Rest Stop  

With their hands shading their eyes, casting shadows over their faces, they looked at the bluish radiance in the distance, emanating from the distant sun.

Drenched in blue, they turned their gaze in the direction they needed to go.

Ren, with a raised voice and hand gripping the guide rail, asked, "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes!"

"Does everyone have everything they need?"

"Yes!"

Mark chuckled slightly, hand covering his mouth.

"You're really into this, Ren."

Ren, who had his hands clasped together, though not unkindly, said,

"Do you want to take over, or does anyone else?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant,"

Mark said with a slightly lowered gaze.

"Anyone else?"

The others didn't deny it.

"No problem."

"Just carry on..."

 Footsteps that had previously sounded uniform now seemed less coordinated, with arms moving sluggishly and breaths becoming louder and heavier.

"When are we finally..."

Elly asked, sighing with drooping shoulders as she looked into the distance.

"My question has been answered," she said with a giggle, yet with a sigh.

"Finally!"

Her brother added, also rubbing his neck and closing his eyes.

"Not that it was tiring."

[7:00 PM]

Kaiden's eyes widened.

'10 hours?'

Kaiden's sense of time seemed to have disappeared; it felt much longer than he had anticipated.

'Almost like a whole day has passed.'

He sighed, joining the slightly more cheerful companions, gazing at the rest stop not far off.

Here too, the bluish light seemed to engulf the buildings. A shiver ran down Kaiden's spine and the others' as they continued to look at it. It didn't seem inviting, but it didn't need to be.

"Halt!"

Shouted a man dressed in light gray, looking down from a raised platform in the midst of a modern yet medieval-looking building.

Their eyes seemed wide open as they stared at the person below. Compared to this building and the small rest stop behind it, their castle looked rundown.

Described in words, the rest stop seemed nostalgic and better designed than the castle. What the castle lacked was the vibrant color that the rest stop possessed, even if the sun made it appear colder.

Their gazes seemed more alive than they had ever been at the academy.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" shouted the younger man in the light gray uniform.

Ren spoke up, "We're Team 6 from Class 11 of Liston Academy."

 "One moment."

 "..."

 "Alright, you may pass."

 'A busier rest stop than expected, about 20 people walking around and a few buildings.'

Kaiden looked around, spotting some familiar faces and some unfamiliar ones in black or light gray uniforms.

One person in a black uniform, a tall blond man who didn't seem familiar, raised a question in Kaiden's mind. He looked up at the cracked sky and the storm of sparkling lightning.

'Hopefully...'

reaching up into the distance with his hand,

'Hopefully, I'll find more information there...'

Suddenly, a blow to his back disturbed his thoughts.

"Why are you staring into the sky?"

After his words, a fist flew, feeling as tense as a brick.

It was a reversal of a situation from a month ago, Zack lying on the ground, supporting himself and holding his cheek.

Looking up at Kaiden from below, he asked,

"What was that for?"

 "..."

 Looking down at his shoes, tears falling,

"I'm sorry..."

 Standing up and rubbing his cheek, he looked at Kaiden at eye level,

"It's okay."

Ignoring the others, they only looked at the colorful modern buildings in an old style.

Made of stones, like walls, but not old or worn-looking, rather smooth and sleek. Everywhere you looked, all colors were visible.

"Let's find some lodging first," Ren said to the somewhat scattered group of six.

Mary led the way, and the others followed her quietly.

 -Ring, Ding

 A man sat relaxed in a soft chair, looking up at the customers.

"What can I do for you?"

"Just a room so we can sleep."

"As you wish, princess," he said, smiling as he looked into her ruby-red eyes, running his fingers through his black, medium-length hair.

Mary looked into the distance as usual. The man added, "Just give me a moment, okay?"

 "..."

 "Also something to eat?"

"Yes," she said.

 "A direct one,"

he chuckled to himself as he held the keys.

Handing them over, he said, "For one night and 3 rooms, it's 0.2 Preater. We're not really modern..."

As Mary stretched her hand over a black surface, a sound emanated from the black object.

"Transaction complete."

Extending his hand to her, Elly said,

"We could have split it."

Mary looked at her and said, "It's okay."

Interrupting their conversation, the man pointed with his finger to a specific spot,

"If you're hungry, just sit back there. You can order with your systems, but you'll have to pay through the device here."

Walking away, the man sat back down, sighing in relief.

"Being transferred is really something..."

 "..."

 As always, a feast.

Even though there wasn't much selection, what they had was new.

'Slosh meat, warbs, monastery broth, the pictures look promising.'

Kaiden continued to look, thinking to himself as he opened the page of the rest stop on the table using a link,

'A taffen breast, a Markus salad, and a pure lift juice.'

Staring at the table, the drinks were gradually served.

A pink transparent liquid with a cherry-red triangular fruit skewered on the beverage container.

Sighing to himself, he said,

'So no cocoa this time...'