The wind tugged at my jacket as I stared across the glowing skyline. Kael stepped away from the railing. "Come on," he said. "Standing up here all night isn't going to help."
I tore my eyes away from the endless lights. "Help with what?"
He smirked slightly. "Your suit."
I blinked. "My suit?"
"You noticed the sparks earlier, didn't you?"
Before I could answer, he turned and walked toward a narrow platform lift. After a moment, I followed. The lift hummed to life beneath our feet. The city rushed upward around us—or maybe we were the ones descending. Layers of Aetherion slid past in glowing bands: sky highways full of hover traffic, suspended walkways, and gardens spilling neon-blue vines over glass towers. The deeper we went, the louder the city became. Engines hummed. Music drifted through the air. Voices echoed from every direction.
The lift slowed and finally stopped at a massive street-level platform. The doors opened. Aetherion swallowed us whole.
Crowds moved through glowing avenues lined with holographic signs and flickering glyph advertisements. Drones zipped overhead carrying packages while food stalls lit the sidewalks with warm orange light. People were everywhere. Some looked normal. Others… didn't. A man with a chrome mechanical arm paid for food using a glowing wrist implant. A group of teenagers rode hovering boards down the street like it was the most normal thing in the world. Further down, someone with glowing circuitry embedded along their neck laughed as a tiny floating AI projected a map beside them.
I tried to take it all in. "This place is insane," I muttered.
Kael shrugged. "You get used to it."
As we walked, my glove sparked again—a thin arc of blue Aether energy snapping across my fingers. I froze. "There," I said quietly. "It did it again."
Kael stopped and glanced down at my hands. "That's why we're here," he said, motioning forward.
He began walking again as we moved through the crowd. "Aetherflow is raw energy," he explained. "It's everywhere—but most people can't even sense it."
"And the ones who can?" I asked.
"They still need something to conduct it. Like electricity."
I frowned.
"Think of it this way," Kael continued. "Electricity on its own is dangerous. Touch it without a circuit, and it will kill you. Run it through wires and machines, and it becomes useful. That's exactly what these suits do—they channel Aetherflow safely so you can use it without frying yourself."
I glanced down at my gloves. Sparks danced again, faint but unnerving.
"Only geniuses—maybe one in ten thousand—can control Aetherflow without a suit. Even then, it's exhausting, and using too much can kill you. That's why almost everyone needs technology to survive with it."
Suddenly, shouting erupted somewhere ahead. A crowd had gathered near the middle of the street. People backed away as flashes of unstable Aether energy erupted from the center.
"What's happening?" I whispered.
Kael didn't answer immediately. We pushed closer.
A young man stood in the center of the street, his hands glowing violently. Sparks crawled across his arms as if the energy inside him was burning its way out.
"I can control it!" he shouted.
The energy surged again. The crowd jumped back. Then the man collapsed. The glow vanished instantly. Two security drones dropped from above, scanning the body with cold white lights, while armored responders rushed in.
Kael crossed his arms quietly. "That," he said, "is why suits exist."
I swallowed. "So people really can die from Aetherflow?"
"Easily," he said.
We continued walking, deeper into the streets of Aetherion. Currency, technology, and culture surrounded us. Most people paid with Aether Credits, using wrist implants, holographic chips, or digital transfers. Floating taxis passed overhead. AI assistants drifted beside pedestrians. Robotic food vendors served glowing dishes to anyone who stopped. Humans, cybernetically enhanced individuals, and subtly modified non-human species all moved through the crowd as if it were normal.
A few minutes later, we stopped outside a narrow building wedged between two towering neon shops. A glowing sign above the door flickered: AetherTech Systems – Suit Diagnostics & Modifications.
Kael pushed the door open. Inside, a cluttered workshop buzzed with machinery and holographic displays. A technician looked up. Silver hair, cybernetic lenses glowing faintly over his eyes.
"Kael," he said. Then his gaze shifted to me. "And who's this?"
Kael nodded toward my gloves. "She needs a suit check."
The technician gestured toward a scanning platform. "Step up."
I hesitated, then stood on it. A soft blue light swept over my body. The technician frowned. Then he leaned closer to the display. "…That's strange."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What?"
The technician slowly turned toward us, voice quieter now. "Where exactly did you find this girl?"