The engines hummed like thunder contained.

  High above the clouds, the transport aircraft cut through the sky, its metallic hull shimmering under sunlight. Inside, the cabin buzzed with voices and laughter, a rare calm before what awaited them below.

  Aiden’s squad and Elijah’s were gathered across the length of the carrier. The low light flickered across faces. Some tired, some restless, some excited for what lay ahead.

  Lysander leaned back in his seat, a sly grin tugging at his mouth as he flicked a coin between his fingers. Zane sat opposite him, leaning forward with an equally confident smirk.

  “Five flips in a row,” Lysander said. “Call it right, and I’ll stop calling you lucky.”

  Zane crossed his arms. “Luck’s all skill if you know how to bend it.”

  The coin spun. It flashed gold midair before clinking into Lysander’s palm.

  “Heads.”

  “Wrong,” Lysander said, opening his hand to reveal tails. “That’s five for me.”

  Zane groaned, leaning back. “You’re cheating.”

  “Not possible,” Lysander replied easily. “I just make probability behave.”

  Carter, Casper, Finn, Caleb, and Jian watched from the nearby bench seats, amused.

  “Why do I feel like this’ll end with someone getting punched?” Carter muttered.

  “Because it will,” Caleb replied, not looking up from his handheld holo-pad.

  Jian chuckled, adjusting the strap across his chest. “If it does, my bet’s on Zane landing the first hit.”

  Casper smirked. “Nah. Lysander will dodge. He’s annoying like that.”

  Across the cabin, Luna, Andrei, Daisy, and Oliver crowded around Lena Arkwell, who knelt beside an open sub-space satchel glowing faintly violet.

  “Watch closely,” Lena said, her voice warm with excitement. “This little marvel is my ‘Spiral Storage System.’ Allows you to fit a sixty-kilogram drone inside something that technically weighs four.”

  She reached inside and pulled out what looked like a compact silver cube. A light tap made it unfold like origami, expanding into a small hovering turret that projected a defensive barrier around them.

  “Whoa,” Daisy breathed.

  Andrei whistled low. “You really built that?”

  “Among other things,” Lena said, patting the cube as it folded back into her palm. “A lady must keep her surprises.”

  Elisa, sitting a few rows back, had been half-listening while pretending to scroll through her tablet. Curiosity finally got the better of her. She stood and wandered toward the group, eyes already searching for one person.

  “Hey, Mr. Encyclopedia!” she called.

  Oliver turned, startled. “I assume that’s directed at me?”

  “Who else?” Elisa grinned. “I have a question. What’s the big deal about Avionis? Everyone’s been talking about it since we left the training camp.”

  Oliver’s eyes lit up in that unmistakable way. Like someone had flipped a switch that turned him into a walking archive. He straightened his glasses and smiled faintly.

  “Ah, Avionis. Now that is a subject worth discussing.”

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  Luna groaned quietly. “Here we go.”

  Oliver ignored her, his tone lifting with enthusiasm. “Avionis is the capital of Sierra Nexus and the oldest functioning sky city in existence. Built thirty-four years ago, during the Verka’yn War, it was designed as both sanctuary and stronghold.”

  He gestured toward the window beside him, where streaks of light danced over cloud tops. “It survived where others fell. When riftstorms consumed the continent, Avionis stayed aloft, powered by a fusion of Esper technology and recovered pre-Verka’yn cores. It’s the heart of the World Esper Organization, the place where all four factions converge.”

  Elisa blinked. “Four factions?”

  Oliver nodded. “Yes. The WEO is divided into quadrants for strategic control. The Dauntless, in the southern territories. Raphael’s command, focuses on mountainous defense and coastal combat. The Astralis Guard which is us, is stationed in the northern cities, specialize in urban peacekeeping and riftborn containment. Then there’s the Skyborn Legion, the aerial combat division responsible for high-altitude rift extermination, operating from the floating fortress known as The Liberator.”

  Elisa leaned closer, fascinated. “And the last one?”

  “The Aegis Battalion*” Oliver said, lowering his voice slightly. “They guard the Troylon Wall, a hundred meters high, forty meter thick wall. It spans from Indiana all the way to Mississippi, separating the habitable zones from the wastelands beyond.”

  Caleb looked up from his pad at that. “The Troylon Wall… that’s where the last major incursion happened, right?”

  “Correct,” Oliver replied. “The western rift is still unstable. Aegis holds the line there every day.”

  Elisa’s eyes widened. “That’s insane.”

  “Insane,” Daisy echoed, “but kind of heroic.”

  Oliver nodded slightly, the faintest smile touching his lips. “Heroic, yes. Costly, too.”

  The conversation faded for a moment. Then Raphael’s voice crackled through the comms from the cockpit.

  “Alright, enough chatter. We’re closing in. Look alive, everyone.”

  Immediately, half the cabin rushed toward the windows.

  Outside, the clouds parted.

  And there it was.

  Avionis.

