"Amarant"—as he introduced himself—one of the guardians of Asanabar, expressed his sincere gratitude for their prompt arrival; he promised to explain the appearance of the portal later.
He escorted the Count and Chailya up to the docks, where airships arrived and departed. He pointed toward the edge of the city, where the urban landscape gave way to a terrain reminiscent of New Zealand.
In the distance, one could see a collection of blue beams reaching endlessly into the sky, slowly erasing everything in their path—or, more accurately, causing those things to cease to exist altogether. The beams were still far off, but this was the reason why contact had been established with the World-Writers.