the north · held behind barriers

The Preserved Lands

What the world used to look like — kept, rather than living. The Luminous Choir walled away pockets of the old world before the bleeding could reach them, and they spend themselves daily to hold the walls. Travelers describe the beauty as a painting one has walked into. A museum. A held breath.

The barriers cannot be seen on most days. On the days they can, they stand miles long and soundless, climbing higher than anything was ever built.