Yoojin's eyes darted around the carriage, taking in the plush seats and the teenagers chatting excitedly with each other. He couldn't help but feel a little out of place. He had never seen a train carriage like this before. It was like a scene from a movie.

Yoojin changed carriages twice before finally deciding to settle in one. All the carriages looked the same, and he couldn't tell which class they were. As he made his way down the aisle, he searched for an empty seat, but they were all taken. Finally, he spotted a pretty girl with straight ebony hair who was drawing on her tablet. The seats in front of her were covered in coats and bags, leaving only the seat next to her available.

Yoojin hesitated for a moment, feeling a little nervous, before approaching the girl. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" he asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to her.

"No." she replied, smiling and looking up from her tablet. Her amber eyes sparkled in the soft light of the train carriage.

Yoojin settled into the seat, fidgeting a little and looking around while pulling the dry skin from his lips. He always felt a little nervous in crowded places, and the ruckus from the other teenagers playing games didn't help. But as he looked around, he noticed that his seat neighbour was drawing what looked like a character from an anime.

He was amazed by her skills and forgot about his nervousness and social phobia. "That's a nice drawing." he said, trying to make conversation.

"Thanks." she replied, smiling. "I really like watching anime, and the other day, I saw Cardcaptor Sakura, and I wanted to try drawing a character with the same style as the anime."

Yoojin was impressed. She looked calm and elegant, and her clothes reflected her classy style.

She was wearing straight pants and a blouse, a look far from what one would expect from an otaku*. Yoojin was also an anime fan, with his favourites being Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. He looked more like an otaku with his glasses, clothes, and rebellious hair.

He envied her because he had never been good at designing characters' faces, hands, and feet. "That's really cool," he said. "I've always wanted to learn how to do that."

"Well, it takes a lot of practice." the girl replied.

Yoojin nodded, feeling a little discouraged. "Yeah, I've tried before, but I always end up erasing everything and starting over."

The girl smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone. The key is to keep practicing and not give up."

Yoojin felt a warmth spread through his chest. He had never had someone encourage him like that before. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Yoojin felt a little more at ease. He realized that he had been so focused on his own worries that he had forgotten how easy it was to connect with people over shared interests.

Yoojin decided to take out his phone and continue reading his novel when the train began to move in the wrong direction. At first, Yoojin wasn't worried as it could be that they were connecting the driver's carriage to the train. But after feeling that the train was speeding up, he checked his phone and saw that it was too early for the train to leave the station.

He began to look around to see if he could find a screen to see what the next station was, but he couldn't see any. Meanwhile, the girl noticed out of the corner of her eye that Yoojin was looking around, and she could sense that something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, concerned.

Yoojin looked up at her, feeling a little embarrassed and unsure of what to say. "Um... Do you know where the train is going? I think I boarded the wrong one because it's going in the wrong direction." Yoojin replied, fidgeting.

She looked at him strangely for a moment, and Yoojin felt a little embarrassed. But then, to his surprise, she got up suddenly. He watched as she walked towards a tall, well-built guy who had just entered the carriage. The guy had a stern expression on his face, but his onyx eyes softened as he looked at the girl. Despite that, Yoojin still felt a little intimidated.

They spoke in hushed tones, and Yoojin couldn't hear what they were saying. He watched as the guy's expression softened, nodded in agreement, and sat in the seat in front of the girl.

The girl then turned to Yoojin and said, "Come with me."

Yoojin hesitated for a moment, feeling a little confused and unsure of what was going on, but he still followed her towards the front of the train.

He couldn't help but feel a little nervous, wondering what was happening or what the girl and the guy had discussed. 

As the two disappeared, another guy appeared and sat down next to the remaining guy. He felt a lingering scent of lavender and bergamot, making him feel calm and nostalgic, but at the same time making his jaw ache. He wanted to find the source but decided to hold back, with difficulty.

"Ryūnosuke, where did my sister go?" the guy asked, looking around.

