Prologue

“Mommy, what’s that?”

A child points upward. Beyond the sea of dark clouds slowly adrift in the starry night, a viridian light starts to gradually fill the sky.

Second by second, it becomes easier to tell where the glow is coming from. The shadow of a structure pushes past the clouds with its seemingly ever-growing form.

“Something large is in the sky!”

“What?”

The mother looks up and sees an object that was too rigid to be any form of animal. As it travels through the obscuring clouds, its true shape becomes more and more apparent.

“Don’t look at that! It’s Shooting Star!”

“Shooting Star? The bad guys?!”

“Quickly, we’re going home!”

Steadily, the entire city was swallowed by the imposing size of the monstrosity.

It was something bigger than any city in existence.

Its size was beyond imagination.

It was Shooting Star, the floating civilization.

CHAPTER 1: The Translucent Castle That Beckons

PART 1

Shooting Star was much more than a floating city. It was a floating continent. With an estimated population of two hundred million, it was bone-chilling to imagine a civilization that large could be hovering in the sky. The top was flat, housing cities of multi-coloured skyscrapers. The bottom was a semi-circular base made of streamlined metal plating fitted with an enormous green sphere in the centre that allowed the continent to float.

The continent hovered over eight thousand metres above sea level, slightly higher than Mt Everest.

Years ahead in technology, nearly everything was made more convenient. Transport and even food services were all automated.

There were several different food dispensers all throughout the continent that provides a surprising variety. You could even buy a bowl of delicious hot ramen at some specialised vending machines. All one had to do was to tap their identification card, which was linked to their bank accounts, at the card reader and make their choice.

Parks and such were built so natural greenery would not be lost in a technologically advanced world. One could take a leisurely walk in a park and purchase a variety of food from any of the dispensers.

At Memorial Park, a teenage boy did exactly that. He chose to use a somewhat worn dispenser in the park, stationed beside a bench on the grass. His shoes step into the well-kept grass, creating a crunching sound. The light from the machine softly illuminates him, showing his wine-red hair and light brown eyes.

He wore a black V neck shirt with two horizontal red lines across the bottom with his black pants. His jacket was deep red with sleeves stretching slightly further than his elbows and its tail extending past his shirt, worn unbuttoned allowing it to flap in the night wind. Wrapped around his right hand was a slightly worn black tape-like bandage and he wore red-strapped boots.

Shooting Star had advanced surveillance systems that could easily detect most forms of crime. As such, crime rate is extremely low.

Even so, walking alone at night is usually avoided.

The teenage boy looks at his phone and taps the screen. It shows him the exact time and date.

June 1st, 2017. 12:00AM.

…Where the hell are they? If this is a trap, hurry up and bring it on.

The teenage boy looks around impatiently. A message had brought him here, with exact instructions on the time and date.

The message contained information from his past that only a select few would know.

But why would they contact him now? What do they want from him?

All he knew was that it forebode trouble. And he wouldn’t hesitate to kill if he sensed the slightest hint of danger.

“H-hey.”

“…”

The voice prompted the teenage boy from behind. He turns his head slightly to look, clenching his right fist.

“…Ah…I…”

A child stands there, terrified.

The teenager stared at the kid with merciless eyes. The child tries to back off, but trips and falls instead.

Could this kid be the one who sent the message? No. There’s no way.

The child seemed to be trying to force some words out, but fear caught a hold of him. Tears slowly well up in his eyes.

“I...wanted to buy something too…”

The kid finally managed to say what he needed to and held back his tears.

Suddenly, the anger in the teenage boy’s eyes exploded.

“Scram.”

Without missing a beat, the kid ran off crying. Watching him run off, the teenage boy sighed.

…Stupid brat. What the hell is he doing out here at a time like this?

“..Hmm?”

The vending machine suddenly turned silver for a second. He stares at it for a few seconds, but nothing happens.

…Was it my imagination..?

Suddenly, it turns silver again as a silver light shaped like an ocean’s wave washes over it and approaches him. He raises up his hands to protect his face as it approaches him.

A cooling chill similar to opening a powerful freezer and the sound of rumbling gusts washes over his skin and ears as the light touches him, making him momentarily shiver.

…!

Silver light sweeps through the entire park and the skyscrapers around it. The teenage boy’s eyes follow the direction of where the light was going. It seemed to be combing throughout the city like a moving aurora.

And that was when he noticed.

He looks up at the sky.

“…What…is this…?”

The sky fluctuates and light bends. It was like looking at it from under a sea of translucent silver. Staring at it, he could feel his mind getting lost in its beauty.

What was it? How do you even begin to question it? Was it possible for any normal person to rationalise such a phenomenon?

Whatever it is, it lowered the immediate temperature of the city. He could feel the cold air on his skin and reaching the back of his nose as he inhales.

It’s suddenly freezing.

A bright light appears from the side of his vision. The teenage boy immediately snaps himself back to reality and looks toward it.

Though it only sent his mind further into confusion.

“Wha-!!”

Without meaning to, those words escape from his lips.

Right in the middle of the city, a large structure appeared out of nowhere.

It stood several meters taller than a skyscraper. Silver light radiated so brightly out of the structure that the teenage boy could not accurately define what the structure was.

As if pulsating, the light from the structure explodes with a low chime and another wave of light sweeps the city, followed by the sound of a strong gust. He braces himself as the chilling light washes over him again.

