The city of Callex opened up before them like a relic from a forgotten age.
Spires carved from ivory stone stretched high into the lavender sky, and narrow bridges ran between suspended platforms.
Glowing sigils danced lazily in the air, guiding pedestrians, while whispers of ancient aether pulsed through the veins of the structures.
Malrik strolled ahead, relaxed and familiar with every turn. Nova and Anna kept close behind, silent but alert.
When they reached the outer wall of the inner district, a guard in silver-blue armor stepped forward, frowning the mont he spotted Malrik.
"Again? Malrik, how many tis do we have to tell you not to bring more strays in here? The city’s overcapacity. We can barely stretch rations as it is."
The guard snapped, voice sharp and annoyed.
Malrik just chuckled, unfazed.
"Co now, Devrin. They were about to be worm food. I couldn’t just leave them. You know the Queen’s teachings—we don’t turn our backs on the desperate."
Devrin gave him a deadpan look.
"One day, your beliefs are going to get you killed."
Malrik shrugged.
"Then I’ll die with a clean conscience."
He gave the guard a two-fingered salute and turned toward the sealed gate.
"Besides, they’re under my watch. Isn’t that enough?"
Devrin muttered a curse but finally waved his hand over the scanner, opening the large arching gate.
"You’re lucky I like you, Malrik. But don’t co crying when you run out of favors."
"No worries. I never cry."
Malrik grinned, gesturing for Nova and Anna to follow.
Once inside, the shift in energy was imdiate. The inner city buzzed with life, but tension clung to the air like static.
Everyone they passed seed either wary or exhausted, moving with purpose and suspicion.
Malrik led them to a low building with a worn tallic sign—TEMPORARY HOUSING SECTOR B-7.
Inside, it was cramped and dim, the air filled with a strange mix of incense and recycled oxygen.
A man in charge, bald and broad-shouldered, glanced up as they entered. The mont he saw Malrik, his expression soured.
"Oh, for the love of the stars—again?"
The man groaned.
"Don’t be dramatic, Fen. They’re clean. No infections, no active anomalies. Just a pair of travelers caught in the wrong place."
Malrik said, flashing a smile.
Fen glared.
"And you’re dumping them here. Again. Without food rations. Again."
"We lost our IDs in the worm attack."
Nova added calmly, stepping forward. His tone carried enough weight to make Fen pause and glance at him properly.
Malrik gave Nova an approving nod.
"I’ll take full responsibility. Register them under my na."
"You sure? That’ll double your credit tax....Again."
Fen asked, sighing deeply.
"Already done. Just get them a room."
Malrik said, handing over a small encrypted chip. He also asked Nova and Anna to fill the forms for him.
Fen took it and grumbled as he turned to his terminal.
"One day, soone’s gonna drop you here without resources and we’ll see how charitable you are."
Malrik only chuckled.
"If that day cos, I expect you to give the sa treatnt."
With that, he gave a small wave and left, slipping back into the corridors of the city without waiting for thanks.
Fen muttered sothing inaudible and motioned to a hallway.
"Room 12C. Two beds, no complaints. Water’s limited to three units per day, and don’t ask for seconds in the food line."
As they made their way down the hall, Anna glanced at Nova.
"He’s... weirdly nice."
Nova nodded slowly.
"Too nice."
Anna frowned.
"You don’t trust him?"
"I trust that he wants sothing. We’ll figure out what it is soon."
Nova replied.
______
The room they were given was more of a disappointnt than either of them expected.
The walls were stained with old watermarks and odd discoloration, the ceiling had a concerning dip right above the beds, and the single flickering light overhead made the shadows in the corners seem far too alive.
The beds—if one could even call them that—were nothing more than thin, uneven mattresses on tallic fras, with springs poking out like a trap waiting to snag skin.
One of the legs on Anna’s bed was bent so badly it tilted like a sinking ship.
The scent of mold and dust clung to the air, and small scratching sounds in the corner told them that pests were very much a part of this room’s environnt.
Anna’s face twisted in horror as she took it all in.
"This is a room? No—this is a garbage heap."
The shelterkeeper, still standing in the hallway, overheard her and imdiately made a face of his own.
"It’s the only room we’ve got. If you don’t like it, the exit’s two halls down."
He said, voice clipped and annoyed.
Anna opened her mouth to protest, but the sharpness in his tone shut her down instantly. She glanced at Nova, whose expression hadn’t changed at all.
"I—Fine. I guess it’s better than sleeping with worms."
Anna muttered, her tone deflating as she looked back at the ss.
The shelterkeeper gave a half-hearted grunt before turning away.
"Cleaning tools are in the bathroom. There’s a rationed water tap—try not to flood the place."
He left without sparing them another glance, clearly unwilling to deal with Anna’s disappointnt any longer.
Anna stood there, hands on her hips, surveying the ss like she was preparing to wage war.
"Nova. Please... keep yourself busy for the next few hours. I can’t live in this filth."
She said with exaggerated calm.
Nova raised an eyebrow.
"You’re cleaning?"
"Yes. If I don’t, I’ll end up setting this entire room on fire out of spite. So go—walk, nap in the hallway, hunt rats—I don’t care. Just don’t breathe near while I purge this place."
She said with a deep breath.
Nova gave a rare, amused smirk, watching her roll up her sleeves and tie her hair up with military efficiency.
"Understood."
He said simply, and stepped out into the corridor, leaving Anna to her self-appointed mission.
Behind him, the faint sounds of clattering tal and muffled groans of disgust echoed from the room as Anna began her battle with gri, wielding a mop like a weapon and declaring war on the cobwebs.
Outside, Nova wandered through the narrow corridor, its dim lighting and tallic hum reminding him of the forgotten corners of the lower districts in the tower.
He didn’t mind discomfort, but he knew Anna did. And he respected her need to fix what she could.
He paused beside a cracked window at the end of the hallway, staring at the distant shimr of Callex’s central towers.
The city’s beauty was deceptive—shining on the outside, rotting from within.
[You’re still nearby, aren’t you?]
Nyx’s voice rang softly through his comm.
"I didn’t go far."
Nova replied.
[I’ve started scanning Callex’s internal communications. There’s heavy encryption around anything involving the Queen’s court... and sothing else. It feels... bent. Off-pattern. Like soone is trying to mask divine aether.]
Nova’s eyes narrowed.
"So Reason’s core is definitely here."
[Possibly more than one divine-linked presence. Be careful, Nova.]
He nodded subtly, then turned back. Anna’s room door was slightly ajar now, and the scent of strong cleanser floated out. He heard her humming—a rare sound—and smiled faintly.
Anna’s presence, Nyx’s voice, and the weight of the sleeping core on his ship—all of it reminded him: war was coming, but for now, they had a place to breathe.
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