A few hours after the Queen of Franpari's announcement, Karin, Yunna, and Alice were gathered in the princess's room, their luggage already packed.

The tall young lady sat on the chair in front of her friend's wooden vanity, holding the beloved gift her mother and Alice had given her in her hands. She was completely focused, barely moving her eyes side to side.

A knock at the door was heard. Yunna walked over and opened it.

"Mr. Rutherford?"

"Indeed! Here I am... Innova and I are coming with you to Franpari."

The short lady quickly sprang up from the bed, confused.

"You're coming? Don't you have to deal with the Rutherian Parliament's problems?"

"Yes! I do... But! When it comes to the Umbras corporation, I can't just stand still."

"Unfortunately, that's just how it is. Even with work to do, he always manages to get out of it..." — A tall woman with flowing orange hair materialized in front of him.

"All of you!" — The tall man in a beige suit stepped forward with a clap of his hands. — "We need to head to the Railhaker Station in a few minutes. Get ready quickly."

"Sir, we'll make our way to the corridor. I'll teleport there and wait for the others." — said the assistant, Innova.

Leaving the door open, they remained in the middle of the corridor. The High Priestess tossed her voluminous hair and stared from behind with her emerald eyes.

"Let's go, daughter. Alice is going to buy you more cartridges."

"Seriously?! Then let's go!" — She grabbed the Gamecat, stowed it in her suitcase, slipped on her sandals, and ran into the middle of the corridor, waving excitedly. — "Come on, Alice! We can't keep waiting!"

"You're pretty clever, huh..." — Alice stared up at the lady's face.

"No one told you to splurge your money, right?" — Karin laughed heartily as she walked down the path.

Sometimes she should just keep her mouth shut, thought the princess. Arriving beside them, she signaled to Innova.

Innova's feet lifted off the ground. She brought her palms together, closed her eyes, and chanted the spell.

"System Activation, Multi Instant Teleport!"

As soon as everyone placed their hands on her, in the blink of an eye, they found themselves once again at the grand station of the district's land lord. Above, on a neon panel, letters formed the message:

"Railhaker Station, Leaving for the Capital of Coriender in Three Minutes."

"So, shall we go? From here, we'll reach the capital. We'll have one hour before departing on the Logistic Waker toward the country of the Primordial Third Era." — Hunter said.

"Primordial Third Era? What does 'primordial' mean?" — Karin asked, confused.

Innova positioned herself in front of her, opening her arms as if to embrace her, and chanted.

"System Activation, Lessons from the New Earth Eras!"

Emerging in a white space, Karin looked ahead and saw the assistant standing in front of a blackboard.

"Welcome! This will be a brief lesson you should have received in Tsugaki about the eras of New Earth."

"Okay... This won't take long, will it?"

"Don't worry, this space is disconnected from outside time. For you, it'll be a little while; for the others, only seconds will pass."

"Alright, proceed."

"Well, New Earth is the planet we live on. Throughout its history, different eras emerged as time passed. Gods appeared, and so did the ages.

The First Era was ruled on your continent of origin, Inashifeng!" — She took a breath and asked. — "Do you know how gods are born, Karin?"

"Now that you mention it... I probably shouldn't have slept through history class..."

"Jianshien! Born from fear and the will to fight. So! Gods arise from the collective will of numerous individuals who believe in acts of good and evil."

"I've heard that name before... Isn't that the spirit Yumiko possesses?"

"Yes! Correct. She was the first to appear in our world—the goddess of war and swords. Her influence turned this into a tradition. Every power compared to a god will have an era named after it."

"Hmmm... I see... So this 'primordial' refers to the first existing eras?"

"Exactly! In this case, we call them the three Primordial Eras: the Inashifengs Era, the Casteriana Era, and the Franpariana Era." — Clapping her hands, she concluded. — "The era of war, protection, and exploration! They were the foundation of everything."

"I understand... Thank you very much for the lesson, Innova."

"Don't mention it!" — She clapped her hands again. — "Lesson finished!"

After the embrace, Karin found herself staring directly at Innova's chest and promptly pushed her away in embarrassment.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? Pervert!"

"I apologize, young lady..."

"Let's go!" — Hunter shouted. — "The train is about to depart!"

Stumbling aboard, everyone stored their luggage in the overhead compartment and took their seats.

"What a comfortable cushion!" — Karin sprawled across the seat.

"Karin! Mind your manners!"

"Don't worry, Yunna! She's going to need that to survive the first trip." — said the gentleman.

Alice sat by the window, and finally, the train began to move. Through the window, it passed and left the station, soon crossing the first bridge, offering a breathtaking view.

