By the time he emerged from the Incubation Chamber, the sunlight streaming through the corridor's broad floor-to-ceiling windows had turned orange-red. Gawain walked to a window and saw the light of approaching dusk gradually spreading through the city's streets and alleys. In the distance, the towering Magic Energy Broadcast Tower bathed in the glow, its Magic Obelisk floating and rotating above the spire under the influence of anti-gravity devices. The precisely cut crystal surfaces continuously refracted the splendid sunset, while beneath the tower lay a city that remained prosperous—and grew more prosperous with every passing day.
This was a city he had built with his own hands, and one built by countless thousands of constructors. It stood proudly at the foot of the Dark Mountains, every brick and stone solid and steadfast, bearing all the hopes and lives of those gathered here.
Yet in a sense, this city existed only within humanity's "observed world." It could be touched and reached, with colors, textures, and even scents uniquely its own, but all of that was merely an "image" overlaying the real universe... and the true universe beneath that image remained beyond the reach of this world's mortals.
Gawain let out a soft breath, slowly dispelling the meaningless sense of unreality and alienation welling up within him. Then he shook his head with a faintly self-mocking smile.
Questions that bordered on philosophy... thinking too much about them really could mess with one's mind.
A familiar presence entered his senses. Gawain turned toward it and, amid the interlacing light and shadow beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, saw a petite figure lightly leap out of thin air, inspecting him from head to toe even as she landed.
"First thing I see when I get here is you contemplating life in the hallway?" Amber looked at