Chapter 24: A new adventure in the sky city

The night in Skyrend wore a silvery cloak, the twin moons reflected off the polished brass and steel of the city’s towers. After the strange encounter earlier, Nagomi found himself restless, the small metallic disc warm against his side.

"Come on, Nagomi. You didn’t come all this way just to mope about cryptic strangers and spooky tokens," he muttered, giving himself a light slap on the cheeks.

Determined to shake off the unease, he drifted toward one of the higher platforms of the city—elevated plazas that offered breathtaking views of the world below.

The platform was less crowded this late, save for a few lingering adventurers swapping stories over mugs of ale and merchants counting their day’s earnings.

Nagomi leaned against a railing fashioned from intricate copper vines, gazing out into the endless expanse of stars.
"Not a bad view..." he murmured, feeling a small but real happiness bloom inside him.

For the first time in a long while, he was simply there—not rushing, not fighting, not worrying. Just living.

His thoughts drifted lazily, like the small airships floating above.

Back in my old world, nights like these were just... boring. A dark sky, maybe some TV playing in the background, the hum of a fridge...

He chuckled under his breath. Compared to that, this was magic—even if he hadn’t truly learned to use real magic yet.

Nagomi stretched out his arms and yawned.
"I guess it’s fine to enjoy small things before chasing crazy strength, huh?"

Still... the disc in his pouch pulsed again, ever so faintly.

A reminder that adventure had a way of finding him, even when he wasn't looking.

As Nagomi turned to leave, a faint vibration rattled the floor beneath him.

He paused.
"...Okay, that’s new."

It wasn’t strong—just enough for his instincts to flare.

Other people on the platform didn't seem to notice; they laughed and bargained as if nothing had happened.

Nagomi frowned.
Is it just me?

He followed the tremor’s direction instinctively, weaving through streets where mechanical pipes hissed with steam and giant gears turned slowly in the city’s skeleton.

Eventually, he reached a quieter district—an older part of Skyrend, where the buildings leaned more on ironwork than brass, and time had etched rust and wear into every corner.

There, tucked between two forgotten warehouses, was something he hadn’t noticed before:
A wide gear embedded into the ground, split down the middle like a hidden hatch.

And the disc he carried?

It was now glowing faintly.

Nagomi crouched beside the hatch, holding the disc over it. The strange symbols pulsed, syncing perfectly with the hidden mechanism.

He hesitated.
Opening mysterious doors in strange cities... this is either the start of an amazing side quest or how I get thrown into a pit full of monsters.

Still, his grin widened.

"Guess there's only one way to find out."

With a soft click, the hatch split open, revealing a spiral staircase leading down into darkness.

A rush of cold air hit him—damp and metallic, carrying a scent that reminded him of ancient machinery long forgotten.

Nagomi summoned a small lantern from a nearby wall—Skyrend’s public utilities were generously left for visitors—and began his descent.

The further he went, the quieter the world became.

The steady heartbeat of the city faded, replaced by the soft, rhythmic clinking of old gears turning somewhere deep below.

It felt like stepping into the lungs of a sleeping giant.

At the bottom of the stairs, Nagomi found himself standing in a massive cavern—part natural rock, part mechanical construction. Pillars of stone and metal rose high into the darkness, and bridges made of chain and rusted platforms crisscrossed overhead.

And at the center... a vast machine.

It looked almost like a heart, massive and motionless, surrounded by countless pipes feeding into it from every direction.

Nagomi stepped forward cautiously.

The moment his boot touched the main floor, the heart-shaped machine shuddered—and with a groan of ancient gears, it began to pulse.

Lights flickered on across the cavern, revealing intricate carvings on the walls—scenes of Skyrend’s founding, heroes lost to time, and strange symbols he couldn’t recognize.

The disc in his pouch resonated again.

Nagomi swallowed hard.

"This... feels important," he whispered.

He wasn't wrong.

Because something was waking up down here.

And it had noticed him.

Without warning, a low growl echoed through the cavern.

From the shadows, shapes began to move—mechanical beasts, their forms jagged and incomplete, like ancient guardians left to rust.

One of them, a massive wolf-like machine with gears for ribs and glowing red eyes, stepped forward.

Nagomi backed up slowly, hand near his dagger.

"Alright... let's not start anything crazy," he said cautiously.

The wolf tilted its head. Then, with a click of its jaws, it charged.

Nagomi dodged to the side, rolling across the floor and coming up in a ready stance.

"Nope! No way am I fighting you guys without a plan!"

He sprinted toward one of the bridges, the metallic wolf and its smaller kin snapping at his heels.

The bridges swayed dangerously as he dashed across, heart pounding, the mechanical beasts relentless in their pursuit.

Nagomi couldn’t help but laugh between gasps.
"THIS is the adventure I signed up for!"

Above, in the glittering city of Skyrend, the night was passing peacefully.

Below, in the forgotten heart of the city, a new story was being written - the story of gears, courage, and the boy who dared to venture into the sky.