It takes the better half of an hour before we arrive at the train station hanger. I don't know much about these civilian airships, but like all airships, a float core powers them. It's one of the few planetary cores not based around an element. Anything it touches floats, no matter how big it is. If it isn't attached to something, it floats. However, for some reason, civilian airships can't go up and down like the military ones. So, instead, hangers were built to allow ships to move without the worry of landing. Some are only a few stories tall, while important ones, like the train station hangar, are a hundred feet or taller.

I stare at the slick silver building as we approach. There is an opening in the wall every ten floors to allow airships to come in and out. We enter the level ten hangar. The inside is pretty bland—just a bunch of different floating boxes and metal walls lit by flame. We walk to the end of the hangar to a large elevator. It's open at the top to allow for large cargo. Reaching the bottom takes a few minutes, and we come to a massive lift system when we do.

"It never fails to impress," Hearon says breathlessly.

And he's right. A massive cable system runs three hundred feet up to the top of the overhang. Every twentyish feet, a metal platform can be seen. The lift never stops moving, bringing people from the single train that runs between Calypso and Igneous. As we approach the boarding platform a lift slides into place. We step onto it and start the slow ascent.

"Is there a reason we can't take one of the crosstrek ships?" I ask.

Zack shrugs, "The train is a better ride. After all, only the most wealthy can ride it."

Right. I forgot they don't have money problems, unlike me, who has been broke for the last two months. Soon, we're higher than all the buildings beside the Spine. It's a breathtaking view. All of Calypso sparkles like jewels.

Zack whistles, "I can see why it's called the Jewel of Humanity."

I nod. I've never seen Calypso from this height before at night. It really is something. It takes us another ten minutes before we reach the top. The station itself isn't anything impressive, just a brick building with bars to show the man behind them the train ticket and a small wooden platform lit by flame-powered lanterns. There are only a few people at the station. Considering the time, I wonder what they are doing here. I'm also surprised to discover they had already bought the tickets beforehand.

"We were bringing a fourth back whether it was you or not," Azu explains.

"Ah," I say, somewhat disturbed. Hearon and Zack remain on guard as we wait for the train. God, how long are we gonna have to wait? I settle onto one of the benches on the platform, expecting this to take a while, but to my surprise, the train arrives in only a few minutes. What impeccable timing. The train comes to a stop and we board. The outside wasn't anything special. Just a bunch of square boxes with gold engraved into it.

The train also hovers a few inches above the track. It doesn't use a float core. I read in a book that it uses something called electromagnetism as its form of locomotion. It's technology no one understands.

Zack leans close to me, "You know I heard that this train was built around the same time as the Spine. Some kind of relic from a long-lost era. I wonder who made it?"

I shrug, "How would I know? For all I know, a fairy could have made this thing."

Zack's face goes hard, "No. Fairies are too stupid." I look at him, confused.

I look over at Hearon, "He's joking, right?" Hearon either didn't hear me or chose to ignore the question. We make our way through several cars. All are lined with red velvet and have cushy seats with tables. Waiters dressed in tuxedoes walk up and down the aisles, offering drinks and food to the various passengers. We seat ourselves in the front of the car near the rear engine.

"Alright, I think it's time I got some answers," I say impatiently.

Hearon shakes his head, " Not till the train is moving." It takes a few minutes, but a ding is heard and the train lurches forward. It's slow at first, but then it starts getting faster. And faster. Soon, everything is a blur.

"What the hell!" I shout, surprised. Isn't this going too fast? I start to stand, but Zack pulls me back down to my seat.

"Oh, calm down. Would this be many people's preferred way to travel if it didn't have a few special perks?" I hesitantly sit. Even though we have to be going a couple hundred miles an hour, the train moves smoother than most airships.

"Now," Hearon says, lacing his hands on the table, "About those answers. We have an hour till the next stop, so why not play a game of questions. You ask us a question, and we ask you one. I must warn you that there are things we cannot disclose." Hmm. I wonder why? Guess I won't be getting all my answers.

"Alright. Who are you people?" Zack and Hearon look at Azu. She sighs heavily.

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Azu grabs a lock of her hair and twirls it around her finger as she talks, "The best way to describe us... Think of us as adventures. Or maybe archeologist." I raise an eyebrow. I've never seen an archaeologist armed to the teeth. Nor have I ever seen an adventurer. I'm expecting more, but Azu says nothing else.

"My turn," Zack says.

I hold up my hands, "Hey, wait a minute. Is that it? A two-sentence answer?"

Azu shrugs, "That is one of the things we cannot tell you." Great. Seems like I can't even get simple answers.

Zack clears his throat and nods toward my right arm, "What happened there?" I look down and see my right arm exposed. The black veins that go from the top of my hand to the middle of my forearm are entirely exposed. I guess there's no reason to hide it now that I'm no longer being hunted. I stare at the red carpet and sigh. A question for a question. They'd probably figure it out eventually, anyway. I look back up at the three across from me. "This is core poisoning."

"Obviously." Azu says, rolling her eyes.

