The carriage descended through layers of golden light. Below them, the megacity sprawled across a vast valley, its buildings rising in spirals and spires, its streets lined with glowing orbs that floated in the air like captured stars. Magic lamps. Thousands of them. They cast a soft amber glow over everything, turning the night into a dream of warm light and long shadows.
Alex guided the carriage toward the central district. The buildings here were taller, their walls a mix of polished stone and shimmering crystal. Bridges connected towers at impossible angles. Below, people moved in streams—some on foot, some on floating platforms, some on creatures that looked half-machine, half-living.
"This is it," he said.
Saeko pressed her face to the window. Her eyes were wide. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Neither have I."
