The train car rattled loudly every time it passed a rail joint. The sound of clanging metal and the thud of the steam engine created a monotonous rhythm that Dex had been hearing for the past three hours. He sat in a corner near the window, gazing at the wide wheat fields that slowly turned into pine forests.
It had been one year since he left Tower Amerta. One year in the real world, though to him, it felt like yesterday. Time was a strange concept in the Tower—a thousand years felt like eternity, but here, one year passed like the blink of an eye.
The small pendant on his neck swayed with the train's jolts. A gift from Alef. The only thing left from the past that he still kept. He didn't know where this train was taking him, and he didn't care. What mattered was to keep moving.
"Excuse me, may I sit here?"
Dex looked up from his thoughts. A young man about his age stood in the narrow aisle, carrying a worn but well-kept leather bag. His hair was light brown and messy, as if he had just woken up, but his eyes were sharp and full of curiosity.
"Go ahead." Dex shifted slightly inward.
The young man sat down carefully, placing his bag on his lap. From inside the bag, he took out a thick, battered book. Its title was almost unreadable, faded by time: "Power and Emptiness."
They stayed silent for quite a while. The sound of the train filled the quiet—metal wheels clattering on rails, steam hissing, the occasional long whistle from the locomotive. Dex went back to staring out the window, while the young man read his book intently.
"Strange, isn't it," the young man suddenly said, without lifting his eyes from the pages.
"What's strange?"
"People always talk about their power. Mages proud of their Circles, archers showing off their Mana control, swordsmen boasting about their Aura. Those with Constellations feel special because they have sponsors. But rarely do people talk about what happens when that power is gone."
Dex glanced at him. A strange question for a conversation between strangers. "So what do you think happens?"
"I don't know, maybe better, maybe worse." The young man finally looked up, his brown eyes meeting Dex's. "My name's Van. Van Aurelius."
"Dex." He deliberately didn't mention his family name. The name *Lazuardi* was one he had already left behind.
Van smiled faintly.
"Where are you headed?"
"Just wandering. You?"
"Don't know, I just follow whatever seems interesting." Van closed his book slowly. "Maybe that's why we're on the same train, sitting in the same car, with no shared destination."
There was something in the way Van spoke that made Dex feel familiar. Not because he knew Van before, but because there was something in his tone—the tone of someone searching for something without knowing what it was.
"You like reading books like that?" asked Dex, pointing to the book in Van's hand.
"Books are windows into other people's minds. Sometimes it's more comfortable there than inside your own." Van opened his book again, flipping through the pages. "What about you? What do you like?"
Dex was silent for a moment, thinking of an answer. "Adventure, maybe. I don't really know."
"Running from something?"
"Looking for something."
"Looking for what?"
Dex looked out the window again. The pine forest had turned into rocky hills bathed in the light of the setting sun. "I don't know. Maybe a reason to stop."
Van chuckled softly—not mockingly, but in understanding. "Keep adventuring so you can stop. An interesting paradox."
"Paradox?"
"Life is full of paradoxes. We need strength to protect the weak, yet that same strength can make us the ones to be feared. We seek happiness but become sad when we can't find it. We want to understand the world, but the more we learn, the more we realize how little we actually know."
Dex watched Van more closely. This young man spoke like someone who had seen much, yet his age clearly showed he was still young. There was something in his eyes—a depth unnatural for someone his age.
The train began to slow down. In the distance, a station came into view—a red brick building with a rusted metal roof. Smoke rose from tall chimneys around the station. A large sign hung above the platform: "MILLHAVEN."
"Getting off here?" Van asked.
"Seems like it." Dex grabbed his small bag—the only thing he owned besides the clothes on his back.
"I'll go with you."
"Why?"
"No particular reason. Just feel like it'll be interesting." Van slipped his book back into his bag. "Besides, you look like someone with a good story."
"You don't even know me."
"That's why." Van stood as the train came to a perfect stop. "Strangers usually have better stories than old friends."
They got off the train along with dozens of other passengers. The station platform was bustling with activity—vendors shouting their offers, porters running with luggage, miners with dust-covered faces walking heavily.
The air of Millhaven smelled of metal and coal smoke. A rapidly growing industrial city, with steam machines clanging everywhere. The sound of hammers striking iron came from all directions, mixing with the shouts of workers and the whistles of trains arriving and departing.
