Large waves crashed into the pillar-like rock formation, eroding the feature one wave at a time. Several meters above the wave, a teenager with silver hair hung precariously on a branch as his free hand searched through the foliage. As soon as he retrieved a handful of plants, the teenager stuffed them into his pockets and made his way back to solid land. Then, he returned to his cave.

All that work for a small bag of herbs? Looks like I won’t be eating tonight.

Ali’s stomach growled at the thought of going hungry again. Yet, the teenager knew there was little he could do. The formation he lived on had some of the poorest people in Ocad due to lack of natural resources. In the nation of Ocad, there were hundreds of thousands of pillar-like rock formations scattered over a large area. The nation was carved into many regions and formations within certain regions were rich and prosperous. There were formations that not only disappeared into the clouds but also had settlements that were also far more developed in all areas including education, technology and military.

Ali’s home didn’t even belong to a region as the formation belonged to the fringe where its people were expected to fend for themselves. The fringe was made up of formations that made up the border of the nation. Beyond the fringe, there was the ocean that no nation laid claim to. For a second class citizen like him, his only ticket to escape the fringe was through slavery, though his scrawny build and lack of education made that even highly unlikely. Like the others on the formation, he was far likely to be stuck on the formation until he died of starvation or murder.

Better pack up and store these herbs for now. I’ll need to find a new source if I want to save up enough for a single meal.

Due to the proximity of the cave to the sea, Ali always had the luxury of listening to the soothing waves nearby. The waves were far better companions than anyone in his village because they lacked the negativity that plagued the village. The poverty of the villagers resulted in despair and pessimism for the future. To escape all that, the teenager found a cave in a difficult to reach location so he could have his own privacy. The location also served as a great location to hide his possessions without the worry of theft. While the exact location of his cave was unknown to others, the villagers had a rough idea of where it was and how to reach him.

“Ali, come to the village now!”

Following a sigh, Ali exited the cave to climb up the formation. Having done the trip for almost a year, he knew the climbing routes like the back of his hand. In a few minutes, he reached the same plateau as the village and made his way back. By the time he reached the village, the moon and the stars were out. The teenager initially thought he was needed for a meeting but he stopped outside the village when he noticed something in the sky.

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Why is there an airship here?

Airships were crafts that were capable of traveling through the air using magic as its sole power source. Like seafaring ships, the airships were multi-decked and possessed sails. The smooth hull had metal plating for extra protection. While they weren’t visible due to the darkness, the airship had gun ports for however many cannons the crew could fit onto the ship. In times of war, airships could easily convert into a warship. Spellcasters of the intermediate or advanced levels were necessary to operate airships through the air between the formations. Due to the high costs of both the crew members and the craft itself, airships were reserved for only the wealthy within Ocad. The sight of an airship on a formation with little to offer usually spelled bad news. Therefore, Ali crept closer while making sure he wasn’t spotted by anyone. If things went awry, he wanted to get a head start in running away.

“You should be honored to be picked, little girl. The rest of these peasants only wish they can escape this cesspool.”

The torches didn’t provide sufficient illumination for Ali to differentiate anyone by sight but the tone gave him a good idea of where the person came from.

“Wait, my sister is still too young. Please g-”

The person never got a chance to finish his sentence. An ability in the form of a light blade made contact with the person, resulting in him screaming in pain. The other villagers huddled nearby with no one willing to speak up, especially after the demonstration of the consequences. As soon as the airship landed, the girl was coerced into the airship.

Another poor soul who will never come back.

Like all the other villagers, Ali didn’t know what fate awaited those taken away. None of them were returned so most assumed slavery or death awaited those as soon as the nobles were done with them. At the same time, the outsider wasn't wrong that this was a ticket to escape one hell into a lesser hell.

I wish I didn’t have to observe that. I should sleep in my cave again.

As the teenager turned around to leave the village, he heard a clanking sound. He turned his head to see a projectile, likely a rock, thrown at the airship. Moments later, one of the cannons on the airship fired at the individual, resulting in limbs flying everywhere. All the villagers fled to their tiny huts in panic after the death but the airship had already flown away.

Are human lives worth so little?

Not wanting to hear people cry, Ali rushed to his cave where he went into a huddle position. As someone who never owned a blanket, huddling was the only way for him to stay warm enough to fall asleep. While his daily labor usually exhausted him, the combination of the chill and empty stomach made sleep hard to come by. Luckily, he was a heavy sleeper so, as long as he fell asleep, he would wake up the following day refreshed.

Mom. Dad. I got through another day.