Chapter 2: The Great City of Circia.

We return to the story after Zeus has incinerated the souls and slain them.

Arni ascended upon Zeus's back, and together they soared forward through vast, open stretches of hell.

After what seemed like a long time of flight, they saw a massive iron dome with a gate, guarded by two sentinels standing before it.

Zeus sped toward the dome, unleashing a bolt of lightning upon the guards, burning them with a voltage so high that only their charred bones remained.

He opened the gate and entered, only to find three more guards waiting. Without hesitation, he struck them down with lightning, unnoticed by the common folk nearby.

Arni: "The city is vast, sprawling, with guards scattered in every corner. Must we enter?"

Zeus: "The only way to cross through the second hell is to ascend the stairs leading to the first hell, and they lie within this city."

Arni turned to face Zeus but found a stranger standing before him.

Arni, hurriedly: "Excuse me, I’m lost. Can you help me?"

The man laughed: "Ha ha ha! Foolish coward, it is I—Zeus! Didn’t you know that Eastern dragons can take human form? Ha ha ha!"

Arni: "Never mind, let’s disguise ourselves as guards and enter."

Arni and Zeus donned the uniforms of the guards they had defeated and entered the city.

As they walked through the streets, Arni saw a towering spire that reached the very apex of the dome, with a platform on one side that looked like it was meant for speeches.

He stopped and inquired of Zeus about the tower.

Zeus: "I don’t know. This is my first time in this city."

Arni stopped a passerby and asked him about the tower.

Arni: "Good sir, could you tell me about that great tower over there?"

The man fled, shouting: "Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!"

Arni and Zeus fled swiftly, pursued by many guards.

They dashed into a nearby tavern and sat waiting for the guards to arrive. When they did, they pretended to be part of the guard.

The captain of the guard entered, and all the soldiers bowed to him, including Arni and Zeus, to avoid revealing their true identities.

Captain Mira: "You two, where are your weapons?"

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Zeus: "They were broken in a skirmish with a man and a dragon at the city gate. We lost four soldiers there, but the man and dragon escaped."

Captain Mira: "Fetch new weapons and take your positions immediately."

Zeus and Arni: "At once, sir."

They went to a guard camp to retrieve spears (the primary weapon in Circia).

Arni and Zeus wandered the city, and to avoid suspicion, they walked alongside a battalion of guards.

Along the way, the battalion encountered a group of thieves—poor bandits scattered throughout the city.

The guards clashed with the thieves.

Zeus: "Let’s leave them. Let’s go now."

Arni: "I don’t want to. I haven’t trained in combat. How can I leave when I don’t know how to fight?"

Zeus: "I’ll watch from the back."

Arni engaged one of the thieves.

Thief: "You don’t seem to know how to wield that weapon. Are you new here?"

Arni: "Silence and focus, or you’ll lose."

Arni slashed the thief across his chest.

Thief: "You fool! How dare you?"

The thief lost his composure and with all his might, struck at Arni’s head.

Arni swiftly dodged the blow and countered, driving his spear into the thief’s chest, killing him.

Arni: "Impulsiveness and haste are the greatest mistakes one can make in battle."

Zeus: "Let’s go, great one. We must escape quickly."

Arni and Zeus disengaged from the skirmish and continued on their way.

They passed a shop and overheard a conversation between two men:

"I heard a man and a dragon arrived in the city, killed some guards, and fled. It doesn’t make sense—they killed guards and ran. They must have sneaked in, especially since two of the guards were without their official uniforms. They must have taken the uniforms and entered. After all, some dragons can transform into human form."

Zeus and Arni exchanged an uneasy glance and continued on their path.

While walking, a little girl named Lina approached them.

Lina: "Wow! You two are from outside the dome, right? How exciting! Can you tell me what lies beyond?"

Arni, flustered: "That’s not true, girl. Leave here quickly."

Lina: "Liar! No guard wears their uniform like that. That’s the wrong and forbidden way to wear it! And you, sir, are no human—you’re a dragon."

Zeus picked her up in his arms and ran to a quiet alley.

Zeus: "Don’t tell anyone you saw us, alright?"

Lina: "Alright, alright! But tell me, what’s out there?"

Zeus: "Just empty spaces."

Lina: "So the stories I read were fantasies. Damn!"

Arni: "Girl, can you tell me what that great tower is?"

Lina: "That’s the dome’s tower. The father gives speeches there, and it’s said to house the stairs to the first hell. That’s why it’s forbidden to enter."

Arni: "Thank you."

Arni and Zeus hurried to the tower, where they found the gate unguarded and entered, assuming the guise of tower guards.

They ascended to the first floor, where three large, armored men stood—Solz warriors, seasoned swordsmen.

Zeus considered returning to his dragon form and attacking them with fire, but the Solz easily evaded his strikes. He then decided to use lightning, as their armor was made of iron.

Zeus unleashed a bolt of lightning on one of them, electrocuting him until his body was reduced to ash.

From out of nowhere, blue swords struck Zeus from a distance, and he saw a Solz warrior using magic.

Zeus rushed toward the magician, who was slow due to casting, and bit him in half.

Only one Solz warrior remained. He drew a massive sword, hoping to cleave Zeus’s head in one strike, but the blade was too heavy for swift movement. Zeus struck him with his tail, pinning him to the wall.

Zeus, now in human form: "Arni, you must learn swordsmanship to protect yourself."

They continued their ascent and entered a large room filled with circular artifacts, each bearing a name, but one stood apart, protected by stronger defenses than the rest.

Arni asked Zeus to break the glass that protected it so he could take it, and Zeus complied, smashing the glass. Arni looked at the plaque beneath it, which read "Ashen Raven," and examined the other artifacts. He noticed one marked "Light Dragon, Caitlyn," the mightiest dragon in history, whose body had vanished.

Zeus took the artifact, and they continued their journey, unaware of its true significance.

As they walked, they saw a speaker’s platform with a man saying strange things. He turned and attacked them.

Zeus tried to unleash fire and lightning, but a hidden shield protected the man. They fled swiftly.

The man on the platform shouted: "Follow them! I’ll finish my speech."

Arni and Zeus reached the gate to the first hell, and finding no guards, they quickly melted the gate and entered the first hell. Zeus breathed fire into the tower from above, incinerating

everyone inside, and they continued their path into the first hell.

End of Chapter.!