"The world Aethyris was a world—not for mankind. It was a cruel and malevolent planet that threatened the extinction of various species—on the land, in the air, and in the sea."
"Centuries before the emergence of those 'creatures,' the world was a functional utopia—one where you didn't have to always worry about being devoured. It was fairly sustainable, and the cycle of life went as usual. Until."
"The Emergence."
"The earth cracked open, molten lava spewing from the crevices, and an unholy roar. A massive, hulking figure that's far too large for something 'natural,' began to rise, towering over mountains and scraping the clouds above it. These monsters were called…"
"The Behemoths."
"After the behemoths appeared, smaller creatures followed. They were ruthless and unnatural. They made buildings shrink in comparison, and made the red-tailed cheetahs look slow. They shouldn't exist under normal biology.
But it wasn't like our world was normal anyway.
What remained of humanity adapted and fled to what are known as Pillars. These Pillars are massive columns of land that rival mountains while being a cylindrical shape. It was the perfect place to escape to—but it had risks as well. Oxygen is low in high altitudes, and those that couldn't adapt died out, while those that did evolved.
The Pillars are unique in their own way, but they all share similarities. They always have a cylindrical shape, while being incredibly dense in resources. The difference is, they have different biomes, which means the amount and type of resources depend on the type of Pillar.
As humanity and technology sprawled and advanced, we began to migrate to other pillars, our main transport being airships. But this would cause tension and competition between the nations. Finding more pillars would equal more resources and land—what every nation wanted. War was inevitable. Soon then, nations would fight over the Pillars in order to gain power. This caused one to wage war on another, which birthed:"
"The Zeppelins."
"The main war machines of the skies, gigantic armed airships that ruled the air around it. Of course, each war airship had different classes—Zepps being the smallest, then Feather Zeppelins, then the average Zeppelin—and we move up to the giants, literal flying fortresses."
"The Leviathans."
"Absolute gargantuan, unmatched firepower—nothing else could match it at the time it first appeared. Leviathan class airships were said to bring death wherever it traversed. They were feared and powerful. Until a new titan was born."
"The Dreadnoughts."
"The titans of the skies, often called the floating mountains. These airborne behemoths possess unparalleled power, wreaking havoc and devastation to its adversaries while remaining invincible. These titan class airships were truly destructive, but that came at a cost of being hard to maintain. That wasn't the only issue, dreadnoughts were extremely difficult to manufacture and exceeded what a small military could fund alone. Less than a hundred exist worldwide…"
And yet, all these tales and collections of stories felt distant to the child reading them.
Then, the book was suddenly closed shut as the voice of a young boy spoke.
"Reading again Mikado? Jeez, you are such a book worm, who cares about what happened centuries ago! Let's play zeppelin battles with the others, you can read after that!"
Mikado sat up, patting off the dust from his shorts. "Fine, I'll play. You're so impatient Kiroku."
The two boys were around the age of seven to eight during this time. The pair were quite mischievous—especially Kiroku. Entertainment was lacking on the pillar they resided in, so they did what any child would do: create a game they could play with the other boys. The game was called zeppelin battles, which usually involved two teams of around six to ten or more people. The zeppelins were made from random boxes, wooden planks, and old dusty parachutes, and of course, they could not fly. That didn't bother them.
Each of the boys had military gear made for kids, like plastic rifles, helmets and confetti grenades. Except for Mikado, as his family was on the lower end of the economy and couldn't afford it... Is what he always said—which was far from the truth. His family wasn't poor, but they would not let him get the gear he wanted, often discouraging him not to get such a thing, as it would do no good. So instead, he uses a wooden sword every time they play the game. The sword was flimsy and very awkward in shape, but it was better than nothing. At least, he could deflect the plastic rounds fired at him if he timed it right.
Linking back to the present, the other boys were shuffling the positions of the zeppelins, changing the placement of the materials to create a suitable base. Today, more kids were present in the abandoned warehouse (where they played the games), which used to be storage for resources, but was unreliable due to the constant leakage of water from rain, and the rats stealing food and water. It was quite a large warehouse. Many considered It a waste to be abandoned.
