The platform hummed quietly beneath their feet as it drifted over the skyline, soaring above towers of glass and light. For most of the journey, Kaiser's gaze had been locked onto the streets below, scanning the pulse of the city, calculating every route, every exit, every possible threat or opportunity. It was a soldier's instinct, honed by a lifetime of war, but even he couldn't help the twinge of awe that tugged at his focus when he finally remembered to look up.

What he saw was nothing short of sorcery.

Above the tallest rooftops, scattered like a constellation, hung dozens… No, hundreds of floating islands. Some were lush and green, trailing waterfalls that fell into nothingness, their mists dissipating before ever reaching the city below. Others bristled with spires, terraces, open markets, and grand estates, each one held aloft by forces Kaiser could not even begin to guess. Ribbons of glowing light connected some of the islands in midair, spiraling walkways that shimmered with colors unseen in nature.

He blinked once, slowly, processing. No one else seemed to notice. The little girl who'd tugged at his coat was now giggling in her sister's arms, more interested in the color of her candy than the impossible geography above their heads. Ivan, beside him, gawked until Kaiser's boot nudged him, snapping the boy out of his trance.

Kaiser barely had time to commit the scene to memory before the platform shuddered gently and began its landing, gliding with perfect precision toward one of the larger islands overhead. As they approached, the shimmering blue walls of energy dissolved into nothing, releasing the passengers onto a marbled plaza at the edge the floating city.

Ivan and Kaiser waited their turn, Ivan nervously tugging at his shirt as he glanced at the strange mix of people who were getting out in front of them.

The second before she began walking off, the short blonde girl spun back, fixing Kaiser with a look equal parts warning and challenge. "Don't ghost me, 'kay?" she snapped, waving her glowing blue screen in his face.

Kaiser stared, then raised both hands in what he hoped was a gesture of harmless intent. "It's the last thing on my mind," he said, voice flat. The girl's scowl softened, by just a touch. Her gaze flickered over him once, twice, cheeks tinged with pink, before she spun away with a muttered, "Whatever. Later, dude."

He watched her go, inwardly baffled. Ghost her? Did she mean not to kill her, or was this another piece of coded city etiquette he'd missed? Either way, she was gone, absorbed back into the press of bodies.

Ivan sidled up, smothering a snicker. "You sure attract a crowd."

Kaiser cut him a glare sharp enough to slice stone. "Keep your voice down and your eyes open," he muttered, turning away. "And if you see something strange again, don't repeat the same mistake."

Ivan only grinned, irrepressible as ever. "Yeah yeah, sure thing."

Kaiser's mind drifted for a moment, unbidden, to another time—another world. The grand Kingdom of Nebrosa, where order and fear were twin pillars of the kingdom, and respect wasn't asked for but drilled into bone and spirit. He remembered training soldiers in parade grounds gleaming with dew, the sting of his voice and the crack of the whip forging discipline into flesh. If Ivan had been under his command back then… No, he'd have drilled the respect straight through the boy's skull. But that was then, and this was now.

They continued on, winding through the market plaza as Sama had instructed. The floating city mirrored the chaos of the world below.

Kaiser kept his expression unreadable, even as he drank in every detail. He noticed the subtle differences between this place and the city below: here, the buildings were grander, more decadent. The glass and marble facades gleamed, etched with symbols of status and rank he only barely recognized. The crowds moved with a languid confidence, less rushed than those below… 'A different kind of predator stalked these heights.' he thought.

Every few steps, Kaiser caught the lingering eyes of passersby—some curious, some wary, more than a few openly envious. He stood out, and he knew it. Even as he tried to blend in, his height, the way he moved, the cold calculation in his gaze—all marked him as something other. Ivan pinched him, whispering about the stares, and Kaiser only arched a brow. To hell with it. If they wanted a spectacle, let them have one.

He lifted a hand and waved to a group of younger people loitering by a fountain, their hair dyed in strange colors, something Kaiser thought represented their factions. The girls squealed in delight, their voices echoing off the marble; the boys scowled, sulking as their companions fawned. Ivan looked incredulous. Kaiser, for his part, only shrugged, picking up the pace as he led them deeper into the city.

They took the first right, just as Sama had said, and the noise faded into a different kind of music—a hush punctuated by the clink of coins, the low rumble of private deals, the laughter of patrons at open-air cafés. Kaiser made note of it all, mapping the city in his mind more and more.

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And above it all, the sky was still hiding more secrets. Tiny islands, far above, shimmered in the sun. Kaiser realized that those islands were a lot smaller, and that one of them was likely Celestine's manor itself, isolated and unreachable by ordinary means.

'Why is the city separated like this?' he wondered. 'Control? Prestige? Security?' It was logical that the heart of the Liberatorium would draw the greatest wealth and the most cunning minds. Businesses would clamor for a place here, so much so that, eventually, the only way to expand would be to go up. The sky as real estate… Only a world like this could afford such madness.

