Ichiro POV :-
The forest felt different.
For the past week, I'd gotten used to silence. Leaves rustling in the wind, insects hidden beneath the undergrowth, the occasional cry of an animal somewhere deeper inside the woods. After enough time, I had stopped noticing those sounds.
This was different.
Metal striking stone.
Men shouting.
Wood creaking.
I stopped where I was and leaned against my walking stick, letting my breathing settle before moving again.
The noise wasn't far.
Keeping low, I moved through the bushes until the trees began to thin out.
The moment I looked beyond them, I understood where the noise was coming from.
A wall.
Not just a city wall—a massive one. It stretched far enough that I couldn't see either end from where I stood. Even from this distance, people moving along its top looked no larger than ants.
Part of it had collapsed.
Or had been destroyed.
The damaged section was surrounded by scaffolding. Wooden platforms climbed the face of the wall while cranes slowly lifted enormous blocks of stone. Workers moved in every direction carrying tools, timber, ropes, and buckets of mortar. Overseers shouted over the constant noise, trying to keep everyone moving.
There had to be hundreds of people.
I stayed behind the trees for a long while.
Nobody was looking toward the forest. They were too busy arguing, working, or trying to finish before sunset.
I shifted my weight.
My legs complained immediately.
The week of rest had been enough to keep me standing, not enough to let me forget the injuries.
Running wasn't an option.
Not if something went wrong.
I settled beneath a tree and watched.
Time passed slowly.
Workers entered through the main opening in groups. Trucks carrying stone arrived every so often, were inspected briefly, then allowed inside. Guards walked the perimeter, though most of their attention stayed on the road rather than the forest.
I counted them anyway.
Some talked while they patrolled.
One of them stopped every few minutes to smoke.
Another seemed more interested in watching the workers than actually guarding anything.
People were people, no matter where they lived.
Eventually lunch arrived.
The construction slowed.
Groups gathered around barrels and crates, eating while complaining loudly about the work.
"..."
Months.
It had been months since I'd seen this many ordinary people together.
Nobody was trying to kill anyone.
Nobody was running.
Nobody looked over their shoulder every few seconds.
It almost felt strange.
My stomach growled.
I ignored it.
A few minutes later, one of the workers stood up, stretched his back, and wandered away from the others toward the forest.
He wasn't carrying any tools.
No one stopped him.
No one even looked his way.
I waited.
He disappeared behind the trees.
Still, I didn't move.
Another minute passed.
Then another.
Nobody called for him.
Nobody followed him.
Only then did I push myself upright.
Each step had to be careful. Dry branches were louder than people realized. The ground here was soft enough that my footsteps disappeared beneath the leaves.
The worker came into view between two trees.
His helmet rested under one arm while he muttered something to himself.
I closed the distance slowly.
Three steps.
Two.
One.
Before he realized someone was behind him, my arm was already around his neck.
My other hand covered his mouth.
His entire body tensed.
He tried to shout, but only muffled sounds escaped.
His boots dug into the dirt as he struggled to pry my arm away.
For a moment I almost let go.
He wasn't my enemy.
He was just someone trying to get through another day's work.
But if I let him scream...
I'd never get inside the city.
I tightened my grip just enough to cut off the struggle.
His movements slowed.
A few seconds later, his weight sagged against me.
I lowered him carefully instead of letting him hit the ground.
The first thing I did was check his breathing.
Steady.
His pulse was normal too.
Good.
I dragged him farther into the undergrowth where the bushes hid him from view. It wasn't perfect, but no one would spot him unless they came looking.
Kneeling beside him, I removed his helmet, jacket, gloves, and boots before changing into them myself.
The clothes were loose around the shoulders and smelled of sweat, dust, and dried cement.
Better than standing out.
I folded my own clothes into a bundle and tucked them beneath the roots of a fallen tree, covering them with leaves until they blended into the forest floor.
The helmet hid most of my hair, but a few white strands still escaped.
I rubbed dirt through them until the color wasn't as obvious.
Then I looked down at myself.
From a distance...
I looked like everyone else on the construction site.
Hopefully, that would be enough.
I took one last glance at the unconscious worker.
"When you wake up," I muttered quietly, "I hope you only think someone robbed you."
Adjusting the helmet lower over my eyes, I stepped out of the forest and started walking toward the construction site.
.
.
.
.
.
The first few steps were the hardest. Not because my legs hurt. Because every instinct I had was telling me to turn around.
