Kite blinked awake to the soft glow of neon lights filtering through the blinds. The room was quiet, except for the faint, rhythmic hum of Ray’s systems beside him. He turned his head slightly, finding Ray resting peacefully, his body still, his usually glowing eyes dimmed.
Kite smiled. It was the first time he saw Ray so at ease. Moving carefully, Kite slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake Ray. He stretched his arms, then quietly changed out of his pajamas, replacing them with his usual outfit. With one last glance at Ray, he tiptoed toward the door and gently closed it behind him.
Stepping into the small kitchen, Kite’s eyes landed on a note stuck to the fridge, written in Mira’s neat handwriting: “Went to work early. We made lunch for you. Love you!”
Kite grinned and eagerly opened the fridge. Photos of him and his parents covered the surface, him as a toddler on Dorian’s shoulders, a picture of Mira laughing while holding a cake, and a blurry one of the three of them, arms wrapped around each other, taken in a rush before Dorian had to run out the door.
With a hum of excitement, Kite grabbed the lunchbox and pulled it out. He was just about to open it when a faint mechanical whirr filled the room.
Floating into the kitchen with a soft, violet glow, Ray hovered near the ceiling, his usual stoic expression in place. His cybernetic eyes adjusted as he looked around before settling on Kite.
“You snore in your sleep,” Kite teased, glancing up at Ray with a smirk. Ray frowned. “I do not.”
Kite snickered. “You totally do. All mechanical and stuff. It’s like a weird little hum.”
Ray’s frown deepened, but there was a flicker of doubt in his expression. “That’s impossible.”
“Sure, sure.” Kite rolled his eyes playfully as he sat down at the table, placing the lunchbox in front of him. Ray, still floating, moved closer, his curiosity piqued.
“What’s inside?” Ray asked, hovering just above the table as Kite slowly unlatched the lunchbox.
Kite’s grin faltered the moment he pulled out the meal. His shoulders slumped as he recognized the familiar, questionable presentation of his dad’s cooking.
Dorian’s lunch, as usual, was a haphazard yet somehow endearing attempt at home-cooked comfort food. The lunchbox contained a messy, yet familiar, assortment of dishes. The main item was a large portion of scrambled eggs, which were slightly overcooked and clumped together in a way that made them look almost like a block of yellow mush. They had a tinge of burnt crisp on the edges, a clear sign of Dorian’s hurried, yet well-intentioned, effort.
Next to the eggs was a heap of burnt toast, with the edges blackened beyond recognition. Despite the charred appearance, the toast was still oddly crunchy, and if you squinted, you could almost taste the butter that had been spread on it, though it was mostly just the remnants of a once-soft spread that now clung to the bread in clumps.
To complete the meal was a mishmash of vegetables, mainly wilted spinach, a few limp carrots, and some cold, half-wilted potato cubes that had likely been part of a larger dish the night before. The vegetables were clearly meant to balance out the meal, but they were forgotten in Dorian’s rush, ending up cold and rubbery, almost as if they had been tossed together in haste rather than love.
The smell of the lunch was a mix of burnt toast, slightly overcooked eggs, and the faint scent of reheated vegetables, a far cry from the comforting aromas Dorian usually tried to evoke with his cooking. Despite the imperfect execution, Kite recognized it instantly as Dorian’s attempt to feed him, a gesture of care, even if it wasn’t the most appetizing meal.
Kite couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sight of it, the familiar chaos of his dad’s cooking bringing a sense of warmth to his chest, even if it was a little more than he bargained for in terms of flavor.
“…It’s my dad’s cooking,” Kite said flatly. A long silence passed before Kite dramatically shuddered and fake gagged. “Ugh, I can already taste the regret.”
Ray blinked before letting out a small, barely audible chuckle. Kite perked up at that and laughed a little more before pushing the lunch aside and standing up. “Welp, time to grab my backpack,” he said as he turned toward the other room.
But before he could leave, Ray’s voice stopped him. “If I died…” Ray hesitated, his usually confident tone dipping into something uncertain. “Doesn’t that mean you failed your project?”
