The slow chugging of the steam trains was a well-deserved sense of relief. Half an hour had gone since John's capture.

Ten minutes since they had cremated Paul and Tony. It was a unanimous vote led by Ksenia.

Inside the dining compartment, players peered out of the windows, eyes tracing the scenic beauty passing by. The train rumbled along, traversing lush green fields adorned with wildflowers that danced in the gentle breeze. A backdrop of rolling hills, cloaked in a verdant tapestry, stretched as far as the eye could see. Majestic mountains stood sentinel in the distance, their snow-capped peaks glistening under the brilliant sunlight.

Small villages emerged, quaint and inviting, nestled among emerald fields. Farmers toiled in the fields, and children waved excitedly as the train whistled past.

The landscape gradually transformed as signs of urban life emerged. The train approached Sapporo, the cityscape materializing on the horizon. Smoke billowed from chimneys of bustling factories.

The train pulled into the station, letting out a whistle and slowing down.

"Attention, attention, passengers! Danzaburou here! We have arrived at Sapporo Station! I repeat: we have arrived!" The obnoxious tanuki's voice spoke through the moving coil loudspeaker. The doors jerked open. 'Be proud, my friends! You made it through the murder mystery!"

Kazi sat at a window seat and occupied himself with the snow outside. The clouds were white and rooftops were wrapped in thaw. In the middle of the compartment was a heated discussion. It had been going on since they had captured John Smith.

'It's not him,' Kazi thought to himself. 'He's not Jack. He might wear the mask but it can't be him. I don't feel the darkness that Sun-young described. I don't feel the blood chilling power. Not to mention his h—'

"Can I kill him?"

The question was posed by Nash, whose intent to kill froze the room.

"Seriously?" Hugo said, among the two that had been tasked to look over the tied up murderer. "Can't you settle this later?"

"Either we do it now or never. Tony was under my wing. He worked under me. It was my responsibility to look over him and I failed." Nash regarded John with stone cold fury. "At the very least, I want retribution."

"He would be murdering a murderer," Booker acknowledged, the gun remaining in its same position for the past thirty minutes. "He's a loose cannon. A threat. Why not kill him?"

His finger curled on the trigger.

"Let's relax here." Kazi stepped in, arms up in surrender. "If we will kill him—"

"We'll be no better than him?" Ksenia cut him off. "Screw that. That kind of logic is stupid if you ask me. We should kill him and be done with it. Remember, Danzaburou doesn't care what happens to him. Whether he lives or dies, whether he gets caught or not, it's just some sick game to him."

John spoke up, "I presume I have no say in this?"

"Hell no," Ksenia and Nash snapped at entirely different volumes and tones.

All the players remained inside, observing the argument and wallowing in their judgement. Not solely due to the dilemma regarding John, but also because of the snow outside. Cold, gentle flakes were falling and coating the station in white.

"Can I ask something, Kazi?" John said. "How many points did you get from completing the objective?"

"Huh? What's this about?" Ksenia looked at him, as did the others. "Everybody received about eight hundred thousand."

"That's not what it said for me," John said, smiling. "If I had managed to kill someone and get away with it, it would be sixty-sixty million points. If I killed another killer and escaped, it was revealed I would gain double that. I wonder then…how much did the man that figured it all out gain?"

Eyes went over to Kazi, eagerly waiting for an answer.

"A hundred and thirty million points," Kazi said, unfazed. "Why?"

William let out a disgruntled noise—and not just him, half the players in the room.

Nash shook his head, scoffing. "Excuse me…what?"

"A-a hundred…million…?" Jules repeated, agape. "That's like…"

"Wait, that's not fair!" Leon exclaimed. "I want a hundred million—

"Who gives a shit," Ksenia interjected. "Kazi did the heavy work and the Gate awarded him accordingly. What's there to complain about?"

"Okay, but counterpoint," said Leon, "a hundred million. A hundred million. Let me say it again slowly. One. Hundred. And. Thirty Million."

"Thirty million alone is…" Even Hugo was thinking about it.

"Indeed, a hundred and thirty million is quite a sum for a single player," John pointed out. "A little unfair, no?"

Ksenia narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. His craftiness didn't escape her. The small smile on Kazi twitched upwards.

"Yeah, Ksenia. We're both a part of the Sapphire Order and you know how stingy they can be," said Leon. "He could give everyone a million and still have a hundred million left…"

"Some of us barely even did anything," Ksenia said. "We don't deserve those points—"

"To be honest, it's not a big deal," Kazi said. "How about this? I give everyone a million points if you agree to let John go."

As he expected, there were protests.

"What? Why? Have you lost your mind?" Ksenia stepped up to grab him by the collar and would have not for the sudden flare in his eyes. Kazi didn't like to be touched. "Just…tell me why? Why let this piece of shit murderer walk after everything he planned? You're the one who caught him!"

