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In the vastness of space, across the seemingly endless darkness of the void between celestial bodies, the sound of turning wheels grinding against tracks made of pure starlight can be heard echoing throughout the cosmos.
Shining, shimmering, this train with interlocked carriages does not stop on its journey through the universe and its myriad of wonders yet to behold. Although it does not have a set destination, this train marches ever forward and does not cease—only halting when it is once again time for a new mission.
This is the Astral Express. The embodiment of the Trailblaze.
Explore, understand, establish, and connect—that is what it means to traiblaze. Aboard the Astral Express are a colorful variety of people, individuals who are veritably distinct in nature, and yet, highly akin in heart. These, rightfully so, are the Nameless—those who pursue the path of Trailblaze and venture across the stars.
If you were to ask any of them, what might the Trailblaze signify? Almost certainly, as if pre-ordained, you will get a mixture of different responses that all point towards the same overarching idea.
Trailblazing means taking paths your predecessors foreswore—and venturing even further.
While each of these unique personalities might be on their own path, they all coalesced and have chosen to traverse together under the name of Trailblaze.
Moonlight—a barren void to horizon.
“Ms. Wonyoung, Ms. Wonyoung!” a girl calls out to a motherly figure, whose gait was nothing short of regal, and whose outfit does not besmirch her stature. “Have we gotten all the ideas for the next destination?”
The woman in question, Jang Wonyoung, sets down a cup of her finely brewed coffee and turned to the other girl with a gentle and patient smile. Pushing back the curve of her luscious flowing wavy hair that was neatly tied into a rose-shaped bun, she pushed the cup away from her against its saucer and straightened her seated posture delicately. Her golden eyes were striking and sharp, yet her demeanor remained ever-so-warm and welcoming.
“Dear, we were just about to call you kids,” Wonyoung uttered, as if each word was meant to caress the visage of her younger companion. “I can’t blame you for being excited either. I’ve been itching to move on from Asdana as a whole.”
“Right?” the other girl immediately replied, clasping her hands together tightly as she recalled the journey they all just shared together. “Penacony sure lives up to its name as the Planet of Festivities, but I think I’ve had my fill of fun and entertainment for now. All things considered, Ms. Wonyoung, I’m just glad we all made it out of that one.”
Wonyoung softly chuckled as she let the other girl ramble. As if on cue, her companion’s eyes flew wide open as if she had just realized something rather drastic. “Oh wait … we are back in the real world, right? This … this can’t possibly still be a dream, can it?”
“You tell me, Rei. Does it feel like a dream?”
For Rei, it was difficult to make out whether Wonyoung was messing with her or not. She couldn’t see her superior being the type to fool around like this, but at the same time, there was just that hint of mischief mingled into her words. “Awww, come on! I’m going to be having nightmares I can’t wake up from now because of what Ms. Sunday did.”
“Now now, I understand the apprehension, but I can tell Ms. Sunday genuinely regrets her actions,” Wonyoung posited. She didn’t want to accuse those who were already proven to be guilty and accountable even further, but at the same time, she felt the need to highlight their remorse over their transgressions. “I’ve just spoken with her and the de facto leader of The Family now, and from what I can gather, she’s not going to be a problem to us or anyone else anytime soon.”
Rei drooped forward with her hands on her knees and sighed in relief. “You could say that again. Still, that feeling of being swallowed by the memoria and being brought to different dreams … Yeesh! That’s a feeling I don’t think I can forget anytime soon either.”
Chuckling, Wonyoung shifted in place, her white, sleeveless toga gown dress that was wrapped fittingly around her body by her neck adjusted itself too. Sliding the golden rose that bloomed on the edge of her choker farther from her chin, she leaned in towards Rei as if to comfort her.
“How about we get your mind off of things, Rei. Could you call the others for me, please? And maybe let’s start the vote a little earlier this time.”
Gasping, Rei immediately perked up and squealed in joy. Before she could forget the new task she was given, she stood upright, saluted Wonyoung, and then made a run for the next car adjacent to the Parlor Car they currently were in.
Days blur into nights of dreadful silence.
Like a town crier ringing her bell through the small corridor of the passenger cabin, Rei sounds the announcement loud and clear to make sure every single Nameless who didn’t have their ears plugged could hear her from a mile away.
Cupping her hands on both sides of her mouth, she proclaimed, “Ms. Wonyoung wants us all to meet in the Parlor Car now! Pronto pronto, people! Let’s get a move on so we can put a vote in for our next Traiblaze adventure!”
