Sera took Aether and led him along the cracked path that weaved through his barren land, the air dry and still.
There was a lot to see... houses, buildings, restaurants, hotels, shops, even some ancient-looking fountains and broken lampposts.
Everything looked grand—almost eerily reminiscent of Valysar City, the famed city that had circled the current Academy.
But something felt... off.
"Wait... why is everything closed?" Aether blinked in disbelief as he looked around. Dust clung to the windows. Doors were boarded. Silence stretched across the entire block. "This place looks like it's been abandoned for centuries."
Sera let out a small sigh, folding her arms. "Not closed exactly... just... nothing left to open. There's no one here now to run anything."
"Huh?" Aether tilted his head, frowning. "No one here now? Does that mean... people used to live here?"