  The colossal city floated above the endless white sea of cloud, gleaming under the sun like a silver crown. Three circular tiers stacked atop one another, each rising higher than the last. The lowest ring stretched wide, lined with hanging gardens and sprawling air docks where smaller ships moved in perfect rhythm. Above it, the middle layer shone with spires and bridges, tram lines glowing blue as they traced intricate patterns between skyscrapers. The highest tier crowned everything. A radiant tower of white and gold piercing the heavens. The Sanctuary Spire, encircled by shimmering defense rings and pulsing energy veins that lit the clouds below with blue and gold light.

  Gasps filled the cabin.

  “Holy—” Zane stopped mid-sentence, his jaw slack. “That’s… unreal.”

  “Looks like something out of a dream,” Luna whispered.

  Carter leaned closer to the window, his reflection tinted by the city’s glow. “Or a warning. You could fit entire armies on that thing.”

  Aiden crossed his arms, his tone calm but firm. “Remember why we’re here. We have a meeting in two hours and five days of final drills before the raid.”

  Elijah, seated nearby, nodded. “No sightseeing until then.”

  A collective groan went through both squads.

  “Man, way to ruin the mood,” Zane muttered.

  Finn smirked. “Motivation first, celebration later.”

  As the aircraft approached, the faint hum of Avionis’s thrusters reverberated through the hull. Dozens of smaller defense platforms hovered nearby. Each one armed, patrolling the perimeter like silent guardians. Energy veins shimmered beneath the city, pulsing like a heartbeat.

  “Avionis Control,” Raphael’s voice said through the radio, “this is Dauntless transport T-09 requesting docking clearance.”

  A synthesized female voice responded, calm and mechanical. “Clearance granted. Proceed to Docking Bay Three. Welcome to Avionis.”

  The descent began.

  The aircraft’s stabilizers hissed, wings folding slightly as they aligned with the docking ring. The city loomed closer until it filled every window. Alrchitecture meeting machinery, history meeting future.

  When the ship finally touched down, a soft tremor ran through the floor. The hatch unlocked with a hiss and lowered to the platform below. Warm, crisp air rushed in, scented faintly with ozone and metal.

  For a moment, no one moved. Then Aiden stepped out first, followed by Elijah, their boots echoing against the platform’s polished alloy. One by one, the others followed, their eyes darting in every direction.

  Avionis stretched endlessly around them. An open-air terminal filled with airships, drones, and Esper soldiers in blue-gold uniforms. The hum of engines blended with distant voices and the faint song of wind through the open structure.

  And waiting at the far end of the platform stood two figures.

  The first, a woman with long, wavy hair fading into electric violet, her amber eyes sharp as fire. She wore a dark plum combat jacket that glinted faintly under the sun, the scar beneath her eye catching the light.

  The second, taller, dressed in a brown military coat detailed with chess-pattern embroidery and polished brass clasps. His silver knight pin gleamed against his hair.

  Violet Willow and Victor Hale.

  “About time you all showed up,” Violet said, her voice carrying easily across the dock.

  Zane blinked. “Wait, you're guys are here too!?”

  “of course we are.” She said, smirking. “I see nothing’s changed.”

  Victor folded his arms. “Order, please. We have protocol.”

  Carter elbowed Aiden lightly. “You didn’t mention we’d have royalty greeting us.”

  “Would’ve spoiled the surprise,” Aiden replied.

  Violet chuckled softly. “Welcome to Avionis, rookies. Follow us, and try not to get lost. The city’s big enough to swallow you whole.”

  They moved as a group, the crowd parting for them as they crossed the terminal. The journey toward the inner levels revealed glimpses of life across each tier. Air trams rushing along suspended rails, civilians in sleek suits walking skybridges, engineers maintaining thruster cores beneath glass walkways.

  The lower ring was lush and vibrant, filled with green terraces and glimmering waterways that wound between buildings. The middle ring was denser, a maze of spires and radiant towers. Soldiers and Esper technicians bustled across platforms, each carrying out their duties with practiced rhythm.

  As they ascended, the atmosphere grew quieter, thinner, almost sacred. The upper ring opened into the Sanctuary Spire, its marble-like alloy walls shining faintly gold. Stained glass panels cast shimmering colors across the wide hallways. The air felt charged with energy.

  “Welcome to the Sanctuary,” Victor said, his tone formal now. “All major operations, including cross-faction coordination, are run here. Your quarters are through the east wing. You’ll have full access to training sectors, rest zones, and briefings until the meeting begins.”

  Daisy looked up at the arched ceilings, awestruck. “This place feels unreal.”

  “It’s more than that,” Violet said quietly, her gaze drifting toward the towering spire in the distance. “This city is the last memory of what we once were and what we’re fighting to keep.”

  For a moment, no one spoke. The sound of footsteps and distant engines filled the space.

  Aiden and Elijah exchanged a glance. Both understood the weight in her words.

  Then Violet turned back to the group, her expression softening. “You’ve all come a long way. Whatever happens next, remember this moment.”

  She spread her arms slightly, the faintest smile playing across her lips.

  “Welcome to Avionis, home of the last sky.”

  [End of Chapter]

  Victor redesign

  Elijah redesign

  Aiden's redesign