—
The next cart was dark, the only light coming from the occasional flash of passing street lamps outside.
Kent took a cautious step forward. "I know you’re here."
Silence!! No response at first. Then, a whisper—"You’re different."
Kent turned sharply. Behind him. The figure stood in the corner, partially obscured by shadows. This time, they didn’t run.
Kent exhaled. "You’re the one who’s different. What are you?"
A pause. Then, the hooded figure removed their cloak.
A girl. Pale, silver hair, glowing violet eyes. Her skin had a strange luminescent quality, almost like moonlight.
Nima gasped. "She’s… not human."
The girl smiled faintly. "Neither is he."
Her gaze locked onto Kent.
Kent’s eyes widened. What are you talking about?
Louis chuckled. "Oh, this just got interesting."
Chip! Auri tilted his head. "Okay, but can we talk about the phasing thing?" I don’t like ghosts.
Kent focused back on the girl. He demanded, "Who are you?"
She hesitated. Then, in a quiet voice—"Eira."
Nima crossed her arms. "Alright, Eira. Why are you sneaking around?" You feel like a phantom soul.
[Phantom souls: They are not like normal souls. They are just memories and resentment of the person left behind, when they die.]
Eira glanced at Kent. "I was looking for something."
Kent frowned. "Something in the cargo?"
Eira nodded, but her eyes flickered with caution. "Something… taken from my people."
Kent felt a strange pull in his chest. This girl… There’s something about her.
Before he could ask anything else—The train jolted. The lights flickered. A strange, high-pitched sound echoed from the front of the train.
Louis leaned toward Kent. "I don’t suppose this is normal?"
Kent’s eyes darkened. "No. And I don’t think Eira is the only problem on this train."
Outside, the sound of metal scraping against metal sent chills down his spine.
Auri’s feathers puffed up. "Uhhh… Kent I am scared of ghosts."
Through the window, Kent saw it. Another train. Running alongside them. Except—There was no track beneath it.
The unnatural train gilded beside them, hovering just above the darkened landscape, wheels spinning against nothing.
Its metal frame looked old—rusted in some places, unnaturally polished in others. Pale blue flames flickered around its edges, casting eerie shadows through the night.
Inside Kent’s train cart, silence hung thick.
Nima broke it first. "Okay. I officially hate this."
Auri fluttered to Kent’s shoulder, feathers puffed. "I’m with her. Trains are supposed to run on actual tracks." I saw and learnt it from TV.
Louis, on the other hand, looked thrilled. "A floating train? This is fantastic."
Kent didn’t share her enthusiasm. He locked eyes with Eira. "Is this connected to you?"
Eira’s glowing violet eyes darkened. "…Yes."
Kent sighed. "Of course it is."
Then—The ghost train shifted.
The front car split open, and figures began emerging, leaping across the gap between the two moving trains.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Metal boots landed on the roof above them. Kent grabbed the nearest door handle and swung it open. "We need to get outside. Now."
Nima groaned. "Do we have to?"
But the decision was made for them when the ceiling buckled inward. A blade pierced through, narrowly missing Kent’s head. He was able to dodge it in time.
"They’re already inside."
Kent moved first. No hesitation. He grabbed Nima’s wrist and leapt out onto the side of the train, using his spiritual energy to balance himself against the wind.
Louis followed, laughing like this was the most fun she’d had in years. Eira hesitated before stepping out, as if debating something, but then followed suit. Auri flew overhead, scouting.
Above them, shadowy figures in tattered armor began dropping down onto the moving train.
Kent narrowed his eyes. He says they don’t look like ghosts. Too solid for a ghost.
One of them landed directly in front of him.
A knight, clad in dark, worn armor with glowing blue symbols etched into the metal. His helmet obscured his face, but his eyes burned an unnatural shade of white. The knight slowly raised his sword.
Kent cracked his knuckles. "Alright. Let’s see what you got."
’The knight lunged.’
Kent twisted, barely dodging the impossibly fast strike. He countered with a punch to the chest—only to feel an icy resistance beneath the armor. The impact sent the knight skidding back but didn’t knock him down.
Nima cursed. "They don’t go down easy, huh?"
Louis smirked. "Then we just hit harder."
She stepped forward, summoning a pair of golden daggers from her space tool and disappearing in a blur. She reappeared behind another knight and slashed—
The knight vanished into mist.
