The Veridian Shield

Weird, I thought. I'm sure the suit was working earlier because I clearly saw my statistics around three o'clock in the morning. Was I too engrossed and didn't notice that it was no longer connected to Cirque's safety environment system? Could it be true that Dana and Xantheo have been up all night? Ever since I started practicing my Aesther's Act? I wish they had just told me so they wouldn't have had to stay up. I'll talk to them later.

I was lost in such thoughts while jogging, following Achilles, Xantheo, and some of our other companions, who are now a few meters ahead of me. It's our routine every morning, to go out of the Cirque del Solano and jog near it. Outside the Cirque are the wide roads that, even in the morning, are full of passing vehicles. The city is so busy.

The sun was slowly rising. I glanced briefly at the clouds which were still visible even though the entire city of Tejas was enclosed in a large barrier - The Veridian Shield. At the top of the buildings, most of them almost reach the boundary of the Veridian Shield, which also serves as shade during the peak of the sun. But the Shield still does something different because it protects people from the Earth's atmosphere.

Two hundred years ago, history says, people could still live without a shield. But little by little, the atmosphere was destroyed, global warming worsened, and the time came when the Earth's atmosphere could no longer sustain life. So, scientists and engineers created the Shield. The Veridian Shield is a transparent barrier that calibrates extreme heat or extreme cold climates from the Earth's atmosphere. During the rainy season, it also filters the rainwater to clean it and remove chemicals that could harm or kill people. In places with snow, the Shield does the same, so even though every city in the world is encapsulated by their own large dome, people can still experience different types of climates.

But in Tejas, snow is rare.

Then suddenly, I was surprised when I heard small voices calling my name.

"Phin!"

"That's Phin over there,"

When I looked to the left, I saw a group of children aged 5-9 years old. I saw that they wanted to cross to where I was, and I was afraid they might get into an accident with the passing vehicles, so I thought I'd just go over to them.

"Wait, kids, don't cross, I'll come to you." I looked for the nearest crossing in that area to cross, then I approached the children.

I was just walking towards them when suddenly one of them jumped in front of me and hugged me tightly, Vexa, a 5-year-old girl.

"Vexa!" I was forced to carry and embrace the affectionate child.

"Vexa, you got ahead of us again," Lyx, an 8-year-old girl, said endearingly.

The children started to come up to me one after another.

"Phin, when will you perform again?" asked Orynn while holding the hem of my clothes and tugging at it. At 9 years old, he is the oldest in that group.

"We're excited to see you perform again, Phin," Vexa said fondly while still hugging me tightly.

"Teach us how to do the trapeze too, Phin," Elyot, a 6-year-old boy, interjected.

"Yes, please"

"Me too"

"Me too, Phin"

The children all spoke at once. I laughed and was amused by them. "Haha for now, just study well. When you're a bit bigger, I'll teach you."

"Why are you teaching Dana, though," Lyx said with a pout.

"Yes, that's right," the others agreed in unison.

"Hahaha, because Dana is already part of the Cirque and she lives there just like us," I explained to the children. Dana is the daughter of our former companions in the Cirque who died last year after an accident in the maneuver that she and her husband were performing. Since then, the people of the Cirque have taken Dana under their wing and included her as a cast member in the children's shows of the Cirque.

"That's not fair," Elyot grumbled. "I want to be like you too, Phin."

"Me too, you are my idol," Orynn confessed.

"As for me, I'm your number one fan, Phin," Lyx declared.

"No, you are not, because it's me," Orynn said angrily.

"I'm the number one fan of Phin because I'm always there when he has a show," Elyot corrected.

"It's me!" Lyx shouted angrily.

"No! It should be me!" Vexa cut in among the children, then turned to Phin while still hugging him. "Phin, who do you want to be your number one fan among us?"

I laughed awkwardly at the competition the children were having. As they vied for the title of being my number-one fan, I felt a warmth spread through my chest, a gentle tug at my heartstrings. I looked at each eager face, their eyes shining with admiration and innocence, and I realized that this—this pure, unfiltered love—was the essence of my life's work. Aside from the fact that I really enjoyed what I was doing.

I carefully put down Vexa and knelt down to their level. 

"You are all my number one fan because all of you believe in me," I said softly with affection to these little kids. "And one day, I promise, I'll teach each of you the art of the trapeze so you can fly just like Dana and me."

I saw their faces lit up with joy and their earlier squabbles are now forgotten. They began to chatter excitedly about the day they would soar through the air, each one dreaming of their moment in the spotlight.

As I watched them happily, a sudden hush fell over the crowd. A sound that seemed to resonate with the very air around us - a deep, sonorous hum that grew louder with each passing second.

"What's that?" Vexa asked, frightened, and came closer to hug my legs again.

"Don't be afraid," I said while scanning the surroundings with my eyes, trying to determine where the sound was coming from.

"Look at that!" Orynn shouted, pointing upwards.

I looked up in the direction Orynn was pointing and saw the Veridian Shield, a big glass dome over the city, started to move. At first, it was hard to see, but then a line showed up on the dome. This line started to shine a little, like a small light in the dark. The line got bigger and the dome began to open up, just like how a flower opens up its petals.

The ray of sun shining in the early morning made my blazing blue hair look like it was on fire. My icy blue eyes mirrored the endless sky, just like how I feel free when I swing high above everyone on the trapeze.

As the shield opened, the city was exposed to the sky above for the first time in generations.