Woo—
With the roar of the whistle, a steam train pulled into Backlund's railway station.
Under the thick smog, passengers of varying heights and attire emerged from one carriage after another. Night had already fallen, and late-night travel was unsafe, so this was the last train of the day. Afterward, the station would enter a rest period of over ten hours before welcoming another busy morning.
A tall, thin staff member held up a red triangular flag, directing the passengers trudging through the dim lights and yellowish fog toward the exit. This tedious work soon made him yawn, and he eagerly awaited the moment when the steam train had unloaded its passengers and cargo, departed the platform, and let him get off work.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A lady emerged from the fog, utterly out of place amid the filthy, chaotic surroundings of the platform. She wore an Intis-style long dress, with a fur shawl concealing the exposed parts of her upper body. She looked to be only around twenty. Her loosely pinned hair was covered by a pale little hat, and her perfect features made her face seem almost unreal.
He could not help but approach her, asking in a low voice with a hint of ingratiation and flattery:
"Beautiful lady, is there anything I can help you with?"
A faint smile appeared on the dignified, holy face of the lady in the long dress. She handed the small suitcase she was carrying to the staff member.
"Since you want to help, carry this."
With the staff member voluntarily carrying her luggage, the lady walked through the smog. The fog, growing thicker with the deepening night, did nothing to hinder her vision.
"I haven't returned to Backlund in quite some time. Has the smog here always been this