i'At this rate she might fall out of it quicker than we initially thought, Bolana-sama.' said the same voice as before.

'Shush, we must trust in her. Hurry, pass me that.' spoke the elderly voice.

'Amelia! Amelia!' called a boy's voice from a much further distance.

'Someone tame that boy!' ordered the elder. 'He would've thought to do something before this girl decided to do this.'/i

Muffled voices, lots of it, were all I could hear when I woke up. The familiar sweet-scent drifted around the room, waking me from my unconsciousness. Blacktip wasn't next to me this time, but I could feel his presence. He was probably with whoever was talking outside in the lounge. The bedroom I was in was quite different to the lounge, a totally different feel. For one, the room was painted a pinky-purple while the lounge was painted cream. A bookshelf stood facing the bed with numerous books of a various colours. The desk on the opposite wall to the bed was white, piled with loose papers, more books and stationary.

Though it felt wrong, I took a book from the shelf and flicked through its pages, the moonlight my only light source. The book I had chosen was one about poems. I stopped on a page that stood out, its background money ridden with a leprechaun atop a pile of golden coins. The poem read:

iWhat's a life without a little gold?

Each leprechaun has heaps to hold.

What's to gain with little to start with?

Leprechauns are born with gold forthwith.

Yah can't run a town without any money,

And the leprechaun's won't give you any.

Just be aware of the links that connect,

'Cause the leprechauns will only seek to perfect.

Heart of Serenity/i

iWhat an odd poem,/i I thought to myself. Re-shelving the book, I wondered what to do. I didn't feel like seeing other people quite yet, so I took a seat at the desk. Not knowing what to do, I began trying to organise the loose papers. There were sketches, writings, graphs, and a whole lot of equations. Putting them in piles, I saw that a laptop was buried beneath the sheets, placed in the centre of the table, its power still on. Something inside me made to reach out to open it, but just as I was about to, Rena came in with a tray in her hands. I went to pick up a pen as to not seem suspicious.

'Glad to see you're finally up.' she smiled, placing the tray on the table, oblivious to what I almost did. 'Eat something, it's already dinnertime.'

'I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble.' I replied, choosing the smallest thing on the tray.

'Don't be, and are you sure you're alright?' she asked, looking at me as if trying to read my thoughts. 'That's the second time you've fainted since coming here.'

'I'm sure it's just fatigue from past travellings.'

'Amelia…Elsword's told us everything.'

'Huh?' I coughed, choking on the cookie crumbs.

'He thought it better we knew.' she replied, passing me the glass of water.

'Why would he think that?'

'He's Elsword.' she replied simply.

'I have no objection.' I smiled then instantly reverted to worry. 'But you don't think I'm weird, do you?'

'Of course not, you've got ears, a tail, can use wind as a weapon and dropped out of the sky one day; what more need I say?' She smiled then turned to leave, then added, 'Remember, we don't have work tonight.'

'Mhm.'

'You're welcome to join us in the lounge. The guild is there waiting for you.'

'Maybe a little later.'

'Sure.' And she left.

Sighing, I pushed the tray away. iDoushiyou?/i I thought as I spun around on the swivel chair. How come the people you need are never there when you need them the most? iMoney…money…/i The word kept repeating in my head, imoney…/i That was what the poem was about, and that was exactly what this town was in need of. With the next town miles away, it seemed nigh impossible for this town to reach their goal. Spotting my sword, I unsheathed it and stared at the blade. For some reason, I expected some kind of ancient writing to appear on it, but of course, nothing appeared.

I sighed again. iWhat do I do?/i I stared at my reflection on the blade. iC'mon, I'm smarter than this… Oh!/i At the thought, I sheathed my sword and hastily ate the dinner that was given to me. Washing it down with the water, I flung open the door and ran down the short corridor. Coming to the lounge, I announced my presence louder than I intended. 'This town must be connected to the next one, somehow!'

'Oh, Amelia! If Chung is 'Seiker-ouji-sama', what would you call me and Raven?' asked Elsword, completely ignoring my declaration.

'Well,' I began, trying to keep my last thought in the back of my mind. 'Raven would be Raven-san' because he's much older, but then again, I go to your school, so he'd be 'Raven-senpai'. And-'

'So I'd be that too, right?' Elsword interrupted.

'Hmm, that would be correct if I wasn't pushed up a grade, so now you're just 'Elsword-kun.'

'Is that bad?'

'Not really, it's just not as important.'

'Aw.' he moaned, slouching on the couch. Beside him, I saw Raven hide a smile behind his book. Who knew these guys actually cared for what I called them?

'Either way, it doesn't matter because I just call you 'Raven' and 'Elsword'.' I took a seat when neither replied. Looking around, I noticed Aisha, Rena and Blacktip were all missing.

'Rena is feeding Blacktip outside.' said Eve as if reading my mind.

'And Aisha?'

'She didn't want to come.' answered Chung, childishly consuming his lollipop.

'Ah,' iJust as I thought./i 'Why are you here anyway?'

Elsword sat up again, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. 'We came to see if you were okay.'