Kite stopped in his tracks. He stood still for a long moment, staring at the floor as the weight of Ray’s words settled over him. Then, slowly, he turned his head slightly and smiled.
“Yeah,” he admitted softly. “But… I’m just glad you’re okay.” He started walking again, raising a hand in a lazy wave. “I’ll pass the next one for sure!”
Ray remained in the kitchen, his gaze lingering on Kite as he disappeared down the hallway. The hum of the fridge, the flickering of the old neon light above the stove, everything felt oddly still. Floating there, alone with his thoughts, Ray silently processed Kite’s words, his fingers lightly twitching at his sides.
The undercity sprawled beneath the world above, a vast maze of neon-lit streets, crumbling buildings, and towering structures that clawed at the sky, struggling for space among the tangled web of pipes and support beams. The air was thick with the scent of burning fuel, damp concrete, and the faint metallic tang of ozone from the countless hovering vehicles zipping through the air.
Kite weaved effortlessly through the chaos on his hoverboard, his body tilting with expert precision as he dodged incoming drones, darting past blinking red sensors and various hover cars. His free arm held Ray securely against his chest, the small robotic boy emitting a faint hum as his systems adjusted to the rapid movement. Below them, the streets teemed with life, a melting pot of species and machines working, bartering, and surviving in the only way they knew how.
A group of chimera children played near a rusted-out hover car, their animalistic features twitching with excitement as they kicked around a makeshift ball made of scraps. A towering automaton vendor stood at a street corner, his body plated with dull bronze, his synthetic voice echoing through the alleyway as he advertised cheap cybernetic repairs. A pair of humans in patchwork coats haggled with a rat-faced chimera over the price of black-market energy cells, their voices rising in frustration.
Above them, massive holographic billboards flickered against the smog-choked sky, their bright colors bleeding through the perpetual gloom. One displayed a flashing list of wanted criminals, their faces shifting in and out of view with bold rewards stamped beneath their names. Another showed a looping ad for cybernetic implants, a beautiful model smiling as she activated her glowing mechanical eyes.
There were even large holographic billboards displaying the faces of many undercity inhabitants of various ages who had recently gone missing—a futile attempt by the victims' families, who had desperately paid corporations to spread awareness and find them.
But the largest and most striking of them all was the towering image of Rook, his pale face and piercing gaze staring down at the city like a god surveying his domain. “Innovation is the future. I create the future.” The words scrolled beneath his sharp, calculating smirk, a tagline that sent a chill through Kite despite his adrenaline-fueled flight.
Despite fact he had just recently learned about his existence, Kite had already begun to feel a great instinctual pang of weariness about him. Everyone else in the undercity knew Rook wasn’t a benevolent businessman, he was a tyrant wrapped in a suit, controlling vast industries worldwide and playing puppet master to those desperate enough to sell their freedom for a chance at survival.
Kite exhaled sharply and pushed his board faster, leaving the eerie billboard behind as he zipped through a narrow alleyway, the walls so close they nearly clipped his shoulders. He grinned as he burst out into the open again, narrowly avoiding an oncoming hover car whose driver yelled something obscene at him.
“Sorry, sir!” Kite called back with a laugh, adjusting his grip on Ray as he spiraled downward, descending toward the street level.
At last, his destination came into view, a worn-down, graffiti-covered school building, its metal doors rusted at the edges, its cracked windows barely holding together. A few students loitered outside, some leaning against the walls, others sitting on the steps, dreading the start of the day.
Kite landed smoothly, stepping off his hoverboard as it automatically retracted and attached itself to the newly made magnetic clamp on his backpack with a faint click. He adjusted the straps and took a breath, rolling his shoulders.
Kite chuckled nervously as he stood in front of the rundown school, stuffing a hand into his pocket. “Hope Rad takes the news well.” With that, he took a step forward, ready to face another day.
The classroom was a chaotic blend of noise, laughter, and the occasional mechanical whirr of robotic babies in their cradles. The walls were lined with outdated educational posters, some curling at the edges, featuring diagrams of human and chimera anatomy, basic robotics, and city maps. Holo-screens flickered occasionally, projecting assignments that most students ignored.
