From the moment she changed into the Starless uniform, a spotless white shirt under a red v-neck jumper with a black tie striped in gold, and a long black ankle skirt with black tights and brown formal shoes, Ester felt like someone else entirely. However, what frustrated her the most was how the red vest left a deliberate arch of white shirt visible above the waistband of her skirt. She felt somewhat exposed. There were no rules against accessories, so Saphy wore her green headband and styled her frizzy afro over it. They'd gotten changed in an uncomfortable silence that made Ester antsy.

"You look nice!" Ester tried. Saphy gave her a half-hearted smile, averting her eyes. At least she doesn't completely hate me, Ester thought.

"Ready?" Saphy replied, lacing her shoes. It had been a while since Ester had seen herself in a mirror. Her dark hair still curled to her shoulders, her light skin still scattered with brown freckles. She remembered a face full of life, with piercing blue eyes that once shone with a stubborn wonder. Now, she saw only their ghosts, sunken eyes in sunken skin. She took a deep breath and was about to nod in agreement when she realised Saphy's tie was fastened too long for her jumper, stretching well beyond it.

"Are you...going to leave your tie like that?" Ester asked. Saphy gave her a confused look before glancing down for a few seconds. She waved her hand dismissively.

"I like it this way," she said. "Makes me look cool."

She reached back into the closet, grabbing what Ester thought at the time was a thin, dark purple pullover of soft-spun wool, its deep hood and pouch sewn with a craftsman's care. It was a humble, practical garment. The kind a child in the capital's outer rings might wear, but made with a love that made it priceless. However, Ester had never seen anything like it. Saphy caught her staring.

"...This was a gift from my Grandma," Saphy said, her voice softening as she ran a thumb over the fabric. "She made it herself. The best seamstress in the whole capital...until..." She stopped herself, grimaced, and slipped it on. "Anyway, the thread is special. 'Made from the silk of an S-rank Flo beast,' she said."

Ester's eyes widened.

"I've had it since I was eleven. It...grows with me." Saphy turned, her voice a whisper meant only for Ester. "Never too cold, never too warm. Like an eternal reminder of her. It's my most prized possession."

She made Ester swear to keep it a secret. If people knew she had something so valuable... Ester agreed before turning back to the closet, grabbing a massive dark grey coat that hung inside. It was a good thing the HoS supplied clothing otherwise... The moment she put it on, she felt like she was back in the bathing chambers, wrapped in a warm cloud. If not for Saphy, Ester probably would've wasted more time daydreaming in the coat.

Opening the door, the other Zero Star students on their floor were already making their way toward the exit of the building. Ester noticed the boys' uniforms, black shirts under their red vests and black trousers. Some wore red blazers rimmed with gold and the same coats over them. But one thing was constant: the ties. The symbol of the HoS Institute on each of them. A constant reminder of what they all belonged to.

They began piling down the flight of stairs and out of the Starless Building toward the main entrance, where they met their guide. A pale girl with a fringe and long black hair. She stood cross-armed, tapping her feet as their little group approached her.

"Is that all of you?" She frowned, counting heads before her eyes stopped at Saphy and her unusual pullover. She had an accent.

"Where is your tie?" she questioned as eyes fell on Saphy.

"Right here!" Saphy said, fishing her too-long tie over her pullover as it flowed past her belly button.

The guide looked like she was about to complain, but she paused before shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, well. Follow me."

Walking down the great steps, the torches blazed furiously in the night, flickering with a dark orange colour. The air was cold, and the very few who'd decided not to wear a coat were regretting their choices, even though they chose not to admit it.

"I'm sure you all know by now you will all be attending the Banquet tomorrow," the woman began. "You will be required to make your declarations in front of the Church, the nobles...and the Arcon of Geneeva."

Ester's knees buckled as she heard this, slowing down, causing another Starless to bump into her. The woman turned around.

"Is everything okay?" Ester quickly nodded and apologised.

"What's wrong?" Saphy whispered.

"...When were we told about the Starless Banquet? I don't recall..." Ester began.

"The opening talks..." Saphy frowned. "With Instructor Markos." Her eyes then widened.

Ester and Saphy both reached the same conclusion.

"I was late..." Ester groaned. Saphy tried to console her, telling her she didn't miss much. Except this massive event.

One of the boys, a spiky-haired boy, raised his hand yet shouted from the back of the line.

"When do we get a cool cape like yours!" There was laughter and some agreement.

She smirked and responded without bothering to look back.

"You get one if you pass the Trials."

She was a student. However, her uniform was different. Like the ones she'd seen in the library. Her skirt was grey instead of black, and her blazer was navy blue. Adorned with badges, and her cloak that reached her thighs was black with a red inside.

"What's your name!" This time it was Saphy who shouted. It was as if she was waiting for someone to ask.

"Ah, that's right!" She stopped with a halt, causing everyone else to stop. Turning around, the cape creating an arc, she flipped her hair and put her right fist to her heart. "I am third year student, Second Star, Lin Hua!"

There was silence, before her ears started turning red.

"A-anyways, come on."

So many things bounced around in Ester's mind as they took a turn from the Institution grounds, she could hardly focus on one. Saphy's hooded coat, the Starless Banquet, and the most important one: a train. Her father had told her about the mass construction of transportation throughout Leria being built. One faster and more reliable than Flo beasts or carriages. She had no idea there were trains in Geneeva. Since when had they started building them?

