About 5 hours later

I start to regain consciousness from my "sudden blackout". As I come to, I see a dimly lit surrounding……

Geez, who am I kidding? I sure do get really confused after falling asleep.

It took me a great deal of time for me to regain my senses. Before I can recollect myself even further, the screen blares out a sentence:

                Checkpoint reached. Prepare for screening.

I yawn and reach for my bag. I go to the back of the cabin to get my luggage bags as well. Looking out, all that can be seen from the windows is just a pitch-black abyss, paired with the reflection of the cabin’s interior. There is nothing else for miles. It is only me, myself, and the cabin. Having such a thought always gives me chills. The train slowly comes to a halt. I proceeded to wait at the doors for them to open. As they slide open, the endless expanse of the abyss stares into me. Even though it is a cave, surely there must be a wall to it, right?

I depart from the train. In front of me, I see a room completely covered in monotone white. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, all of it. White, White, and more white. In the corner of this blindingly bright room is a desk. The receptionist is right behind it.

I hear the sounds of the train doors locking shut as I trudge my luggage once again towards the erringly dubious desk. It is only then it hit me: The checkpoint has...... Changed. There is no waiting room, no need to get a number for your screening, no nothing. This is not to mention the fact that the screening room this time around feels much more haphazard and cobbled together, without a single piece of furniture other than the desk in sight.

“Please, do take a seat.”

I place my bags and luggage aside and sat in the chair, aptly placed (obviously) in front of the desk. The receptionist is busy typing away on a computer. I am unable to see a face at all.

“May I ask about the destination of your travels?”

“That would be Entelechia...... The URRN (Universal Regulation Region Number) for Entelechia is WZ-zero-eight-zero-five-zero-five.”

“What is the main purpose of your stay?”

I explained to her that I worked in a cafe there.

“Entelechia is a relatively newly discovered realm. Expect a wide spectrum of customers and a low density of visitors. Must be hard to do service under such conditions, not that I am a stranger to that.”

The receptionist's speech slows down and is gradually slurred as she types something into her computer.

“I’ll need to confirm a few things, alright? Is your full name Mazaka Fuugetsu, from the Southern Mountains High Forests region?”

“My full name is correct, but it would be the Northern Regions.”

“It’s okay, ill tweak that for you...... All done! It says here that you are 16 years from the age of birth, and your gender is male. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is”

“Alright, take a look at the screen right here, this should be your……

I go through the tablet, confirming all my personal information and correcting any incorrect ones. This time, however, the amount of paperwork and documents required for transit is much more compared to my previous transits.

“I’m not sure if it’s just me……but…… It feels like we are going through a lot more documents than in the past.”

“Well, you are not wrong. Security at transit stations within this region has been ramped up according to updated URG protocols. We are tasked with ensuring our user’s safety, and we are obliged to make sure you too have a safe journey, both to and fro.”

“I’ve also noticed that the transit room has… changed. It has now become a fully white, furniture-less room. Why is that?”

“We have received the orders to ramp up security in accordance with the new protocols. We didn't have much time, and this is the best we can do for now. Sorry, by the way, if you feel a bit uncomfortable about that.”

That's interesting. Why was security even ramped up in the first place?

“Why is security ramped up? May I know why?”

The receptionist collapses the tablet and places it aside. A digital document pops out of the desk. She activates the document as she slides it out in a swift motion, prompting its screen to come to life and project its contents. Within is a warning message of some sort.

“We have recently received reports of rogue entities entering this Universal Region. The entities have merged within this realm’s confines and gone dark. Initial reports state that those entities are now able to interact with the realms within this Universal Region. Their intentions are unknown due to them having voided all detection during entry. The reports also state their numbers are low, and with the small number of times that they had lit up our detection systems, they seem to be mildly spread out, suggesting a nomadic-like behaviour.” she says, all the while not leaving the gaze of her computer screen.

The receptionist collapses the document back into the table whilst lighting up the screen of the tablet that was placed aside.

“These are the Emergency Response Unit’s contacts...... The ones highlighted in red are those that are stationed in the immediate vicinity. Should you be unable to contact them, the ones highlighted in orange are those that are close by."

“There is also something else I will give you……”