When Blanche saw Dawn City outside the window, she decided to go out and take a look.
She followed the steps beside the stage down toward the audience seats, then took the aisle toward the back of the theater. She could already see the doors at the far end, open just a crack.
But just as she reached out to pull them open, a sharp whoosh came from behind her.
At the same time, golden light blazed at her back, illuminating the entire theater.
Even with her back to the stage, Blanche could feel the golden light spilling around her.
She turned in confusion and saw that the pillar at the center of the stage was radiating a dazzling golden glow.
The light gathered at the top of the pillar, as though building up strength.
The next instant, an even brighter beam of gold shot upward and struck the theater ceiling...
Under normal circumstances, it would have cast a bright patch across the ceiling, with light spreading outward. But now there was no glow on the ceiling at all. It was as if the beam had passed straight through the solid barrier and reached the clouds beyond!
Blanche waited a while, but the golden light around the pillar showed no sign of fading.
After a moment's hesitation, she turned back to inspect it more closely.
Soon, she was on the stage again.
Golden motes danced around the pillar like fluttering butterflies.
The sight was dreamlike, yet the light did not hurt her eyes at all.
Carefully, she reached out and touched the pillar.
Nothing happened.
She tried meditating to "resonate" with it. This time, she got a response... She vaguely saw the beam soaring into the sky and reaching the clouds.
Looking down, she could even make out the uneven