The restoration of the Express Trains brought the Nex Megalopolis back to full speed. Few trains were already fitted with Time Reverberation’s Isolation Sphere’s under the strict condition that the Train Cores operate at 50% less potency.
It was no secret that the trains were susceptible to being spirited away by the Spatial Distortions. In the worst-case scenario, the Impuritas would have the power of another tech imbued into the Etched Coins.
This was why only a select few trains were fitted with Isolation Spheres. Regular trains were a standard grey or white depending on whether they were an Express Train or not. These trains were black and decorated with white streaks and ring-like skirts that surrounded them. This served as the only way to visualize the barrier of an inactive Isolation Sphere.
When active they were nearly invisible to the naked eye, and one of the greatest dangers of them was accidentally being caught inside of one. Anyone can enter an Isolation Sphere. Every inch of the barrier was an entrance.
But there can only be one exit.
Snap wasn’t here unfortunately so these upgraded trains were their only way of reaching Atlas in a timely manner. Separate stations were required due to the effects of the Isolation Sphere. Furthermore, they only ran through underground tunnels.
Darkness surrounded them as they were on board one such train with another dozen individuals. Each compartment was private and reserved for individual groups as visitors of Atlas were far-few in between. After all, Atlas was the home of the Blessed and their families that did not live within the Nexus.
That population was only in the tens of thousands.
“Less than week and we already have underground systems set up.” Cer let loose an impressed whistle as she knocked on the thick windows that reflected her heavily distorted face. “Ten weeks in the making thanks to Jury’s tech. Hey. Where do you draw the line between magic and tech?”
“In my world tech is something reproducible. Logic is involved. The same can’t be said here because who knows how these things work.” Frost summarized. “Everything here is just magic cleverly disguised as tech as far as I’m concerned. No point in trying to figure out the how when we barely know the why.”
“Imagine our surprise when we heard that you could find them inside the Timeless Ruins.” Res leaned on a headrest made from dried up paint. It was irresistibly soft despite how ragged it looked.
“No wonder the underground is so distorted.” Ber hummed, tapping on her elbows as she sat with crossed legs. “No doubt another topic to bring to the table.”
“Oi, how about we drop this serious talk and lighten up?” Cer growled, walking her hand onto the table from the window. “Who cares if they have magic and tech like the Ateliers. It’s not like it’ll ever supersede them. And if they do, then just deploy one of us. That’s how diplomacy works, right?”
“Don’t listen to this warmongerer.” Res kicked Cer’s fingers with her own puppeted hand. The two got into a small scuffle on the table, fighting like they were some kind miniature boxing toys. “Stuff from the Timeless Ruins were never big enough to be a threat anyway as far as we’re concerned. But then again, we weren’t the Moons who dealt with that topic.”
“Eclipses on the otherhand –”, Ber crawled a hand into the fray, pinning both contestants with ease.
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“Guh!?”
“Grrr!”
“– Have a better picture. Those items would probably rival the stuff harvested from Corrupted. Emvita’s political climate comes in all extremes. War, monsters, the Ruins, stupidly strong weirdoes with those artefacts in hand… They’re pretty much relics of a time before the Eternal Library.”
"Before the Ateliers were kingdoms with those on hand, huh.” Frost hummed to herself as she stared at her own reflection, brushing stray strands of hair away from her eyes. “Has my hair gotten longer again?”
“You’re seeing things.” Cer scoffed.
“Why, you want longer hair? Like mine?” Ber brushed her fabulous hair, waving it as she wafted the scent of sweet roses across their entire, beautiful walnut compartment.
“I dunno. It feels nice playing with it, so I guess having longer hair would be better.” Frost muttered unknowingly, fiddling with the strands before she snapped out of her miniature trance. “I mean… well, nah. What do I mean ‘I mean’. You heard me loud and clear. It’s a bummer that I’m completely stuck.”
“Welcome to my world.” Cer said nonchalantly. “Now you know how poor me feels.”
“Please, you’re anything but worth pitying.” Res jabbed.
“Not true. Well, maybe compared to you. I just got beaten up a lot.” Cer spoke of her past like it was nothing, worrying Frost for a moment. “Hold your tongue Frost. Maybe once upon a time I got angry when these memories came back to me, but I’m fine. It’s not even the root of my own sleepless nights.”
Cer rested her cheek on a hand as she slouched onto the table, gazing at herself in the window.
“It’s probably a good time to talk about it now. Since we’re heading ‘there’.”
Her sisters brought their hands back to their laps as they fell silent. A heavy air surrounded them as Cer knocked on the table with a strange rhythm. As the silence stirred Frost quickly realized that it was in tune with her unstable heartbeat.
“It’s not fair that you’ve heard what their life was like. So about it? I’ll tell you my side of the story. That way I can get it off my chest.”
The same mature Cer she saw on that night in Whartow returned. Not a single hint of mischief filled those crimson eyes. Soon, they disembarked from the train and ventured into the fractured city of Atlas.
“You know Frost, Ber and I never knew the love of a parent.”
Cer spoke slowly as they travelled through the beautiful paradise that was Atlas. The population density was significantly smaller, and the central island housed countless grey spires that reached the skies. They were instruments similar to the pillars that held the Nex Megalopolis and played a vital role in gravitationally locking the Nexus in place.
Where they wandered were the vast, rocky yet grassy landscape of the archipelagos that surrounded the inner city. Ruins of the old Atlas were found overgrown with moss and vegetation. Decorations such as paintings, furniture, toys and burned pages scattered the interiors of these decrepit places – the remnants of people who once lived in a time unrecorded by history.
But they were beautiful. The sun disappeared behind the Nexus, plunging Atlas in an early night. It hardly had any sunlight to begin with due to its position. Yet fields of flowers blossomed on every fragmented island. In the center of each was an obelisk and countless rocks arranged in a uniform pattern.
“Our father disappeared a long time ago. Our mother thought we were strangers. You being just… just you ended up helping us more than you think.” Cer stuck the closest to Frost as Ber and Res led the way, collecting flowers as they crossed renewed bridges made from stone which connected the islands together.
Few people roamed this place alongside them. Not many lived in residential or farming islands, whereas the overwhelming majority were crammed in the ring that surrounded Atlas. Atlas itself was shaped like a ring with an intersecting cross. The quadrants were flooded with water and were generally inhospitable, fitted with Atelier instruments that ensured equivalent if not better security than the Atelier Cities.
Looking up Frost could see the few remaining Eyes of Caldera Industries directly within the shadow of the Nexus. She stood on the edge of one of the islands. It was the first night where no moon was in sight. Not a single star filled the dark world aside from the glimmers of gold that lined the bottom of the Nexus.
Then, with a meek voice, Cer whispered:
“But we gotta love our parents no matter what. I get that some people don’t deserve children. But all children deserve parents. Mom was sick. I desperately wanted to get her attention even if it meant being beaten down like a dog.”
Cer confessed.