I'd spent months avoiding people. Staying hidden had become second nature. Walking straight toward a crowd felt wrong.
I kept my pace steady.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
The workers paid me little attention. Most of them were too exhausted to care who walked beside them.
A man carrying a stack of wooden planks bumped my shoulder.
"Watch where you're going."
He didn't even stop.
I mumbled an apology under my breath and kept walking. Good.
If he wasn't suspicious, neither would anyone else.
The ground changed beneath my boots as I reached the construction site. The soft forest floor gave way to packed dirt mixed with crushed stone. Every step kicked up fine gray dust that settled over clothes and skin alike.
The damaged section of the wall was far larger than it had looked from the forest.
One entire corner had collapsed. Chunks of stone the size of houses lay scattered where they had fallen months earlier. Wooden cranes groaned under their loads while teams of workers hauled ropes thicker than a man's arm.
"Move it!"
"Mortar!"
"We're losing the line!"
Voices overlapped from every direction.
Someone shoved a wheelbarrow into my side before rushing past.
Another worker nearly dropped a bucket from the scaffolding above, earning a stream of curses from the men below.
Nobody had time to notice one more dusty laborer.
I lowered my head slightly and continued walking.
A whistle shrieked somewhere ahead.
Two guards stepped aside as another wagon entered through the temporary construction gate.
Their rifles rested lazily over their shoulders, but their eyes remained alert.
One of them glanced toward me.
I resisted the urge to look away.
Just another worker. Just keep walking.
His eyes drifted past me and settled on another man who had stopped to smoke.
"You! Back to work!"
The smoker groaned loudly before crushing the cigarette beneath his boot.
I kept moving.
One obstacle down.
Hundreds more to go.
The closer I got to the breach, the more crowded everything became.
Workers crossed paths constantly.
Some hauled timber.
Others pushed carts loaded with tools.
Several engineers stood around a blueprint spread across a makeshift table, arguing over measurements loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"...If we reinforce this section first—"
"No, you'll collapse the support beams."
"You've been saying that for three days."
I walked straight through the edge of their discussion without slowing.
No one looked twice.
A man with a thick beard suddenly stepped in front of me.
"You're late."
I blinked.
"...Sorry?"
He frowned.
"What crew are you with?"
For the first time since leaving the forest, my heartbeat picked up.
Crew? Think. Construction. Large site. Multiple teams.
Before I could answer, another worker carrying two sacks over his shoulders shouted from behind.
"Leave him alone, Bram!"
"He was helping us unload the western carts earlier!"
The bearded man scratched his chin.
"Hmph."
He stepped aside.
"Then quit wandering around."
"I will."
I nodded once and walked away before anyone changed their mind.
Only after turning a corner behind a pile of stone did I let out the breath I'd been holding.
That had been close. Too close.
The opening in the wall was finally in front of me.
Massive wooden supports held together what remained of the broken stone while cranes lowered replacement blocks into position.
Beyond it... The city.
Not much of it.
Just enough to remind me it existed.
Months ago I wouldn't have noticed.
A line of workers passed through the opening carrying long beams on their shoulders.
Without thinking, I slipped in beside them.
One beam rested across every four men.
I took the empty position at the back.
The weight settled across my shoulder immediately.
Heavy.
Much heavier than I expected.
I bit down quietly.
Don't react.
The others didn't.
Neither would I.
"Lift."
The man in front barked.
The four of us adjusted together.
Then started walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone focused on keeping the beam level.
The guards at the breach barely glanced at us.
One counted.
"One..."
"Two..."
"...Three..."
His eyes reached me.
"...Four."
He waved us through.
My boots crossed the broken foundation stones.
One more step.
Then another.
I was inside the wall.
I kept my breathing steady.
Not yet.
Not until I was farther away.
The beam was carried toward a supply yard where dozens of identical stacks already waited.
"Here."
The front worker lowered his end.
The others followed.
I did the same.
The beam hit the ground with a dull thud.
"Break's over," someone complained while rubbing his shoulder.
Another laughed.
"Tell that to the foreman."
The group dispersed without another word.
Nobody questioned why I wasn't walking with them.
Nobody even looked.
I stood still for a moment, pretending to stretch my back while my eyes moved carefully around the area.
To my left stood rows of temporary storage sheds.
Straight ahead were piles of stone and timber.
To my right...
The city.
People came and went through the streets beyond the construction zone without paying much attention to what happened at the wall.
Workers blended into civilians.
The construction site ended almost abruptly.
Only a rope barrier separated it from the first paved street.