"Busy city," said Van, observing the scene around them.
They walked out of the station and onto the main street, packed with people. Steam-powered vehicles moved slowly among the crowd. Metal cars with small chimneys puffed white smoke, mixed with traditional horse carriages and the occasional steam-powered bicycle pedaled by workers.
Shops lined both sides of the street—most selling mechanical tools, shimmering energy crystals, and components for steam-powered devices. Large billboards were everywhere, advertising "The Newest Steam Engine!" and "High-Quality Mana Crystals!"
"Look at that," Van pointed toward a store more crowded than the rest. A big sign above it read: "GRIMOIRE & GEAR – All Your Adventure Needs."
"Interested in becoming an adventurer?" asked Dex.
"Not an adventurer. But I'm interested in people who do. They usually have good stories."
They entered the store. Inside, various adventure tools were neatly displayed in glass cases. Swords glowing with Aura energy, magic staves tipped with crystals that radiated Circles, bows reinforced with Mana technology, and strange accessories Dex didn't recognize.
"Welcome! Can I help you with anything?" called a middle-aged man with thick glasses and a large mustache. He wore a leather apron stained with oil.
"We're just looking around," replied Van, his eyes gleaming as he scanned the shop.
The man nodded kindly and returned to serving another customer. Dex noticed most of the customers were adventurers or workers needing special tools. But one person caught his attention.
In the corner of the store, a woman dressed in black was examining a card intently. The card emitted a strange aura—different from the usual powers he'd seen. Something older, darker, more dangerous.
"Empress Card," Van whispered beside him, apparently also watching her. "One of the 22 Major Arcana. But it can't possibly be real, right?"
"You know about Tarot?"
"A little. A very complex and dangerous power system—only *that* mysterious organization can use it." Van glanced toward the woman in black. "And from the way she's holding that card, she's no ordinary user."
The woman suddenly lifted her head, as if hearing their whispers. Her eyes, cold and sharp as ice, met Dex's for a brief moment. In that instant, Dex felt a strange pressure—like something trying to pierce his mind. But it vanished quickly when he used a bit of wind magic to shield his psyche.
The woman seemed slightly surprised, then smiled faintly. She paid, took several items, and left the store without making a sound.
"Looks like something's about to happen in this city," murmured Dex.
"You always think that way?"
"Not really," Dex replied jokingly.
They left the shop and continued walking through the streets of Millhaven. The sun tilted westward, casting long shadows between the industrial buildings. The gas lamps along the road weren't lit yet, but some shops had begun placing oil lamps in their windows.
"Dex," Van suddenly said as they passed a small park in the middle of the city. "Can I ask you something that might sound strange?"
"Go ahead."
"Do you ever feel like… time moves differently for you? Like you've lived longer than you should have for someone your age?"
The question made Dex stop walking. How could Van know? But Dex stayed calm, pretending not to understand.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Just curious." Van shrugged, though his eyes were serious. "Sometimes I meet people whose eyes look too old for their faces. And you've got eyes like that."
"I don't know."
Dex kept walking.
The sun slowly set, and the gas lamps along the streets began to light up one by one. Millhaven transformed from a bustling, dusty industrial city into a quieter place. Smoke from the factory chimneys formed a thin mist that hid the stars.
"I'm hungry," said Van as their stomachs growled almost at the same time. "How about we find somewhere to eat?"
"Sure."
They found a small tavern on the corner of the street serving simple meals for workers. The tavern was modest but clean, with wooden tables and worn chairs. Inside, a few people sat eating in silence after a long day's work. The smell of spices and roasted meat filled the air, making their hunger worse.
They sat at a small table in the corner. Van took out his book again and opened it to a random page. His eyes scanned a passage, reading softly: "Power without wisdom is destruction. Wisdom without power is helplessness. But silence… silence is where both meet."
"You like quotes like that?" asked Dex while waiting for their food.
"Quotes are how other people explain what we can't explain ourselves."
The food arrived a bowl of warm soup with chunks of meat and vegetables, plus steaming bread. They ate in comfortable silence, accompanied by the distant hum of steam machines and the soft conversations of workers at nearby tables.
And for the first time since leaving Tower Amerta, Dex felt that maybe he could enjoy something again.