Adtraic Verity: Journey For The Truth
Chapter 120

Sleek hints of crimson and azure melded vividly with hints of luminous green that emerged among the veins of this pulsating area.

Roots extend up and left, wounding down and around the strikes of her red heart like a sea of vicious serpents.

As the mystical stems dug deep into the glistening, healthy heart, faint traces of luminescent green cracks appeared and extended throughout every corner of this crimson, fleshy cavern, forcing out a faint, uncomfortable chuckle out from a white-haired girl.

“Ah!”

“What’s wrong?” Said a voice in her left.

The sun shone vividly as ever; stronger than she realized, warming up her face and giving off that feeling of comfort after the cold one she had seen before her departure.

“It’s so quiet… What’s going on?” Mumbled Aletha.

Prideful voices bandied about the carriage. All were eager to do this mission and get it over with. Only Aletha was unsure of the fate of the group. After all that she had done to not be separated from her brother, it all ended up back to separation; again.

A girl with long shamrock hair patted Aletha’s head, grinned, and nudged her shoulder, replying as the carriage crossed an avenue of hills and railroad tracks.

“Oh, well we’re preparing to reach our destination, of course! Why do you look so surprised? Never seen something weird for the first time?”

Aletha made a half-shrug and a sassy smirk, darting over to Kali who acted particularly lousy then usual.

“Of course I’ve seen weird stuff before, I’m a world-traveler!”

Kali cocked a brow in surprise, mumbling with an unsure voice.

“A… what, now?”

Aletha’s cheeks blushed pink in embarrassment.

“N… Nothing.”

In a panicked state, the white-haired girl’s eyes lit up with two white dots, and quickly darted over to the emerging green luminance starting to flood her insides. She gasped and shuffled from seat to seat, causing a commotion and pushing and shoving people without explanation. Suitcases and glasses flew into the floor like rain,

Whatever it was, Aletha detected that this strange green luminance that glowed inside her could either serve as a bad sign or a…

“Hmm, so… about The Sealed Beatific.” Isa patted and rubbed Aletha’s head with a genuine grin. “It appears that it has awakened abnormally.”

A ghastly whiteness overspread Aletha’s round cheeks.

“I-Is that a bad thing?”

Isa giggled and nodded her head. From that reply alone, it just made Isa smile even brighter. Even her tone resonating within her voice was friendly and embracing. With a childish look of disbelief, Isa leaned over to Aletha’s right arm and replied.

“No, no… not at all! Actually, it’s a really good thing you have it.”

Aletha’s gray eyes widened in shock.

“R-Really?”

Kali budged in and her closed eyes made a smile shape, showing just how faint and peaceful this moment really was for Aletha. She pointed her finger and rubbed it down the center of Aletha’s chest, mumbling as Phthonus sat there, silently and ominously.

“Absolutely! What you possess inside your heart is an awakening stem, that when fueled by genuine joy, it will awaken the swirling magic and power of The Sealed Beatific. You just have to treat the roots extending inside your body as if they are your friends.”

Isa caged her fingers and nodded.

“Yeah, what Kali said.”

Aletha grew loudmouthed about the reply. Her wanderlust craved nothing more of this except to actually witness certain things. She expressed with a bland and sarcastic emotion.

“Blah, blah, blah, don’t tell me what to do. Why do you two speak so many words? Goodness, you’re just like my brother. Always talkative! Just get on with the action! Where in the grave dens are we?”

“Your words do not even make sense. Speak when you know what you want to say.” Said Phthonus as he took a deep sigh and looked over at his window.

Aletha shouted.

“HEY!”

After the “conflict” that had stirred up within this devastating and “long” carriage-ride, at last… the moment that their eyes met with the incoming train, Aletha and the group had already found themselves standing in line, waiting for the next ride.

* * * * * * *

“Well, if you could be a LITTLE more polite, we would have shown you it instantly. But because of your rather sophomoric attitude, you have to wait.” Repudiated Fint.

In a heartbeat, a cold feeling started swelling in Aletha’s heart.

She looked over to the silhouette casted upon the sheening horizon, witnessing a bulky locomotive racing and dashing across the railways in the offing. All scattered with vibrant colors, it also had horns and wings as well; sprinkling smoke among its far-flung tracks.

The lacy substances retreated among the groves and hid among the open trails.

The scene from empty and barren hills, shifted to an environment scattered with lush and vibrant life-filled meadows. A cloudscape as dazzling and pretty as Aletha’s silky white hair.

The ground sheened vividly like the sky. The radiant green hues of Isa’s eyes reflected the sight of the translucent crystals littered about the prolific area. Railroad tracks protracted from plateaus to the vibrant, crystalized uprisings dotted about the fields.

After a moment of analyzing the environment, Aletha stepped forward to the opening and saw a passage-train scurry through.