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What is that..?! It appeared out of nowhere! And this freezing wind that reaches into my bones isn’t normal. It’s as if winter suddenly arrived. As expected, this is a trap..!

“Axen!”

…!

Without time to take in the situation, he immediately turns towards the voice. In that split-second, something is thrown at his face. A transparent capsule about ten centimetres in length, containing an orb of silver sparkling light in constant flux.

The red-haired teenager instinctively reacts by tilting his head to the right.

An attack of this level wouldn’t reach me! You’re mine!

With everything that is happening, he naturally kept his guard up. The current situation brought up a lot of questions, but he only had one that he needed to ask. He fists clench tightly and he leaps forward, towards his attacker.

“Who are you?! How do you know what happened that day?!”

Before he could receive his answer, a familiar chill suddenly touches his back.

A blinding flash swallows his vision.

He could no longer hear or feel anything. In the limbo of rushing, white space that erased his surroundings, it was as if all of the five senses were robbed.

No.

It was more like everything that a person’s senses could perceive was closed off and moved away.

The capsule exploded into a swirling whirlpool of light, pulling the teenager called Axen into it.

Like turning off an old television set, the swirling light blinked and disappeared. The teenager that stood on the grassy path a few moments ago was nowhere to be found.

In that park, the only person left was his attacker. A person in a black cloak.

Yet another wave of silver light shot out from the structure, blowing past the dusty apparel.

And in the silence that returned, a solemn voice escaped their lips.

“It’s up to you now. You're the only one left who can stop everything… Second-Eye.”

PART 2

“Urrggh!”

His body hits hard against the solid floor. Axen’s vision spins so fast that the stars in the overexposed night sky seem like bright, swirling lines, causing him to feel an intense surge of dizziness and breathlessness. A ringing noise pierces loudly in his ears.

Covering his mouth with his hand, he forces back something wet that tries to regurgitate up his throat. As his sense of touch slowly returns, a freezing sensation runs throughout his body and the muscles in his body start to ache.

“Ph..Hah..!”

The first thing his remaining shred of rationality told him to do was to regain control of his breathing. He inhales deeply and exhales in a controlled fashion, repeating this process a few times. The pain and icy feeling from his body eventually begin to subside.

He has no idea what transpired but the sudden outburst of silver light is definitely the reason why he was feeling so nauseated.

I can’t stay like this..! My attacker might still be nearby!

Pushing himself off the asphalt and barely avoiding tipping over to the side, he manages regain his balance and stand up.

Where is he?!

He looks around while carefully avoiding any action that might bring back the dizziness.

But he couldn’t find anyone. His attacker seemed to have disappeared seconds after that silver light enveloped him.

He disappeared? No..Wait!

His mind starts to notice small discrepancies around him. Suddenly, it all catches up to him at once.

Axen looks around again. He is standing in the middle of a road of grey asphalt. The grassy park is nowhere to be seen. Even the skyscrapers in the background are significantly shorter and of different colours.

Somehow, he was transported away from where he was. A completely different place.

But…

This…feels familiar…Like something I’ve forgotten a long time ago.

Interrupting his train of thought, a low chime rings and blinding silver light engulfs the area, forcing him to close his eyes. As it blows past him once again…

His body shivers. The cold tingling on his skin. The refreshing, chilly air when he inhales. The sound of a loud gust.

As the overbearing light gradually dims, he opens his eyes and his blurry vision readjusts. A shimmering figure slowly becomes visible in the blinding white light.

“That is…!”

Without a doubt, it was the same structure that he had seen before. This time, the light enveloping the castle diminishes enough for him to determine what it is.

From the size and architecture, there is only one way to describe it.

No matter how surreal it was, he had no choice but to accept what his eyes told him.

A castle.

With two towers half the size of a skyscraper on either side, a translucent castle seemingly phases into existence. There were several large distinct shapes inside the walls, but he couldn’t make out what they were from the distance.

The red-haired teenager didn’t know what to make of the situation. Anyone would be taken aback if a giant castle suddenly appeared in the middle of a city.

But even so, he focuses and gathers his disorganized thoughts. His next step was obvious. The line between recklessness and bravery was information.

Before I break in, I guess I ought to scout it out.

Even though it was an afterthought.

Looking around him, he realizes that most of the buildings were dark-coloured skyscrapers.

Skyscrapers all around me…Am I still on the floating continent, Shooting Star? I vaguely remember it being more advanced than this.

Axen walks towards the nearest building.

Leaping from rooftops should be the fastest way there, I can approach the castle and get a better view.

However, his definition of leaping from rooftops isn’t as simple as jumping from one house to the next.

In the cities of Shooting Star, skyscrapers are the only things that exist. And they aren’t packed closely either. He would have to jump at least ten meters to reach from the top of one to the next. If he misses by even a centimetre, a drop from hundreds of meters would ensure his death.

It wasn’t something a human could accomplish.

But with an indifferent face, the red-haired teenager walks towards the automated door of a building. The doors were obviously locked and a surveillance camera locked its sights on him. At this time of night, it was obvious security would be tight.

But the wine-red haired teenager didn’t give up.

It’ll be troublesome if I barge in and alarms start ringing. Guess I need another way up.

Even without an elevator, he still had a plan in mind.