The bus began its ascent, you see, the slums in which the boy had been living were at the very bottom of a massive ‘mountain’. A mountain made of steel, of structure, this mountain was known as the Hive City of Geneviv, one of the mega-communities that humans had created to seek shelter from the evils that ran amok on the outside world.

The route that the bus was taking was monotonous, apart from the change in the shape of cracks lined along the road, there wasn’t much of a difference for the first few hours. The shanty district expanded upwards as the bus ascended, its ambiance black, like a rotten tooth. At times the shacks seemed like they were trying to climb the mountain, to reach the higher ‘cleaner’ areas, but would forever be weighed down by the filth that infested them.

The people were melancholic, dragging themselves to where ever they were going. The entire district was shrouded in a foggy black mist- the result of pollutants falling from the higher sections towards the very bottom. As the bus passed by a few children that were playing with mud along the road, they threw stones at the side of the bus, staring at it with envy-filled eyes.

After the first day of travel, the shacks disappeared and were replaced by wooden cottages. Green pastures ran as far as the eye could see, it was the first time the boy had ever seen something like this. The atmosphere here was more lively, with kids playing freely outside, and farmers talking amongst themselves as the bus passed by them.

But still, just like the shanty districts, the wooden cottages seemed like they were trying to climb the mountain. The inhabitants of this section stared longingly towards the sky, seemingly oblivious to the shanty district that lived below them.

Finally, on the third day, the wooden cottages disappeared as well and were replaced by modern apartment complexes. The green pastures were replaced by shiny clean silver, a metal jungle that stretched as far as the eye could see. Massive billboards advertising various products were plastered on top of colossal high-rise buildings. Blimps, aircrafts, and a few flying cars filled the skies, in fact, there were some areas where the traffic was so congested that a long line had formed.

“Huh?” Whispered the boy as he looked to the sky. Even further up was the apex of the mountain, illuminating a golden light as if it were the very sun itself. This section seemed to look down on the entire mountain. The buildings did not run over each other in an attempt to reach the top, instead, there seemed to be an order to the way buildings were placed. And although he could not see it from all the way down here, he was certain that the buildings must’ve been magnificent.

[Please prepare your luggage, we will be reaching our destination shortly.]

“I’m so hungry,” whispered the boy as he gripped the handle of the butcher knife in his pockets.

{Shall we chop up a few people? I bet human flesh tastes good. I mean, the demons must like it for a reason.}

“The cat’s gone?” Ignoring the voice that spoke to him, he realized that the cat had disappeared once again. But he wasn’t too worried, it always came back, always.

After the bus came to a complete halt, the boy climbed off. His bus wasn’t the only one that had arrived at the station, as a group of people had already formed a line towards immigration. Most of them were moderately dressed, with just a few of them being dressed in farmer’s clothing. As expected, the boy stood out like a sore thumb.

“Which district is he from?” whispered one of the people standing in the line. Soon a wave of curiosity propagated throughout the queue and people regularly turned around to get a glimpse of the boy. The people closest to him were forced to move a little forward due to the rancid smell that he exuded, but the boy did not mind, disgust was something he was familiar with.

“Reason for visit?” asked the clerk sitting at the immigration’s desk once the boy had reached the front of the line. The clerk seemed unphased by the boy’s appearance, jotting something down after getting a look at him.

“Education.”

“Name and identification,” continued the clerk, pulling out a form from underneath her desk.

“Cehedia, I own no identification documents.”

The clerk pressed a button and a camera appeared from the side of the desk. “Please look at the camera,” she said, before pressing another button. “Shanty districts, am I correct?” asked the woman, already writing it down before he had the chance to answer.

“Yes.”

“Here’s your identification document, educational transport should be operational shortly. In the meantime please wait in the commons area just past this hallway. Thank you and please enjoy your stay.” With that, she looked to the next person in line. “Reason for visit…”

After walking past immigrations clearance he made his way through the narrow hallway, as he walked several cameras followed his every move. A red light flashed from each and every one of them as he passed by. The narrow hallway led to a large room with grey walls where thousands of people were waiting, most of them were children around his age, however, there were also quite a number of grown adults.

As he walked into the room, a few people turned to look at him, whispering something before carrying on with what they were doing. Everyone seemed nervous, it was as if there was a massive weight pushing down on the room’s atmosphere.

After waiting for several hours, a loud beep got everyone’s attention. [The portal to the Geneviv Battle Academy will soon be operational, please prepare all your belongings and your identification documents.] Another loud beep signified the end of the transmission.

Everyone shot to their feet and quickly began storming towards the front, trying their best to reach the portal first. Just as it seemed like a stampede would break out, a blue portal opened in front of the room, and a massive 7-feet tall man dressed in black military regalia stepped out.

“Prostate yourselves.” With that single phrase, almost half the room fell to their knees, the few that remained standing could barely do so, using every last shred of willpower to remain standing.

“Hmm, it seems we have some interesting ones this year,” mumbled the man to himself as his gaze swept across the room. For a split second, it landed on Cehedia, who had never stood up from his place since the announcement was made.

*Meow*

“Ahh, you’re back.”