Smoothly, the vehicle lands on the landing platform of floor 29. I park it on an Etravean parking station, extract my citizen card, and wobbly step out.

A large bulking Nytian passes by with sharp teeth bared. It’s dark glistening scales wrapped around its body towards its short tail; and its six arms dangling nearly to the ground-- the lower two acting more like legs fisting the floor like the gorillas. It appears to be a cross between a reptile and a gorilla.

I stand there gaping like a stupid kid in zoo, but it soon notices me.

The Nytian stoops down, its breath exuding a fetid rotten fish scent.

“What d’you want?” It says. It’s voice deep and phlegmy.

Argh. I quickly pinch my nose, and my stomach starts to convulse in disgust-- so I bend down ready for the puke.

“You little you….” It takes me by the arm, lifting me higher. “I’ll give you what you want.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I wave my free arm at his face. “You smell good, smell good.”

I hold my breath and feign a whiff in the air near his mouth.

But it did not make the situation any better. Instead it grabs my other arm too in obvious anger. I try pulling myself out, dancing mid-air, but it is futile.

“Let me go. What do you want?” My voice cracks in fear, but firm and brave. “Let me go!”

A thin circle of passersby surrounds us, curious of the commotion.

“What do you want?” It asks me in return, his voice slides to a higher pitch sounding confused. “I thought you wanted to fight!”

“I don’t want to fight! Clearly, it’s you who wants to fight.”

“It’s you. You think I’ll just stand here and take it from you?”

“Hey there! Drop that citizen you big sir.” A powerful voice rises from the crowd. It’s a Themisian from the Order of Themis-- the Etravean Order responsible for community peace and order as what MAD is telling me. Different in color than the Dyevan guard-- and looks a mile more friendly. Its signature greenish hue of a crystalline covered body shimmers as the light shines on it.

The Nytian drops me rather harshly and I flop to the ground like a string of hair.

“I- This- I… This is a misunderstanding. He was the one who asked for a fight,” he says so dramatically while facing the crowd that even I am nearly convinced.

“You liar. It wasn’t me. It was you who suddenly grabbed me by the arms and dropped me like a wet slab of meat!”

The Nytian growls, his white blood-stained teeth baring at me. “You was the one who did the Yana to me!”

“Yana, what Yana? Clearly now you’re making up excuses!” I retort nervously, hoping the Themisian guard would reach us before this brute plucks off my head.

“Gruy Gruy tela embi Yana tela embi Gruy Gruy!” The Nytian creature snarls, some of his arms waving, curling its three-fingered hands expressively.

It speaks more gibberish when the Themisian arrives; but the latter could have it no more, and in a flash, he sends the Nytian slumping to the ground. I slide backwards, fearful. Even I am unable to fathom how the Themisian did it so fast.

The Themisian pulls out the Nytian’s citizen card as the creature, despites its formidable size, is rendered helpless and can only cry out in gibber-- oh, perhaps it’s their local language, I realize. Something tick within me, something that I used to… used to--

A finger poke me on my bum, right along the ridge where the hole is. I yap in surprise.

“Oh how funny, I thought you were smart enough to understand how the misunderstanding happened.”

“‘You-” I turn around, but upon realizing the cute creature means no harm I drop my guard. It’s a Bayen. “What do you want?”

“You were at fault too.”

“I don’t under--”

“Do you have your citizen card sir?” The Themisian calls out to me.

“Uh, yes!” I quickly produce my card and show it to the Themisian. “Here--”

Everyone gasps, and the sounds of hissing whispers emanate from the crowd.

“A level 3?!” the creature who poke my bumhole cries out. “Black and yellow stripes at its back… It is indeed!”

The Themisian, after inspecting my card with a device, immediately greets me respectfully. “It is my pleasure meeting a special citizen of Etrave. I shall deal with this rogue who has tarnished your dignity, and bring forth swift justice.”

I raise my chin, indulging myself with the sweet sweet taste of fame and status while making a mental note to keep a low profile next time. It’s a surprise that level 3 citizen cards are actually notable and conspicuous, MAD has not informed me of this. Damn, I wanted to go to the library as fast as possible, but the unthinkable happened.

“Themisian, do as you please-- cleanse my reputation with this highest extent of judgement you speak of,” I grandly say, hoping this farce will end sooner. My legs are itching, I should have been in the library by now.

Obligingly then, the Themisian raises an arm, and out swishing came the sharpest blade I’ve ever seen that its mere sight causes the crowd to scream and tremble in cold fright. And I am taken aback too.

My eyes lock onto the blade wide in acute terror. I can feel it, something-- something-- something extremely deadly from that blade. Every beat, every sound from inside my body is suddenly magnified that it is forcefully pounding, even I can hear my knees lock in place.

Swish!

It is like the blow of cool gentle breeze, but torturing; the sound of a silent calm exhale- but sharp; a whirling flash of light only captured by the unblinking eyes, but ghastly.

It happens in just a second.

The crowd screams, unable to run away as their knees were locked like mine.

A Nytian head drops to the floor. It is only the seconds after that the splash of red blood squirts at the floor, it’s fresh stinking smell slowly filling the heavy air.

“W-What have you done?” I angrily cry out suppressing my fear, but it still leaks out.

