"Why do you think I look better with an older boot?" Dante asked as he was already taking his off. "I like this one. I got it when I was in the Capital."

Marcus threw another pair at him, without smiling or anything.

"Just dress properly. Miss Clara has a meeting with someone and asked us to go with her. Wearing all that old stuff, you'd look more like a wanderer than an actual resident."

Dante was standing. His outfit was red, with a cape draped over his right shoulder, a belt below his waist, and suspenders crossing his chest. All that for Marcus to tell him he didn’t like what he wore before, that his only good boot was ugly and made him look like a vagrant.

He wanted to remind him that the entire city was destroyed.

"I don't want to hear anything," Marcus said, stopping at the edge of the parapet. "Let's go, we're late."

A step into the void. Marcus spun on his own axis and landed softly. Seconds later, Dante touched down beside him, grumbling.

"Can you at least tell me why we’re dressed so formally?" He pulled at his cape draped over his right arm. "And I don’t even carry a weapon to hide under this thing. I just look even older."

"You are old." Marcus seemed to laugh at his own words. "Miss Clara had a lot of people asking about the power. Did you see how last week, more people arrived when they saw the lights? That attracts people, a lot of people."

They started walking down the highway. The cars had yet to be pushed to the sides—Dante wanted to take a day to move them all and clear a better route to reach abandoned places.

Since he began patrolling for food, many medicines and supplies had been found in places Marcus and Clara claimed had already been looted. And he had Vick, who pulsed like a radar, alerting him.

The AI had grown more intelligent since accessing the battery, commenting on key locations in the city and explaining concepts of housing and social organization. Clara listened a lot, thinking and questioning on her own while Dante watched the days pass.

In the two weeks since the Reservoir had been reclaimed by humans, the three had seen a group of people entering and stripping parts from the computers. They used a cart to haul everything, but Clara did not interfere.

"There are a lot of people in Kappz. The city is immense, as you can see."

Indeed, they were in a building among hundreds or even thousands of them. And still, Dante only knew those whom Clara helped or who helped her. So when Marcus said it was a meeting with an important figure, he wondered if this person lived far from where they resided.

They walked for over fifteen minutes, passing beneath three massive structures that had crashed together above. They merged stone and metal, intertwining. Their walls were crooked, all their windows shattered, and the vegetation—the most astonishing part. Grass and trees grew even inside buildings and houses, creating a landscape so rich in color that it left Dante dazed.

Not even in the Capital was it like this. Even in the broken glass panes, great canopies formed like a natural shield.

"Faster, Dante."

"Why have you never come to this part of the city?" Dante touched the grass covering one of the walls. The concrete of the highway had softened due to the creeping grass growing over it. "It’s a more... alive place."

"Exactly. It’s too alive."

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Marcus turned a corner on the highway and spotted Clara with another woman and a few men. She was speaking only with the woman, and when they noticed the two approaching, they paused to receive them.

Marcus gave Clara a slight bow.

"Ma’am." Then he extended his hand to the woman beside her. "Miss Luma."

The woman had very youthful skin, without wrinkles or signs of fatigue. Dante envied how rejuvenated she looked. Her short black hair reached just above her shoulders. Her yellow dress blended well with all the green around, overtaking the streets and houses.

Luma responded by extending her hand. Marcus took it and gave a simple nod.

Dante approached Clara. Her scent, different from other days, was sweet. He wrinkled his nose and scratched it a little.

"It’s that perfume you found," Clara whispered. "I thought I’d wear it for this occasion since it’s an important meeting."

"It’s nicer than I expected. It gives a sense of lightness." Dante smiled but was caught off guard when Luma motioned for him to step forward. "Ah, sorry. I’m Dante, from the Capital. It’s a pleasure to meet you all."

The men gave a standard nod of acknowledgment without saying a word, and Luma did not extend her hand to him as she had to Marcus. Those two... suspicious.

"Clara told me about the creature you managed to subdue at the Reservoir." She kept a cheerful face but was sharp with her next words. "How does it feel to be the strongest in Kappz?"

Dante turned to Clara, but she just shook her head.

"'Strongest' is quite an exaggeration." Clara took two steps forward and extended her arm toward the path they would take. "It would be better to talk somewhere else, Luma. Now that we’re all here, shall we?"

"Of course. Of course."

They descended the street. Trees everywhere cast shadows that shielded them from the sunlight. The wind rustled the leaves, and they could hear squirrels climbing the twisted branches with nuts.

In fact, Dante could even hear barking further in the distance.

"When he looked for Marcus to ask about dogs, he saw him ahead, right behind Clara and Luma. He wasn’t part of the conversation, just keeping himself present. Dante took a deep breath. He didn’t even want to be there. He could have stayed on the rooftop, trying to figure out a way to light up the lower floors at night, but he had been dragged along.

A few hours, walking was boring.

Luma’s house was large, with metal bars atop a small wall and an iron gate that creaked as it opened. Luma and Clara entered first, followed by Marcus and the others. Dante was the last, closing the gate. The house was in perfect condition. The walls didn’t seem damaged, the windows and glass panes were intact, even the roof was impeccable.

Houses like that weren’t common where Dante lived. And the side area, where he went, turned out to be a veranda. There was a garden on the side with yellow and red flowers, and even a white rose standing out among them.

Chairs were pulled, and Luma asked everyone to sit. Marcus was the one who pulled out a chair for Luma and then for Clara. Dante frowned at him again. This guy…

'Dante, please.'

'Ah, right.'

He grabbed a chair and sat right next to Clara, their chairs almost touching. The back door opened, and a woman came out carrying cups and a teapot. Dante sniffed twice and was sure.

'That’s tea.'

Luma nodded, approving his quick recognition.

'Your nose is good, better than the others who have been here.' She waited for everyone to be served before continuing. 'I think a cup of chamomile tea always helps when discussing serious matters, don’t you agree? Especially when the topic is of great importance to our city. Dante'—Luma looked at him—'I don’t know you as well as I know these two. Clara asked you to come because of what you did for the people in the urban area, so I also want to thank you. You and Marcus did a great job eliminating the Felroz from there.'

'Teamwork,' Dante replied. There was no reason to take credit for it. 'Our main mission was precisely to improve some parts of the city. And everyone is excited.'

Clara raised her cup and took a sip.

'People feel safer in the light. I’ve always wanted that. Now, we have the chance to show that there is hope.'

'I love when everyone is so optimistic and hopeful, I swear from the bottom of my heart.' Luma touched her chest, raising her eyebrows. 'And because you brought the light back, I’m going to explain why that was one of the worst things for our city.'

She let out a naive little laugh and took a sip of tea. Dante and the others were completely confused.

'So then'—Luma blinked, smiling—'are you ready for the worst news of the day?'"