Leliënstad

A shrouded winter mist hangs over the sprawling metropolis, its countless bridges stretching like iron arteries across a dark, restless river. Towering smokestacks belch black clouds that swallow the sky, while massive steamships and labor‑laden barges loom like restless monsters on the water. In the midst of this oppressive industrial landscape, a young man named Paulus watches from the bridge, his breath visible in the cold air, his heart pounding with a mixture of awe and dread.

Amid the relentless clang of machines and the sorrowful cries of countless workers, a sudden burst of white balloons pierces the gloom, and a distant palace of pure light flickers into view atop a high hill. The stark contrast of that radiant citadel — home to the ethereal Princess Leliane — sparks a fragile prayer within Paulus, hinting at a possible escape from the crushing darkness. As the mist presses closer, the city holds its breath, poised between relentless hardship and the faint promise of something brighter.