On the last night of Earth, the interstellar express Arcturus departed.
The decaying atmosphere, the dried seas, the collapsed cities—what once had glowed blue under the sun now groaned with its own ruin. While most boarded escape ships bound for new worlds, for those unable to leave Earth, a special train was prepared.
The Arcturus, carrying its final passengers, soared through the galaxy. Its destination: the uncharted star system Eden Alpha—a world no one had stepped upon.
At its cockpit sat the pilot Elena.
Once a test pilot for the Space Development Agency, she lost her family in a tragic accident and withdrew from both space and earth life. But when Earth’s end came, she resolved to take the controls again.
“Dear passengers, our next stop: Vega Beta system.”
The automated announcement echoed. Inside the train, passengers quietly prepared.
Here and there, they disembarked across star‑systems—scientists, farmers, musicians, children—all chosen to start anew.
Elena watched them from her seat, feeling an unfamiliar emptiness.
—Where am I going?
The train glided along the galactic river.
In the Harp Cluster, an elderly musician wept as he sang. In the Asteroid Belt of Cepheus Cloud, families holding hands stepped onto the surface of new worlds.
And then—she saw a face she knew.
—Riana?
But in the next moment, the image vanished. Riana, her sister, had died in the accident Elena caused—all she had lost.
Elena carried her guilt to this moment.
“Next stop: Eden Alpha.”
The train approached the end of its voyage.
Through the cockpit window, a brand‑new world emerged—blue and green, faintly familiar.
The train entered the atmosphere. It tore through a sea of light, pierced the clouds, and descended slowly toward the surface.
Landing complete.
Elena rose and led the passengers off. But in the last car, no one remained.
“…?”
Puzzled, she opened the door.
Inside lay a field of flowers, a still lake—and waiting at its shore stood someone.
A girl with silver hair, her smile unmistakable.
“Elena—welcome home.”
It was Riana.
“This world is for those chosen. A place to forgive the past and walk into the future.”
Elena collapsed to her knees.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Riana…!”
Her sister said nothing—only embraced her gently. The wind whispered, the flowers stirred.
Tears streamed down Elena’s cheeks.
At the end of this endless journey, she finally found the strength to forgive herself.
From that day on, Elena began to live on this new star. She built a small home, tended blossoms by the lake—and sometimes dreamed of a train.
Perhaps the Arcturus still travels somewhere in the galaxy,
delivering the light of destination
to all wanderers.
