6 The Heart of Fiore I

Linos was a highly diverse, bustling metropolis located in the heart of Fiore's central region, Medina.

"So many more people here than I thought there'd be," Yukio said, bright amber eyes darting around, taking in the sights around them as they emerged from the station's main entrance.

Yuliang came to a stop a step behind him, squinting against the glare of the bright autumn sun.

For country boys like them, even the experience within the station itself had been more than a little overwhelming.

Every single thing felt like a massive sensory overload. There were large, vibrant screens on every surface, and the sheer number of people around them was shocking to see. Unlike his hometown's natural and diverse terrain, the city was sleek, with towering buildings, skyscrapers, concrete sidewalks, and roads.

It was almost painfully loud, overcrowded streets filled with mindless zombie-like pedestrians, the sound of industry and motorized vehicles. Yuliang could feel the building of a splitting headache. Getting any form of rest in such a dynamic environment was going to be a struggle, but Yuliang had always been adaptive, so he was sure he would manage somehow.

Worst of all was probably the smell. The rotten, disgusting smell of body odour, decay, and burning chemicals in the air saturated and heavy with pollution.

Yuliang couldn't breathe. His whole world felt like it was inverting itself as his brain tried to process all the surrounding stimuli it was being exposed to. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to inhale.

This was going to be his life for the next five to six months. There was no fucking way he was going to let it crush his spirit.

"Stop blocking the way. People are trying to get through," said someone, bumping into Yukio as he walked past them.

It was only Yuliang's reflexive grab of his brother's coat that prevented Yukio from taking a tumble headfirst down the long flight of stairs.

Yuliang saw red.

"Oi, asshole!" he called out, sliding down the stone banister to catch up to the man. "The staircase was big enough for you to walk around! Did you have to push past my brother like that? Are you fucking blind?"

The asshole stopped in his tracks and looked at Yuliang incredulously. "You're talking to me?" he asked.

"Who the fuck else!" Yuliang scoffed, walking a few steps closer and glaring up at him, not at all cowed by how the man towered over him. The smell of cinnamon that suddenly invaded his senses made his thoughts come to a brief, confusing halt, but he shook it off, too consumed by his anger to let it distract him.

He had been about to continue his tirade when his brother caught up and looped a hand through his arm.

Yukio laughed, trying to diffuse the tension, as he tried pulling Yuliang away from the situation. An action made more difficult by Yuliang stubbornly digging his heels onto the ground. "I think that's quite enough, brother. Sorry, er, sir, please ignore my brother's rudeness. We're just going to get going. Have a good day," his brother called out brightly over his shoulder as Yuliang finally relented and let himself be dragged away.

The man just stood there, staring after them with a strange look on his face.

Yuliang flipped him off.

"What an asshole," he muttered. "Hope we never meet him again, or I might end up jailed for murder."

Yukio let out a nervous laugh, "Brother, please. Could you not sound so serious talking about someone's death?"

Yuliang scoffed, "Who says I'm not serious? Once an asshole, always an asshole. This world would be a better place with one less asshole polluting it."

"Wow, since when did you become so self-aware, brother."

It took Yuliang a moment to process the insult, but he shot his brother a fierce scowl once he did.

"Fuck off, Yukio!"