The car took an exit ramp, descending towards the coastal highway. The ocean appeared, vast and gray-green in the morning light. And there, growing larger by the second, was the Atoll.
Emi pressed her face to the window. "Holy..."
Natalia leaned forward despite herself. "That's insane."
I just stared.
The photos didn't do it justice. The Spire dominated the skyline like a black monolith, easily a thousand feet of obsidian glass reflecting the clouds. Around it, the biodomes of The Gauntlet formed a massive ring, each one a different environment visible through their transparent surfaces. And at the peak, carved into the volcanic caldera itself, The Crucible sat like a crown.
This wasn't a school. It was a statement. A monument to power.
"Beautiful," I murmured.
"Terrifying," Emi corrected.
"Same thing."
