The early morning air smelled of a mix of autumn trees and burning coal from the trains passing through the station. As the timely travelers prepare themselves for the workday, there sits a lone traveler, unnoticed by those around them, waiting. Unlike the rest of the train station, they wait for something else, not the train or a specific traveler to return to them, more of a sign for their next step, a sign that said he was there or will be there. He could appear anywhere and although they had never gotten a full look at who he might be, they could tell when his presence was near. They slowly open their bag and pull out an ordinary brown journal and begin flipping through the pages, each page shows details of places and years they have traveled since looking for him.  

This journal, that they guarded with a simple messenger bag, was the beginning of everything for them, how long they had been following him, where they had been, and their personal thoughts. However, it said nothing about where they had come from before and their reason for being chosen for this endless journey except for the words “Following the darkness takes time...”. No matter how long they thought about it, they could not find the answers as to if they were anyone before, and what they were meant to be in this world. They had imagined the person they could have been several times over but found no resolve and became tired of such thoughts. The only thing they could think of was this endless search for the one other person who could know was the key behind knowing the unknown, but that too was growing to be tiring for them.  

Looking at them, no one would be quite sure what would best describe them. This was best for them, less attention. Going by neutral pronouns made them happier, on top of making their work easier. That is because it made them less noticeable and able to blend in with a crowd, no matter what time it was. Gender was not essential for them to do their task, however, there was something comforting about being unnoticed in such an uncomplicated way. They could feel a part of themselves before this journey would have preferred this way of blending in over whatever the latter was. While they believed this would make them unrecognizable, there were still few throughout the history of time that have given them names that have matched the mystery of their purpose. Names like The Seeker or The Forgotten had given them mixed feelings, however, there was one that they preferred overall. This name, Sage, was given to them by the select few that managed to notice them throughout time and was something they never claimed to be but enjoyed the sound of being referred to by.  

The sudden sound of a train slowly approaching snaps them back into reality, standing there at the end of the station. From far off, they can see a young woman standing on the train platform waiting just like everyone else. Seeing her, there was not much that stood out, almost as if she blended into the crowd much as they did. She looked to be in her 20s, an average height, with short crimson hair and was curvier than most young women.  

However, her appearance was not what interested them. It was her existence that was somewhat unsettling to them. They would hate to admit it but have found themselves on this very train station, on this specific day, at this exact moment, quite a few times and could pinpoint the moments of everyone that entered. Her simple existence caused confusion for them; the appearance of a new individual made them think there could only be one person behind this.  

Throughout following this mysterious man, they knew very few things about him and what he was looking for. However, they knew that if there was anything new to appear in these moments of time, those could very well be signs of his presence nearby and their best choices of catching up to him were to approach these types of anomalies. However, those where they noticed a change in time had only ever involved a moved object or a name changed, never a human. 

There is a strange feeling that they felt walking up to an unknown individual and beginning a conversation, this was something that they tend to avoid during their travels. It has the possibility of bringing more attention to them than they need. As they began to stand up and walk over to the young woman, they felt it necessary to confine in themselves the courage to begin the conversation. The idea of speaking to someone about something as confusing as searching for a man through different points of time to see if she is somehow connected to this mystery gave them much more anxiety than they would have liked. However, they continued onward and once they reach the distance to the woman, they give enough space between them both to not frighten her.  

The busyness of the station fades into the background of their mind, with trains coming in and out much like the passengers on them. The young woman seemed to be simply standing there, waiting for something, much like they were moments before. 

They keep their focus on the young woman as they shift their feet closer and farther away from her to provide them with motivation or time to figure out the right words to say. However, as it has been since the beginning, the power of choosing never seems to be quite on their side as the young lady next to them seemed to have noticed them. 

“Excuse me…” the young woman now faces them, looking concerned and unsure of something. “I hate to bother a stranger with my worries, but I just noticed you and there is something that seems similar about your presents. Would it be all right to ask you something?” she stopped to think of the best ways to phrase her thoughts.  

They hesitate for a moment, thinking of some way to speak. However, before the words made their way from their head to their mouth, the unfazed young lady continued speaking without being given an answer. “You see, I am in the process of taking a step that I never thought I would ever take.”  

