“Ack!”
Through every window, the horizon was replaced by grotesque, fleshy walls covered in membrane-like textures.
“T-This…”
“Oh my god!”
It was as if the train had entered a tunnel or a strange station, sliding forward smoothly through the eerie, dark space.
Remaining distance : 5
“Shouldn’t we be doing something right now?”
“Let’s find a button or something!”
“A button? There’s nothing like that here…”
“What do we do? What do we do…?”
“Excuse me! You, by the window—help me close this window! Don’t just sit there!”
“Ugh, shut up already!”
Thud!
Remaining distance : 3
“W-Wait, are you trying to push someone—huh? W-Whoa!”
Splash!
“Ack! Someone fell out of the window!”
“No! They were trying to push me, but they ended up falling by themselves!”
Remaining distance : 2
“Shouldn’t we stop the train? Someone just fell—”
Remaining distance : 1
“Get down on the floor. Stay quiet.”
“Y-Yes!”
0
A sacrifice has arrived
Open the sea path
Whoosh.
The light returned.
Outside the window, the endless blue sea once again sparkled under the dazzling sunlight.
But…
Gaaaaaaasp—!
The train car was in chaos.
I looked toward the people gathered near the open window, especially…
A man in his 30s wearing glasses, his face pale as a sheet.
And the now-empty seat directly in front of the window.
“That guy pushed someone out of the window, I’m telling you!”
“N-No! He tried to push me, but he lost their balance and fell on their own!”
“That’s right! I saw it from the side. The person who fell was acting strange—aggressive even.”
“Still, someone died!”
Next to me, Supervisor Dolphin leaned in and whispered,
“Hmm. The screen did mention a ‘sacrifice’ and ‘offering’, so I guess the person who fell was… processed as the offering?”
“Pretty obvious, huh?”
Assistant Manager Butterfly tossed the remark as if it were nothing and then casually adjusted the equipment attached to her nails, declaring,
“We’ll observe the next event before we take any action. Get ready.”
“Got it.”
“……”
At least, the good news was that the passengers seemed to calm down somewhat, having concluded that the person who fell was at fault.
The few who had been accusing and shouting at the man in glasses gradually backed off, muttering a few parting remarks as they did.
“Are you okay? Don’t take it too hard.”
“Yes… I’m fine. Everyone’s just on edge, that’s all.”
Supervisor Dolphin was observing this exchange closely.
Meanwhile, Assistant Manager Butterfly and I quietly inspected our equipment, keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
But that was where the good news ended.
Twenty minutes later—
“Again!!”
Second Altar Entrance
The train re-entered the tunnel, and the outside view turned crimson and dark once more.
“What the hell is going on?!”
Thanks to their earlier experience, the passengers didn’t fall into a panic. Instead, they quickly crouched down and covered their heads.
“It’ll pass if we wait long enough.”
I overheard the murmuring passengers.
Across from me, Assistant Manager Butterfly was now wearing a strange monocle as she scanned the dimly lit train car.
Her gaze was sharp, searching for something expendable and convenient.
“Assistant Manager.”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t we observe what happens if no offering is made?”
I chose my words carefully, phrasing them the way the assistant manager would prefer.
“We don’t know if reaching ‘Tamra’ is a good idea or not. It’s a situation worth betting on.”
“Hmm.”
A brief silence.
“Fine.”
Phew.
I nodded, exhaling silently.
‘We can’t draw attention by offering someone as a sacrifice.’
Meanwhile, the countdown on the screen continued to tick down.
Remaining distance : 5
Remaining distance : 4
Remaining distance : 3
Remaining distance : 2
Remaining distance : 1
0
Passed
Whoosh.
The outside world was bathed in light again.
The tunnel ended, revealing the vast ocean once more.