Chapter 36: City of Lights
The carriage thundered across the dirt road.
Behind it, an army of angry rabbit cultists charged through the fields.
"GET IN!"
Udit shouted.
Andre didn't hesitate.
He planted a foot on a rock and launched himself forward.
For a man built like a brick wall, he moved surprisingly well.
He landed perfectly inside the carriage.
"Easy."
Kai hated him.
The cultists were getting closer.
"Move your ass!"
Andre yelled.
Kai jumped.
For one terrifying second, he realized he wasn't going to make it.
"Oh no."
His fingers barely caught the edge.
The carriage hit a bump.
Kai nearly slipped off.
"HELP!"
Andre grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him inside.
Kai crashed face-first into the floorboards.
The carriage sped onward.
Leaving the village behind.
The rabbit cultists slowly disappeared into the distance.
Some continued running.
Others eventually gave up.
A few angrily threw carrots.
One actually hit Andre in the head.
"..."
Andre picked up the carrot.
"...Rude."
Kai laughed for the first time since arriving at the village.
Several minutes later the tension finally began to fade.
The road stretched peacefully ahead.
No cultists.
No demons.
No prisons.
Rabbit people.
For now.
Kai sat upright and looked at Udit.
"Thanks."
Udit shrugged.
Silence settled briefly.
Then Kai noticed something.
"This carriage..."
He stopped.
Udit looked at him.
"What about it?"
Kai frowned.
"Nothing."
For some reason, it felt familiar.
Not the carriage itself.
The feeling.
Like a memory he almost remembered.
Something sitting just beyond reach.
Then it disappeared.
Kai rubbed his forehead.
The voices.
The dreams.
The strange flashes.
"Thinking too hard?"
Andre asked.
"Maybe."
"Then don't."
"That's not how thinking works."
"It is for me."
Kai sighed.
Unfortunately, Andre looked very proud of that statement.
After a while, Andre noticed the carrot that had hit him earlier.
He stared at it.
Then took a bite.
Crunch.
Kai looked horrified.
"You stole a carrot from a cultist."
"I'm hungry."
"Throw it away."
Andre chewed thoughtfully.
"Tastes like shit."
He took another bite.
"But better than nothing."
Kai looked away.
Some things weren't worth arguing about.
The journey continued.
As the hours passed, the sky slowly shifted toward orange.
The sun drifted lower.
The shadows grew longer.
Then Udit pointed ahead.
"There."
Kai looked up.
And froze.
In the distance stood massive walls.
Walls so large they almost looked like cliffs.
Stretching across the horizon.
Protecting an entire city.
Asphyxia.
The setting sun painted the walls gold.
But what caught Kai's attention wasn't the walls.
It was what lay beyond them.
Lights.
Thousands of lights.
Neon signs glowed above rooftops.
Colorful towers pierced the sky.
Blue.
Purple.
Red.
Green.
Entire streets seemed illuminated by colors Kai had never seen used together before.
Even from this distance, the city looked alive.
"Wow..."
Kai whispered.
Yggdrasil had been impressive.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Majestic.
Asphyxia was something else entirely.
It looked like the future had crashed into a fantasy world.
Even Andre seemed speechless.
For almost ten whole seconds.
Then he finally spoke.
"I want to steal something from there."
Kai nodded.
"That's just like you."
The closer they got, the more crowded the roads became.
Merchants.
Travelers.
Workers.
Refugees.
All moving toward the city.
Eventually they reached the main gate.
The same gate that had rejected Kai and Andre before.
This time, however, something strange happened.
The guards immediately noticed Udit.
One of them stepped forward.
The guard's expression changed.
Almost instantly.
He gave a respectful nod.
Then the gate opened.
Just like that.
No questions.
No inspections.
No waiting.
Kai blinked.
Andre narrowed his eyes.
The carriage rolled forward.
Entering Asphyxia.
Neither Kai nor Andre missed what had just happened.
The same guards who had laughed at Akshay's letter.
The same guards who refused refugees.
The same guards who turned everyone away.
Opened the gate for Udit without hesitation.
The carriage continued through the entrance.
Then the city revealed itself.
Kai and Andre were in awe
Above them rose towering buildings covered in glowing signs.
Magic-powered advertisements flickered across walls.
Suspended walkways connected rooftops.
Music drifted from distant streets.
Crowds filled every corner.
Food stalls lined the roads.
Vehicles powered by crystals moved through designated lanes.
The city never seemed to stop moving.
"Now this..."
Andre muttered.
"...is a city."
Udit finally stopped the carriage.
"We're here."
Kai looked around.
"Thanks."
Udit nodded.
"No problem."
"Think we'll see each other again?"
Kai asked.
The young man thought for a moment.
Then smiled.
"Probably."
Not exactly reassuring.
Before either of them could ask anything else, Udit climbed back onto the carriage.
"Try not to get arrested."
Andre immediately pointed at Kai.
"That's mostly his fault."
"WHAT?"
Udit laughed.
For the first time since they'd met.
Then he flicked the reins.
The carriage rolled away.
Disappearing into the sea of people.
Kai watched it go.
"That guy's hiding something."
Andre crossed his arms.
"Definitely."
"Think he's dangerous?"
Andre shrugged.
"Maybe."
Then he grinned.
"Still less suspicious than the rabbit people."
Kai couldn't argue with that.
Together, the two turned toward the neon-lit streets of Asphyxia.
A city of lights.
A city of secrets.
And a city that was about to change both of their lives forever.