The desks were arranged in haphazard clusters, some covered in doodles and etchings from years of bored students. The overhead lights flickered slightly, casting a dim, uneven glow over the room.
Lira sat comfortably on a desk near the middle of the classroom, her legs casually swinging as she held the small white robotic baby in her arms. Her black and white fur contrasted against her soft gray sleeveless hoodie, the cat-ear details on the hood folded slightly. The paw-print design on her tunic was partially covered by the baby’s tiny arms as it remained still in sleep mode.
Her black leggings hugged her legs, reinforced knee patches subtly marked with claw-like patterns. Around her neck, her black-and-white scarf swayed gently as she laughed, her tail flicking playfully behind her.
Ava, sitting beside her with her elbows propped up on the desk, smirked with her usual mischievous energy. Her messy brown hair, complete with uneven bangs, looked like she’d just rolled out of bed. Her pink Irises gleamed with amusement as she grinned, revealing the small gap where her missing front tooth used to be.
Her ragged clothes, a torn oversized shirt that barely fit her frame, loosely wrapped bandages around her arms and legs, gave her the usual scrappy look. Lira giggled as she recalled last night. “So, get this, Dad tries to act all smooth, right? Like, ‘Mara, my love, let me handle dinner tonight.’” Lira mimicked her father Theo’s voice dramatically, pushing up an imaginary pair of glasses that kept slipping down.
Ava snorted, already knowing where this was going. “Oh no, what did he do?”
Lira leaned in with a grin. “So, he’s chopping onions, and he’s doing okay at first. Then Mom walks by, looks at the absolute mess he’s making, and just—” she smacked her hands together for emphasis, “—gently takes the knife away like, ‘Sweetheart, go set the table.’”
Ava burst out laughing. “She kicked him out of the kitchen?”
“Yep!” Lira grinned. “And then she made the best roasted fish with garlic sauce! Seriously, you should’ve stayed for dinner.”
Ava sighed dramatically. “Ugh, you’re just rubbing it in now. I had to eat stale bread and—” She paused, glancing down at their shared robotic baby. “—technically, our ‘kid’ here did too.” She poked the robot’s belly, causing it to let out a tiny, automated coo.
Lira smirked and chuckled. “Yeah, well, I’m sure the little guy didn’t mind.” The two giggled, unaware of the growing tension on the other side of the classroom.
Near the front of the room, Bryce and Mona were—unsurprisingly—bickering again. Bryce sat back in his chair with his boots propped up on the desk, his burgundy leather jacket slightly unzipped over his fitted black t-shirt. His messy brown hair was in its usual disarray, a few strands falling over his hazel eyes as he smirked. The Moon Hawks' white crescent emblem stood out against the worn fabric of his jacket’s backside.
His ripped black jeans and rugged boots completed his effortlessly rebellious look, his grey-accented black headphones resting around his neck. Mona, standing beside him with arms crossed, looked absolutely furious. Her iridescent high-collared jacket shimmered with deep emerald and sapphire hues under the flickering classroom lights.
The golden filigree along the seams caught the light, only emphasizing the way she radiated barely contained rage. Her black outfit hugged her athletic frame, gold-threaded patterns running along the arms and legs like ancient scarab markings. A wide belt with a golden scarab emblem cinched her waist, and her sleek boots barely touched the floor as she loomed over Bryce, practically vibrating with irritation.
Bryce nonchalantly examined his fingernails. “I’m just saying, Mona, you can’t blame me if you didn’t read the instructions.”
Mona’s eye twitched. “Oh, I did read them. Unlike you, I actually care about this project.”
Bryce grinned. “Oh yeah? Then why is our ‘kid’ screaming like it’s in a horror movie?”
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Mona snapped her head toward the robotic baby in the cradle beside them—only now noticing its glowing blue eyes and the ear-piercing wail coming from its mouth.
Her jaw dropped as she gasped. “Bryce!” But Bryce remained unfazed as he replied calmly. “Oops.”
The robotic baby flailed its arms as it continued its mechanical cries, but neither of them moved to comfort it, too caught up in their argument. “You forgot to feed it, didn’t you!?” Mona accused.
