I take careful observation at Igor's shop of the new design for my Aether weapon, this time a gun blade, sleek, deadly, and packed to the brim with power. My fingers trace along the blade; something catches my eye crack running along the metal.
"Why's there a crack in this sword?" I ask, half-questioning myself as I stare at Igor himself, who was already expecting a smile from me with that smirking face of his.
"That's no crack," he says, stepping forward. "It's a feature. Nanomagnets."
And before I can say anything at all, he reaches for the Aether. The tip cracks through the cross-guard with a snapping sound and breaks in two. My heart lurches for one half instant because he swings again, swinging the shards back together so that they reunite, unshakably entwined in mid-air, like it never was. Shocked, I look on as the two halves of the sword slot together without so much as a crackle.
Igor smirks, clearly taking pleasure in my reaction. "Told you it's new tech. Stronger than before."
I can't help but be impressed. It is more than a sword now it is something different. "That's… incredible."
But Igor's not finished yet. He switches the Aether to gun mode and fires off a shot. The blast is the most powerful I've ever seen, it was like a thunderclap which makes the room shake. I feel the force of it from where I stand.
"This baby's got more punch too," Igor says as he hands it back to me, the light shining bright in his eyes.
Once again, I hold it, feeling its mass, now I know that it's more than a mere weapon. "You've outdone yourself this time, Igor."
Igor folds his arms, looking at me intensely as I admire the gun blade. "Your weapon would be much stronger if you found the Elthernium I told you about."
I nod, already knowing what he is referring to. "I will find it soon enough."
Just before I can say more, a thought strikes me. "By the way, do you know someone named Wei Xhuzang?"
Igor's face changes and his brow furrows into recognition. "Wei Xhuzang? You're talking about the Air Racing Host?"
Just as I am about to respond, someone moves. Jade stirs from where she has been resting next to me, and her eyes snap open. Her voice is urgent, and I can see the tension in her face as she sits up. "Sasha and the others are in danger!! If Wei Xhuzang is hosting the competition..."
I freeze, the punch to the gut when her words fall on me. "What do you mean? Why would they be in danger?"
Jade looks at me straight, serious in voice. "Wei Xhuzang doesn't play by the rules. If he's in, then this isn't just a race. It's a trap"
My grip on the Aether's tightened. Now that things couldn't get any worse, now we race as well.
Lynsithea steps forward, her brow creased in puzzlement. "But why would Wei Xhuzang host something like that if he's such a dangerous person?" she asks, her voice smooth but laced with unease.
Jade looks over at her and shakes her head. "That's just it. He hides behind the picture of him being a legitimate, highly respected figure in the racing world. No one would suspect him, at least not publicly."
I could see the concern building up in Lynsithea's eyes, but she did not care to falter. "Still, what's his motive? Why lure people in with an event like this if it's so dangerous?"
Igor, arms still crossed, voices his opinion, rough and raspy. "Wei Xhuzang has ties-big ties. Men of influence, men who thrive on anarchy. Hosting something like the Air Racing competition lets him maintain the facade while pulling the puppet strings from the wings."
Jade nods. "Exactly. If he's involved, then it's not about the race. He's probably after more than just the dough there's control for him to gain."
Lynsithea nibbles on her lip, her eyes darting to me. "Well, if Sasha and the rest are already involved."
"Then we need to get to them before it's too late," I conclude for myself, determination backing into my veins. This had just become more than a competition. We couldn't afford to be too late.
Lynsithea looks at me, her voice low but steady. "So if the racing competition is just a cover-up, then what's going on?"
Jade is still shaking and determined. "The race attracts everyone from top pilots to engineers and spectators, it's the perfect distraction. Everyone's attention is on the competition, but something's brewing behind the scenes. Wei Xhuzang is known to orchestrate these events to distract everyone from smuggling operations, illegal tech trades, or worse."
Igor grunts in agreement. "Come think about it, with the race on, nobody's looking at what's going on. It's all smoke and mirrors."
