Chapter 4: The Hidden Crisis

Hana and the three Eds hopped aboard the DenLiner as soon as it passed by. They all ended up in the car with the old man and the waitress. As soon as the Eds had recovered from the initial shock, all three of them took in the train with amazement.

"This is the most fantastic thing I've ever seen." Double D breathed. "A machine with the ability to travel outside the boundaries of distance."

"Also time." Hana added. She couldn't help but crack a smile at the look on the boys' faces.

"Astounding. The technology that was used to build this wonder is so far above what I'm used to, I can't even fathom how it all operates."

Ed's face was pressed up against the car window. "Cool, were traveling across the haunted deserts of Hades!"

"That's just the Sands of Time."

Double D too, turned his attention towards a window. "Time itself can take a physical form? That's... incredible!"

Hana nodded. "That's what the Sands of Time is. Countless worlds are connected by this place, and only time trains like the DenLiner are able to travel anywhere and anytime through it."

Eddy was drooling. "Think of the money we can make off of this thing! People will come for miles around just to ride it!"

"The DenLiner is not meant for commercial use." All eyes turned towards the old man. He wore an emotionless expression.

"Who're you supposed to be?" Eddy demanded.

"I am the Conductor of this particular time train. I decide who is permitted to ride."

Eddy shut his mouth before he an instinctively obstinante remark left it.

"Could you tell these boys about the imagins?" Hana asked.

"Of course, if you would all take a seat." The Eds and Hana took separate seats near the Conductor. "May I ask your names?"

"My name is Ed!"

"My name is Eddward with two 'D's, but everyone refers to me as Double D. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Name's Eddy, and don't forget it. It's gonna be big one day."

The waitress came from behind the counter and headed towards the group. Besides for the waitress uniform, she wore red gloves and black longsleeves with several watches lining each arm. Her legs were similarly clad in black tights and red boots. She had one red lock of hair hanging in front of her forehead while the rest of her short, black hair was pulled back under the paper boat-like cap on top of her head.

"Hi everyone, my name is Naomi, and I'm the waitress for the DenLiner!" She said with a smile. "Would anyone like some coffee?"

"I'll have some."

Sand flooded out of Eddy's clothes into the seat next to him, melding and shifting until it formed the full form of the Ogre Imagin. This caused Eddy to fall out of his chair and onto the floor.

"What the heck?!"

"What, you forget already? I'm the guy possessing you." The ogre said. His skin was red and tatooed in black markings. He wore a black leather jacket, red jeans, and black boots with red toes. Despite his savage look, he appeared to be no older or taller than Eddy. "Am I getting my coffee or what?"

"Coming right up!" Naomi announced with a smile still present. She cheerfully went back to the counter to fetch a cup for the imagin.

His current spot suddenly becoming unfavorable, Eddy decided to switch seats. He got up and hopped over to an open spot next to Ed.

"I assume that this imagin is the reason why Hana brought you three here." The Conductor said.

Hana got up from her chair and pulled Eddy to stand before the old man. "I also brought them here because this boy has the power to become a Masked Rider."

The Conductor nodded slowly. "So it seems you were able to find a Singularity Point after all. Well done, Hana."

"If you don't mind my asking, what is a Singularity Point exactly?" Double D inquired.

"Is it like a chicken?" Ed asked hopefully.

"I suppose a chicken could be a Singularity Point, but that particular case has never been seen," The Conductor responded unphased. "A Singularity Point is an individual with a rare quality. In every world, there are less than a hand-full that exist."

"Hear that guys, I'm one of a kind," Eddy said proudly, sticking out his chest.

Double D unsuccessfully fought down a smirk. "I believe we can all be thankful for that, Eddy."

Frowning at his friend, Eddy decided to continue the questioning."Anyways, what makes these people so special?"

"You see, Singularity Points are humans that live somewhat out of the balance of time. If a timeline were to be tampered with and changed by unnatural means, only the Singularity Points would remain unaffected. Due to this unique attribute, the imagins cannot use these individuals as conduits to the past."

"And about that too. What the heck are these imagin-thingies?"

The Conductor swept a hand out in the Ogre Imagin's direction. "These beings come from an unknown time and world, and apparently are not bound by the same laws of time and space that govern our existence. They are without a body until they bond with a host. They then use the images and knowledge present within their host's mind to craft a corporeal form for themselves. A common trend has shown that imagins favor the use of folklore and mythology as templates for their bodies.

"That's right." Putting down his cup, the Ogre Imagin jumped out of his seat and made his way to stand by the short Ed, carelessly propping an elbow on the boy's shoulder. "You know Eddy, if you had a better imagination, I would've gotten a cooler form."

"Sorry about the inconvenience," Eddy spat sarcastically. "If I'd known you were gonna hijack my body, I would have thought of something that fits ya better. Like maybe a tick!"

"Hey, you should be grateful," The ogre retorted. "I saved your ass twice when it was getting kicked by those jerks and the bat bastard."

Eddy got up from his seat and stood toe-to-toe with the ogre. "You almost made me kill those guys back at the park, and you want me to thank you?!"

Hana pushed herself in between the two. "You both need to calm down." She then turned to the imagin and glared. "Besides, nobody asked you to possess him, monster."

The imagin huffed in response and sat back down at the far end of the car.

The Conductor continued with his explanation. "It remains a mystery why the imagins desire the destruction of all worlds, but they have been successful in their mission thus far. I can count the number of worlds successful at keeping their kind at bay on only one hand..."

"That's absolutely horrible!" Double D declared. "What chance does our world stand against this threat?"

