The southern plateau beyond the city shifted almost overnight from open ground into a living machine.
Stonecutters from the Deveroux Guild swung axes and chisels under the early light, carving the first of the support walls. Mages inked runic diagrams onto the earth, mapping out leyline threads and future mana channels, their robes whipping in the sharp morning wind.
Necromancers, marshaled by Elara's hand-picked acolytes, animated skeletal laborers reconstructed from ancient ossuaries—silent giants who moved with relentless, tireless purpose. Their cracked bones glowed faintly with the binding glyphs branded into their ribs and shoulders.
Artificers—drawn from the Guild, the Shadow Kingdom's own ranks, and a handful of daring freelancers—wove complex enchantments into every stone and beam.
Wards against flame.
Protections against corrosion.
Anchoring glyphs to stabilize the floating halls once the Academy was raised.
