52. Discipline on the water train

The Financial District was full of skyscrapers, offices, and people in suits. I had never been in its water train station, and as I walked through the main entrance of the ornate harbor, I admired the spacious platforms, the high glass windows, and the old paintings. On the wall was written: «Westminster Hall». Below, there was a notice for tourists that went like this: «Before the Big Blend, the Palace of Westminster was a place for politics meetings located in a country named the United Kingdom. In 825 ABB, during the Fifth Earth Spasm, the renowned tower nicknamed ‘Big Ben’ was separated from the palace and relocated to Cambridge, about 400 km away from Mumbai, Hydra Continent. In 1688, the place was remodeled and became the seventh water station in the world, completing the Big Triangle with Buenos Aires and London and using the streams as means of transportation of goods. Only later on, in the 18th century, water trains for people transportation would appear.»

“Oooh,” I whispered, impressed. So water trains didn’t exist before the seventeenth century?

“It’s good to act like a tourist sometimes, but shouldn’t you be getting on your train?”

I jerked up, turned around, and saw Cynsea the Hypnotist. The white-haired merfolk was, as usual, in bikini. She was holding a suitcase. I smiled.

“Hi, Cynsea. Are you going to come with us to Phoenix Island?”

“Yep. Good to see you passed the practical test. But I’m serious, we’re gonna be late. The train is going to depart in four minutes.”

“Haha, don’t scare me, I came one hour earlier to be sure not to miss it. There’s plenty of time.”

“… There’s not. Seriously, my dear, we should hurry, there are only four minutes left.”

I straightened up, worried.

“But I’m pretty sure the train departs at seven o’clock.”

“No, no, it’s at six o’clock… Well, I thought so, but you’re making me doubt now,” Cynsea admitted, checking her phone. Then she froze and looked up at me. “Hey, Armen Moon. How do you know we’re going to Phoenix Island?”

I widened my eyes, suddenly realizing. Last night, I had texted Zeeta that the train was at seven o’clock… Could it be that I had believed it myself?

“Sorry, you were right!” I yelled as I broke into a run.

She followed me as a voice began talking through a loudspeaker. The water train was about to set sail.

“Tell me how you know!” she insisted.

“It was written on the document you dropped in Akiba!” I explained.

“…! Oh!”

Her luggage was heavy, and she was having a hard time following me. Without any word, I took her suitcase and kept running.

“Thanks!” she said.

Why did she arrive late if she knew the schedule? I guessed Heroes had their flaws too. Anyway, if it hadn’t been for her, I would still be reading notices for tourists right now, so…

When we arrived at the right platform, the train doors were closing.

Noooo! After everything I had been through to pass the examination, there was no way I would miss the train!

I reached a door just when the train was put in motion, suddenly releasing a lot of steam and rising on the water. From the end of the platform, a worker was waving us away. Weren’t they going to wait for the latecomers?

“Don’t go!” I begged, yanking at the door.

“There’s no use crying over spilled milk!” Cynsea cried out behind me. “Can you jump?”

I looked at her, confused.

“Where to?”

“To the rear. There’s a small deck. As long as we can get on, someone will eventually open the door from the inside for us. Come!”

We arrived at the rear the moment the train was setting off. I jumped, grabbed the bars of the deck, then passed over them and fell over. I checked on my violin worriedly, but it was safe. Phew. Cynsea landed on the metallic boards with more elegance, and in the steamy air, she grinned.

“We got on!”

The train was gaining speed. I grumbled from the floor:

“What a funny way to get on a water train.”

She laughed as she crouched and began typing on her phone.

“It’s only my second time doing this. Don’t worry, I’ll text someone on the train and…”

She fell quiet when we left the harbor and a beaming sun welcomed us. I stood up and watched the train station draw away from us. Or rather, we were drawing away from it, from the skyscrapers of the Financial District, and from Farskyer.

That water train was faster than the ones I had taken so far in Odessa to go to Bird Island; it was wider too, about ten meters, I think.

Cynsea was still focused on her phone when I heard mine buzz. I checked it.

‘Sis, 18:01: I finished early today, I may be able to see you off! 😍’

‘Armen, 18:01: I’m already gone.’

‘18:02: I got the hour wrong. The train was at 18. I almost missed it 😅’

‘Sis, 18:03: Whaaaaaaat’

‘18:05: Seriously?’