“I want to help people, or at least do more than I have or would be doing if I stay here. So, I left, packed up my things, and vanished without saying a word to my family, which is something I never dreamed of doing but needed to do. While I worry for my family, I don’t believe I will ever get a chance again. However, I seem to be-”  

“At a crossroads, unsure if you should be doing such a thing…” They interrupted her for a moment.  

“Exactly!” the young lady claps in agreement, “I’m just not sure what to do…”  

“Unfortunately, I might not be the best to confine in for this topic. I have never really been in a situation where fate was letting me choose the outcome…” pressing their hand against the shape of a journal in their bag while speaking reminded them of the truth they continue to search for.  

The young lady let out a sign of acknowledgment, knowing that a stranger would not be possible to give her the answer she needed. They knew that it would be much easier to change the subject to help with their own concerns and the longer it took to find the answers they needed the more likely it was that their target would get away from them. However, the young woman before them gives a sense of hope that they did not know was needed. She questioned and acted on her feelings, and by doing that, she had already changed her future. Which had at first concerned them, however, it had been quite some time of searching for a faceless figure by a simple feeling, and that feeling had not shown itself while speaking with the young lady. They could see parts of themselves in what she was struggling with, the thought of the unknown, waiting and searching for something or someone to give her an answer that might never be. 

“However, the way I see it…” once they began speaking the thoughts had not fully formed yet, but knowing all too well the desperation of seeking something that might not ever be answered, they managed to find some words. “Finding answers in a sea of what-ifs causes anyone to grow tired and begin to sink. Purpose is a hard idea for many to find, since you have one, hold on to it and go forward. You never know what will happen, but my guess is that you wanted something different than what you could see would happen. You will never know what could have been, so the only way of knowing is by give yourself a chance for something different.” 

“Thank you…” the young lady looked towards the recent train slowly showing itself as it moves closer to where the next group of future passengers are waiting, “that helps ease my mind…”  

Once the train had fully placed itself into the station, with a horn sounding to inform everyone that the time for finding a spot for their journeys had started. Before fully to the train, the young woman turns to them for one last time, “are you not entering...?” she asks.  

They hesitated for a moment, thinking of the few chances they had gotten to leave whatever life they had before and be something new. This might have been the first and last chance they could have to make this choice, but there was something stopping them. The unknown. They needed to know who or what this mystery man wanted from them, what he was doing jumping through time looking for God only knows what. Someday, they would have the freedom to make that choice, like the young woman in front of them, until then the choice has and always will be made for them.  

“No…my train won’t be here for some time…”  

“Well, it was very pleasant speaking with you...” she stopped herself, with a confused look on her face. “Sage, my name is Sage.” they quickly answered, knowing exactly what she was meaning to ask. 

“Thank you again...Sage...” and with that the young lady nods and turns back around to enter the train and fades from their sight. The train sounded off one last time, telling the passengers and any surrounding ears that it was time to leave was beginning. As they watch the train leave slowly, they feel that sudden feeling that has guided them to this exact moment in time. They began to feel the ground shake beneath them, and the few people left in the station began to slow down enough to appear as if time had completely stopped.  

The train that was just beginning its journey started to speed up at a pace that was almost impossible to fully see the machine and had a continuous row of train cars that felt never ending. The sudden sounds of train horns along with the gust of wind being created by the train in front of them cause a mixture of confusion so big that it pushes them to the ground. As they watch the world around them change from a station full of travelers to a lone outpost station in the middle of a windy vast old west, they could see for just a moment the shadow of the man that they had been following for so long, clearer than they had ever seen him before. With that the endless train car finally ended, and they can see the world around them.  

They felt the world begin again, but in a new time that showed them less around them compared to where they were before. They slowly stand up and brush off the dust and dirt on their clothes. While their search continues onward, thoughts of the young woman come back to them. Someday they might catch up to him, and finally learn what they were truly needed for. However, until then they can embrace the title given to them and provide lost travelers with the wisdom needed to find the strength to continue into the unknown. Perhaps that could be enough to provide them with small bits of purpose in the end as well.