I nod my head, connecting the dots. "So Sasha and the others could get caught in the middle of whatever Xhuzang is scheming. If he's using this race to throw people off, that makes them in a worse spot than I thought."
Lynsithea's eyes grow wide. "We have to stop him. Not just for Sasha and the others, but for all of them."
Jade's face had finally set into a resolute expression. "Stopping him isn't going to be an easy thing to do. Wei Xhuzang's a god amongst men now, with influential people backing him up. But if we can expose what he's doing."
I clutched my Aether tightly to me as I weighed the situation. Then we take him down from inside. Pretend to get close enough to see what he's planning.
Lynsithea moved forward a step, her voice firm. Once we know, we'll stop him for good.
As we break it down, I take one last look around Igor's shop. The smell of oil and metal hangs in the air, and workbenches are covered in half-finished projects. It's a place that is familiar and yet not familiar at all, like a second home something inside me knows we're leaving. I take another step forward and hold out my hand to Igor.
"Thanks for everything, Igor. I owe you one," I say, shaking his hand.
Igor waves me off with his usual gruffness, though there's something softer in his eyes. "Just make sure that Aether OR Nova Watch doesn't break on you this time. And don't get yourself killed, kid. I don't want to have to rebuild you next."
I laugh, shaking my head. "I'll try not to."
Jade steps forward next, smiling minimally at Igor. "You've been quite helpful. We wouldn't have gotten as far without you."
Igor snorts. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't go stirring up more trouble than you already are. You and your crew have enough enemies as it is."
Lynsithea enters last, her elegance at stark odds with the workshop that surrounds her. She bows her head a little. "Thank you for your hospitality, Igor. We appreciate everything you have done on our behalf."
Igor scratches at the back of his head now, clearly ill at ease with the formal gesture. "Yeah, don't mention it. You're a strange one, though, I'll give you that."
Lynsithea smiles warmly. "I'll take that as a compliment."
As we turn to leave, I turn back to Igor, and something nags at me. "Well, if you ever hear anything about Wei Xhuzang or the competition, let us know. We'll need all we can get."
Igor nods. "I'll keep my ears open. You'd better get ready for whatever comes next, though. Xhuzang doesn't play fair."
I grasp the handle of my Aether, a new source of power thrumming below the surface. "We'll be ready."
With that, the three of us head for the door. As we step outside, Lynsithea can't help but turn around one more time to give Igor a final wave goodbye. "Take care."
"You too, kid," he grumbles as he disappears back into the bowels of his workshop.
As we step on this dusty street, Jade calls up to me with urgency in her voice. "Now we must hurry. Sasha and the others will not have much time."
I nod and my legs move. "Let's go. No going back now."
Lynsithea walks beside me. Her eyes are sharp with a sense of resolve. "Whatever Wei Xhuzang does, together, we will stop it."
Having settled on our course, we leave Igor's shop and step into the unknown only to realize that the most testing time is yet to come.
---
As Parveen, Sasha, Alektos, and Leo stepped out of the colosseum, still vibrating with the energy of the airship race, they were greeted by the dynamic tempo of SteamCloud City. Sasha was already detailing the last moments of the race to Parveen, her voice overflowing with enthusiasm.
Just when the crowd was giving her full attention, Dimitri's loud voice boomed out, "Sasha!"
They turned to view the champion of airship racing approaching them with a strutting gait. He approached Sasha, smiling with a warmth in his eyes. "I heard you wanted to ride an airship, correct?"
Sasha blinked before rapidly responding with a smile. "Yeah, just saying it looks awesome."
Dimitri nodded with enthusiasm, his eyes alight with excitement. "Well, I would be honored to teach you and your friends some of the basics. Airship flying isn't all that difficult, but it is a bit tricky if you'll pardon the pun. Follow me and I'll show you how it's done."
Sasha and the others exchanged a look. Their curiosity had now been piqued. The others nodded in agreement, and as Dimitri led the way, they all followed without hesitation.
