Skreeeeee. The train shuddered as it descended, metal wheels screeching against the rails, and finally came to a halt before a semi-pulsar rift. The portal flickered, its edges rippling like disturbed water, revealing fragments of floating buildings, suspended impossibly in the sky. Neon lights traced their contours, casting faint glows against the darkened clouds above.
Two figures stepped from the train. A young boy with wide, dark blue eyes and a grin stretching across his face clutched the hand of a woman whose calm, deep blue eyes reflected a quiet patience.
"Mum, why is that thing there? Why is it flickering?" John asked, tilting his head as his gaze danced across the portal.
The woman paused, her lips curling into a warm laugh. "It's called a portal, John. And yes, it flickers because it's in use." Her voice was gentle, even, but there was a weight beneath it he couldn't yet understand.
John stared at her with a curious intensity. "It's so big… is it because it's not only humans that pass through?"
She nodded, squeezing his hand lightly as she guided him toward the queue of travelers. "Yes, it's for goods as well, John. People, supplies, materials—everything has to move, not just us." She glanced around at the other travelers, each one carrying goods or glancing nervously at the pulsating portal. She let out a quiet sigh, adjusting her posture, and turned her attention back to her son.
"Woah, mum… that thing is amazing! I've never seen anything like it before," John exclaimed, his voice high with excitement. His fingers pressed tightly around hers as he leaned closer to take it all in.
The mother smiled softly. "I know, John. And it's because I was pregnant with you… and today, we had a reason to leave our district." Her voice was calm, measured, but there was a tremor, subtle but present, as if carrying memories she could barely contain.
"Ohhh… that's why we're going to see grandad!" John's tone brightened again, though it quickly faltered. "But why isn't he staying with us? That dark, scary place… why does he live there?" His small face twisted into sadness, eyes glistening with the first hints of tears.
The woman's laugh was hollow, light, yet there was a shadow behind it, a quiet sorrow. "That is because your grandad… he is not an elite." Her hand tightened around his. "He didn't fuse with a suitable beast and did not reach his full potential. He could not contribute to society as the government deems necessary, which is why he remains in the middle-class district."
John's expression dropped further, tears forming and rolling slowly down his cheeks. "B-but… grandpa… he's so nice. And… mum… you promised to tell me about dad." His voice wavered with both fear and longing.
She bent down slightly, lowering her gaze so it met his. Slowly, carefully, she spoke in a voice almost too quiet to hear over the mechanical hum of the portal and the chatter of the crowd. "John… you are right. But I cannot speak of it here. Know this… while others were born into the elite, some had to die on the battlefield to be recognized by the government. That… that is why we are here." Her eyes glimmered with unspoken pain as they met his. "Your father… he gave his life to ensure we could live a better one."
John remained silent, the words sinking into him. The portal flickered again, throwing shifting patterns of light across his small, tear-streaked face. For a moment, he only held onto her hand tighter, feeling both warmth and the cold reality of what she had just revealed. The crowd moved forward slowly, but John's mind lingered on his father, a hero unknown to many, whose sacrifices had paved the way for him to step into a world he had yet to understand.
The mother glanced at the towering structures floating beyond the portal, their neon-lit edges piercing the dim clouds above. Each building a symbol of power, of the system that demanded strength and obedience, and she felt the weight of society pressing down on them both. John's hand was small in hers, but she knew he carried the potential to rise above what the world expected… if only he survived the lessons of reality.
John looked up at the portal again, mesmerized by the flickering lights, and whispered, almost to himself, "I want to be strong… like Dad."
She didn't answer immediately, but her grip on his hand tightened for a moment, a silent promise that she would guide him, protect him… and prepare him for a society that would not forgive weakness.
As the line crept forward, the mother's gaze flicked once more to the portal, the floating districts beyond, and the dark city below. Somewhere among the elite, the middle class, and the lower districts, the machinery of the world kept turning, indifferent to the struggles of those within it. And John, wide-eyed and full of hope, stepped forward unknowingly into the system that would define him…
The portal hummed louder, a chorus of mechanical sound and flickering energy, and John's eyes reflected its light as if carrying the weight of every choice to come.