Chapter 67: Ghost Train

It was on a freezing night like this that it all started. When I was forced to leave home with my family. We were all around 7 to 8 years old and I didn't really understand what was happening, but what I saw that day stayed with me forever and there was no way I was going to forget and run away from my responsibilities like our father and his father before him. Whatever it take, I swear to put an end to all this. I swear on my name "Edmond Ed Monde 4".

It is April 17, 1020. A few days after the auction in the Hall of Wonders. I had taken the train to the Sidimian region located in the North of the Kingdom of Inglesia. The weather was strangely freezing, the fur coat I had put on over my 3-piece suit had no effect on my body. I just start to think that this cold was supernatural. I had more and more difficulty concentrating on the book I had in my hands.

-Annabelle is taking her time.

I was on board accompanied by a woman. A beautiful young lady named Annabelle Garcia, she had ash blonde hair and under her angelic face hid a very athletic woman. Annabelle was a mysterious person, I don't know if she was a thief or just a killer acting for some shady organization, the fact is that thanks to her I was able to get hold of what I needed to accomplish my quest. Besides, for a lady she had too much of a tendency to dress like a man, I found that strange to say the least. Also, it's been 20 minutes since she left to get me coffee, I'm starting to worry.

-Do you want some?

-Ah, thanks.

I turned and accepted the coffee without thinking too much, but instead of a blonde I saw a blond man handing me the coffee. He was tall, about 1m85, a look that inspired confidence but he had strange glasses with black foundation that clearly prevented his eyes from being seen. He too had a fur coat, all black over a dark blue suit.

-Can I? He asked, indicating the window seat.

-Yeah sure. I'm all alone anyway. I answered looking down the alley hoping to see Anna appear.

This young man had a soft voice, certainly authoritarian. He gave off a rather oppressive aura, but he seemed calm and composed to me. I had definitely already seen him somewhere, I just don't recall where and on what occasion. Moreover, he didn't say anything and was just observing outside while sipping his coffee. I decided to break the silence.

-Say young man, you seem to be rather well off for someone going to Sidimian.

He slowly turned his head in my direction, the way he moved already giving me chills. That said he just gave a slight smile and simply answered.

-I'm not really going there, after all my destination is almost reached.

Ah I see. He's the type to speak in riddles, what a pain. I gave him a thin smile and nodded.

-Aha if you say so.

-That said, you don't really seem to be in your element. It's as if you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Touché. He's also perceptive.

-What makes you say that? I asked, intrigued.

He pointed at my book and smiled at me.

-You're stuck on the same page. Either you're not focused or it's a really boring book.

-Haaa you got me. I sighed. That said I'm not going to bother you with my problems you won't believe me.

-And why is that? A good story would be perfect to accompany this journey.

He was strange, I could tell from the way he spoke that he was definitely eccentric. He must have a library full of twisted stories.

-Well young man. What would you do if I told you that there was a place where all the treasures you have ever dreamed of were found.

His smile disappeared, giving way to a disinterested look. Strange, I thought that talking about money would arouse the interest of a son from a good family like him.

-There is not only gold. A potion that cures all diseases even the plague, an artifact capable of changing the nature of objects, we could change rocks into gold or water into wine for example.

I saw him arch an eyebrow and then show an interested look, as if he was a man attracted to the fantastic.

-Are you talking to me about the philosopher's stone?

Hearing him say that word made me tilt. Where did he know that name from? It's not something you hear mentioned casually in conversation.

-The... The... How do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?

He looked casual and took a sip before replying with a sentence that didn't make sense to my ears.

-A long time ago, I watched an anime that talks about it. Basically what you're describing to me is a philosopher's stone.

Anime? What is he talking about? Is he bluffing or is he making fun of me? I have a hard time following him but one thing is sure is that he is familiar with this concept. I saw him look at me with an intrigued look, as if I had caught his attention.

-So? he asked insistently.

-So what?

-So what happens if such a place exists? From what you say, we could even find the One Piece there.

The One what? I'm starting to think that this guy is actually a lunatic, I don't feel like we're talking about the same thing. However he seems more and more intrigued by my story. I'd better stop there.

-That's all haha. I just asked you to imagine. If such a place were to exist...

-It would be chaos. He suddenly answer.

I widened my eyes surprise.

-I imagine it's not easy to access such a place. Assuming it exists it must be protected by all sorts of traps, or some kind of guardians or monsters a bit like a dungeon. We see this kind of thing a lot in Isekai anime.

That's weird. Lately this guy has been hitting the mark. He casually talks about things outside of the ordinary mortals as if it were normal, only his analogies make no sense. I don't know if he just has an overactive imagination or if he really knows something. And what the hell is an anime? Isekai? Isn't that an Aizu word?

