A Moving City I

Lucius struggled against the weight pressing down on his chest. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body aching from Rukzam's relentless strikes. He could hear faint echoes of Nai's fists pounding against the distant walls, the muffled shouts of Yu Xuan trying to break through. But they were separated, trapped in this twisted illusion of a town.

Rukzam leaned down slightly, studying Lucius's defiant expression. "Still glaring at me, even in defeat?" He scoffed. "You really don't know when to quit."

Lucius clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. His mind was racing, searching for any opportunity, any weakness to exploit.

"You talk too much," he spat, trying to mask his exhaustion.

Rukzam smirked. "Perhaps. But I'm curious." He eased the pressure from Lucius's chest, allowing him to sit up. "You don't wield a force like your friends. You fight like a man who knows pain but not power. And yet, you act as if you can change the world." He tilted his head. "Tell me, what drives you?"

Lucius wiped the blood from his lip and exhaled. "You wouldn't understand."

Rukzam's smirk widened. "Try me."

Before Lucius could respond, a loud crack split through the air. The walls surrounding them trembled as Nai's relentless strikes finally took their toll. A fissure spread across the illusion, light seeping through the cracks.

Rukzam clicked his tongue. "Tch. It seems your allies are more stubborn than I expected." He stepped back, his presence beginning to waver like a shadow caught in the wind. "It appears our conversation is over, for now."

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Who are you really? Why go through all this trouble to capture us?"

Rukzam's form flickered, his pale gray skin blending into the dark surroundings. "That answer," he said, his voice growing distant, "is not for you to know yet."

And with that, he vanished.

The moment he disappeared, the illusion shattered. The towering walls of the false town crumbled into dust, revealing the real world beyond. Lucius coughed, pushing himself up just as Nai and Yu Xuan came into view.

"Lucius!" Nai rushed forward, her injured arm still wrapped in bandages.

Yu Xuan, however, kept his gaze locked on Lucius. "What the hell just happened?!"

Lucius steadied himself, his expression grim. "It was an illusion… and whoever that man was, he's dangerous."

Harriet groaned, rubbing the side of her head as she finally regained full awareness. "I… What was that? It felt like my body was locked in place."

Nai clenched her fists. "This isn't normal. Force wielders shouldn't have the ability to manipulate reality like that."

Yu Xuan scowled. "It means we're being hunted." His gaze hardened. "And we need to find out why."

Lucius remained silent, staring at the space where Rukzam had disappeared. Something about his words unsettled him.

"You don't wield a force… yet you act as if you can change the world."

His grip tightened.

"We need to leave," Lucius finally said. "Now."

And with that, the group turned away from the crumbling remnants of the illusion, moving forward into the unknown.

Yu Xuan scoffed, his voice laced with irritation. "Was that meant to be some kind of elaborate jest? He conjured an entire illusion, ensnared us within its grasp, only to release us without consequence?" His frustration was palpable, his hands clenched into fists.

Lucius, however, was lost in thought, his mind drifting back to the old woman who had tended to Harriet's wounds. A lingering sense of unease settled in his chest. I should have asked him about that as well…

Sighing, he rubbed his temples before shifting his gaze to Nai. "Your arm…"

Nai let out a short chuckle, attempting to brush it off. "This? It's nothing. A rather intense exercise, perhaps—" She hissed sharply as a fresh wave of pain shot through her limb.

Without a word, Lucius extended the small jar of ointment toward her. "You need this more than I do."

Nai hesitated for a moment before accepting it with a nod.

Harriet, who had remained unusually quiet, finally spoke, her voice tinged with guilt. "Where are we even headed now? That entire ordeal… it was utterly pointless." She exhaled deeply, lowering her gaze. "And I… I wasn't even able to help. I am the eldest among us, yet I failed to protect any of you."

Lucius frowned, but before he could respond, Yu Xuan let out a weary sigh. "It's fine, Harriet. We were all caught off guard. If anything, we should be grateful that Force wielder chose to spare us."

But Lucius remained silent, his mind replaying the encounter over and over. His thoughts lingered on Rukzam's appearance—the unnatural pallor of his skin, the almost ghostly quality of his gaze. Only Lucius had heard his name. Only Lucius had seen him clearly.

He looked just like me…

Pale gray skin. Eyes that bore the milky sheen of blindness, yet saw with unsettling clarity.

Lucius swallowed hard.

There was something more to this encounter. Something deeper.

And he intended to find out what.

As they pressed forward in silence, Yu Xuan suddenly broke the stillness. "When I was young, I often heard rumors about the Moving City."

The others turned to him with puzzled expressions.

"The Moving City?" Harriet echoed, her brow furrowed. "What exactly does that mean?"

Yu Xuan shrugged. "I don't know if it truly exists, but my father once told me that it's like a colossal vehicle—one large enough to carry an entire nation upon its back."

Lucius scoffed, crossing his arms. "There is no such thing as a Moving City. It's nothing more than a fable." He tilted his head back, his gaze drifting skyward. A strange sense of unease stirred within him. "…Now that I think about it, I've never actually looked up at the sky before. Has it always been eclipsed like this?"

Nai glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean you've never looked up at the sky? It has always been this way."

Before Lucius could respond, Yu Xuan stomped his foot in frustration. "Hey! I was talking! What if the Moving City is real?"

"I told you—it's likely just a myth!" Lucius snapped, his voice edged with irritation.

The debate escalated, with Nai joining the fray, the three of them bickering like children.

Harriet, watching the scene unfold, merely sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. At least some things never change…

To be continued -