Standing in the special hall of the School of Thoughts and Perseverance for the first time in her life, Selpe was astonished.
There were many high-end headsets lined up with special chairs, each fitted with a network of wires that connected neatly to the back of the head. They were used for a virtual tour of the Royal City, and only the chosen ones who had achieved much in the school were allowed to use them.
Nearby, there were others arranged with the same type of high-end headset, but these were for virtual fighting. They weren't like the Lucid Pods—these were built only for the privilege bearers, designed for a special combat world meant for training higher-class rankers.
At the center stood an podiom-type material structure, rising almost six feet from the floor, coated in pure silver, with woven biometric veins glowing blue inside.
In this world, where technology was far more advanced, everyone had their own biometric pattern—a unique mark. No matter who the person was, they carried their own distinct biometrics. It helped a lot in investigations, since anything a person touched could be traced back to them. But some people refused to register for the national identity card that stored these biometrics, which meant they did not belong to the nation. If they were caught, they were executed. That was the rule carved by the current King of Heavens.
However, even that had become useless. Criminals had begun wearing anti-biometric gloves, or simple gloves that blocked their biometrics from passing into anything they touched. What made anti-biometric gloves different was that they merged with their skin. But if they lost those gloves, they lost their safety too—because if they were caught without them, they were done for.
From the world where not even the word "technology" existed—where people only carried steel, played hide-and-seek, and kept handmade toffees from their grandmothers in their pockets instead of communicators—Selpe suddenly felt a quiet urge to bury herself in the merciful soil of her old home. A place where she could live again, where she could love again.
Though this world had its own fights, swords, and dangers, it still didn't make any difference.
The president stepped forward and placed his hand calmly on the screen at the top. Suddenly, the biometric veins lit up in a bright purple. As he pulled his hand back, the section he had touched shifted, opening a space. From within it, a glowing purple orb rose into the air, wrapped in a drifting purple mist.
The orb was known as the Sky Vein Orb. It granted a one-way path to the City Above Heavens—the Royal City. Once someone passed through that path, they could not return the same way. To come back, they needed to earn the Evaluation of becoming a royal member—in simple terms, an official citizen of the Royal City—granted by Prince Manus Usmania.
The royal people never had a clan to begin with. They were royals by blood, protected by the Royal Bloodline since the birth of the State of Heavens.
Whoever became a citizen of the Royal City had to inherit the royal blood, and those who became Sanctified were infused with that royal blood.
The orb rose and floated into Seraphus' hands, and at that moment he turned his head toward Selpe. "Come closer."
She stepped nearer to the orb, which hovered slightly above the president's hands.
"Put your hand above it," Seraphus muttered.
She did, gently touching the black cat with her other hand.
The orb began to move—slow at first, then faster, and faster still. The mist around it spun with such speed that the energy surged upward from the president's palm, running along his arm and body, and at the same time surged upward from Selpe's hand, wrapping around her whole body, including the black cat.
And to her surprise, she found herself in the sky.
A picture-like scene opened before her. Soft, dreamlike clouds drifted across a bright blue sky. The sun lit everything gently, making the world shine like pure gold. And high above the clouds, beyond mortal sight, stood a huge mystical gate glowing with a quiet, otherworldly light.
She felt as if she were standing in a perfect painting, on an invisible ground that kept her from falling through the sky.
'Wow.'
Suddenly, the clouds shifted, and invisible stairs—outlined by a soft, glowing light—rose toward the gate.
The president looked at her and explained, "These are called the Sky Vein Stairs. Each step covers a kilometer of distance. They may look like normal stairs, but they aren't."
Once he finished, he gestured toward them. "Let's go."
Following that, she and Seraphus stepped onto the first stair. As they lifted their other foot for the next step, the world around them blurred instantly—as if they had crossed a huge distance in one second. They found themselves much closer to the gate, even though they had only reached the second stair.
Selpe's eyes lit up.
Honestly, Selpe found this to be one of the most memorable moments of her life. She had never seen anything like this before—except for Utopia, which she only remembered in blurred fragments. She could regain those memories either by burying herself or by waiting for the end of this final life, when the Curse of the Light Clan ended and she would meet Qu again.
They took another step, and they were closer to the gate.
Another step—closer again.
Step after step, they moved with astonishment and quiet wonder. After about a minute, they were standing almost at the gate. Selpe looked back and her eyes widened in disbelief—they had crossed so much distance in just sixty seconds.
It amazed her deeply.
Then she turned toward the front.
There was a small patch of pure green grass right before the gate. It felt like part of the world she knew, but in truth, it wasn't connected at all.
The president stopped and summoned a ring into his hand. It was a Sky Vein Ring—an item that allowed non-royals to enter the Royal City. It was made for those without royal blood, such as many members of Defense and Security, making them royalty in a sense, though not pure royals.
Without a Sky Vein Ring, or without royal blood, no one could enter the Royal City or even see it from the mortal lands.
In the president's case, he was a former Sanctified who gained the authority to oversee the School of Thoughts and Perseverance's Sri Branch.