The guards no longer acted like they'd seen a demon; they fell into disciplined formation, carving a smooth path through the city streets.
The roads weren't roads at all, but gentle walkways carved into layered terraces, flowing with soft-edged crystal tiles and guided streams of water beneath transparent surfaces. Lights danced in the water like fireflies, illuminating the paths from below with a soft, dreamlike glow.
Children giggled as they ran along narrow bridges, skipping over koi fish that jumped from canal to canal like playful spirits. Grandmothers sat in lotus-shaped porches surrounded by weaving plants that responded to their songs, trimming vines and watering herbs without lifting a finger. Some buildings floated slightly above the ground, resting on rippling platforms of water manipulated by constant, low-grade cultivation arrays.