Hearon grunts, but Zack looks confused, "What's that?" Both of his companions look at him like he's a stranger. "What? I've never heard of it."

Hearon sighs and motions for me to continue. "Core poisoning happens when a Neo core explodes. It's kinda like radiation," I explain to Zack. He crosses his arms and nods like he knew the entire time, which wouldn't surprise me. He probably only said that to keep me talking.

"I used to live just outside the Finsal mountain range. My father owned one of the largest P-core mining companies." As I say this, memories start popping into my head. The massive mansion I used to live in. The servants moving about the house doing their daily chores. The horse track where I spent a lot of time betting on races. I frown. If only I hadn't been so spoiled, maybe things would have been different.

"One day, there was an..." I pause. All three look at me expectantly. I take a deep breath. It's been a while since this crossed my mind. "There was an accident, and a Neo core was shattered. It destroyed everything. My home, my family, and everything I knew." As I say this, I fidget with my fingers, refusing to look at them. "I left my home and went to Calypso, where Mirin rescued me. He trained me to be a mercenary. A good one."

I run my right hand through my hair with a sigh, "The poisoning didn't affect me at first. For over a year and a half I was perfectly healthy. But one day, it just hit out of nowhere. Core poisoning is a slow death. Your hair starts to turn red, and your veins slowly become black. Over time you lose your appetite, but by the point you should be starving, your entire body has lost all feeling."

I pause, this time to compose myself. A feeling of sadness runs through me like a deep wound. "You're thinking of someone else," Zack says, not as a question but as a fact.

I let out a deep breath. There's no reason to tell them everything. "That's not important. Anyway, you reach a point where you can't move. Your body will slowly start to wilt. It takes around six months to reach that point. And then you die. Peacefully. No pain. No feeling at all." for the first time since I started talking, I look up at them. They say nothing and have no emotion on their face, but I can tell they have plenty of questions. I can play this game, too. I point at the red lock in my hair, "This and the veins are what remains from my poisoning. I'm not entirely sure how Mirin did it, but he implanted a black core into my heart. Somehow, that healed me, and here we are."

Zack and Hearon look at Azu, and she sighs, "It was probably through the use of a Siphon." That sounds familiar. I could have sworn Mirin said something about those things when I lived in the tower, but I can't place it. I look at Azu expectantly. She remains quiet for a few moments before pointing towards Hearon.

"He is a Siphon. It is probably best to show you than try to explain it without context." I look at Hearon, and as I do, a flash of metal slides across my left arm, leaving a small cut. I jump in surprise and look at Azu, stunned. I thought I had amazing reaction time, but she moved so fast I could barely see her draw her knife. I move to grab the small incision, but Hearon beats me to it and puts his hand on my wound and his other hand on Zack. Suddenly, a warmth flows over my arm, and the stinging sensation from the cut disappears.

I look down at my arm to see my arm completely healed. "D-did he just heal me?"

Hearon chuckles, "You should see the look on your face."

Zack scowls, "It might be funny to you, but feeling my energy disappearing is not."

I look back down at my arm, and it clicks. "Right, I remember. Siphons take energy from something to use it themselves." I say, pondering. Mirin told me about how he knew a flame Siphon that could turn people into ice after he stole their heat and then burn the dead bodies to hide any evidence.

"Well, it's much more complex than that, but you are on the right track." Azu replies, "Most people who are Siphons do not even realize it because they have no knowledge of what it is or lack the adequate channel lines." I raise an eyebrow in confusion. Channel lines?

She taps her veins, "Think of veins. They channel blood through your body. Siphons can channel whatever element they are aligned with through something similar, almost like a second set of veins. The larger the channel, the more power said Siphon can use. However, Siphons are unable to keep power, so if they use their ability, it must be put into use directly, or else they risk exploding their heart."

"Like literally?"

Zack makes an explosion gesture with his hands, "Literally. It's not fun to watch or clean up."

I grimace and look at Hearon. He smiles, "While I may be a Siphon, I'm nothing spectacular. My channels are not very wide, so I can only heal small cuts, and if I am fast enough, heal a potentially fatal injury enough for you not to be at risk of immediate death."

Azu nods, "Life Siphons are the most common type. Out of a hundred Siphons, you might have five that are different. On top of that, most life Siphons can barely heal a small bruise, much less a cut. I have only met a handful that can heal major injuries completely. They tend to be in extremely high demand, though."

Wherever these people are from, it sounds much different than here. And they talk like miracle doctors are a normal part of life. "Where exactly are we going?" I ask. I need answers, and they don't want to seem to give them.

"That's another thing we can't elaborate on. All we can say is it's called End City," Zack says with a bored expression on his face. I grit my teeth. This is impossible. Zack nods his head towards my sword, "What's it made out of?"

"Metal."

He pauses and then grins. "Cheeky bastard," he says under his breath.

We continue this game of extremely specific questions and vague answers for another ten or fifteen minutes before we fall into silence and watch the sunrise through the window. I guess I'll have to wait to get my answers.