‘Armen, 18:05: Seriously. 😅 😅’

‘Sis, 18:05: lil broooo....’

“Sorry it’s taking so long,” Cynsea suddenly said.

I had sat down against the railing. I smiled at the merfolk.

“It’s all right. No rush.”

As long as I was on the train, I didn’t care. I stared at my big sis’ last message. She was obviously stunned by my blunder. Was she going to say I was a hopeless guy? She didn’t:

‘18:08: Have a safe trip! Don’t forget to eat and sleep well, be polite toward your teachers and classmates, and try not to get in trouble.’

‘18:08: Also don’t bully others.’

‘Armen, 18:09: I won’t 😅’

‘18:10: I only bully my best friends 😊’

‘Sis, 18:10: Jerk. 😁 Poor Ray.’

‘Armen, 18:11: 😁 Take care, sis, love you 🎔 🎔 🎔’

‘Sis, 18:11: Likewise. 😙’

Zeeta had written me as well, ten minutes before the train had set off, asking where the hell I was. I answered: ‘Don’t worry, I’m on the train.’ Then I turned to Cynsea. It had been almost one-quarter of an hour since we had landed on that metallic balcony on the rear, and nobody had come to open the door. The train was crossing the Blazing Sea at full blast, and the merfolk was shivering while frowning at her phone.

“What’s taking them so long?” she muttered.

“Shouldn’t you put on something warmer?”

“Grr… I should. But I didn’t bring any winter cloth. They say it’s warm on Phoenix Island.”

Did she put into her suitcase only bikinis or what? I took out a hoodie from my bag and handed it to her.

“It’d be bad if they were to find me alone with a Hero frozen to death.”

After some hesitation, she put it on.

“Thanks. It’s really warm. But gods, I should be the one helping trainees, but you are always the one helping me instead.”

“That’s what Heroes do.”

“So cool.”

“You’re a Hero too, you know.”

“So true!” she laughed.

We smiled at each other, then we heard the sound of keys and the rear door opened. I saw a man about sixty years old stare at us with an annoyed look. Cynsea jumped up to her feet.

“At last! What took you guys so long? We were freezing out here!”

“I am most sorry about that, but it seems the train is lacking staff, so I had to come instead. Come in.” His voice was polite, but something in his expression didn’t quite please me.

“Are you saying you’re not a member of the staff?” Cynsea asked as the man was locking the door behind us.

“No. I’m Darcy Huang. I’m working for the Champion Institute and am looking after two Independent trainees on this train.”

I widened my eyes. Was he talking about Noah and Andrea? Mr. Huang’s eyes pierced me.

“If I am not mistaken, you are Armen Moon, aren’t you?”

“…!” How did he know me? I gave a nod. “I am.”

“Did you perhaps invite my two protégés to lunch today?”

He sounded accusatory. I frowned, puzzled, as we were crossing a large storage room.

“I did. Why?”

“… Mm. So they weren’t lying. You shouldn’t have done that. They used you to run away from my surveillance.”

He pushed a door, and we walked into a small room poorly illuminated. Two people were lying on the ground. One, with crimson hair, was muttering incoherent words; the other one was a girl with green dreadlocks staring at the ceiling… I stopped dead. Something was off.

“Noah? Andrea? What are you doing in here?” I asked.

Cynsea’s eyes grew wide.

“They have been drugged? What’s the meaning of this?”

Mr. Huang locked the storage door behind us and stepped forward into the small room.

“Don’t worry about them, they can’t hear you right now. They just took their medication. As you probably know, Champion Institute’s students are all people with severe troubles and dangerous powers. We decided to give them the chance to take part in this training, but only under some conditions.”

Noah’s eyes were hazy and weren’t moving, as if he was in another world. A cold claw sank in my heart.

“Medication? What’s that bullshit?” I grunted. “What the hell did you do to Noah and Andrea?”

“This is not the way to talk to your elders, is it?” Mr. Huang stopped by the next door, unlocked it, and waved us forward. “Don’t try to understand our methods: they are not meant for young men like you, but for people with dreadful backgrounds. I advise you not to get close to those two.”

