Elias leaned against the wall of the cabin by the window, his dark eyes watching as teenagers trudged in. They gathered at the end of the cabin they had been told to assemble in—some leaning against the poles, others sitting in chairs, either in cliques or alone as they waited.
Most still looked hazy from just waking up. Others simply observed everything with faint amusement in their eyes. The girl with the violin had resumed playing as she took her spot by the same window, her expression melancholic.
Whispers drifted through the cabin as the teenagers talked and guessed why they had been called here, irritation evident in many voices.
After all, the call to assemble had come from the one person very few could refuse.
Damon Wergon—a Scion of a Noble House.
Elias had never heard of House Wergon before, which likely meant it wasn't particularly prominent. Maybe one of the lowest-ranked Noble Houses, led by a Baron who was only a C-Ranker.
But in the face of a Noble House, what could a cabin filled mostly with commoners do but tolerate him?
Even if Damon was strong, if most of the teenagers on this train ganged up on him, he would have no choice but to flee—even with his three goons protecting him.
That was the extent of the divide between Noble Houses and commoners.
A gap very few could cross—unless they were powerful enough to make someone like him wary… or belonged to a Noble House themselves.
It was unfair, but in a world ruled by the strong, what did the opinions of the weak matter? That was reality. You either endured it… or got strong enough to make assholes like him think twice before crossing you.
Elias heard a light-brown-haired boy with mesmerizing eyes speaking to his friends, his voice thick with resentment.
"Who does he think he is? The audacity to wake me up when I was just about to get a kiss from the girl I've been crushing on for days."
The black-haired girl beside him scoffed. "Tch. It's losers like you that only sleep to dream about stuff like that, because in reality, you suck."
"Shut up, bitch!"
A few seats away, three girls had gathered around a dazzlingly handsome boy with diamond-studded earrings. He spoke with a proud grin stretched across his face.
"I need a girlfriend, but I can't decide which of you is up to the task. How about you ladies play a game, and the winner gets me as the prize, huh?"
"Disgusting. Who the hell would like someone like you?"
"Your breath alone smells like garlic."
"Go date a wall, you freak."
More voices piled on, and soon the cabin dissolved into a noisy mess. Amid it all, talk of a new Songborn began to spread through nearly every conversation.
Most of the teenagers had only just woken up, so they were seeing the notification on their interfaces for the first time—some already pulling out their phones, others talking excitedly about the announcement.
"Maybe the new Songborn is too scared to show himself because he's ugly."
"What if it's a she, huh?"
A guy scoffed. "Doesn't matter. Songborns are overrated anyway. I doubt someone like the Resonant Prince can compare to Zakon Vagra in his era. Not all Songborns are strong."
Most of the girls around him immediately got heated, like they'd been personally attacked.
"You have to be joking. The Resonant Prince is almost at the Advanced Initiate stage—D+—and he's our age!"
"Forget Vagra. Who do you think you are to talk down on the Resonant Prince? You'd be lucky if he even knew you existed!"
"Humph! Someone like you isn't even worthy to breathe the same air he does, and yet you still have the mouth to talk? Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Hearing them made Elias feel a little strange. After all, it wasn't every day you listened to people talk about you with voices filled with jealousy and irritation.
It was… a little vexing.
Tuning them out, Elias turned to the window, watching as the train shot through the dark tunnel. The walls rumbled intermittently, like distant thunder. It was almost strange how the train hadn't made a single stop throughout the journey, even though other cabins were filled with people who should have alighted long ago.
Whoever designed this system had to be some kind of genius.
He glanced at the screen mounted at the top of the cabin, which displayed the city they were currently in—or more precisely, the one they were directly beneath.
[City: Solmire]
[Tier: 3]
[Coordinates: 52.5200° N, 13.4050°E]
If he remembered correctly, this city came just before Vertnar Moor. Which meant that in the next few minutes—or hours—he would be arriving at his destination.
