The hovercar slid to a halt at the gates of Rokland.
Massive metal walls loomed overhead, rusted but still defiant against the cold. Beyond them, the city pulsed with light and noise, like a wound trying to pretend it wasn't infected.
Selira stepped out first, hood pulled low. She waved her ID at the half-frozen guard. He blinked, recognized the symbol etched into her badge, and opened the gate without a word.
Inside the Hive, the air was warmer. But life in there could make a human's skin crawl.
"No flying beyond this point," one of the guards warned, gesturing to the notice in six languages.
"I know the law," Selira replied coolly. Parking her hovercar in one of the train's compartments, she immediately showed her Awakened card to the ticket master. "First district," she said, and gesturing to Harvir, she added, "They are my guests."
The ticket master blinked, then nodded stiffly. "Understood. Your bullet train platform would be in first class, Miss." Smiling at the ticket master, Selira nodded.
Harvir clung to his mother as Selira led them inside the checkpoint. Towering walls surrounded them as they entered the outer ring of the city—a transition zone beneath the surface of Cronos, where cold pipes hissed and mist clung to the stone floor.If one went straight instead of riding the expensive bullet train, they would run into the standard train, which could only send them to the second layer of the Hive.
The train rocketed forward through tunnels of reinforced stone and mana-conductive alloys. Finally, it emerged into a place unlike anything Harvir had ever imagined.
The Upper Hive—Rokland's First Layer. Massive domes soared above like carved palaces of glass and gold. Artificial lights mimicked sunlight, bathing the world in a soft, golden hue. The sky wasn't cold like outside. Instead, it emitted a bright hue that turned fallen snow into small water droplets, which often fell like light rain throughout the Upper Hive.
Inside the Hive's First Layer, Harvir clung to his mother's side as the warm air kissed their frostbitten skin. The ceiling soared high above, dotted with glowing crystals that mimicked a false sun. Rain-like droplets fell from vents in the domed roof—melted snow from the surface above, filtered and recycled.
Selira led them through a luxury market surrounded by crystalline structures. Everything shimmered—clothes, food, even the water stalls. Men in tailored robes and women in living-fiber dresses passed by, barely sparing a glance at the ragged boy and his dying mother.
They arrived at a private clinic nestled between two towering spires. A nurse blinked in surprise when Selira stepped in, but upon seeing her badge and crimson cloak, she bowed quickly. "Room five, Miss Selira. The Healer is waiting."
Selira turned to Harvir. "Stay here. Let them work."
Harvir's mother was taken inside on a floating stretcher. For the first time in days, the boy exhaled with relief. But questions still burned in his chest.
He looked up at Selira, eyes wide. "Are you… an Awakened?"
Selira tilted her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It took you long enough to find a simple question. I thought people outside of hives were bright."
His eyes sparkled with awe.
"Don't let it impress you too much. I am just an E-rank Awakened," she added with a shrug.
After treatment was underway, Selira took Harvir on a walk through the Hive. Not through the golden parts—but the cracks in between.
They passed under bridges where the sick huddled in shadows, too poor for even painkillers. A girl barely older than Harvir begged for food beside a dead man with frost still clinging to his beard. Nobody looked twice.
"This," Selira said flatly, "is the city of a million lungs. Always breathing. Always hungry. And those who can't keep up? They die."
Harvir's fists clenched. "Why doesn't anyone help them?"
Selira gave a low chuckle and smiled while adding, "Pretty on top. Rot underneath. THAT'S WHAT MAKES A WORKABLE SOCIETY." Looking at the young boy in front of her with allure—and somewhere between a creepy and normal tone—she added, "Just like humans."She couldn't wait for the Sacrifice Day to come. On the Day of Feast, she would show him her rotten self. She felt amused and a slight heat on her body when thinking about that.
But she needed to get much closer to the sacrifice and his mother. After all, unlike these stupid people, nobody in the Hive would believe anyone—especially herself—if she wanted to find a sacrifice. Not only could she explain how her pity made a boy disappear, but even the guards would've raise questions if she was suspected as a heretic.
She never wanted her cover to blow up as the Chaos Princess of the One-Eyed God's Church.
Selira and Harvir stood near a giant vent pipe that led down—toward the second layer. Faint screams and grinding machinery echoed from below.
"Down there," she said, "eighteen-hour shifts break men's backs.On the third layer, the Falrons—mad scientists—run experiments like gods without chains. Mutants walk upright, twisted by corruption. Heretics chant to false gods of the Origin World. But nobody cares."
"It's the nature of society. The poor need to build the roots. The wannabes will fill the gap. Slaves will make the work done. And the rich will be rich.""If you don't want to accept such a simple truth, society would collapse. People would kill each other, and again another such hell would be created.""Nobody would care while seeing people die. Nobody would show mercy at your misfortune. Humanity runs on benefits."
Half of the words ran out of Harvir's head. What was society? What was this thing? In Bedouin culture, such things could be seen as leader and follower. He felt like a country bumpkin. Being only twelve years old, he couldn't understand her world. But one thing he understood: Nothing is free in the world. Everything has a price.A look of disbelief washed over him as he looked at Selira.
Slowly, he asked, "Then why did you save us?"
Selira's eyes glinted. "Because I'm strong," she replied simply. Then, with a shrug, she added, "Strong people don't need a reason."
She turned away, her cloak swirling softly around her boots.
But after a few steps, she stopped. Her voice, though still calm, carried a sharper edge.
"Then again… I could change my mind. I could leave you and your mother right here. If the guards find you living illegally, they'll send you back. And once that happens, you'll never be allowed into this paradise again."
Harvir blinked, startled. "What if… what if I told the guards about us first?"
Selira chuckled under her breath. "You think they'd believe you? A boy in rags? No. But I have a better offer."
She turned to face him again, her expression softer, almost warm.
"What if I said you could stay here—really stay? A roof over your head. A warm bed. Food. Medicine for your mother. Safety." Her voice dropped into a whisper. "A place you can call home."
Harvir's breath caught. His heart raced with a mix of disbelief and wonder.
"All I ask," Selira said, "is your loyalty."
He stared at her, wide-eyed. "You… you really mean it?"
Selira straightened, that smooth confidence returning. "Of course. I'm not just a fighter. I know value when I see it. I need smart, honest people like you."
Harvir looked down, his fists clenching, then unclenching. For a brief moment, he hesitated—then nodded.
"I'll talk to Mother," he said, just as the nurse wheeled her out from the clinic room.
He ran to her side, barely able to hold back tears.
"Mother… she saved us! She's giving us a place to stay. Real food, real warmth. And she said you can get better treatment!"
His mother opened her eyes slowly, her face still pale but no longer gray with sickness. Her voice was fragile, barely audible.
"She… saved us?"
Harvir nodded quickly. "Yes! She's an Awakened. She's strong. Everyone else just ignored us… but she didn't. She helped us."
His mother looked past him—to Selira, who stood quietly in the doorway. Her arms were folded, her expression calm. A small, polite smile rested on her lips.
Harvir's mother stared for a long moment, then closed her eyes. She exhaled shakily, and her fingers gently squeezed his hand.
"If she's truly kind… then yes. We should go with her."
Harvir turned back, tears glistening in his eyes.
"We'll come with you," he said.
Selira's smile deepened. Her voice was soft, soothing—almost motherly.
"Good. Loyalty like yours deserves reward."
But behind her smile, something darker stirred. A satisfaction curled within her like smoke. One step closer. The altar would soon have its song.