I was horror-struck. Cynsea tugged on my arm. Though she looked gloomy, she said nothing, perhaps realizing she had no authority over that man. I had no idea what Andrea’s power was, but Noah had indeed a fearful power. Still, to think he was being drugged by the Champion Institute the same way his power drugged others… That was madness. To think that he had to be under that horrible man’s supervision… That made me sick like hell.

“And the fact that you’re ruining their life, that doesn’t bother you, bastard?” I suddenly asked as Mr. Huang was locking the door behind. Cynsea jerked up beside me. We had walked into some sort of spacious living room luxuriously decorated.

The CI’s supervisor slightly smirked.

“Cynsea Rayava. You should punish this impudent brat, or is it that Independent trainees are allowed to denigrate people?”

“That’s… I’ll look into it,” Cynsea cleared her throat. “Then, if you excuse us.”

She pulled at me again, driving me away to the next train car. Mr. Huang sat down on a sofa, lighting a cigar. He commented:

“They have ruined people’s lives before they ended up in our Institute. Our citizens’ safety is more important than their freedom, isn’t it?”

Cynsea turned pale. Trying hard not to step back and punch that old geezer, I smiled at him and said:

“Asshole.”

When we walked out of the living room, Cynsea grumbled along the corridor.

“Don’t worry, Armen, I’ll do something about it. I’ll tell the instructors once we’ll get to Phoenix. That Mr. Huang may be their supervisor, but Noah and Andrea are also Independent trainees. He can’t do as he pleases.”

Her talking relaxed me a bit. There were doors along the corridor. Halfway, I heard a loud knock on one of them.

“Armen?! Did I just hear correctly? Is that you?”

I recognized the voice immediately.

“Zeeta?! I mean… Leon? Are you… Are you locked inside?”

“Ah, yes, that… But more importantly, I thought you weren’t on the train!”

“Sorry, I thought the train was one hour later, and I barely made it. I texted you just now.”

“They took my cell. I’m punished.”

Cynsea snorted.

“Holy Crystals! What’s wrong with this train? First the CI’s students, then this… Don’t move from here, I’ll be right back!”

“Who’s that girl, Straw Head?” Zeeta asked behind the door as Cynsea started running through the corridor.

“Oh, she’s Cynsea the Hypnotist. An Independent Hero and a nice person. She was late too. Say, why did they lock you up?”

“… Bah.”

“…” Bah? I stared at the locked door. “Zeeta. Could it be you tried to make them stop the train and wait for me?”

“…” I heard him sighed loudly. “Kinda. The one in charge said it was not possible, then Sean Bensaïd, that cheeky Nyomin trainee, said something like you faked your way through the tests and chickened out at the last minute, and I lashed out.”

So it was like that. I sat on the floor. After a silence, he added:

“They told me I won’t get a second chance, so… I’d better behave if I want to stay with Ray and you.”

“That will be hard.”

“Yeah… Wait, what? It’s not like I get in fights every day!”

He punched the door. I laughed.

“You’re so violent, Zeeta. I’m scared of you sometimes. Maybe we shouldn’t unlock that door.”

“… Are you serious?”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! How could I be scared of my boyfriend!”

“… You should.” Zeeta said after a silence. “Also you’re the one who scares me.”

I raised my eyebrows. Zeeta was acting strange.

“Do I?” I said hesitantly.

“I’m kidding.”

“You’re not.”

“Heh. Even when there’s a door between us, you can read my thoughts… No, but if you could, you would pity me right now.”

Zeeta was definitely acting strange. Was it because of what had happened today? Thinking about it, I had lied to Azritz, making her believe that Zeeta and I had a more intimate kind of relationship than we really had, and he had run away screaming ‘gross’. I laid a hand on the door, troubled.

“Are you perhaps… mad at me for what I said earlier to my sis?”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I was afraid that she could have seen my injury and—”

“I know.”

“… If she were to find out… I don’t even want to think about it.”

“I know. I’m not mad at you. It’s just…” He paused. “I was caught by surprise.”

I smiled.

“Oh, could it be that you want to be my real boyfriend? Then go ahead.”

“Wh-Wh-What the hell are you saying?!”

I laughed, then got more serious as I said:

“But I think you should find someone else, someone with a heart… a bit more livelier. How about Erma?”

I heard him grumble under his breath.

“Not my type. Besides, she likes you, not me.”

“Does she?” I chuckled. “And there I thought she had taken me for her punching bag—”

“And you like her as well.”

I froze. What?

