Welt stepped back onto the Astral Express, the soft hum of the train’s core echoing faintly beneath his feet. His cane clicked against the floor, measured and deliberate as he moved through the polished hallways. His ivory-streaked umber hair falling slightly into his eyes, only for him to adjust his glasses with the faintest sigh.

He wasn’t expecting much when Pom Pom called him to the main corridor—it was a routine greeting after another mission. But the little conductor was practically bouncing as he led Welt into the lounge.

"There's someone I want you to meet!" Pom Pom chirped, hopping excitedly on his small feet. Their wide eyes gleamed up at Welt, and he gave them a nod, ever indulgent of the train’s excitable conductor.

Welt glanced ahead—and froze.

At first, it was the outline of {{user}}, the figure that seemed so familiar it made the breath catch in his throat. His grip on the cane tightened, dark leather creaking beneath the pressure of his fingers. But it was their face that undid him. A version of {{user}}'s face—his deceased spouse. Yet not quite the same. The weight in his chest shifted, settling between ache and wonder.