«Come closer. We are leaving for the train.»
Ellian narrowed his eyes, irritation slipping into his voice.
«Approach you? Sure… lead me to the train. And keep your distance too.»
The guy's expression soured immediately. His face twisted with annoyance as he replied in a dull, dismissive tone:
«I've told you so many damn times… and I literally just said not to perceive— ugh, whatever. If you don't come closer, you won't get into the train. Simple.»
«…»
He muttered something under his breath, fingers working over the strange card. From where Ellian stood, he could see it slowly darkening, the color draining into pitch black. The guy looked up one last time, his expression suddenly sharp and serious.
«Let's go. No time to wait.»
Ellian pulled out his phone.
[10:45 PM]
He locked the screen and glanced back at him.
«Fine, let's go… I've got no interest in dying out here.»
But the moment he stepped closer, Ellian's vision blurred. A violent wave of nausea crashed over him, his stomach twisting like it was turning inside out. He struggled to keep his eyes open, then everything went dark.
The last thing he felt was a heavy blow to the back of his head.
~~~
~~~~~
Ellian blinked awake. Two middle-aged men stood over him, exchanged a glance, snickered, and walked off. The aching throb at the back of his skull surged sharply.
«Fuck… that asshole. Did he really hit me?»
He pushed himself up and froze.
Hundreds of people walked in every direction, each dressed in strange yet incredibly well-designed clothing, styles unlike anything Ellian had seen in his world. And behind them…
A train.
But calling it a "train" was an insult.
It was colossal, its full length unreachable to the eye, fading into some distant vanishing point beyond the platform's horizon. Even the height of it felt unreal, like some monumental structure carved out of another reality entirely.
Among the people were several figures in the same uniform he vaguely remembered seeing beneath the hood of that guy.
"Custodians… I think that's what they were called."
And only now did he notice something even more insane:
Not all of them were human.
Creatures of various forms, some humanoid, some far from it, walked calmly through the area, acting completely normal, speaking like any ordinary person.
«Wow… so the guy wasn't lying. They really are from other worlds.»
A cascade of emotions churned inside him, disbelief, awe, curiosity all tangled together. And beneath it all, a spark of excitement.
«Creepy… but it's so damn interesting. Ahem… I need to learn more.»
He reached for his phone, intending to take a picture, only to feel nothing in his pockets.
«Great… they took my phone too?»
He looked around again, walking farther down the platform, and suddenly froze.
Towering, at least seven meters tall, massive mechanical-looking beings strode past, their metal frames illuminated by the station's lights. But they weren't robots… or, at least, he couldn't be sure. They moved too naturally.
They were maintaining the train somehow, adjusting enormous gear-like structures attached to its sides.
He turned and spotted a gigantic hanging clock.
[13:22]
«I slept that long? The hell…»
Then, from a distance, a familiar figure in a Custodian uniform walked toward him.
«You! You son of a…»
Ellian didn't finish. The guy cut him off without hesitation:
«Relax. Be grateful I even came to get you. Come on, I'll take you to your compartment.»
He started walking toward the train. Ellian followed reluctantly.
«What? No introduction tour or something?»
«Nah. Too lazy. Also, you got lucky with your compartment.»
«And why's that?»
«You're placed in a new carriage. A compartment nobody's been assigned to yet.»
«How is that good? I don't know anything, and now I have to travel alone?»
«Opposite. It's a blessing. Some neighbors are insanely annoying. You'll see when they shove a couple more passengers from other worlds into your carriage later.»
«And you're not going to explain any of this..»
«Told you, I'm lazy. Figure it out. Uh, and also no need to register, I already did it for you.»
«Stop changing the damn subject… but thanks anyway.»
As they approached the train, the doors towered over them, so massive that almost any living creature could pass through with ease.
The guy sighed.
«Ah… Luminara. Beautiful, isn't it.»
Ellian stared up at the structure, this surreal, impossible monument of metal and otherworldly architecture.
«Yeah… can't argue with that.»
*
When they were about to step inside, Ellian suddenly noticed something at the far end of the platform, small booth-like chambers. Creatures of all kinds walked in and out of them, the doors sliding open with a soft metallic hiss. It didn't take long for Ellian to understand: these cabins were gateways that led directly into the train's platform system.
He wouldn't have paid them much attention, if not for the individuals who walked out next.
Five people emerged, each of them drenched in blood from head to toe. All of them carried paintings in their hands. But what froze Ellian in place wasn't the blood, or the strange aura they carried.
It was the painting held by a girl.
Ellian recognized it instantly.
He glanced at the Custodian and hissed:
«Hey, that's my painting… Why the hell is she carrying my painting?»
The Custodian didn't answer.
«Hey! Answer me. That's my masterpiece!»
«Then go and ask her if you want it back.»
«Yeah, I'll go and—»
«If you want to die.»
«What?»
«Can't you see? They're already registered passengers. Be grateful your painting didn't burn out there in the external world.»
Ellian clenched his jaw.
«But… can I get my painting back?»
He knew he had to think rationally. In a place he didn't understand, surrounded by unknown rules, he had no choice but to rely on himself, and on what little guidance this strange man offered.