"I have my reasons." Kazi met John's grey eyes, feeling their steel and the underlying message. He understood and therefore needed him alive. He glanced outside. "It's snowing. How about we all cool off and go outside for a bit?"

Ksenia's frustration hit its peak. "Tch! This is stupid! Nash, back me up here!"

Nash didn't speak nor did he look happy. But he knew. Meeting Kazi's eyes, he understood the message he was giving. He understood the immense power behind his little smile, and given that his five-man entourage had lost to William, Nash also recognized William as a great threat. A greater threat, even.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

'Be smart, Nash,' Kazi was telling him. 'You know how strong I am and you heard what William did to your men. You really don't want to fight us, do you? Play along.'

Nash clicked his tongue. "...I suppose we can negotiate."

That remark earned several glances. All this time, Nash had been spouting about loyalty and vengeance and now he was switching up.

"I have a team to lead," Nash explained to Ksenia. "Being a leader means to be responsible to more than myself. We spent everything we had to send me and Tony here—six hundred thousand points. I have to show something for it. Vengeance, in this case, will bring me nothing."

"You're more of a pussy than I thought," Ksenia replied.

Nash didn't rise to her provocation. "Think what you will."

"Agreed. Let's think on this." Booker yawned and casually removed his gun. "I've been standing here for a minute too long. Hugo, you keep watch."

Once Booker left, the players were casted into silence. Eventually, Ksenia bit her lip. "Fine. Fine, let's cool off."

Kazi left the train and stepped into the snow, although not before giving John a discreet wink. William and Sun-young weren't far behind, and he slowed down to let Sun-young catch up on her own pace. They made their way to the rooftop which had a whole layer of snow on it. With a simple Fire Ball, Kazi managed to melt the snow and create space.

"Man, I've always wanted to do this." Sighing, Kazi laid flat on the rooftop, the snow falling down on his face.

Countless stars adorned the heavens, twinkling like precious gems scattered across the infinite expanse, their radiance seemingly magnified by the absence of city lights.

"In modern day Japan, unless you go out to the country, you can't see the stars," Kazi said out loud.

"Oh, um, have you been there?" William asked. It was a front, a cover to mask what he really wanted to know: why did Kazi want to save John? It didn't make sense from his perspective.

"I once went to Tokyo for business reasons. I didn't get to have a tour though," Kazi replied. "Oh, but I have been to most other East Asian countries like Korea, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. I hit the road and got a huge tour for each."

"Funny that you didn't get to explore the country with the biggest tourism," William joked.

"Life is funny like that."

The snow seemed to be in slow motion as it fell on them. William and Sun-young sat upright instead of lying down, often giving him strange glances. They didn't know what he was planning—only that there was a plan. Arms behind his head, cooler than the snow behind him, their curiosity bubbled out.

"Kazi," Sun-young called out, scooting over to him so that William wouldn't hear, "I'm not really sure I understand but…."

"Yes, it has to do with Jack. That's why I'm freeing him. John knows something—or rather, the mission objective told him something. It's no coincidence that the masks that Tony and John were given were the same as Jack's."

"The type of murder too," Sun-young muttered. "A stabbing, just like he stabbed his victims. How is Jack connected to the Heavenly Games this deeply?"

"That's what I want to find out," Kazi said.

Like a student waiting their turn, William raised a hand. "Uh, can I know what you're whispering about?"

"Adult talk," said Sun-young.

"It feels like you guys are hiding stuff from me." William frowned. "I'm a kid, whatever, but I'm not an idiot. So at least explain it to me, why are you saving John?"

From the corner of his eye, Kazi analyzed him. William's face, so innocent and grim, suddenly flashed to arrogance and bloodlust. Kazi's fingers curled. It was gone, just like that, as a figment of his imagination.

"A mutation maybe? The human body can adapt to many things. The Wendigo is a purely magical entity. It's possible the victim became something between that existence—between physical and magical. Like…like a demigod. I hope this discussion isn't about you. Otherwise, I'd very much like to take you apart."

Darkness had taken root inside William and he didn't even know it. A rare mutation that would garner the worst kind of attention in the White Abyss. Kazi needed to figure something out and he planned to tell him about his mutation at some point. But not here, not when Jack might still be in the shadows.

"William, do you trust me?"

A slight bit of hesitation in his eyes. "I do."

"Then can you trust me to tell you when the time is right? I know you have questions and I know you're feeling a little uncertain about everything, but have I ever done something out of maliciousness?"

"No," William admitted. "Never."

"If that's the case, I would appreciate your faith, just as you've always given it. When we come back, I will explain everything."

