Katrina Aisaia was only just into her second year, and even though she was a girl who'd developed a bit faster than most, her height was still about the same as Dark's.
Her slight build made her look even younger than she was.
She wore her black hair with straight-cut bangs across her forehead, just barely covering the space above her eyebrows — understated, restrained, and rather delicate.
Meeting her for the first time gave off a faint impression of Winnie Skadi.
Then again, the top students of Magic House all seemed to share that same quality.
Dark chatted with Katrina for a bit longer before returning to his match against Doron.
After he demolished Doron's Castle, Doron — refusing to accept defeat — insisted on making it best two out of three, and so the second round began.
Not long after, the Magic Guide Motorcar let out a tremendous roar, and the entire train trembled slightly.
"Are we finally leaving?" Doron asked, suddenly excited.
Diana leaned out of the window to look. "Looks like it."
Rose's face wasn't looking too good. "We have to sit through three whole days of this..."
Pistan piped up. "Isn't there a dining car? Three days is three days, as long as we get fed."
Diana immediately shot him a look of "great minds think alike," and the two of them locked eyes as if they'd just found a kindred spirit they wished they'd met sooner.
A thunderous boom!
Another tremor shook the train.
A violent surge of magic power rippled outward from the front of the locomotive.
The glow of magic power spread along the undercarriage, and in the blink of an eye it had covered the entire train.
Then, amid the students' cheers, the Magic Guide Motorcar lurched forward and began to move.
The violent shaking left the students struggling to adjust.
It wasn't until two or three minutes later that the ride smoothed out somewhat, though it still shuddered from time to time.
For anyone prone to motion sickness, it was nothing short of a cruel torment straight from hell.
Rose's face had gone faintly pale.
But she kept a strained smile on and silently Endured.
...
Gorgeous scenery flew past on either side of the locomotive, as swift as the passage of time itself.
Before long, noon arrived.
At the attendant's prompting, the students got up from their seats one by one and made their way to the nearest dining car, taking small bites of the simple meals served on board.
"This is actually pretty good — must be the Halfling Cook's handiwork."
Dark savored the taste of the grilled steak, then casually forked the accompanying dessert — a crepe cake — onto Diana's plate.
Diana's eyes lit up instantly. She wolfed down the last bite of her steak with a happy growl and dug into the two cakes she now had instead of one.
Across the table, Pistan's eyes filled with envy, and he unconsciously nudged Doron beside him.
But Doron had no intention of handing over his own cake, and pretended not to notice.
After lunch, the six of them wandered the lounge area of the dining car for a little while before returning to their seats to doze off.
Sleeping upright in a seat wasn't exactly comfortable, but St. Marian's Magic Guide Motorcar hadn't yet been fitted with sleeper berths.
In an era when this kind of technology was still in its infancy, one couldn't ask for too much.
In Dark's compartment of six, Diana gave up the inner seat to let Rose lie down.
Rose slumped over the table and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Dark moved to the outer seat, sitting across from Katrina, and the two of them read in silence.
Doron and Pistan quietly played a round of Magic Guide Chess, with Diana watching from across the table.
The inside of the Magic Guide Motorcar gradually grew quiet.
Time seemed to stand still.
...
The Magic Guide Motorcar cut through plains and canyons, dove into underground tunnels, and crossed over lakes and waterways.
Heading south from the kingdom's northern reaches, passing through several stops along the way, it finally arrived at Phoenix City just before evening.
Legend told of an immortal phoenix that had once descended to earth and burned a poison-shrouded wasteland into black ash — only for, decades later, new shoots to sprout from that scorched land, which became a place bursting with life.
The people who settled there afterward made the phoenix their totem, and even built a massive statue of it.
As the ages passed, one of the great phoenix statue's wings was broken off during a period of war, and the original Phoenix Town grew into Phoenix City.
The Phoenix City stop was a major station, and both Emma Metis and Robert Broheim got off the train there.
With a large crowd disembarking, the interior of the Magic Guide Motorcar finally felt a bit more spacious.
After sitting idle for about half an hour, the Magic Guide Motorcar set off once more.
Dusk fell.
The Magic Guide Motorcar passed through the glow of the sunset and plunged into thick darkness.
After dinner, Dark and the others fooled around for a while longer before slumping over the tables to nap, one by one.
The saying about travel exhaustion was no joke — long stretches riding a Magic Guide Motorcar were far from comfortable.
