The Gilded Plains

2 - Obelisk - Flight of Rage

The magnificent orange mountains, glowed in the sunrise, the bright autumn trees waved in the wind, they lined the mountains' base and followed its' streams. A small flock of birds could be seen flying above, and if one squinted hard enough a school of fish was barely visible as they swam through the water below. It was a sight that had been seen countless times and was certainly nothing new to Nova.

This young man who bore the name of his father, loved the beauty of the world around him, the concrete fortress he was kept inside, and the gorgeous golden fields and emerald forests below. Everyone loved the world, inside and out, Nova loved it no more than anyone around, it was hard to when that's all there was. He always dressed fashionably, he had to, it's what people expected from him now. Forever behaved, and proper, constantly happy and enthused to be with others. Whether he was truly happy or not, he no longer knew.

Nova was born with the blood of the heights, meaning he lived near the upper levels of the housing units. Their homes belonged to all, these ways were decided in unison, everyone and anyone are free to travel within the boundaries of homes, they had to, the outside world was forbidden. There were no doors, no unlocked windows, no openings to the exterior of the homes, but no one cared. It was nice inside, they were of course allowed access to the outdoors, but only after death, out there their spirits and minds could roam free, and marvel upon the great city built by their ancestors, the nice ones, the ones that stayed, the ones that helped. The city was a collection of tall, looming concrete towers, each having four tiers.

The lowest layer was set aside for the old, they had very short distances to travel from down there, easy access to the train that ran from tower to tower. Also has the largest living space allows the old to feel more at home and peace before their journey outside.

The next level up retained similar properties to that of the one below, it was larger than the rooms above, this area however was for families. It had enough space for two adults and two kids, when the adults grow old, they are moved to the layer below, and their kids a layer up.

The next area above is for the young, men and women who do not yet have kids. Here is the second furthest walk down to the train, making it harder to visit friends and family. It was a nice layer, each home on it consisted of five rooms, a kitchen to prepare the meals sent from the heights, a dining room in which to eat, a living room for gatherings and parties, a bedroom for sleep and relaxation, and a bathroom for relief and cleansing. The homes below were the same except with an added room or two for more people and activities.

The final district was known as the heights, this is where descendants of the original few who remained and began to build lived, they were allowed to live out a normal life, starting in the lower middle, aging, and moving into the upper-middle zone, but rather than becoming old and advancing to the lowest level, they move to the heights to live out their days. The rest of the population was born with the blood of the followers, the original civilization who lived in the city built by the ancestors of the few.

Nova was a younger man, around the age of twenty-three, he lived alone in the upper-middle sections of the towers and visited friends and family a couple of times a week. He was quite obsessed with his appearance; however, this wasn't too much of an issue with him possessing blood of the heights. There was a little-known secret that those who descended from the few get benefits, a few extra cups of water a day, larger portions of food, a wider variety of outfits, and access to more types of games and entertainment. Nova had discovered at a young age that he quite liked the old earth game called chess, Renaissance-themed pieces strategically moving across a plane, he managed to get his greedy hands on a real carved of stones and ores, chess set, and finished wooden board. For the most part, the small percentage of people who played the game played it electronically, Nova however preferred to feel the pieces and move them himself, it took less effort than most people thought.