On Their Way

On the high-speed train heading towards the Mato Grosso state border, Koji sat in his seat, reading the information papers Ava had given them. The dark tunnel was illuminated only by the intermittent lights flashing through the windows. Beside him, Saik was reclined, nearly lying down, with a sleep mask covering his eyes.

"I can feel your worry even with my eyes closed," Saik remarked.

"I can't get the Conclave out of my mind. If what Ava told us is true, we're up against something far bigger than we could have imagined."

Saik shook his head in disagreement. "Then maybe you should stop reading those papers… getting anxious will only make things worse."

"Tahiko would be thrilled if he were here," Koji said, folding the documents.

"No doubt about that."

The sound of the high-speed train echoed through the Araguaiana station, announcing their arrival. The screeching brakes caused Koji and Saik to look up, adjusting their backpacks.

"I think we've arrived," Koji said as he stood up.

The train car finally came to a halt, and the doors opened. They stepped off the train onto the bustling platform of the national station in Araguaiana, already within the state of Mato Grosso.

"Why is it so crowded?" Saik asked, noting the throng of people arriving and departing rapidly.

"Maybe they're fleeing because of the Conclave. We don't know what's happening further inside the state."

They made their way toward the waiting area for the next high-speed train, their backpacks bouncing with the rhythm of their steps.

Koji leaned casually against a nearby pillar, observing the movement around him with a thoughtful gaze.

"You know," Saik said calmly, looking around, "I'm more relaxed than I expected. I thought this whole thing about being called by the Tower would be a nightmare, but I'm fine."

"I haven't finished forming my opinion on that yet," Koji commented in a relaxed but calm tone, matching Saik's.

"I knew we were the only independent enforcers in Dynami. It was only a matter of time before someone from the Tower noticed what we were doing."

"Well, I agree with you… but our ride is here."

Saik glanced at the digital clock on the platform, and, as expected, the high-speed train smoothly glided into the station, coming to a stop in front of them.

The doors opened, and the two quickly boarded, finding their seats.

"Where to now?" Saik asked, with his sleep mask in hand once again.

Koji checked the ticket before replying, "Campo Verde Station. After that, we'll reach Cuiabá later today."

"Yeah… Cuiabá. Can't wait to feel the scorching heat," Saik grumbled sarcastically.

As the train journeyed towards Campo Verde Station, Koji and Saik were comfortably resting in their seats. But the calm was abruptly shattered when a violent bang shook the train, causing it to tremble completely before coming to an abrupt stop.

The impact was so strong that Koji and Saik immediately woke up, their bodies thrown against the seats. The same happened to the other passengers, who were hurled to the floor or into their seats with force.

"What was that?" Saik asked instinctively, his sleep mask askew on his face.

"Get up," Koji said, rising from his seat with a determined look, quickly heading toward the conductor's cabin.

Around them, passengers who had been relaxed or sleeping moments before now stood up in panic, shouting and moving frantically. The train was in chaos as people tried to understand what had happened and shouted questions.

"What's happening?"

"What was that?"

"Did something explode?"

"What did we hit?"

The flood of questions and desperate cries throughout the train car made Koji, still dazed and confused, even more uneasy and concerned.

Ignoring the growing commotion around him, he reached the cabin door and knocked urgently.

"Hey, conductor! Open the door! What was that?" he shouted, adding several hurried knocks.

Meanwhile, Saik crouched near a window, trying to look outside in hopes of understanding what had caused the bang.

"It's no use!" Saik called out loudly so Koji could hear. "He's not going to hear us, and we can't wait. I'm going to make a way out here, alright?"

"You're going to use your technique?" Koji asked, not fully understanding.

"It's the best way, so we don't get stuck here."

With a serious expression, Saik positioned himself near the window and said, "Elatós: Malleable Energy."

Thus, activating his technique.

He stretched out both arms, and instantly, a bright bluish aura enveloped his forearms, converting his internal energy into a sharp, powerful form.

"Look at that!" an older woman said, her face pale with surprise, impressed by the energy emanating from Saik.

"Man, I never thought I'd see this up close!" a young man said, his hands on his head in disbelief.

An adult woman, with a look of desperation, asked her husband, "Have you ever heard of anything like this? Is this an enforcer's technique? He's using energy to cut through the train!"

With precision, Saik began cutting through the train's metal structure around the window, ignoring the existence of emergency doors that might not be functioning due to the impact.

The metal was easily sliced by the energy blade, and people gradually began to evacuate the train. After everyone had evacuated, Koji and Saik walked to the front of the train and saw the people frozen in place, staring at one spot.

"What is that?" Koji said spontaneously, his eyes wide with shock.

"Koji, I think we've entered Conclave territory."

"What is that…"

They were confronted by something unusual—a towering and extremely massive wave of internal energy, expanding with each passing minute.

"But how can an enforcer use so much internal energy like that? As far as I know, this specialty is yours, isn't it, Saik?"

"Originally, yes. But there must be other ways to do this, though I admit it's terrifying."

The wave of energy was at least 15 meters high and almost transparent. Whatever it meant, the expansion was underway, and they had to stop it.