Ryūnosuke shrugged. "From what she told me, a guy boarded the Academy's train by mistake, but Jaein felt like something was amiss, so she decided to take him to speak with a professor." he explained. "By the way, Jaeseong, I just spoke with Lucas d'Aquitaine, and he told me that his brother had a vision about you. It seems that you will not have a peaceful school year and that you should prepare yourself to protect your future mate."

Hearing this, Jaeseong sighed exasperatedly, massaging his temples, while Ryūnosuke chuckled and patted him on the back.

"Thanks for letting me know, Ryūnosuke," Jaeseong said. "I'll make sure to be prepared."

Ryūnosuke nodded, his onyx eyes sparkling with amusement. "I have no doubt that you will be. You're one of the strongest students in our class, after all."

Yoojin and the girl went through many carriages full of teenagers until they arrived in front of a door with the sign 'Professor's carriage'.

She knocked on the door, and they waited. A tall man with long brown hair tied in a low ponytail, wearing round glasses and a deep green suit, who looked like he was around 40 years old, opened the door.

"Good evening, Ms Kwon. How may I help you?" he asked with a low and monotonous voice.

"Good evening, Professor. I think we have a problem. Could we speak with you privately?" she asked him.

The professor looked at her before turning to look for a long while at Yoojin, who was fidgeting while biting his lips. "Please, come in." he said while gesturing for them to follow him.

They entered the carriage, traversed the aisle, and entered one of the compartments that was small and cozy, with a desk covered in papers and books, a chair, and a few armchairs around.

The professor sat behind the desk and motioned for Yoojin and the girl to take a seat.

"Now, Ms Kwon, what seems to be the problem, and who is your young friend?" the professor asked, looking at them intently. "It's not planned that a new student will transfer to Celestial Academy. By the way, I'm Professor Amore Fiordivita, and I teach culture and literature." the professor inquired.

He jumped a little when he saw the girl facepalm. "I'm really sorry, that was really rude. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I'm Jaein Kwon, you can call me Jaein. Nice to meet you, and the guy that you saw before was Ryūnosuke Kamiya." she told him, extending her hand.

Yoojin felt a little relieved that both the professor and Jaein seemed friendly and approachable, and he shook her hand firmly. Her hand was practically the same size as his.

After all, she also had a petite build and was slightly taller than him, maybe smaller than Calisto. At that moment, he really missed his friend.

"Um... nice to meet you, Jaein, Professor. I'm Yoojin Delaney, and, yes, I'm not a new student. I was going back home, but I think I took the wrong train. I..." Yoojin turned to look at the girl, not knowing what to say. He was playing nervously with his sleeves.

"I see." the professor said finally. "Unfortunately, this train will only stop at the terminus since it's a special train for students who go to Celestial Academy, an exclusive boarding school."

The moment the professor mentioned the boarding school, Yoojin thought about Calisto. He remembered that his friend also took a train to get to his school. "Professor, do you happen to know... a student named Calisto de Navarra?" he asked, hoping for a positive response.

Both the professor and the girl appeared taken aback, as if they were not expecting Yoojin to mention Calisto's name. The professor got up, sighing, and left the compartment muttering to himself. Yoojin began to worry about their strange behavior and regretted mentioning his friend. What if they were weirdos? With his luck, they could be part of a strange sect. After all, it wasn't the first time he found himself in a strange situation with strange people. He couldn't even try to hide, as he should have done it before, and when the train stopped at a station, he could have gotten off.

Suddenly, Yoojin felt a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. "Don't worry, he went to find your friend. It won't take long." Jaein said, trying to reassure him. "By the way, how do you know de Navarra? He is always so cold and unapproachable. I've been in class with him since we were children, but I don't think I've ever seen him smile or be friendly with anyone." she continued.

Yoojin was surprised by the sudden change of topic but decided to answer. "Really? I don't see him that way at all. In fact, I think he's one of the warmest people I know."

Jaein raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "I really can't imagine him being warm."

