Skyborne Citadel: Out the Sack

I couldn’t tell you what happened.

I really couldn’t.

Even with my eyes squeezed shut—so tight it hurt—all I could see was white. Not just any white, but the kind that burns through your eyelids, like someone jammed a sun into your skull. All I could hear were screams, not the kind you hear in movies, but the kind that make your bones rattle. Real, ugly, desperate.

The old vets—those grandpas who laughed loudest at their own expense—were shouting to each other, voices weirdly steady. Like they’d been through this before. Maybe they had. Maybe you get used to this kind of thing if you live long enough. I sure wasn’t. I could barely breathe, let alone act like I had a clue.

The first thirty seconds? Felt like being stuck in a microwave, except you’re the popcorn and you know you’re about to explode. My eyes felt like they were boiling. The grandpas’ calm voices faded out, replaced by my own screaming. I didn’t even know I could scream like that. I didn’t know anyone could.

‘Terrified’ doesn’t even come close. I felt like I was being judged for every stupid thing I’d ever done, every time I’d pretended not to notice the tension, the warnings, the way everyone’s anxiety was building up to this. Like the universe was finally cashing in on all my bad karma.

That was my sin, I guess. Ignoring the obvious. And this—this was my punishment.

Because what else could do this, if not a god?

I felt exposed, like every cell in my body was being watched. Not in a comforting, guardian angel way. More like a bug under a magnifying glass. And I knew everyone else felt it too. No matter where you were, if the light touched you, you felt it. That stare. Empty. Indifferent.

And then, through the white, through the pain, I saw it. Or her. Or whatever. A silhouette, blacker than anything, towering over everything, like a skyscraper that decided to grow legs. I couldn’t make out details, just that it was… feminine, somehow. Not that it mattered. It was the kind of thing you see once and wish you could forget, but you know you never will.

I watched—no, I cowered—as it raised its arms to the sky. Both hands, like it was about to tear the world in half.

Then the ground hit. Or maybe the ground didn’t hit, maybe it just stopped existing for a second. It felt like a comet had slammed into the earth, like my organs were trying to escape my body. The sound—God, the sound—was everywhere, like every building in the city was collapsing at once. The train kept moving, somehow, but it felt like we were the only thing left alive.

I don’t know how long it lasted. Time stopped making sense. Eventually, everything just… stopped. My eyes rolled back, everything went black, and my mind just… left. Like it decided, “Nope, I’m out. Good luck, Akashi.”

Since then? I haven’t had a real thought. Just that day, replaying over and over, like a broken record that only knows how to scream.

Honestly, it’s a miracle I’m even able to monologue this much. I can’t remember the last time I managed to string two thoughts together.

…

Wait.

Why can I monologue now?

“CHOP-CHOP, AMIGO! WE DON’T GOT ALL DAY!”

A voice—not unlike a lady’s, but certainly not as modest—was the first thing my ears paid heed to for God knows how long.

The sound of glass shattering surrounded me, sharp and echoing, first in front of me, then reaching behind my ears. It was like someone poured molten metal onto frozen glass, then swept the shards away with a steel broom.

For the longest time, I could finally feel my face, and the first expression I made—

—was a grimace.

Ohhh—damn, what the hell is that? Why does everything hurt?

My nerves felt like they’d only just started running blood seconds ago. Or maybe they had. Not a sound could escape my throat from how overwhelmed my senses were; my body just refused. And why couldn’t I move my limbs? It was like I felt literally everything and absolutely nothing at the same time.

Then the cold hit me. Not just a chill, but a deep, biting cold that crawled under my skin and gnawed at my bones.

Gravity took over, and I could feel my vessel passionately acquainting itself with the rugged ground as I escaped from the clutches of whatever I came out of.

A metallic clatter echoed nearby, and I could hear the heavy, mechanical shuffle of boots on concrete. Another voice drew near, out of breath. “Get ‘em on, make it quick.”

As someone hoisted me up, my equilibrium started to return. My senses came flooding back all at once: the taste of my own cracked lips, the cold metal of armored hands gripping my arms, the faintest hint of light stabbing into my now-parted eyes, and the—

“Eugh—” My stomach lurched.

“Euuugghhh~!” My voice, raspy and dry, let out a retching sound as I gagged and coughed at the stench of vomit, rot, and what I can only assume to be dog water in the air.

Being carried with my arm slung around someone’s shoulder, I mustered the strength to grab them by their collar, albeit weakly, “What is that smell?! What the hell did I just wake up to?”

“You were trapped in a crystal egg, sir. We’re here to rescue you,” came the reply. A false front of affirmation lingered in his words.

“Nuh-uh, kill me now. There’s no way in hell am I going to keep smelling death’s armpit for a second longer.” I croaked, wishing I’d just been left alone in whatever cocoon I was in.

