The train ride was uneventful, a repeat of the drive.
Axel asking questions and Serif ignoring him, until eventually he gave up.
Now they were here at the train Station in Nova Yoren, yet they didn't leave the platform.
Serif simply sat on a bench and started reading his book.
Axel asked what was up, but he told him to wait.
Axel sighed and looked at the far end of the platform, a digital clock glowing red through a layer of grime, displaying 2:30 a.m.
Almost two hours had passed.
He stood up and started pacing around.
Serif looked at him for a second, then back to his book.
Axel scoffed. "And he said we don't have time."
After a few minutes, Axel stopped in front of Serif. "Look man, I don't know what's going on with you or why you can't tell me anything."
Axel paused and took a deep breath steadying himself.
"But this." He lifted the katana.
"This is important according to you right," Axel asked, his tone calmer now.
"And those guys are after us right, so why are you just reading, at least tell me what we're waiting for? Or even better, tell me how I can use this katana."
Silence reigned, then a woman's voice echoed from a speaker overhead, warped by static: "Next downtown train in… ten minutes."
Then silence again, save for the steady drip of water hitting concrete.
Serif finally looked up, first at Axel, then the katana.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned back resting on the bench.
Axel scoffed and lowered the katana.
He dropped on the extreme end of the bench, as far from Serif as possible.
Arms folded, he clicked his tongue and put the hood over his head.
At least he knew how to use a sword. Thanks to that annoying program.
"You can't really use it," Serif's voice broke the silence.
Axel's eyes widened under the hood.
I should do that more often, he turned to face Serif while trying to suppress a smile.
"It chose you but you are not its wielder," Serif paused.
"As you've figured, there can be only one wielder per anima. If anyone else tried nothing would happen, at worst rejection in cases of high incompatibility."
Serif stopped, letting his words sink in, "Although there are theories of high enough compatibility, overriding that rule, but that has never happened."
Axel's eyes narrowed. That had to be it, right? my compatibility is too high.
"But as I have said before, Gishiki is a unique case," Serif said, drawing Axel's attention.
"It has been reported that it allows those it chose to use its ability, but only when it sees their resolve and initiative, approves of it, and sometimes…at its whim."
Could that be it? Axel's brow furrowed.
Two possibilities, compatibility and whim.
So it wasn't him. It was the sword deciding.
So annoying, I'm not so special after all.
"But I'll advise against depending on it," Serif added, his tone more serious than usual.
"Does its power have anything to do with time," Axel asked.
"Not that I know of," Serif answered and looked at his wrist watch.
"There's a reason it's called the keeper."
Before Axel could say anything else, Serif stood up, "let's go."
He approached the edge of the platform and stepped off, his boots hitting the gravel with a dull crunch.
Axel looked at him, still contemplating what the last statement meant.
Serif stopped at the tunnel mouth, a black maw ringed with dim amber lights.
He turned to Axel. "Come on."
Definitely not my first choice for places to be night, but well.
Axel stepped off the platform, following the vague figure of Serif being swallowed by the darkness of the tunnel.
They moved forward, deeper into the tunnel, the light behind him shrinking to a thin slit of yellow.
Every footstep echoed like a secret being whispered back to him.
The further he went, the more the city's pulse seemed to merge with his own.
After a few minutes of walking, Serif suddenly stopped and moved towards a wall.
The wall was sweating with condensation, streaked with black grime and decades of graffiti.
Axel's eyes narrowed as Serif's hand glided over the graffiti.
His nose scrunched up.
Gross.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
Serif didn't need to reply as a clicking sound came from the wall.
A low rumble came from the wall, followed by a dull thump.
Then silence. Axel gaze stayed locked on the wall, his eyes glinting with anticipation.
After a few seconds, he squinted his eyes.
"Is that it?"
"Follow me," Serif said and walked towards the wall, prompting Axel to question his sanity.
But his eyes widened as Serif made contact with the wall. A faint thrum and ripples spread from the wall as his body was swallowed by the wall.
Axel rubbed his eyes and looked at the wall, the water like ripples dying down, yet there was no sign of Serif.
He warily walked to the wall and scanned it.
