The next two days were spent almost entirely inside the hotel room. Euphemia had to watch over Rook, whose wounds were recently closed. It was impossible for Kirk to go out of the hotel room; there would have been no explanation for the sudden appearance of the 'third guest' inside. This made room service a dodgy business since he had to devise different ways to hide from any hotel staff that came to clean or replenish supplies. The presence of a washer and dryer became a boon to the trio; what was left usable of their clothing was made clean again. Rook's situation was slightly challenging; the beast has damaged his only outfit, which meant the canoness had to make a trip to a boutique just to get him new shirts and pants. This put what little knowledge she had of tailoring or picking clothes for other people to the test.

Euphemia had a room separate from her companions; her being the only woman among the trio required her privacy being a necessity. She spent what little remained of her free time to bring up what she had gathered so far. On the table were two notebooks: the first was a leather-bound journal where Euphemia wrote important points from Lord Cecil's study, another was a black notebook of the same size where she recorded her experience during her travels.

"In my travels, I have met interesting people along the way. I have also..."

"There are these machines of war that I have witnessed in Altrecht. It is alarming that such genius was used in creating automatons for combat..."

"Here, I have also seen another mechanism that created, rather summoned, a creature that only resided in legends and old tales. Truly a spectacle of both awe and terror that someone could develop such a complex means to bring about a monstrosity like that. It is an open defiance of the Creator's will..."

Her thoughts were straying off again. It was the time she remembered all the events that took place in the old wood, even more on the device that called forth that being. Euphemia did not expect that the knowledge imparted to her by the meister on the types of magic proved to be useful in getting her a lead to her father's whereabouts.

"We recognize three types of magecraft. The first type, which is today's popular source of magic, is through enchanted objects. While this is becoming easier thanks to crystalline technologies, it is also the most limited, as the wielder can only put to use what the device is allowed to project or amplify. The second form is a rather rare talent found in the few..."

Old Carolus' voice trailed off; he had always been a joy to listen to, even after Euphemia decided to master her abilities but seal them away when she entered the clergy. Perhaps he was saddened that the canoness decided during those years to not put her power to use. Now, if only she could relearn those abilities fast enough.

Those glowing posts and what they did to bring an otherworldly entity to the realm. It proved to be a fascinating, yet frightening mix of technology and magic only a man of great power and mind could plan and produce. Euphemia dropped her pen and looked at what she had drawn on her notes. While the technological terrors gave her a glimpse of just how dangerous events were about to become in the empire, there was a feeling that she could not put away even after her brushes with near-death: Euphemia still had no leads to where her father might be.

She would not risk another dangerous trek to the Antikwald; the addition of Kirk to the group was a blessing, yet Euphemia would not want to have another encounter with the riflemen who roamed the woods. The canoness then wrote:

"It is more likely that those operating the machine reside in the forest. How they managed to do so is another matter. The monster-invoking mechanism and the automatons may come from one source. It's impossible to know if they are connected to the Gray Fox. I need to know if the Empire has anything related to the technologies."

†

"Kirk, Rook." The canoness sat down in front of the two, who were busy feasting on cut beef and shredded corn. "If I may, I would like to speak to both of you. It is about our situation now."

"You got us." Kirk was about to fork another slab, while Rook was caught with his mouth stuffed.

"Our time of resting here has to end. I've thought of the next place we need to visit."

"Lead the way, Holy Sister." Kirk reached for another spoonful of corn.

"We will take a train to another city. It won't be too far and we should reach it in three hours at most."

"Are you going home, Euphemia?" Rook's question was somewhat out-of-place; the cleric's response was three subtle shakes of the head.

"You will be telling the reason for all this dragging us around, right?"

"Yeah. I've always been wondering about that too." Even Rook, who never bothered asking for the longest time, finally said something about all this time traveling with the canoness.

