"When we focus so hard on the tiny details, we leave ourselves open to miss the bigger picture. Details matter and so does an eagles point of view." - Rosangel Perez

As Aedan and I round the bend in the road, Inwir City appears in front of us, growing out of the river and drilling into the mountains. The hodgepodge of white marble, brown bricks and black stone immediately hits me: blasphemy against The Second One.

The river we've been following for days continues to snake through the mountains, past the city and towards edge of the forest. Two smaller rivers join it at the centre of the city - the gorges knit together with a mishmash of bridges, like the seam of a dress being pulled apart.

In contrast, the road that led us here ends in an unguarded bridge crossing to the next mountain where the youngest city in ArBrae resides, barely decades older than Aedan and I. The bridge leans on pillars of stone that look like malaligned stacks of coins ready to tumble at the whisper of a wind.

However, Inwir City was designed and built by the Council after the Second War - so the architecture must be sound. The Council engineered four new cities after the war to promote the relations between the races: Inwir City - the elven city at the edge of the forest, one dwarven at the fire mountains, one skadian just outside the swamps, and one for the mixed children of the First and Fifth.

These cities are ingenious in their challenge of racial tradition. Where Alachna City was built from the waterfall downwards - the palace first followed by the rest of the city, Inwir City was built from the rivers upwards. It is in the valley where three toes of one mountain meet the heel of a bigger one. The rift between the heel and toes is filled by the Main River Inwir and then joined by the Rivers Sisters Inwir.

Had we approached from the other side, we would have first been met by the grand building of the university towering over the city. Yet, from this side we can only see mountains swallowed by buildings.

We arrive at the unguarded bridge with stone statues spaced a metre apart spanning it, offering us a silent salute as we enter the city. Crossing the bridge, we enter the city's shadow and step onto a small plaza bordered by pillars supporting buildings above our heads.

Construction of buildings started on this toe. The city was built to equal the splendour of all our cities - with marble columns supporting platforms and the buildings atop it. But in order to accommodate the rapidly growing population and their needs, walls had been built between the columns, turning it into cheap accommodation for the poor. Inwir City is the fastest expanding city in elven history - but that would be because it is also inhabited by humans, who procreate much faster than elves do.

There are some signs guiding us to the university, but mostly we just squeeze through narrow alleys. We follow the ever winding, crisscrossing path deeper into the heart of the second toe. There are a lot of stairs and we move up and down the different levels in order to reach the crossing of the second toe to the third toe. The bridge had been made broader with small buildings stretching on either side of the passage.

We cross over to the third toe. It is even more populated that the second, with buildings kissing atop our heads and blocking the sun. Were it not for Aedan's keen sight and taking my hand, we would have gotten lost and I would have walked into a lot of walls.

Our journey now seems to be only upward, each staircase and step more uneven and steep than the previous. If the journey is this difficult for us, then surely many humans fall to their death down these steps in one year.

The sunlight seems to grow denser, and our journey even steeper. We arrive at a magnificent marble plaza bathed in sunlight. It hurts my eyes after the dark journey. Aedan holds his hand a hand's breadth from his eyes to shield his eyes from the brilliance of the white marble.

From here I can see the fourth toe of the mountain, but it's sheer rock face made it impossible to build on. It almost looks like there are windows and doors carved into the toe's face, but I blink and turn away to see the university.

The full glory of elfin architecture lives here. The two sides to the entrance of the university is bordered by a semilunar line of six enormous trees curling around the pillars - like snakes around sticks.

The entrance itself is a magnificent arch with dazzling jewels depicting the city - I'm guessing, as it was before its rapid expansion.

We pass through the doorless entrance.

The first room has no walls on its sides - only the frame behind us and another one twenty metres in front of us. The marble floor is decorated with patterns of enlaid gold and gemstones. The patterns do not seem to have any order, but they have a familiar contour.

I can see Aedan is also in awe of everything.

Two steps in and I can see the river winking in the distance. I walk to the edge. I step back without turning around when the dizzying height pulls the world out of focus.

Joining Aedan in the middle of the room, I study the floor stretching to the other side. I smile as I realise what is depicted on the floor.

"This must be the most beautiful map of Ligtland I have ever seen," Aedan announces simultaneously.

Green emeralds draw my attention to the forest. Aedan and I make our way towards it, scanning the blotches of gold, naming each city as we pass.

Finding Alachna City, I go down on ny hunches and stroke the perfectly smooth floor, wondering what medium was used to make this map flawless.

My fingertips brush against a small groove invisible to my eyes. With the tip of my middlefinger, I feel the imperfection. An incomplete circle, filled with a shape similar to the letter A. However the horizontal stroke seems to be an arrow starting on the outside of the circle moving through the middle, then curving upwards. This imperfection was deliberate.

Aedan and I pass through the second arch, into the next foyer. This part only has one wall - on the side of the approaching river. The wall has magnificent stained glass windows. The sun shines from us through the window - the colourful light playing on the distant water.

We move through to the next room with four walls and pillars supporting wooden beams with vines and flowers hanging from the beams.
The next room has four walls and a proper high arched roof, ending in a broad staircase that leads us to a small room with a single desk.

Behind the stacks of paper, an aged elf hunches. His hands trembling as he carefully forms letters on paper.

"We want to study healing," Aedan announces with his hands on his hips, causing the poor elf to jerk his hands and spill his ink all over the table.