There were a total of 7 towers on this part of the Academy Grounds. Four were modern, whittish-silver, with details carved on marble. Three were spires of indigo-blue color and with medieval architecture. Together, they created a sense of wrongness, of mismatch, brought by the conflicting construction periods.
We had arrived at the central tower, a castle-like building with an expansive reception hall. Embedded on the ground was a golden holographic sign that shone with a name:
[Huygen's Zenith]
We made our way inside through a majestic entrance to where a receptionist stood. She assigned us a room in the building next to this one, unlike Isabel's prediction that we would be alotted in the spire, and we proceeded there as instructed.
The neighbour building had a completely different vibe (I say neighbour, but we had to go through a slanted path, further north of the three spires' line. The four modern buildings were probably built after the first three, and only from far away did it look like a line of seven towers).
It implemented modern tech all throughout, from the lights on the floor that followed your steps, to automatic doors and beautiful elevators. In comparison, Huygen's Zenith's more than 30 floors didn't have entrance doors, but had paintings for decorations and carvings on rock and marble.
This time the name sign was not holographic. In fact, it was quite simple, but its white and clear black letters' contrasted well enough to make it ennobling. It read:
[North Star Towers - #3]
Once we were inside, me and my parents used the card given to us to get access to the panoramic elevator (apparetly, there were other types). As it was turned towards the bustling town, it allowed an incredible view of the whole campus.
"Woah..."
"Imagine seeing this every day." Someone commented.
Unfortunately, out of all 34 floors the elevator reached, we were allocated on the 11th, so we couldn't appreciate the view for long enough.
The eleventh floor was like an hotel's, a singular hallway with rooms on both sides. Me and my parents would share a room tonight, and we would then move to my parents new home tomorrow, from Sunday to Monday. And on Monday I would have my first day sleeping in the student dormitories.
Our room was extremely fancy, with practically everything our house back in Fiore had, despite the smaller size. The double bed and the single bed were clearly more confortable than our own, too. The feeling of cleanliness drained my will to get out of bed.
"Let's go, let's go! Let's go visit the town!" My mother claimed.
I struggled to look over my shoulder to where my father was laid on the double-bed. He moved no muscles, but I knew where this was going.
"Diego! Leaf! Get uuup!"
"We could just go tomorrow..." Dad mumbled.
"It's still too early to sleep. Let's go have something to eat downtown!" She argued.
Seeing no movement from either of us, she pulled my father's legs, and he struggled desperately to not release his grip on the bed.
"Nooo! You- monster-!"
"Get- uuup!"
Once Diego fell to the ground, he resigned to his fate and went to wash his face.
My mother gave a victorious smile that showed all her teeth and turned to me. I jumped to my feet in no time.
...
"Before going to the town, let's check the rooftop." I proposed when I saw the elevator buttons.
But once I pressed on the 34th floor, the elevator told us:
[You don't have the permission to visit this floor. Please, review your clearance level at the reception.]
I raised my brows and tried again just in case.
[You don't have the permission to visit this floor. Please, review your clearance level at the reception.]
"Stop that! You will anger the mages!" My mother whispered.
"Wait, just let me check the other floors."
I pressed the one immediately below the 34th, and it shone, indicating that we had access to that one.
"Oh, it seems we just can't access the rooftop." My father said.
This time, we had more time to enjoy the ride on the glass elevator. As it slowly went up, a breathtaking sunset was revealed, shining golden light on the town's many houses. The silhouette of the obelisk was especially beautiful.
*Ding*
The elevator signaled our arrival at the 33rd floor. Even as the door opened, no one tried leaving its insides as we inspected the scene.
It looked fairly similar to our floor, but clearly fancier. I held the elevator door to take a longer look.
"Is that... gold plating?" I asked no one in particular.
Gold was a very rare resource nowadays, since it could not be found on nature anymore without digging the planet's mantle (although there's much more gold there than on the crust).
"No... it should be pure gold." My father stammered.
As the three of us stared wide eyed at the luxury, one of the doors in the distance opened.
From inside, a girl of about 155 centimeters came out. She had caramel-brown hair on a chanel haircut, and wore a black long-sleeved blouse and knee-high skirt. On her feet a pair of low black mary janes. She saw us at the elevator and paused.
A skinny man, or rather, boy, left from the same door, and the girl closed it behind him. He was taller than me by almost a hand, standing on 180cm, and had orange-brown hair on a faux hawk style. He also had some faint facial hair that he no doubt kept to look older. He was dressed in a pink sleeveless hoodie and beige shorts, and fancy white sneakers on his feet.
I saw them approach, and I only realized they were siblings when they stood side by side on the hallway. Their straight posture was indicative of the education they received from early age.
"Excuse us." The girl said as they entered the elevator.
The doors closed, and the girl pressed on '
"You guys... you are commoners, right?" Out of nowhere, the boy looked at me. His eyes held a glint of amusement.
Me and my parents were taken aback by the question.
"Erick, for god's sake..." The girl said with a sigh.
Erick pretended not to listen to his sister reprimand, and continued to look at me.
I didn't know what to respond. In our country, there was no distinction between classes, at least not enough for someone to be called a noble, or in this case, a commoner.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean?" He asked back.
"What?"
He grinned for a second and then looked surprised.
"Are you joining the Academy this year?" His eyes held a hint of anticipation.
"Y-yeah."
"HAHAH!" Erick laughed out loud.
"Why? Are you both-"
"Yes, yes. We are also joining next week. My name is Erick Buffett, and this is my younger sister Nephelia Buffett. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Y-yeah... nice to meet you too. I'm Leaf." Something told me this guy was trouble.
"My friend Leaf, I'm looking forward to seeing you in class on Monday!"
And with that, he turned his back to me, and looked at his sister.
"You done?" She asked.
"Yeah. Where are we having dinner today?"
"I figured at the Forneria."
"Ugh, we go there every time..."
"It's the best restaurant, after all."
"But-"
"They are serving squid today."
"..." Erick cursed under his breath, but said no more.
Overwhelmed by the Buffett siblings, I searched for some comforting words from my parents. They had turned to look at the view again, not paying my helplessness any mind.
'But Buffett... where have I heard that name before?'