ChiarOscuro Book Two - Episode Four - Welcome Back

  They looked at Koatsu and Skora with a funny expression on their face before leaving without another word, sliding the compartment door shut and a few minutes later, with more people leaving the train this time as far as he could make out in the dark, the train started rolling again and they passed through the eighth wall.

  He found himself starting to get tired and still Hichami had not returned, not that Koatsu really cared, he hoped he'd never have to see his ugly mug again but knew he was going to have to see a lot more of it for quite a while still.

  Sometime later, the train starting to slow before the towering seventh wall, the tallest ones and the thickest of the entire nine rings, built as such due to the high hills before them. Legends said that men with heads that touched the clouds had tried to attack Urok when there had only been seven walls which had forced the additional two walls to be built.

  He honestly wondered to himself how people could think such obvious tall tales were fact. There were fewer officials here as far as he could make out as the train drew to a halt before the smaller platform. He looked down but couldn't see the Earth below.

  The door slid open, only this time it was Himachi who at the sight of the snoozing Koshin turned purple as his head pulsated with anger.

  “Koshin” he yelled making the man jump, banging his head against the luggage shelf and he quickly stood before Hichami rubbing his head. Skora too had been woken up, bouncing up onto his seat.

  “What do you think you were doing?” he demanded to know.

  “I'm sorry Hichami, I must have shut my eyes only a moment ago” said Koshin as Hichami pushed him aside and took his place, looking at Koatsu intensely.

  “A moment is all these Magi need, especially this one” he said nodding to Koatsu. If he had meant it as an insult, he had failed, for Koatsu felt complimented at such a remark.

  Koshin took his seat as officials walked into the compartment, promptly checking the document and leaving without a word the compartment, sliding shut the door. Ten minutes passed yet the train hadn't started moving and Hichami looked up from his papers and turned his head to look outside the window.

  “What's the hold up?” he said out loud.

  Koatsu leaned against the window to see the moon had disappeared and complete darkness. He couldn't even see the lanterns on the platforms and the windows had fogged up from the outside.

  A couple more minutes passed and the train slowly started moving again, the whistle from the release of steam ringing loudly in Koatsu's ears as the train entered the tunnel though once through the walls, complete darkness filled the compartments...

  ...when the train stuttered to a complete halt.

  “Oh what now?” moaned Hichami who light up a small lantern placed underneath the table and held it before him.

  “Probably just some minor malfunction or delay” said Koshin shrugging his shoulders when coming from both ends of the train, at once, came two loud bangs, shaking the carriages.

  Hichami looked at Koatsu, his eyes wide.

  “What do you think you're doing?” he said.

  “How could I possibly have done that?” yelled Koatsu bringing up his chains shaking them violently when the carriage shook again and the bangs got closer and they heard several screams and yells coming from across the train.

  He suddenly felt something pressing down against his chest and he looked down under his shirt to see the red jewelled pendant was pulsating against his chest, emitting a weak glow of red light.

  He tried to act as natural as he could for as long as he had had the pendant, never before had it acted this way, he didn't even know it could glow. The carriage shook once again, this time more violent than before and Koatsu slid left and right in his seat, hitting his head against the window of the carriage.

  “What the hell is going on out there?” said Hichami “Koshin, check it out.”

  “Right” said Koshin with a grave expression on his face and he stood up, sliding the compartment door open and stepping out, he looked down both ends of the corridor before looking right and left again.

  “I don't see anything” he said turning round to face them.

  “Argh!”

  Slithering out from the darkness to his right, something grabbed Koshin, wrapping it's arms around Koshin's torso and sunk it's teeth into his shoulder.

  “Ahhhh” he yelled as the creature ripped his clothes and Koatsu could only look in horror, too stunned to react but Skora was screaming at the creature.

  It stood with a curved back, hunched over, a long shell like neck and head with two long red slits for eyes, with scaly wings behind it and a body that resembled pure muscle, their was no skin over it and it stood on two cricket like legs, with a long tail with smaller legs running down it

  It grabbed Koshin, dragging him away and that's when it let out a cry so alien to Koatsu's ears and in return he heard dozens more answer it and a chill shot down his back.

  That's when chaos fell.

  He heard the sound of steel and metal being torn.

  Yells, screams, shouts and sounds of breaking glass and the carriage shook violently as he heard stampeding out in the corridor. Hichami had sprung to his feet and drew out his falchion, leaping forward and going for a slash across the creature's head...