26) Arriving at Zilco City

After three arduous days, they finally managed to climb the mountain. Ryker was so confused because they climbed all the way to the top of the mountain instead of going around it. Where they idiots? But every time he tried to say something about it he was either ignored or told to shut up. So he gave up trying to convince them. Along the way, Shila was in charge of hunting, Ava cooked the food with her gadgets, Valerie purified the water to make it drinkable and the men were the guards.

They had grown closer the more they traveled, especially Holden and the girls. He would draw his visions with Ava's IPad and they would discuss them and analyze them together. Ryker was really amassed by this, just them trying to figure out the meaning of a green puppet frog with sunglasses was hilarious. They were super serious about it too.

As soon as they were on the mountain, Ryker was completely blown away. In the middle of the valley, surrounded by mountains, laid the most gorgeous city he had ever seen. There were huge buildings made out of such pure white material that was clearly synthetic. They had huge hexagonal tinted windows. There were also huge crystal domes that were filled with luscious green. He could not see the roads or the people because they were so far away but the city itself was incredibly futuristic. Compared to the medieval and apocalyptic feeling Feywood had, this had none of it. It was brimming with life.

Before they went down the mountain, Ava gave each of them a new set of clothes. Ryker only had to change his pants and shirt because white was the city's color. Everyone wore white. He already had his white leather coat but the rest of them had other colored clothes. Ryker looked at the others and his inner kid could not help but giggle. They looked like a team of superheroes about to conquer the world. It would be no wonder if suddenly there was background music and they walked in slow motion through the city gates. However, reality is often disappointing.

When they arrived at the city gate there were no guards or anything of the like. It was even barely a city gate. The city was surrounded by a glowing white line that acted like a barrier in times of war. It registered how many people got in and out as well as their affinities. It was a safety measure in case someone from the Kingdom of Shadows tried to blend in. Access would not be denied but they knew exactly how many shadow casters they had and their locations in the city.

Once they crossed the line, Holden suddenly said.

"Welcome… to Zalco City"

He then posed as a T-rex and started "roaring". He was literally saying "roar" again and again. That is why people who had "visions" of the past were regarded as crazy. In less than five seconds everyone was looking at them and they all were so ashamed they wanted the floor to swallow them. Again, reality was often disappointing because after five minutes of Holden "roaring" and walking funny, they were still there. Good thing he finally stopped otherwise they would've tried knocking him out. They knew he was stronger than all of them but it was worth a shot.

Everyone was gobsmacked by the city. Especially the transportation network. It was the Kingdom's pride. They had invested so much money and resources in the development of these lines but at the end of the day, it was a signature and a show of power to the other kingdoms. There were normal roads all over the city but above them, there were these transparent tubes where hundreds of thousands of blue light were constantly rushing by.

These lights were people, it essentially a subway type of network but it would take less than a second to go from one side of the city to the other. It was thanks to the creation affinity that these light lines were made. Ava and Holden were the only ones that had seen it before. Ava was no surprise but Ryker always wondered what Holden's life had been so far, he looked to be in his mid-thirties and acted like a child but his power was not something one could easily achieve.

"Find a palace to stay in and then explore the city. There are very beautiful ones all around the city." -Ava was cold as usual. She smiled a bit more but her tone was as distant as always.

"Can we please go into the tubes??? They look sooo fun" -Valerie put on the best puppy eyes she could muster.

Ryker was not going to admit it to the group but of course, he also wanted to go in too. They then walked up the stairs to one of the "stations". It was a simple opening in the tube at the top of the stairs. People would just walk in and turn into light, they would then set off to their desired location.

"Hello travelers" -a hologram appeared in front of the group. Because it was their first time in the city, their energy signature was not recorded so it assumed they didn't know how to use the light lines.

"Welcome to Zilco City. Walk into the light lines with a goal in mind and enjoy the ride."

"Hello travelers"

The message just repeated itself over and over again.

"How are we supposed to know where to go? It is our first time in the city after all." -Ryker complained.

As if answering his question, another hologram appeared with a map of the city. The line they were standing before was highlighted so they would know where it could drop them off.

They didn't have a lot of money on them so they decided to go to the middle-class district. The closest exit was #8093. Valerie was the most excited one, she immediately stepped into the tube and disappeared. Shila and Ava went next, followed by Holden. Ryker was really nervous, he was about to travel at the speed of light, if he were to crash at that speed he would just be mashed Ryker.

He closed his eyes and took a step forward. He felt an unexplainable surge of energy from him that expanded outwards. He became a small light and sped off. When he opened his eyes he was standing outside of the exit of the tube. He was so scared he was sweating. The truth was that he was disappointed. It didn't feel like anything. They then headed in the direction of the hotel.

It was true that everyone was wearing white, it gave off a weird feeling. It was like the entire city was wearing a special uniform, like an academy, or a prison.