheer genius that went into designing what was, in her eyes, a brilliant piece of magitech. She acquired her seat along with the rest of her party; they chose a booth on the right of the train Yukina and Lily sat in the seat with their backs facing the back of the train so they could see the front entrance to the train and Adeo and Akko chose the seat to face towards Yukina and Lily since everyone besides Adeo agreed that having four to a seat would be too crowded, with Adeo's reasoning against the two per seat plan was that so he can see and be able to fight anyone who challenged him. Naturally, he was scolded by the rest of the party and was forced to agree to their terms. The train started to move; the whistle blared as it inched forward on the track, slowly gaining speed. Yukina felt relaxed by the movement of the train and the comfortable seat that invited her body into a slumber; her eyes felt heavy as she struggled to keep them open. Still, destiny and nature had taken their course, and she succumbed to her drowsiness.
Visions of a figure dressed in black invaded her mind; the person seemed to have a feminine physique, emerald green hair, and russet brown skin. The woman looked in Yukina's direction as their mouth moved as if she was trying to say something important. However, no sound was made nor could be heard; the visual was only accompanied by silence.
"I-I can't hear you," Yukina replied, or at least thought she did; that's right, it was her thoughts and not words that were spoken; she, too, wasn't able to project words meant to be heard. The figure smiled at Yukina before walking away to a familiar blood-stained desert.
Yukina's eyes slowly opened; time had passed her by; now night had fallen upon the world; the skies were a deep navy blue as the Twin moons illuminated the sky, dyeing the grassy plains betwixt Vertelia and Mabel the self-same color the sky donned; Adeo and Akko were fast asleep their heads keeping one another from falling.
"Can't sleep either, huh?" A voice said from the window side of the booth to Yukina's left. Lily smiled; she seemed to shine from the moonlight that carefully and leisurely invaded the booth. "Huh, M-Ms. Yukina, are you alright...you're...crying?" Lily followed up on her previous question, which left both Vulpians confused.
"Eh?" Now that she mentioned it, Yukina realized how blurred her vision was. Was she crying in her sleep? The tears still welling up in her eyes, begging to be brushed away by her forearm so as not to become fated to fall to the floorboards. "Sorry, I'm fine... tis just I had a weird dream."
"Ms.Yukina, this is the first time I've seen you...emote. You're usually very stoic. Are you sure you're alright?" Lily asked with the intention of reassuring her friend if any underlying issues were to be the root of this potential helical problem.
"...To be honest, Lily, it just feels as if I'm not allowed to feel joy. Somehow I feel pain in my heart, but I don't know what it is...I get reoccurring dreams...but I can hardly remember what happens in them as if they aren't my own. All I can remember is the pain, sorrow, and solitude that I'm subjected to in these dreams." Yukina said as darkness encapsulated her vision; two strands of golden hair lay before her, and she knew that she was being embraced by Lily.
"That pain and suffering you feel has passed. You're here now with us. You're allowed to be happy around us because we want you to be happy, and tis only right that you'd do the same. Forget about that dream and just focus on this moment right now with your friends." The golden-haired Vulpian replied as she stroked Yukina's hair. Once Yukina had fallen back to sleep, she would sit the achromatic-haired Vulpian up in a way so that her shoulder would be the makeshift pillow for Yukina's head. She checked to make sure that Adeo and Akko were still sleeping before whispering, "We'll look after you, Yukina."