The moment they entered Asano’s astral space, the people guarding Marie, Elizabeth and Remy relaxed. Apparently no longer wary of any threats, all but one left entirely, leaving only the man named Trenchant.Marie had never been in a true astral space before. Her early days in the Network had been in the final years of magic being a secret. She’d seen the astral proto-spaces, with their inconsistent magic levels and wild terrain. She had seen a couple with some signs of civilisation, but no more than ruins that looked thousands of years old.The astral space, by comparison was a revelation. There were no wild energies teasing at her supernatural senses like an insect she was unable to swat. There was no sense that the whole place was on the verge of collapse, instead feeling as solid as the world outside.That did not mean that there was no sense of unreality to the place. The portal had dropped them in a train station, with décor more at home in an old noir film that the modern Earth. Even the people milling around looked like extras in a sixties movie, complete with period outfits. She also didn’t see a single person with their phone out, despite the train station being a bustle of activity. Even the light was strange, washing out the colours. It didn’t genuinely render the world in monochrome, yet it felt like living in black and white.Marie looked at their now-solitary guard. His eyes retained their bright shade of blue, standing out in a world of greys. He led them through the train station, barely even looking to see if they followed.“We’re in a place of Asano’s power now,” Elizabeth murmured, even though they both knew their gold-rank escort could hear. “There’s no escape, no defiance. Only that which he allows.”“What is this place?” Remy wondered.“I’m going to guess that it’s Asano’s vampire city,” Elizabeth told him. “We’ve heard about it, of course. The place he keeps all the tame vampires.”“Meaning (...)