Aether stepped forward inside the streets of the Second Ring, his feet walking on the cobblestone was like pure marble, veined with silver. They had probably polished it for the remaining gaze of the sun to reflect on it. It wasn't rough-hewn or crooked like the ones he was used to.
He walked beneath towers that seemed to stretch forever, their spires clawing at the heavens like blackened fingers. The balconies of worked iron, curved outward like the ribs of a human. They were covered in velved banners that had not moved in centuries.
There were statues that lined the streets, of nobles made from alabaster. They looked proud, their smiles carved eternally, but were they actually real?
Their empty eyes... seemed to follow him wherever he stepped. Almost as if they were calling for help.
There were many fountains with water caught in mid-splash, each droplet was like a jewel that would never fall.
