Iyo was bewildered. The Fossegrim that should have been completely gone was still there even after being fatally wounded several minutes before, even after the other two had succeeded in getting the Subatlantic Express moving again.

  He inspected closer and came to the hypothesis that it was receiving support from some external source. That source was likely its controller, Tierney.

  “If it’s something that can be severed on command, that’s fine, but if it’ll last for as long as the controller is alive…”

  The young man did not have any more time to continue his morbid speculation when the monster began to stir and rise back up on its tail.

  Iyo prepared to face the Wraith once more but instead of charging at him and crashed straight through the wall on the side of the car with a rain of glass, metal scraps, and ocean water.

  Iyo could do nothing but look on in confusion as he was left in that cabin that would soon be flooded entirely.

  ***

  Back to where Allen was, everyone tried rushing to Tierney who was barely standing, writhing in agony, only to be impeded when the whole car shook violently. Something had rammed into it from the outside. The Fossegrim Specter could be seen and felt repeatedly crashing into the cabin from the windows.

  “What’s going on?!” Katelyn tried reaching Tierney again but was stopped by the woman herself this time with a strained swipe of her hand.

  “Stay back!” She slurred. “…Those bastards…They rigged the tool with a trap in case I changed my mind. You have to get away from me. That…thing won’t stop until I’m taken out.”

  “Give it a rest already,” Katelyn demanded fiercely. “I stopped listening to you a long time ago. I’m going to do what I want and you’re going to be there to see it with your own eyes!” She closed the distance between the two and tried to rip the tuning fork out of Tierney’s hand. Try as she might, the spikes that had gouged the hand seemed to have fused it irrevocably to the sinister object.

  “Either I die alone or you all go with me…those are-” Tierney was cut off mid-sentence.

  “...the only options. Thinking like that is how you lost to ordinary people like us. Just wait til my friends get here and I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Allen pleaded.

  The half-elf who was much older than her appearance suggested looked at the faces of both her juniors and realized how set in her principles she had become over time. When presented with only unfavorable options at the outset, she went with at least one whether it was logical or not. That had led her to enlist in an organization that she despised, join a group led by a person she hated, and enact a scheme that put her prized pupil in danger.

  Tierney sighed exasperatedly and smiled bittersweetly. “Fine, I guess I’ll listen to the younger generation for once.” From the side of her eye, she could see the Wrait sea monster gathering its blood for a devastating attack as it barreled toward them again. It was steadily draining her of life and would not stop until this source of power was cut off.

  “Whew..” Katelyn’s shoulders relaxed and she eased her grip on Tierney’s hands, right before she was slammed backward into Allen.

  They watched on in horror as Tierney raised the razor-sharp bow she had just stolen from Katelyn and came swinging down on her outstretched, mangled right arm. Allen leaped to stop her and his whole word was sent spinning when Katelyn’s Specter collided with the train one last time.

  ***

  When the youth opened his eyes again, he saw a dismal scene. There was hardly any light left inside the ruined cabin. The windows had been broken open and the walls had been caved in. Allen felt a chill as he realized a time that he was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. One look outside of the wrecked car told him all that he needed to know. That final charge had derailed it. They were now slowly but steadily sinking to the very edge of a Mirage that was coming undone at the same time. Rather soon, this cabin would become a watery coffin.

  “Hey! Is everyone alright?!” Allen yelled out as he tried to make sense of his surroundings with the faintest of light trickling in from the surface.

  “Yeah! We’re fine.” He heard a familiar voice from the man known as Connor. He and Nathan were covered under a heavy pile of debris with Nathan having taken the brunt of the damage. Blood dripped from the former underworld leader’s forehead but he was still fairly, relatively okay. “...But, I’m not so sure about Tierney.”

  Allen followed Connor’s eyes to see the half-elf sprawled on the floor with a dark liquid spreading from her right side. Her eyes had already glazed over.

