In this mission, we weren’t really supposed to do much—aside from providing some support... After all, several powerful guards from this facility would be accompanying us.
Specifically, five people at Rank 3 and two at Rank 4... a considerable force, capable of dealing with most dangers, or at the very least buying time until reinforcements arrived.
In the game, this event was designed to be the moment Elliot made his first contact with the Void System, marking the true beginning of the main plot.
Using the information Lucas had about this transport operation, he coordinated with other low-ranked members of the Void System to set up an ambush seven hours from here. And since none of the relics here could be teleported or stored in storage rings, they had prepared an escape route at that location.
Lucas wanted the final outcome to be a complete success—stealing the relics without losing his position in the Axis. To achieve that, he invested a large amount of resources into this operation, ensuring his identity would never be exposed.
In the end, he almost succeeded... if not for his path colliding with Elliot.
While I was lost in thought, considering what I needed to do, I felt someone approach me from behind. He quickly reached me and placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice spreading through the carriage.
"You’ve been here this whole time. We were looking for you... you didn’t even answer your phone."
I raised my head and looked at Elliot—the person who was supposed to awaken a new ability today.
But with my interference, I didn’t think that would happen... and I had no idea how much this would affect the original plot.
Still, it didn’t matter... in the end, I would gain plenty from this.
I looked at him.
"Why are you looking for me?"
"Nothing major. The train is about to depart, so the professor asked me to make sure everyone has boarded and to gather in Carriage Number Two."
I sighed as I pushed myself up from the seat.
"Alright, let’s go."
We walked through the train carriages together, while Elliot occasionally gave me strange looks, which started to irritate me.
So I decided to end it.
"What’s your problem? If you want to say something, just say it."
He looked at me carefully.
"It’s nothing. I didn’t want to interfere in matters that don’t concern me... but I’m genuinely curious, Caius."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
But he continued on his own.
"You’re extremely strong—so talented that you were the first in our class to reach the Advanced sub-rank. Your combat skills are like someone who’s fought countless battles... and yet, you appeared out of nowhere, as if you didn’t exist before. I even used my family’s connections to look into any information about you..."
I quickly raised my hand to stop him.
"Wait... wait... did you investigate me?"
At my words, he raised his hand and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Well, I was curious and couldn’t help myself. Besides, I bet I’m not the only one who did it... I think Ellen did too."
I looked at him with dead eyes.
"That doesn’t justify what you did."
He sighed and ignored my words.
"Anyway, let’s drop this for now."
I listened, partly because I was curious about what kind of information he had found—or more precisely, about the background the Red Eye had fabricated for me, and how solid it was.
But his next answer caught me off guard.
"I found nothing... your entire file was sealed by Astra Nova."
Sealed by Astra Nova?
Did that woman block all information about me?
Well, that was the only explanation... maybe I should thank her later.
Elliot looked at me seriously as he asked,
"So, Caius... who are you really, and where the hell did you come from?"
He truly seemed to think I would answer that question.
I smiled and decided to give him something.
"Let’s say I’m just a mistake... a mistake that was never meant to exist."
With those words, I ignored him and reached the door to Carriage Number Two, while I heard Elliot’s voice behind me.
"What does that mean?"
"I don’t know," I replied.
With that, I passed through the door as it opened automatically.
There, Professor Lucas was waiting with the others. Even the guards who would be accompanying us were present... though perhaps it was more accurate to say that we were the ones accompanying them.
Either way.
I walked toward them as Professor Lucas looked at me with some irritation on his face.
"Why aren’t you answering your phone?"
I gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I left it on silent and didn’t notice your calls."
Lucas sighed and gestured for me to stand with my classmates.
"In any case, stand here with the others. Mr. Arthur will explain what you need to do."
He spoke while pointing to a middle-aged man with gray hair and gray eyes.
Once Elliot and I stood near the others, the commander stepped forward and faced us.
"Alright, Axis students. I’ll explain your duties now."
His voice was deep and firm.
"You’ll be divided into teams of two, and each team will follow one of us."
He spoke while pointing to his fellow guards.
"Each team will be assigned to oversee a single carriage. If a carriage is attacked from the outside, you can use this door to access the roof and handle the situation. Most attacks along the route occur near the coast, where flying monsters up to Rank 3 can appear. Of course, you’re not required to face them—we’re here for that. You’ll only provide support."
...
After the commander finished his explanation, we were divided into pairs. My partner turned out to be Ivan Rexel.
So, there we were, the two of us walking behind Commander Arthur toward Carriage Number Six.
"So how did you blow up that monster’s head during the test?" Ivan asked excitedly at my side, as if it were the most important thing in the world.
We had been walking together for maybe five minutes... and that was all it took for him to start treating me like a friend.
I replied indifferently to his enthusiasm.
"Nothing special... I just fed it my hand and blew its head up in the next moment."
From the corner of my eye, I saw his expression change.
"You’re joking, right?"
"No."
We arrived at the carriage that contained rooms designated for storing relics, separated by a narrow corridor. In the center was an open space with several chairs and glass windows.
"You can sit here," the commander said.
So I made myself comfortable, walked over to one of the chairs near the glass, and sat down, keeping my distance from Ivan.
We didn’t have to wait long.
The carriage trembled slightly, and the scenery beyond the glass began to move and accelerate.
The journey had begun.