Year 2XXX, New Angeles
-We are arriving in New Angeles. Please stand clear of opening doors. We are arriving in New Angeles. Please stand clear of opening doors.-
One of the most popular tourist hotspots on Earth, New Angeles welcomes tens of thousands of tourists daily to its sandy beaches, massive tournaments, and city-exclusive showcases of New Angeles-born-and-raised SSS-ranked Seeker, Lionhart. But to the eager teens waiting on a specially marked magnet train, it was simply another layover.
“This is the final stop before Astrapolis!”
“Don’t call it that! I heard that locals just say the full name. You’re gonna look like a fool if you say that.”
Teens, all similar in age, and wearing multitudes of uniforms from around the world, spoke in excited chatter in the hovercraft. Notably, each different school uniform was worn by a few people at least, and all had an air of elitism, be it a fancy insignia embroidered on the blazer, the tailored fit, or some rich adornments. All except for one uniform, worn by one lone person. Though just an average school uniform, amid premium pickings, it seemed like dirty scrubs when surrounded by the other uniforms. And the students on the train seemed to think so too, scooting away from the boyish figure. Others, feeling a sense of superiority over the boy who was a bit shorter than average, jostled him intentionally, despite the spacious accommodations.
“How the hell did a kid like this get into the metropolis…”
“Hey, be careful. He could be like Xenon.” The first student froze for a second, being reminded of the rags-to-riches story of the Pantheon Seeker.
“Whatever. Lionhart’s stronger.” Grumbling, he moved away from the boy he had just body-checked to the ground, leaving the boy to pick himself up. His wine-red hair, now tousled because of his fall, slowly combed back into his normal wolf cut, which was currently a little too long for his liking. His blazer jacket, a little bit oversized, which his mother swore up and down he would grow into eventually, ripped during the fall. Even though it didn’t matter now, with his acceptance into a school in the Astral Metropolis, he still panicked a little when he saw the tear, worrying about the cost of buying a new one. But then he remembered where he was. About to hop off the magnet train to get on a Chronospace Foundation hovercraft and make his way to school on the Astral Metropolis, the most advanced city in the world, floating above the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
And it wasn’t just any school.
It was the Institute of Luminaries. The school where half of the Pantheon, including Xenon, his idol, went as students. Students aiming to be Seekers from around the entire world dreamed of going to where he was about to go. And the proof was the letter carefully placed in his breast pocket:
[Enki Mystral,
We would like to offer our sincerest congratulations on your acceptance to the Institute of Luminaries. We hope your travel to the magnificent adventurer city-state of Astral Metropolis is swift and safe, and further details will be disclosed upon your arrival. In this package, you will find your tickets, and travel information, as well as your new personal Astral Network device, a version that is exclusive to our glorious city in the sky.
Illuminate the future.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Sincerely, Dean Kestrel]
The train came to a full stop and students pushed each other to get through the crammed exit. Enki stood back, not wanting to get involved with all that mess, and made a mental check of the most important things he needed to know before arriving at the Astral Metropolis.
The Astral Metropolis was built a century after the arrival of [Dungeon], a system of wormholes that suddenly appeared on Earth around five hundred years ago. Said wormholes were doors connecting the world to different mysterious and dangerous dimensions of monstrous creatures and alien material. At first, humanity blocked off the portals and tried to shut down [Dungeon], but they soon realized that within the unknown worlds was an endless supply of resources that would skyrocket technology to new heights. Metals never before seen on Earth could be accessed through the [Dungeon], and modern theorists consider the unexplained phenomenon to be a sign of some divine entity.
Built at the epicenter of a cluster of wormholes, the Astral Metropolis quickly became the world’s hub for expeditions into [Dungeon], as well as the largest trading port for excavated materials. Now, it has blossomed into a bustling city filled with students aiming to become Seekers, the term used for those who explored [Dungeon] full-time. In a way, Seekers have also taken over law enforcement and the military, as not all Seekers want to live in Astral Metro, or are stationed there by their agencies. It only made sense after all, with the power of S.O.L.
“Hey, kid! Get off the train!” A voice shouting in his direction broke him out of his history review. He gave a quick apology to the conductor, before stepping out into the hot air of New Angeles. The bustling downtown life had long moved into an underwater section of the city, but there was still a lot to see above water. It was New Angeles, after all. In the distance, Enki saw a couple of tamed drakes, circling around a tall spire.
‘That must be where the hovercraft is going to land. Who else but the CSF to send drake escorts for the students.’ Enki walked along a seaside path, making his way toward the place he saw the monsters circling. The hovercraft wasn’t supposed to show up for another hour or so since other students were supposed to arrive in New Angeles from other transport. It seemed like most of the other students were bee-lining to get to the next transport. It surely wouldn’t take so long to even get there, right?
-Is what Enki would say if he wasn’t running late. despite spending the entire hour traveling the city to reach the hovercraft destination. Apparently, New Angeles’ traffic was notoriously slow, and it was faster to just run, rather than use a vehicle. It was information the other students seemed to know after countless vacations to the seaside city, but Enki had never traveled outside his town, and didn’t know the supposed common knowledge. About half an hour in, he had gotten beeped on his government-issued Astral Network device, with a message that said:
[Dear future students of the Astral Metropolis,
It’s your last leg of the journey! Your first challenge as a future Seeker is to make it to the ChronoSpace Foundation hovercraft before it leaves. Yes! It will leave without you! The clock is ticking kids! Good luck!
Cillia Vy, President of the Seeker Administration]
That’s when all hell broke loose. Well at least, for Enki and his fellow freshman. He began booking it through the streets of New Angeles towards the destination and could see some fellow students hopping across roofs. How were they already trained in this?
‘Ah, what if the hovercraft leaves without me!’ In the midst of that thought, Enki bumped into a smaller figure, and while he caught himself before tripping, the other person wasn’t so lucky.
“Ah! My groceries. Not again…” The lady he bumped into cried out, and Enki looked at the drakes flying in the sky, bit his lip, and turned around to help the woman pick up her groceries.
“I’m sorry!”
“You should be! I had just picked these back up after the last time. At least you helped out though,” The lady sighed, giving Enki an annoyed look. “You’re going to help me bring these home.”
“But-”
“No buts!” The woman declared, shoving a bag into his hands. Enki checked the holo-screen on his wrist. Five minutes until the hovercraft is supposed to arrive. If he ran right now, he would still be a minute late, probably. Before he had a chance to explain though, the woman had already moved several paces away from him and was rounding a corner, in the exact opposite direction. He bit his lip, looked towards the beautiful drakes that looked as if they were swimming gracefully in the sky, and turned to catch up to the woman.
“Miss, wait up for me!”