Theolis walked along the fleshy caves of the 43rd floor, his feet sinking into the bulbous masses underneath as the waves of shinsu washed over him.
"hoooooo~" He exhaled, rubbing his arms. Thanks to Karaka and White, he had some semblance of where he was on the floor, and so, he was confident in finding his way back to the train. The problem came afterwards.
What would he do if they found him again? What would he do if Jue Viole Grace's team found him? What would he do if the monocle cult found him?
He shook his head, shaking himself out of his thoughts.
It'll be fine. He told himself. It's all good... It'll all be just fine. I just need to get back on the train. The moment the next station arrives, I'll get off and live alone in some remote corner of the tower. I'll just head back to my village and plant coffee for the rest of my life...
It was suffice to say that Theolis was not having a good time. A red bubble of shinsu formed around him as he jumped into a small stream. The water splashed around the makeshift shield as he trotted harmlessly through the stream and made it to the other end.
My shinsu is getting stronger as well... Even since I arrived on the floor of death, it's been so strong and getting stronger. Heh. Even still, I doubt I'll be able to take on a ranker, much less Karaka.
As he walked out of the water, the shinsu bubble did not dissolve, but carried him into the air.
"I can do this now..." He mused, feeling comfortable in the bubble. The floor was scalding hot at some parts, biting cold at others. And without a sufficiently strong body to hold on, even a ranker would find it hard to survive. Because no one could use shinsu here, it was especially true. Theolis?
Such a thing was barely an inconvenience.
He sighed again.
Maximum effort... I guess...
...
"Man! That was something else!" Endorsi huffed as they boarded the train again. She held her arms out and stretched with a satisfied groan.
"Don't be too happy. Your training will begin shortly." Yuri reminded with a stern expression.
"What?!"
"Don't 'what' me! Your training begins tomorrow! Rest up as much as you can till then!" Yuri yelled at her face.
By the side, Khun and Zarhan snickered at her fate while Bam looked a bit apologetic.
Winston, on the other hand, held a small smile on his face, his eyes glossy as if lost in his own thoughts.
Khun glanced at him from the side and tapped his shoulder.
"Winston?" He called out.
"Hm?" Winston turned.
"Thanks."
Winston's expression didn't change, but there was a pause in his words.
"What for?" He smiled.
"You know... for everything." Khun closed his eyes as he walked along, keeping his hands in his pockets.
"Being our friend and all... I wouldn't know what to do without it." He chuckled.
Winston stared at his back for a moment before he huffed to himself and followed along the hallway.
Zarhan came behind him and tapped him on his back, swinging his arm over his shoulder.
"My man! Been a while since we've been together ain't it?!" He exclaimed with the excitement of a golden retriever.
"I guess it has." Winston nodded. To the side, Amon also approached them with a smile.
"Mr. Winston." He smiled and also threw his arm over his shoulder.
Winston shook his head.
"Seems like we have some catching up to do." Amon said.
"I suppose so." Replied Winston.
The Floor of Death had taken a toll on everyone. Perhaps they could use the rest of the journey as a way to relax...
It was not long after that Winston found himself standing before a window wall. The window extended throughout the length of the room he was in and offered a view of the outside.
Such a room was present in every compartment of the train and was oftentimes hard to break into. Needless to say, it was not a problem for Winston.
The outside still showed the red skies of the 43rd floor and the blood ocean down below. Jagged peaks of fleshy muscle and bone rose from the ocean and into the clouds as lightning blazed inside them.
"So, let me get this straight." Zarhan said.
"You want us to protect you during a ritual during which you could turn into a blood thirsty monster that knows nothing but kill other things and assimilate mass and lifeforms?"
"See, when you put it like that..." Winston felt a bit speechless. "I mean... yeah. Basically."
"Doesn't that seem... I don't know, a bit dangerous." Amon questioned with a sarcastic undertone. Clearly, he was not too thrilled by the idea; but his tone also suggested he was not too worried. He trusted Winston enough to know that the risk was minimal, otherwise, he would not even suggest doing the same with them in a confined space like the train.
"Oh it is. Believe me, uncountable amounts of people have perished while attempting such acts."
