The sky was a brilliant blue, clouds drifting like tufts of cotton. Ian hovered in the clear sky, with a rolling sea of clouds beneath him and endless mountains and forests stretching into the distance.
He gently moved his arms to adjust his posture, feeling the flow of magic in the air. Gale-force winds tore at his cloak, while the floating Steel City in the distance resembled a slumbering beast.
Ian stared at the city before him, filled with awe. He had heard many legends about Lost Civilizations, but he had never imagined he would see such a miraculous Sky City in reality—its pitch-black metal surface gleamed with a cold light, countless gears and pipes exposed, steam and electric arcs leaping through the gaps.
It floated silently in midair, neither roaring nor supported by any visible structure, like a dormant cybernetic city, with countless gears meshing and turning across its buildings.
Then the Black Robe Wizards within discovered him.
Ghostly blue runic light flowed between prism-shaped towers. The entire city was wrapped in a translucent amber protective barrier, its surface rippling with fine currents of electricity. Yes, Ian had only just approached when the entire city reacted as if facing a great enemy. The barrier spread outward like ripples, and countless runes flashed across the transparent screen.
It was like a giant net covering the entire city.
The fluctuations of this Protective Magic... even a Legend probably doesn't possess this much magic power. Ian narrowed his eyes in silent amazement, rubbing his wand lightly in his palm.
However.
Before he could prepare to approach.
A piercing alarm suddenly sounded. Noisy shouts rose from within the Steel City as those wizards, dressed in black robes, stood atop the towers and pointed in Ian's direction, their expressions terrified and furious.
"A Raven