“Understood.”

The Intelligence Bureau agents hadn’t come to monitor the prince without at least ‘some’ kind of official justification. They had a mission of their own, and that mission, even if just a pretext, gave them reason to follow him, and because it was technically a mission, they’d have to give it their all, just in case Aziel tried to pick a fight, they’d need something to fall back on. Then, suddenly …

“No way…”

The lead agent tilted his head, rubbing his chin, he thought deeply.

What if … just maybe …

What if the prince had pushed them deliberately, to ensure they took their task seriously?

If Aziel requested intelligence, they’d be compelled to give it. To prove they weren’t here to spy on him. To show they were not an opposing faction, but legitimate escorts. He’d created a distance where they couldn’t interfere with him directly, while also manufacturing a reason to extract information.

And what if they refused?

“He’d draw his sword. Might even lop off an arm or two.”

If it came to that, the prince would unleash that infamous madness of his and manipulate them as he pleased. In the end, everything would unfold exactly as Aziel intended. For the first time in a long while, the seasoned agent felt genuine admiration stir within. Thinking back to the prince’s behavior earlier in the train compartment … 

“So that fury, that madness… was all precisely calculated?”

A low, impressed hum left his lips, of course, it was still only speculation, it could just be a wild coincidence, blown out of proportion by a bit of paranoia. But for some reason… he felt certain. Everything was intentional.

The man he met in person gave off an aura entirely different from the reports,       and as he chuckled quietly to himself …

“That’s why intelligence should always be gathered firsthand.”

He turned toward his subordinates, expecting a response … None came.

Only then did he realize the silence had grown unnaturally thick.

“Everyone, on alert. Something’s wrong.”

He tried to stand, but his body wouldn’t move.

“CLACK-CLACK. CLACK-CLACK.”

The rhythmic sound of the train’s wheels striking the rails suddenly grew louder       … Much louder. He looked around, his subordinates’ eyes were flickering restlessly.

Night had deepened, the overhead lights on the train ceiling began to flicker.     Then, a chilling gust of air swept in.

Was it the proximity to the north? Or the sign of something else entirely?

Everyone sat frozen, as if waiting for something.

“BWOOOO…”

A faint train whistle echoed near their ears, the train was still moving.

So why weren’t they?

As the unease grew …

“BWOOOO! BWOOOOOOOOO!”

The horn grew louder, shatteringly loud, as if it might burst their eardrums.               In the flickering light, the agents’ eyes darted around in panic. Then, everyone turned toward the window.

“BWOOOO! BWOOOOOOOO!”

Outside, a pale face, a massive mouth covering half of it. From that grotesque mouth, whistles emerged, mimicking the train horn, teeth… Jagged and broken, poked through rotted, peeling skin, its limbs, twisted and unnatural, moved at terrifying speed.

The things crawling along the ground all turned in unison, and stared directly at the agents inside. Then they pounced, rushing the windows like a swarm of insects.

“CRAAAASH!” Glass shattered somewhere nearby.

The cabin lights blinked once, and went out. Darkness from outside seeped into the train, in that pale gloom … 

“Commoner. Lamp post. Time to fight.”

Aziel opened his eyes at last, revealing brilliant crimson irises that lit up the dark.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Got it!”

Andre and Sol immediately recognized something was horribly wrong, and dropped into combat stances. Then, the window in Aziel’s car shattered.

“Kyaaa!”

Shards of glass scattered through the air, a bitter wind howled in. From within that wind, grotesque creatures forced their way into the car, their mimicry of train whistles mixed with their screeches.

“Shadow!”

At Aziel’s command, Sol flung her shadows in every direction, they swept away the glass and rushed toward the oncoming monstrosities.

“THRUST-THRUST-THRUST-THRUST!”

Her shadows turned razor-sharp and pierced the creatures, the cabin was now submerged in complete darkness. 

Sol’s long-suppressed battle instincts surged forth, refined, focused. This was the talent that would one day make her the greatest battle mage. From her fingertips, balls of light burst forth, clashing with the shadows to create a fractured, jagged canyon of light and dark. A playground, built for Sol.

“Andre!”

“On it!”

At her call, Andre lunged forward like a bolt of lightning. His blade glimmered with the light Sol had imbued upon it. When he swung it, the shadows around them rippled and danced. Between those slashes, thick shadows emerged and skewered the enemies. Before Aziel even needed to lift a finger, the two had already dispatched the monsters.

“Your Highness, the path is cleared.”

Andre wiped off the dark-blue blood spattered across his face and gestured forward.

They had to escape. Sol and Andre turned to Aziel, but …

“I’ll remain here. Go. Rescue the agents.”

“Then we’ll go together, Your Highness. It’s dangerous alone.”

“Commoner.”

“Your Highness, please …”

“Where I am, danger follows. Go. That’s an order.”

“Your Highness!”

Andre seemed ready to argue, until …

“Let’s go already! His Highness doesn’t need us right now!”

For once, Sol picked up on the mood, grabbing Andre and dragging him away.

“You too. Save your comrades.”

Aziel drove out even the frozen Intelligence agents, sending them all away.           The cabin was left completely empty. Only a single orb of pale light, left behind by Sol, hovered around Aziel. As it floated and flickered, shadows danced across Aziel’s face. Expressions … smiling, crying, flitted across his features like ghosts.Then, he reached out, with a sudden motion, he absorbed the light, and darkness fell. And then …

“Are you finally coming down?”

He tossed a lazy remark toward the ceiling, as if on cue, a long, blade-like hand tore through the roof. 

A gangly, emaciated leg slithered through the hole and touched the floor.              The creature slowly, cautiously, descended, feeling its way down.                              It resembled the earlier monsters, but it was far taller, and its long hair dragged behind it in snarled tangles. It scanned the empty cabin, then, grinning broadly, it turned to Aziel.

“CREEAAK. CREEAAK. CREEAAK. CREEAAK.”

It ground its crooked teeth, which jutted from broken gums and tore its own lips as they clashed … Dark blue blood trickled down its chin.

The creature tilted its head back and forth, as if waiting for Aziel’s reaction.            Had it seen the smirk playing at Aziel’s lips, perhaps it would have hesitated.

Aziel studied it calmly.

“There’s a pair that’d go quite well with those fangs of yours. You should meet them.”

He picked up the greatsword resting beside him, still wrapped in its black cloth.       At the sound of his voice, the creature grinned even wider, a monster facing a demon prince, both smiling. The moment the creature lunged, 

“Ignite.”

At Aziel’s command, fire surged forth. The shadow-shrouded cloth shredded,revealing Breaker’s monstrous jaws.

“CRRAAAACK-BOOOOM!”

Breaker roared, as if delighted to face a foe so like itself. It spun with vicious speed, trailing wild flames in its wake. As if soaked in fuel, Aziel’s entire body ignited, flames bleeding from his skin like watercolors spilled across a canvas.