《Sephir Vanguard》 A city in the sky It was a sunny day, like any other. Mark Nyx liked the quiet of the rooftops. The Sephir of Astra stretched below him, a sprawl of glowing skybridges and gravity-defying spires, their metallic surfaces reflecting the neon haze of the city. From up here, the world felt slower¡ªcleaner. The hum of anti-grav skiffs caused by floating wove through the air and the rhythmic thrum of power generators hidden beneath the floating metropolis. Most people in Astra never looked down. Mark did. Beyond the city¡¯s shimmering barriers, the Expanse yawned below¡ªa vast, shifting abyss below the clouds, a place only seen when the clouds disappeared. The world beneath the Sephirs was a graveyard of fallen civilizations, where only shadows moved and old ghosts whispered warnings no one wanted to hear. The chime of a distant clock tower echoed across Astra, snapping Mark out of his thoughts. ¡°Shit.¡° He was going to be late. Again.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. With a sigh, he turned away from the city¡¯s edge and sprinted across the rooftop, his boots barely making a sound against the reinforced alloy panels. He vaulted over a railing and landed smoothly on a skybridge, joining the steady flow of students heading toward Astra Technica University¡ªone of the most prestigious institutions in the entire Sephir network. Mark adjusted the strap of his bag as he merged into the crowd. The second day of his final year. He should have been more excited. Most of his classmates were already making plans¡ªinternships, research projects, secured contracts with big corporations, pursued higher degrees or went into the political system. Mark? He had no idea what came next. ¡°You love making me wait me wait, do you?¡± A gust of wind rustled Mark¡¯s jacket as Daniel Gale fell into step beside him, his usual smirk in place. The guy always moved too fast, like he wasn¡¯t quite used to standing still. Mark rolled his eyes. ¡°Not everyone likes to launch themselves across the city first thing in the morning.¡± Daniel stretched, the air subtly bending around him, playing with the edges of his sleeves. ¡°What, and miss the chance to feel alive? You should try it sometime.¡± Mark shook his head, suppressing a small smirk. ¡°I prefer not to get banned from campus airspace.¡± Daniel grinned. ¡°Eh, they¡¯ll get over it.¡± The two of them made their way into the lecture hall, a massive amphitheater where the ceiling panels displayed a live projection of Astra¡¯s floating infrastructure. Today¡¯s topic? "The Science of the Sephirs: Foundations of Aerostatics and Sustainable Elevation." As Mark took his seat, he couldn¡¯t shake the thought that maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªhe should have figured out where he was going by now. Lecture -The Science of the Sephirs Mark settled into his seat as the lecture hall dimmed, the ceiling shifting into a holographic display of Astra Sephir itself, its floating towers and sky bridges hanging in the air like a city caught in mid-fall. The display pulsed, lines of light tracing the structures before zooming outward to reveal the entire network of Sephirs, drifting far above the Expanse like islands in an endless void. "Today, we will discuss the foundations of aerostatic suspension and sustainable elevation¡ªwhat allows our world to exist above the chaos below." Professor Rhenard, a wiry man with sharp features and an even sharper tongue, paced at the front of the hall, gesturing to the floating city above them. The ceiling holograms shimmered, shifting into a detailed schematic of the Astra Sephir. The perspective rotated downward, focusing on the city¡¯s foundations¡ªwhere a massive ring, embedded with superconductors, pulsed faintly beneath the metropolis. Professor Rhenard clasped his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes scanning the room. "Every Sephir is held aloft by a system of electromagnetic levitation," he began, his voice calm and precise. "Massive superconducting rings interact with the planetary magnetic field, generating a repelling force that suspends the city. However, this alone is not enough to maintain balance."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The hologram zoomed in further, revealing a glowing core at the heart of the city, pulsing like a heartbeat. "This is where Ether Reactors come in. The levitation fields require constant adjustments, and the energy for those stabilizations comes from ether¡ªour single most valuable resource." Mark leaned back in his seat, watching the visual showing a reactor¡¯s ether reserves depleting, then gradually refilling. Professor Rhenard paused, then continued. "Ether is unlike any other energy source. It does not burn, nor does it dissipate. Instead, when used, it returns to its origin¡ªa dimension beyond our own, and the vessel needs time to recharge and reaccumulate ether." A ripple of murmurs spread across the class. Mark frowned. It wasn¡¯t new information, for him. Then someone up front raised their hand. "So is ether the same energy source as the mana that we use to power our abilities then?" Silence. For the first time, Professor Rhenard hesitated. It was barely noticeable, a flicker of uncertainty in his otherwise steady demeanor. "Ether is a universal force," he finally said. "Mana is an individual trait." He turned back toward the projection, tapping the lectern once moving to the next slide. "That is the extent of what science can confirm. Moving on." Mark didn¡¯t move, his thoughts lingering on the brief pause. It was subtle¡ªbut he caught it, seeing it compared so directly to a human¡¯s mana made something click in his mind. Rhenard knew more than he was letting on. Getting Ready To Spar The lecture ended with a low hum as the holographic display flickered off. Students shuffled out of their seats, some meeting colleagues and catching up from summer, while others just seemed eager to move on with their day. Daniel and Mark left the lecture room. Mark grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, his mind still turning over the professor¡¯s reaction. There was something off about it. "Oi, blockhead." Daniel bumped his shoulder as they exited the hall, his usual smirk in place. "What are you thinking about this time?" Mark exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "It¡¯s just... that whole thing about ether and mana. Didn¡¯t it seem like the professor was holding something back?" Daniel gave him a flat look, then dramatically stretched his arms over his head. "You¡¯re overthinking it."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Mark rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But I¡¯m not sure." Daniel grinned. "You¡¯ll figure it out like you always do¡ªjust don¡¯t get too obsessed." Mark sighed, but before he could press the thought further, Daniel suddenly pivoted in front of him, walking backward with a glint in his eyes. "And I have the perfect remedy for that. Wanna go spar?" Mark blinked. The shift in topic wasn¡¯t surprising¡ªDaniel wasn¡¯t exactly the type to sit around and theorize about the universe¡ªbut the offer still caught him off guard. He hesitated. Growing up, sparring¡ªespecially ability sparring¡ªhad been off-limits for him. His parents had made sure of that. Too dangerous. Too unstable. Too easy to lose control. He had gone through childhood watching others hone their abilities in training grounds while he was forced to sit on the sidelines. But last year, that changed. The first time he set foot on the Ability Sparring Grounds, something clicked. It was like a switch flipped inside him, a part of himself that had been locked away finally given room to breathe. The fear of losing control was still there, lingering at the edges¡ªbut so was the thrill. He loved it. Mark exhaled, then smirked. "You¡¯ll see how much I¡¯ve improved this summer. Don¡¯t cry when you can¡¯t keep up." Daniel scoffed. "You wish. Let¡¯s go." And with that, they made their way toward the sparring grounds.