Elius stepped onto the familiar yet also unfamiliar phasing bus with a steady breath.
His boots thudded softly against the semi-transparent steps as the door hissed shut behind him.
The shimmering metal floor beneath him pulsed faintly with arcane currents, lighting up with each step.
A low hum vibrated through the frame as the vehicle prepared to cross another plane.
He paused—because something was off.
It wasn't the same driver.
Yesterday, the toothpick man with weathered eyes had grunted at him like he was chewing coal.
Today, a sharp-dressed figure in a dark red blazer and shimmering hat turned toward him with an enormous grin plastered across his old but lively face.
His hair was a bushy gray with white lightning streaks, combed like a cloud crown. His mustache twitched like it had its own sentience.
The driver raised a gloved hand in a theatrical gesture. "Lo and behold!"
Elius blinked.
