“We can’t stay here.”

Tham knew Hassah was telling the truth. But, what was there to do? They were who-knew-how-deep underground, aboard a speeding wagon pulled by a rock-burrowing dragon, headed straight for infinity –whatever that meant.

“Nice talking to you,” Tham told the man in the seat in front of them, getting up, not knowing if he was feeling dizzy by the speed or the impending doom. “Come on, Hassah, let’s go, um, forward.”

The two of them started walking aimlessly through wagon after wagon of red linen seats and wooden tables, full of noble-looking, finely-dressed people of all ages. Tham’s dirty clothes and ragged appearance made him feel pretty out of place, but aside from the occasional disapproving glance, no one said a thing.

“I know we need to get out of here,” Hassah muttered as they crossed from another wagon to the next, “but this place does look kinda comfortable.”

Tham looked at her.

“I didn’t want to say it,” he replied, “but I was sorta thinking the same thing.”

“This is pretty cool,” Hassah added slowly. “It’d be, maybe, a little nice to, you know… stay.”

“No,” Tham said right away. “This is amazing, but we have responsibilities. We have an unspoken oath to save our families, our villages. To help Kayden, Merdilen, the Mimicker, and Haroken in the quests that are theirs but ours as well. We can’t stay here.”

Hassah pursed her lips slightly and nodded. “...Yeah, you’re right. Dunno what went through my head, but, nevertheless… we need a plan.”

“Yeah,” Tham agreed. “We need to get to the surface, before reaching whatever this thing’s final stop is.”

“Hmm. Yes. So– wait a moment.” Hassah pulled Tham to the side as an elegantly-dressed waiter walked by.

Tham reached out to the waiter instead.

“Hey!” he said. “Uhhh, forgive the stupid question but… how long for our next stop?”

The waiter pursed his lips, pausing a little before replying. “Sir, the train will be leaving the continent of Athoren in about ten minutes. There are no more stops until Infinity, for which there’s still several days left.”

Tham paled again, feeling his legs wobbly. “...Thanks.”

“This is bad,” he told Hassah as soon as the waiter continued on his way. “This is really bad.”

“I know, but calm down,” Hassah said. “Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. We need to–”

“Excuse me.” The waiter was back, looking at them with suspicion. “It’s you two. There’s a rumor spreading through the wagons that you’re –forgive the offense– part of the Skyguard.”

“We’re not–” Hassah started.

“I’ve got a knife,” Tham interrupted. “Say a thing and you’re dead.”

Hassah sighed.

The waiter froze.

“Help!” he then shouted. “The Skyguard is attacking the train!”

Tham and Hassah ran, sprinting forward through the wagons. There were cries of terror from among the people, and soon enough, some brave ones started to chase.

“Can’t you just Spacebend us away from here?!” Hassah called out to him as they did.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“It doesn’t work that way!” Tham replied. “I think I need to know exactly where we’re going, or we could end up in another place like this.”

And then, as they ran, they reached the end of the wagons, a small box where a woman was giving directions to the long black dragon pulling them all along.

“Okay!” Tham shouted, pointing his knife at her. “Go back up! To the surface!”

The woman looked back at them, terrified.

“But…” she said in a faint voice, “these people need to be saved.”

Tham faltered. “...What?”

“This is the last chance for these people to reach infinity,” the woman continued. “The only place in this universe that’s safe from all evil known to mankind. The last good resting place.”

Tham hesitated.

Now what? Was he going to ruin these people’s lives if he forced the train to go up?

But could he ruin everything else if he didn’t?

Hassah was silent next to him. She was struggling too. And they didn’t have long.

What could he do?

He gritted his teeth.

“We’re gonna save everyone,” he finally said. “And that means going to the surface. So do it, or begone.”

“...No,” the woman said, taking courage. “I won’t sacrifice everything, neither for you or for myself.”

Tham paused. Was he really willing to use violence against this woman to get what he needed? The people pursuing them, though clumsy and untrained, were almost there.

“Cover me,” Hassah said to Tham.

Tham steadied himself with his knife like Kayden had taught him on the doorway to the rest of the wagons, getting ready for anything as their pursuers got closer and closer.

“Look,” Hassah told her firmly, “either you get us on the surface and arrive at your infinity a little later than scheduled, or you let us be on your train and we make sure you never arrive. Your call.”

“But…” the woman protested.

Hassah grabbed her by the shoulder. “Hey. Listen to me. I know it’s never easy to let others down. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that. But, you know what? I carry part of a new name now. ‘Skyguard.’ And that means I’ll fight to protect everyone. That includes you and everyone on this train. If you don’t let us stop the Everbender, there will be no place on this universe where you’ll be able to hide from her. Not even on Infinity.”

“They’re coming!” Tham called at her from the previous wagon.

“Something’s brewing,” Hassah continued. “Something big. So let us stop it and save the world. Either that, or postpone the inevitable and doom us all, starting by this train. Your choice.”

Tham could see behind him that the woman was suffering. But Hassah’s eyes were hard as stone.

“...Okay,” the woman finally said, and turned to the dragon. “Up. To the surface. Straight up.”

And just as a crowd of angry people got ready to attack Tham, everything changed directions, and the line of wagons started going upwards at a perilous speed, as if pulled towards the moon. Tham held on to the nearest wooden pillar, grabbing it hard even as his hands threatened to let go and drop him into the depths of the world.

The whole continent shook as the black dragon pulling the train burrowed up through the ground, and then… light.

The next thing Tham knew, he was lying on grass next to Hassah, a massive hole in the ground close to them and the last train to infinity nowhere to be seen. Grassy nothingness spread endlessly all around them.

“Where… are we?” Tham asked.

“Probably way too far from wherever we could get supplies,” Hassah whispered.

They walked for what seemed like hours without reaching anything, discussing and analyzing and processing what had just happened. And then, a long roar from far away, a dragon’s roar.

Tham and Hassah turned sharply in the direction of the sound, surprised.

“Haroken?!” Tham said. “I’d recognize that roar anywhere.”

Indeed, soon enough, they recognized the long red wingless dragon’s silhouette in the far distance, getting closer and closer until it reached them, skiddling to a stop and leaving a burning trail behind him in the grass.

“Children,” Haroken the dragon said, catching his breath. “You had all of us very worried. Kayden and Merdilen are looking for you in the city you should have been in, and I… I’ve searched the entirety of northern Beron. I haven’t stopped sprinting in the last three and a half hours.”

“Where the heck where you?!” the Mimicker’s voice called out from Haroken’s back. It had shifted into a strange sort of saddle atop him, ready for Tham and Hassah to get on.

“Uhh,” Tham hesitated. “I’m so glad you found us. We, um, almost left the world behind on a cosmic thing called a ‘train.’ Not even kidding.”

Haroken huffed. “Quite the scare you two gave us. Now, get up. The rest of the Skyguard is waiting for us. Did you get the supplies?”

“No, but,” Hassah said as they got onto Haroken’s draconic back, “we got information. Let’s go meet up with Kayden and Merdilen. Things will get harder. And we’ve got no time to waste.”