Traveling Together

"Gilan Iros, a wine merchant."

Gilan held out his hand and lightly shook the girl's pale little hand.

Following the principle that the more one said, the more mistakes one made, he gave only a simple introduction.

"A wine merchant?" The twin-tailed girl, Maive, raised a delicate brow, her interest piqued. "Fine wine truly is one of humanity's most ingenious creations. It can intoxicate people, letting them glimpse things ordinarily unseen through the haze. It can also stir emotion and inspiration, bringing deeper dreams."

"Unfortunately, I'm allergic to alcohol."

With a smile on her lips, Maive spoke softly.

Gilan considered the girl's words and glanced at the book in her hands. Just as he was about to ask about it, he inadvertently noticed a gothic-looking girl with long coffee-colored hair sitting four rows ahead to his right. She had turned around, her eyes rimmed with black makeup fixed on him. Anger, even killing intent, lurked in her gaze.

Hm?

Gilan narrowed his eyes, deeply puzzled.

He had no idea why that girl harbored such hostility toward him.

"Everyone, I have some bad news." At that moment, the red-haired female student returned from the front carriage, her face filled with nervous unease. "The passengers on the train have suddenly disappeared. The driver and attendants are gone too."

"Ridiculous."

The elderly man in the black suit tapped his cane on the ground and spoke coldly.

Another fat man in a brownish-red striped suit stood up. Chewing chocolate, he called out:

"Would any gentleman be willing to come with me and confirm it?"

"I'll go with you."

A burly blond young man rose to his feet, nearly hitting the ceiling of the carriage. He wore an army-green leather jacket over a white tank top, the outlines of his chest and abdominal muscles faintly visible.

"I'll go too." Another thin young man wearing a gray overcoat and a beret stood up. He patted the bulge at his waist and added, "I'm a veteran."

"Then I'll trouble you two."

The fat man looked at the two men and nodded, feeling considerably safer.

The three of them set off together to investigate.

"Mr. Gilan, you still haven't answered my original question." Maive withdrew her gaze and turned to him with a smile. "Why aren't you worried? What if it's some serious accident? We'd be in real trouble."

"I went through something dangerous not long ago. Compared to true death, what does this little accident amount to?" Gilan said calmly. "I cherish every second of this new life and look forward to everything."

"I wonder if that answer satisfies you."

After hearing him out, the girl fell into thought.

But when she looked at Gilan again, her eyes were filled with curiosity and interest.

At that moment, a man with Golden Threads glasses, wearing a white shirt and striped trousers, rose from the seats on the right. He came over to Gilan and Maive and said in a low voice:

"Something's wrong, you two."

"Hm? Did you notice something, sir?"

Maive looked at him and asked politely.

"Just now, I saw a gray shadow flash through the woods outside the window. It seemed to be some kind of large beast... If the train stays here, we may be in danger."

The bespectacled man explained with a grave expression.

As he spoke, he placed his right hand over his left chest.

"Brennan Franker, a surgeon."

"Hello, I'm Maive Matilier, a folklorist. This is Mr. Gilan Iros."

Maive introduced them to the doctor.

"Pleased to meet you both." Dr. Brennan nodded with a smile and suggested, "Why don't the three of us stick together? We can look out for one another."

Maive readily agreed.

After thinking it over, Gilan nodded as well.

If we run into some irresistible danger, these two can buy me time to escape.

The thought flashed through his mind.

The three men who had gone to investigate returned soon after. With ugly expressions, they told everyone in the carriage that the red-haired student had not been lying. The train truly was empty.

At once, everyone else's expressions changed, and they grew restless in their seats.

Before long, someone decided to leave, opened the carriage door, and jumped down.

After a brief hesitation, the others gradually got off the train as well. Gilan's group was no exception. Before leaving, Gilan took one last look at the gothic girl hostile toward him. She was still seated in her place, head lowered as though lost in thought.