As he walked down the streets of SteamCloud City, all that machinery flanking him in such an aura of magical energy, Leo kept studying Dimitri closer than he had up till then. Something about him was decidedly familiar like he had seen Dimitri before. Wherever or whatever it was, Leo's meager, flickering memory couldn't put it down. The way Dimitri carries himself and the confidence of his voice at once stirs something in Leo's imagination.
Unable to shake it, Leo turned to Alektos and whispered, "Dimitri doesn't he look familiar? I could've sworn I saw him somewhere, but I have no idea where."
Alektos raised his eyebrow and glanced at Dimitri who, as if entirely carefree and chatty, was walking ahead of the march with Sasha. "Now that you mention it, he does look familiar. But from whence?"
Leo shrugged, his forehead furrowing in concentration. "I don't know. Maybe I am just dreaming something."
Alektos chuckled, but his eyes were stuck to Dimitri also. "Could be. But if you remember, let me know. I'm curious now."
As they continued to trail behind Dimitri, Sasha turned back and saw them whispering with each other. "What are you two whispering about?"
Alektos grinned. "Leo thinks he knows Dimitri from somewhere."
Sasha opened a little wider her eyes and turned towards Dimitri as he kept blabbering on about airship racing. "Really? Now that's interesting. Perhaps he really is more famous than we imagined."
Yet the queasy feeling that there was something more to Dimitri than that-the title of champion in airship racing-Couldn't quite be got rid of. Leo just couldn't imagine this man as simple as that. The way he lived among them, how he behaved towards them, particularly with Sasha, felt. deliberate. About the time they were approaching their destination, Leo's mind just wouldn't stop; he had to knit together the puzzle behind the face of Dimitri.
As they approached the airship track, excitement filled the air. Dimitri drove Sasha and the others to a beautiful, silver airship on the dock; its light pulsed in the sun. "This one, is great for beginners. She's very stable and steady." Sasha opened her eyes so wide. "Wow, she's so beautiful!"
Dimitri grinned and motioned for her to come closer. "Want to try it first?"
Sasha nodded up and down, moving toward him. Dimitri went over the controls with her and gave her a general sense of the principles, but it was easy to tell that he loved flying; his words dripped with it. "Just don't pull the throttle too hard and watch the wind."
But he couldn't get the feeling of restlessness off of him. Leo was making an educated guess that something was amiss, and he wanted to check out on it. "Hey, I'll just be right back," he said, feigning nonchalance. "I'm just gonna take a quick pee."
Leo made his way up one of the busy streets, watching out for anything remotely out of the ordinary. Curiosity got the better of him and drew him into a building across the street where he saw two couriers huddled in conversation, speaking softly to one another. His curiosity was piqued, and he inched around the corner to find a crate that seemed the perfect place to hide without being seen.
"Did you hear about the package for Wei Xhuzang?" one courier asked nervously, casting glances around.
"Yeah, the Elthernium," the other answered, appeasing his voice. "They say it's one of the rarest gemstones, and it's supposed to be delivered today."
Leo's heart was going a mile a minute as he heard the name Elthrenium. "The rarest gemstone?" he questioned, his mind piecing together the significance of what he was being told. He was starting to get some connections in this mission now.
"Make sure the package is safe. If it falls into the wrong hands…." warned the first courier, seriousness painted across his face.
"Don't worry. We've got it covered. Just keep your eyes open. I don't want to run into any trouble while delivering this," the second courier answered, glancing nervously around.
Leo held his breath, realizing the implication of their conversation. "If Elthernium was being transported for someone like Wei Xhuzang, it could be connected to whatever plans Iris had in motion. This was no ordinary delivery."
After a few minutes, they concluded their discussion and walked towards the door. Leo waited until they got inside before darting out from behind his cover. After casting a quick peek at his sides to make sure no eyes were lurking on him, he hastened to the construction.
As Leo raised himself up from his position, he remembered the camera placements he had passed by on his way in and crept around the blind spots to get to the entrance. His heart pounded as he finally reached out and said that Wei Xhuzang was inside this building.
"What were they planning?"
"How could it tie back to him and his friends?"
