So this is Vliland, a major metropolis in Cheudal.

Ali stared into the distance as the metropolis was finally viewable. After the group was dropped off deep in the mountains, the members traveled two days on foot until they arrived at a transport hub where small airships were available for travelers. These airships were slightly bigger than the horse drawn carts and were very maneuverable in the sky. They possessed metal frames that formed the shape of a teardrop. Upon boarding the airship, Ali learned that the airship was powered entirely by intermediate lightning spellcasters. Not only could they keep the airships in the air for extended periods of time but they could also tap into the lightning storms to recharge their abilities.

Still don’t like the looks of those clouds.

Since they left the mountains, the only clouds he had seen were those that were dark and flat along the base. Lightning strikes were extremely common as several could be seen every minute. The sight of the lightning unnerved himself initially but he eventually grew adjusted to their presence. Despite reading about the thunderstorms, the teenager felt that the books could never fully prepare him for the real thing. The sound of thunder eventually became just background noise. By the time Vliland came into view, he no longer noticed the lightning anymore.

“What’s that?” shouted Belen.

Everyone turned their attention to where Belen was pointing at. Ali had to squint until he saw what she was referring to. There were several individuals jumping through the air as they leaped from lightning to lightning. If the scene didn’t scream lunacy, he would have thought they were pretty cool.

“They are lightning surfing,” said the pilot. “Only those with confidence in their abilities and their capability in reading lightning attempt such an extreme sport.”

Ali would later learn the extreme sport was not just for those seeking the thrills in life. Vliland had a yearly competition for lightning surfing where the highest ranking individuals had a chance of serving the prince’s personal retinue. Based on what he learned from Juraj, the teenager knew Vliland’s prince was well loved by his people and many would happily die for him. He just wasn’t sure if the man was like Thomas who knew how to abuse charisma to get people to follow orders.

“Are we safe?” asked another passenger with a trembling tone.

“I promise you that we have never failed to get our passengers to their destination. That's a guarantee you won't get from any other airship services.”

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The pilot’s confidence seemed to have calmed those with some doubt. Ali and the others never had to worry because their tickets were bought by the Dark Cult. They knew that their journey would be a safe one, though all of them were aware that things could change quickly as soon as they reached the metropolis. They could already sense the unease when they were waiting to board the airship. There was a sense of urgency as many passengers looked to reach the safety of the metropolis.

“Mother, will we be safe?”

“Brother! Sister isn’t here yet. Our airship is leaving soon!”

“Why are we still waiting here? We got to leave at once!”

The worried faces on the civilians was a concern for Ali. He wondered if the situation was worsening far faster than what he was told. Taking a risk, he befriended two siblings who were around his age. They appeared out of place in the crowd so he started a conversation with them. When they realized that he wanted only information, they happily shared what they knew. They, like many of the others, fled their villages for the safety of the metropolis. In recent months, there had been raids conducted on the villages where killing, kidnapping and looting were all too common. As a result, the villagers fled their homes to the safest place they could reach and Vliland was one of those locations.

“I know Vliland is huge but surely the influx of refugees would be too much for the metropolis, right?”

“Prince Dian stated that he accepts all the refugees,” said the older brother. “He announced that he has enough food and shelter for everyone.”

After the boy said that, the other villagers also joined in with their praises of the prince. They all shared the same confidence that, once they reached Vliland, they would be safe. The situation made it easier for them to infiltrate the city as they could be mistaken for refugees. However, Ali wasn’t sure if things would get easier once they were inside. Juraj had shared plenty of stories of how arrival of refugees could escalate tensions within cities as the previous residents wouldn’t be fond of outsiders.

I wonder how the situation will look inside. We’ll be the kind of outsiders to be despised by the locals.

Once the airship reached the landing bay within Vliland, Ali was amazed by the sheer number of people gathered there. Even though a handful of airships left the transport hub they were at, there were countless other airships from other parts of the region. The influx of civilians had certainly overwhelmed the local authorities who could barely keep everything under order. Luckily for their group, they were given detailed instructions of who to meet in the metropolis. Getting past the large crowds wasn’t easy but they eventually reached where they needed to be.

“I didn’t expect us to be living in the slums,” said Kurata. “I thought we would have at least gotten somewhere better.”

Ali looked at the people sleeping on the streets. Thinking about the large crowds they had to get past, he could only imagine the density of those on the streets, especially when the slums might be the only place that would accept the outsiders. The place would only be more crowded as the authorities no doubt direct most refugees to the area.

“Maybe the slums aren’t bad,” said Ali. “We will hear about rumors a lot faster when we’re here. In addition, it's harder for us to stand out when there are so many people present.”