Bryce held up his hands. “Listen, I had important things to do—”
“Like what?!” Mona screeched, baring her fangs as the veins in her face became visible. Bryce leaned back with a proud smirk. “Winning an argument with you.”
Mona let out a low, guttural growl, barely restraining the urge to claw his face off. But before she could tend to the baby, a boy’s voice cut through the classroom buzz.
“You did what!?” Rad’s voice cut through the noise of the classroom like a gunshot. The entire room fell into momentary silence as all heads turned toward the back.
Rad sat at his usual spot, his chubby arms pressed against the desk, fists clenched in disbelief. His dark red hoodie was slightly wrinkled from the way he hunched over, his brown bangs messily hanging over his dark brown eyes. His worn-out boots were planted firmly on the floor as he stared at Kite like he’d just announced the end of the world.
Kite, sitting beside him, looked unbothered as he held Ray, their robotic baby, in his arms. His black shirt and pants contrasted against the beige of his open jacket, the silver chain necklace around his neck glinting slightly. His green pupils flickered slightly in the dim light as he stared at Rad, unfazed by the reaction.
The silence stretched, the entire class waiting for an explanation. Rad’s eye twitched. “…You got him blown up?”
Kite blinked with a straight face. “Then fixed him.” Rad gasped at him before yelling. “That doesn’t make it any better!”
The classroom erupted into laughter and chatter once more, the moment of silence broken. Kite simply shrugged, rocking Ray gently in his arms, as if getting blasted through space was a minor inconvenience.
Bryce, hearing the commotion, turned to Mona with a smirk. “See? And you thought I was irresponsible.”
Mona face palmed with an audible sigh. Meanwhile, Lira and Ava were practically wheezing with laughter, Lira wiping a tear from her eye as she gasped, “Oh my god, Kite—”
And so, the chaos of the classroom continued. The noise of the classroom continued to rise as students chatted and laughed, the sound of robotic babies cooing, crying, or beeping filling the air. As Kite held Ray securely in his arms, a small group of kids approached, their curious eyes locked onto the robotic baby he was cradling.
“Whoa,” one of them, a freckled boy with wide, eager eyes, murmured. “Yours looks way cooler than ours.”
A girl with short, spiky hair nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Ours are just plain white, but this—” she leaned in, inspecting Ray’s sleek black-and-white exterior, “—this thing looks so advanced. And the cybernetic eyes? That’s so unfair.”
Another kid tilted their head. “Wait, how’d you guys even get one that looks like this?”
Kite shrugged casually with a small smile. “Dunno. He just showed up like this when we got assigned, mostly” He smiled at Ray as he spoke. “He’s kinda special.”
Ray internally sighed. Special? Guess you could say that. “Can we hold him?” the freckled boy suddenly asked, eyes shining with anticipation.
Kite blinked before glancing down at Ray. “What do you think?”
Ray’s glowing violet and green eyes flickered as he hesitated. He had half a mind to refuse, but Kite was looking at him with that soft, trusting expression, and the kids did seem genuinely fascinated.
“…Fine,” Ray muttered reluctantly. Kite grinned. “Alright, be careful with him.” He gently handed Ray over to the freckled boy, who took him with a careful grip, as if holding something truly precious.
The other kids immediately crowded around. “Whoa, he’s heavier than I thought.” The boy stated as he held Ray.
“Look at his little arms, wait, can he move them on his own?” Another Kid asked. “This is so much better than the boring models we got.” The girl in the group said, her voice laced with envy.
Ray, meanwhile, sat stiffly in the boy’s grasp, seemingly powerless as he was passed from one set of arms to another. His inner thoughts dripped with exasperation.
I have slain gods, toppled kingdoms, and yet here I am, being toyed with by a group of children. Another kid turned Ray in their hands slightly before lifting him up into the air. “His eyes glow! That’s so cool.”
Ray let out another internal sigh. Can this end already? Ray thought to himself as he frowned slightly.