Tags scrawled in silver, reds, and acid green, words half-faded but defiant against time, a faint chemical tang still stung to the wall.
There was nothing off, it looked totally like a normal wall, except for the graffiti…
Yet as Axel's hand touched it, it passed through.
A force pulling it in, a small ripple spreading from the point of contact, a hollow sound resembling dropping a pebble in the water echoed.
Axel quickly pulled out his hand and looked at it, scanning for any abnormality, yet there was none.
Hmm, interesting, a portal of some sort, how neat.
He squinted his eyes trying to find a pattern in the graffiti but there was none, just plain old graffiti.
He hesitated, then nodded. If Serif went in, it couldn't be a death trap.
His hand went in again, followed by the rest of his body.
A warm feeling enveloped him, it felt like floating through a thick viscous liquid, a force pulling him forward, slightly disorienting.
Axel exhaled as he came out on the other end. As his feet stepped on solid ground, he dropped to his knees gasping.
His stomach twisted violently, bile rising in his throat.
After a few minutes of reorienting himself, he looked up.
His eyes went round.
He quickly turned back, a wall with graffiti of a hallway behind him.
No sign of the train tracks, just a huge wall, stretching as far as his eye could see.
He turned to the side, Serif leaning against a rail, waiting.
Axel turned back to the view again, his jaw dropping with unbelief. In front of him was a town, a literal bustling town.
He stepped closer to the railing to get a better view. So much for being done with surprises.
Fortunately he was on some elevated platform, overlooking the entire thing.
Upon looking closer, it wasn't a town, more like a settlement or perhaps a market.
Multiple buildings stacked in two neat rows, a big space between them, multiple stalls at the edge, neon lights illuminating the town.
People all around as far as he could see going about their business, chattering and bustling noise coming from the market.
The smell of smoke and fish along with other smells he couldn't explain wafted into his nose.
A faint and rare smile appeared on Serif's lips as he saw Axel's reaction.
Axel looked up wondering if he would see multiple moons or something.
But instead he saw multiple small lights, they were so small they reminded him of stars.
The night sky.
Looking directly at them, they seemed small, not enough to illuminate the place.
Yet as he tried looking beyond he found the light too intense, blocking him from seeing whatever was beyond.
"Weird," Axel muttered.
"What are those," he pointed up to the lights.
"Artificial stars, one of the council's creations, " Serif answered, a hint of rare respect in his voice, catching Axel off guard.
Axel looked at him with an incredulous expression, as if asking what do you mean artificial stars. But Serif was already going down the stairs.
The council huh, sounds boring. But this is impressive.
Axel stayed up for a few seconds, absorbing the view.
I wonder if this is like a pocket dimension.
He shrugged and took one last look before hurrying after Serif.
"By the way, where are we," Axel asked, considering Serif had been responsive so far.
"E, the market town."
Axel stopped and raised a brow, "E," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"What lazy naming, who names a place like that, does the E mean something?" Axel questioned as they descended into the town.
***
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, they weren't the only new arrivals to E town.
Multiple men came through the same portal they followed, rugged men, dressed in black, an oppressive aura around them.
"Good old E, how I missed you." A sonorous voice resounded as a huge bald man stepped in front of the rails.
Spreading his hands apart, a wide grin between his thick beards.
"Don't even start Zero, restrain yourself, we have a goal this time." A smaller man muttered, the wind ruffling his blue hair which matched with his blue cloak, a spear poking out behind him.
The bigger man, Zero, looked back at the smaller man, still grinning.
"I wonder if I can." He murmured and clenched his massive fist which rapidly turned red, shimmering heat radiating from it.
The other men quickly moved away from him. Except for the blue haired man who headed towards the stairs.
"You better not ruin this," His voice trailed off as he descended the stairs
"I'll try, but with that Serif," Zero looked back at the town, teeth bared, lips pulled tight, "I doubt I'll afford to do that, right."
The other men quickly followed as if scared to spend a second longer with him.
Zero dropped his hands, his grin disappeared, a frown replacing it.
Though I wonder if that's still true.
"Or you've grown weaker, Serif the Cleaner."
He smirked and vaulted over the rail.