The rest of the day was spent moving in and out of the building in the hope of finding something interesting, only to come up empty. We had made it to the inside edge of the platform before night hit.

"Quite the view," Zack says as the four of us lean against the railing on the very edge of the platform. In front of us is another massive platform held up not by a tree but by the various bridges and staircases that connect to it. It's slightly elevated to emphasize its importance. A large amount of the buildings have high pointed roofs, and even from here, I can see a large building in the center with a domed roof made up of swirling ribbons. I can also see four of the five other platforms, the last one hidden by the tangles of bridges to and fro the center area.

I point at the domed building, "That looks an awful lot like what we saw in the mural. Think they were in charge of building it?"

Azu shrugs, "Maybe. Maybe not. We won't know until we can inspect it, but the apex is most likely there. We will want to avoid it for as long as possible."

I glance at the treetops. It's getting dark. "Shouldn't we be heading back to the MULE?"

"Nope. We will stay here and do as much research as we can. The fairy seems to be remaining in its nest even though it is aware we are here. Either that means it is asleep, or it is not bothered enough to deal with us. We will use this opportunity while we have it."

I look over at the other two, but they don't seem surprised or worried. I guess I don't have a choice. With that, the sun sets. I was expecting moss to start glowing or to be thrust into pitch-black darkness, but neither of those things happened. Instead, the city started glowing. Every building glowing with warm white light, and the wooden engravings helping keep it from being too bright. It's like the whole city is made of moons or jewels.

"Would you look at that? It seems you were right about the horns thing, Azu." Zack whistles in appreciation at the sight.

Azu says nothing but starts taking picture after picture. Right, those deer things we saw on our way here. I wonder how these people found such a large number of deer and how they shaped those horns into these massive buildings.

Hearon clears his throat, "You might want to turn around." The three of us turn in unison, and I can't help but gasp. The large building with the dome on it has completely changed. Unlike most of the buildings around us, there are no wooden carvings on it. Instead, the engravings are pure white and glow brightly. Bright enough to even see from here, though it's impossible to make out the details. However, the true difference was the roof. Light spilling up from the dome, shooting into the tree canopy in a massive beam, lighting it up like an otherworldly lamp.

"How is this possible?" I can't help but ask.

Zack taps his spear against his shoulder, "The real question is how the fairy managed to keep this under wraps. This goes far beyond an illusion or even space distortion. We couldn't even see one tiny glimpse of light outside of its influence. Something like this should be seen from dozens of miles out."

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Azu nods in agreement, "Something is not right here. The fairy is messing around with things that are supposed to be beyond its control. The artifact must have a hand in it."

We stare at the dazzling sight for several more minutes before we decide to move on. As we walk between the buildings, a pathway lights up between them. Tiny crystals are embedded into the wooden floor. Crystals that only seem to glow in the light of the buildings.

For the first time, Zack seems genuinely stunned, "This place was built for the night. That would explain the lack of windows."

Hearon rubs his beard, "So these people must have been mostly nocturnal, just like the rest of the forest."

We continue through the now-lit pathways, peeking into the occasional building. Aside from it now being brightly lit, there wasn't anything different about the place. When we come to the massive road that runs through the center of the inner platform, it's completely lit up with large lines of white down the center, illuminating the pathway.

"So where to now?"

Azu looks both ways and points right. Without another word, we turn right and walk the length of the road. It truly is a marvel of engineering and craftsmanship. There's just enough brown mixed in with the white to offset the brightness of the buildings but not enough to dilute it. If anything, the glowing buildings elevate the art engraved into them. How is this even possible? This entire place is just...immaculate.

"I've thought of a name for these ruins," Azu states. "They will be known as the Glittering City."

Zack and Hearon nod in agreement, "Good name. I was thinking of calling it the white light district, "Zack says with a chuckle. None of us laugh, though I'm not entirely sure if the other two got the joke. Their deadpan faces can be hard to read.

We reach the end of the road to which a bridge takes its place. The long white strip is no more; instead, tall white poles line the sides, each one acting as a light. It's not too different from the electric lights from Calypso, just a little more mystical. On the other side, the buildings take a completely different shape. These are more tear-shaped, made up of white ribbons that don't touch, leaving small gaps in the "walls." A few are solid squares but don't share the plant motifs from the residential district. Instead, a boar-like creature adorns the doors and outer walls. There is also a much larger variety of building shapes here, with only a few sharing the same structures.

We open the door to the boar house to find it filled with weapons. But these are made out of the same material as the buildings. Zack smiles like a kid in a candy shop, "Now this is something I can get excited about."

Racks are filled to the brim, holding swords, spears, and bows. There's even a rack for a staff with a blade on each end. I reach out and grab a sword, slicing the air a few times with it. The blade is pure white with letters of a language I can't read extending down the single-edged weapon. The handle is covered in cream-colored leather, and the crossguard curves down, reaching the pommel but not quite touching it. Man, it has fantastic balance. It's masterfully crafted, too. I can tell just by its weight. Perfectly balanced. And sharp.

Zack twirls one of the duel-bladed spears, the ends shaped like a leaf, "This thing is awesome. Imma keep it." He ties it to his pack with a giddy smile. I glance down at the weapon I had picked. I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'm not exactly proficient with single-edged swords, but the quality is too good to pass up. It might not be as good as Nebula, but it'll make a decent backup. I tie the sword in its elegant sheath to the left side of my belt. Man, it's weird to have a sword on my waist; I'm so used to weapons being on my back. It does make a fantastic resting place for my hand, though. Is that the appeal?

"I wouldn't get too greedy, you two. The condition of the weapons may seem impeccable, but these ruins are thousands of years old. Don't expect those to last for long." Azu chides, plucking at a bow unimpressed.

Zack waves her off, "Yeah, yeah. Say what you want. Silen and I understand true craftsmanship, don't we?" He gives me a shit-eating grin, but I don't reply back. He frowns, "Are you still hung up on that argument?"

A tiny bit of anger sparks in me. Of course, I'm still pissed. I might not show it, and I might have taken it off my mind for the betterment of the mission, but it's still there, deep inside, like a splinter. No matter what they say, I'm a fighter at heart. I'll just have to prove it to them. No matter what.

Zack must have seen something in my expression as his eyebrows furrow, but before he can say anything, there's a loud thud outside, followed by Hearon crying out in pain. I grab my newly acquired sword as Zack dashes outside before either me or Azu can react.

"What the Fuck!?" Zack shouts before a wall of white slams into him, blocking the door.