But just as Rad was about to step in, his patience worn thin, a woman’s voice cut through the classroom. “Kite. Rad.” The chatter immediately died down as all eyes turned toward the front of the room.
Miss Lena stood near the doorway, arms crossed, her tired amber eyes fixed on the two boys. Strands of her long, messy brown curly hair had slipped out of place, framing her freckled face as she adjusted her cybernetic glasses with a slow, deliberate motion. The faint lines of stress creased her forehead, making her look older than she truly was.
She wore a dark green turtleneck sweater, slightly oversized but still fitted neatly under the long white trench coat draped over her shoulders. Along with an old necklace that had once belonged to her deceased father before his passing. While below the waist she wore black jeans and well-worn boots that completed her look, practical yet professional, though the exhaustion in her posture hinted at just how much patience she had left for the day.
Rad grimaced. Kite winced slightly as he spoke quietly “Ah… yeah.” The group of kids holding Ray groaned collectively. “Aww, come on.”
“Guess playtime’s over,” one of them sighed as they carefully set Ray back onto the table. Ray’s internal relief was palpable. At last, my suffering ends.
Kite picked Ray up once more, adjusting him in his arms as he stood. As soon as he did, he noticed Rad glaring at him silently.
Kite let out a small, sheepish chuckle. “Sorry, Rad…” Rad let out a deep grunt, rubbing his temple before standing. “Of all the people I had to be paired up with…” he muttered under his breath.
Kite smiled awkwardly. “C’mon, it won’t be that bad.” Rad shot him a deadpan look.
Together, they trudged toward the front of the classroom, the eyes of their classmates following them with interest as Miss Lena waited, unimpressed. Kite and Rad stood stiffly before Miss Lena, the weight of her gaze pressing down on them. The classroom noise had dulled, students still watching the unfolding conversation with varying levels of interest. Ray remained in Kite’s arms, his cybernetic eyes now closed as Miss Lena’s amber eyes landed on him.
She exhaled through her nose, crossing her arms. “That baby didn’t look like that when I assigned it to you.”
Kite stiffened, gripping Ray a little tighter. “W-Well, see, Miss Lena… uh…” He let out a nervous chuckle. “We kinda got into… an accident.”
Miss Lena raised a brow. “An accident?” Her voice was flat, unconvinced. Kite nodded quickly. “Y-Yeah! Nothing crazy, just—uh, you know, stuff happens!”
Miss Lena wasn’t having it. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes for a brief moment before speaking. “It is your responsibility, both of you, to keep the baby safe from harm and to watch over it.”
Kite’s mouth opened as if to protest, but the way Miss Lena’s tired eyes bore into him made him second-guess himself. He hesitated, then lowered his head, mumbling, “Yes, ma’am.”
Her gaze then shifted to Rad, who stood with his hands jammed in the pocket of his dark red hoodie, his boots planted firmly on the ground. “This is a group project,” she continued, her tone firm. “You and Kite should be working together on this.”
Rad scoffed. “Yeah? Tell that to him.” He gestured toward Kite without looking. “He keeps missing school and takes Ray with him home.”
Kite winced slightly, but Miss Lena wasn’t interested in Rad’s complaints. She merely raised a brow and said, “Then help him outside of school as well.”
Rad groaned loudly, rubbing his temple. “Oh, come on…”
Miss Lena ignored his frustration, her focus shifting back to Ray. She stared at the robotic baby in Kite’s arms, her sharp eyes studying his black-and-white plating, the subtle shifts in his glowing cybernetic eyes, and the refined joints that hadn’t been there before.
Her mind worked quickly, piecing things together. The model was already different to begin with, but now…
She could tell something had changed. The delicate modifications, the polished repairs, it was clear that Kite had done them himself. A part of her wanted to press for answers, but another part of her simply marveled at the boy’s ingenuity.
He’s incredibly smart. Smarter than he lets on.
A long silence stretched between them, the only sound in the classroom coming from the occasional beep or whirr of other robotic babies. Finally, Miss Lena straightened and spoke.
“I’ll be giving you two one last chance.” Kite and Rad both blinked, heads tilting slightly in confusion.