'Oh, there was no need to do that.' and I felt my cheeks heat up again.

'Yeah, we did,' he replied, 'we hafta make sure every member is well at every point in time.'

'Member? But I'm not-'

Eve stood up abruptly, causing me the stop immediately. She walked over to me, every step poised with grace, as she unfolded a cloth that was hidden in her hands. Kneeling in front of me, she revealed a simple black, thick-thread bracelet carrying a single charm. She gestured to present my wrist to her, and despite my reluctance, I did so without a word. As she clasped on the bracelet, she said, 'It matters not where you came from, for it is our choice to add you if we wished, and add you we did.'

Bewildered, I stared down at the star charm. It was rimmed with gold and its centre was light pink. It was an extremely simple design, but nevertheless, I adored it. 'I can't accept this.'

'Sure you can, just don't take it off.' Elsword replied, showing his red-centered charm dangling from a fraying fabric.

Lost for words, I stammered my thanks. In reply, they all smiled and Chung gave me a lollipop tearfully, sad to depart with his favourite flavour. He quickly accepted it back and offered me another, which I refused, though he shoved it in my hand. I felt at least an hour and a half pass when I remembered what I came out for. With everyone present, save Aisha, I finally brought aloud my confusion. '…all the business buildings couldn't have just appeared without a foundation 'cause small towns wouldn't usually have them. So, what I'm saying is, this town must have some kind of connection to the next town, right?'

Suddenly, everyone went serious, perhaps I had thought to deep into this towns's past. Blacktip twitched at the silence as he sat in my lap.

Rena was first to recover. 'There's a train at the north of the town, near the school. It had been faulty since its creation, which was a good twenty years ago. About three years ago, the train finally broke. For some reason, when this happened, the tracks vanished and so did the train's creator.'

'And who was the creator?' I asked upon finding my voice.

'Hagus, Hagustus, and Haguson's Father.' answered Eve, when Rena could say no more.

'And that's still not the weirdest part.' said Elsword, not breaking eye contact with his mug. 'When the tracks disappeared, monsters took their place. People have tried to push past them to trade with the next town for money and materials. Unfortunately, those people never returned.'

More information, I thought, more secrets, more confusion. What can I do for these people? I looked at Blacktip, who looked up at me. At once I knew we were thinking the same thing. 'First thing's first, I'm going to find the creator.'

At my announcement, everyone in the room stared in astonishment. Chung dropped his hand full of candy and payed them no notice. Even Eve had a hint of interest for once.

'You can't change my mind; I want to help this town.' I said when I saw them ready to protest.

Abruptly, Elsword stood up, causing Raven to drop his book.

'I'm coming with you.' he said, a stern expression on his face.

'Thank you for the offer, but Blacktip and I can go alone; we have past experience.'

'I'm not offering, I'm telling you. I'm not letting you go alone.' he replied. He reminded me of how Aaron would've reacted when I ran away from home.

I stood too, feeling inferior in the low couch I sat in. 'I'm not going alone, I'm going with Blacktip. Besides, if I was, I'd be completely capable.'

'Elsword,' cut in Rena, now standing also, when Elsword was about to shout something back. 'Look at reason. You can't just leave school. And Amelia, you can't just take off without a clue to start with.'

'Actually, Rena.' started Raven, taking off his glasses. 'I can ask the Headmaster for a long-term leave for our guild. As for clues, I suggest we start with the instructors.'

It wasn't only me who was surprised to see him speak. Everyone watched, save Rena who observed in admiration, as he motioned us to sit; and as he sat up tall in his spot, there was barely a breath in the room. Clearing his throat and setting down his book, he began with a voice of authority. 'As my father is close friends with the Headmaster, I can easily grant us an opportunity to leave. As for dealing with the Hagus brothers, I believe Amelia can start us off with that.'

'I can?' I questioned as eyes fell on me.

'You've forgotten,' he continued, 'Elsword has told us everything and that includes what you had done in your lesson today. I hear that Hagustus has taken a liking to you, and with that you can persuade him to tell you anything about his lost father.' He paused as if waiting for someone to comment, and when no one did, he continued once more. 'Hagus, we can contact through Ara Haan who still hasn't showed up since first meeting. Haguson, I can deal with myself. Obtaining information may take some time; therefore I believe we should do that first before setting on any sort of adventure.'

When he concluded his speech, everyone took a moment to let it sink in. While we did so, Raven replaced his glasses atop his nose and took a pen and notepad from his jacket pocket. Clicking the pen, he began scribbling all he had said, down into a neat flow chart. He drew a key in the top-right corner to represent each guild member.

As he did so, I found my voice. 'There's something I should tell you.'

'And what's that, Amelia?' he asked as he frowned at his flow chart.

'I've been having visions.'

'Visions?' And now the attention was back on me.

To avoid eye contact, I stared down at Blacktip, stroking his fur. 'So far I've fainted twice, and so far this is only my second day here. On both occasions, I've had a vision, but of the past not future; almost more like memories. The visions weren't very clear, but the voices were. They were my friends from Thie'ele and they were talking about me in the first one. Senera and Elder Bolana were saying I'd forget; that I wouldn't know what to do when I'd got here. And they were right.'