  “Wait! Hold on, dammit!” Allen frantically got up and rushed over to kneel next to the woman who had been desperately fighting just minutes prior. “You could’ve just waited for help!” He yelled random blabbering until he saw her chest move faintly up and down,

  “You’re still damn annoying. If I hadn’t cut off its source, it would’ve pushed us outside the Mirage and drowned us already.” Tierney explained with ragged breaths. “For the first time in my life…I picked a difficult choice I’m proud of. Don’t make me regret it…get everyone ou-”

  Allen clutched her hand when she suddenly stopped, everything stopped. “C’mon, crooked elf…Why are you overestimating me, now?” He was not level-headed or pragmatic enough to leave behind a dying person to save others with far better chances of surviving. The young man was still just an ordinary person after all, so he remained clutching her hand for better or for worse.

  She weakly squeezed it back before losing all strength.

  Then, harmonious notes pierced the silence and shining blue light vanquished the darkness of the space. It was all due to the playing of a crystal clear violin by a resolute violinist. Allen looked up in shock to see Katelyn standing over them as she began to sing an ethereal song with closed eyes, one that came from no lived experience of her own.

  “ó mikill andi árinnar sem rennur noreur!

  Ekki snúa h?feinu frá.

  Stilltu strengi háls tíns til bl?eingar.

  ég mun spila lag sem heillar jafnvel móeur náttúru sjálfa.

  Blóe Kvasis. Mane Hófvarpni.

  Lát trén dansa og fossana st?evast!

  ég er auemjúkur nemandi tinn og tú ert tryggur kennari minn.

  ég bie tig, gefeu mér áheyrn tína.

  ?rlátur Str?mkarlen Fossegrim!”

  Answering her summons, the Greater Spirit, Fossegrim, appeared behind its master. The entity was a regal but primal being adorned with the garb of an ancient noble alongside having the features of the sea itself. Within its visage, one could find the pitch-black eyes of a shark, hair that flowed like seaweed, and scales that shimmered with the colors of a coral reef.

  The Spirit proceeded to clap.

  His applause beckoned luminescent runes that covered every object and person, including Tierney’s body. Allen gazed in awe as the car was restored to perfect condition with the water of the ocean around them being transmuted to replace what was missing. The half-elf’s body was healed as well as a deep glow emanated from her wounds and made them disappear.

  It was only a low thud that made Allen understand that they were now back in place with the rest of the Subatlantic Express. Likewise, Tierney opened her eyes slowly in disbelief that she had made a near-full recovery. Her right arm was still missing but she could not take her current state for granted. Most of her blood had escaped her body, a condition that neither being given magical energy nor using Pulse could remedy, but she was somehow still alive.

  “Magic that transcends human minds and reasoning. The very origin of the mystic arts that can defy the laws of nature. That is what makes Spirits the true rulers of Craft and beings that stand on par with the Grim Reaper itself.” Nathan heralded with reverence. He and Conner were also back in great health as if nothing had happened.

  Katelyn silently walked over and helped her former mentor to her feet. “I remembered what my dream was after the Wraith vanished. Everything seemed so clear after that.”

  It dawned on Allen himself that the Specter Fossegrim had indeed been Katelyn’s Wraith. With something as precious as a dream returned to her after so many years, he could not help but wonder just how different the woman standing over him was now.

  “Of course it would, you’ve somehow been able to make it this long without your north star,” Tierney said regretfully. She was ready to accept the punishment she knew she deserved but hoped that she could still at least watch on to see how far the rising star would go.

  Katelyn simply looked her straight in the eyes. Her demure face blemished with eyebags seemed a little less tired than before. “I still haven’t forgiven you, but I’ll need a lot of people for what I’m envisioning now. I’m going to need your help too whether you like it or not.”

  The two nodded in agreement and Allen grinned after a deep breath of relief.

  “I should’ve guessed she’d be able to summon that Spirit when it mattered. Just when I was getting used to it, this world found another way to blow my expectations out of the water, heh.”