I picked up an abandoned coil of rope from the ground and slung it over my shoulder.
One more prop.
One less reason for anyone to stop me.
Keeping my head lowered beneath the helmet, I walked toward the street.
A guard stood only a few meters away, speaking with another soldier.
"...Captain wants this section finished before next month."
"As if that'll happen."
They laughed.
Neither spared me a glance.
I stepped over the rope barrier.
No one called after me.
The noise of construction faded behind me.
For the first time in months...
I was surrounded by a city again.
I didn't stop to look around.
Standing still would only make me noticeable.
So I kept walking with everyone else, disappearing into the crowd one step at a time.
.
.
.
.
.
The construction site gradually disappeared behind me.
The constant pounding of machinery and shouting workers gave way to something else.
Traffic.
Engines rumbled through the streets in an almost constant stream. Cars stopped and started at intersections while larger cargo trucks crawled through dedicated lanes. Overhead, electric cables stretched from one side of the road to the other, feeding the trams that glided past every few minutes with a metallic screech.
I slowed my pace slightly.
The city was... different from what I had expected.
The wall had given me the impression that I'd walked into some isolated fortress.
Instead—
Concrete.
Steel.
Glass.
Buildings climbed toward the sky one after another. Most were between five and ten stories, but farther into the city several towers rose much higher, their glass facades reflecting the afternoon sun. They weren't close to the skyscrapers back on Earth, but they were tall enough to dominate the skyline.
"...Not bad."
The words slipped out before I realized it.
Compared to Earth, the city felt older. The roads weren't as wide, the vehicles were bulkier, and the architecture lacked the polished uniformity I was used to. But still it wasn't as bad as Mars.
It was far from primitive.
Streetlights lined both sides of the road.
Traffic signals directed vehicles through intersections.
Telephone wires crossed overhead alongside the tram cables.
People in business suits hurried between office buildings while construction workers, still covered in cement dust, mixed with crowds returning from work.
For the first time since arriving on this planet...
I felt like I was back in civilization.
Only...
Not mine.
I adjusted the helmet slightly lower.
No one paid me any attention.
That was good.
The less memorable I was, the longer I could stay here.
I stopped beside the window of a closed electronics store.
Not because I was interested in what was inside.
The reflection was clear enough to use as a mirror.
The helmet covered most of my hair.
Most.
A few strands of white still escaped near my ears.
I rubbed another layer of dust through them before pulling the helmet down again.
Better.
At least from a distance.
My eyes continued moving without stopping.
Police.
None nearby.
Security cameras.
One mounted above the entrance to a bank.
Another watching a busy intersection.
Good to know.
Hospitals. Not yet.
Hotels. Several. Probably too expensive.
Restaurants. Too many. Useful later.
The city had been built with a clear structure.
Commercial buildings occupied the main roads while residential apartments stood farther back. Every few blocks another construction project appeared, cranes slowly lifting steel beams as workers moved across unfinished floors.
Money.
There was plenty of it here.
Whoever governed this place was investing heavily in expansion.
A loud horn pulled my attention toward the street.
A bus rolled past, nearly brushing a delivery truck trying to merge into traffic.
The two drivers leaned out of their windows.
"Watch where you're going!"
"You cut me off!"
Neither waited for the other's reply before driving away.
"..."
Some things never changed.
Not even on another planet.
I crossed the street with the flow of pedestrians, keeping my pace matched to theirs.
Walking too fast attracted attention.
Walking too slowly did the same.
The trick was to become part of the crowd.
Just another tired worker heading home after a long shift.
A woman carrying groceries brushed past my shoulder.
A pair of office workers argued about something involving quarterly reports.
Several students in matching uniforms hurried toward a tram stop, laughing loudly enough that people turned to look at them.
Normal conversations.
Normal lives.
For a moment, I simply listened.
It had been months since I'd heard people complain about work instead of fighting for their lives.
My stomach growled.
Right. Food.
I slipped one hand into my jacket pocket.
Empty.
The other.
Nothing.
The worker hadn't been carrying a wallet. Not surprising.
He'd probably left it in a locker before starting his shift.
That left me with two immediate problems.
Money. And somewhere to sleep.
Neither could wait until tomorrow.
I looked farther down the avenue.
The city stretched on for kilometers, skyscrapers gradually filling the horizon beneath a faint layer of smog.
Somewhere in that maze...
There had to be a place where someone like me could disappear.
I just needed to find it before someone else found me first.
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Powerstonessss!!!
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