They jumped from the roof of the maglev four seconds before the train shot beneath the archway of the main terminal.
Wind screamed in their ears. The platform below flashed past in a blur, and Astra bent gravity once more, though this time more gently, almost tenderly. A violet cocoon wrapped around the three of them, turning the fall into a controlled descent. They landed inside a narrow maintenance alcove hidden behind a decorative wall of living ivy, where the air was no longer hot from the train's braking systems but cool and sweet.
The Upper City shopping gallery greeted them like another universe.
It smelled of real flowers.
Not synthetic perfume, but freshly cut orchids and white lilies hanging in enormous suspended planters beneath the ceiling. Expensive fragrances drifted through the air in delicate clouds: musk, sandalwood, rare spices once native to Earth. People, or beings who had perfected the imitation of humanity, strolled leisurely through the corridors as though time itself moved slower here.
Men wore long silk tunics threaded with glowing fibers that shifted color according to mood.
Women moved through the crowds in dresses whose textures transformed with every motion, changing from matte velvet to mirrored scales. Their faces were flawless. No wrinkles. No implant scars. Their eyes were calm, soft with pleasure.
Lyra emerged from behind the ivy first. She already held three small discs in her hand.
"Holo-masks," she whispered while distributing them. "We blend into the crowd. Attach them to your collars. One touch activates them."
She looked directly at Astra.
"And hide the glow in your eyes. Right now you're not Death. You're a diplomatic guest from Sector-7. Tall. Bored. Slightly arrogant. Speak little."
A pause.
"And smile even less."
Astra pressed the disc against the base of her neck.
A faint tingling spread across her skin as a holographic layer unfolded over her worn combat suit, transforming it into an elegant dark violet outfit embroidered with silver patterns.
But the clothing was the easy part.
She inhaled deeply and forced the violet fire inside her to quiet down.
It hurt.
Like trying to trap a volcanic eruption inside a matchbox.
Thanatos's energy resisted violently, burning beneath her skin, clawing for release. For a split second her eyes blazed brighter, reflected in the nearest mirrored storefront, before dimming into ordinary dark irises.
Astra bit her lip to stop herself from groaning.
Two drops of sweat slid down her temples.
"Done," she exhaled hoarsely.
Then they stepped into the current of Paradise.
The gallery was enormous: a three-level atrium beneath a transparent dome flooded by the glow of an artificial sunset. Holographic butterflies floated through the air, leaving trails of fragrance behind them. Somewhere nearby, soft music played, strings layered over a gentle electronic pulse.
People laughed.
Drank synthetic wine the color of blood.
Discussed the newest collections of neural jewelry.
Astra walked between Lyra and Kai. Her reflection in the mirrored storefronts looked alien to her. A tall woman in an expensive suit. Perfect posture. A faint, controlled smile.
Beneath the mask still lived the defect.
She felt it like a splinter beneath her skin.
Every step echoed inside her chest.
These people around them… they were real.
Or almost real.
They had no idea that their beauty, their eternal youth, their Paradise, had all been purchased using the Sparks stolen from the lower sectors.
"They don't even know," Astra murmured quietly to Kai as they passed a café staffed by lifelike android waiters.
Kai, now disguised as a successful engineer in a pale jacket, gave a bitter smile. His mechanical eye remained hidden beneath a holographic lens.
"The system doesn't like batteries understanding their purpose," he whispered back. "Why ruin the cattle's appetite? Let them graze. Let them enjoy themselves. Less than two weeks until the Harvest, and they'll spend it drinking wine and debating which sunset shade looks prettier tonight."
Lyra walked slightly ahead, scanning the crowd constantly. One hand rested near the concealed holster beneath her holographic cloak.
"Stay focused," she muttered without turning around. "The Main Vault is two hundred meters ahead along the central axis. You can already see the spire from here. But between us and it are three security layers, bioscanners, and a neural shield. The masks will hold for maybe twenty minutes."
Her tone hardened.
"After that, the system notices the mismatch."
Astra nodded.
Inside her, Thanatos remained silent.
Waiting.
But she could feel his hunger growing stronger with every step across the immaculate marble floor. The scent of flowers suddenly felt cloying, like the perfume of a decaying dream.
She passed a storefront where a mannequin wearing a dress made of liquid light slowly rotated beneath spotlights.
For an instant, her reflection flickered.
Behind the mask, her true eyes appeared: violet and endless, filled with darkness.
"You will always remain an outsider," Thanatos whispered faintly inside her mind. "But soon… soon they'll all look at you differently."
His voice curled like smoke.
"When you drink their Paradise."
Astra clenched her fists and forced the vision away.
They kept walking.
Three shadows moving among gods who still did not realize a plague had entered their heaven.
The mask of a human fit perfectly.
But beneath it, a storm was already growing.