The Eminence of Not-Shadow

Chapter 5 - The Man Who Tangos With Shadow

[Shadow POV]

I was currently fighting a parody of John Smith near a reservoir of Midgar, of whom Faker stated that he wanted to steal water out of. This parody has bullets that stop the channeling or casting of magic through the interruption of mana. However, with enough dense mana present, the bullets would not stop it. This was evident by the fact that the slime suit was not affected, since it does contain some mana. Perhaps they are dense enough to stop the bullet's ability of absorbing mana?

Well, that is no longer the current issue.

That parody threw a cube at me, which I contemplated to dodge or slice it through, and the resulting decision left me here.

I am seated on a... train?

I look at the window on my right side.

I see some grass and a blue sky. Well, the window is something I would see on a Japanese train. And these comfy blue seats. Well, they are a bit old in terms of what trains I saw before I got warped...died? I am not sure which is true. On my left side, there are other train seats and windows, but no passengers currently here.

I am no longer wearing the slime outfit that I had, instead my Midgar Academy clothes are the only thing that is left present on me. I can attempt to cast some magic, but it eventually dissipates after a while. I guess I am a normal person. Well, me before leaving Japan...?

I still don't know if I was transported or under some kind of illusion to get here. Anyways, time to explore a little bit.

I find the door on this train car, but it is locked. I go to the other door on the opposite side, and it is also locked. I use some of my techniques and attempt to punch or kick the door down. It was unsuccessful. Slightly injured, but that is part of the course of being a human.

Hm...

What if I break the window? While the train is probably going fast, it does not mean that I will die if I jump out. Maybe break a few bones, but if the magic interference is from the train itself, then I should be fine. So, I attempt to kick the window nearby. That doesn't work, so I punch the window. Nothing.

Am I trapped here? That is-

I am magically reseated on this train seat. I felt something before I got brought back here, but I do not have a clue as of yet.

"Testing, testing. Did you enjoy exploring the train car?"

In the corners of the train car, speakers magically appeared, along with one singular camera. I feel like I am being mocked by this parody. Or perhaps if I looked at it another way, being documented?

"Well, don't worry. You aren't trapped here forever. That is not how my \\\\ works."

Interesting. There is a word that he can't speak at all? Then that means he isn't a parody of John Smith. Is he a unique character?

"So... I will explain to you what this will be about. It is quite simple actually."

A projector on the floor of the train car appears, turning itself on.

A map is then projected on the roof of the train car, indicating a type of train map. I assume the dot is us, and those other dots... I am not sure, but he will probably explain.

"I am sure that this map seems familiar to you. I had to research the Japanese train system a bit, but luckily, I was not using multiple trains or stations for this. Also, I would have gone and used a modern Japanese train, but those are way over budget for this."

He pauses for a bit.

"Anyways, here is your way of escaping. Have you ever heard of the trolley problem?"