Rad narrowed his eyes. “Why?” Miss Lena let out a tired sigh, waving a hand dismissively. “Because I don’t feel like grading.”
Kite brightened immediately, his shoulders relaxing. “Oh! Well, uh, thanks, Miss Lena!” Without wasting another second, he turned, carrying Ray back to his desk.
Rad lingered for a moment before nodding, a silent thank you, then stuffed his hands back into his hoodie pockets and followed.
Miss Lena watched the two boys walk off, her expression unreadable. Slowly, she reached up and adjusted the silver necklace resting against her turtleneck, her fingers brushing the old, worn pendant. Then, with a sigh, she turned toward the front of the room, settling at her desk. “Alright,” she called out, “class is starting. Everyone, focus.”
The lunchroom was a chaotic mess of chatter, laughter, and clattering trays. The scent of warm food mixed with the faint metallic tang of the aging cafeteria. Kids, both human and chimera, packed the various tables, eating, talking, or goofing off with their robotic babies.
Rad walked through the crowded space, his tray held steady in his hands, his dark brown eyes flicking over the various groups of students. He spotted Kite, Ava, and Lira sitting together, laughing at something as Kite held Ray in his arms. Ava cradled her own robotic baby, occasionally rocking it as she snickered at whatever Lira had said.
Rad barely spared them a glance, letting out a low grunt as he looked away. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone else.
Kay sat alone at one of the smaller tables, a quiet presence amidst the chaos of the cafeteria. His floppy rabbit ears drooped slightly, his small frame curled in on itself as he absently picked at his food. His light grey hair was unkempt, and his oversized beige sweater, slightly worn at the edges, hung loosely off his shoulders. His dark gray pants looked a bit too big for him, as if they had once belonged to someone else.
As Rad approached, Kay’s face lit up, just a little, as he noticed him coming over. Rad hesitated for a moment before sighing and sitting down across from him.
“Hey,” Kay greeted with a small, hesitant smile. Rad forced himself to return it, though it barely lasted a second. “Hey.”
Kay’s ears twitched slightly as he glanced at Rad’s tray. “So, uh, W-what’d you do yesterday?”
Rad let out a long groan, stabbing his spork into his mashed potatoes. “Mom just kept yelling at me and made me do chores all day after school. Even threatened to kick me out like usual.”
Kay nodded solemnly. “Same…” His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his tray. “Mine made me clean the whole apartment.” Kay spoke quietly. “And while I was cleaning the kitchen I accidentally dropped an old plate and she yelled at me for it.”
Rad arched a brow. “You broke a plate?” Kay shrank a little as he nervously responded. “I-It was an accident. It just slipped out of my hands.”
He lowered his gaze, his voice growing quieter as he rubbed the mark on his cheek. “I tried to tell her that, but she wouldn’t listen. Just smacked me for ‘talking back.’” Kay said before going silent before speaking again with a shaky voice. “It really hurt.”
A brief silence followed. Rad didn’t know what to say. He just sat there, idly poking at his food with his spork, his mind running in circles. Kay poked at his own food as well, his movements small and uncertain.
After a long moment, Rad finally spoke, his voice quiet. “Well… don’t you have a dad? Why doesn’t he do anything about it?”
Kay’s fidgeting stopped. His ears drooped lower. “I… I do,” he murmured. “But he left when I was a baby.”
Rad felt a lump form in his throat. He hadn’t expected that. He shifted uncomfortably, searching for something, anything to say, but nothing came to mind.
Finally, he just grunted awkwardly. “Oh.” Another silence fell over them, the cafeteria noise blurring into the background as they sat there, barely touching their food.
The lunchroom buzzed with the usual chaos of children chatting, laughing, and clattering their trays. The sound bounced off the cracked tile floors and the aging walls, remnants of a time when the ancient cafeteria had been more than just a barely functional mess hall.
Then, suddenly, the lights flickered. A hush spread through the room as five figures stepped onto the old stage at the far end of the cafeteria. They were clad in sleek black suits beneath onyx trench coats with glowing orange accents tracing the seams, giving them an almost digital appearance.
