The Giant Dragon Realm, Giant Valley, three hundred kilometers north of the Giant City-State.
This was a highland. Massive rocks pierced the grayish sky like Broken Swords. There was no vegetation here—only exposed, dark brown rocks polished to a mirror-like finish by the wind and sand, exuding an aura of desolate antiquity.
Raylo stood atop a jutting boulder, his robes snapping wildly in the fierce wind.
Standing beside Raylo was not Austin Sage, who always wore a gentle smile, but a tall Mage with a cold, hardened face. He wore a deep purple Mage robe, its hem embroidered with complex star track patterns. Those star tracks seemed alive, slowly flowing and shifting across the fabric.
He was one of the three Great Sages of Mage City, the "Star Forger" Ignis.
If Austin Sage was like a bottomless pool that encompassed all things, then Ignis was like a supernova ready to explode at any moment—scorching, dangerous, and filled with a devastatingly oppressive presence.