'Did they say why you were sent here?' questioned Rena.

I shook my head in reply. 'They kept saying I wanted to prove myself; but they didn't say what for. In the second vision, they were saying I was instable, and…someone was calling for me.'

Silence fell across the room again, save for Raven's scribbling. I saw Raven pleased with his writings and he set down his pen. Leaning back on the couch, he read over his flowchart. Chung resumed sucking his lollipop and the other three stared into space.

I couldn't tell what any of them were thinking, but I knew exactly what I felt. The excitement and anxiety weren't new to me; it was all I felt throughout my past. However, this time I felt slightly more protected and more relaxed, knowing I'd have people that have skills for combat. There was nothing I could say to stop them from coming now. I realised this and pushed the thought away. Besides, this is their town and it's only normal for them to want to save it.

Rena looked around the room and read the time on the kitchen clock. Clapping her hands to grab everyone's attention, Rena said. 'Alrighty, time to go. We'll meet at 'the place' tomorrow, lunch time. Elsword, make sure Aisha comes and try to get a hold of Ara. Raven, do not lose that notepad.'

At her command, everyone nodded. I watched as they all left one by one. Chung was last to leave as he kept dropping his candy, every few steps.

When he finally exited the door, Rena closed it behind him, looking pleased with herself. She came back into the lounge and collapsed on the three-seater couch Elsword and Raven were sitting on. Sighing, she whispered, 'I should thank you.'

'Why, what for?'

She opened her eyes, smiling sweetly at me, seeming terribly exhausted. 'For taking action. For three years this town has lived in fear. For three years people have killed themselves trying. For three years poor Raven has argued with himself on how to save the town; how to resolve its mysteries. I can't tell you how grateful I am.'

She looked so grave where she sat, like an elderly lady in hospital. 'I'd like to say 'you're welcome', but arrival here was only by chance. It's not for me to take the credit.'

'Hm.' she chuckled, facing towards the ceiling, eyes closed once more. 'You speak like no one I've ever met…Well,' she began, opening her eyes again, and dusting herself off, 'I'd best take a shower and prepare for tomorrow. It's going to be hectic!'

Her former fatigue vanished at once, and now she jumped up and headed down the hall. I stayed seated, a million thoughts running through my head.

You need to go for a run, said Blacktip, leaping onto the table from my lap. He stretched like a cat and gestured for me to get up.

Sighing I slowly got to my feet and stretched. Then, not five seconds later, I spun on the spot and my height shrunk to Blacktip's size. Exercising my four paws, I jumped onto the table next to him. With a nod, we set off, hoping Rena wouldn't be done any time soon.

The wind was chilly outside but I wasn't so bad with my pink fur to protect me. The two of us used the rooftops as our pathway, avoiding any human contact. The stars couldn't be seen for the streetlights and business buildings shone superiorly, eliminating their luminosity. Passing countless houses and infinite amounts of roads and streets, Blacktip and I ended up at the school.

We broke in through an open window, wandering the lonely halls. Making our way to the roof, music was heard from a corner room on the top floor. Exchanging glances, we changed our destination, heading to the occupied classroom.

The door was somewhat ajar when we came to it. Leading the way, Blacktip nudged it open with his nose. It squeaked a little, but not enough for the music to stop. He peeked inside, retreating as soon as he entered. He shook his head at me and we both went in.

There was no one there; the music emitted from a lone music player. I leapt onto the table and stamped on the stop button, noting the player was labelled 'Property of Heal Potions' which was too odd to not note. As I did so, Blacktip searched the room for any evidence that someone had been present. A window was open and the wind that blew in caught our attention. We stood on the desk in front of it and leaned out.

Amelia!

Is that the station?

Below us was an area full of forestry. Trees hug gloomily and branches entwined with each other. Through gaps in the canopy, a glimpse of track work could be seen. Whoever was in the classroom last must've been reasonably skilful at escaping for there were no prominent holes in the leaf-cover.

Before leaving, we scanned the room once more. There wasn't a single possession anyone could've left. It was odd enough to have a stereo still playing hours after school had finished; and with no other evidence, a shiver rippled down my spine to the tip of my tail. What student would come in at nine at night and run away because two foxes were in the hallway, leaving with the music still on and not leave any other mark of their presence? Unless to serve as a distraction for something else.

Hey Amelia, this is Aisha's homeroom class.Blacktip was searching through the desks and sure enough, found a drawer filled with books labelled Aisha's Property!.

I joined him and noticed the stereo was on that very table. Come to think of it…Aisha wasn't at the meeting and in my opinion, she was mean and suspicious from the beginning.

Blacktip nodded his reply and then gestured to leave and investigate the station. Him in lead, I followed closely behind, creating a shallow pool of wind for us to land safely on. Sure enough, when we reached the bottom, a few metres of track work remained and led out the town beneath rusted iron gates. Whatever was beyond them, I couldn't see for the night's darkness was too dim.

Something's missing. I said to Blacktip, who stood next to me staring at the broken tracks too.

Yeah… the train.