Lifeless

If ever there was a moment of peace, it didn't last long. Smoke screens would erupt again as if refusing to accept the normal air. Players were forced to leave the compartments and stand at the areas in between, soaking up the fresh air. William and Noor told everyone that they encountered a masked man and that he was likely the killer.

A masked killer running among them? Bad idea. Really bad idea. They really should have thought that through because that caused the players to split further apart. Panic became wildfire. Every little action was deemed a threat. Asher Trent in particular was keen on hurling accusations with the football player Mica taking the brunt of it. Lala was screaming. Dariush was yelling at everyone to calm down. Templar armour could be heard bashing against the walls and tables. 

Two men didn't seem all that fazed, however. Kazi and Booker seemed to navigate their way through the thick smoke, their voices steady and footsteps steady. As if reading each other's minds, they opened windows and let the train breathe. What might have been an hour of heavy smoke was reduced to twenty minutes.

William and Noor were among the first to return to the dining compartment. The trial area was in shambles, chairs and tables flipped over and not a soul in sight. Everybody was gone, except for Kazi and Booker, who were putting everything in place.

"Oh, hey guys. You're here." Kazi saluted William as he reflipped the chairs to their feet. It was cool and casual and done with the flick of the wrist. "We are just about done."

Booker, who focused on the tables and evidence, was already done. Fast, quick, and lazier in his form, William suspected Booker was nearly as strong as himself.

"About time." Booker took a seat and kicked his legs up. "Come on, gather everybody together again."

"And what are you doing?" Noor asked.

"Napping." Booker yawned. "I did the heavy lifting. All the tables and evidence are reset. I'm not doing any more."

Noor huffed, said under her breath, "I have to find Lala anyway," and went back out. Her voice sounded for just an instant when the door opened.

With Booker having closed his eyes, the conversation was left to William and Kazi. Clearing his throat, the young teen asked, "Say…did you figure something out?"

Kazi jumped onto the bar, lips in a tiny curve. "Why?"

"I mean, right before the smoke, it looked like you figured something else." William blinked when he realized where he was sitting. "Hold on, where did the raccoons go?"

"Right here!" Danzaburou popped beside Kazi, smiling widely. "What, did you think we would run away!? As if!"

"They were in the cabinets," Kazi explained. There was a small creak and the remaining tanukis climbed up to the bar counter. The quiet Momoji, Kintaro the bartender, and Haruka, all of whom appeared relatively unscathed.

"O-oh, right, by the way, about the masked killer—"

"Probably wasn't a good idea to tell everyone that," Kazi said, smiling thinly. "Now everyone has gone away, including the killer."

William hung his head. "My bad, I didn't…I thought it would help us find him. We cracked his mask and injured him, so…"

"That's why he spammed those smoke screens. You really injured him." Kazi nodded. "Did you see anything on him?"

"I…don't think so." William tried to recall. "He might have had something in his pocket."

"So he took the bottles." Kazi gestured to the center table, which was surprisingly untouched. "We lack that evidence which sucks. Everybody saw it but there's a chance there was something even more important in there."

"Like what?"

The question hung in the air. Kazi didn't immediately answer him, his face twisting.

"I think I know where Paul is," Kazi said. "I'm just…waiting for the others to come."

"Really? That's great. Where is he?"

No reply. William's expression fell.

"Kazi? Where is Paul?"

Again, no answer. At that moment, the other players started to return. The seats already arranged, the circle came into completion in the matter of seconds. William saw Sun-young, sickly and weak, and hesitantly went with her to grab a seat.

Kazi stood in the middle, as did Detective Matasaburō.

"Ahem! Let the trial began anew!" Danzburou announced.

"So the sake and hair dye are gone…" the detective said. "Jury, this creates a huge breach in—"

"No need. I already figured it out," Kazi cut off sharply. "It has to do with Paul."

"Where is he then?" Detective Matasaburō asked. "Did somebody find him?"

"No. But I have a pretty good guess." Kazi looked at the window behind him. The train was going pretty fast. He swung his head back and locked onto the blond in the white martial artist outfit. "Leon, you're an acrobat. You're our safest bet in reaching the roof. Are you up to the challenge?"

