Train to Whitecliff

Sep 16th, 1349 of the Fifth Epoch…

Max was currently on a train from Backlund, that was heading towards Desi Bay. He had received the prayers from Tom yesterday, and he had assured him that the nighthawks were generally good people… generally.

Still, he could not intervene with the official Beyonders just yet, if he wanted to move around freely. As such, he just ensured Tom's safety every now and then, and instead made Ademisaul bring over the Door and allow Max to return to Earth from there, before sending it back.

And from here he had given a few instructions on how Ademisaul was to live now that Tom was essentially 'missing' before heading off to Desi Bay on a steam locomotive.

He quickly leaned back in his first-class seat, entered the Amalgamation of All and checked up on Tom. As it turned out, he was still being interrogated back at the headquarters of the Church of Evernight, though Max could only barely see the world around Tom, since the ring and all of his belongings had been confiscated. The only thing Max was using to spy on the poor fellow was his connection to the Amalgamation of All, and his brand as a follower of the Primordial Unity.

Still, it was enough for him to hear the stupid conversation that had been going on inside the interrogation room for the past few hours almost on repeat.

"Who are you."

"Well, as I have mentioned to multiple people already, I am Tom. No surname because I was never given one. Before you ask again, I am from Tingen. Never knew my parents, never want to get to know them either."

"Age"

"No idea. But from what I can remember, and guessing I can't remember at least three years of my life since I was born, I suppose I am around 13, give or take a few…"

"Let me get to the main point. What are you doing making so many trips to and from Tingen? How did you get the money for so many first-class tickets? And how did you become a Beyonder."

"Do you want me to answer those in order or…"

"In order."

"Then it becomes difficult, you see, I will need to explain how I became a Beyonder first."

"Then why did you ask?"

"Well, I am tied to a metal chair using metal cuffs, in a dark room with unknown people randomly coming to interrogate me every few minutes, repeating the same questions to see if I give a different answer to prove that I am lying. I suppose I wanted to change things up a bit."

"…"

"Anyways, it all began when my brother; he is not truly by brother by relation, but we are just that close. Anyways, it all began when he bumped into an unknown person…"

And so, Tom repeated almost everything that happened truthfully, except for the part where they were to pray to the Primordial Unity. Plus, he truly did not know Max's name, so he just called him Mister.

…

Outside the interrogation room, three Nighthawks were observing the entire conversation silently.

"I am telling you; we should just let Harry use [Dream Invasion] on him and figure out if he is telling the truth or not." The woman, who was the same one from the train and one of the three responsible for bringing Tom in for questioning said.

Their team had been assigned to look after suspicious activities before and after the incident in Tingen a few days ago, and Tom's odd travelling through the railways was one of the first things that caught their eyes.

"We will let Ashborn finish with this round of interrogation before letting him go and checking him out in the night when his guard is down. I will go personally."

"Boss Harry, I knew it. You were suspicious of him too."

"No. I am not actually. I am doing this solely to prove you wrong and prove his innocence. I think that he will likely join us Nighthawks soon enough."

…

Max returned to his body and sighed. Things were already getting difficult in Backlund. Thankfully, he had already escaped and was on his way to Desi Bay to meet a long-lost relative.

He could have taken an airship, which was a lot faster. But the list of requirements before being able to procure a ticket was simply too long, and it was rather easily tracked to him.

Instead, using a train with a fake ID was a lot safer option, despite it taking a lot longer in comparison. Plus, he did not directly head over to Desi Bay. Instead, he stopped over at Whitecliff Town where one of the ingredients he needed for his next potion was being auctioned soon.

At least that was what the letter from Ms. Justice he had received from his company had said.

…

Whitecliff town…

The town itself was not very large in terms of the size of the population, but it was still a lot bigger than the villages in Independence. Max did not waste much time and after renting out a room for two nights, he headed straight for the auction house of the town, one of the few places in the town that ran throughout the day and night, and one of the few sources of external income for the town that was a lot smaller than Tingen.

"One ticket for tomorrow's auction, please. Something more private if you will," Max said while sliding 5 pounds through the window opening to the cashier, whose eyes almost immediately brightened up at the incredibly luxurious spending of this young man.

After advancing to Sequence 8, Max's physique had improved a bit, reaching adulthood. He looked like someone who had just crossed into their twenties, with even a bit of facial silver hair being visible.

Taking the ticket, he returned to the room he had rented and checked up on Tom since it was already reaching nighttime, and the nighthawks would likely investigate him in the same way they did to Klein and so many others; through their dreams