Hajin stepped through the perimeter barrier and stopped at his first sight of the Last City, its engine vanishing into the pale sky.
The gate remained open behind the wagons, giving the refugees a retreat route while the engine's three rings turned overhead.
Beyond the level floor of the plain rose the sovereign architecture of the Last City, flanked by sheer curtain barriers, slender lookout spires, and high arching corridors crossing through empty air between colossal bastions.
Through the direct center of the sprawling settlement, a colossal vertical refusal engine climbed from the main avenue and extended straight into the bleached vault until its topmost crown disappeared into silent haze.
Dark basalt blocks and polished pale alloy composed the spine of the tower, while three enormous segmented rings turned slowly in opposing orbits around its midsection as auxiliary galleries ascended along the outer flanks.
