The train moved without sound.
No rattling wheels.
No shaking tracks.
Just silence.
An unnatural, suffocating silence that wrapped around Nyra like cold hands.
She sat alone near the window, clutching her backpack tightly against her chest while rainwater slowly dripped from her dark hair onto the velvet seat beneath her.
Outside the window—
There was no city anymore.
No buildings.
No roads.
Only darkness.
An endless black forest stretching beneath a silver moon.
The trees looked wrong.
Twisted.
Ancient.
Their branches curled together like skeletal fingers reaching across the sky.
Every now and then Nyra caught movement between them.
Silver eyes.
Watching the train.
Following it.
The wolves.
Nyra quickly looked away.
The old conductor walked quietly through the aisle, lighting small lanterns hanging along the walls.
Their golden glow revealed the inside of the train more clearly now.
It looked ancient.
Dark wooden walls carved with strange symbols.
Black velvet seats.
Silver chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Portraits of unfamiliar people lined the corridors, but every single face had been scratched out violently.
As if someone wanted them forgotten.
Nyra swallowed nervously.
“What is this place?” she finally asked softly.
The conductor paused near her seat.
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
Studying her.
Like he was searching for something hidden beneath her skin.
Then he spoke quietly.
“This train only appears for souls touched by curses.”
Nyra frowned slightly.
“I’m not cursed.”
The old man gave a humorless smile.
“Every passenger who boards this train says the same thing.”
Thunder echoed outside.
The lantern light flickered.
Nyra lowered her gaze toward her trembling hands.
“…People around me get hurt,” she admitted quietly.
The conductor said nothing.
“Things break whenever I lose control.”
Still silence.
“And sometimes…” her voice became smaller, “I hear voices.”
The old man’s expression darkened immediately.
“What kind of voices?”
Nyra hesitated.
Should she really tell him?
Most people called her crazy whenever she mentioned the whispers.
But somehow…
This place already felt too strange for lies.
“They whisper things I don’t understand,” she murmured.
“Sometimes names. Sometimes warnings.”
The conductor stared at her for a long moment.
Then:
“Do they mention the Hollow Flame?”
Nyra froze.
Her heart skipped painfully.
“How do you know that name?”
The old man’s face became pale.
Because Nyra had never told anyone about it.
Not once.
Yet she had heard those words in her dreams for years.
The Hollow Flame.
A name whispered through fire and blood and screams she could never fully remember.
The conductor slowly stepped backward.
Almost unconsciously.
Fear.
He was afraid of her.
Nyra’s chest tightened painfully at the familiar expression.
Everyone always feared her eventually.
The old man quickly composed himself before speaking again.
“You should get some rest.”
“I’m not tired.”
“You will be.”
With that, he turned and disappeared deeper into the train.
Leaving Nyra alone again.
She looked back toward the dark window.
But this time—
Someone stared back.
Nyra gasped sharply.
The silver-eyed ghost stood outside the train.
Walking beside it.
Its dark form moved effortlessly through the forest shadows while silver eyes remained locked onto her.
Impossible.
The train was moving far too fast.
Yet somehow—
The ghost kept pace easily.
Nyra’s breathing became uneven.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Just like before.
And suddenly—
A memory flashed through her mind.
Not hers.
A boy standing beneath falling snow.
Silver eyes.
Warm hands holding hers.
A voice whispering softly:
“I found you.”
Nyra blinked violently.
The memory vanished instantly.
Pain exploded through her head.
She grabbed the seat tightly.
What was happening to her?
The ghost outside slowly raised one shadow-covered hand toward the window.
And the glass cracked.
Thin black veins spread across the surface instantly.
Nyra stared in horror.
Then the ghost disappeared into darkness.
The train whistle screamed loudly.
And suddenly—
The forest opened.
Nyra’s breath caught in her throat.
A gigantic castle stood atop the mountains ahead.
No—
Not a castle.
An academy.
Towering black spires pierced the cloudy sky while hundreds of glowing windows illuminated the surrounding cliffs.
Massive bridges connected different towers above deep ravines.
Silver statues of wolves surrounded the entrance gates.
The entire academy looked less like a school…
And more like a kingdom built for monsters.
Lightning flashed overhead.
For one brief second—
Nyra saw countless figures standing in the academy windows.
Watching the train arrive.
Waiting.
The train slowly began climbing a narrow path through the forest.
And the wolves appeared again.
Dozens of them emerged silently from the trees.
Huge silver-furred creatures with glowing eyes.
They walked alongside the train calmly.
Like royal guards escorting something important.
Or dangerous.
Nyra’s heartbeat quickened.
One of the wolves suddenly looked directly at her window.
And bowed its head.
The others followed immediately.
Every wolf lowered itself toward her.
Nyra stared in confusion.
Why were they bowing?
The train finally stopped before enormous iron gates.
The words carved across the arch above them glowed silver beneath the rain:
The gates slowly creaked open.
A cold wind rushed inside the train instantly.
And somewhere deep within the academy—
A bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The conductor suddenly appeared beside her again.
But this time…
He looked terrified.
Nyra frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
The old man swallowed hard before answering.
“In all my years bringing students here…”
His voice trembled slightly.
“…the Death Bell has never rung for a new arrival before.”
Before Nyra could ask what that meant—
A horrifying scream echoed from somewhere inside the academy.
Then another.
And another.
The wolves outside immediately began growling.
The lanterns inside the train exploded all at once.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And from somewhere beyond the gates—
A voice whispered softly into Nyra’s ear.
“Run before it sees you.”