"I know I have been unfair to keep both of you in the dark this way, especially to you Rook." Euphemia took a bit of bread from the plate and took a bite. "Now should be the best time to tell you my reason for being here. I think this for the best."

"I mean both the boy, and me, owe you something it looks like." Kirk emptied a glass of water before reaching for the pitcher. "I think today's just about the right time for all of us to talk why we're all in this room. We can't go around like this not knowing why we should help each other."

"Then I shall start." Euphemia took a deep breath, facing her two companions while attempting to ease a smile. "My father has gone missing, and I'm here to find him."

"Some task you've set yourself to do." Kirk eased himself on the chair, letting his back slide in a slouch. "Have you tried it with your constabulary? I'm sure they can help you with that."

"This selfish of me, but I feel that I can use my talents to find him."

"I don't think we're any closer to finding him, Euphemia." Rook was almost mumbling; his cheeks bulged with food he stuffed his mouth with.

"Yes. I can only hope the next city will finally give us what I need."

"There's no way you're getting me off as company now." Kirk pointed to himself; a smug smile etched on his face. "Let's make searching for your father less dangerous, at least."

†

Aurelburg Station stood at the center-left – a mere three blocks from the City Administration building. A web of railways converged at the compound; the frequent whistling of trains entering and leaving the terminal was common fare amongst the citizenry. This place was considered one of the Empire's few transportation centers where people could easily travel to most of Kriemreich's other landlocked cities. Southern winds brought from the Weissland Mountains prevented smoke from leaving a blanket above Aurelburg, which then left a very cool atmosphere in its place. While the city rarely experienced fogging, the cold air somewhat dimmed what light the sun brought from above. What was supposed to be the bright morning light was subdued into a faint yellow when it reached the city space.

Columns and rows of people entered and left Aurelburg Station through its wide doors; a sea of coats and dresses mingled with the large, red pillars that held the floor and the ceiling together. Kirk looked around the place, noticing the only very few people managed to strike a conversation with other passengers on the waiting platforms. Most of them looked at their watches, the ceiling-mounted clocks or the illuminated bulletin board that announced the incoming trains.

"Quite the busy bunch you have here Euphemia." Kirk tugged at the sleeves of his new outfit: a light green shirt that obviously looked it was just bought from a store.

"This city is home to many of the working class here in the Empire." Euphemia looked at the ticketing booth straight ahead. "They'd rather mind their own business than 'kill time' talking to other people. It's hard to miss a train here by not hearing the announcements – it will be another hour and a half before they could catch the next one."

"It's not like the announcement is that hard to catch." Kirk shrugged his shoulders and moved along.

Ten of the ticket booths were open for business at that time; people stood for a moment, walked the next, pulled out coinage to get their tickets and then rushed in line to the toll gates. Kirk tried to offer help by saying:

"If you don't mind, let me pay for..." he dug for his pockets and was not able to pull out anything. He did not want his bag of rubies to be seen in public at this time of day. He pulled his hands to reveal empty palms. "...forget that. I'm out."

"It's all right, Kirk. I can vouch for both of you." Euphemia turned around to face them. She looked at Kirk's left and right; a puzzled look registered on her face. "Did Rook go somewhere else?"

"Now that you mentioned it..." Kirk looked around and made another sweep at his surroundings; he made a couple of passes before he focused on the nearby strip of shops. He stopped at the rightmost area and said, "I'll go get him. You take care of the tickets, for now, Sister."

††

"You shall be able to see different kinds of magic using your special eyesight. Now, tell me the colors you see in this orb I am holding."

"There's blue, and red... and there's a bit of yellow too."

"Excellent, as expected of you, my boy." His face was still hidden in shadow; only his glowing eyes chose to be revealed. "Now, look at me with those eyes."

"You're green, and I could see streaks of red and blue in you."

"Very good. Just the way I wanted it. Now, your friends will also have the same gift I've given to you. You will all need this; for there are many things we can put this to good use. These one of the many talents you shall get from me."

"I am happy, Teacher..."

††

Rook stared at a music box offered for sale on one of the many shops that lined up at Aurelburg station. Inside it was a butterfly construct; prismatic wings broke the display lights into colors dispersed all around it. He could see tiny cogs and springs that suggested it was more than just for display. Beside it was a key; half of it was inside the machine, suggesting that Rook would see the butterfly do something else once he wound it up. The door opened after one of the shop's customers left the place; a happy man giving a mechanical bird to a pretty woman. Blond hair trailed all the way down her shoulders, further highlighting the smile etched on her face. Nowhere near as pretty as the cleric, but her look was worth following eyes on.

Rook imagined himself getting inside the shop, seeing the he trinket. What would he be doing with the music box? Would the tunes it played compliment the majestic butterfly? He was about to reach for the door when someone tapped his shoulder.

"There you are." It was Kirk; the look on his face meant that Rook would be expecting something else from Euphemia. "You got a pretty good taste in trinkets, I'll tell you that. Try not to just wander off the next time."

"Yeah. Got it." Rook did not continue holding on the knob and turned his back on the shop when another person approached them.

"I'm glad I was able to catch up with both of you." Even when not in her habit, Euphemia was very hard to miss. "I would like to tell you that we have an hour to spend here before we get on the train to Luminberg. How did you find him, Kirk?"

"Just saw him here, looking at this." Kirk pointed to the butterfly music box that was presented at the center of the display.

"Very charming." Euphemia bent slightly to take a closer look.

"And very expensive too." Kirk pointed out to the five-figured price tag attached to the trinket. "Boy got some taste indeed."

"I would love to buy that for you, but I'm afraid we don't have enough money to appreciate that right now. I wish we could return here in the future." Euphemia looked at Rook, whose eyes then gazed at the mechanical wonder once more before he drew away from the store.

"I say we get ourselves a good snack since we're here." Kirk's palm landed on his stomach, thinking that everybody would get the message. "There are shops here that we can afford, aren't there?"

"My memory of this place is not reliable, but we can have a look." Euphemia gazed at the stretch before them. "We must get going."

It did not take long before they came across a modest café just a few paces away from the toll gates. Euphemia ate little at that time, opting to indulge in a cup of tea. It was not the same for Kirk and Rook, who each had a platter of grilled meat and potatoes. They spent their time watching trains stop by the station, unload passengers and receive new commuters – all done without saying a word to each other. Rook's eyes strayed at the cleric at random – he would meet Euphemia's gaze at some points, but he found it strange that she wasn't asking him any questions. It could be the tea, or perhaps she wasn't looking at him at all.

It must have been an odd choice for the canoness to not wear her habit this time; Rook could still not get used to her in a dress. While it lacked the frills or other drapes meant for grabbing attention, there was something in Euphemia that let her carry it differently – a rather dignified air that still made her stand out among the throng in the train station. She still had a veil on her head. Wispy and white as it was, it still prevented anyone from catching a full view of her head. Rook would catch Kirk giving her a different look, and only when Euphemia's eyes were set somewhere else. He felt something odd, rather off, about Kirk. The man known as "Kirk". It did not mean that Kirk was out to harm them since he could have done all of that when they were at their worst fighting off that forest monster. Rook still had to look out, should this swordsman decide to turn against them. He was in no position to question Euphemia's decision to trust and allow Kirk to join them in their travels. After all, the same could be said on how both of them met, and how the canoness took him in even after he pointed a gun at her. Just like Kirk, Rook just came along after he took the cleric's invitation.

Static, followed by an ascending tone came out of the speakers. It announced:

"Train Number Five-Six set for Luminberg, is arriving in five minutes. All passengers please proceed to the waiting platforms." The statement was repeated after five seconds.

Euphemia was the first to stand, saying:

"Our train is here. Let's go."

All of them stood up, Kirk grabbing the last potato to send to his awaiting mouth whole. Euphemia brought the tickets to the awaiting machine.