Around nine at night, Dark quietly got up, shouldered his bag, and slipped into the bathroom. There, he steadied his emotions, took out the magic-brain dropper, and extracted his day's ration of "Major Sin."
His "Pride" points in particular were running low, so this time he chose "Greed" instead.
With the nightly ritual complete, Dark took the chance to brush his teeth and wash his face before quietly slipping back to the compartment.
His classmates were all fast asleep, and DemiDevimon lay sprawled on his back in the middle of the table, snoring soundly.
Dark smiled faintly and closed his eyes as well.
...
As night deepened, the Magic Guide Motorcar passed through wild, untamed land, skirting the edge of the Grey Mist Forest.
A Forest Warden stood outside the track railing, watching the roaring train pass, and slowly pulled the brim of his hat down.
The Magic Guide Motorcar plowed straight through the thick grey mist, and a chill, forbidding air seeped into the cabin.
...
The corner of Dark Demon's eye twitched slightly, and he unconsciously furrowed his brow.
Then his eyes snapped open. A strange, eerie stillness had spread through the surroundings.
Everyone in the compartment was fast asleep.
Rose lay slumped over the table, her face buried in the crook of her arm.
Diana leaned sideways against Rose, her mouth twitching now and then as if she were chewing on something in her sleep.
Katrina had dozed off sitting perfectly upright, a book still resting on her knees.
Doron and Pistan were tangled together in the shape of a lopsided letter, snoring intermittently.
DemiDevimon, however, had sat bolt upright with a blank look on his face, his eyes brimming with tears.
The surroundings felt as if something were missing — a terrifying kind of quiet.
After a long moment...
Realization suddenly struck Dark: "That's it — the sound of the Magic Guide Motorcar running has stopped. Has it come to a halt?"
He reached out, scooped up DemiDevimon, set him on his shoulder, then pushed open the small compartment door and stepped out into the corridor.
The entire carriage was utterly silent, as if the rest of the students were all deep asleep too.
He looked toward the window. Through the thin film of mist on the glass, he could make out a dark, murky green in the darkness.
It was a forest, its trees towering high.
As his eyes adjusted to the dark, the forest's outline grew clearer, and he could faintly hear the low chirring of insects.
Dark turned to look at the projection screen. Slowly scrolling across it, the name of this place was clearly written: Grey Mist Forest.
"Grey Mist Forest — I remember it's out in the wilds between Florenreid and Bagroa..."
Dark rubbed at his forehead, feeling his mind still faintly clouded.
He found himself walking forward without meaning to.
When he came back to his senses, he was already standing at the carriage door.
For some reason, the door was wide open, and cool night air drifted in from outside.
Hazy moonlight poured down, scattering flecks of light and shadow across the pitch-black earth.
Clear runes glowed along the railings on either side of the tracks, with two posts standing on either side.
As he stepped slowly down from the Magic Guide Motorcar, the chirring of insects from the Grey Mist Forest abruptly grew louder.
Walking through the thick darkness of night, Dark spotted the Forest Warden standing outside the tracks, and only then noticed the small hut behind him.
The ranger lifted his head, revealing a face worn and weathered by time.
"Care to come in and sit for a while?"
The ranger stepped back, revealing the hut behind him.
Dark gave a slight nod and stepped inside.
Inside, an oil lamp burned. There was only a bed, a wooden table, and two stools.
Leaning against the outside was a smaller room, presumably housing a stove.
The old ranger pulled a stool out from under the table, gestured for Dark to sit, then poured a cup of water from a hand-carved mug and set it before him.
Dark sat down on the stool, cradling the cup in both hands without drinking.
Only after the ranger had settled down across from him did Dark finally speak. "Is this the Grey Mist Forest?"
"Yes. And no." The ranger took the cup and drank, water sliding down his throat as it bobbed visibly.
Then he set down the cup and rasped, "Do you know why water flows downhill?"
[Of course I know — but would you understand it if I said it?]
Dark answered nonchalantly, "Because people climb to reach higher ground."
The ranger: "..."
The chirring of insects all around cut off for a single instant.
After a brief moment of stiffness, the ranger spoke again. "Do you know why fire is put out by water?"
[Of course — because water, being a non-flammable substance, also absorbs heat and cools combustible material below its ignition point.]
Dark said, "Because water overcomes fire."
The ranger fell silent for a long moment. "You seem to understand elemental affinities quite thoroughly."
Dark said, "I memorized the elemental affinity chart."
A heavy shadow had begun to gather in the ranger's eyes. "Do you know why we always see lightning before we hear the thunder?"
