The van rolled slowly through the quiet streets of Redwood City, the tires humming softly against the asphalt. Streetlights flickered past the tinted windows one by one, casting brief streaks of orange light across the inside of the vehicle. Most of the city was asleep now, houses dark and silent, the night air cool.

  I must’ve dozed off somewhere along the drive.

  When I opened my eyes again, the van was slowing down.

  The bright lights of the airport parking lot filled the windows as Kai pulled the van into a space near the entrance. The massive building towered ahead of us, glass walls glowing with artificial light. Planes roared faintly in the distance, their engines echoing across the runway.

  Kai turned the engine off.

  For a moment, no one moved.

  Then Cameron stretched loudly. “Oh my god, we’re finally here.”

  I rubbed my eyes, still waking up. My neck was stiff from sleeping in the seat.

  “Yeah,” Jordan muttered, pushing some hair out of her face. “Because you definitely didn’t ask if we were there every ten minutes.”

  “I asked like… five times,” Cameron argued.

  “Eight,” Maya said calmly without even looking up from her book.

  Cameron blinked. “You were counting?”

  Maya turned a page. “Yes.”

  I pushed the van door open and stepped outside first. The cold night air hit my face immediately, waking me up the rest of the way.

  We were at the airport.

  The huge terminal stretched across the front of the lot, glass windows reflecting the lights of the runway. People were walking in and out of the sliding doors with luggage rolling behind them. Overhead announcements echoed faintly through the building.

  One by one everyone climbed out.

  Shin stepped out next, quiet as always. Then Kai, followed by Cameron, Jordan, and finally Maya, who slid a bookmark into her book before closing it.

  Kai clapped his hands once.

  “Alright, everyone grab your bags. Let’s move.”

  “Bossy,” Jordan muttered.

  Cameron popped open the trunk and grabbed his bag. “I’m still excited about this whole Japan thing.”

  “You’re excited about everything,” Jordan said.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “And proud of it.”

  I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. Shin grabbed his silently. Maya carried a small black suitcase. Jordan had a backpack with her daggers strapped carefully beneath her jacket.

  Kai didn’t even grab luggage.

  “Wait,” I said, noticing. “Where’s your bag?”

  Kai shrugged. “I travel light.”

  “That sounds suspicious.”

  “It’s efficient.”

  We walked into the airport together.

  The inside was bright and loud compared to the quiet night outside. People rushed around with rolling luggage. Screens displayed departure times. A family argued near the security line while a businessman rushed past talking loudly on his phone.

  Cameron looked around like a tourist already.

  “Okay this is actually happening,” he said. “We’re going to Japan.”

  “Relax,” Jordan said. “You’re acting like you’ve never left the country.”

  “I haven’t!”

  “That explains a lot.”

  Kai led us toward the ticket counter.

  A woman sat behind the desk. Blonde hair tied neatly into a bun, bright blue eyes, and a crisp blue airline uniform. She looked completely normal—like any other airport worker.

  Kai stepped forward.

  The woman looked up politely. “Hello, how can I help—”

  Kai leaned slightly forward and spoke calmly.

  “Dragons are powerful, all-wise, ever-living. They never escape their eye. Dragons are all-powerful, never stopping. One can see why. That is a dragon’s lifeline.”

  The woman froze for half a second.

  Then something changed in her expression.

  Without saying a word, she reached under the desk and slid a small metal key across the counter.

  I stared.

  “What the—”

  Kai grabbed the key casually.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  The woman simply nodded and went back to typing like nothing happened.

  Cameron leaned over toward me. “Did… did that just happen?”

  “I think so,” I whispered.

  Jordan crossed her arms. “That was weird.”

  “Very weird,” Maya agreed.

  Kai turned and started walking again.

  “Come on.”

  We followed him through a hallway that led away from the main airport traffic. The lights became dimmer, the walls quieter. Eventually we reached a metal door marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

  Kai unlocked it.

  Inside was the back runway area.

  Cold wind rushed across the tarmac as we stepped outside. The roar of distant engines echoed across the open space. Cargo trucks moved slowly between hangars.

  And parked off to the side—

  Was a sleek white and blue plane.

  I stopped walking.

  “What is this?” I asked. “Don’t we need tickets?”

  Kai laughed.

  “William,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you really think we can take a normal plane to our secret society?”

  Cameron’s eyes widened. “WAIT—this is OUR plane?”

  “Yes.”

  Jordan whistled. “That’s excessive.”

  “Our existence is hidden,” Kai continued. “Which means we travel quietly.”

  “So yes,” he added with a grin. “Private plane.”

  “YES!” Cameron shouted.

  Jordan smacked him in the back of the head.

  “Lower your voice.”

  We loaded our bags into the plane.

  Inside was nicer than any plane I’d ever seen—wide leather seats, soft lighting, quiet engines humming beneath the floor.

  A pilot sat in the cockpit already preparing for departure.

  Kai dropped into a seat like he owned the aircraft.

  “Everyone buckle up.”

  The engines roared louder as the plane began to move.

  Cameron pressed his face against the window.

  “This is insane.”

  Jordan rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide a small smile.

  Maya opened her book again.

  Shin sat silently, staring out the window into the night.

  I leaned back into my seat as the plane accelerated down the runway.

  A moment later—

  We lifted into the air.

  California disappeared beneath the clouds as we began the long flight across the Pacific Ocean.

  Hours passed.

  At some point everyone fell asleep except Kai and Shin.

  When the plane finally began descending again, sunlight filled the cabin windows.

  We had reached Japan.

  The plane landed smoothly on a private runway just outside the ancient city of kyoto.

  The door opened.

  Cool morning air flowed into the cabin as we stepped outside.

  Mountains surrounded the city in the distance, and traditional rooftops stretched across the horizon. Mist curled gently through the streets like something out of an old painting.

  Cameron looked completely stunned.

  “We’re actually here…”

  Jordan stretched her arms. “Finally.”

  Maya adjusted her bag. “The flight was tolerable.”

  Kai motioned for us to follow.

  “Come on. We’re not done yet.”

  We grabbed our bags and followed him across a small platform.

  At the edge of the runway was something unexpected.

  A train station.

  But it didn’t look normal.

  Dark stone pillars held up an arched roof covered in ancient carvings of dragons twisting through clouds. Lanterns hung along the platform, glowing softly even in daylight.

  A single black train waited silently on the tracks.

  No markings.

  No passengers.

  Just the quiet hum of something powerful.

  Cameron whispered, “Okay… that’s definitely not a normal train.”

  Kai turned back toward us with a small smile.

  “Good,” he said.

  “Because this train doesn’t go anywhere on a map.”

  He gestured toward the doors.

  “It goes somewhere far more interesting.”

  “The Dragon Society