  He chuckled a bit at the unintended pun and counted himself fortunate. Sometimes, it paid to be just an extra on a grand stage of performers.

  In one of the train cars far away from where the fights had taken place, a young woman with long raven-black hair wearing a beige blouse dozed off in one of the comfortable cabin seats. Meanwhile, Evelyn and Luka watched over her ambivalently. Evelyn, the short woman wearing the frilly dress, had her hands cupped around her ears while Luka, the man with orange highlights and a green jacket, leaned back in his seat carelessly.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Charlotte had fallen asleep a while ago and had not stirred a bit since then. That was fortunate since it allowed them to avoid questions about what was happening. The highly advanced train was sound and shockproof so the chaos from the battle with the Wraith and Tierney had not affected them. However, it would be odd if they had to explain where the others were or keep her from leaving the car.

  “Ms. Bookworm is a pretty heavy sleeper, huh?” Luka pointed out while he and Evelyn were seated directly to the side of Charlotte who had a dauntingly large book resting on her lap.

  “Zip it, it’s better for us that she hasn’t woken up in all this time. I’d hate lying to keep up this whole facade.” Evelyn bitterly remarked as she listened in to what was transpiring throughout the rest of the train. Her Mystic Traits from being a Siren gave her enhanced hearing and a voice that could travel to the end of the Subatlantic Express. She had been serving as a living radio tower the whole incident.

  “What are you hearing now? Anything good?” Luka asked with some knowledge of her abilities. He kept himself occupied by drawing doodles in the air using his magical pen that used ether as ink. The masterpiece he was currently working on featured a duck making basketball shots.

  “No. I need to focus for a while before I can pick up words from this far away and that only lasts for a short time before I lose ‘connection.’” She explained with an anxious tone. “There was a loud crash just now and I’ve been trying to get back that connection ever since. “Hold on…”

  “...What’s going on?” Charlotte yawned as her eyes fluttered open. She started stretching her body after the long sleep.

  “...And I’ve lost it,” Evelyn stated under her breath with Luka grinning. Her concentration was broken by Charlotte’s sudden awakening.

  “Oh well, I’m sure they’ll have everything taken care of.” He optimistically asserted with a pat on Evelyn’s back that earned him a look of ire.

  “What do you mean? Why aren’t the others back yet?” Charlotte asked worriedly while looking around the otherwise empty car.

  Evelyn heaved a sigh as she would have to make a few white lies regardless now. “They’ve been back while you were asleep. They just decided to go around and take a tour of the Subatlantic Express while the train operators were working on getting up and running again.”

  “Oh, I see. Do you know when they’ll get back?” Charlotte questioned earnestly.

  Luka shook his head. “No idea. Who knows just how much fun they’re having without us.”

  Charlotte frowned and looked wistfully to the door at the end of the car which earned Luka a well-placed elbow to his ribs from Evelyn.

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t go check up on them? We should be arriving at Theater Atlantis soon and we have to make sure everyone’s prepared.” Charlotte said frankly.

  “Nah, I’m sure they’ll be on their way back any minute now. In situations like this, they would get back as soon as we decided to look for them.” Evelyn hastily reasoned and Charlotte’s crinkled lips showed she did not exactly agree with that notion.

  “...Fine, I’ll guess I’ll keep reading my book.” Charlotte relented as she opened up the story she had read countless times before, Jack and the Beanstalker.

  ***

  Barely a moment had passed since they reunited with Nera and Xalia when everyone saw a group of people dressed in black appear out of thin air. This party of four consisted of an even number of men and women dressed in outfits reminiscent of law enforcement. The tells that they were not local police were the blatant use of magic and the “Advance Guard” badges on the shoulders of their uniforms.

  “What are you glorified security guards doing here?” Nera derided with an air of disdain evident in her speech. She was standing in the doorway to the engine room filled with touchpads that covered the walls, a main generator that whirred almost silently, and cooling fans that regulated the temperature to precision.

