Chapter 15

"First, let’s go to the hotel to drop off the luggage," Aedric suggested.

Aedric and Hina walked ahead of me. They seemed to already know the way, but I couldn't stop looking around. The ground was paved with grey stone, and the houses were constructed of similar grey materials accented with touches of gold; everything looked quite elegant. Carriages passed through the streets, pulled by animals I had never seen in my life, along with vehicles that resembled cars. Above, the sky was teeming with people flying on a multitude of things. Brooms were the most common sight, but there were also human-sized fairies flying on their own wings.

"Is this... underneath the cities?"

"We aren't exactly underneath," Aedric mentioned, pointing upward. "It’s more like a separate dimension. That’s why you can see the blue sky from here."

"Is there a day and night cycle here?" I asked, gazing up.

"Of course. To help you understand it better: the two cities are superimposed. That is, both cities exist at the same point in space, but on different planes."

"It surprises me that something like this can be done."

"I suppose it is difficult to imagine. The four towers you see in the distance, at the corners of the city, are what maintain this space. If any of those towers were destroyed, this city would appear in the normal plane, causing the destruction of both cities. That’s why those towers are heavily guarded."

We continued walking, and I took in everything around me. I saw humanoid birds, lakes filled with sirens, the two-legged trees I had seen on the way here, and even creatures I never thought to imagine, like fish with human legs. They were all living together in harmony. The city had plenty of vegetation—zones filled with trees where fairies played in the branches.

"You look like a child, staring in every direction," Hina joked.

"I guess it’s obvious. To tell you the truth, when I look around, I feel a sense of wonder—as if I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time."

"For someone seeing it for the first time, these views must be marvelous."

"Don't you like them?" I asked Hina curiously.

"I was born in a city larger than this one, so I’ve been seeing this almost my entire life. For me, the weird thing is seeing a human city."

"From your perspective, they must be very boring."

"Not necessarily. Here, you need the help of magic or fairies useful for a specific purpose to do anything, like constructing buildings or parks. I find it impressive that humans—being the 'weaker' ones—can use their intelligence to build cities that are equal to, or even larger than ours, with even more impressive buildings."

"I don't know... I just have the feeling that it’s never seemed that impressive to me."

"We don't pay attention to our surroundings; we take for granted things we haven't seen before. For example, you can walk down a street every day and not notice all the oddities it has. I didn't start paying attention until I went to live with Aedric—until I saw the sunset on that bridge."

"I hadn't thought about it. I suppose we always appreciate what we don't have more than what we do."

"It happens to all of us. Before, it never would have occurred to me to notice those things either."

"What were you like befo—"

Before I could finish the sentence, Aedric cut me off.

"We’ve arrived."

Without realizing it, we were standing in front of a large building. Two staircases curved toward each other, leading up to the entrance. We passed through a grand glass door with wooden borders and entered a spacious lobby featuring sofas for waiting guests and a large wooden reception desk. Aedric went to speak with the receptionist to get the keys to our rooms.

"Navnlos, come here. This hotel has something you’re going to like," Hina told me in a low voice.

I followed her, not knowing what she was referring to. We went into one of the rooms adjacent to the reception area, and I found myself in a grand library filled with books.

"In this room, you can see a bit of the city's history and even basic theory for performing magic."

"I already have my magic. Other types of magic wouldn't be much use to me, right?"

"What you have learned is, so to speak, your personal magic—it goes by the name of 'Stigma.' But there are also general spells that everyone can use with practice. They can be very useful in combat."

I knew nothing about that type of magic, though considering I had to undergo express training just to master my own magic, or Stigma, it was normal that there were still many things I didn't know.

"I can give you some recommendations for beginners later," Hina offered.

"I would appreciate that."

"For now, let's go back to the reception. Aedric must be finishing up."

We both returned to the lobby just as Aedric finished. He walked toward us holding some keys.

"Everyone has their own individual room. Navnlos, I have to show you a few things."

"Like what?"

"It’s better if I explain it in the room."

"I’m going directly to mine; I’m a bit tired," Hina said.

"We'll see you later for dinner."

"I’ll be here."

Aedric and I said goodbye to Hina as she headed for the elevator.

"Your room and mine are up the other stairs. I’ll take you."

Hina went up a staircase to the right toward the second floor, while my room and Aedric's were to the left on the third floor. We arrived at the door of my room, number 312. The lock was quite strange to me, and now that I looked closely, the key was too. I inserted it and turned. With just a slight turn of the key, the lock glowed and opened.

The room was completely dark, with the window closed. Aedric clapped twice, and suddenly a light resembling a bulb turned on, illuminating the entire room. The window, covered by curtains, also opened.

"There are no switches?"

"That’s what I wanted to show you. There is no electricity or technology here."

"Then how did it light up and the curtains open?"

Aedric clapped once, and the light went out.

"Look closely at the 'bulb'."

I looked up and was surprised by what was inside. It was a kind of stone.

"Is it a stone?"

"Yes. As for the curtains..." Aedric fell silent suddenly and looked around. "You can come out."

Suddenly, I saw a ball fluttering around me. When I could focus better, I saw it was like a fairy from a fairy tale.

"She is a wind fairy. To help you understand, she is a sort of servant. People around here usually ignore them and only call them to ask for things, but since you are inexperienced and from the other side, consider her more of a companion. Ask her whatever you want, and she will answer you."

"It is a pleasure. I am Sapir," the fairy said as she approached me.

"My name is Navnlos."

Aedric headed toward the bathroom.

"The shower works with that."

I looked and saw a kind of lizard sitting on top of a rock; it was completely still and didn't move.

"It’s a water fairy. Colloquially, they call this species Azures because of their blue color. Do you see those rocks on the table?"

There were two separate piles of rocks, some blue and others more reddish.

"If you give it the blue ones, it will release cold water. If you give it the others, it will be hot water. And the toilet works like the light bulbs; it has a stone that changes the water."

"How do I activate the stones?"

"You have to use the force of your soul. If you direct it toward them, they activate. You don't need to fully activate your magic; just focus on it a little, and it will activate. The fairies in the room will also react to it."

"Isn't this system very annoying?"

"The people around here are used to it. From your point of view, it must seem very annoying since it’s much more cumbersome than pressing a button. But what did you expect? Not everything here is easier and more comfortable. The more you are here, the more you will realize that."

We both walked out of the bathroom. I looked back at the Azure; I wasn't too amused by the idea of showering with water released by a lizard, nor was I thrilled about being in the same room as one.

"Finally, I’m leaving you a map of the city. I've marked the most important zones. I recommend you try to explore the city a little with Sapir; she will take care of you, and that way you can loosen up a bit. Besides, you know how to defend yourself well—I don't think anyone can intimidate you."

He was telling me to go out and explore on my own. To be honest, taking the fairy with me gave me more confidence. I might just try it.

"If you go out alone, don't tell Hina. I don't feel like listening to her yelling."

"Is she somewhat overprotective?"

"She just worries too much. Don't hold it against her."

Aedric left the room, leaving me alone with the fairy fluttering around me.