The sound of steam hissing from funnel vents echoed down the platform as a massive, black-metal locomotive screeched into a gradual halt. The Illustrious Lady, her name etched in bronze above the cowcatcher, exhaled smoke from her nostrils like some mechanical beast - tired, but proud.
From inside the elevated passenger car, I stared out the soot-smudged window, barely able to see through the packed bodies leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the city skyline.
But I certainly saw enough.
Morren City.
Smokestacks. Copper spires. Cathedrals with gargoyle-etched buttresses. Clock towers ticking in sync. The train rode high above the wooden buildings on rails suspended over the Inner Rim, giving me a clear view of the crooked rooftops, the flickering gaslights, the spiderwebs of bridges between towers and spiraling towers.
Even from this distance, you could tell what kind of place it was.
A mix of divine grandeur and rotting elegance.
The train jolted. The locking clamps hissed open. This was the final stop before the Nobility District.
Half the passengers rushed to leave. Most of them were dressed to impress - men in slick suits and fine leather jackets, polished canes tapping on the metal floor. Women in floor-length dresses glided past them, perfume thick in the air, their lips stained and expressions harder than polished marble.
They stepped off like they owned the damn city. And judging by how they looked at the rest of us, they probably thought they did.
Suppressing a yawn, I finally stepped off the train. My shoes touched the polished metal platform, still warm from the sun. I stretched my arms above my head and rolled my shoulders. The train ride had been cramped, noisy, and exhausting. My muscles hated me. But at least the scenary wasn't unpleasant.
I glanced back at the 'Illustrious Lady.' Up close, she was massive - at least six grown men tall, pipes and pressure valves lining her flanks. The smokestack still coughed grey clouds into the overcast sky.
Everything in this world feels oversized.Or maybe I'm just too small.
Descending the steel staircase to the street level, I found myself in the wealthiest section of the Inner Rim, closest to the wall that partitioned us.
Stone roads. Shop signs polished to reflect the sun. Carriages rolled by, some pulled by actually healthy looking horses. Street performers played violins beneath copper archways. Children in stiff collars whispered about Inquisitors.
I glanced toward the Nobility District.
Beyond the crowd and the fountains, towering stone walls jutted up like fortresses from a forgotten war. Scars remained on them from past conflicts. Even now, they looked impassable.
Or maybe that's the point.
The Nobility didn't want a wall to protect them from the world.They wanted one to separate themselves from it.
I couldn't help but sneer.
Let them live a day in the Outer Rim and see how well their perfume holds up.
"Oof!"
Someone collided into my side with a yelp.
I turned and saw a boy - about my age, maybe younger - on the ground, rubbing his head. His trench coat was threadbare, and his flat cap sat crooked over messy, dust-covered brown hair.
"Ah! Sorry, mister!" he chirped, flashing a sheepish grin. "Didn't mean ta bash into ya. Me feet get ahead o' me sometimes."
He started walking off a little too quickly.
Oh, no you don't.
I grabbed his arm.
"Oi!"
"Oi - ow! Lemme go, would ya?"
I reached into his coat pocket and pulled out my wallet.
"Really?" I said flatly. "You thought I looked like an easy mark?"
He winced.
"C'mon, mate. Yer barely older than me, an' yer wearin' a cap. Thought maybe you were green. No harm meant!"
I tightened my grip, causing him to grimace from the pain.
"Keep talking and you'll be green from bruises."
"Alright, alright - bloody hell," he grumbled, rubbing his arm as I let him go. "Ain't no need for all that. Got a grip like a vice, you do."
"You tried to rob me."
"Yeah, yeah. An' you caught me. Good on ya. You really are the Commanders kid aren't ya."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Who told you I was working with Lord Arthur?"
The kid blinked.
"Everyone knows, don't they? You're the commoner the Commander picked up. Bit of a legend round the lower districts, you are."
My brow furrowed.
"'Legend'?"
He nodded seriously.
"Orphanage nuns say you're proof o' divine redemption. They quote yer name like scripture. 'Damian, raised from ash by holy favor,' an' all that."
I buried my face in my hand and sighed.
I need to check on those nuns. They're on the city payroll, not a damn cult.
The kid looked anxious now.
"Uh… can I go?"
"You can leave," I said, pulling a gold coin from my pocket. "Or-"
His eyes lit up.
"I'm listenin'."
Almost too easy.
I twirled the gold coin between my fingers, watching him follow it with greed.
"Help me find the entrance to the Nobility District. Been a while."
"Deal," he said quickly, still eyeing the coin like it was the sun itself. In all honesty, it was a great deal. Even upper middle-class people in this area only made a couple a month.
Around us, pedestrians shot looks - disgust, disapproval. The men looked down their noses. The women twisted their lips in distaste. No words. Just glares. I could feel them judging me for talking to him.
I handed him the coin anyway, ignoring their looks.
"Buy better clothes. And maybe work on your accent. If you do that, you might actually be a decent thief someday."
He grinned as he pocketed it.
"See? Told ya robbin' you was worth it."
I guess I got robbed either way huh.
We walked a few blocks.
Then we turned a corner - and there it was.
The wall and its entrance.
Fifty meters of stone and silence. It stretched across the horizon like a fortress carved into the city itself. Battle damage still scarred its surface from wars long past. At the base, the massive gate was lowered - carriages filtered through in steady intervals while guards stood watch, bolt-action rifles slung across their backs, eyes scanning the crowd.
The young man gawked at the thing like it was a monument to the gods.
To be fair, it kind of was.
The line between bloodlines blessed by the lord, and everyone else.
I pulled another silver coin from my coat and flicked it toward him.
"Thanks. If I need a street rat in the future, I'll come find you."
He caught it, looked at me with surprise.
"No last name," he said. "But call me Adrian. I'm around."
There was sharpness behind his eyes, under the grin.He wasn't dumb. Not by a long shot.
I nodded.
"You already know my name, don't you?"
He grinned.
"Damian. Hard not to, mate. You're the orphanages street-born golden boy."
"Just... wonderful."
Sighing, I walked toward the checkpoint, passing a pair of noble guards who frowned at me before they saw the letter tucked into my coat pocket. That shut them up and the quickly let me through.
Behind me, Adrian gave a small salute and vanished into the crowd.
I rubbed my temple and muttered to myself.
That kid's face looked familiar.But for the life of me… I can't remember why.
What I didn't notice was Adrian's gaze lingering a few seconds longer than necessary, expression unreadable.
Then he turned and disappeared, smiling to himself.