The world on the other side of the door was a silent, breathtaking spectacle. They stood on a narrow, crystalline bridge, suspended high above a city forged from pure, iridescent glass. Towers of spun crystal, as delicate as a spider's web, reached for a sky of permanent, pearlescent twilight. Rivers of liquid light flowed through translucent canals, and the air itself hummed with a quiet, melodic energy.
"By the All-Mother," Serian whispered, her eyes wide with awe. "It is beautiful."
"It's… clean," Nox said. The city was a marvel of architectural grace, but it was also sterile, perfect, and unnervingly quiet. There were no people in the streets, no vehicles on the crystalline roads.
"Where is everyone?"
As if in answer, a soft, melodic chime echoed through the air, and a figure appeared on the bridge before them. It was a humanoid being, its body forged from the same iridescent glass as the city, its face a smooth, featureless mask.