"Ha! You have good eyes!" Leon leapt to his feet and did a handstand, then bending his body over and setting his feet down as if he had no bones. "You have no idea what kind of training I do with the Sapphire Order. It'll be easy."

Kazi nodded. "Right. Get going."

"I'll go too," said Ksenia.

Leon winked and opened the door to the middle-class compartment. The wind flew into the room. "Try to keep up."

The pair closed the door, relieving the room of the whipping wind. Kazi leaned on the evidence table.

"While they're gone, let me explain why I sent them there. We suspected Paul was in the train somewhere, but no matter where he looked, he wasn't. Then it hit me: if he wasn't inside, he had to be outside. But that also made no sense to me. Why would the killer go out of their way to do something like that? Why not just—"

"Throw the body away," Detective Matasaburō finished. "I came to the same conclusion."

"However, what if the parameters of the objective prevented the killer from doing that? We now know from William and Noor that it was indeed a player." Kazi gestured at the two to confirm.

Noor elaborated, "He had a name with a question mark, an unequipped class, and an unknown level. Since the class was unequipped, I doubt it's an NPC. It has to be a player covering their tracks."

William gave a nod, silently agreeing. On the other side, Ari noted down the events on her illustration of the timeline. She had kept the paper in mint condition too. William was impressed by her dedication.

"So one player has been chosen to be the killer while everyone else has to solve the mystery. I noticed this fact from the start: there are a lot of points involved in completing this mission. An unnatural amount—sixty-six million, in fact. You divide that number by three hundred thousand, the payment to enter the Gate, and the new number equals twenty-two. In other words, the killer receives this sum of points if they win. But if we solve it, I presume we get the points."

"So one condition of the objective would be…not throwing away the body?" Ari said, slightly confused. After a little thinking, it became clear and she put a fist into her palm. "Ohhh, because then we wouldn't know there was a murder. We would just assume someone is missing."

"Or it could be the special objective," Dariush suggested. "Maybe the killer gets more points for not throwing the body."

"It doesn't matter," Kazi said. "What matters is that the body must be discoverable. It has to be…" His eyes fell. "...within reach."

William's brain didn't understand. What was he trying to say?

His thoughts were interrupted by a frantic cry from Ksenia, who opened the door from the opposite end in which she went, fraught with panic and distress.

"Stop the train! We need to stop the train!" Ksenia pleaded, voice wavering. Her ponytail was undone and her hair was a mess hanging down her shoulders. "Tanukis! Come on, please! Hurry! HURRY!"

Danzaburo blinked. "Sorry, but stopping the train is not apart of the schedule—"

"Screw the schedule!" Ksenia roared. "Does anybody else know how to stop a train!?"

William's heart quickened, unsettled as Ksenia's screams echoed through the car. At her inquiry, Kazi and John got up and ran over. Booker too, albeit with a weak urgency.

A minute later, the screeching of brakes echoed through the carriages, and with a jolt, the train lurched to a stop. Passengers murmured anxiously, their concern palpable as they poured out onto the platform.

William followed the gathering crowd, his steps faltering with each passing moment, an unspoken dread gripping him. Stepping off the train, a chilly air rushed in, contrasting sharply with the heated tension inside. His heart was starting to hurt. His head was beginning to throb as if struck by something.

"We have to get him down! Come on!"

Ksenia's voice was a background noise from the screams and horror—from the sight that froze the blood in everyone's veins.

Strapped to the front of the steam train was the lifeless body of a young man, an eerie silhouette against the locomotive's imposing bulk. The ghastly sight made his heart race. The chill of the world suddenly did not matter, the image etching into William's mind with cold clarity.

Ksenia climbed up the side of the bulk, her hands breaking apart the rope keeping the man held together. Kazi watched her, his expression blank.

"Paul! Paul! Come on, wake up! Wake up!"

William's heart sank with every plea from Ksenia, a knot of despair tightening in his chest. Questions swirled in his mind, but they were drowned out by the silence that descended upon the scene. No one could speak. No one could move. Death froze their very muscles.

"Please! Wake up! Wake up!"

Paul fell into her arms, his eyes never to open again.