The vast valley stretched out, lush and green. The mountain ranges were enormous and imposing, with a small village nestled beneath them.

...

"Yumiko! What the hell happened in Anvrós?!" — shouted the tall man in the white suit.

"Three individuals broke in. According to the undercover guards, they were the group that stole test subject 137." — The tall woman in red and black robes sat cross-legged on the wooden chair in front of the man. — "Shingetsu Karin! She was quite strong... But she was no match for me!"

The man slammed his fist on the table.

"Shut your mouth, you wretch!" — he raised his voice.

"Excuse me?!" — She raised her hand toward him, her brow furrowed.

Instantly, the man sat back down, raised his index finger, displaying the golden and red ring on his hand, and commanded.

"Kneel!"

A tremendous pressure weighed down on her body. The young woman with tied-back hair collapsed onto the stone floor.

"If you ever raise your hand to me again, you'll experience the terror of my right middle finger once more. Understood?!"

She began to sweat and tremble, then answered.

"Yes, sir."

"Then get out of here! Call the Commander and the Combatant here at once!"

"Yes, sir!"

The pressure was released. She rose quickly and walked barefoot toward the front door.

Bastard... I have no way to ask for help... Damned Sphinx! — Yumiko thought.

Walking down the dungeon corridor, the dim light reflected off her short black hair. Her footsteps echoed heavily on the gravel floor.

At the end of the corridor, she opened an iron-barred door leading to a room filled with water tanks. Inside, several scientists typed at computers. The noise was irritating, but she simply closed her eyes to avoid getting upset.

Passing through the large hall, she opened another barred door that led to a moldy, humid corridor.

Where is Raytto?! — she thought irritably.

She heard the crack of thunder. In the gap of the adjacent corridor, she saw a bluish flash. She ran with heavy, nervous steps.

"Raytto Caster!" — her shout echoed through the hallway.

She kept walking and reached a cell, where she saw a terrified young woman being held by the neck in the Commander's grasp.

"Raytto Caster! Don't torture test subject 48!"

"What's your problem, Colonel?! Why can't I torture her?!"

"You've already crossed the line! You've killed ten test subjects for no reason! Do you want to be punished?!"

He stared at the young woman, who was crying and clinging to his arm with both hands. He looked frightened for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and released his grip.

He stepped out, grabbed the key, locked the cell, and walked in the opposite direction from her.

"Commander! Smoke wants to speak with you and the Combatant. He wants you to report to his office."

He stopped, his arm trembling.

"Why?! I'm not in a good mood right now!"

"Neither am I, but it's better to do this than to suffer under him again..."

"Fine... I'm going."

A few minutes later, Raytto sat in the chair across from him.

The gentleman stared at him and demanded.

“Sir. Raytto, I've already informed the Colonel and Combatant Nelson, but..." — He rested his hands on his chin. — "We're heading to Franpari, Nicion. We're going to kidnap and sabotage Shingetsu Karin."

"Why do you want to do this to her?"

"Isn't it obvious?! Look at the power she has! She'll certainly make an excellent soldier for Robert!"

"She's free... Just sabotage her. You don't need to do that to her."

"What are you implying? Is the mind control failing? Do you want to experience the ring finger of my left hand?!"

Breaking into a cold sweat, Raytto stared with a face completely different from his usual demeanor—pure fear.

"No! That won't be necessary. I'll do as you command."

"Good! I'm glad you learned quickly. Gather on the ground floor. We leave tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!"

Rising, he left the room as if he had been utterly defeated. He slumped against the wall, stared at the ceiling, as if remembering something. He pulled out a chain from his neck.

He gazed at it: a miniature golden sword. He stared at it, tears welling in his eyes. The memories of that time were warm.

Sister... Cecilia... My saint... Forgive me for my sins... — He closed his eyes and clutched the sword pendant tightly in his hands.

He tucked it back inside his shirt and walked once more down the corridor.

"Forgive me, Karin... If I had met you before, I wouldn't have become this..." — he muttered as he walked.

...

"Arriving at Coriender Station in a few seconds." — echoed through the train.

"Everyone!" — the blonde man stood up. — "We're arriving. Grab all your luggage. The train is about to disembark at Coriender."

They all stepped out. Karin gazed at the grand portal of the Railhaker Station, the road ahead, the enormous luminous brick buildings, and the countless cars in the streets.

"It reminds me so much of my homeland's capital... But... it's much bigger and noisier."

The young woman in the black cloak stepped up and leaned on her shoulder.

"Yes! Coriender! The city with the largest population and the world's highest technology. It couldn't be anything less!" — she laughed afterwards.