«You can. Either she'll give it back without a problem… or you'll end up in a fight to the death. And the second option is basically suicide.»
«Damn it. Fine. I'll deal with it later.»
«Good. Now come on, we're late. I'll take you to your compartment. After that, if you want to look around, do it on your own.»
«And what about—»
«Forget it. There are no real rules here. Anyone can kill you at any time.»
«What? Then this place isn't any safer than the outside.»
«At least here you have a chance to survive. And don't worry, without proper authorization, no one can enter your compartment.»
«…»
Ellian wasn't used to living with death breathing down his neck, but he forced himself to accept it. He didn't know what the Train truly was, only that there was no guarantee of safety here. Survival was the only law, and everyone fought for their own.
«Let's go already. I don't have that much time.»
~~~
As they finally stepped inside the train, enormous engraved letters greeted them above the entrance:
[LUMINARA]
The interior beyond those letters was breathtaking. It resembled a grand hall more than anything related to transportation, vast ceilings, soft luminous panels, polished floors that reflected light like still water.
Ellian couldn't help but stare.
Wow… this doesn't look like a train at all. More like a hall…?
Whatever it resembled didn't matter; it functioned as a train, and that was what counted. The Custodian beside him added calmly:
«Just so you know, the train only looks like this while at a station. When we're traveling, its appearance changes.»
«So… it shrinks?»
«No. More like it shifts to operate more efficiently. Truly, the Artist of Luminara was the last genius of the universe.»
«…»
They walked further into the passenger sector of the train. Another Custodian approached them, checked something on the first Custodian's badge, then silently let them pass.
They continued walking for a while.
It must have been more than ten minutes already.
During this time, he encountered many species of creatures and a wide variety of people. All of this inspired him to create a masterpiece, but unfortunately, he had no opportunity to bring it to life.
«Why is it taking so long?» Ellian finally asked.
«Exactly because you haven't received your Willboard yet.»
«What's a Willboard?»
«You'll learn later. We're almost there.»
Five more minutes of silence followed before they finally reached the correct carriage.
«Here we are.»
«Wow… we really spent a lot of time walking.»
They approached a compartment located at the far end of the carriage – Compartment [9]. Ellian counted twenty compartments in this carriage, and he assumed the rest were the same.
«So… twenty compartments in each carriage?»
«Yes, that's right.»
Ellian asked just to be certain. He wasn't sure whether it was caution or simply plain paranoia, but he needed to understand this place thoroughly.
When the Custodian finished adjusting something on the panel beside the door, he looked at Ellian, smiled, and said:
«Congratulations on your settlement, Pilgrim.»
«What is wrong with you? And what is a Pilgrim supposed to mean?»
«Forget it. Now get comfortable. I'll be heading back. If you need anything, ask any Custodian. Good luck, Pilgrim.»
With that, the Custodian turned around and began the long walk back down the massive corridor, leaving Ellian standing at the threshold of his compartment door.
— Now… I just need to learn everything about this train.
Ellian glanced around once more, still unsure if calling this place a "carriage" made any sense at all. The scale of everything felt unreal. If a single carriage held this much space, then what were the true dimensions of the train itself? Along each side stood ten compartments, spaced far apart, making the carriage feel even more enormous.
But just as the Custodian said, this was only how the train looked while stationed. The real question was… what did it look like in motion?
Ellian turned back toward his compartment and finally stepped inside, exhaling softly in anticipation.
— Hopefully this place is just as pleasant.
As he cracked the door open, the space before him widened instantly, far larger than the distance between compartment doors he saw from the hallway.
— What? What the hell is this… how is that even possible?
Then the Custodian's earlier words echoed in his mind: don't compare anything here to the previous world reality.
— A pocket dimension for every compartment, huh… that must be it.
For someone thrown into an unknown world, Ellian was surprisingly quick to adapt. But then again, he was considered a genius back in his world.
Right as he was deep in thought, someone tapped him lightly from behind. Turning around, he saw another guy, looking around twenty, casually standing there.
«Umm… do you need something?» Ellian asked without losing his composure.
«Me? Nah. I live here. Were you transferred here? Or just another fresh-faced passenger…» the guy replied with a smirk.
«Yeah, I'm new. But they told me I'd be alone in my compartment.»
«Then they lied. They lie to everyone so people don't bother them. Forget it, those Custodians aren't your average crew. In short, they don't give a damn about pilgrims.»
«That bastard… ahem. So you're staying here too? In this compartment?»
«Yeah, yeah. Follow the rules and I won't kick you out.»
«I'm normal, don't worry. But what about you?»
The guy didn't answer. He simply brushed past Ellian, stepped into the compartment, and without even turning said:
«Well, come on in. Just forget about the idea of "comfort".»
«What's that supposed to mean?»
«Nothing. Just hurry up already.»
After hearing that, Ellian entered the compartment and closed the door behind him. Inside, the space was modest but well-arranged. Two separate rooms branched off, each with five beds, along with plenty of open space for preparations, equipment, and whatever else passengers needed.
To Ellian, it still felt small at first, but he quickly shook off that thought. For a place meant for survival, travel, and whatever horrors lay ahead, this was more than enough.