It was only then that I truly became aware of what had been staring me in the face all along. Beyond the scenery, beyond the towering heights — the altitude itself… it was dizzying. Everywhere my eyes wandered, the impossible stretched on.
We stood on a fragment of land suspended dozens of meters above the ground — wide, immense, defying all logic.
Fascinating.That was the only word that could describe the vertigo and the constant stream of wonder pouring before my eyes.
The bridge ahead of us was frozen from end to end, hanging over a void so deep I could barely make out the crystalline lake far below. The bridge's ropes were fastened to two colossal pillars, from which cascaded water — the same streams I had noticed earlier. And as one detail unveiled another, what I had first dismissed as mere decoration turned out to be far more significant.
Crystals — hundreds of them — embedded in the walls, glimmering in all sizes but identical in form. As we crossed, I started to believe in this place without restraint.
On the other side, the scenery changed completely. The lush earth vanished, replaced by a dusty, age-worn platform coated with reddish grains.
The ruins of an old structure, or at least what remained of it.
"Those crystals you're collecting — what are they for?"
"No clue."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, you know, they're just goods to sell to the highest bidder! If I can make a few glams off them, why bother finding another use? I've been coming here every week for ages and never cared to ask."
"I see the type."
"Wait—are you judging me?!"
"N-not at all!"
"Don't take me for a money-grubber. We all need currency, especially these days — you'll understand soon enough. And it's not like these things have any other use than being turned into jewelry or chandeliers, right? Sorry if I'm a lousy guide — it's not exactly my job. There are people paid for that, you know."
Right. Convenient excuse.
"Yeah, don't worry… Not like I could say much — I don't know a thing. It's just frustrating to only be the one asking questions."
"Don't worry about it. It's entertaining, for once."
I tried to take in every detail I could. On the walls, I could see it clearly now — the masterful precision of the carvings. How had anyone managed to etch entire scenes, even words, across such vast surfaces? And there were supposedly larger places than this? Impossible. Even the ceiling was engraved — just as meticulous.
The true strength of this place lay in its atmosphere — timeless, solemn — as though the shapes carved into stone were alive, calling to me, telling a story, one I was somehow a part of.
"It's good you've turned curious," Bellian said, "but now keep still and watch closely — this can get dangerous."
"R-right!"
He's funny — asks me to watch, then tells me to stay still.
And danger? What danger? I didn't see any—until he started his demonstration.
He slipped off the glove from his left hand with deliberate grace, revealing on his palm a circular mark — not just a tattoo, but something carved into his flesh.
He stood silently before a rose-colored crystal rooted in the ground.
Then, raising his hand, he made me witness something unbelievable.
ㅤ
✳
ㅤ
A strange energy began to radiate from his palm, coalescing into a sphere as he murmured incomprehensible syllables under his breath.
ㅤ
—— ❇
ㅤ
Then, all at once, a surge of blue lightning burst from between his fingers. He grasped the crystal and concentrated the storm into a single, blinding point.
ㅤ
————✴
ㅤ
It was done with such precision, such mastery, that it demanded respect. I was speechless — but before I could even express my awe, something else silenced me completely.
The base of the crystal…
What emerged from the ground wasn't a mere chunk of glowing mineral —
—but a living creature.