He spotted a side door, which seemed to be open by an inch. He took a deep breath. If he could get into the place and get some more information, it could shift everything for their quest and, perhaps, for Zane and Lynsithea as well.
Leo scanned the ground for another entry point. Coming right into his eyes was the rusty metal ladder from an emergency exit gate. "Nice," he murmured to himself, but before he moved he checked if there would be cameras.
Miraculously, the cameras on this side of the building were either out of order or had been switched off which actually made his approach easier. "Jackpot," he thought as he quietly moved toward the ladder, making sure that no one was watching.
A swift twist of his neck, and Leo stretched to grab at the rungs of the ladder. The metal felt cool and almost wet beneath his palms, but the frame creaked slightly as he took his weight for a step up, though Leo moved fast. In his head, thoughts were racing through about the Elthernium if it was indeed so rare and strong as the messengers had said, perhaps a tool to go to fetch the mission to come through.
At the top, Leo kneeled beside the door for the emergency exit. It was secured only by a simple mechanical latch; no problem getting it open with a tool from his belt. "They should really upgrade their security," he chuckled, slowly opening the door.
Inside, the building was poorly lit. Thin corridors went out in almost every direction. He stepped into the narrow space, closing the door that creaked softly behind him, leaving no time for visibility. Faint steps came from somewhere inside.
His heart leapt along with his breath as he crept down the corridors, searching for any clue of where the package of Elthernium might be. "Wei Xhuzang," he whispered softly, repeating in his mind as he tried to put everything into some semblance of order.
He moved quietly, staying to the shadows, for he knew that whatever was going on inside the building sounded much darker than it was.
The footsteps echoed down the corridor as Leo ducked behind a stack of crates quickly. His breath caught in his throat as he caught a glimpse peeping from behind the crates. It was an astonishing figure with broad shoulders that was walking down the hall.
Wei was impeccably dressed in black, his long cape flowed behind him and the embroidered gold florals glinted dimly in the light. Authority emanated from his black shirt and pants, but his hair was too perfectly coiffed for his stern countenance. He walked with a calm, yet commanding step, leading the way without much to do with his face set in seriousness. At his side were a few of the IRIS Corp Inquisitors, sleek black forms that contrasted sharply with Wei's elegant beauty.
As he walked past Leo's hiding place, he could hear scraps of their conversation.
"Has the Elthernium been secured?" Wei inquired in a low, authoritative voice.
"Yes, sir," one of the Inquisitors replied with a cold, precise mechanical voice. "The package has arrived and is being prepared for transfer. No one outside the circle knows it is here."
Wei nodded, but his face did not soften. "Good. We cannot afford mistakes. The Elthernium is our ticket into the next level. If anyone gets in our way, end them."
"Understood," the Inquisitors said as one, their voice impersonally cold, almost inhuman in its efficiency.
Leo's heart speeded. So here he was, thinking. That's the lead they needed, but with the Inquisitors guarding it and Wei himself overseeing things, getting close wasn't going to be easy.
As he walked, Wei halted a moment, his head turning as if he sensed something. For a second, Leo stopped breathing, his muscles coiling tighter as he pushed himself back into the shadow.
A moment later, Wei turned back to his Inquisitors. "Confirm the facility is at maximum alert. I don't want anyone— ." He stopped there, his eyes cutting. "I don't want anyone interfering with our plans. Not even the IRIS Corp's best can get in the way. Is that clear?"
The inquisitors nodded and followed Wei as he disappeared down the hall; their heavy footsteps eventually receded into the distance. Leo breathed out softly, still hiding in the dark.
He had to find Elthernium and get out of here before it was too late.
As Wei Xhuzang was about to go into his office, his smooth communicator hummed. He glanced at the screen: one name that could command his attention instantly.
[Iris Venyamin Vanya] By a low mutter, he scowled, "This veiled tyrant…"
His reluctance to accept the call was silently given in. And on the other end, Iris's voice came cold and calculating yet holds within it undeniable authority.
[Wei] Iris began, the need in her voice clear. [I've heard the Elthernium has arrived.]