A few minutes passed before the group arrived at a rocky bridge that connected the secluded "Holy Lands" to the rest of the Geneeva country. Ester could just make out an official guarding the exit of the bridge—or was it the entrance? She couldn't tell if they were a Synchrite or not. Either way, it solidified that wherever they were, it wasn't accessible to just anyone.

Lin Hua directed them across the bridge. Not narrow enough for a single file line, but enough that the Starless took precaution.

The scenery was a sight to behold. The mist stretched and engulfed the bottom. The stormy clouds in that evening sky seemed so close, the wind sharp on their faces. They were in awe.

Crossing that bridge, Lin acknowledged the Guardian as if she knew him. He was tall with short-cropped blue hair and a permanent scowl, yet he blushed, averting eye contact with her. Which made sense—Lin was, in every sense, beautiful. He wore a regal blue, white, and gold uniform with white trousers and white boots. A blue satchel was draped across his shoulder. He didn't look like it, but he was important. He gave a slight glance at the initiates as he perched on a rock, but his eyes doubled back at Ester, lingering just enough to make her uncomfortable. He tried to play it off, but the damage was done. Saphy nudged her.

Past the bridge, there was a main path through the clearing of the trees, but Lin directed them elsewhere, a little opening on the left, revealing their true destination.

"Woah," Saphy muttered.

Woah was right. It was an open-air terrace of carved white stone, built upon the mountainside. The view was staggering, a shot of the storm-wracked sky with the moon and the misty depths below. A few stone benches faced the void, but no one moved to sit. Ester marvelled at the engineering. Above, two colossal static cables ran through the gorge, attached to iron monoliths. Between them ran a third, slightly thinner cable, moving in a constant, whispering loop.

Ester also noticed three or four others waiting for the express. They were older men who weren't part of the HoS. They wore Church attire.

"The Golden Express should be arriving shortly," Lin peered into the abyss.

And like divine intervention, a double whistle echoed. A deep, rhythmic chuff-chuff-chuff throbbed within the mountain itself.

The Golden Express rose from the darkness of the mist. It was suspended from the two static cables by a series of elegant iron arches. The most impressive part was on the roof, a massive, clamshell-like clamp locked firmly around the central, moving haulage cable. The train was being pulled silently uphill by this endless, humming thread. Plumes of white smoke vented not from the train but from a rock-hewn chimney stack on the cliff-side.

"You see that smoke?" Lin pointed toward the cliff-side. "It's a hidden engine doing all the work."

She turned back around, whipping her straight black hair with a smile.

"With this, you will all be able to travel to and from the Capital faster than on a carriage."

It was a marvel. Ester could see it on all their faces. Technology that wasn't even native to this country. Something most people didn't have access to. Ester found it hard not to see this 'privilege' as a shackle.

"I wonder how long this has been built..." Ester muttered to herself.

"Good question!" Saphy heard her, calling out to Lin. "Um, Second Star Lin Hua? How long has this been built for?"

"Roughly a year." She turned to look at Saphy. "Why?"

"Oh. My friend wanted to know." She gestured to Ester. Ester only managed to close her eyes in anticipation.

"I see..."

As the train slowly attached itself to the railway lines at the edge of the mountain before coming to a stop, Lin Hua called the initiates forward. The train was a behemoth of craftsmanship, five different carriages, black rimmed with gold and windows dotting the whole thing.

A man with olive skin and a thin mustache, a black hat and black uniform, stepped out from the front of the carriage.

"Make way!"

Immediately, a group of Synchrites filed out. Murmurs and gasps were shared between them. Some waved at their friends in Ester's group while all being ushered by an older male student.

"Starless from the ground floor," Saphy whispered. It made sense. They were third-floorers.

"All aboard!" The man bellowed as he positioned himself at the carriage furthest away from them.

The third-floorers waited as the older men entered first, then followed by the bravest and most excited of the group.

The interior was nothing less than beautiful. The scent of polish and leather filled their noses, and golden lamps attached to the sides of the carriages bathed everything in a low bronze gold. The seats were fancy leather, green in colour.

The whole thing was expensive. Just how much did the Church have? Ester thought to herself.

The carriage was a long, gleaming salon. On both sides, deep leather booths separated by window frames faced each other across fixed tables of polished wood. It was breathtakingly elegant.

Saphy pulled Ester into the first vacant booth on the left. They sat opposite each other, Saphy anxiously looking out the window, unaware of the kid who slid in next to her.

A spiky black-haired boy with a brown headband, a smug grin on his face, and a relaxed attitude. He wore his red blazer with his sleeves rolled up.

"Sup, ladies."

They both stared at the boy who'd randomly just sat next to them, then shared a confused glance between themselves.

Another boy calmly sat next to Ester. A boy who wore a coat over his blazer with a green scarf. He had long hair and a pale complexion. And his eyes... Ester couldn't help but be reminded of Jacen the Slayer.

"Stop. Saying that," Long-hair sighed, turning to look at Ester and Saphy. "Forgive him... he doesn't understand human interactions..."

"Do you...need something?" Saphy asked, glancing between both of them.

Before Long-hair could utter a sentence, Spiky-hair opened his mouth.

"I was curious," he announced, crossing his arms. "Of you."

He turned his attention to Ester.