Wall of Crystal, Eye of Night

Rufus Sollenar watches Manhattan from a crystal balcony perched high above the city, his hands fitted with shimmering, circuit‑lined rings that let him shape the urban landscape like a living model. Once a modest factory manager, he has become a solitary architect of light and power, able to summon music, laughter, and even the faint perfume of a distant cocktail party with a simple gesture. The view is both his triumph and his cage, a dazzling panorama that isolates him from the world he now controls.

A sudden telephone summons an unexpected visitor—Mr. Ermine of the International Association of Broadcasters—who claims an appointment at a forthcoming industry dinner. Their meeting opens a quiet tension: Sollenar’s uncanny abilities are coveted, yet the purpose of Ermine’s request remains opaque. As the two men converse beneath the glittering city, the story probes the cost of wielding such influence and the mystery of the forces that now seek to draw him into a larger, unseen game.