As the first light of dawn filtered through the window, Sabir was the first to wake. He lay still for a moment, his mind already racing with thoughts of what lay ahead. Quietly, he got up and gathered his things. He glanced at Max and Samantha, still asleep, and felt a surge of gratitude for their friendship and loyalty.
He opened the window to the cool morning air, a stark contrast to the warmth of the room. The city was just beginning to stir, and he took a moment to steady himself, to prepare for what was to come. The streets of The Commons would soon be bustling with life, but for now, there was a stillness, a quiet that he found oddly comforting.
Sabir noticed Samantha waking up from the floor while Max was still cocooned in his sleeping bag. With a gentle kick, Sabir nudged Max. “Wake up. Your parents already left for the mines. Your mom yelled that they left breakfast for you.”
Max groggily opened his eyes, excitement replacing sleepiness as he remembered their plans. “Right, we’re all set to leave!” he exclaimed, already eager to head to the Limbo.
Samantha stretched and yawned, her hair messy, and drool running down her mouth. Max and Sabir couldn't help but stare, amused. Turning red, Samantha threw a pillow at them. “We’re not leaving until I take a shower!” she declared before leaving the room. Soon, they heard the sound of the tap running.
“She didn’t even ask to use my shower,” Max remarked, shaking his head with a smile.
Max then sniffed Sabir and grimaced. “Shit, you need to take a shower too. Are your wing wounds all good?”
“Surprisingly, yeah. I’m all healed,” Sabir said, looking at his shoulder where the vinefiend had bitten him. A large scar in the shape of the monster's sharp teeth remained, but the flesh had healed.
Max remembered how bad the wound was and how Samantha had struggled to bandage it. “You heal real fast,” he pointed out.
Sabir shrugged, dismissive. “It’s just how it is.”
From the shower, Samantha called out, “I need clothes!”
Max rummaged through a drawer. “I’ve got some old clothes from when I was a kid,” he said, heading to the bathroom door. “Open the door slightly so I can give them to you.”
“Sabir, make sure he doesn’t try to peek or something!” Samantha called out.
Once she was done, Sabir took his turn in the shower. The water was cold, but he welcomed it. “Hot running water is impossible to get,” Max explained. “You’d need to heat the water on the stove.” Even cold water was a blessing compared to the Limbo, so Sabir didn't mind.
After his shower, Sabir dressed in his old clothes and stepped out. Max apologized, “Sorry, I don’t have any spare clothes.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sabir replied.
They headed downstairs to the small kitchen and living room, where Max’s mom had left a piece of stale bread on the counter. Max strained, his eyes glowing as he concentrated hard, making the bread levitate and split into three pieces. He handed one to each of them with a satisfied grin.
Samantha rolled her eyes. “Showoff,” she muttered, her own eyes glowing briefly as she used telekinesis to bring a piece of bread to her mouth. “Your telekinesis is just a party trick.”
Sabir grabbed his piece with his hand, feeling a twinge of bitterness. He had no esper abilities, and moments like this reminded him of what he was missing.
As they chewed on the stale bread, the silence grew a bit uncomfortable. Trying to lighten the mood, Max said, “One day, I’m gonna get rich so I can eat as much food as I want and drink all the Roller Cola I can handle.”
Sabir managed a smile, nodding in agreement, while Samantha slapped Max playfully. “You wasted your money yesterday on cola!” she teased.
“It was a congratulatory gift for Sabir for finishing school and getting offered a job,” Max defended.
Sabir remembered the job offer at Kajima Labs. It felt so distant now. He didn't know whether that offer was something he was going to take. Meeting Cassius changed his trajectory slightly, he had no clue what he was going to do for the future.
They finished their bread and started to head out. “Won’t your parents say anything?” Sabir asked.
Samantha shook her head. “My dad is always in the mines farming for eridium.”
Max nodded. “Yeah, even my parents are obsessed with working at the mines to find eridium.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Eridium was a precious deposit of meteorites in the ground, essential for powering Havana’s devices from cars to electronics. Finding a large deposit meant a huge bonus or even a percentage of the sale, making you rich.
“My parents won’t question if I’m missing,” Max added with a shrug. “They’ll just assume I’m up to no good somewhere in this city.”
With everyone packed and ready, the three friends stepped out into the morning light. They trudged through the empty streets, the city slowly waking up around them, until they arrived at the massive walls surrounding Havana.
The walls were imposing, a towering fortress of stone and steel, with guards patrolling the perimeter. At the center stood The Threshold, a single giant gate that served as the only entrance and exit to the city. The gate was heavily fortified, guards lined up along the wall, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of trouble.
