“What the hell is that place?”

Aku whispered to himself, staring up at the great tree, its giant branches as thick as even the largest building in the city. 

That largest building was, of course, the incredible marble castle sitting in the center of the marble metropolis. It had tens of beautiful white towers shooting up into the sky, each connected to each other by long bridges. The walls were lined with shimmering gold, the grand windows as well. Its many roofs were a shining ruby, all coming together to create a gorgeous canvas of color.

Needless to say, the entire city was hard to miss. If it weren’t for the thick cover of leaves and trees that Aku had been surrounded by the whole day, he would’ve spotted it hours ago. 

“No, but seriously… where the hell am I?”

To say the least, Aku was frustrated.

“I wake up in the middle of nowhere, in a cave no less, then get lost inside the same forest the cave was in. After that, I almost get eaten by that… wolf thing… and when I finally find a city, it's the most grand place I’ve ever seen! How does that make sense?”

He shook his head and sighed, now more confused than he was angry. This was because outside the walls surrounding the city, there was nothing. Not a single building was outside the confines of those walls, not even tents.

“There is something seriously off with this place. What’s with the huge walls? What are they trying to keep out? Or… maybe in? Probably out. Hopefully out.”

He looked over the city, the castle, and then those giant walls. They had to be at least 50 meters high… if not more. It didn’t make sense. 

But then again, it didn’t have to. All Aku needed was reliable food, water, and a place to stay. And of the places he could’ve found… this one seemed like a pretty good option. At least he didn’t stumble upon some rickety old town, that would’ve been really inconvenient. 

Putting these thoughts aside, he adjusted his pack, checked his lantern, and headed towards the city walls. 

It took almost 30 minutes of walking to cover the vast field of emerald green grass surrounding the city, the wind making the long blades ripple like ocean waves. 

If his legs didn’t feel like they were going to fall off, Aku would’ve been awestruck by the beauty of it all. 

Eventually, he reached the main gate to the city. He judged it was probably about 30 meters tall and it was made from a light colored wood. Its cross beams were made of steel, not a hint of rust on them.

As Aku approached, there was a loud creak, and the massive doors began to swing open. Three men, all wearing suits of pristine white painted armor, stepped out of the gates to meet him. Each of them also carried a long spear, with wooden shafts and a metal spike on the end.

Aku wished he had one of those earlier.

“Halt!”

One of them yelled out, and Aku complied. The same man stepped forward, ahead of the other two.

He was a tall man, about Aku’s height, and had thick brown hair. He had a short beard and long sideburns that came down to connect with it. His build was larger than Aku’s, with broad shoulders and a big chest.

“Who are you, and where did you come from? Where are the rest of the members of your party?”

Aku paused for a few moments, thinking.

“My name is Aku, I came from the forest back there.”

He pointed over his shoulder.

“But… It’s only me.”

The man shook his head, frowning.

“Yeah, I could tell you came from the forest, kid. I mean what city did you come from?” He raised an eyebrow. “And you say you’re alone? Then how did you get through that forest? That’s no place for a kid like you.”

Aku grimaced.

Who was he calling ‘kid’? Sure, he didn’t look that old, but he was fairly sure he was at least in his twenties. Early twenties, but still, he wasn’t a kid! If anything, this guy was just old.

More importantly, however, was the man’s odd fixation on his party, or rather, the lack thereof. Sure, there was that wolf thing, but other than that there really wasn’t much out there. Unless of course, he had just gotten lucky and not run into anything, in which case, he should probably reconsider how many times he cursed his luck. 

However, he was cautious to say he simply came from the forest. It felt like there was more to this question than it seemed. 

On top of that, he doubted he could get by by telling the guy, ‘Oh yes, sir, my apologies for the confusion. What I meant to say was that I came from a cave out in the middle of nowhere! Hope that helps!’

Instead, he answered slowly.

“I came from the city closest to here. But I assure you, sir, I traveled alone.”

The man scoffed, shaking his head.

Certainly not the reaction Aku had hoped for.

“You’re telling me you came here all the way from Creatia all alone, with just this with you?”

He poked Aku’s lantern with his spear.

The nerve…

The man wasn’t done talking, shaking his head in disbelief.

“And on top of that, you’re not even wearing shoes!”

Aku took a deep breath, meeting the man’s gaze without a hint of doubt in his eyes.

“That is exactly correct, sir, yes.”

The knight squinted his eyes at him, his gaze filled with contempt. After a few seconds, however, the man sighed and shook his head, seeming to relax.

“Alright, fine, whatever. I guess you don’t have to tell me, I’m not here to interview you. Also, quit calling me ‘sir’, yeah? My name’s Halbert, so just call me Hal.”

Hal stepped aside, making way for Aku through the three men. 

As he stepped past them and walked through the thick gates, the man called out.

“Welcome to Genesis, Life’s city!”