“That’s a lot of attitude coming from someone who just came back from the dead! Drop him, Tojima, he’s not worth the decency,” the feminine-not-feminine voice bit back.

“Can’t let our fellow Arcian get hurt after just a few seconds back in the world, Risa,” he urged her patience.

I died? Oh, for love of all that is holy. Please, take me back. Anything but this.

They laid me down on a stretcher, and for the first time, I got a good look at my so-called saviours. The clanking I’d heard wasn’t from a full suit of knightly armor—which of course, would make no sense—but a man draped in battered leather and an earthy, mud-stained surcoat. Only his boots and shoulder guard were metal.

Hold on, that doesn’t quite make sense either.

“Wait, what time period am I in?” I asked, profoundly confused at his attire.

The woman beside him rolled her eyes, not missing a beat. “Put a sock in it, greeny.” She rummaged through her well-worn backpack and tossed a fur coat at me—hardly big enough to cover my legs, but I wasn’t about to complain. Something told me pushing her patience wouldn’t do me any good.

Okay, definitely a woman. Maybe my hearing was off, or maybe she was just good at putting on a front, but now that I could see her—yeah, definitely female. Not my idea of fashion, though. Knee-high boots and short pants? Clears up a few things, no matter how you look at it.

Suddenly, a shout echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off the damp stone. “Hey!”

The woman—Risa, I think—snapped her head over her shoulder, her posture tense. “A-Allen? You’re back alone?”

Her voice had gone up an octave, all nerves and worry. I tried to catch a glimpse of whoever was coming, but drat. Wherever we were, it was dim and smelled terrible, couldn’t spot how he looked even if I tried.

The ceiling was insanely high, almost sizable enough to fit a building. The pillars holding it up were just as massive, each one thick enough to be mistaken for a tower in its own right. However many meters wide they were, I couldn't bother to guess.

The sound of water dripping was constant, echoing close by. Even though I’ve never been in one before…

I’d hate to think that we’re in some kind of gargantuan sewage system, but I’ll be damned if we are.

Heavy footsteps splashed closer. “Greeny’s secured?” A broad-shouldered man—Allen—appeared, his modest cuirass and beige linen didn’t quite sell the idea that I’m in the right timeline either.

“He’s all good. Got a mouth on him, though,” Tojima said, stretching his neck until it cracked. The tall, leather-clad man shot me a sideways glance, half amused.

Risa’s eyes darted around, voice tight with worry. “Where’s Naga?”

Allen shook his head. “Intercepted. Something was hiding in the sixth drainage when he scouted. I couldn’t rendezvous with him in time before he engaged.”

Tojima’s face blanched. “What?! What was the threat?”

“Armatum Bestialis, and a big one.”

Risa’s hand flew to her mouth. “A Beast? Here?!”

Urgency in every movement, Tojima slung his pack over his shoulder. “We have to go. If Nagahiro lets it slip for even a moment, it’ll catch up to us in no time. We’ve run out of luck.”

Allen didn’t hesitate, waving them forward. “Saddle up, we’re off!”

Risa moved to the head of my stretcher, her hands working quickly and with practiced urgency. She pulled a length of rope from her belt and looped it through sturdy metal rings at the corners, then fastened the other end to something massive and unseen behind me. I heard the faint scrape of metal on stone, and the low, mechanical rumble of something alive but not quite animal. Whatever it was, it was big—and I was now firmly hitched to it.

Did he just say saddle up? Are there horses in here with us? I can’t see much, but I sure as hell didn’t hear any hooves…

“Hey,” Risa leaned over, tapping my forehead to get my attention. “Try your best to hold on, yeah?” Her voice was steady, but her eyes—bright jade, unexpectedly vibrant beneath her blonde hair—betrayed a flicker of nerves.

“I don’t follow,” I raised a brow, my throat still raw and desperate for water. Seeing her up close, she looked nothing like I’d imagined—tough, sure, but there was a vitality in her gaze.

She opened her mouth, about to give what I assumed to be a heads-up of some kind, but before she could speak, a sound erupted from the depths of the tunnels—a screech so deafening it felt like it could peel the skin from my bones. Drawing our frightened gaze, I felt as though the air itself seemed to vibrate. The high-pitched croak ricocheted through every pipe and crevice, followed by a rush of wind that carried the stench of rot. The gust was so strong it nearly lifted the stretcher.

Every face around me went pale. I saw it in their eyes—their stomachs dropped, their bodies tensed, and for a split second, even Risa looked like she might bolt.

“What the hell was that?” I blurted, my own voice trembling over whatever the hell the abyss out there has in store.

“Keep 'em shut, greeny!” Risa barked, scrambling to her feet.

“Allen!” Tojima’s voice cracked, panic rising.

“Risa! Go, go, go!” Allen shouted, urgency cutting through the chaos.