An ancient metropolis sprawls across the backs of enormous, slumbering creatures—colossal beings resembling birds with shimmering obsidian feathers, their forms half- buried beneath the weight of the city’s glowing towers. Bridges arch between their folded wings, temples and homes built along the ridges of their vast bodies, glowing lanterns hanging from their plumage like stars caught in an eternal pause. Above, the sky is not a sky but a swirling ocean of color, deep blues and electric golds twisting in currents. Citizens move carefully along the city’s precarious walkways, whispering prayers in case the great beings ever wake. In the distance, one of the creatures exhales in its sleep, sending a soft ripple through the air—so powerful that it bends the light, distorting reality itself for a moment before settling again