Unfortunately for the young girl, no one had immediately responded to her reply. Ruffling her already messy shoulder-length pink hair, she cleared her throat and declared once more. “I said: Ms. Wonyoung wants us all to meet in the Parlor Car. Now—!”
The door to her left immediately opened out of the blue, startling Rei, making the ribbon that was attached to the golden clasp of her black choker shake erratically. Clasping onto the collar of her white blouse, Rei tried to catch her breath as she could almost feel her loose pink and blue overcoat slipping from her shoulders.
“I heard you the first time, Rei,” the voice from behind the now opened door beckoned to her in a seemingly uninspired and nonchalant tone. “I’m sure the others have as well. Was that second yell really necessary?”
Grunting, Rei pouted and stomped her short black boots and their little blue bottoms all the way up to the opened space so she could shove her head right through the doorway. “Of course it is, Jiwon! This is important news! Aren’t you excited—or at least concerned, I guess—in the slightest?”
There, seated in the far end of the room, was a girl about Rei’s age, peering up from the book she was reading. Pressing it shut with one hand, the girl in question shifted upwards into a stand as she slid the book back into one of many stocked bookshelves. “I am, but some things can wait, can they not?”
“You and your cryptic attitude,” Rei muttered under her breath as she entered Liz’s room. She could already smell the distinct scent of weathered book covers and hear the faint humming of the machines all around them. “Why can’t you just admit you were more excited than you let on for once?”
“I believe my excitement is accurately measured,” Liz spat back with a faint smile. “If you need to grab someone directly, I think you should go head to—.”
Before she could even process what had happened, Rei had already smacked Liz’s lithe frame by the side of her chest, taking out a concerning amount of air from her lungs.
“What … what was that for?”
Smirking, Rei crinkled her nose and turned to leave Liz in her dust. “Just a little friendly tap~! Get going now. You can finish that novel later. Ms. Wonyoung’s already waiting for us.”
After cupping her sides and making sure she was feeling alright, Liz shrugged and dusted her chest off. Her blue eyes immediately locked onto her favorite white and green-colored coat, throwing it over her simple black turtlneck. Once she felt more dressed for the occasion, she adjusted the grip of her dark-colored bracer on her right arm before shuffling across the dynamic ocean-patterned surface of her room’s floor.
“Time to set sail towards the next adventure.”
You let me see thy heart, lost beacon in the dark.
The walking ball of pink energy traipsed past the first few rooms—including her own—and came across her next victim. At the end of the short lineup, past Wonyoung’s room, was a room unlike any other that she has seen before. In fact, she quite literally never seen her room before as she was never invited nor allowed inside.
Gulping nervously, Rei paused for a moment as her hand hovered in the space between her torso and the door. Slowly inching her knuckles back towards her person, Rei pondered heavily on whether this was a good idea or not.
“Ah, but Ms. Wonyoung asked me to call everyone so … What’s the worst that could happen?”
Taking a deep breath, Rei steeled her resolve and decided to deliver three heavy knocks against the cabin door.
“Ms. An? Miss ... um, are you there?”
There was no reply. Shivers immediately shot up Rei’s spine as she was getting a bad feeling about this. “Ms. An? Ms. A-An~? Um, Ms. Wonyoung is calling us over to the Parlor Car. I think she may … want to hold an early vote? You know, haha, for our next um … for our next destination?”
Once again, there was nothing but deafening silence. There was no response.
After what felt like an eternity of social agony, Rei balled her fist back to its prior position once more and slammed it forcefully against the surface of the door.
“Ms. An! Ms. Wonyoung wants us all to—.”
Rei stopped herself just shy of delivering her clenched fist right to the face of the woman on the other side of the door. As it slid open, Ms. An was able to halt the motion of Rei’s downwards strike by just lifting up her cane and pricking it against the edge of Rei’s fingers.
“Have you calmed down now, Rei?” Ms. An—otherwise known as just Yujin by her peers—asked, shifting her gaze between the immobile and paralyzed fist Rei now held in the air and Rei’s own set of gleaming eyes.
“Y-Yes, Ms. An. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a ruckus at your door,” Rei began to explain herself, trying to salvage the situation as best as she possibly could. Once the normal flow of gravity was restored to her limbs, she immediately withdrew it and politely bowed towards her superior. “I hope I didn’t disturb you too much? Haha …”
Yujin pushed her glasses further up her nose, making the gray and white dress coat develop creases down its length. Rei was personally amazed that Yujin still wore that scarf around her neck wherever she went—regardless of the environment’s temperature. Maybe that was just how she liked to style herself? Rei wasn’t sure, but she noticed it every time.
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