The Moving City III

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The rumbling beneath their feet never stopped. Even after being dragged past steel-plated gates and forced into a dimly lit chamber, Lucius could still feel the faint tremors of the Moving City's mechanisms grinding below. The air smelled of oil, rust, and something foul—like metal mixed with decay.

Harriet sighed beside him, her arms bound behind her back, her expression unreadable. Nai, still fuming, struggled against the guards, while Yu Xuan simply glared at their captors, silent but seething.

"Alright," Lucius finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence. "Is someone going to explain why we're being treated like criminals? Last I checked, walking was not a crime."

One of the armored guards scoffed, leaning lazily against the steel walls. "Walking isn't a crime, sure. But stepping onto the Moving City without authorization? That's another story."

"We didn't step onto anything!" Nai snapped. "Your city nearly crushed us!"

"Unfortunate for you, then." The guard smirked. "Means you either get processed as refugees or enemies."

Lucius clenched his fists. He could feel his patience thinning. "Refugees? We didn't come here for shelter."

Another guard, this one with an air of authority, stepped forward. His plated armor gleamed even under the dim lighting. "Then tell me, what were you doing wandering so close to the city's path?"

Lucius stared at him, trying to keep his voice level. "We were surviving. That's what people do in this world. Or would you rather we had let your city roll over us?"

The officer's sharp eyes narrowed. "Survivors tend to beg for entry, not complain when they're let in."

Lucius took a deep breath, forcing down the anger bubbling in his chest. He glanced at Harriet, hoping she had something to say. She did.

"You're treating us like criminals when we've done nothing wrong." Harriet's voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it. "If this city is really a haven, then why do you restrain people the moment they step inside?"

For a moment, the guards said nothing. Then the officer exhaled, shaking his head as if they were all fools. "Because of people like you."

Lucius felt his stomach tighten. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The officer pulled something from his belt—a device that emitted a faint hum. He held it up, scanning each of them. When it hovered over Nai, Yu Xuan, and Lucius, it flashed red.

Force wielders.

"And there it is," the officer muttered. "All three of you are marked. That means we restrain you for the safety of the city."

"That's ridiculous!" Nai struggled against her bindings. "We haven't even done anything!"

"Doesn't matter," the officer replied smoothly. "You have power. That's reason enough."

Lucius's mind raced. **So that's how it is. Fear. Control. They see anyone with abilities as a threat.**

Harriet, who had remained unaffected by the scanner, stepped forward slightly. "What happens now? Are you going to throw them in chains?" Her voice was sharp with challenge.

The officer studied her, then smirked. "That depends. If they behave, they'll be 'fitted' with collars and given work. If they resist, well… we have other ways of handling things."

Lucius felt something deep inside him twist at those words. **Collars? Work? They don't just want to control us… they want to use us.**

Yu Xuan let out a humorless laugh. "So it's either slavery or exile. Some choice."

The officer didn't even deny it. "The city has rules. You'll learn them soon enough."

Lucius met his gaze head-on, his mind already working through escape options. **I'm not wearing a damn collar.**

The guards turned, motioning for them to follow. "Move. You're heading to processing."

Nai growled under her breath. Yu Xuan gave Lucius a sideways glance, and Harriet exhaled quietly,

Three days had passed since their capture, and the weight of their predicament had settled heavily upon them. The once-spirited arguments had dulled into resigned silence as exhaustion took its toll. The oppressive heat of the lower levels had forced Lucius to discard his fur coat, leaving him clad in rough, dirt-streaked pants and a black singlet, his skin now smudged with soot from long hours of toil. His task? To hurl searing stones into the roaring furnaces that powered the great city's endless movement. He had been separated from his companions, each of them assigned to different labor zones, and the thought of Nai, Yu Xuan, and Harriet enduring similar treatment gnawed at him.

The fire pits were hellish. Heat radiated from the stone walls, making it impossible to find comfort even in the shadows. Sweat dripped down Lucius' brow as he heaved another burning stone into the flames, his muscles aching from repetition. He exhaled sharply, allowing himself a moment's reprieve, and looked up at the towering ceilings of the underbelly of the city. Above him, massive metal beams crisscrossed like the ribs of a mechanical beast, supporting the layers of civilization that thrived in luxury above. His mind wandered—what did it look like up there? Were there grand halls, golden towers, or markets filled with fine silks and exotic foods? Did the rulers of this city even know—or care—about the suffering of those toiling below?

"Oi, stop daydreaming, brat!"

The sharp voice yanked him back to reality as a thick hand slammed against the back of his head. Lucius stumbled forward slightly, regaining his balance with a glare at the guard looming over him. The man was broad, his uniform stained with ash, a thick baton strapped to his waist as a warning.

"Keep slacking off, and we'll see how you like a shift without food," the guard sneered before turning away.

Lucius scowled but bit his tongue, knowing better than to provoke them. He wasn't the only one who had learned that lesson the hard way.

When his shift finally ended, he was given his daily reward—a handful of rough, circular tokens, dull in color but essential for survival. These were currency within the lower levels, exchanged for food and water at the pitiful stalls set up for laborers. He pocketed them quickly, rubbing his sore hands together as he made his way towards the food line.

Just as he reached for his tokens to make a purchase, he paused. Something was off.

His fingers fumbled against the empty space where the tokens should have been. His stomach twisted as his eyes darted around, searching frantically—until they locked onto a small figure slipping through the crowd.

A child. Small, nimble, vanishing between bodies like a rat in a maze.

Lucius' lips curled into a silent snarl. A pickpocket.

He could have shouted, but that would have drawn the guards' attention, and the last thing he wanted was to be labeled as trouble. Instead, he acted on instinct. He pushed forward, weaving through the exhausted workers, his steps light and calculated. The child glanced back, perhaps sensing pursuit, and picked up speed. Lucius gritted his teeth—this kid knew how to run.

The chase twisted through narrow corridors, past storage crates and rusted pipes, down dark alleyways that reeked of oil and metal. The child darted through a small gap beneath a crumbling staircase, and without hesitation, Lucius followed, scraping his arms as he forced his way through.

Then, something changed.

The air was different. Less suffocating. Cooler. The oppressive heat of the lower levels faded as Lucius emerged into a shadowy passage. The child had disappeared, but he wasn't far ahead—Lucius could hear hurried footsteps echoing against the walls. He pressed on, his movements silent, eyes sharp. The kid was leading him somewhere, intentionally or not, and his curiosity overpowered his hunger.

A crawlspace.

Lucius spotted the child slipping through a narrow opening between stacked crates. Without thinking, he followed, crouching and squeezing through the confined space. The tunnel twisted and turned, leading him higher and higher, until suddenly—

Light.

Not the dim, flickering lanterns of the lower levels.

Real, natural light.

Lucius blinked against the glow, his breath catching as he finally emerged from the dark tunnel onto a ledge. And there, stretching before him, was the impossible.

The city above.

A sprawling landscape of towering structures, suspended walkways, and vast, interconnected gears moving with rhythmic precision. The sky, though still shrouded in eclipse, was visible—a stark contrast to the darkness of the lower levels. And at the heart of it all, standing against the golden hue of artificial lights, was something that made Lucius' pulse quicken.

A glimpse of freedom.

He had thought this city was nothing but a prison. But now…

Maybe it was something more.

To be continued