The Royal Capital, Zelheim—the pearl on the canal.
High in the sky, the air currents were cold and sharp.
Nefarian stretched his gray-black wings, hovering steadily above the clouds. Velin looked down, the heart of the Duchy spreading out before him.
Magnificent, and yet divided.
With the grand canal cutting through the city as its axis, dozens of islands connected by white stone bridges formed the core of the Noble District.
The Duke's Mansion and the Noble Council stood like white mountains atop the main island, their grand reflections flowing silently in the clear water below.
On the private islands, small boats with velvet cushions were moored at the garden docks of noble estates. At night, Magic Lamps illuminated the network of canals, making it look as if the Milky Way had fallen to earth.
Order and wealth, power and nobility, bloodline and status—here, they were sculpted by water and stone into eternal art.
But at the end of this "galaxy" lay a filthy shadow.
