Chapter 44: New Vehicle

The glass doors of Nexla Automobile Store slid open with a soft hiss. Cold air-conditioning washed over Rael the moment he stepped inside, a sharp contrast to the chilly but polluted street. The showroom was vast—two full floors of polished black flooring and white light panels that made every vehicle gleam. Some cars floated a few centimeters above the ground on quiet anti-gravity fields. Others sat on traditional wheels. A row of luxury sedans occupied the far wall, their surfaces reflecting the overhead lights like liquid metal. The entire place smelled of new circuitry, treated leather, and the faint clean scent of high-grade mana stones.

A young salesman in a fitted grey uniform noticed him almost immediately and walked over with a practiced smile.

"Looking for transportation, sir?" he asked, gesturing toward the open floor.

"Yes," Rael answered. "Show me what you have. I’m not completely sure what I need yet."

"Of course." The salesman launched into the catalog with easy confidence. "We have Mana Bikes, starting with the basic models. Magitech Cars if you want something more comfortable for daily use. Hover Carriages if you prefer to travel the way nobles do. Mana Boards are cheaper and popular with younger customers for short distances and fun. We also carry standard cars powered by mana stones with a ten-year shelf life. Teleportation Bracelets exist as well—very fast, but they only work over short ranges, you have to place a rune at the destination first, and they drain a lot of stones."

He paused, studying Rael for a second. The salesman could clearly sense the density of mana around him and adjusted his tone.

"If you’re looking for a companion inside the realms, we have options there too. Magitech Horses. Summoned Mount contracts—lesser dragons, wyverns, reinforced beasts. Those run higher, of course. And if money truly isn’t a concern, we keep a few Personal Teleporters in the back. Those require a government permit."

Rael let the list wash over him while his eyes moved across the displays. He needed something practical: fast, convenient, and low-profile. The luxury cars reminded him of the vehicles his family once used, but even the best models here fell short of what the Blackthorns kept in their private garages. He did not want anything that large or eye-catching.

His attention settled on the bike section.

Three clear categories stood side by side. Traditional wheeled motorbikes. Hover bikes that floated a hand-span above the ground. Full flying bikes designed for open air lanes. He had learned basic handling years ago, but he had never ridden a flying model. Yesterday’s near-miss with the reckless hover bike on the street still sat in his memory. Speed like that had its uses.

"Do you have anything convertible?" he asked. "Hover mode that can switch to full flight."

The salesman’s eyes brightened. "Yes, sir. New models released this summer. Follow me."

They took a quiet escalator to the upper floor. The second level was dedicated almost entirely to high-performance bikes. Different manufacturer logos glowed softly above each display—sharp, competing brands fighting for the same customers. The salesman led him to a unit near the center of the floor.

The bike was black with clean grey accents. Low profile. Aggressive lines. No unnecessary chrome. It looked like it had been designed to cut through air rather than merely travel on it.

"This is the CoreMotion 3-1 X60," the salesman said. "Three-way convertible—wheel mode, hover mode, and full flight. Fastest model currently on the open market."

A translucent screen floated beside the bike, listing every specification in crisp white text. Top speed in hover: four hundred kilometers per hour. Flight ceiling high enough for the secondary traffic lanes. Mana-stone efficiency rated for long cross-city runs. Adaptive suspension. Silent mode for low-profile travel. Integrated navigation and threat-detection suite.

The price sat at the bottom: one hundred thousand credits. Not cheap, but well within what Rael could spend without noticing.

He walked a slow circle around the machine. The frame looked solid. The seat was positioned for control rather than comfort. Even standing still the bike gave off a quiet sense of readiness, the way a drawn bow feels before the arrow is released. It was exactly the kind of machine that belonged in the half-formed fantasies of every boy who had ever watched hover racers scream past on the news.

"I’ll take it."

The salesman smiled the genuine smile of someone who had just closed a high-value sale. "Excellent choice. Fast, reliable, easy to maintain, and still far cheaper than most cars. CoreMotion Industries—one of our strongest sellers."

He signaled a young woman at a nearby desk. She began preparing the paperwork while the salesman guided Rael to a small waiting area and offered tea. The tea was better than expected—clean, slightly floral, clearly meant for customers spending serious money. Fifteen minutes later the woman returned with a folder, a sleek black key card, and a small bag of complimentary items.

Rael completed the payment. The key felt light in his hand. Among the free merchandise was an advanced helmet with a dark visor and a full heads-up display. He stored the empty boxes in his storage ring, swung one leg over the bike, and settled into the seat. The machine recognized the key and woke with a low, almost inaudible hum.

He chose wheel mode for the exit. The bike rolled smoothly across the polished floor and out through the side bay into ordinary street traffic. The first few blocks felt strange—too responsive, too light—but the controls were intuitive. Once he reached a clearer stretch of road he switched to hover.

The transition was seamless. The wheels folded upward into the frame. The bike lifted a short distance off the ground and the speed indicator on the dashboard climbed. Four hundred kilometers per hour became available with a simple twist of the throttle. Wind pressure increased, but the frame remained stable. Rael sealed the helmet. The visor lit up with a clean blue interface: current route, real-time traffic density, highlighted hazards, and a soft directional arrow pointing toward the old apartment district.

He eased into the flow of vehicles, first testing the handling in normal traffic, then opening the throttle once he reached the elevated highway that cut across the city. The bike responded instantly. Buildings blurred. The layered traffic of Bloomingdale spread out below and above him—ground cars, mid-level hover lanes, and the high metro lines further up. From this height half the city was visible in a single glance.

He was still getting used to the speed when a dark column of smoke caught his eye.

It rose in the direction he was already traveling, thickening quickly against the pale morning sky. Something was burning, and it was large enough to be seen from the highway. Rael leaned forward, opened the throttle further, and aimed the bike toward the growing plume.

---

Next is going to be a mass release