As they approached, they noticed a man standing by the gate, arguing with the guards. He was wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts, round sunglasses with brown lenses, and had sandy blonde hair with a lot of stubble. He was of average height but was huge and muscular.
“I’m telling you, I have my reasons,” the man was saying, his voice exasperated. “I just want to leave Havana. Isn’t that allowed?”
The guards looked confused. “Why would anyone want to leave Havana voluntarily?” one of them asked. “Even though you’re trying to leave, not enter, you’re going to need to show your documents and ID.”
Sabir, Max, and Samantha exchanged glances, their attention drawn to the man's odd attire. He was also wearing flip-flops, which seemed wildly out of place given their destination.
Max nudged Sabir with his elbow and whispered, “Is this guy serious? He looks like he’s heading to sector 5, not the Limbo.”
Samantha stifled a giggle, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “He’s got to be the funniest-looking guy I’ve ever seen. Who wears a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops to a place like this?”
Sabir tried to keep a straight face but found himself chuckling along. “He definitely stands out. But look at those muscles—he’s no joke. The weirder they are, the stronger they tend to be,” he mused, recalling the various espers he had encountered. They were often eccentric, if not downright bizarre, yet incredibly powerful.
Samantha shook her head, still smiling. “Or maybe he’s just crazy. Either way, he’s got guts arguing with the guards like that.”
Max squinted at the man, studying him. “You think he’s actually going to get through? I mean, he’s obviously not your average traveler.”
“Who knows?” Sabir replied. “But we’ll find out soon enough. Just stay sharp.”
As they continued to observe, the man seemed to sense their scrutiny. He glanced over his shoulder, giving them a quick once-over before returning to his argument with the guards. The trio watched in anticipation, wondering what would happen next and if this strangely dressed man would indeed manage to leave Havana.
As the trio approached the gate, one of the guards noticed them. "Hey! You three! What are you doing here? Quit sightseeing and head back to the city!"
“We’re not sightseeing,” Sabir began, but the guard cut him off.
“Wait a minute, if it isn’t the kid with the pass,” the guard sneered, his eyes narrowing. “I was hoping you'd show your face around here. Because of you, my friends were killed.”
“What the hell did I do?” Sabir asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Max and Samantha exchanged puzzled looks, their concern growing.
“What the hell, Sabir, you killed people?” Max whispered, his voice tinged with fear. He and Samantha were beginning to feel a creeping unease about their friend.
“I didn't kill anyone,” Sabir declared, his voice steady. The man in the sunglasses nearby glanced at him with interest, but Sabir barely noticed.
“You might not have directly killed my buddies, but you sure as hell pissed off Lord Voltaire, and he killed them so mercilessly.” The guard’s voice cracked, tears welling up in his eyes.
Samantha felt a pang of sympathy, but it quickly dissipated as the guard's face twisted into a cruel grin.
“We can't get revenge on the noble, but we can sure as hell kill you and no one would bat an eye. You’ve been blacklisted from Havana since you went past your five-hour time limit. We have to kill you; it's the law.” He spat the last word with venom.
The guard raised his arm, and as he signaled, all the guards on the wall turned their attention to Sabir, their eyes beginning to glow, signifying the activation of their esper powers. Sabir felt a surge of panic, realizing they might actually kill him.
Max gulped in fear, his face pale.
Just then, the man in the Hawaiian shirt intervened, draping his arms around the three friends. “These three are coming with me,” he announced to the guards.
The guards were taken aback by his audacity. “Move aside and wait your turn if you want to die,” one of them said, clearly annoyed.
The man, initially playful, adopted a more serious demeanor. He pulled out a note and handed it to the guard. “Will this change your mind?”
The guard’s eyes widened at the sight of the 100-credit note. Such wealth was rare in the outskirts of Havana. He grabbed it, his demeanor changing instantly. “All right, you can go,” he said, waving off the other guards. “Welcome, friends!”
The guards on the wall returned to their duties, their eyes losing their eerie glow.
The man in the Hawaiian shirt played along, acting as if he and the guard were old pals. “Thanks mate, you guards are the best!” he said cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Max and Samantha were deeply troubled by the sudden change in the guard’s attitude. The guards were truly scum with little morals.
The gate opened for them, and the man gently pushed the three of them through, following closely behind.
Once they were on the other side, Sabir glanced back at the man. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. The man gave Sabir a wink—or at least, Sabir thought he did. With those round sunglasses on, it was hard to be sure.