  “I suppose they’re here because we’re an hour later than the train was supposed to arrive.” Nathan hastily exposited. “We left early to deal with any troublesome matters before the play started, but our unforeseen delay probably caused our hosts some worry.”

  The Advance Guards simply known as the Guards were a private security contractor established and employed by the Atelier City Council and other high-ranking members of Crafter society in the city. They greatly exceeded the capacity of a normal organization of security guards as they were specifically formed to protect against supernatural threats to their clients’ well-being and interests.

  They used anything from cutting-edge electronics to top-of-the-line Catalysts to carry out their role. Additionally, the Guards were trained to engage in prolonged combat whether with or without magic to avoid the scrutiny of the public eye as much as possible. Their whole reason for being formed was to avoid having to involve the mundane law enforcement in the affairs of Crafters as little as possible after all.

  Needless to say, the coordinators of that night’s performance at Theater Atlantis had taken the group’s absence very seriously.

  Hesitantly, Tierney walked up in front of the others. “You probably have more questions. I am the one-”

  From the side of his view, Allen watched as Tierney started explaining the situation, only to have her and one of the Advance Guard members disappear from his sight and reappear with Tierney’s face planted on the ground. The Guard in question, a scowling woman with short brown hair, had a gun aimed directly at the half-elf’s head, Tierney’s face was contorted with surprise and discomfort.

  “Don’t say another word or we’ll have to exercise additional force.” The brown-haired woman warned sternly.

  “Hey, what are you doing? You don’t even know she had anything to do with the delay?” Allen rebuked harshly while gesturing for the guard to get off Tierney.

  “Does she?” A stoic-sounding guard with black hair and piercing blue eyes questioned Allen directly. “Elves can command Spirits under their control with a single word, so I have to ask this before letting her speak.”

  “...Yeah.” Allen nodded reluctantly. Even if she had voluntarily given up and they had reconciled on their terms, he could not argue that she was not the main culprit behind this incident on the Subatlantic Express.

  “That checks out, sir.” A tall guard with slicked-back dreads and an electronic device in his hands confirmed. “I’m getting a reading of a large amount of residual energy that matches hers a few cars down.”

  “Good observation, Mcfadden.” The man who seemed to be in charge of this unit of Advance Guard acknowledged before turning to face Nathan with a look of cold vigilance at best. “You’re the owner of the Verre Chateau that’s going to be performing tonight, correct? Could you inform me how everyone was involved in this evening’s ordeal?”

  Nathan thoroughly explained the last hour's events. To Allen, it seemed like he was trying to deflect the blame on them as much as possible. He hoped that could give her some lenience and even more so, help them get to the bottom of how the Concealers were getting away with their schemes.

  When he was done with this line of questioning, the leader of the Advance Guard and his subordinates all looked deeply troubled. “If the Paladins’ Concealers are truly capable of controlling Specters then that would be a difficult matter to untangle. Do you still have the Catalyst used?”

  “We believe it fell into the water when the Wraith crashed into the train and were unable to locate it.” Xalia briskly informed the Guard without a hint of her usual mischievousness. Allen had a sneaking suspicion that was not the truth but he would discuss that with her later.

  ‘Pointing out a lie in front of these hardasses would just be asking for trouble.’

  Guard Mcfadden, the one with the scanner, looked over in Xalia’s direction with a scrutinizing gaze and said, “Sir, I’m not sensing any animosity or nervousness from her. It appears she’s telling the truth but a further inspection will be necessary to confirm the catalyst’s disappearance.”

  Following his colleague, another Guard spoke up. “Captain Pomeroy, we need to try as much as possible to find that dangerous tool. It could be the evidence needed to finally make the Concealers face some real consequences.” This came from the blonde-haired man with a buzz cut who had been silent up until now.

  “I hear what you two are saying but we need to take the suspect in and inform our superiors about these unsettling discoveries.” Captain Pomeroy relayed logically. Using Craft, he conjured a pair of cuffs that emitted a chill mist.