[Of course — because light travels faster than sound.]
Dark blinked. "Without lightning, where would the thunder come from?"
Crack!
The cup in the ranger's hand suddenly split with a crack.
What water remained gushed out through the fissure.
Coarse hair sprouted across the back of his hand, which suddenly swelled, growing thick and powerful.
That "swelling" spread upward from his palm — his once-withered arm transformed in an instant into a massive limb corded with muscle, and a shell like armor plating burst up from his shoulder.
Half of his face, lit by the lamplight, had somehow twisted into the visage of a gorilla, forming a jarring contrast against the human half that remained.
"Roar!"
A bestial roar tore out from his throat.
The ranger slammed a hand down, shattering the wooden table, and rose to his full height.
The sudden burst of ferocious killing intent silenced the insects' chirring in an instant.
Dark turned his head slightly, and a splinter of flying wood grazed his cheek, drawing a bead of blood.
But he only laughed. "There we go. We're all civilized people here — why talk with your fists when your mouth will do?"
With that, he leapt backward in a flash, his fingers slicing through his card case, and two Magic Guide Cards were already pinched between his fingertips.
"In the name of Dark Demon, Magic Guide Summon — Drifloon!"
As the summoning light flashed across his vision, a dark green Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirit burst forth.
"Yaay~"
Perhaps sensing this wasn't a proper dueling ground, Drifloon rubbed madly against Dark's face the moment it appeared, cheerful as a fish returned to water.
Dark reached out and pulled it in close, his expression finally relaxing.
Though he had no idea exactly where he was, as long as he could summon his Magic Guide Spirits without trouble, there was nothing to fear.
As for the ranger across from him — though he'd taken on a grotesque half-gorilla, half-human form, he didn't lunge forward with the same ferocity as his aura suggested. Instead, his left hand dipped down and drew a Magic Guide Card from the card case hanging at his leg.
There was no mistaking it — he was a Magic Guide Master too.
Something flickered across Dark's expression, and he gave a mocking laugh. "So, a fellow practitioner."
The ranger spoke in a low tone, half of his voice still human. "I've seen your duels. Every one of your Magic Guide Spirits has an exceptionally high intelligence rating."
Dark said plainly, "If you've come all this way specifically for me, then you must already be prepared to face death."
"Death is only the beginning of new life. The meaning of fate's existence is to be broken," the ranger said, his voice threaded through with a beast's growl.
Dark said indifferently, "Then die again — activate, Vampire Secret Rite!"
"Yaay!"
Drifloon shot forward violently, blood-red liquid dripping from in front of it, spreading outward in layers the instant it touched the ground.
A massive Blood Magic Circle unfurled rapidly, and the Vampire Young Lady, holding her black parasol, stepped gracefully out from within.
"Blood Ritual!"
Dark pressed the two fingers holding his Magic Guide Card together and raised his hand, pointing it at the ranger.
The Vampire Young Lady's narrow eyes suddenly slitted, a flash of bloody light glinting within.
She snapped her parasol shut, and blood flowing from her fingertips coiled around the handle like a snake, making the black parasol — with its fanged frame — glow a red so deep it verged on black.
When that bloody glow reached its peak, she pushed off with the toes of her dance shoes and shot forward like a gust of wind straight at the ranger, her right hand's parasol transformed into a lethal weapon, the light Wrap around it becoming a storm of blood that thrust like a spear into the ranger's chest!
But the ranger had already been on guard the moment the "Vampire Secret Rite" unfolded, and his Magic Guide Card in hand had already lit up.
"Jungle Beast Armor!"
Green light, like vines, burst out from the face of his card, and in the blink of an eye it had crept across his entire body.
Fully armored now, the ranger didn't retreat at all — his thick gorilla arm swung out savagely, trying to seize the parasol's handle.
But the moment that massive hand touched the blood storm wrapped around the parasol, it was instantly torn open with countless gashes.
The Vampire Young Lady drove straight through, the tip of her parasol plunging without hesitation into the human half of the ranger's left side.
Splurch!
The green "Jungle Beast Armor" was utterly unable to stop this strike, empowered as it was by the "Blood Ritual."
A horrifying hole was blasted clean through the ranger's left chest!
"A seven-star Magic Guide Spirit!"
The ranger's face contorted in shock, but even with his left chest pierced through, he lit up a second Magic Guide Card.
A ferocious bestial roar erupted from deep within the Grey Mist Forest, shaking the very earth!
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