In a war situation, train transportation is the backbone for the military. It can be used to transport many things such as the soldiers themselves and supplies ready to be delivered to the front lines.
No wonder warfare itself had changed because of trains. Back then, mobilizing troops could take months, but now it was cut down to just weeks before soldiers set foot on the blood-soaked ground of the front.
Because of that, even this early in the morning, the station was already filled with people rushing around, each busy with their own business.
The smoke from the trains covered the station like a morning fog, and the sound of their engines roared like they were singing to welcome this beautiful morning.
Not far from where I stood, I could also see women waiting with worried faces, probably hoping that someone they loved would step out from one of the train cars.
But what stood out the most was a crowd of people dressed in black. Among them were all sorts—men and women, old and young.
The air around them was heavy with grief, some even crying out loud without caring that they were in public. They wept while clutching coffins that had just been carried off the train cars by soldiers in ceremonial uniforms. That's right, those coffins held their family members, now lying lifeless inside. The ones people called soldiers who had fallen in battle.
With a simple winter hat and a plain fur jacket, I just watched that dramatic scene without much expression. Maybe people would see me as heartless and lacking empathy, but on the other hand I felt relieved that their grief was still there… because in my previous life, when the war grew even more brutal, many civilians had already gotten used to death, whether it was their own family or not. War doesn't just kill the feelings of soldiers on the frontlines, it also numbs the people left behind.
War has reached its peak once the general reaction is to stop caring about death, when it's seen as nothing more than normal.
"Attention! The train is about to depart!" one of the staff shouted, his voice so firm and strong it almost rivaled the roar of the train's engine itself.
Looks like I came too early before the scheduled time, so the train in front of me, the one carrying the coffins, wasn't the one I was waiting for. After the staff's shout, the train soon departed, smoke billowing out from both sides, followed by the shrill whistle as the iron giant began to move.
I had already taken a step back beforehand, but even then the sound of the engine was so loud that I ended up covering both my ears.
As the train rumbled away, it felt like it carried the warmth of the station with it. The air that lingered afterward was hollow and cold, as if the moment the iron giant left, it took the morning's brief comfort along with its smoke.
"Ugh, why does it feel colder every single day?" I muttered, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket. I even had to move my body a little just to fight off the biting chill that sank into my skin.
Standing on the station platform, I felt a little regretful for arriving early. Mum herself said it was better than being late, but she herself after dropping me off at the station left me alone at this station.
Well, it couldn't be helped, since today was the day the celebration was about to start, so she had to be at the venue early. Moreover, she was actually also worried about leaving me alone at the station considering the rumours of children disappearing were still heard, but fortunately there were already many station attendants on duty even in the early morning.
Of course, the train I'm waiting for isn't the one that just left. The one I'm waiting for should be arriving soon, carrying someone I haven't seen in a long time…
Hmm, no, it's only been one year since I parted ways with him, that's not too long is it? Um, I don't know, one year can feel long but also short depending on the situation.
Still, I can't deny the warmth in my chest at the thought of meeting Wilhelm again. After everything that's happened, just knowing I'll see a familiar face, a friend I can truly trust, feels like enough reason to stand here and wait, no matter how cold it get.
Since the previous train had just departed, I figured Wilhelm's train would take a little longer to arrive. After all, there's always a scheduled gap between one departure and the next on the same line.
With that, I walked over to a bench at the station and decided to just sit and wait for the train that would bring Wilhelm.
The sunlight, which had been dim before, now began to spread across the morning air, along with more and more people arriving at the central station. Because of that, I no longer felt as worried about those kidnapping cases.
"May I sit beside you, miss?"
Just as I finally felt relieved, a thin man with a sunken left eye, wearing an officer's military uniform and a round black glass lens covering his right eye, appeared near me. To be honest, I hadn't even noticed his presence at all.
"Go ahead, this is a public place anyway," I answered, trying to stay calm.
"Such a smart young lady, thank you," the strange man praised me with a smile, and almost immediately he lowered himself onto the bench next to me on the left.
After we sat side by side, I didn't really feel like making a big deal out of it. So I just sat quietly and looked around, noticing two men who seemed to be meeting up and exchanging a stam, they were probably stamp collectors, It really reminded me of Wilhelm.
But…
"…what?"
I could feel the man next to me staring at my face in a weird way this whole time. Honestly, it made me so uncomfortable that I shifted my body a little farther away from him. But he didn't care about that at all. Instead, he kept leaning closer and closer until I was already at the edge of the bench with nowhere else to go. Fed up, I decided to confront this strange man.
What was even creepier was that he didn't immediately respond to my confrontation and just rubbed he chin as if he was observing me.
Suddenly I remembered when my eye got struck by a shard of shrapnel back in my previous life, when several tanks fired their shells at ours during the last battle of the war…
That memory… it was too strong… I could see the gunner's head beside me bursting apart, i-it was horrifying…
"Miss?"
"Don't come closer, damn it!"
"S-sorry…"
I didn't know why, but my body felt really sick just from looking at him, and luckily he backed off a little when he heard me yell. I could even feel people around us turning their eyes toward the bench, which was probably why he nervously shifted away.
"I-I feel like throwing up…" I muttered while covering my mouth.
"Eh, what!? Hold on a second!" the man blurted out.
I didn't look at him, but I could feel him stand up, and the heavy sound of footsteps told me he was running off somewhere I couldn't see.
Trying to hold back my nausea, I was left completely powerless to move. Cold sweat drenched my body, making the already chilly air feel even colder. My child's lungs burned, my heart raced far too fast for this small frame. This body wasn't meant to carry memories like these.
For a while, all I could do was clutch at my stomach, trembling. The world around me felt blurred, voices distant, swallowed by the pounding inside my skull.
Then, the same heavy footsteps from before returned. The officer reappeared, slightly out of breath, holding out a small metal container he must have hastily taken from a food vendor nearby.
"Here… use this," he said awkwardly, his voice softer now, almost uneasy.
I didn't have the strength to reply, but when he placed the container in my hands, I gripped it as though it were the only lifeline keeping me from collapsing completely.
Clutching the container with trembling hands, I barely had time to steady myself before the nausea surged again. I bent forward, and a violent heave forced its way out, the bitter sting of bile burning my throat as my whole body shuddered with each retch.