Chapter 9: Chapter - 8 Road to Andorrea

Chapter - 8 Road to Andorrea

Finally, it seemed like he had achieved it.

By some miracle, Lucid had woken up before Alice. But he didn’t pay much attention to that fact. Instead, he inspected the interior of the carriage, making sure everything was still in place. He felt clear-headed for once—maybe, just maybe, he had actually slept well.

He stood near the front, facing the blue pulsating crystal between the interior and the front windshield of the carriage. They were still on the rails, moving at a surprisingly fast speed.

“Huh… no matter how fast we travel, we’re never going to reach Andorrea at this rate.”

He glanced out the window—and stopped.

“Oh?”

What he saw wasn’t the familiar purple mist from before. The world outside had changed. Instead of fog, there was a deep, bluish void—like space, but not quite empty. Small rocks and glowing crystal fragments floated across the landscape like an aquatic scenery. It was as if they were inside an ocean of stars.

The reflections bounced off his glass mask, scattering soft colors into the carriage.

“How... beautiful,” he whispered.

Lucid had grown tired of the never-ending lavender clouds. This new scenery felt refreshing. Peaceful. He even chuckled to himself.

“Finally… a breath of fresh air. I wonder if I could breathe out there?”

He amused himself with the thought—swimming through space in zero gravity, or freezing and suffocating instantly.

“Well, you never know until you try… they say.”

“…Wait. Who even says that?”

As Lucid chuckled at his own internal self-harm, a sound stirred behind him. Rustling. Shuffling. Alice.

She was half-awake, groggy and blinking slowly. Her eyes wandered, like she was looking for someone.

“…Big bro…” she mumbled in her morning voice.

Lucid’s heart stopped.

“What...?”

He hadn’t meant to say it out loud—but the words slipped from his mouth. They stared at each other in silence: Alice, still sleepy-eyed, and Lucid, frozen in shock. If he hadn’t been questioning things before, he definitely was now.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Then, Alice looked behind him. Her eyes widened in awe.

“WOW!”

Lucid turned slightly and leaned back against the window panel.

“I know. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

She pressed her face to the glass like a child seeing snow for the first time.

“Lucid, can Alice go outside?” she asked with pure excitement, bouncing on her feet.

“No,” Lucid replied flatly. “Last thing I need is you turning into space-aquatic mush.”

But as he scratched his head and turned around again—he froze.

She was reaching for the hatch.

“WHAT THE—!”

Lucid dashed forward and grabbed her, yanking her back down from the ladder.

“Alice!”

“What? Alice was just curious,” she said with a giggle, completely unfazed.

“That’s… NOT FUNNY.”

His voice softened.

“What if you had died?”

That quieted her. Alice hadn't really thought about danger—not since the Mawler. She stared at Lucid’s hands holding her arms, his grip tight but slowly relaxing.

Had she really grown so comfortable with him that she’d forgotten fear?

She looked down, then back at him.

“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry,” she said in a small, remorseful voice.

Lucid exhaled, relieved that she understood.

“It’s okay, Alice. Just… don’t act on impulse, okay? Ask me before you do anything dangerous.” He knelt to her eye level and patted her head gently.

“It’s good to be curious, but have you ever heard the saying: ‘Curiosity killed the cat’?”

“Whaaaaat?! That’s so cruel!” she exclaimed.

Alice smirked.

“Well, I say… that cat was brave for seeking the unknown.”

She said while grinning wide. “I like that version better.”

Lucid paused. Where did that line come from? It felt familiar. Almost like a memory from his old life—like a whisper from Earth.

‘Yeah... must’ve been something from my previous life I guess,’ he thought.

The carriage continued forward, rattling slightly under its wheels. Still fast, still steady. The interior was the same—steel walls, quiet lights, bench seats. Alice had returned to the window. Lucid settled into his usual corner.

And again, the questions started.

What had life on Earth been like?

What was his connection to the party he remembered?

Who was Yu Sakamoto… really?

‘That village… Arayune, right? Was he truly behind its fall?’

Lucid’s mind churned. He didn’t know much about Yu—only that he was supposed to inherit the role of chief. But now he was branded a traitor. Why?

‘Did his ideals clash that hard with the town's? Did he flee to protect something... or destroy it?’

The crystal’s soft light pulsed again, reflecting across Lucid’s mask. Alice was drifting off once more—this time not from fatigue, but boredom.

She'd clearly had enough of the silence.

Lucid thought about telling her a story… but he had none. Not one.

Odd, really. He couldn’t even remember what he liked doing back on Earth. Like what his interests were or what he used to do in his spare time other than Just shooting Guns like a homicidal maniac during the expeditions with his crew.

He glanced out the window—and then saw it.

Faint outlines. Floating islands.

Dozens of them.

Massive landmasses hovered effortlessly in the white mist, drifting up and down like slow, breathing creatures. Some were small, covered in greenery. Others were enormous—supporting entire buildings, gardens, bridges.

At the center of them all… a colossal island. Spires. Ancient towers. Magic-infused windmills spinning lazily. Lights twinkling across its terrain like fireflies.

They had entered a white mist, this one soft and pure—like real clouds.

“…Wow.”

Lucid whispered it.

Not out of awe—but reverence.

They had arrived.