It had been several hours since boarding the train. Emerald had long passed out as the passenger cart was empty besides the three of them. Their stop was the furthest away from the transport town in all honesty. Emerald snored softly as Chuma and Kur merely kept silent before Kur had thought about something and looked over at Chuma. "It has been a long time since Velacera told me what happened to him," Kur spoke softly as to not disturb Emerald's rest, "Velacera mentioned how you were mortal when you both met but something happened in between that made you become a lich... It has always puzzled me but I never really did find the time to personally ask you how that came to be?" Kur watched Chuma tense as Chuma looked over at Kur.

"It's something I wish to not discuss lightly, Kur," Chuma sighed as he unclasped the plague doctor mask from his bag and fumbled around with the leather, "it's something I wish I could forget. I blame myself for my own naiveness when I was younger... But my mentor once told me everything happens with a reason for the choices you make, with every step you take somewhere down that path the consequences of those steps and actions will take place."

"Were they good intentions or bad intentions," Kur asked kind of curious now since the silent Chuma was speaking more. Chuma shook his head.

"I can see why Velacera said there's always a strong pull around you," Chuma sighed, "I see why Velacera acts very differently around you as well. He was a typical grump but he seems to never display that to you." Chuma gave a soft chuckle before sighing once more. "I suppose since we are heading to the catacombs I suppose we can get to know each other better and work as a team." Chuma shook his head before clasping the plague mask back into his bag.

"I had just moved down from my home country, a very cold and snow-filled country to study at a very pristine school of magic. I had always had a nag of sense of magic and wanted to learn more and always had the heart of thinking I could help anyone. It was certainly hard for me to adjust to the warmer weather but I had already begun my studies and discovered I had the rare powers of healing the undead and those who are negatively affected by purification magic and basic standard healing magic when I met Velacera... I asked my mentor about it and I did have a very rare gift and so I dove headfirst into studying and learning how to extend my powers and amplify it to the best of my extent," Chuma took a deep breath before looking at Kur, "but in pursuit of bettering my own abilities, I came across a severely injured being. My gut told me to save this being, so I worked on trying to save them. But unfortunately, creatures are known as bringers of death, the shinigami, a group of them to be exact. No matter the pleading or the pure work they eventually dragged both myself and the being I was trying to save. While their soul was dragged down to the underworld my whole body and soul was dragged down."

Chuma went silent as Kur noticed the tension in his body. Kur knew this sign all too well, Kur had watched Velacera display the same body language. This emotion of dread and sorrow is deeply embedded in them, Kur noted as he reached across and patted Chuma on the shoulder. Something Kur had picked up as he had observed it being done to Velacera whenever someone else was comforting him. Chuma jumped slightly before looking at Kur. The swelling of tears was visible, Kur knew this all too well as Velacera did the same. "You are really too kind, Kur," Chuma spoke softly, his voice breaking slightly, "for who knows how long I was down there but it really did change my perspective on things. But I know for sure I was not the same person when I finally escaped the underworld." Kur noticed how Chuma became stiff.

Kur looked out the window before looking back and pulling Chuma into a light embrace. Chuma's eyes widened before softening, returning the embrace. "I see why Velacera feels comfortable around you the most... You give comfort, even the aura around you feels like nothing could harm me. But it was so far in the past that I wish to just forget about it..." Kur did not indicate a response as Chuma sighed, "then again it certainly woke me up to how much the world can be cruel...but fortunately I graduated way before becoming a Lich but I could not return home easily. I was actually on my way home when it all happened. I was afraid to face my family after what happened. So I made my way back to Conjingham. That's when I encountered Velacera and them again. There I decided to set up my first clinic. From there I am pretty sure Velacera explained the rest. But yes that how everything went down... though-"

"I understand, Chuma," Kur spoke softly as they had pulled away, "memories of the past can be painful. I have been learning from everyone and have met my own pain as well. It is alright to express such emotions like others have told me, including you." Chuma made a simple "urk" motion seeing how his advice had finally turned on him. But he was least expecting it from the docile Kur to be the one returning his advice. "What's wrong, Chuma?" Kur asked, seeing Chuma's reactions.

"It's nothing Kur," Chuma gave a slight stutter before sighing, "I just never expected my same advice to be given back to me. We should be nearing our stop, better wake Emerald before we stop." Chuma sighed as he lightly touched Emerald who jolted standing and saluted.

"Emerald, rookie errand girl, what's the newest scoop that you want!" Kur and Chuma gave a shocked expression but Emerald looked around before she sighed and seemingly became embarrassed. "Oh, I forgot where I was," Emerald chuckled nervously, "oh! We are almost there. I must've passed out." Emerald looked out the window sighing, "oh boy, the nightmare mist has settled in, and I forgot my shield guard."