"People like you?"
"Stronger than me, even." Winston replied. It was Zarhan and Amon's time to be surprised. Stronger people than Winston? Perishing?
"From the outside?" Amon asked, his eyes glinting curiously.
"More or less." Winston nodded. After all, he was fairly certain the Lord of Mysteries universe, or multiverse for that matter, existed somewhere outside the tower. While the tower itself did not confirm the existence of other universes, given that it was entirely possible that it was situated in Winston's own universe, the potion system accomplished the same.
Besides, what were the chances an energy source like shinsu went unnoticed by humanity for hundreds of years after getting into the information age?
"Irregulars sure are all kinds of weird." Zarhan said as he lay on his back, hands curled behind his head and looking to the side, outside the train.
There was silence for a moment, a few seconds of time where they all stared out into the distance; musing.
"The tower sure is a wondrous place." Amon said.
"It truly is." Winston could not help but agree.
Shinsu, above all, is fascinating... if the administrator's aren't liars... then. His eyes travelled up towards the canopy of clouds.
I do wonder what is at the top...
"Someday." He said. "I do wish to get to the top of the tower. Alongside everyone else."
Zarhan met his eyes as Winston turned to him.
"It'll be a nice adventure, I reckon."
Zarhan grinned, his sharp canine glistening in the light.
"I'd freaking bet it will be!"
...
Two figures stumbled back through the door and into the Hell Train, their heavy coats seemingly weighing them down and right into the floor.
"Huff! Huff!" One of the figures huffed, taking in large volumes of air. The blonde locks of hair that cascaded down her forehead, coupled with the freckles that rested on her face couldn't be mistaken for anyone else.
It was none other than Rachel.
"Are you alright?" Yura asked with a worried expression. She had joined Rachel for her own goals, but now? She was not feeling so sure anymore. The presence of the Silent Leviathan was making her feel especially regretful.
But alas, she had grown attached to Rachel. She needed her to fulfill her goals and it was far too late to back away now.
Rachel looked up from her place on the floor, her hood slipping off to reveal her dishevelled hair and eyes filled with all the malice and hate she could muster.
"Am I alright!? No! No I'm not!" She screamed at Yura. Her voice cracked a bit from the intensity but she did not care.
"Why is the world like this!? I'm an irregular as well! Why are Bam and Winston so special?!? I should also be special shouldn't I?! I should also have that same overwhelming power! It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!" She screamed. She screamed with every ounce of emotion she could muster. She squeezed her heart dry and poured it all out, leaving nothing behind. But somehow, she found more disdain and hate and anger at the unfairness of it all.
A singular tear rolled down her cheek, soon followed by a constant stream as she wept. Eventually, the words ceased, clogging up at her throat as she remained silently on the floor, sniffing now and then and taking large mouthfuls of air.
Yura stood watching. Her hand tightened on her suitcase, unsure how to proceed. She had never been good at consoling others. She was always the type to either deal with the problem or not worry about it till it weighed down like a mountain over her head. Breaking down in the face of adversity was not like her, and so, she could never place herself in the shoes of someone that buckled under that weight.
She looked around awkwardly amid the sobbing sounds of her friend. Then, unsurely, she extended her hand and placed it on her shoulder.
"Hey... I know you're dissatisfied and all but I don't think crying is going to solve that... So deal with it. Find some way to climb the tower. Some other way. Isn't that what you've been doing until now?"
Her words seemed to bring some sense back into Rachel's mind as she looked up to meet her gaze.
Having faced the hopeful gazes of hundreds of thousands of fans before, Yura did not pull away.
"So come on. We have work to do. Let us help each other. That's how we, the weak ones survive right? We band together and work for a future. Together." She extended her hand and waited.
Rachel wiped the tears off her face and took her hand.
"Sorry... for showing such a side."
"Don't worry about it. We all have moments we're not proud of in our lives." Yura smiled.
And so, they began to walk further into the train, soon hoping to regroup with their companions and work towards a hopeful future. All but unaware of a pair of eyes, one covered by a monocle, watching over them as they walked.
...
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter.