"Gather 'round, my spectacular little pixels of potential!" Caine declared in his usual overblown voice, spinning above the group in a swirl of confetti. He hovered in the center of the main hub of the Digital Circus, arms flung wide, teeth too shiny, voice just a little too chipper.
"Because today's adventure comes straight from... the Suggestion Box!"
With a dramatic poof and an unnecessarily long slide whistle, a glittering envelope materialized beside him. Caine caught it mid-spin and snapped it open with a flourish, reading its contents like it was sacred scripture.
"Today's activity is... drumroll, Bubble!"
Bubble appeared, spinning a tiny drum. Caine grinned with exaggerated excitement, clearly more invested than anyone on the ground.
"The. Infinite. Express!" he announced, his voice pitching into a theatrical crescendo. "A puzzle-packed journey through shifting railways, mind-bending track switches, and bonus platforming segments!"
Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.
Jax was the only one grinning.
He tossed his head back and snorted. "Hah! I forgot I even put that in the box. Man, I'm good." He casually dusted off his overalls like he'd just dropped the punchline of the century.
Zooble folded their arms with a flat expression. "Right. Because what we really needed was more trains and puzzles. What's next, more hunting?"
Jax pointed a mock finger-gun in their direction. "You're just mad your idea was 'sit in a dark room and stare.'"
Zooble didn't even blink. "That was still better than this. "
Pomni, standing slightly behind the group, tilted her head at the mention of puzzles and trains. "Honestly... it might be kind of fun?" she offered hesitantly.
Zooble turned to give her a long, unamused stare. "You say that now. Let's talk again when we're trapped in a train car solving riddles written by a sadistic crossword puzzle."
Jax glanced sideways at Pomni, his smirk deepening at her response. "Look at you. Miss Optimism. You're really leaning into the 'delusional hope' arc, huh?"
Pomni shrugged, but there was a faint smile on her lips. "I'm just... trying not to dread every second of existence. y'know. It's called balance."
"Yeah, there you go. You're getting used to this place!", Jax told her.
Off to the side, Ragatha stood silently. Her usual smile was in place - tight, polite, practiced. But her eyes told a different story. They flicked to Jax, lingered on the way he laughed a little too easily, then drifted toward Pomni... standing just a little closer to him than before.
Ragatha looked away.
Caine spun like a coin and clapped his hands. "To the Express, my code-constrained companions! Tickets not required - but sanity is non-refundable!"
A swirling portal sparked to life in midair.
With varying degrees of reluctance, the group filed in. None of them could've guessed it yet, but one thing was certain. The Infinite Express wasn't going to be what Pomni expected.
As everyone emerged from the portal, they got their first full look at the train if it could even be called that.
It was massive, stretching endlessly into a fog that shimmered like broken static. The landscape around it barely looked rendered. Each car along the train's length was wildly different - some sleek and metallic, others wooden, glassy, rubbery, or geometric - as if someone had assembled it from twelve different people.
The exterior shimmered with mismatched patterns, blinking lights and clashing textures flickering across the surfaces like a bad fever dream.
Without warning, they materialized inside the lead car.
The interior was... almost normal. Train-themed, with deep red velvet seats, polished brass rails, and swinging overhead handles. But something was off. The windows didn't show any real scenery - just looping, abstract visuals that pulsed and warped. The floor tilted ever so slightly every few seconds, as if gravity was debating whether to behave.
Caine's voice echoed from a speaker overhead:
"All aboard the Infinite Express! Solve your way through each car before time runs out, or - well, you'll find out!"
A digital timer buzzed to life at the head of the car: 10:00 , blinking in bold, yellow digits.
Jax's ears perked up. He clapped his hands with smug satisfaction, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Oh-hoho, yes. Look at this beauty!" he said with a dramatic flourish. "Puzzles and time pressure? I really outdo myself sometimes."
Zooble groaned loudly and dragged a hand down their face. "Of course there's a timer. There's always a timer. Why can't we ever just... I don't know... play cards or something?"
"Or sit still and question ourselves," Kinger mumbled from behind a curtain rod.
Pomni stepped forward cautiously, her eyes locked on the ticking countdown. "What happens if we... don't finish in time?"
Jax didn't even blink. "Oh, nothing."
She raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"
His smile widened. "Yep. Nothing at all. Absolutely not a single horrifying thing."
Pomni took a step back. "...Comforting."
Ragatha hadn't said a word since they arrived. She stood near the back of the car, arms folded tightly over her chest, posture rigid. Her eyes were locked on Jax - watching the way he grinned at the timer like this was a game show instead of a potential death trap.
He looked so calm. So in control. Like he hadn't been crying in Pomni's arms the day before. Like that moment had just... evaporated.
The tightness in Ragatha's chest built until she couldn't hold it in.
"I think you know what happens when that timer hits zero," she snapped, her voice sharp and cutting through the hum of train noise. "What's the kick, huh? A cliff? A lava pit? Do we get turned into confetti?"
Jax turned his head slowly, eyes locking with hers. He didn't lose the smile.
"I've got no idea," he said, voice light and airy. "But isn't that half the fun?"
Ragatha stared at him, mouth parted like she wanted to argue - but no words came. Because the worst part? She couldn't tell if he was lying. She let out a quiet breath through her nose and turned away, walking slowly toward one of the flickering train windows. Her reflection was warped in the glass - stretched and unreal. Just like everything else.
Then Gangle's nervous voice piped up from the middle of the car.
"Um... shouldn't the train be movi-"
WHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Before she could finish, the train lurched forward at impossible speed. The floor bucked like a wild animal, sending everyone flying backward into the seats and walls. Even Jax hit the ground with a graceless thud.
Pomni shrieked as the wind whipped through an open side window. She tumbled toward it, the vacuum pulling at her legs like invisible claws - until a hand snatched hers.
"Gotcha," Jax grunted, yanking her back with a firm tug. With his free hand, he slammed the window shut just before it could pull them both out. He collapsed into a heap beside her - then burst out laughing.
Pomni coughed, her eyes wide. "What's so funny?!"
Jax leaned against the velvet seat, still chuckling. "Nothing. Your face. Absolutely priceless . "
Before she could retort, a sudden mechanical clunk rang out. The floor beneath them vibrated, and a section of the wall hissed open - revealing a complex control board covered in blinking lights, mismatched symbols, and way too many levers.
"Great," Zooble groaned. "It's puzzle time."
Jax's smile sharpened. "Watch this."
Without warning, he marched to the door at the end of the car, cracked it open - and jumped out.
"Jax!" Pomni shouted, lunging to the window.
She pressed her face against the glass, scanning the outside in panic. "What?!"
A split second later-
BAM!
He reappeared inside the car in a cartoon-style pop, landing right beside Gangle, who yelped and crumpled to the floor in a ribboned mess.
"Pretty neat," Jax said with a smug shrug.
Pomni gave him a wide-eyed look, mouth half open. But slowly - almost involuntarily - she started to laugh.
"Okay... that was kind of cool."
Jax grinned. "I aim to impress."
Before anyone could question the physics of what just happened, Caine's voice came blaring from the overhead speakers again.
"Puzzle Car One, people! Someone get your noodle arms moving before the track bends into a pretzel!"
Pomni squared her shoulders and stepped toward the control panel. "Alright... let's figure this out."
She crouched near the glowing controls, eyes scanning the levers. Ragatha quietly stepped up beside her, pointing at a chart pinned above the switches.
"I-I think the colors have to match the sequence here," she said softly, glancing between the lights and a series of blinking patterns.
Pomni nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. Maybe it controls which track the car moves onto next..."
Ragatha opened her mouth to explain further - then immediately went quiet when Jax strolled over. Her expression soured.
Jax leaned lazily against the wall, hands behind his head, one foot crossed over the other. "Go on, Professor Panic," he said, looking straight at Pomni. "I'll supervise from a safe distance."
Ragatha didn't hide the irritation in her voice. "Are you seriously not helping?"
"I am helping," Jax replied with mock innocence. "I'm providing moral support. Very important role."
He stretched like a cat, lounging against the brass rail. "You're doing great, by the way," he added to Pomni, his grin sharp.
Zooble groaned and trudged over. "Great. The peanut gallery's in full force. Move over."
As Pomni tried toggling one of the levers, she looked over her shoulder. "Ragatha, does this color match the third one in the sequence?"
Ragatha squinted. "Uh... no, switch it with the blue one. Top left."
Jax tilted his head. "Y'know, it almost looks like you've gotta align the colors based on the track patterns outside the window. Just guessing"
Ragatha narrowed her eyes at him. "What? I don't think that's how this works."
But Pomni paused. "Wait... he might be right."
She pulled a lever aligned with a blue track flashing past the window. A chunk! echoed through the car, and the door at the far end creaked open a couple of inches.
Her eyes lit up. "It worked!"
Zooble raised her head up. "Well, I'll be..."
With renewed energy, the group sprang into motion - switching levers, calling out symbols, checking patterns. Ragatha hovered close, eyes darting between the lights and the diagrams, while Zooble called coordinates and Gangle nervously double-checked their inputs. As for Kinger, he was doing the best he could.
All the while, Jax remained planted at the side of the room. He didn't lift a finger - but his eyes lingered on Pomni's focused face, watching the way she leaned into the puzzle with determination.
Every now and then, he offered some flippant, half-serious advice.
He never touched the controls.
And all the while... Ragatha was watching him.
She said nothing.
But she saw everything.
Watched the way Jax's ears perked when Pomni laughed quietly at one of his quips. Watched how easily he leaned toward her, how naturally he slipped back into his jokester persona like nothing had ever cracked it.
Ragatha's hands curled into tight fists at her sides.
She didn't say a word. But her gaze stayed fixed on Jax - on how he stood there, untouched by effort, smirking like he owned the room. Then - with a satisfying clunk - the final lever slid into place.
The glowing lock on the train door flashed green, and with a mechanical shhhhhkt , the door at the front of the car slid fully open.
Jax clapped his hands once. "And look at that! Thanks to my undeniable expertise," he said with a grin that could cut glass.
Pomni turned to him and actually smile - softly, genuinely. "Yeah... your advice actually helped. Thanks."
Jax blinked for half a second, like the sincerity short-circuited something behind his eyes. But he recovered quickly. "Of course it did. I am a genius, after all."
Before anyone could respond, Ragatha stepped forward - voice just a little too sharp.
"This whole thing was his suggestion," she said, looking at Pomni. "Don't you think it's suspicious he just happened to know what to do? He's probably messing with you. That's what he does."
The words came out fast. Accusatory. And instantly, Ragatha regretted them.
Pomni's smile faded, confusion tugging at herself. "Wait... what? I don't think he-?"
Her voice was quiet. Not angry - just thrown off. That made it worse somehow. Ragatha's stomach twisted. She looked away, already cursing herself. Too harsh. That came out way too harsh.
There was a beat of awkward silence before Caine's voice echoed again, far too cheerfully. "Car Two, ho! Next stop!"
The group moved forward through the open door.
Jax strutted through like nothing happened. Pomni followed, her expression still thoughtful. Ragatha lingered behind them both - silent, tense, and chewing on the bitter taste of her own words.