"Nightmare mist?" Chuma asked, seeing how Emerald seemed very nervous and sad.

"It's a fog cloud that has been showing up ever since the Neverland Star disappeared from the sky. Some say it is due that the Neverland Star kept it at bay but since the star disappeared the nightmare mist was able to freely roam," Emerald sighed, "the Devil from the Neverland Star was found but they seemed sorrowed filled and didn't have the energy to chase away the nightmare mist but seemed bent on something else. Saying how it's revenge for the one who caused such harm and death. No one knew what the devil meant and after a while, he seemingly disappeared bent on harming someone for revenge. They haven't been seen since." Kur clicked before Chuma said anything.

"My Star," Kur trailed off as both Chuma and Emerald looked at him, "my Star was the Neverland Star... Burraku is still alive, he survived... So not everyone perished that day... It's been only a year- '' Emerald shook her head and grabbed her tablet out of her bag and brought up a news article nearly dating 200 years ago.

"The Neverland Star disappeared nearly 200 years ago... There's no possible way you could be the missing Neverland Star as the Devil confirmed the destruction of the Star... The Thunderbird even confirmed it and no one questions the Thunderbird's final rulings... The Thunderbird is a deity close to the Star role so yeah there is no possible way that-" Chuma coughed as he stood and looked at the tablet, studying it before humming as Emerald sort of tense.

"I have a theory that maybe that the Celestial world is advanced in time while the mortal realm is less advanced in time but in Makai time runs even slower... So in Celestial terms that it has been over 200 years for the Celestial Terrain. In the mortal realm it's been at least a quarter of that time and even less time in Makai," Chuma rubbed his chin, "as I said before my upcoming was nearly a decade ago but to Velacera it was only 5 years between each run in... So it may have been 200 years but also only a year in Makai... Look at it this way," Chuma grabbed the tablet and scrolled through the applications before finding the calendar icon, "it's now Thursday but we left on Monday morning back in Makai... So there's a bigger difference in timelapse... But this could also explain your ability to time-lapse teleport in battle Kur."

Kur gave a puzzled look as they thought over what Chuma mentioned. Sure it does give off some explanation as to why it only felt like a year in Makai but it couldn't settle the pain that was rising in Kur. The pain of knowing that they lost everything more than what they realize. "Are there any clues to finding Burraku?" It was a genuine question as Emerald shook her head.

"The whereabouts of said Devil hasn't been known for nearly 175 years though many say that there's still a tight relationship between the Devil and the Thunderbird and the Thunderbird's residents is on the way there if you wish to find out anything about the Neverland's Devil," Emerald seemed cautious as Kur nodded, "but first we need to walk through the nightmare mist. I don't have any coverings...."

"I have a few extra cloth masks but just beware they are very thick in layering," Chuma dug around in his bag before grabbing out two masks, "I packed for heavy pollen but seeing how there is nearly no pollen here they aren't as useful to me as my plague mask... Kur I'm sure you can withstand the thickness of the mask." Kur took a mask and slowly slipped it onto their face as Emerald did the same as the train came to a halt. "That's strange," Chuma noted.

"The train will not go any further into the Nightmare mist as it puts everyone without a mask to sleep and even drives them to their own deaths," Emerald stated as she put on the mask, "meaning the staff on the train moves away from the controls as its a risk to be close to operating machines while being in mid-nightmare. They most likely did not bring their masks, the majority of train staff have no means of masks or supplies to move in these conditions... So we are going to be sitting here for a few hours." Emerald shivered as dark navy blue mist leaked into the cargo area and slowly crawled in as Kur put on the mask and Chuma slid on his Plague mask as it surrounded them.

"Temperature dropped from a moderate cold to a nearly deathly cold," Chuma said, muffled by his mask, "so this nightmare mist must control the temperatures of the others to have such terrifying effects. What the?" Chuma looked at Kur, who was merely standing but the mist would not float around them. "How is it not trying to touch you? Does it know that you are the Neverland Star?" Kur shrugged as the mist seemed to retreat from around Kur. "Kur, try creating that small ball of light I need to test my theory," Chuma walked slightly closer as Kur held out their hand as a small form of light as the mist moved back even more. "The Neverland Star kept the Nightmare mist at bay... Kur do you think that you are still able to control Dreams?"

"Back in Makai, I was able to see others' dreams so I am assuming I am able to still use my sway over dreams," Kur spoke softly as the light illuminated the area as the lights had flickered and gone out. "Does this mean that I am able to push the mist back?"

"That I am uncertain of but for now you can prevent it from causing us any harm as it avoids you," Chuma sighed as he noticed that Emerald was gone, "Where did she go? I hope she has her mask on correctly..."