"Here are your tickets. Press them on the card slot like this..." Euphemia was the first to go. She placed the card on top of a glassy surface which gave off a green light. The gate in front of her opened up right away. "And you'll be allowed in."

Man and boy did what was asked and found little to no fuss getting inside the waiting platforms. They settled waiting on the area closest to the left end of the train station.

A blue locomotive at a distance was seen slowing down; the weak grating of metal against metal gave away the sound of brakes being applied. It had an almost perfect slope only broken by the steamer installed on the roof section. It chugged along the platforms; its wheels drumming slower and slower until the doorway to one of the passenger cars aligned with space the three were standing on. People disembarked from the train, which made them wait for all of them to come out before they could set foot inside the transport. As usual, Euphemia went ahead looking for their assigned seats while Kirk and Rook could do nothing else but to follow her lead.

This train was wider compared to the one Rook and Euphemia rode on to get to Aurelburg. While the boy didn't know why this train had to be somewhat bigger than the previous, it meant more room to breathe in.

"Seat BC-F-8: this should be it."

It was a seat vastly different from the train to Aurelburg they used. Not only did it have more legroom, but it also had a table for them to use. Rook felt the carpeted floor under his feet and saw a wide, curtained window beside the seats.

"This is a lot better compared to that freighter I hitched a ride in from Iberonde."

"Iberonde, Kirk?" Euphemia looked at Kirk before taking a seat.

"I forgot to tell you that, so I should explain myself." Kirk slid to the area by the window; beams of light caught his face in a brighter glow than his actual complexion. "I hail from Grand Prettan – the isles a little west of this empire. Of course, I had to hitch rides here and there since I only carried some of your Marks here, which are worth nothing there."

"I see." Euphemia nodded. "I'm curious as to how you managed to get hold of the Empire's money if you came from such a far place."

"That's a long story, but let's just say I got them from a friend. Supposed to be part of a coin collection but I had to let them go. Travelers get hungry, and we need to pay for food, and you know the rest of the story."

"Fair enough." Rook felt that Euphemia wanted more than the answer Kirk gave, but she did not pry any further. "We are in for a long journey, probably up to twelve hours since we are headed for one of the Empire's northernmost cities."

"Do I get to see my country there?" Rook took the opportunity to speak up.

"Yes, we will be seeing Severniya's borders. I hope you can point Molodensk to us."

"I could... I guess."

"So, you're from that place? I've heard it gets quite cold there around this time of the year." Kirk told Rook, "Now I know why you look less of a Kriemreicher. I wasn't wrong after all."

"Never remembered a day when it wasn't cold back home." Rook shrugged his shoulders and stared back at the railway.

"I'm truly happy that all of us would be getting along better than before." Euphemia flashed a smile at Kirk and Rook. "This ride will definitely be a lot livelier than I expected."

"I think I'm still tired from having to deal with everything back at the old wood. I'll just nod it off for now." Kirk stretched and began falling sideways to the other end of the seat.

"Same here. I don't feel I'm at my best." Rook slouched on his seat. "Can I take a nap?"

"A few hours of rest wouldn't hurt. I would indulge in a short nap later then."

"Suit yourself, Holy Sister. If anyone here needs the most rest, it should be you."

"Then I trust you'll watch over me when I sleep later." Euphemia looked at the drowsing swordsman.

"Rook and I got your back."

Kirk stared at the window; beyond it was a lighter face of the Antikwald. The train revealed a more majestic side of the forest, where the trees were younger and showed a brighter shade of green. Deer and wild pig peeked in and out of the wood in search of a grazing area. An aged bridge stood between a shallow and narrow gorge not too far from Aurelburg's gates. He could imagine how the air outside was like, given that the train's air conditioning was the only thing offered to his lungs. He would have to make do with being stuck in the train for a while; where Euphemia would take them was not a place that could be completed by a day's walk. He closed his eyes as their train cruised by.