Each wore a distinctively designed mask, one had a jagged, toothy grin, another a smooth, expressionless surface with glowing eyes, and one bore an intricate design resembling a cracked chessboard. The last two had sharper, angular masks that looked almost avian. On their backs, emblazoned in striking orange, was the unmistakable orange accented logo of a rook inside an orange ringed circle.
One of them, the tallest, stepped forward, gripping a microphone as their distorted voice echoed through the cafeteria. “Attention, young musicians and thrill-seekers alike!” the speaker’s voice boomed, full of enthusiasm. “Today, we bring you a Musical Witch Hunt!”
A murmur swept through the crowd. Kids glanced at each other in confusion, some already intrigued. The speaker grinned beneath their mask. “And what’s a hunt without a prize?”
From their side, they lifted a small robotic pet, sleek and metallic, with shifting plates and glowing blue eyes. The creature let out a series of excited chirps before leaping from the speaker’s hands. It landed on a nearby table, its body morphing fluidly between shapes, a small fox, a tiny bird, a sleek feline, as it darted across trays and through gaps between students.
Gasps and laughter erupted as the pet bounded past children, its form shifting with each movement. “This—” the speaker gestured toward the robotic pet “—is the grand prize! It will belong to whoever can find all the pieces of the legendary guitar!”
The cafeteria roared with excitement. The speaker continued, their voice laced with amusement. “The guitar is said to have once belonged to a legendary musician a century ago, a master of sound and rebellion. But now, it lies shattered, its pieces scattered throughout the Undercity and…” They paused for dramatic effect, then smirked. “…Horizon Heights.”
The reaction was Immediate. A collective gasp rippled through the cafeteria. Even the most unruly kids fell silent. Horizon Heights, the utopian city above, reserved only for the wealthy, was untouchable for people like them. The very idea of setting foot there was practically unthinkable for those in the undercity.
The speaker chuckled heartily at their stunned expressions. “Ahhh, I see we have some dreamers here. Well, you’ll need more than just dreams to win this.” They glanced around the room. “Good luck, and may the best musicians rise to the challenge.”
With that, the masked figures turned and exited the cafeteria, disappearing through the back doors. For a moment, the silence lingered. Then—BOOM.
The cafeteria exploded into chatter and excitement. Kids jumped up from their seats, forming groups, shouting over one another about strategies and plans. Some were already pulling up maps on their outdated school-issued tablets and watches.
At one of the tables, Kite, Lira, and Ava turned to each other, eyes wide with exhilaration. “Are we seriously gonna do this?” Lira asked, practically bouncing in her seat.
“Uh, yes!” Ava shot back, grinning as she cradled her robotic baby. “That thing is adorable, and I want it.”
Kite, holding Ray in his arms, smirked but remained more thoughtful. “You guys sure about this? Horizon Heights is… well...”
Lira waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, but come on. The prize is too good to pass up! And besides, my mom always says, ‘Fortune favors the bold!’”
Ray, however, remained silent. His robotic body tensed, his glowing eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion as he watched the room erupt around him.
A few tables away, Kay giggled softly, watching the excited students around him. “This sounds kinda fun,” he murmured, glancing at Rad. “Maybe we should try it.”
Rad, still poking at his food, grunted. “I dunno.” But Kay persisted. “But pets are the best kind of friends!” His ears twitched as he smiled hopefully.
Rad didn’t immediately respond. His attention flicked to Kite, Lira, and Ava, watching them as they excitedly planned in the distance. Something about it made his jaw tighten.
“Rad?” Kay asked after a moment of silence his voice now small and uncertain. Rad groaned and pushed his tray aside before standing up. “Come on then.”
Kay blinked, his ears perking up. “W-Wait up!” he stammered, scrambling to his feet and hurrying after Rad.
Still lost in their conversation, Kite, Lira, and Ava hadn’t noticed the two approaching until Rad stopped right in front of their table. Their conversation dying out immediately as they turned their perplexed eyes to the unlikely duo that stood before them.
Rad crossed his arms, staring them down silently, while Kay fidgeted nervously beside him. Kay gave a small, awkward wave. “H-hello there?”