As Kaiser turned left into the second street, the bustling avenue before him bloomed into an explosion of life and color that eclipsed even the spectacle he'd witnessed so far. Every corner, every square foot, pulsed with frenetic energy. Shops lined both sides, their storefronts spilling onto the walkway with displays vibrant enough to distract even the most disciplined eye. Ivan, unable to suppress his curiosity, visibly struggled to remain composed, his head swiveling left and right like an owl in daylight.

"Eyes forward," Kaiser murmured, lightly elbowing Ivan, who startled slightly but quickly corrected himself, snapping to a more disciplined posture. Despite the gentle reprimand, Kaiser couldn't fault Ivan entirely. Even he felt the constant tug of curiosity at his senses.

The street was alive with merchants loudly advertising their goods. Some shouted about enchanted items that glittered like captured stars in their palms, while others showed off strange mechanical contraptions that hummed quietly, filling the air with the scent of ozone. Kaiser noted a small crowd gathering around one merchant in particular—a tall, spindly man with silver tattoos that moved fluidly across his skin, mesmerizing the onlookers. The tattoos seemed to weave stories on his flesh, tales of liberators and dragons, all playing out silently to the amazement of his audience.

Kaiser's eyes narrowed briefly, analyzing potential uses for such abilities. Information transfer? Covert communication? The possibilities seemed vast, but he reminded himself sharply that his mission was observation, not interaction—at least not yet.

Kaiser's gaze shifted ahead, spotting a large building further down the road. The structure stood out with its sturdy brick walls and tall, arched windows, each one gleaming in the afternoon sun. Wide stone steps led up to a pair of heavy wooden doors, above which a polished sign read, "Glunko's Grand Emporium." It wasn't the tallest or grandest building around, but its bold sign and inviting front made it clear they had reached their destination.

Then, as they walked towards the shop, Kaiser thought about something. All throughout the city, he'd noticed more and more people whose bodies emitted a faint glow—green, blue, and, rarely, orange. It wasn't the kind of light that illuminated anything; rather, it seemed to pulse quietly beneath their skin, like veins carrying some strange, inner current.

Most people's glow flickered blue or green, varying in intensity, while some didn't glow at all.

He watched as these glowing people moved through the street, unremarked upon by anyone else. No one flinched, pointed, or even seemed to notice. Whatever this phenomenon was, it clearly wasn't some vain display or fashion—if anything, it was invisible to everyone but him.

Kaiser cursed inwardly, recalling the moment he'd caught Tristan's glow and bluntly told him to "turn it off." The flash of genuine surprise on Tristan's face came back to him now, and Kaiser realized he might have revealed more of his hand than he'd meant to. 'So it isn't meant to be seen,' he thought grimly. 'Another trick of this world I'm not supposed to understand yet... Damn it!'

He glanced sidelong at Ivan, whose own body glimmered with a faint, pale blue aura—barely noticeable, much weaker than the others he'd observed. Ivan, oblivious, was too busy gawking at the buildings to notice Kaiser's scrutiny.

Approaching the Emporium, Ivan tugged anxiously at the edges of his shirt, adjusting his appearance compulsively. Kaiser spared him an amused glance. "Try not to look so nervous," he said quietly, "Remember, you're just another curious shopper."

Ivan swallowed hard and nodded. "Right, sorry," he muttered, clearly struggling to compose himself amidst the overwhelming sensory overload.

Kaiser stepped forward confidently, pushing through the sturdy wooden doors of the Emporium. They swung open with a gentle creak, and he found himself in a space that immediately set itself apart from any shop he'd known.

The first thing he noticed was the height—a soaring, open atrium that reached up through three visible floors, each ringed with carved wooden balconies and winding iron staircases. The upper levels, stacked one above another, were filled with activity; shoppers leaned over railings to call down to friends below, while store clerks moved between floors, balancing crates and armfuls of goods.

Rows of handsome oak shelves filled the ground floor, their surfaces gleaming beneath the golden afternoon light pouring down from a row of skylights set high in the roof. The air smelled of polished wood, parchment, and something faintly herbal.

To the left, a grand staircase split the room, its railings inlaid with swirling brass patterns that seemed to change shape depending on where you stood. Beyond it, a sectioned-off alcove—marked with an ornate sign shaped like an open book—held dozens of floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with tomes, scrolls, and loose sheaves of paper. Lanterns hung from the beams above, casting a warm glow over the book section, where a few customers sat at reading tables, lost in study.

The rest of the shop was a labyrinth of organized sections: sturdy tools, gleaming weapons displayed behind protective glass, racks of enchanted trinkets and oddities, all arranged with meticulous care. Near the far wall, a counter flanked by cabinets of rare wares glittered with jewelry, relics, and bottles of green liquid.

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