Gilan stopped paying attention to her. After getting off the train, he saw a group gathered in an open clearing to discuss what to do. Several men had already begun heading into the surrounding forest, seemingly searching for a way out.

"Watch the grass around you! This area is full of animal traps!" A scruffy middle-aged man carrying a large travel pack seemed to have discovered something. He turned and warned everyone in the clearing.

After giving the warning, the man took a hand crossbow and a curved knife from his travel pack, then left alone, disappearing into the depths of the forest.

The people in the clearing heard his warning, and their expressions darkened. It was hardly good news.

"What should we do next?" Gilan's group stood some distance away from the others. Dr. Brennan spoke quietly. "I heard them say they plan to stay by the train and wait for rescue, but I have a bad feeling about it."

"We should leave as soon as possible and see if we can find a way out."

Gilan made the suggestion.

He still wanted to get to that village as quickly as possible and continue searching for the Scribe's residence. What Exorcist Orlando had longed for was stored in the basement of that residence.

After giving it some thought, Maive and Dr. Brennan surprisingly did not object and nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Gilan took the lead and instructed them:

"That man warned us about animal traps around here. Be careful."

"Alright."

The two replied.

Dr. Brennan was quite the gentleman. Rather than hiding behind Gilan with Maive, he stepped forward and followed Gilan at the front.

Gilan nodded to him, then pretended to carefully inspect the traps in the grass.

In truth, he had already more or less figured out the placement of the animal traps. He deliberately avoided the denser areas, so the three of them moved quickly and soon left the train far behind.

"Hello—"

"Is anyone there—"

At that moment, eerie calls drifted from the surrounding forest.

Dr. Brennan looked up in confusion, while Maive's lovely face changed slightly.

"What is it, Miss Maive?" the doctor asked.

"Nothing." Maive shook her head, her black twin tails swaying with the motion. "It just reminded me of some unpleasant things, but those are only folk legends. They can't be taken seriously."

Rustle—

A black shadow darted through the woods.

Gilan's expression tightened, and he shouted in a low voice:

"Run!"

With that, he bolted forward without looking back.

The girl and doctor froze for a moment, then chose to trust Gilan and gritted their teeth as they followed him.

The three fled desperately through the forest. Maive glanced back and happened to see a headless gray-furred monster the size of a lion pursuing them.

"How can this be?!" Her brown pupils contracted, and her face went pale. "The legend is real!"

Maive clutched her book in one hand and lifted her skirt with the other as she ran with all her strength.

Even as dirt, broken branches, and fallen leaves stained her white dress and women's shoes, she paid them no mind.

Hearing the girl's Whisperer, the doctor turned back as well and saw the monster, giving him quite a fright.

Only after they ran all the way to a wooden stake wall did the headless beast vanish from sight. Dr. Brennan panted as he removed his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then asked:

"Miss Maive, did you recognize that monster?"

Sweat drenched Maive's body as she leaned weakly against the stake wall. After hesitating, she nodded.

After a while, once her breathing had steadied, she bit her lip and said:

"That was a Tribute Wolf... According to Ancient Shiru folklore, in the era before the Dawn Era, tribal people would cut off wild wolves' heads and use their bodies to worship the Old God, hoping to gain the attention of the four Year-Gods. But the one most likely to answer humanity was only the fourth Year-God, Mr. Pearl, also known as Ivan, the Moon God..."

Maive looked around, unease showing on her face.

"He is also the God of Change and Death, unpredictable in temperament. After the sacrificial wolves had their heads cut off, an 'eye' would open at the severed neck, extending down to the chest and abdomen. It would replace humans in peering into the world above the moon. It is said that place is utterly dark, which is why people would cry out for help in fear and anxiety."

"But if someone answers those cries, they will most likely meet with misfortune." Maive helplessly hugged her elbows and pressed the book to her chest. "I never thought the legend would turn out to be real."

"No wonder I heard those voices..."

The doctor recalled the words "Hello" and "Is anyone there" from earlier, and a chill ran down his spine.

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