  “What are those supposed to be?” Katelyn adamantly asked after seeing the strange object appear out of thin air. She could not see the sigil used to perform the Skill but the result was a physical construct.

  “Don’t worry, these are just insurance. They’ll freeze her in place instantly if she tries to use magic.” The captain said in a lukewarm attempt to assuage the woman’s fears.

  “And how long will you hold onto her and whose call is that? You’re still just private contractors officially and the Paladins themselves were the ones who coerced her into committing the crime.” Katelyn pointed out while walking up to the Advance Guard. “Guilty or not, I need to know who’ll be deciding my friend’s fate before I let you take her.”

  “Potential participant for the Festival or not, you don’t have the authority to demand that information from me,” Pomeroy replied forcefully. Katelyn glared back at him but before she could give him a piece of her mind, Allen stepped in between the two.

  “Hey, how about we come to an agreement that benefits everyone?” Allen proposed the notion to de-escalate the situation. “Tierney has a bunch of shady information on the Concealers that I’m sure your bosses would want to hear and the people at the Verre Chateau have spent enough time with her to help verify those claims.”

  Captain Pomeroy remained silent for a while as he took in that suggestion and looked over to where Tierney was still pressed against the floor. “Howard, let her up.” Using what Allen suspected to be her surname, Pomeroy motioned for the brown-haired woman to allow Tierney to her feet.

  “I’ll consider it. What are your demands? Keep in mind that it will be the Council that decides whether they’re acceptable.” The guard told this to Katelyn while indirectly informing her who would determine Tierney’s fate.

  Katelyn thought carefully before speaking. “We help by giving this intel and you give Tierney a lighter sentencing and possible early release under our supervision if it comes to that.”

  Captain Pomeroy contemplated the proposal for a moment. “That’s reasonable. I’ll be sure to deliver those terms to my superiors, so keep in touch with us through this.” He handed her a card with the number for the Advance Guard’s base of operations and then asked Tierney herself a question.

  “Do you agree to these terms as well, Elf?” The way he spat that last word out made it sound like a curse.

  “Yes, I’ll gladly help you by revealing the Concealers’ secrets.” Tierney readily co-opted the plan while ignoring his obvious contempt for her.

  “Alright, then. We’re moving out team. Nielsen, apprehend the suspect.” Pomeroy handed the cuffs that Allen now noticed were made of pure ice to Nielson who cuffed himself to Tierney. The young man wondered how the guard would avoid being frozen himself if they activated.

  Before they left, Tierney gave Connor a regretful farewell. “I’m sorry for what I did to you.” She began while talking about the time she attacked him as a diversion. “I tried to make it do as least damag-no, that doesn’t matter. I’m not entitled to it, but I just hope you can forgive me with time.”

  Connor scoffed with a bitter frown. “Time isn’t going to do anything. If you want to make amends, make sure you come back and contribute twice as much as you did before.”

  He regretted seeing how sappy Tierney looked as she nodded in response to his condemnation. “If everything goes well, I want to start over again as someone you can truly trust and rely on.” She began with a heartfelt look at Katelyn. “With a singular exception, I loved the time I spent with my troupe members. I’m a great musician but not that great of an actor. …I am so-”

  Katelyn stopped her with a sudden hug. The other members of Advance Guard jumped at the unexpected action but a raised hand from Captain Pomeroy squashed their uncertainty. They simply allowed the moment to play out for a little while longer.

  “Make sure that what you’ve promised already isn’t a lie and I’ll do my part to start trusting you again, alright?” The violinist declared solemnly.

  “..Of course.” Tierney choked out those words through a shaky voice.

  With that, the Advance Guard vanished along with Tierney in a blur just like how they arrived. Allen wondered if their speed of movement was the reason behind the “advance” part of their name. They had managed to enter the train and settle matters in the ten minutes right before the train came to its destination at Theater Atlantis.