Huge metal structures floated in the sky, some two to three hundred of them, obscuring the starry sky. They resembled the alien ships Nova had seen in a sci-fi movie.
The most eye-catching was the ship floating above the center of the shining city: the largest of them all, almost the size of the city of Luminaris itself. It was triangular in shape, like an inverted flattened pyramid. At the bottom of the hull, dozens of cables and metal antennas pointed toward the ground; on its surface were structures that looked like houses, illuminated by golden windows.
As for the city below, which was much larger than the ship in the sky, it was surrounded by large walls about sixty or seventy meters high that stretched along until they faded into the horizon. From within, buildings rose far above the height of those walls. Roads connected the five large entrances—openings in the wall enhanced by cables and lights—to the interior of the city.
On the roads, there were signs shaped like arrows, squares, and circles in neon lights. In addition to that, futuristic and dystopian vehicles moved in every direction. All the vehicles resembled spaceships. They came in different shapes and sizes, with different entities driving them. Some vehicles had wheels, others floated above the stone illuminated by neon lights. There were even motorcycles shaped like a large wheel, others with front windows that functioned as windshields, and the most normal ones resembled the motorcycles of the world of Nova.
Everything had a cyberpunk aesthetic—futuristic and dystopian at the same time. Large pillars of light rose from the city and disappeared into the clouds, as if they were mere decorations in the sky.
Nova stood with his mouth open. He looked toward the mountains and wondered how ordinary rock formations could have hidden such an enormous metal colossus.
'What the hell is this?!'
His calm was shattered when the Spectrum of Anticipation took control. Just looking at the city sent a wave of paranoia through him: he began to imagine what he might find inside. Could it be a race of civilized Aberrations? Although that possibility existed, going in was still too dangerous.
As expected, the source of energy for that city...
'No way! The damn asteroid is in there!'
The faint pulsations of Calem energy came from the heart of the metal colossus, brushing Nova's soul like a chilling, otherworldly breeze.
He couldn't think of anything else; it was madness. Normally, Aberrations are savage, with a few being more civilized, carrying strange weapons and even speaking languages incomprehensible to humans. But if there was one thing that united almost all of them, it was a deep hatred for humanity.
'What do I do now? Do I dare enter the city? I mean, they don't seem as savage as the other Aberrations, but... What the hell is going on with those ships?! Are they coming from other planets?!'
Could this be a culture far more advanced than that of early humans? It was a rhetorical question: the answer was right before the boy's one eye.
Nova took a deep breath and let his aura of Serenity take control. The Attenuate skill crushed the emotions in his heart until they were extinguished; his one eye became dull and logic dominated his mind.
'Wait, wait. I must think first. If the energy source comes from there, that means a portal could open out here.'
It wasn't such a far-fetched idea. However, the energy in this world was very weak compared to that of the desert or Terra. For a portal to open, a large concentration of energy was required, which is why in Nova's world it was possible to detect in advance when one was about to open. That was the problem: the energy there was very faint; it was likely that the portal through which he had arrived had taken years to form.
With that in mind, Nova sat down on a nearby rock and observed the immensity of the metal colossus.
'No... I was lucky that a portal opened in a world with such weak energy. If I want to move forward quickly, I must enter the city, but I don't know what I'll find inside.'
In front of the city, Nova looked smaller than an ant.
In the gloomy sky that hid its stars, a trail of crimson light descended; its brightness dimmed as it approached the gigantic ship in the center: it was another ship.
The landscape was strange: almost hypnotic, but the feeling it inspired in Nova was confusing. It was like a lonely city and, at the same time, teeming with life—a contradiction he could not explain.
His only eye, despite not having good depth perception, could see how tiny he was in comparison to the place.
'If I go in there, will I be able to return home?'
His gaze fell to the ground. Memories of his friends and family flashed before his one eye.
'Return home... with them. I've never felt this way before,' he looked at his hand. A distant memory came to mind: a lot of blood staining his skin. 'This is the first time I've felt such intense emotions. Maybe I'm finally understanding what my mother told me that day.'
He closed his only eye, focusing on his desire: to return home, to be reunited with his family and friends. Then he opened his eye, looking at the city with determination. Then he stood up.
'Okay. I've made up my mind.'
He took a step and pulled the desert cloak around himself.
'I'm not going to waste any more time.'
The longer he stayed in this world, the longer it would take him to return home. Time was the most valuable thing now. So he approached the edge of the mountain: it was still very high, but there was no time for fear.
'Mom, everyone... I'll be back. I'll be back, I swear.'
He jumped into the void. He drew his sword and drove it into the rock of the cliff to partially slow his fall; with the sole of his boot, he slid across the surface until he lost speed.
Minutes later, he was already running toward one of the large entrances in the wall.
***
He tried to cover his face well: he didn't know how the inhabitants of that world would react. Best to be cautious. In situations like this, the cloak and hood would be very useful.