“You even wear the witched necklace she gave you for Christmas.”

“Heh. True. But I’m also wearing the twin earring you and I bought together. And I don’t take off any of them, not even to sleep, since I can’t sleep,” I joked.

“Moron. Don’t say those things in a train full of Hero trainees.”

Ops. There was a silence. Then I confessed:

“Well, I do like her. But,” I smiled a bit sad, “I won’t ever tell her. Since I’m you know what. Yeah,” I added with a dramatic sigh, “Death’s not all sunshine and lollipops, but I still can have a lot of fun! … Ops, I just said it again. I’m alive, I’m alive,” I sang softly to anyone who would listen.

“Straw Head, I…” Zeeta paused, then grumbled: “Someone’s coming.”

As soon as he said that, the door at the end of the corridor opened. Cynsea was coming back, bringing along a middle-aged, energetic woman with blue, electrified hair. I stood up as the latter said with a curt voice:

“Armen Moon?”

“Yes, it’s me…”

She took out a key and opened the door. Was she going to free Zeeta?

“Get in.”

I blinked.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. For coming late and insulting Mr. Huang, you’ll stay in here with Leonardo Sakamoto until we reach our destination. Your cell phone, please.”

I sighed, switched off my phone before giving it to her, then got in. A masked Zeeta had stepped back in the small room. It was a normal compartment as the likes one would see on the land trains. I sat down, then to my surprise, saw Cynsea enter.

“I came late too, so I’m punished too!” she said cheerfully. “Am I welcomed here?”

An A-rank Hero was being punished by that blue electrified-haired woman? Who was she? I smiled at Cynsea.

“Make yourself at home.”

The door was locked, then the footsteps died away.

“She sure has a lot of presence,” I said. “Who is she?”

“You didn’t recognize her?” Cynsea grinned. “She does have a lot of presence indeed. She is Angela Lasri, the Soft Queen, one of the Nine Crowned Fairies working for Lovecryce.”

“Lovecryce?”

Cynsea widened her nostrils in disbelief.

“You don’t know who Lovecryce is?”

“Ah… Y-Yes, I… think I know?”

“The Nyomin’s director.”

“Oh, Lovecryce! Now I remember!” So the Soft Queen was working for the same man as Ray’s mom…

“Hahaha, I can’t believe you got first place in the quiz! Lovecryce has been the Nyomin’s director for about twenty years now. You were lucky to find that bug…” She suddenly paused, looked at Zeeta, sitting on the bench in front of us, then cleared her throat. “I mean, you being a genius and all…”

She had just made a blunder and didn’t know how to fix it, huh? I chuckled.

“Don’t worry. Leon and I are good friends. He won’t say anything.”

“Huh? You two are friends?”

“So it was a bug after all,” Zeeta said behind his mask. “I was afraid you had turned into another person for a moment, Armen. My mind is at ease now.”

“Hehe, being a genius is a dreadful experience. I don’t want to go down that path ever again,” I confessed. “Last night, I was thinking that, if I were to become smart all of a sudden, I wouldn’t know what to do with all the knowledge. I mean, knowledge is supposed to be gained little by little, ain’t it? If I were to receive that all at once, everything would pile up in a queue, and I’d become crazy. That’s what I thought.”

“You still think stupid things. My mind’s so at ease,” Zeeta reaffirmed.

“Mine is too.”

Cynsea laughed heartedly.

“I think I’m gonna have more fun with you guys than with that ruthless fairy! But if you two are friends, I hope I’m not intruding.”

I grinned.

“Not at all! The more the merrier.”

And also, the more people there were around me, the more wasted lifeforce there would be… The Lord had tried to patch me up, but I was still losing more lifeforce than usual. I wondered if I could hold on until we arrived at Phoenix Island. If not… Well, I always had Zeeta’s lifeforce. I felt a bit ashamed to always rely on him like that, but… I also knew he didn’t mind.

After all, he was my beloved stalker.

I saw his luggage and grinned at him. He had brought his guitar. Fortunately, apart from our phones, the Soft Queen hadn’t confiscated our belongings. I took out my violin.

“Do you want a concert, my lady?” I asked like a gentleman.

Cynsea looked at us alternately, amazed.

“Whoa. Are you serious?”

“No, music’s not serious!” I laughed, taking my bow. “It is fun!”

Just like life was.