"Well, we met each other when we were children, during the summer." Yoojin said, sighing as he reminisced. "His family has a secondary house not too far away from my house. I live with my grandmother, and she is often away on business trips since she is an interpreter and translator." Yoojin continued, chuckling as he remembered how his grandmother would always bring back interesting souvenirs from her trips.

"While my grandma was away, I lived with my nanny, and every morning, she took me to the park to play while she read a book. I always played alone on the swing because when I arrived, it was deserted, and even if some children arrived, I was too shy to speak to them." Yoojin explained, his voice trailing off as he thought about how different he was back then compared to now.

"But one day, when I arrived, there was already a child on my favourite swing seat, so I used the other one. But it wasn't a one-time event; he came back every day." Yoojin said, smiling at the memory. "He intrigued me a lot. I still wonder how I was able to find the courage to speak to him, but he also found the courage, so we spoke at the same time and began to laugh."

"From there, we became best friends." Yoojin said, his voice filled with fondness. "He was often the one to listen to my problems and help solve them, while I helped him understand the emotions of those around him. In the beginning, we had some difficulties, but our personalities were similar, and we shared some hobbies like reading and playing video games."

Jaein looked at Yoojin, surprised. "I had no idea. I guess I've never really talked to Calisto like that."

Yoojin smiled. "That's because you haven't given him a chance. Calisto may seem cold on the outside, but he's really just protecting himself. Once you get to know him, he's one of the most caring people you'll ever meet."

Jaein nodded, deep in thought. "I think I'll try to speak with him. Who knows, maybe I'll find something that we have in common. Thanks for telling me that story, Yoojin."

Yoojin smiled back, feeling happy that he could share his memories of Calisto with someone else. He hoped that Jaein would be able to see the kind-hearted person that Calisto truly was.

As they waited for the professor to return, Yoojin and Jaein continued to talk about their interests and hobbies. Yoojin found himself opening up to her, something he rarely did with people he had just met. Jaein was easy to talk to, and he felt like he had known her for years.

Some time later, the professor came back, and behind him was Calisto, who threw himself into Yoojin's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Ms Kwon, I think you can go back to your seat. If there is a need for you, I will come to find you." the professor said to Jaein. She looked a little unsure and like she didn't want to leave, but she did.

In the meantime, Calisto pulled away to look at his friend. "Yoojin! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed, looking surprised to see his childhood friend on the train.

"I think I boarded the wrong train." Yoojin said sheepishly, feeling a little embarrassed. "I was walking towards the station, but a thick fog suddenly appeared, and I couldn't see anything. Since I knew the way, I didn't check if there wasn't a change of platform. Moreover, I was a little scared since I heard footsteps behind me, but when I arrived at the station, the noises stopped abruptly." he chuckled nervously. "I wonder if I'm going crazy. First, there was that strange nightmare that still terrifies me, then there was this strange fog with the footsteps, and now I don't even know where I'm going."

Calisto looked at Yoojin, wrinkling his brow and beginning to fidget lightly. Yoojin saw him look in the direction where the professor was, and he looked back at Yoojin. "Um,... there is something that I need to tell you." Calisto said hesitantly. Yoojin looked a little worried, and Calisto was unsure of what to do, so the professor decided to help.

Calisto took a deep breath and looked at Yoojin. "Yoojin, I need to tell you something. It's about that nightmare you had." he said, his voice low and serious.

Yoojin's heart skipped a beat. "What about it?" he asked, feeling a sense of dread wash over him.

Calisto hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It wasn't just a nightmare, Yoojin. It was a premonition."

The professor took hold of Yoojin's arm. "Mr Delaney, it would be better if you sat down. You look a little pale." the professor said, concern etched on his face.

Calisto took a deep breath and turned back to Yoojin. "So, what I'm trying to say is that there are other beings on this planet besides humans." he said, his voice low and serious.

Yoojin felt his heart skip a beat at the revelation. "What do you mean?" he asked, feeling like his world was turning upside down.

*Note: Otaku is a Japanese term used to describe people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga and/or video games.