Hours passed.
The White Plaza had long disappeared behind the storm.
Far beyond the settlement, the frozen world stretched endlessly beneath darkness and snow, silent except for the violent wind tearing across the wasteland.
Then— a metallic roar shattered the emptiness.
A massive train moved through the blizzard.
Its enormous steel body cut across the frozen land like a machine built to survive the end of the world itself.
Heavy wheels crushed layers of ancient ice beneath them while steam burst violently from the sides of the engine into the freezing air.
The sound echoed across the white emptiness for miles.
Inside one of the rear train cars— Shuan sat restrained against a metal chair bolted directly into the floor.
Chains covered nearly his entire body.
His wrists were locked behind thick black restraints.
His legs were bound tightly to the chair.
Several reinforced chains crossed over his chest and shoulders, holding him completely immobile.
Even his head had been secured against the cold metal behind him.
The black blindfold still covered his eyes.
He could see nothing.
Only darkness.
The constant shaking of the train vibrated through the restraints around his body while the sound of iron wheels grinding against frozen tracks repeated endlessly beneath him.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
Again and again.
The air inside the train car was freezing.
Thin frost covered the metal walls and ceiling while cold vapor drifted through the dim interior with every movement of the train.
But Shuan barely felt the cold anymore.
His body still radiated unnatural heat beneath the restraints.
Steam occasionally rose from the chains wrapped around his arms and neck before disappearing into the darkness.
His breathing remained uneven.
Slow.
Painful.
Every movement hurt.
The wounds across his body had mostly closed now, but the exhaustion left behind felt unbearable.
He no longer understood what was happening to him.
Or where they were taking him.
Or why he had survived.
His fingers twitched weakly against the restraints.
The chains immediately tightened with a sharp metallic sound.
Shuan froze again.
The blindfold made everything worse.
Without sight, the sounds around him felt larger.
The grinding wheels.
The violent wind outside.
The occasional footsteps somewhere farther down the train.
Every noise felt distant and cold.
His throat burned.
His body still felt wrong.
Too hot.
Too awake.
As though something inside him refused to rest no matter how exhausted he became.
Shuan lowered his head weakly against the restraint behind him.
Then quietly— almost too softly to hear— he whispered, “…Why?” No answer came.
Only the endless sound of the train crossing the frozen wasteland.
Far ahead, near the front of the massive engine, Lemar stood silently beside a frost-covered window.
Beyond the glass, the storm consumed everything.
White snow.
Gray sky.
Darkness.
Nothing else existed out there.
One of the soldiers standing nearby looked visibly tense.
His eyes occasionally shifted toward the rear train cars.
Toward the thing they were transporting.
Finally, he spoke carefully.
“Where are we taking him?” Lemar remained silent for several seconds.
The train continued shaking beneath their feet while snow crashed violently against the outer walls.
Her reflection stared back at her faintly through the frozen glass.
Calm.
Unreadable.
Then at last— she answered.
“To the place where truth is buried.” The soldier frowned slightly.
He clearly wanted to ask more.
But something in her voice stopped him.
So silence returned once again.
Outside— the blizzard continued swallowing the world.
And somewhere deep within the train carrying him through endless snow— the thing that refused to die remained awake in darkness.