“I have delivered the highest extent of justice sir,” the Themisian promptly answers as it sheathes the sword--sliding inside its arm. "Just like you said."

“I didn't say you murder him. I-I thought you were just gonna take him away and question him and then let him go!” I stare at the lifeless Nytian, a once living being that might have deserved the good things in life. “This… This is an execution far from justice.”

The Themisian looks at me, confused. “Sir? This is our protocol. Once sufficient evidence is found that a Base 1 citizen has assaulted a level 3 citizen or higher, a Themisian present may have the right to perform an execution of the criminal, for Etrave does not condone violence in its own territory. A level 2 could have been given a lighter sentence but this citizen only had a Base 1 citizen card. Besides, citizens with a card level lower than 2 should not be here, and the penalty is expulsion.”

“He didn’t know!” the Bayen yells from the crowd. “He just got here and was lost, and he was here to change his card. He would have gotten a level 2 card!”

“Shut up you mischievous cutpurse!” someone hollers among the crowd. “You folks shouldn’t be here too!”

“Damn stealin' vermin!” another one shouts.

The crowd disperses away from the Bayen, scared of what might come next.

“I thought the Etravean government was ethical.” I can recall Endra talking about ethics.

“Yes, the government is ethical. It’s ethical to its own people,” replies the Themisian with full confidence.

“B-but what about---” Never mind this. This is pointless.

I angrily stomp away, partly because I’m afraid.

The crowd parts, giving way, like the Red Sea tale, but not because of freedom I pass but because of fear and deep gnawing regret.

Why am I even feeling guilty? Fuck off. This is not Earth. No one’s gonna put steel cuffs on my wrists, or lock me behind bars, or cancel me on Twitter or social media, or tell me I’m a horrible person and I’ve done something horrible.

Yes, it’s the system’s fault. There’s nothing I can do. Besides, I just became a citizen.

But why is the MAD not flashing anything about the law? I thought it was supposed to be giving me crucial information about the Etravean society.

I knuckle my head, forcing that information to come out. But it never did.

Instead, a shout rises from the crowd as soon as I am several meters away.

“Get that Bayen! Check the card!” The crowd starts to chant in unison. “Check the card! Check the card!”

I can see the Themisian edging close to where the Bayen should be at. I have to stop it. But how?

“Stop right there, Jayr.” A stern voice calls out. “You’ll only make the matter worse.”

“Endra. Help. They’re ganging on that poor little ‘soul’.”

“A ‘soul’? You’re concerned with that Bayen?” Endra scrutinizes my face as he approaches closer. “Since when did you ever feel profound pity on a predator?”

“A predator? That’s one little Bayen against a crowd.”

“I only see a hunter and a group of prey… And it is up to that Themisian to resolve that situation. It’s their programmed directive.”

“What? You’re reversing the situation. Stop them… Maybe the Keeper--”

“The government is not merely one person.” He nods towards the scene. “Look, trust that the Themisian will do what the law says… Oh why not try that Casimiro device to measure everyone’s magic capacity.”

Endra points at his wrist with a suspicious grin.

I gulp. “I’ll try it.”

The sensor produces a blue laser light, and I point it from the far edge of the crowd towards where the Bayen is.

“Hoggen Scale 3.0, 3.1, 3.5, 3.3, 3.0, 3.2, 3.0, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4….” I murmur. “They’re all 3?”

I remember that’s the minimum magic capacity one needs to have in order to cross a portal.

“Now to the Themisian and that Bayen.” Endra points at the Bayen who slips past the crowd.

I point it at the Bayen. “4.5?”

Then to the guard. “4?”

Now I see why Endra calls that Bayen a predator. “Its magic’s higher than the guard!”

“See? That’s a rare Bayen. One out of ten thousand. A high-ranking officer in their ranks. They’re here for the Assembly, and that Nytian who was killed too. Though unfortunate, it had higher magic than the rest of them all.”

My face distorts. “What? Then why did it not fight? Why did it just let itself die?”

“It was the blade of the law, there’s nothing anyone can do in that scenario. Question the Etravean Law and you’ll find yourself a cadaver in less than a minute... But remember, it’s not always about the magic capacity, it’s also about how magic is used. The capacity only determines the extent that one’s magic can reach, but never it says one can maneuver magic that expertly. The Hoggen scale is not a good measure of one’s fighting ability. In fact, in a direct confrontation, that Themisian will overpower both the Bayen and the Nytian in a blink of an eye.”

I nod, taking a mental note of what he said.

“But that Nytian died because of me,” I grimly point out.

“Oh don’t be naïve, Jayr. You’ve done him mercy. Better he die with his corpse intact than obliterated to smithereens in battle. He can still be--”

‘It’s still not right. What about its body?”

Endra sighs. I can see he doesn’t like to be interrupted. “The Order will take care of it. Anyways… Let’s go, Jayr. The Keeper is waiting.”

Endra turns around and starts walking. I rush towards his side.

But one last time, I glance back over my shoulders, curious of where that Bayen is.

And it’s at the fly-craft station. Its eyes lock to me like it’s memorizing my every feature, and I can feel the harsh pierce of contempt. I shudder and quickly avert my eyes.

Somehow, a gut feeling that I’ll meet that Bayen soon enough swells within me.