Wei's smile grew darker. "Yes, milady. And finally, into my hands."
There was a silence of a moment before Iris's voice continued on. It was ice-hard this time. [What are you going to do with it? You know what that gem can do.]
Now, his eyes shift to one of avarice, and a glint appears. "So what do you say, Lady Iris? With this Elthernium, I'll be unstoppable. This city, this entire dimension will bend to my will. Power like this is in the hands of the masters who know how to wield it and not locked away or—"
Before he could finish, Iris cut him off, her voice like ice. [You fool. You think you can control it like some common artifact? The Elthernium isn't a toy for selfish ambitions; Wei. It's a force that can unravel everything if used wrong. You will not jeopardize my plans for your pitiful greed.]
A hardness creased Wei's face, for her words pricked at his pride. "I am no fool, Iris. I know exactly what I do. With this power, I will bring more than control. I will bring order. The weak will serve, and I— "
[- will destroy you if you're not careful,] Iris snapped, her voice dropping low. [You are to use it exactly as told. Nothing more and nothing less. Don't let your little stint of control blindness cut clear to your inevitable doom. There is more power in the Elthernium than you can even imagine. And misuse it, you will. Consequences even your ambition can't protect you from. Do I make myself clear?]
Wei ground his teeth, forcing himself to maintain composure. "Understood… Lady Iris." The words dripped with venom, but he knew better than to carry on the argument.
Wei's face went as hard as stone, but he didn't say a word as Iris spoke over him, her voice growing colder with each passing sentence.
[And let me remind you of something vitally important. Dimitri lives in Aerathis. My boy has a stake in this city, and I'll not stand idly by and watch someone, or anyone, come in here and disrupt his life. You may be an Inquisitor, and you may serve under me, but your ambitions mean nothing compared to the protection of my bloodline. Keep that in mind.]
There was a silence, short as it was, as Wei digested her words. His jaw clenched, and he gripped the restraint on his tongue, refraining from a venomous retort that danced thereon. "I understand, Lady Iris," he said finally, his voice tight with restraint.
[Good] Iris said icily. [The Elthernium is far more precious than your little ambitions. If you abuse it, it may rebound in ways you cannot even envision. Don't let your greed make you miss the forest for the trees. And don't forget—Dimitri comes first.]
"No problem," Wei said between his teeth, his hand closing tighter over the communicator.
The phone call was cut off, and Wei stood there, barely having the restraint to temper his anger. He spoke half to himself, "Dimitri. always Dimitri. One day, this world will be mine, and no one, not even her son, will stand in my way."
He flung the door of the office open. Within him now, the fire of ambition burned hotter than ever before in his eyes.
Leo huddled in the darkness, his chest pounding. As he listened attentively to every word of the whole conversation between Wei and Iris, every word was thunderclaps within his mind.
"Dimitri, is Iris' son?" Leo muttered to himself, reeling under that realization. His thoughts swirled with the myriad implications of it all. Dimitri, the smooth-talking, easy-going airship racer they had just met, was the son of Iris Venyamin Vanya—the most feared and powerful figure across dimensions.
And Leo's eyes opened wide as chunks of that picture began to fall into place. No wonder he looked so familiar earlier. Dimitri had Iris' sharp features and that unmistakable air of authority, even if it was buried beneath a facade of politeness and charm.
His mind ran wild; This totally flips everything. If Dimitri was Iris' son, their whole mission could be blown wide open now. Whatever relationship Iris had with the Elthernium or the Aerathis was probably tied to her son. And Sasha—
Leo's stomach tightened. Sasha was already making Dimitri's radar.
What if Dimitri simply wanted her species? Or maybe there was something more?
Leo shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had to go back to the others and warn them. But first he needed to watch Wei very closely. "The Elthernium… if it's connected to Iris' scheme we are all in greater danger than we thought."
With one last glance at the door that once swallowed Wei, Leo silently backed away without disturbing the cameras and proceeded to go to the others as his mind dizzied with the startling news
"Iris' son. we should be careful."