CHAPTER 160: NIGHTFALL ON THE SILVER TRAIN

The last rays of sunlight dipped beneath the horizon, and with them the Rainfelt Empire outside transformed. Daylight surrendered to twilight, and twilight to night. The vast plains they had crossed were now cloaked in indigo shadows, dotted with the first glimmers of lanterns from distant villages. Rivers reflected the pale light of the moon, silver ribbons weaving through the darkness.

Inside the cabin, the mood shifted as well.

The laughter of dice and cards had softened. Adam lounged back in his seat, boots propped carelessly on the table despite Lux’s pointed glance of disapproval. Lux himself had taken out a small pocketbook, flipping through its pages under the gentle glow of the train’s enchanted lamps. Nero sat by the window, glass in hand, his crimson eyes fixed on the world outside.

The whiskey was nearly gone, the amber liquid reduced to its last lingering sips. Adam swirled his glass idly, breaking the silence first.

"You know," he said, voice quieter now, more thoughtful than his usual boisterous tone, "nights like this almost make you forget about the mess waiting for us ahead."

"Almost," Lux replied without looking up from his book.

Nero said nothing, but his reflection in the window betrayed the thought lingering in his mind. Yes—almost.

The train passed through another city as the stars thickened overhead. This one was alive even at night. Towers rose high into the dark sky, their windows glowing with golden light. Bridges illuminated by floating crystals spanned the city’s canals, and music carried faintly even through the thick glass. Fireworks bloomed above the rooftops as though in celebration of some unseen festival.

Adam leaned forward, pressing closer to the glass. "Damn... look at that. It’s like the whole city’s alive. Makes me wanna jump off and join whatever party they’re throwing."

"You’d get drunk, gamble away your hammer, and miss the train," Lux said, his tone cool but laced with dry humor.

"And yet I’d have the time of my life."

Nero’s gaze lingered on the fireworks, their colors bursting against the black canvas of night. For a fleeting moment, he imagined himself within that city—walking its streets, tasting its food, maybe even... laughing with the others as though he belonged there. The thought was strange, foreign, yet not entirely unpleasant.

The train pulled away, and soon the city’s glow was nothing but a memory fading behind them.

Hours stretched on. The cabin grew quieter, but not empty. There was a comfortable weight to the silence, a warmth that did not need to be filled with endless chatter. The three sat together, each in his own way—Adam occasionally humming tunes he only half-remembered, Lux reading, Nero watching the endless dark scenery scroll past.

Above, the sky had opened fully. The stars shone brilliantly, scattered like diamond dust across velvet. The moon hung low, round and full, bathing the land in its silver light. The forests below became seas of shadow, and the rivers glowed faintly, as if guiding the train along its path.

"Beautiful," Lux murmured, his voice softer than usual, as though he spoke more to himself than to the others.

Adam raised his glass, finishing the last sip of whiskey. "To nights like this," he said simply.

Nero did not raise his glass—his was already empty—but he inclined his head, acknowledging the sentiment.

The rhythmic hum of the train carried them deeper into the night. Occasionally, they would cross bridges that spanned great ravines, the moonlight revealing mist swirling below like some hidden ocean. Other times, the tracks cut through valleys where villages slept peacefully, their homes aglow with soft lantern light. Farmers’ fields lay quiet under the starlit sky, scarecrows standing like lonely sentinels among the crops.

At one point, Adam pulled out a deck of cards again, insisting on "just one more game." Lux reluctantly agreed, though he insisted this would be the last. Nero joined in without complaint, his movements unhurried but precise. The stakes were no longer whiskey—they had drained the last of it hours ago—but pride, which Adam valued just as much.

The games stretched for another hour. Adam lost, predictably, but his dramatic outbursts made Lux roll his eyes and even pulled another faint smirk from Nero.

"Unbelievable!" Adam cried, slumping back in defeat. "I am cursed—cursed by the gods of chance! Nero, admit it—you’ve been blessed by some gambling spirit."

Nero merely shook his head, his voice calm as he replied, "I just watch."

That answer silenced Adam for a moment, though the grin never left his face. "Then that’s the trick, isn’t it? Watching."

Soon, fatigue began to set in. Adam yawned loudly, stretching before collapsing across the cushioned bench with no care for dignity. Within minutes, his breathing slowed into the heavy rhythm of sleep.

Lux closed his book and placed it neatly on the table, glancing once at Adam sprawled out inelegantly before shaking his head. Then, with composed precision, he leaned back and closed his eyes, his breathing steady, his posture even in rest.

Nero remained by the window. He did not feel the pull of sleep just yet. His eyes stayed fixed on the darkness outside, tracing the shifting shadows of forests, the distant spark of cities that never slept, the endless stars above.

For so long, his nights had been filled with silence, with emptiness. Nights where his only companions were his own thoughts and the cold bite of solitude. Yet here, in this small cabin, things were different. Adam’s snoring, Lux’s steady breathing, the warmth of the day’s laughter still lingering in the air—it all made the silence feel... bearable.

For the first time in a long while, Nero did not dread the night. He didn’t have nightmares like he did when he was still inside the Raizen’s state. His days over there were very tough. What he went through shaped him.

Nero leaned back, closing his eyes, the hum of the train lulling him. And as the silver engine carried them onward through the Empire, beneath stars and moonlight, Nero allowed himself a rare thought: I will experience everything someone of my age should.

Starting from this moment he began considering getting a girlfriend and he already has a good candidat. On his journey of self discovery he must experience everything that should be experienced. Having a girlfriend, being surrounded by friends could make this whole journey fun.