Chapter 82: Rocket Boosters

Nana, sitting atop Todd's shoulders, peered out, her eyes wide with wonder. "How can so much metal be moving so fast?!" she exclaimed, fascinated by the sight before her.

Ty, realizing that Nana and Todd had probably never seen a train, much less one flying in the sky along a mystical blue shift, knew their astonishment was justified.

"Well, I can't really explain why or how it's flying, but I'm sure it's due to whatever magic properties they have here. That appears to be a steam-style engine-based train.

In my world, trains like that were used for transporting a massive amount of people but died out due to how hard it was to maintain the railroads," he explained.

"I suppose they figured out that little problem though," Ty mused, his gaze following the graceful arc of the train in the sky.

Nana, lost in thought, pondered the information, her excitement growing. "I want to learn more about the flying death trap!" she declared, her eyes still fixed on the vanishing train, her voice a mixture of awe and curiosity.

As she expressed her fascination, Ty noticed the locals' eyes on them, their gazes lingering not just on Nana's animated reactions, but also on Todd's unusual appearance. "The streets seem to be distracted by us," Ty observed, glancing at Todd with a knowing look. "I guess you get a lot of hate for looking like whatever creature they have here."

Todd reassured him, "It doesn't bother me all that much. I've dealt with it my entire life on Alexira. These people are nice compared to them."

His grin was wide, showcasing his unworried demeanor.

"You only say that because they give you free beer all the time, isn't it?" Ty remarked with a sly smile, teasing his friend.

Todd just gave a slight shrug, his carefree attitude evident. Meanwhile, Nana continued to stare at the train as it passed by over the region, eventually descending slowly out of sight between an array of buildings.

Ty, peering off into the distance and surrounded by foggy clouds, noticed that there were bridges spanning hundreds of miles off in other directions. 'I suppose that makes sense,' Ty thought to himself.

"It only makes sense there are more ways to get in, but this is just the bridge to get to the main gate." As he pondered, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a man in a dark cloak bumped into him.

Ty's eyes quickly caught a glimpse of a three-leaf clover icon on the man's wrist, sparking a moment of recognition.

Hastily, he emptied his free hand into his pockets, only to find that the crystal given to him by the Demon King was missing. The realization dawned on him: the cloaked man had just pickpocketed him.

A surge of panic washed over Ty, the dread of losing his only means to communicate with Jade fueling his actions. "I've just been pickpocketed," he blurted out to Todd, his voice laced with urgency.

"Go ahead and wait for me at the end of the bridge. I'm going to chase this guy down," he decided swiftly.

He reached for the Flame Life orb and the Barrier Life orb, which he had started to disassociate from their actual human counterparts.

In his palms, they began to glow, their light intensifying as two new orbs replaced their spots. A giant cranking noise erupted inside Ty's mind, accompanied by a small voice that gradually grew louder. "Yes, continue on," it encouraged.

As the Wheel faded away, time surged back to its normal pace. A number appeared above the now-vanishing wheel, initially showing 1320, before shifting to 13:18.

The sequence seemed to hold some deeper significance, a hidden message or code that Ty had yet to decipher.

That must be how many souls are left in a blank slate, Ty pondered, but the significance of the colon in the number sequence eluded him.

As time snapped back into motion, he noticed it accelerating, catching up to the time he had gained during the freeze.

"So even if I use this ability to freeze time, it will cause the moments afterward to speed up," he thought, recognizing the inconsistent nature of this power. "I can't overthink it now," he decided, focusing on the task at hand.

With a sense of urgency, Ty summoned fire to his hands. It swirled like a vortex, grasping at the soles of his feet. Without hesitation, he leaped off the side of the bridge.

The dark-cloaked figure, slightly turning around, displayed a shocked smirk at Ty's bold pursuit.

As Ty fell, he released all the fire from his hand. The soles of his shoes transformed into a translucent half-dome, from which small flickers jetted out.

Suddenly, an eruption of flame shot out, doubling Ty's speed. He had cleverly combined the fire with the barrier ability, using it as a thrust inducer for controlled speed.

Struggling to stabilize himself in mid-air, Ty momentarily lost sight of the dark-cloaked man, who had reached the ground and dashed off with incredible swiftness.

Ty steadied himself, the flames transitioning from orange to a dark blue, signaling a further increase in speed. He surged forward towards the man at blinding speed.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the bridge, Todd had caught up and turned to Nana, remarking, "I guess we really do just gotta wait for him." The scene unfolded with a mix of high-speed action and anticipation, as Ty, propelled by his ingenious use of powers, chased after the elusive figure.

Ty's voice, resonant and filled with urgency, echoed back towards them through the air. Around them, dozens of onlookers had gathered, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and disbelief.

They watched, spellbound, as Ty's figure, now a diminishing speck in the distance, leaped daringly off the bridge.

The spectacle of the chase, so vivid and intense moments ago, slowly began to dissipate like mist in the morning sun.

Nana, amidst the murmuring crowd, placed a hand over her face in a gesture of exasperation. "There should have been an easier way than this," she murmured, her voice a mix of frustration and concern.