Now, the warehouse is the base of all the bored kids on the pillar. An entertainment hub… is what Kiroku once called it.
The game was about to start; the other boys began to strap on their equipment, and some of the girls came too, sitting by the sidelines to give emotional support…? Or whatever they're planning to do.
Kiroku adjusted his helmet, fixing the strap and giving it a little nudge to make sure it doesn't fall off in "combat." He looks over to Mikado, and his face forms a mocking glare. "You sure you can stop my bullets with that dumb sword of yours? At least get a pistol or something."
Mikado returned a sour face. "Why do you care? Easier to take me out right?" He stepped forward, away from the wall he was leaning on moments prior. "Or is it still hard for you because your aim is ASS!?"
Kiroku popped an angry vein as he began to walk towards Mikado. "You, you, YOU!" He lunged, throwing a bunch of awkward slaps, with Mikado returning the favour. It looked like a school fight between girls out of a cartoon, and it probably wasn't serious at all.
Their slap-fight didn't last long. The moment Kiroku's hand smashed against Mikado's cheek, someone blew a whistle so loud it shook the entire warehouse. Following that, an older boy stepped up and scolded the two—his chest puffed out—and steam coming out of his ears?
"HEY! You two! Save the fighting for the battlefield! Otherwise, we're chucking you out! Got it?!" He barked like a general commanding armies. "Back to your teams—now!"
The two looked at each other, exchanging reluctant stares before walking away in the opposite directions, feet scraping the concrete.
The girls on the sidelines giggled. One whispered, "Even if Mikado fights like a girl, he still looks pretty darn cute!" Another bit back, "No way! Kiroku and his gorgeous black hair is way better than that milk-haired freak!"
Then the warehouse roof creaked ominously. A deep rumble rolled overhead, and the sunlight flickered as a shadow passed through the broken boards.
An airship. A patrol ship, armed and loaded, scanning as it drifted above.
All the kids froze, eyes darting towards the roof—through the holes to see it fly overhead. It wasn't unusual—Patrols flew above the Pillar everyday—but the engines droned louder than normal. A subtle tension settled in the room, like the calm before the storm.
Kiroku, being the dog he is, fired a surprise round at Mikado from afar, hitting him squarely on the temple. "What was that about my aim being ASS?!" He teased, poking a tongue to provoke him.
Mikado grit his teeth, rubbing at his temples as a scowl drew over his face. "That jerk!" He thought to himself.
Just like that, the laughter returned and the chaos resumed. The game started and their fun had begun. They waved their plastic rifles, chucked confetti grenades, and pretended to fly over to the enemy with what you would call a plane… if you could even call what they were holding one… for an "ambush."
Kiroku and two other boys jumped onto Mikado's zeppelin, raising their rifles and firing at those unprepared. "DEAD MEAT!" Kiroku yelled, grinning ear to ear. But something was missing. "Where's that monkey hiding?" He asked.
In response, painful grunts and whacks rung behind him, and as Kiroku turned, Mikado was already on him. He ambushed Kiroku and his buddies from behind, taking them out before lunging and slapping Kiroku's rifle out of his hands, disarming him before pointing the sword at his head. "I'm immune to getting jumped, monkey." He muttered to Kiroku, stretching his lips to form a smug smirk.
Kiroku quickly lifted his hands, forcing himself to admit defeat. "I-I surrender!"
Mikado dragged the three into the jail where they'll have to wait for their allies to sneak in and rescue them. Kiroku began to pout as he sat, "Damn that guy, he's too good with the sword!" He paused and glanced at the two boys who were with him. Seeing them still wincing, he scolded them for being careless and getting them captured, saying they deserved it. The boys stopped complaining. I guess he hates losing.
Mikado played, well—fought diligently, but for a split second, his eyes drew to the ceiling, like something pulled them up, following a massive silhouette of metal and gunfire… and a small, inexplicable thrill ran down his spine.