Louis stumbled, eyes wide. "What the—?"
Before she could react, the knight reappeared behind her.
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Kent was already moving. He grabbed Louis on her hips like a prince charming holding her lover. Louis became very shy. Her cheeks look like a tomato.
They were having a moment. Then suddenly Kent yanked her away before the knight’s sword could strike.
"They’re teleporting," Eira called out. "It’s a technique from the old world."
Kent scowled. "Yeah, that’s annoying."
Another knight appeared near Eira. This time, before it could attack, she lifted a single hand.
The knight froze.
The runes on its armor flickered wildly before shattering into dust. The knight collapsed instantly.
Nima stares. "…Okay. That was cool."
Eira exhaled. "I was one of them, once."
Kent blinked. "Wait, what?"
But before she could explain—A loud horn blast shook the air.
The ghost train was accelerating. Kent glanced ahead and saw the front cart opening. From inside, a tall figure stepped out.
Unlike the knights, this one was different. His armor wasn’t broken or worn. It was pristine.
"A general." The air around him crackled with energy. The blue flames surrounding the train burned brighter.
And then—He jumped. Right toward Kent.
WHOOSH!!
SLAM!!
Kent barely had time to react before the general landed in front of him, shaking the entire train cart.
The sheer pressure radiating off him was suffocating.
Kent clenched his fists. "And you are?"
The general slowly raised his great sword. When he spoke, his voice was layered—two voices speaking at once.
"You are unworthy of knowing my name."
Then he swung his sword at Kent.
Kent blocked with both arms. The impact nearly sent him flying off the train. His arms burned from the force, his feet sliding across the metal roof.
Louis grinned. "Ohh, now this is fun."
She lunged, but before she could even get close—The general twisted and swung his sword at her.
Louis barely managed to dodge, but even the shockwave of the attack sent her spinning backward.
Kent gritted his teeth. Fast. Strong. Dangerous.
But also—not invincible.
Kent cracked his neck. "Alright. My turn."
He surged forward, unleashing a spiritual energy-hellfire infused punch.
The general caught it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Boom!
The entire train shook as a shockwave exploded from the impact.
The ghost train beside them wavered, its form flickering. The general staggered back.
Kent smirked. Gotcha. You are scared of my hellfire.
But then, something changed. The general straightened. His armor began to glow.
And suddenly, the sky itself darkened.
Eira’s eyes widened. "He’s summoning something."
Kent tensed. "Summoning what?"
The ghost train roared with a loud whistle. And from within, a massive black claw reached out.
The air trembled. Kent’s instincts screamed. Whatever was coming… was something beyond anything he’d faced before.
The black claw emerging from the ghost train twisted, curling against the wind. It wasn’t just massive—it was otherworldly, its surface flickering between solid and smoke, between the real and the unreal. The sheer presence of it sent waves of pressure crashing into the train, making the metal beneath Kent’s feet groan.
Then, it roared. The sound wasn’t normal. It wasn’t even just loud. It was a collision of voices, layered screams and whispers, centuries of pain condensed into a single unholy cry.
Kent clenched his fists. "Okay. Yeah. That’s not normal." He thinks my system didn’t give me any information about this. So that means Appraisal cost over ten thousand SP. I told the system that, don’t use Appraisal on anything over ten thousand SP unless I say ask for it.
Eira’s glowing violet eyes dimmed. "It’s a Warden."
Louis’s usual grin faded. "A what?"
Eira didn’t take her eyes off the claw. "A Warden of the Forgotten Realm. A being left behind when worlds collapse, fused with the remnants of time itself." She exhaled. "It shouldn’t be here."
Kent raised an eyebrow. "And yet, here it is." I don’t have time to use Appraisal now. I need to defeat this warden or whatever.
The general standing before them showed no emotion, no hesitation.
He simply raised his greatsword.
"Consume."
The Warden’s full form ripped out of the ghost train. A titanic, half-formed beast, its body a patchwork of shattered armor, spectral flesh, and shifting void. Its head was a floating mask, cracked and leaking dark mist.
Kent cursed. "Of course it has a creepy mask."
Chip! Auri fluttered above, eyes sharp. "Kent, this thing’s bad news."
Kent rolled his shoulders. "Good. So am I."
And then the Warden attacked.