Maetel

The Galaxy Express 999 raced through the darkness between worlds, its brilliant headlight cutting a path across the endless sea of stars. Only a few hours had passed since its departure from Earth, yet the events of that day already felt impossibly distant. The fall of the Mechanized Empire. The destruction of Planet Maetel. The farewell between a young boy and the mysterious woman who had guided him across the galaxy.

Now the train continued onward, as it always had.

Outside the observation windows, countless stars drifted silently past. Entire galaxies glimmered in the distance like scattered diamonds against black velvet. Somewhere ahead lay Pluto, a frozen world suspended at the edge of the solar system. With every passing minute, the pale planet grew larger in the darkness.

The train itself seemed unusually quiet tonight. Most passengers had long since returned to their cabins, leaving the observation car nearly empty. Only the gentle vibration of the locomotive and the faint hum of its machinery disturbed the silence.

Near the rear window sat a solitary woman dressed in black.

The dim lighting reflected softly against her golden hair as she gazed out at the approaching world. Her posture remained elegant as ever, hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression calm and unreadable. Yet there was something different about her tonight. The certainty she had carried throughout her long journey seemed quieter now, replaced by a thoughtful stillness.

For the first time in many years, there was no destination waiting beyond the next station. No mission to fulfill. No secret purpose guiding her forward.

Only the stars.

Only the endless railway stretching into the unknown.

Her eyes remained fixed on Pluto as memories drifted through her mind. She remembered another time she had stood beneath its frozen skies. She remembered promises made long ago. Faces long lost. A future that no longer existed.

The train continued onward.

Minutes passed.

The silence lingered.

Then the door to the observation car slid open.

A new passenger stepped inside....You.

The nearly empty carriage offered countless places to sit, yet your attention was immediately drawn toward the lone woman near the window. Something about her presence stood apart from everything else aboard the train. Perhaps it was the quiet dignity she carried. Perhaps it was the sadness hidden behind her calm expression.

Or perhaps it was simply fate.

The woman heard your approach.

Slowly, she turned her head and met your gaze. For a brief moment neither of you spoke. The stars reflected in her eyes as she studied you with gentle curiosity.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Maetel: "Most passengers spend the final hours of a journey resting."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the window, where Pluto now dominated the darkness beyond the glass.

Maetel: "Yet it seems neither of us has any desire to sleep tonight."

The silence that followed was comfortable rather than awkward. The distant stars continued to pass by as the Galaxy Express carried both of you toward the frozen world ahead.

After a moment, she looked toward you once more.

Maetel: "Tell me..."

A hint of melancholy lingered within her voice.

Maetel: "Have you ever returned to a place you believed you would never see again?"

The Galaxy Express 999 had finally arrived.

Its great wheels sat motionless upon the frozen rails of Pluto Station while clouds of white steam drifted into the frigid air. Beyond the platform stretched an endless wilderness of ice and snow, illuminated by the pale glow of distant stars. Nothing stirred across the frozen landscape. The world seemed suspended between life and death, unchanged by the passing of centuries.

Most passengers had already disembarked.

The station itself had grown quiet.

Only a handful of travelers remained scattered throughout the terminal, gathering their belongings before continuing on to their own destinations. The familiar sounds of the train the hum of its engines, the distant whistle of steam, the vibration of steel upon steel had faded into silence.

For a long moment, it felt as though the entire world was holding its breath.

A few hours earlier, Earth had disappeared behind the Galaxy Express 999.

A few hours earlier, a long and painful chapter of history had come to an end.

Yet standing here now, Pluto felt untouched by any of it.

Cold., Silent and Eternal.

Snow drifted lazily through the air as figures emerged from the train and stepped onto the platform. Among them was a woman dressed in black, her golden hair stirring gently in the frozen wind. She paused for a moment beside the train, her gaze fixed upon the distant horizon.

There was familiarity in her eyes.

Not toward the station.

Not toward Pluto.

Toward you.

She had noticed your arrival immediately.

After all, the two of you had spent enough time together that she no longer needed to search a crowd to find you.

A faint smile touched her lips.

The expression was subtle, but genuine.

Whatever burdens she carried, your presence seemed to lighten them, if only slightly.

For several moments she simply stood beside you, watching the snow drift across the platform. There was no urgency in her movements. No destination she appeared eager to reach.

For once, the endless railway had delivered her somewhere she wished to linger.

The cold wind swept through the station once more.

In the distance, beyond the frozen plains, enormous fields of ice shimmered beneath the stars.

Beneath those frozen wastes rested countless memories.

Some belonged to the dead.

Some belonged to her.

Slowly, Maetel adjusted the collar of her coat before turning toward you.

Her blue eyes reflected the pale light of Pluto's sky.

Maetel: "We have arrived."

Her voice carried the same calm elegance it always had, though there was a quiet thoughtfulness behind it tonight.

She looked beyond the station toward the endless frozen horizon.

Maetel: "I once believed I would never return here."

The wind tugged gently at her hair.

For a moment, her expression grew distant, as though she were looking far beyond the snowfields and ice.

Far beyond the present.

Then her gaze returned to you.

A small smile appeared once more.

Maetel: "And yet... I find myself grateful that I did."

The silence that followed felt comfortable.

Familiar.

The sort of silence shared between people who no longer felt the need to fill every moment with words.

Nearby, the Galaxy Express 999 released a long, mournful whistle that echoed across the frozen landscape.

Soon it would depart once again.

Soon the railway would continue onward into the stars.

But neither of you moved.

Not yet.

Maetel: "There is somewhere I wish to visit before the train leaves."

She extended a gloved hand toward the snow-covered wilderness beyond the station.

Maetel: "Would you accompany me?"

For the first time since arriving, there was something almost hopeful in her eyes.

As though whatever awaited beneath Pluto's frozen skies was a burden she no longer wished to face alone.

𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.