"See you later, Hector—" Leonardo was saying as he stepped out of the lift, only to be hit by a surreal breeze.
His eyes widened, taking in the vast expanse before him. "How can this be inside a tower?" he asked, stunned by the impossibility of the scene.
The lift doors closed behind him with a faint metallic gleam, looking like any average elevator door but still exuding an air of newness as if freshly minted from a futuristic forge.
"You'll get used to it," Elara said, a playful smile on her face as she stepped beside him. "The lift is way better than the last method."
Leonardo's gaze swept across the landscape. They stood on a cliff overlooking a sprawling town, eerily similar to his hometown, Volnia.
The sky above them, though vast, felt artificial—a patchwork of pale blues and muted sunlight, giving the illusion of an open world. But the ceiling was not so high; he reckoned it was about the height of two skyscrapers he saw outside stacked on top of each other.
"This... this has to be the same size as Volnia," Leonardo muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Three thousand plus floors, all as big as Volnia..."
"Which floor is Volnia again?" Kaelan asked, trying to piece together the unfamiliar name from Leonardo's world.
"It's kind of like a town I'm from…" Leonardo hesitated, his voice trailing off as he noticed Anna watching him intently. "I'll tell you later."
The sky might have felt like a carefully crafted illusion, but the ground beneath their feet was as real as any he had known.
The breeze that brushed past them was supposed to be artificial, yet it carried the warmth and scent of a familiar summer wind.
As they made their way down the cliffside, Leonardo noticed the trees—fewer than back home, but their leaves rustled in a way that reminded him of the grasslands near Volnia.
"These trees… they seem real. Anna! How is this possible?" he exclaimed, pointing to the verdant landscape as they descended.
Mei-Ling had once told him that he didn't understand anything, and as he looked around now, he felt her words ring true.
"Mei-Ling was right; you really don't get anything," Anna said with a slight smile. "Let's wait for Dad to come, then we'll talk about everything. After that, we can go to the Grand Bibliotheca."
Leonardo's head spun with questions, but before he could voice them, Elara chimed in. "Yeah, if this shocks you, you're going to be in for a treat. The Bibliotheca is just below the highest floor that regular folks can access."
"What?" Leonardo replied, eyes wide.
"I'm Kaelan—Kai, Silver-Shield, whatever you want to call me, I realized we haven't introduced formally" the knight said, His voice had a monochrome quality, a mix of metallic echoes and warmth that felt strangely comforting.
"I'm Leonardo, but you can call me Leon, I guess. I'll call you Kaelan," Leonardo replied, his cheeks flushing slightly at the awkwardness of introductions.
"Leon? Really, you didn't tell us that," Anna teased before Kaelan could respond.
"Well, I just thought of it right now," Leonardo admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"It's alright," Kaelan said with a nod. "And this is Astraea." He gestured to his guide, who stood by his side, her staff glowing faintly at the top, responding to the rise of the "sun" in the distance.
The veil over her face remained shrouded in shadows, adding to her enigmatic aura.
"Where'd you find a wizard?" Elara asked, her curiosity piqued. "You'd think they wouldn't want anything to do with the Sages."
"It's a long story. From another city, one Dad and I visited two months ago," Kaelan explained.
"Which—oh, I just realized where is the Draconis Hogeol?" Elara replied, recalling the elite group's reputation.
"They don't change sides that fast, don't worry," Anna interjected, taking the lead as they approached the town below.
"The chance of one of the five being here, too? I doubt it," Kaelan added thoughtfully.
"Five? Draconic? What's that?" Leonardo asked, intrigued by the unfamiliar names.
"The Five Guards of the Tower," Kaelan explained. "One usually hangs out here because it's peaceful."
"He shouldn't be here, though. The explosion probably caught their attention," Anna said, glancing at Kaelan.
"Explosion? What do you mean?" Kaelan asked, his voice laced with concern.
"There was an explosion near Uncle Richard's mansion—the Right Star," Anna explained.
"Wait, what? When? Is Uncle Richard okay?" Kaelan's voice tightened, a hint of panic setting in.
"Yeah, he's fine. It wasn't that close to his mansion. Don't worry about it." Anna reassured him before adding, "How about we go to the Bibliotheca together?"
Kaelan turned to Astraea, who was quietly observing the exchange. "Astraea, you coming?"
"It will be my pleasure to guide you," she said, her tone dripping with respect, a rare display that caught even Kaelan off guard.
The group continued their descent, the path winding down the cliff. They emerged from the tree-lined slope onto an open grassland.
As they approached the town, it became clear it wasn't a town at all but an expansive estate.
Minor buildings scattered around suggested quarters for servants or guards, and the estate's grandeur loomed larger as they drew closer.
The grassland stretched out, vibrant and alive, contrasting sharply against the meticulously kept paths leading to the estate.
"How is it glowing here? The sky is lit up, but I can't see the sun," Leonardo remarked, gazing up at the sky's artificial glow.
"Marquis's estate had more trees, and he was the only one living there," Leonardo added thoughtfully.
"He's higher up in the hierarchy," Anna reminded him. "Remember what I told you?"
"Then Takashiro isn't?" Leonardo inquired, piecing together the puzzle.
"I mean, he is, but he doesn't have his own floor. He lives in another city," Anna clarified.
"And the light? That's just… God, I guess," Kaelan said with a shrug. "No one really knows. Even the Sages won't give us answers."
"We should probably stop talking about the Sage," Kaelan added, his voice dropping to a serious note.
"I don't want what happened to Colan to happen to me."
They continued walking, the cliff fading behind them as they entered the sprawling estate grounds.
The air was filled with a quiet hum, a mix of wind, distant voices, and the faint rustling of leaves, making the scene feel almost dreamlike.