William turned quiet. A minute went by without anyone speaking. Surprisingly, it wasn't the social Kazi or the curious William that broke the cycle, it was Sun-young.

"William, do you want to grab a drink when we get back?"

"Do I!?" The young Canadian pumped a fist. "I want to get ice wine this time!"

"Uh, Ms. Sun-young, isn't he underage?" Kazi asked, raising a brow.

William let out a groan before she could answer. "This is why Sun-young is better. She's open to letting me drink anything and everything."

"Really?" Kazi said, glancing over. "Anything and everything?"

"Maaan, this is the afterlife. Who cares?"

"Let's not go that far." Sun-young avoided Kazi's burning gaze. "He gets what he can deal with."

Kazi sighed through his nose. "It's not like I'm banning drinks…" he muttered. However, he had seen one too many people get overwhelmed by it. He didn't want William to fall into that same trap so young.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. A pair of footsteps had climbed the rooftop. Jules, the lady with the box braids in a small updo and Matty, the man always accompanying her. His face always set in a furrow, he appeared to be protective over her. Getting up, Kazi looked at her with a bright smile. "Oh, it's you guys."

"Hello, everyone." Jules had one arm crossed and sitting on top of it was a black cat named Goldy. Level 29 and ignoring the snow as if it wasn't there, Goldy slept on the one arm without discomfort. What caught Kazi's interest was not the sleeping cat Jules carried but the little creature on her shoulder. A brown creature less than ruler size with fuzzy fur and white tuft ears.

"Oh, hey! Anansi is back!" Beside Kazi, Sun-young tensed, her dislike of animals flaring up. Kazi stood up and approached the young woman and the pet on her shoulder with a smile. "Hey, little guy!"

Anansi let out a chirp and gave him a smile. He leapt onto Kazi's shoulder and melted into his touch.

Jules was pleasantly surprised. "Anansi is usually not this nice to strangers."

"I shouldn't be too much of a stranger," Kazi replied, his right hand scratching Anansi's chin. "I used to work at a zoo. Animals tend to pick up on that."

"Oh, you were an animal tamer? That is so cool!" Jules sounded delighted, like a child meeting their hero. "I'm glad Anansi got to meet you then! You're much better than me."

"I wouldn't say that. You're the one with the Animal Tamer Class," said Kazi. Hovering over her head, between her name and level was a Class no one else seemed to possess: the Animal Tamer Class. It was why there was understanding rather than confusion at the sight of the cat in her arms. She was an animal tamer—duh.

Jules' smile bloomed. "Thank you for not saying anything, by the way."

"It's no big deal."

"About what?" William's curiosity couldn't help but ask.

Jules let the arm that was holding up Goldy fall to her side. Whatever panic appeared on William's face left equally as fast. The black cat, Goldy, was floating. Still sleeping, yet floating.

Even Kazi was a little surprised. 'Woah.'

Jules brought the attention back to her as she lifted her hand at waist-level. "I can't move my left arm and my right arm is super weak. See?" As if there was a barrier, her right arm didn't move beyond her stomach. She was able to fold the arm across her stomach and nothing else. "So the chances of me being the killer is zero. Still, I wanted to participate and be seen as one, if only for a minute."

William blinked twice. Once at the floating Goldy, then another time at her disability. "Really? That's…really weird."

"Is it?" Jules' smile didn't falter at his judgement. "I'm not the killer so I didn't have to worry, you know? Plus, haven't you ever wanted to be on a mystery show?"

"N-no?" William replied.

"Well, I do. I used to read and watch mysteries all the time. Actually, when I was in high school, I tried to be an actor. It didn't work out, but today, it really felt like I had been able to live a dream, as small as my role might have been."

A chuckle from Kazi. "Let me guess: you want to be a defendant next?"

"Could you be my lawyer?" Jules joked. Next to her, Matty rolled his eyes.

"If anyone is going to be a defendant, it will be me," Matty murmured. Jules turned to him and burst into laughter.

"Matty, your hair!"

"Huh?" He touched his head and snow seemed to have piled up. His hair was curly and faded at the sides, it was like a layer of snow was floating on top of him. Matty casually brushed it aside while Jules continued to giggle. "Hrn."

Jules calmed down, smiling widely, before noticing Anansi unclenching his fist and tapping Kazi's cheeks. The monkey handed Kazi an amulet. "What is he giving you?" she asked.

Kazi took the black amulet, squinting. The amulet was alone with no string of chain. Opening it up, he saw a wrinkled photo. 'The colour is pretty degraded too.'

The photo was small but identifiable. There were four individuals inside: a man with short blond hair, a tall man wearing a thawb, a woman in a short plain white dress, and one last person whose existence was blurred.

At the back of the amulet were a set of initials:

A.T