Standing Above the Sky

Pirate World, atop the Red Line.

A beam of gold light, almost solid, burst across the sky without warning, piercing the clouds that shrouded Holy Land Mariejois year-round.

High above the center of the world, it tore open a spectacle unlike anything ever seen.

At first, the golden light was no more than a blinding pinprick deep in the heavens.

But within a few breaths, it surged outward like an upside-down tsunami, swallowing tens of thousands of meters of sky in an instant.

The entire sky vanished beneath its almost sacred radiance. An immense, imposing pressure poured down like a waterfall, stilling even the wind across Mary Geoise.

Looking up at what seemed like a miracle heralding the end of the world, many people in Mary Geoise showed little alarm at first.

With practiced, weary movements, they all turned toward the Jaygarcia Family.

Over the past few years, Saint Ross had caused a commotion every now and then.

They had long since grown used to it.

As far as they knew, only the world's uncrowned king could make such a stir.

This time, though, things did not go as they expected.

The spectacle in the sky did not flicker for a moment and fade as it usually did.

Instead, the golden light kept churning and compressing until it slowly took solid form in midair.

As the Celestial Dragons' pupils contracted, the Cloud Sea was forced apart ten thousand meters overhead, and a breathtaking sight pushed its way into this world.

It was a vast complex of palaces suspended in the sky, stretching beyond sight.

Their golden structures radiated an ancient, enduring presence. Every palace rose tall and imposing, as though forged from fragments of stars.

Broad white-jade steps climbed in tiers through the rolling clouds, like a road to the