Eidos

Chapter 7: Quite the Kafuffle

It had been enough to make Ro forget his suspicions, "That settles it. Let's head down there."

Harmonia only smiled, rushing down the descending slope with Edward close behind. The walk to Clear Sky was not long. It felt as if the pictures from a story had been brought to life. With each step the city grew larger, and so too the looming Skyport. Just before reaching the city limits, it felt as if they had walked through a wall of noise. Where there had been empty silence, only remedied by the howling of the wind, was now replaced by a thousand voices and bustling sounds.

The companions entered Clear Sky unnoticed, easily blending in with the crowds. Bird had been tucked away safely in its pocket, far away from curious eyes and gluttonous thoughts. Narrow alleyways were the only spaces left to walk between the rising buildings, leaving scarcely any room for people to walk between. The city was much bigger than it had appeared from up on the ridge. The taller buildings had all been made from steel, poking out above the smaller ones packed together from mud and stone. For a moment she felt her heart skip a beat as she realized how much it reminded her of home.

Edward suddenly grabbed Harmonia's hand. It sent a rush of warmth up her forearm which ended as a smile upon her lips. "Stay close Harmony. If all you've seen is a world run by kids, you'll be surprised what you can find here."

Soon enough Harmonia realized what Edward had meant. Just as back at Ralph's Castle there were children everywhere, but just as many grown-ups too. However, these were not the tired old shells they had left behind at Mine. Some were missing a hand or a leg, taken by the war they had fought for the Corporations. Others had all of their bodily parts still intact, no doubt they had their reasons for avoiding military service.

"There's so many people here! Where do they all come from?" asked wide eyed Harmonia.

"Anywhere and everywhere I guess," he replied navigating through the dense crowds.

"What an insightful answer," muttered Ro.

Harmonia had not heard the bulking boy, "How do these people avoid the Corporations? I mean...they are set up right in the open where anyone can find them."

Edward had to nearly yell above the rising noise, "From what I've been told by the traders I've met, most of the grown-ups are either injured soldiers who can't fight anymore, or people who were no good to the Corporations in the first place."

Ro was the first to respond, "So pretty much this is where the Corporations dump anything they consider useless?"

"Well that's a negative way to put it," argued Edward as the crowd continued to grow. "Think of them as valiant heroes who have done their part for the greater good of Sky who now have somewhere to go. A place where they can feel useful!"

The statement had left an unsettling feeling in Ro's stomach as he drew closer to whisper only to Harmonia, "Did you catch that? He just said that the people who fight for the Corporations should be considered heroes. Still no red flags being raised?"

Harmonia was already frustrated and somewhat overwhelmed by the torrent of bodies, "You're being ridiculous Ro! When will you finally let this go? Edward could spit in the wrong direction and you'd say he's trying to send a signal for someone to come take us away. Or better yet, maybe you'll say his spit is actually poison and Edward is really a monster in disguise. Very creative."

"Come on Harmony," he pleaded. "Open your eyes."

Before Harmonia could address the endless series of conspiracies, the crowd suddenly dispersed. Edward had led them straight into the heart of Clear Sky. A bustling market drowned in the shadows from above. It was clear that no sunlight could find its way past the rising structures nor stones, even on the brightest of days. What made the centre of town even more dismal were the bitterly chilled winds that blew through the labyrinth of alleyways. Somehow the traders from all the corners of Sky found little reason to complain with so many customers.