When he was close enough to the road, he could see other beings walking along the edges of a sidewalk.
'Aberrations...'
He frowned, watching those strange beings. One had its knee joint facing backwards; it was tall, about two and a half meters, with hard, greenish skin, black, bulging eyes, and pincers on the sides of its jaw. It wore rustic cloaks, like dark animal skins of various kinds, and carried a large metal box on its back—a kind of dark metal cell with red eyes peeking out.
Its arms, long and thin, with small spikes on the elbows like black branches, stretched ominously backward to tap the box lightly.
"Akhasha usartha!" muttered the Aberration, causing the red eyes in the darkness of the small window of the box to close.
Nova swallowed hard. Around him five other individuals could be seen carrying similar boxes.
Nearby walked another being with a more humanoid appearance. Its clothing was extravagant by Nova's standards, but what was truly extravagant was the mechanical/bionic arm on its right shoulder. Its bluish skin had straight lines resembling metal welds, and its bald head with exposed circuits showed that it was not a completely biological being.
In short, it looked like a muscular individual dressed in flashy attire and a tangle of cybernetic accessories dotted with neon lights.
'It seems that strange prosthetics abound around here.'
As far as he could tell, the vast majority of Aberrations had similar elements: some were like monsters walking on all fours, extravagantly displaying their shiny chrome extensions; others had attitudes and appearances that he could loosely compare to humans, but not entirely. The ones that were least humanoid in appearance were the ones that stood out the most.
For their part, those who rode in vehicles were even more extravagant, with a distinctly cyberpunk aesthetic.
'For now, it doesn't seem like they've noticed my presence.'
Like him, they all seemed to be going their own way without paying attention to each other.
'I don't think I attract as much attention as those punks. Hm?'
On three of those motorcycles with a single large wheel, other humanoid beings with cybernetic implants passed by Nova, accelerating at full speed and overtaking the other vehicles. They laughed with amusement as they made the wheel jump with a mechanism that was activated near the steering wheel to pass over the roofs of the floating cars.
All three had pale red skin and featured technological modifications: cybernetic arms and legs, plate implants on their skulls and skin, making them look more like androids than biological beings.
'If there are more people like that in there, I don't know what to expect.'
He kept walking, ignoring everyone else. Soon he found himself crossing the large entrance to the wall. At the edges of the thick walls, he could see striking cybernetic connections flashing with LED lines, traveling back and forth across the metal surface. Some of the loose wires emitted electrifying sparks that went out when they touched the ground.
Nova looked at this with great curiosity. He was interested in knowing how it all worked, but he didn't have time to start dismantling a wall.
When he finally crossed over, what he saw left him even more stunned: huge buildings were clustered unevenly around the streets. Metal and glass constructions and bright neon lights surprised Nova with a new perspective on the worlds that lay on the other side of the portal.
The buildings rose up to the sky, almost brushing against the hull of the massive central ship. They had different shapes and heights, with triangular, semicircular, or rectangular tops. Neon lights snaked between the glass, where large advertising and holographic screens showed creatures of various races in all kinds of situations.
Stunned by the magnificence of the cyber-futuristic architecture, Nova stood watching from the shadow of his hood.
'Maybe the Aberrations aren't what I thought they were.'
Or maybe all the strange beings in this city hate humans equally; it was a possibility.
Nova's wry smile returned with that thought.
'Although I still don't know how they would all react if they saw my face.'
It wasn't worth speculating. If this was a world populated by species other than Aberrations, it was better not to reveal himself and go unnoticed.
'Besides, it seems we don't speak the same language. Trying to communicate would be foolish.'
It really is stupid to think about communicating with other beings. I mean, what could Nova say to them? "I'm looking for the largest energy source in your world, will you help me find it?" Ha! Of course not. That's basically suicide!
'For now, I'll continue in the direction of the energy signature.'
The energy spread through the streets, coming from the same source: the "asteroid" of that world. Apparently, the Aberrations of this place, like humans, had found a way to use the energy provided by the asteroid.
Nova checked this by stopping to feel the energy: he could sense that everything in this city had the a subtle pulse, like a distant heartbeat
He continued walking through busy streets, populated by beings of various races; some looked less monstrous than others.
At that moment, one of the large hanging screens showed the image of a mysterious group of hooded figures. Nova watched it; from the strange language they spoke and the reaction of some of the Aberrations, he guessed that they were a dangerous group.
'No matter what world we're in, there will always be evil people.'
In Terra, there had already been serial killers, thieves, and all kinds of leeches on society. Moreover, now that humanity had mastered Emotional Spectrums, solving these cases had become more complex.
Fortunately, on the continent of Calem, thanks to factors such as the Factions and the Council, many criminals had been kept at bay.
Shaking his head and putting the idea out of his mind, Nova crossed the street filled with Aberrations and vanished into the bustle.