-In addition, there would have to be a special condition to enter, such as having a rare object like a medallion, a stone or a flute.

-That's enough. I shouted.

He turned towards me with a stunned look on his face. I noticed everyone in the carriage was staring at us so I lowered my head to apologize.

-I'm sorry I didn't mean to...

-What's all this fuss? I brought your coffee.

I turned and saw Annabelle coming back with two cups of coffee. It's about damn time, I must say, but I was already in strange company. When her gaze fell on the mysterious individual, she froze immediately.

-Thank you Annabelle but this gentleman here has already brought me coffee.

Now that I think about it he already had two cups to start with.

-You? Here? She said, surprised.

-Woooow. Anna. Chance definitely does things well. He said suddenly filled with enthusiasm. I didn't expect to see you around here at all.

He smiled at her and motioned for her to sit next to him. She declined by simply sitting next to me and setting the coffee on the table which made him chuckle.

-You guys know each other ? I asked.

-Of course. We were in the same unit together, we are comrades in arms. He announced.

-Comrades in arms? Anna, were you a soldier?

This explains a lot of things really but I'm still in shock.

-Yeah well my career was short. The army was not an environment made for me.

-Indeed after all you always hated following orders no matter who they came from.

-What do you want? She said, shrugging her shoulders. We can put a leash around his neck, but the wild cat will still find a way to get away. I don't belong to anyone after all.

-That explains why you left without telling anyone overnight. The other said, smiling.

Was it just me or did I feel like I was in the middle of a couple's argument. They were clearly using the military as a metaphor to launch jabs at each other. Although I had nothing to do with it, I preferred to stay out of it.

-Let's move on, I'm really happy to see you here. Said the smiling blond. This will make things easier.

-Oh, he hasn't lost his pretentious rich kid attitude.

It suddenly got cold again. I don't know what they're talking about but I can't be the only one affected by the cold. I stood up and looked around the rest of the Car. Most of the passengers were shivering while others were clearly asleep. I blew on the window and saw the frost forming.

-Oh no. I said shocked. They're closer than expected.

I had my gaze glued to the window, observing the distant cornfields of the English countryside while the two people behind me continued their veiled argument. I saw a white glow moving in the middle of the fields, it seemed to be heading in my direction. I rubbed my eyes and then it came closer. Again and again and again. Then the figure jumped out of the frame and threw itself at the window, it was a kind of 4-legged monster with a body close to a mammal but a head similar to that of a reptile with only one eye in the center. It was all white and a halo of white light engulf it.

-By all the saints.

I was suddenly pulled back as I heard the sound of two flintlock pistols roaring towards the monster. The blast threw it back and the monster scattered into the distant countryside. Annabelle and her friend had opened fire on the beast without blinking.

-Do you think we got him? Anna asked her friend.

-I doubt it. He didn't look like something you could kill.

How do they manage to be so calm? That said, I was sure of it. It's happening exactly like 20 years ago, these monsters that suddenly emerged in our domain, I hadn't dreamed it. Contrary to what my father had said, they are very real. I slapped myself to motivate myself and I got back on my two legs.

-Stay back Ed, that thing will come back. Annabelle told me.

-I.. I know how...

-ATTENTION.

I didn't have time to finish my sentence before she tackled me to the ground. This time she took a revolver out of her pocket and opened fire on the outside. The things that attacked us were all the same, covered in a whitish halo trying to penetrate the Wagon. Some had animal like shapes, others like birds or giant insects. The common point was their head which had this black dot as an eye in the center of their head.

-The eye, you have to aim for the eye. I shouted.

-Thanks Einstein but I played all the "Souls Like" obviously I had already thought about it. Said the blond.

Einstein? Who is that? And what is a souls like? What is he even talking about? I turned to Annabelle for more answers.

-In Zell language it means "I tried it didn't work".

And she really understands his gibberish, it's crazy. Birds of a feather fly together, they say.

-It doesn't work. I thought out loud.

-That's what I just said. He replied aloud.

There I saw a kind of dog pass through the window. The man called Zell made an axe appear in his hand and smashed it against the beast's skull. The monster collapsed to the ground inert and the shooting resumed.

-It's... It's... I know what it is.

I stood up and dug into the inside pocket of my jacket, struggling to reach my notebook, which I leafed through quickly before coming across a sketch of the creature in front of me.

-EUREKA. I yelled.

-WHAT AGAIN? The other two retorted.

-I... I know how to stop these monsters. I know what they are.

-Specters ? Say the blonde.

-Huh.... How did you....

-He has a good intuition interrupted Anna. Tell us instead how to kill them.

-My luggage. The crystal... I need...

-Go ahead and explain it to us on the way.

