The baby was born.
It was a boy with ash-brown hair and green eyes. The baby was silent when he emerged from his mother's womb. His parents stared in confusion but quickly forgot their concern and celebrated his arrival.
Enneth lived in a city suspended in the sky, where six airships formed the foundation of society. Two airships served as homes, filled with numerous apartments, one was dedicated to farming, another to manufacturing, one to military operations, and the last to scientific research.
They floated 35,000 feet above the earth
Enneth's mother and father both served in the military and volunteered for an expedition to the ground to recover resources and bring them back to the airship.
"Hang on, kid," Enneth's father said as he and his wife embraced their son.
They left while Enneth remained in their apartment, at the age seventeen.
Now in the military airship
The squad leader, Kuhici, shouted to everyone, "Let me recite the mission objectives. We must obtain soil, alloys, fuel sources, medical herbs, water, and seeds."
Kuhici continued, "The plan is simple. We will descend via zip lines, along with six empty carts. We will fill the carts and return to the airship using a steam-powered elevator that will ascend in just two minutes, carrying the loaded crates."
The expedition was limited to thirty people due to scarce weaponry.
The soldiers were equipped with the Titanframe Mk-I, a steam-powered combat suit featuring hydraulic strikers, fog-cloak vents, and reinforced plating to enhance mobility and durability. Its kinetic boiler core absorbed energy to fuel adaptive exo-layers, while recoil dampeners mitigated shock from enemy strikes and high-impact landings. The Thermos Lance functioned as both a melee and ranged weapon, using steam propulsion to launch its spearhead and a superheated edge to melt through hardened exoskeletons. The lance also had explosive jet thrust capabilities for piercing attacks and a fog dispersal mode to obscure battlefield vision.
The mission began.
All soldiers landed on the ground. The crates landed as well.
The surroundings were foggy and dark.
Kuhici assigned each group their search tasks and divided them into teams of five.
He shouted, "Attach a rope to the elevator so you don't get lost!"
They spread out.
Kuhici and Enneth's parents were in the same group, searching for alloys.
As they walked, they encountered a black, distorted creature—tall and slender, with a single eye that wept white goo.
Kuhici shouted, "Shoot it!"
Everyone fired at the creature.
It disappeared.
Two soldiers were dead—Enneth's parents.
Kuhici panicked and ordered the remaining two soldiers to retreat to the elevator.
Their heads suddenly fell from their bodies.
Shocked, Kuhici sprinted toward the elevator, noticing that none of the other groups had attached their ropes—indicating they were all dead.
Multiple black figures chased him, but he barely managed to reach the elevator.
The creatures tried to break in, but he pressed the button, launching himself back into the sky.
Drained and traumatized, Kuhici collapsed, closing his eyes.