Elias couldn't help the nervousness creeping in at the realization. He had been so caught up in everything happening around him that he hadn't even thought about how he was going to break the news to Lizzy about what happened to Mum and Dad.
That was one of the reasons he hadn't tried to call. He chose to meet her face-to-face, hoping to break the devastating news to her himself.
That was… if Mr. Ferborn hadn't already told her.
He bit his lower lip in frustration before shaking his head tiredly.
Lizzy would be the death of him. Even now, just the thought of making her sad felt like he was facing the greatest crisis of his life.
Darn her for being so cute.
Beside him, Eric shifted. Then Elias heard a serious voice—one he had never associated with the usually playful boy. It sounded… annoyed.
"Dude, uh… can you, like, turn it off? Standing beside you is starting to make me nauseous."
Elias turned to him, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion, only to realize it wasn't just Eric. The people around him had begun shifting away as well, their gazes flicking toward him with a wariness they had never shown before.
His eyes widened in realization—then softened with faint amusement.
'I almost forgot… I have ripples now.'
It was almost ridiculous. The guy who had been the weakest here now exuded an air that made nearly everyone uncomfortable.
Even more ridiculous… all of this had changed in a single night.
The thought made Elias curious. If entering just one Mirrorth could do this much… what would happen if he entered more?
Would he really leave all of them in the dust?
He let out a quiet sigh and tried to suppress the ripples around him.
Slowly, he felt the pressure retract, folding back into himself. The teenagers around him inhaled deeply, as if they had been suffocating moments ago.
Two boys sitting directly opposite him stared in confusion, as though they couldn't reconcile the person before them with the one who had barely registered in their eyes… and had been beaten up just yesterday.
Elias barely regarded them, his gaze drifting to Eric, who had started rubbing his ears with his tongue stuck out like an idiot.
Something about this guy just kept getting stranger, though Elias couldn't quite put his finger on it. All he had was a feeling.
"You're not going to ask me any questions?" Elias said, his voice curious. "Like how I suddenly seem so… different?"
Eric stopped digging at his ears and looked at him like he'd just said something stupid. "I already know you're super strong. You punched Damon in the face!"
Elias felt his eyebrow twitch.
Was this guy seriously choosing to forget that he had also been beaten like a dog? Or that the so-called punch hadn't even been enough to make Damon take a step back?
Shaking his head, Elias pushed the thoughts aside and glanced around the section of the cabin where the teenagers had gathered. It felt… smaller than the total number he remembered.
Even Nina wasn't here.
"Not everyone's here," he said matter-of-factly.
It wasn't Eric who answered, but a sky-blue-haired girl with emerald eyes sitting right opposite him.
"Well, duh. There are some people Damon can't command with his influence—people stronger than him, or from far more reputable families."
She scoffed. "He only picks on the rest of us because he knows he can get away with it. The unnerving psycho."
Elias studied her, his gaze settling on the faint outline of an eagle-like figure perched on her shoulder. The Tremor's eyes were locked onto him, sharp and intense… almost as if it were annoyed with him.
Tremors were known to reflect the emotions of those they were bonded to. So the ripples he had released earlier must have irritated her.
Well… that was on him.
Seeing someone his age already bonded to a Tremor was impressive. Tremors could be transferred through contracts, so influential families often used them to provide protection for their children. They were also useful for those whose class made it impossible to obtain a Tremor from a Mirrorth.
At first glance, it might seem simple—just contract a high-grade Tremor and gain overwhelming protection. After all, if Elias had a C-Rank Tremor, there would be no reason to fear anyone his age.
But reality was cruel.
If a Tremor was even one stage above its contractor, there was a real chance the person could lose control… or worse, explode from the strain of the power difference.
That was why most contracts were made between individuals and Tremors of similar stages.
"Who are you?" Elias asked, his voice curious.
The girl's voice carried a hint of pride, her nonexistent chest puffed out. "Isabelle Dowaten. Never forget that!"
The Tremor on her shoulder fluttered its wings, its head raised haughtily.