The next day, far below where Aether now lay—where consciousness finally began to take hold of him...
[7:16]
"So, what can you do?" Marquis called across the playground. He was rocking his latest fit—light grey cargo pants that shimmered with movement, intricate lightning bolts woven into the fabric like electric veins.
On top, he wore layers: a deep blue long-sleeve under a pristine white tee. Across the chest, Gothic lettering spelled out "Draws."
"You have to stop...," Kai groaned, dragging the words with playful exasperation.
He wore an oversized green tee with "Shield" wrapped around it in a bold design, the letters hugging him like armor. His hands were gloved in fire-engine red, secured with thick straps, and his cargo shorts ended in frayed edges that added to his vibe of calculated chaos.
Marquis executed a clean double front flip, landing on his hands with the grace of a cat. He turned toward a group of girls passing by—one of whom had been loudly bragging about her gymnastics skills while putting down her friends.
"You really should treat your friends better," Marquis said, waving her off as he and Kai walked away.
The girl's shocked expression was worth the gesture—"unnecessary," as Kai would call it.
"You didn't need to do that...," Kai said, grinning despite himself.
"She probably didn't know what she was doing, so I had to show her," Marquis replied as they hopped down from the elevated playground section, passing a sign that read Floor 589.
The entire floor looked like a child's fever dream engineered by a genius. Structures jutted out at impossible angles, creating a three-dimensional playground stretching from floor to ceiling. Safety nets spread like spiderwebs, catching the occasional climber. Everyone just called it The Playground—a chaotic mix of climbing walls and anti-gravity zones where students practiced aerial maneuvers without fear.
"Where we headed, anyway?" Marquis asked, adjusting his ponytail. He'd been debating switching to a wolf cut but hadn't committed.
"Fake-retrieval wars, mas. Heard there's a new squad pulling up," Kai said, pulling a small yellow tube from his pocket. With a tap, it expanded into something larger, like a high-tech version of those old telescope toys.
"Just practice, right?" Marquis asked, watching someone deliberately fall from a climbing wall to experience the zero-gravity catch.
"You hit me up talking 'bout 'let's do something fun,' so yeah," Kai shrugged. "Oh yeah—Leonardo's back, by the way."
That got Marquis's attention. "No shot. Thought mans got smoked. Did tell him it wasn't bouta be easy."
"For real, but he's back, fortunately," Kai said, handing Marquis his signature black bag with red claw-like streaks and adjusting his own single-strap carrier.
"He told me he's the tour guide's son. Deadass," Marquis added, falling into step.
"Cap," Kai shot back.
"On sage! That's what I said! But homie was serious," Marquis insisted, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Good luck getting more outta him, though. Dude's locked up tighter than a vault."
They wandered through the surreal architecture of Floor 589, footsteps echoing against impossible surfaces, their conversation drifting as easily as they moved.
Above them, the ceiling rippled with holographic clouds. Below, trails of light followed their steps as if the building itself reacted to their presence.
"Ha...," Marquis began, voice cracking as he tried to hold it in. His attempt at seriousness lasted half a second.
"Haha—" Kai joined, and suddenly both of them burst out laughing, doubled over in sync.
"AHAHAHAHA!" They exploded, their laughter bouncing off the gravity-defying structures. A few students glanced their way, but neither cared.
"No way—" Marquis wheezed, wiping tears from his eyes. "—no way those girls actually talk like that! 'Like, oh em gee, my aerial form is literally so perfect!'" His impression came with high-pitched drama and exaggerated hand gestures.
"I literally can't—" Kai clutched his sides, nearly on his knees. "'And then I told Jessica her landing was so basic—'" He couldn't finish before cracking up again.
Marquis grabbed Kai's shoulder for support, trying to get air. "We have—" he gasped, "—we have to stop or I'm gonna pass out."
Kai leaned into him, both of them stumbling forward in a tangled mess of giggles and friendship, barely staying upright.
"Alright, alright," Marquis said, still grinning so hard it hurt. "Let's go before they come back with rejuvenated determination. Man, I miss school."
They straightened up, arms slung over each other's shoulders.
"School," Kai muttered randomly.
"It's been four years now," he continued, sighing. "I had to finish at sixteen while you stopped at fourteen. You only did a single year, man."
"That one year was fun... but then again," he paused, memories weighing on him as they both looked at each other.
"It started on the first day, no?" Kai said.
"Yeah, she began with a—" Marquis continued as they sank into nostalgia.