CHAPTER 159: THE JOURNEY

After several rounds, Lux emerged the clear winner. Adam groaned dramatically, throwing his cue stick onto the table.

"I swear, Lux, you were born to ruin people’s fun."

Lux simply smiled. "Or perhaps you were born to make it entertaining."

Nero allowed himself the faintest smirk. He hadn’t won, but the experience itself had been strangely enjoyable.

Soon after, the chime of departure echoed through the station. The train rumbled softly beneath their feet, a deep hum reverberating through the cabin. Then, with a smooth lurch, it began to move. The landscape outside shifted slowly at first, then faster, as the academy city rolled past their window.

The city shrank into the distance, its tall towers and sprawling streets giving way to the wider expanse of the capital. From their first-class vantage, the view was breathtaking.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Lux said quietly, watching as sunlight bathed the rooftops in gold.

Nero followed his gaze. The capital stretched endlessly, a blend of modern magic-tech towers and ancient architecture. Bridges laced across rivers like silver threads, airships drifted lazily in the skies, and plazas shimmered with enchanted lamps even in daylight. It was a city alive, brimming with power and history.

Adam returned with a tray, carrying three crystal glasses filled with whiskey. He set it on the table by the window, smirking.

"Gentlemen, let’s enjoy the ride properly."

They settled by the wide glass pane. The train sped forward, yet inside the cabin there was only calm. The whiskey glowed amber under the light as they raised their glasses.

"To Angel’s City," Adam toasted.

"To Angel’s City," Lux echoed softly.

Nero clinked his glass with theirs, his expression unreadable. The whiskey burned pleasantly as it slid down his throat, its warmth spreading through his chest. He set the glass down, eyes fixed on the passing scenery.

Time passed like this—quietly, peacefully. The three men sat together, sipping their drinks, watching the vast world unfold beyond the glass. Fields stretched into rolling hills, forests blurred into emerald waves, rivers glittered like liquid crystal under the afternoon sun. The farther they traveled, the more the capital gave way to open wilderness, revealing the raw beauty of the land.

Adam occasionally broke the silence with chatter—stories, jokes, even wild theories about what awaited them in Angel’s City. Lux listened, smiling faintly, offering calm responses. Nero, for his part, remained quiet but attentive, his mind half on their words and half on the view.

For a while, there were no battles to fight, no grueling training, no burdens pressing on their shoulders. Just some cadets, seated in a silver train, watching the world rush by.

And though Nero didn’t say it, deep down he felt it—the subtle shift in his chest, the unfamiliar comfort of companionship.

For a long time, Nero had lived in a world that felt muted—gray skies, gray walls, gray days. The company of others had always seemed like noise to him, something unnecessary, a distraction from survival and from strength. But as he sat there in the first-class lounge of the Super Magic Train, he realized something unsettling yet strangely pleasant: he was beginning to enjoy their company.

The laughter, the teasing, the clinking of glasses—it was seeping into him. His once colorless world was being tainted, painted over with hues he never knew its existed when he was still confined into that small rundown villa at the back mountain in the Raizen’s estate. It was like watching dawn break after endless night.

The next seven hours were not quiet or dull. They were alive.

Outside the wide glass panes of the train, the landscapes of the Rainfelt Empire unfolded like a living tapestry. The capital city had been magnificent, but soon it faded into the distance, replaced by smaller towns where spires of old cathedrals rose above cobbled streets, and marketplaces bustled with stalls covered by colorful cloth. Beyond them stretched endless plains where wheat fields rippled in waves of gold, kissed by the wind.

"Another round!" Adam declared with a grin, tossing a pair of enchanted dice onto the polished table. They glowed faintly, clattering before settling. He groaned at his poor roll, throwing his head back dramatically. "Luck is cruel to me today!"

Lux chuckled softly, his calm smile never wavering. He leaned forward, tossed the dice with effortless grace, and rolled high. The corner of his lips lifted slightly, just enough to tease.

"Your luck, Adam," Lux murmured, "is only as cruel as your theatrics."

Nero, silent at first, watched the game unfold. He had never cared for such pastimes. But as the dice passed to him, he found himself reaching forward almost instinctively. He rolled. The cubes bounced against the wood before landing—better than Adam’s, worse than Lux’s.

Adam slapped the table. "Even Nero outrolls me! Is this train cursed against me?!"

"You’re just bad at games of chance," Lux replied evenly, sipping his whiskey.

’’Indeed!" Nero joined in.

The cabin filled with laughter.

They moved on to cards. Adam, ever the flamboyant gambler, loved the drama of it. He dealt with exaggerated flicks of his wrist, eyes glittering as though every hand was the climax of some great story. Lux played with the quiet precision of a tactician, folding early when the odds weren’t in his favor, striking only when he knew the outcome leaned toward him.

And Nero surprised them both.

Though inexperienced, his keen perception and sharp instincts carried him through. He read the tiniest tells—Adam’s smug grin when bluffing, Lux’s subtle pause when considering a risk. Nero played cautiously at first, then bolder, adapting with each round.

"Don’t tell me," Adam narrowed his eyes after losing another hand, "that you’re some secret card shark."

Nero simply shrugged, taking a slow sip of his whiskey. The amber liquid burned warmly down his throat.

"Instinct," he said. Like hell he would say he was relying on his special eyes.

"Instinct my ass," Adam muttered, though the grin on his face betrayed his amusement.

The train surged forward, smooth and steady, its magical hum barely audible beneath their voices. Outside, cities passed by, each one unique yet tied together by the grandeur of the Rainfelt Empire.

One city nestled on the banks of a crystal-blue river, its bridges arched like the spines of silver dragons. Another sprawled up the side of a mountain, its houses stacked like steps leading toward a temple crowned in gold. In the distance, airships drifted like silent guardians, their runes glimmering faintly against the sky.

The train occasionally slowed at these cities, pausing just long enough for passengers to embark or disembark. From their lounge, the three watched as travelers bustled on platforms—merchants dragging enchanted trunks, children pointing wide-eyed at the silver train, guards standing stiff and proud in their armor. Each stop was like glimpsing another story, another life passing by. Blake was sleeping without care in the world.

"Hard to believe," Lux said softly at one point, eyes fixed on the window, "how vast the Empire is. And yet, here we are, crossing it in a single day."

’’It is truly awesome.’’ Nero commented sharing his honest opinion. This train was not merely transportation—it was civilization itself, binding together countless cities and lives into one shared journey.

Hours slipped by in this rhythm of games, drinks, and conversation. Adam told stories, some grand, some ridiculous. One about dueling a noble’s son who cheated at cards; another about smuggling rare wines into his room when he was twelve years young from his father prided wine cellar. Lux responded with calm corrections, pointing out holes in Adam’s tales, which only made Adam embellish them further.

Nero chuckled, sending some jab from time to time at Adam. Together with Lux they teased Adam.

At one point, Adam leaned back with his glass raised. "I’ll say it—this is living. Games, whiskey, and the finest view the world can offer. If this train ride never ended, I wouldn’t complain."

"Until you lost all your money in dice," Lux said smoothly.

"Details," Adam waved dismissively. "I’d make it back. Somehow."

The three laughed, the sound blending seamlessly with the hum of the train.

By late afternoon, the scenery outside had shifted again. Rolling hills gave way to forests, their canopies so thick they looked like emerald oceans. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the trees, flashing across rivers that snaked alongside the tracks. Occasionally, they spotted villages tucked between the woods, smoke rising lazily from chimneys, people waving as the silver train thundered past.

Nero’s gaze lingered on these sights longer than the others.