The moment the train curved around the final rail line, the view outside shifted so dramatically that even Runner stopped slouching for once.
The Central Station was so incomprehensibly massive that it stopped feeling like a train station and started resembling a continent-sized monument to civilization itself. Towering metallic spires pierced the clouds down below (since the Hidden Citadel is upside down). The stone railways moved through the sky like rivers of light that vanished into colossal docking structures impossible to fully process at a glance. Moving holographic displays floated through the atmosphere as though reality itself had become interactive.
Shimmer slowly stepped closer to the window while her eyes widened and even she momentarily forgot about being annoyed at Runner because there were simply some things too enormous to ignore. Massive suspended bridges floated between skyscraper-sized terminals while enormous mechanisms moved across the station with perfect synchronization. Entire rail systems shifted directions silently despite their scale, proving engineering here had long surpassed ordinary logic.
Giant crystalline elevators climbed structures that were taller than usual. Despite all the movement and active systems, there was something strange about the entire place.
Nobody was there.
"Why is it so empty?"
Runner muttered quietly and for once there was no playfulness in her voice.
The train eventually slowed down until the gigantic sixty-meter-tall structure came to a stop beside one of the absurdly enormous platforms. Its sheer scale made ordinary trains look like toys by comparison. The doors opened with a soft hiss, though the distance to the station floor itself remained inconvenient enough that using stairs felt more insulting than practical.
So, Runner simply stretched one arm lazily into the air. A glowing runic formation formed as The Crystal Lotus materialized once again.
"Come on. Walking is for people who aren't me."
Natalis stepped aboard gracefully without complaint while Denisia quietly followed behind her and after one long look of judgment towards Runner, Shimmer reluctantly joined them too as the lotus descended from the train platform. The scale became even more ridiculous once they actually entered the station itself because now they could properly see details hidden by distance. The pillars were so massive that entire buildings could fit inside them. Enormous digital holograms shone across ceilings that seemed to mimic real night skies despite it still being daytime outside. Even the flooring beneath them gleamed like polished glass infused with glowing streams of energy flowing beneath the surface, making every step feel strangely unreal.
Runner slowly looked around.
"Okay, This place is actually insane."
Natalis stood beside her while calmly observing the architecture, though even she looked visibly impressed despite how composed she normally remained. Above them, towering structures stretched endlessly toward the heavens while distant rails carried trains large enough to rival fortresses.
Denisia suddenly stopped walking while her eyes slowly narrowed towards the empty distance ahead of them. The subtle change in her posture alone was enough to make everyone else alert. The station had been silent for too long and now that she focused on it properly, even the humming systems around them seemed strangely delayed.
"Something is wrong. This place should not feel this empty."
The moment she finished speaking, the air around them distorted violently as glowing cracks of blue static suddenly ripped through empty space, forcing all four of them to instinctively take defensive stances. One glitch appeared, then another, and another after that until dozens of flickering humanoid figures materialized throughout the massive station floor.
Their bodies were translucent and unstable while sections of them constantly turned into digital shards before reforming again. Their appearances varied wildly as though countless different beings had been stitched together into unstable projections while distorted static buzzed endlessly around them. For a tense moment nobody moved because every single hologram had turned to stare directly at them.
Runner slowly leaned closer to Shimmer while lowering her voice, though she still looked more excited than threatened.
"Please tell me we get to fight."
One of the humanoid holograms suddenly stepped forward through a burst of static.
It was taller than the others and far more stable while glowing symbols moved endlessly across its body like corrupted code trying to stay alive. Its head tilted unnaturally before its voice echoed throughout the massive station with a mechanical distortion that sounded strangely calm despite how unsettling it was.
"We have been expecting your arrival. Shimmer Richinaria. Runner Richinaria. Natalis Andelaris. Denisia Andelaris. It is time for you to experience the Unifying Codex."
The four of them exchanged confused looks for barely half a second before the hologram's body suddenly twitched. Every hologram charged.
"Oh, finally," Runner grinned.
The Crystal Lotus shone beneath Runner instantly as glowing sapphire petals formed into a spinning halo. The floor beneath cracked from acceleration alone while dozens of holograms rushed her at once. She twisted in midair and slammed her foot down, causing massive runes to bloom beneath her lotus. Thar shattered dozens of holograms into violent glitches that fragmented into blue static. Unfortunately, the moment they broke apart, twice as many suddenly flickered into existence around her.
"Oh, that's annoying."
Shimmer moved next.
Her sapphire crystal zweihander, Annihilator, materialized instantly in her grasp, unleashing her divine sound. The moment the first hologram got close enough, she swung once. The impact never physically connected because it did not need to. A devastating sound wave obliterated an entire section of enemies, reducing hundreds into broken fragments of static while shockwaves shattered nearby holographic structures into glowing debris. Shimmer planted the enormous blade against the floor.
"Runner, can you please stop smiling during life-threatening situations?"
Runner released her petals around a swarm of attackers before casually waving back at her sister.
"No promises!"
Natalis stepped forward, summoning golden light around her body while heavenly cursive text spread. Several holograms lunged at her simultaneously only to freeze in midair as radiant chains of Holy Divine Energy wrapped around them. With one graceful flick of her wrist, they exploded into burning fragments of light that dissolved into glitches before even touching the ground. The second they disappeared, more manifested through flickering tears in reality. Hundreds became thousands while their numbers multiplied every passing moment.
"This appears to be problematic."
Denisia exhaled slowly before stepping forward, clearly reaching the end of her patience as countless holograms surrounded them from every direction. Her Divine Presence suddenly surged so violently that nearby air warped under pressure alone. An overwhelming burst of Holy Energy blasted through the station.
Entire armies of holograms turned into distorted fragments. Unfortunately, new holograms continued appearing even faster than before. By now the station had turned into complete chaos.
Holograms poured endlessly from every direction, glitching into existence through walls, floors, ceilings and even open air while distorted voices echoed endlessly across the massive station. Runner flew above above the chaos atop her lotus performing impossible aerial maneuvers and narrowly evading attacks while slamming through enemies hard enough to erase them into sparks of broken code.
Shimmer carved through hordes using devastating bursts of sound powerful enough to rupture the air itself, while Natalis and Denisia unleashed radiant destruction that turned entire sections of the battlefield into storms of divine light. Yet no matter how many enemies they destroyed, the numbers only grew.
Every second, more appeared.