So I had myself escorted through the train by these two desperadoes worthy of the outlaw stories that are told about Ascheritz. Armed with their revolvers, they repelled the ghosts by shooting them in the eye. In one of the wagons were half a dozen armed men in the process of repelling the ghosts. When they saw us arrive, they immediately saluted as if they had seen their general or their king. Among them a man with a red beret came forward.

-Lord Commander. Vice Commander? I didn't expect to see you here, ma'am. Said the man with the beret.

-Long story Seth. Said the blond. Send 3 of your men to the front. Gather the civilians in this Wagon, they will be easier to protect.

-It's going to be tense Commander. There are still 3 wagons in front and I've already distributed our men so as to protect those in the back. He explained. And I have no one to secure the driver's wagon.

-Don't worry about it. Annabelle said. I have a man who is in charge of securing the Wagons at the front.

-A man of yours? The blond asked intrigued.

-Come on, hurry up, we have other things to do.

We continued like this until the back where our suitcases were stored. There I grabbed mine and started to search. My bag was huge it basically contained all the precious objects that I had accumulated during my life. During my search the lovebirds started to argue again.

-That's strange you didn't bring your guard dog with you today.

-I've tasked Rico with a special mission, nothing that concern you.

-Oooh are you keeping secrets from me? That's new. She said with a mean smile.

-I think you win the prize for secrecy. I wonder if your friend here knows half of what I know about you.

-You know what they say. What would a woman be without her share of mystery?

-I FOUND IT. I shouted.

I took out of my bag a purple crystal the size of a wine bottle. It was purple like the Venus crystal but obviously bigger. I also took out my latest acquisition, a flute decorated with a skull at the base of the head. "The Lullaby". I put the crystal on the ground and grabbed the flute. There I saw the blond's gaze narrow. It was strange, I felt like he was going to stab me right now. His gaze was so intense that I lost my mobility. But Annabelle suddenly questioned me.

-So? What should we do next?

-Ah.... Ah yes. Basically the monsters we face are specters from the kingdom of Hel. The only way to actually kill them would be to defeat them in this kingdom.

-It's going to be a little hard now since we're still on Midgard. Annabelle explained.

-That said, there is a way to block their essence in the mortal world and get rid of them for good. I explained. By playing the Lullaby the sound will reverberate on the crystal which will spread its energy across the area thus trapping the specters in the mortal world which will make their destruction possible.

-Are you sure about this? Aren't you more likely to attract a giant snake with this thing? She asked.

-Let him do it. The blond said. If it ever fails, we can always turn back.

He opened the doors of the Wagon to allow the sound to diffuse properly. That said, it is not so much the sound that diffuses but the energy of the flute. And it would take a long time to explain it to him, so I complied.

The Lullaby. I had never played it and I had quickly learned the flute in 6th grade so I wasn't even sure what I was doing. I played the first melody that came to mind and it was the Inglesian national anthem. But by all the saints the sound that came out of it was incredibly clear. In the minutes that followed the ghosts that were attacking us saw their halo of light turn purple. The shots from the revolvers and rifles became deadly because this time they evaporated into thin air each time their eye was hit. It was a really strange scene but seeing these two fighting side by side was quite a spectacle. After having exterminated all the ghosts in the area the feeling of cold that had invaded me since we had entered the disappeared region. As I expected this cold was definitely not natural.

-My goodness that sound was really beautiful. Said the blond who was staring at me with a strange smile.

The look he was giving me made me feel uncomfortable, especially since the moonlight was hitting his glasses, making him look even more frightening.

-I enjoyed the concerto, but unfortunately it is time to end this little game.

He pointed his gun at me.

-I'll take the flute. I need it for something very important.

-You want the Lullaby?! I asked surprised.

-You heard me well. He insisted with a smile.

-Now then. That's not going to be possible at all. Anna said, pointing her gun at him.

Oh my God this can't be true. What is going on here? Who is this guy in the end? That said I was convinced of one thing. I had a duty to accomplish and the man in front of me could help me achieve my goal.

-Ophelia stay out of this. He said in a calm voice.

-I'm sorry but if you kill him now I would have done all this for nothing so don't interfere in my business.

-Haaa you can be such a pain in the neck. He said, staring at her coldly. Are you sure you want to come to blows with me?

He wants to kill her? No, not that, I have to calm them down quickly.

-Please don't kill each other. I said aloud.

His attention turned to me.

-Inglesia... No. The world is in grave danger. If I don't have this flute with me. I announced.

-The... World?! He wondered. You're not exaggerating your story?

-Quite the opposite. If you are truly a friend of Annabelle's I am sure you would agree to lend us a hand once you have heard my story.

He stared at me suspiciously but eventually he discocked his revolver and retracted it.

-You have 5 minutes to convince me. Prepare your best fanfiction. He said smiling.

As he finished with these incomprehensible words, what I was about to tell him was going to change both of our lives.

To be continued.