"Not to fear Double D, for Eddy the Demon Slayer will save us all!" Ed shouted.

The Conductor nodded. "Your friend makes a valid point. The Singularity Points have the ability to take on the roles of Masked Riders, warriors with the universal purpose of combating evil. However, this can only be done with the use of the Rider Pass specifically connected to their world's time train. This is the reason why so many worlds have fallen. It is a difficult task to locate a Singularity Point, and far more difficult for them to gain access to a Rider Pass."

"Luckily, I was able to find you, Eddy." Hana said smiling. "I've been searching for someone like you for the longest time."

"Before we got onto the DenLiner, you said something about your world being destroyed." Double D said. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you expand upon that?"

Hana nodded sadly. She kept her eyes glued onto the tabletop in front of her as she spoke. " The imagins destroyed my world because there was no one to stop them. I lost everything. My family, my friends, my life; everything. I still exist because I'm a Singularity Point, but it was pure luck that I came across the time train for this world. I thought that I would end up traveling the Sands of Time forever."

Double D held his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry for your lose."

"Do you know what's even worse?" Hana queried. "The other Singularity Points from my world are probably still out there in the desert. Who knows if they'll ever find a way out..."

Eddy rubbed the back of his neck. "Geez, I was a real jerk blaming you for the imagin attack. If I'd known-."

"It's alright, your reaction was normal for anyone in your shoes at the time. I just want to prevent what happened to me from happening again, even if I can only help one world at a time."

Ed, who looked on the verge of tears, got up from his seat and grabbed Hana in a big hug. At first taken aback, Hana gradually smiled in appreciation.

The Ogre Imagin sprung back up from his seat and ran to the group. "That reminds me. Eddy, tell me your wish!"

"Don't do it!" Hana shouted. "If you do, he'll form a contract and be able to escape! Then he'll find a host that he can travel to the past through!"

"Don't get in my way, girl," The Ogre Imagin growled menacingly.

With a semi-bored expression, Eddy dug his pinky into his ear as he contemplated the choice in front of him. "As much as this guy bugs me, it would be pretty bad if he was able to screw up our world. Guess I'm stuck with him for now."

The Ogre Imagin glared at them all before stomping back to the end of the car. "I'll squirm free eventually. I'll wait till you slip up, and then I'm outta here."

The Conductor spoke back up. "Since Hana no longer has a time to return to, I have agreed to let her make the DenLiner her home. She would normally need the Rider Pass to remain aboard, but it now belongs to you, Eddy. I can arrange a different means for Hana, but you have been granted unlimited access and use to the DenLiner. You may also bring your friends along as guests."

A grin spread across Eddy's face as he huddled the other two Eds together in excitement. "You hear that boys? Our luck's finally changed! We get our very own time-traveling train!"

"There are certain rules that must be abided by, however," the Conductor interjected.

Eddy could here the schemes swirling to fruition in his head shatter to millions of pieces.

"You must tell no one of the DenLiner or anything else mentioned here. Also, the only guests permitted are your two friends. Finally, you may only use the Terminal Belt in the case of an imagin attack. The Den-O Suit, the Masked Rider armor for your world, is not a toy."

"Well that takes the fun out of everything. We can't even run a scam!" Eddy pouted.

"Let's be serious about this. These circumstances are not part of a game; we're talking about the fate of our world and everyone in it," Double D sternly stated.

Eddy sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right... I'm still gonna do this though."

"By jove, I think you're finally making progress, Eddy! You're selflessly taking on this dangerous task without any reward in sight!"

"Don't kid yourself, sock-head," Eddy scoffed. "I'm doin' this for myself! If the planet goes poof, I'm gonna end up playing sand jockey forever!"

"So it's settled." Hana said. She handed Eddy the Rider Pass. "I'll be here anytime to help you. If you need me, you know where to find me."

"How do I use the pass to get back on the train?"

"The pass will automatically work when you go through any door during the alignment of the hour, minute, and second. For example, you can come back during 4:04 and four seconds."

"What? Why the heck does it have to be so hard?" Eddy groaned.

"If push comes to shove, you can always board by pressing and holding the white button on the pass while walking through a door."

"I'll just do that all the time then, no problem."

"Only do it in case of an emergency. Using that method will take the DenLiner off of its course and directly to you."

"Anything else I should know?"

"No, just be careful. Imagins can attack at anytime and anyplace. You have to be prepared to act at a moment's notice."

"We've taken you boys back to your homes." The Conductor said. Everyone felt the train came to a stop. "Just exit through the door and you'll all be in Eddy's house."

"Sweet." Eddy stepped off the train.

Double D turned back before following. "This was truly an amazing day, and I hope to see more of this train. Farewell."

Ed ran to the door and happily waved. "See ya everybody!"

Hana waved back to all of them. "Bye guys and good luck!"

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Meanwhile in the more commercial part of Peach Creek, people walked to and fro about their business. One particular woman was headed to the mall to meet up with some friends that had just come into town. On her purse, she had a bell charm attached to a red ribbon.

No one expected the Bat Imagin to dive down into the middle of the busy crowd and pluck the woman up into the sky. After ripping the bell from her purse, he dropped her several stories to her death, causing even more pandemonium. He flew back to the cul-de-sac undetected.

He landed in front of the back porch where Kevin sat, almost catatonic. The Bat Imagin held up the bell for Kevin to see, only to earn a numb shake of the head from the lethargic boy, indicating that it was not what he wanted. The Bat Imagin took off into the air once more, heading back to the city to search for the correct bell, and to complete his contract.