Normally, Magisteria's laws forbade horseback riding within the city—only horse-drawn carriages were permitted to maintain order. But with the war effort underway, certain streets had been designated for military use, all leading directly to the city's heart: the Beacon of Knowledge.
This made the ride quick for Cassian and Lumine. As they approached, Lumine's gaze lifted to the sky, her breath catching. The tower's pearlescent pillar stretched so high that even craning her neck back, she couldn't glimpse its gilded peak.
"It never gets old," she murmured, awestruck. At its base, the structure seemed almost modest compared to its impossible height—yet still spanned half a kilometer wide. Rumors claimed its foundations plunged just as deep into the earth as its spire reached into the clouds, though no one could say for certain.