“A train station? I never knew this thing existed.”

Kali shook her head.

Phthonus anchored his eye slowly to a cloaked man holding a glistening azure, heart-shaped gem around his neck. A growl came about from his scarf-covered mouth, possessing and bearing a hateful familiarity to the individual.

Without remorse, he shuffled and scampered through the group, pushing and shoving to chase after him.

But as his feet crossed ways from a bulk man, Phthonus watched as the cloaked individual vanished into the cargo carriages.

“That repugnant fool, when I get my hands on you, you will pay for every bad deed you have made. Especially for slaying my friend.” He tightened his fists and turned over, preparing to shove them away if it was the last thing he had done.

“Grr, get out of the way–

“HEY!”

But as a result of this somewhat troubling action, Phthonus tipped over from the man’s sturdy legs. At this point, he recognized that the bulky man hadn’t really looked like one; rather, it had been a woman’s face with a man’s body.

She inquired as Phthonus and the other passengers were jolted to their feet.

“Hey, don’t mess with other passengers, here? If you wanna ride, then you musta’ paid.” A spicy and sweet voice came out from her lips.

Aletha, Kali, and Isa also hurried over as a result of what was happening in this circumstance. A red-haired girl and a few others were rushing up to the door when the woman noticed them.

Her thick, hairy eyelashes sparkled in the sunlight. As she heard the heavy whistles of the locomotive chug and chuck around, Aletha asked tremblingly.

“Phthonus, what has got into you?” The scarf that had been covering his mouth fell to the harsh wooden and stone pavement as she gasped.

“Grr, get out of my way! You don’t understand anything!”

Phthonus snarled and dragged his shoes across the stone pavement. No one could stop him from the burning rage that ignited in his heart. He muttered aggressively as he grabbed his scarf from the pavement.

“That man or person has the soul of Drimi in his necklace.”

All of what presented in his face was an insidious glare; one so menacingly it took into account revenge.

The tall and beefy woman who had stopped Phthonus, stepped forward, blocking the heavy sunlight. Her grazing crimson eyes sneered at the look of Aletha’s presence, informing as she pulled out a pocket watch.

“Ahh, to hell with it! It’s too late to pay anyways. If you wanna get a ride, then…” Her long black fingernails pointed to the wooden booth standing at the entrance. “Go get one over there! It’s easy, k? You don’t even have to have any money at all. Chop chop, two minutes until departure! Once that train startles its horn, it will be runnin’ off. Got it? DO I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yes, ma’m!”

Without hesitation, Aletha scampered over to the booth with Isa to grab some tickets. Even the person behind it was welcoming, instantly lending over and grabbing a few tickets. Goes to show the aura of kindness lingering within this nation.

“You have a wonderful day on your flight!”

Aletha raised her eyebrow and displayed a confused expression. She looked over to Isa and asked as the wind narrowed over through the stone passageway.

“Flight?”

Isa shrugged her shoulders and leaned her arm against the table, acting exceptionally lousier than previously. To Aletha’s surprise, it was a boy that was handling the booth.

There were few notable details such as the brown cap, and the gray wristband. But other than that, he looked fairly notable.

“Come on, we don’t have enough time!” Screamed Pridia as the wings attached on the train started swaying and flying.

Before anymore had been said, Isa stamped her fingerprint onto one of the silk sheets of papers, snatched the brown tickets from the desk and yanked Aletha toward the moving train. Pridia waved and screamed as the train moved along with her swift steps.

“Hurry up!”

(CHOO CHOO)

Aletha’s mind got heavily bombarded with several spontaneous thoughts; A sea of overwhelming dreams that she had yet to understand.

“How will I approach on time? N-No, I don’t want to be late.”

(CHOO)

The locomotive pressured its wings to flock and levitate itself.

It was only a matter of time before it had started to “lift-off” and approach flight.

The conductor screamed as the sets of wheels spun and rotated in one convenient motion.

“All aboard!”

* * * * * * *

“Where are we going?”

Aletha was fixated on the rolling hills and mountainside outside the window. She sighed with content at the sun’s placement, it was perfect lighting to continue analyzing everything.

Lush trees covered the landscape with a flourish of warm colors. Daisy yellow, sunset orange, and emerald green swirled together as the wind ruffled the leaves. The vast panorama of the environment slowly tilted ninety-degrees. Wings of white flew and flapped the train. All of it was bizarre of her to look at. She could barely hear the soft squeal of the machinery propelling her across the sky.

“What’s happening?”

The girl found it as good a time as any to take into account the rest of her ensemble after panting heavily. This was because Aletha was nearly abandoned from the train. But thanks to Phthonus, who had ditched away his own problem to save another, Aletha’s time was seated nicely on a passenger carriage.

All of what was now to do, was for Aletha to wait for whatever would happen next.