"Welcome to the Red Tower, 1st floor, also called 'the reception of nature' " said Edwin.
The landscape felt surreal: the idea that an entire forest, a marble structure, and a dome supported by an oak trunk could exist on a single floor gave Ambra a headache.
So Commander Alexander Rubino wasn't just suspicious-looking — he was powerful. Extremely powerful. Managing that many layers of space magic, even with runic aids, was no small feat.
Ambra reflected.
Walking towards the structure, the guide Edwin advised them several times not to venture out of the marked streets.
"What would happen if we moved away from the roads?" Ambra asked intrigued.
The guide stopped, turned around and looked straight into Ambra's purple eyes and said to her with a bitter smile: "You don't want to know."
Ambra stopped and remained impassive, activating the brain.
Wow. What will be the reason... the magic of space apparently has consequences, if used on such a large scale.
Satisfied with her reasoning, Ambra gave a mental nod.
Arriving at the reception, Edwin explained the reason for visiting the girl at the desk, a simple girl with wheat-colored hair and two jade eyes, dressed exactly like Edwin, but feminine.
After the exchange, the girl got up and made a slight bow, pointing in the direction of the room with her hand.
The door of the inscription room, well, it wasn't there, but in its place there was a beautiful pointed arch in red marble, which rested on two columns also marble, but white; inside the room there were simple armchairs, a desk and a crystal sphere, most likely used for documents and recordings.
The overall appearance of the hall was a well-organized studio, with hanging paintings, on a light red wall, depicting some great magicians of the story, as well as some everyday scenes. They transmitted quietly.
It's a small room, but that make sense. After all, we are rare.
Ambra quickly thought.
Appena entrati, Ambra si girò su uno dei quadri che ritraevano le scene quotidiane, anche se particolare: l'uccisione di una preda in una battuta di caccia.
Perché questa raffigurazione?
Da più avanti, una voce richiamò Ambra per avanzare.
"Ambra! Non ti perdere o rimanere indietro per favore, hai sentito la guida anche tu!"
"Arrivo."
After sitting down, everything took place very quickly: arrived, filling in the documents with the personal data of Adamas and Ambra, who had to answer questionnaires -according to the girl they were 'routine'- and then complete the registration with two simple signatures made by the responsible parent, Alice in this case.
Within half an hour they had completed the forms.
"Congratulations, Ambra, Adamas! You are now enrolled in the Red Academy." Alice said with a gorgeous smile, while her silky silver hair swung. Ambra looked at her mother as if she were the sun itself.
"Thanks, mom!" Ambra replied, with awide smile, while Adamas continued to hug Alice.
******
Leaving the hall, Edwin congratulated the two boys on the inscription, but Ambra, after thanking the guide, asked: "On what floor are the magic shops of the tower?"
Alice made a smile at her daughter's question, as she knew that from the moment the guide named 'shop' and 'magic', Ambra would catapult herself to the spot looking for new books.
Edwin looked at Alice first, but noticing the woman's reaction, he laughed out loud, then proposing to the group to follow him to the 10th floor, where there were magic crafts and goods stores for novices.
The 'white palace', so nicknamed by Adamas in a conversation with Ambra, was actually a labyrinth for those who did not know the place: narrow streets branched out everywhere as if they were branches of a tree, some indoors inside structures along the road, others outdoors with the perennial sun to warm the landscape.
When they got to the base of the giant oak trunk, they realized that there were no doors, But it was accessed directly on a circular platform.
It's huge, it's going to be over 10 meters in diameter. What's the use of this immense platform...?
Ambra was impressed.
The Circular Platform had a diagram engraved, and a pole in the middle. Above it was the figure of a flame, which, looking closer, had been carved from red stone of an unknown nature.
Wait... this diagram! It's a teleportation diagram!
Ambra was surprised to see a teleportation diagram up close, mainly because they were rare and difficult to activate.
These diagrams are difficult to build, but even more difficult to activate! In the books of magical constructions and circles it's explicitly said that you need an amount of crazy magical power, or... she kept thinking frantically, and then observed on the flame-shaped stone.
The shape clearly resembles a flame... which is the element with which the commander is most related? Very likely, but because there's a stone with this shape... Decoration? I don't think, everything has to make sense here.
Ambra's brain kept working and processing information in search of something she had read or heard to try to figure out what the flaming stone was for.
Soon, however, she turned to her younger brother.
"Adamas, have you ever seen Mr. Ruby cast a spell?"
Amber asked in silence, attracting the attention of the whole group.
"Well, yes-"
"What affinity did he have?"
"Emh... fire if I'm not mistaken..."
"I see." Ambra concluded in a hasty way, and then put her right hand on her chin and close in herself to think.
Alice turned a blind eye for the little conversation, meanwhile Edwin activated the platform by showing the card from his pocket, just like before, turning on the stone a deep red.
During her thinking, Ambra saw her sight become brighter first, then began to see flames surrounding the group, and then shrinking around them.
From the outside, it could very well be said that instead of seeing four people, you could see four sparks, which disappeared almost instantly.
After not even a second of foggy vision, Ambra opened her eyes, and found herself in front of another landscape, far different from the previous one.
An immense library opened under the sight of Ambra, who was amazed by the number of books present: immense shelves and bookcases made up a walnut wood expanse, which made the environment darker and more mysterious; opposite the floor, there was a giant stained glass window, with a mosaic that formed an imposing-looking tree, to let in the 'natural' light of the sun inside the floor, so as to allow the lighting necessary for reading.
After a few seconds, however, she realized there were no shops and frowned slightly in disappointment, but Edwin explained the choice in advance:
"I know, you asked for a magic shop, but, unfortunately, you can't access people on a visit, only subscribers can access it."
Understanding the situation, Ambra focused again on the library.
However, this place is too big! How many books will it be, 10.000...? ...20?
Ambra thought looking at the place from the elevated place where the platform and the oak trunk of the teleportation was located.
Edwin, as before, waited a few seconds to get the view, and then he said: "This is the Red Tower novice library, nicknamed 'Nature'.
"The whole plan is a single library, divided into sections, ranging from the division of mana affinities or control to the techniques of placing magical power in runic constructs, for those who are part of the scientific section, or in diagrams, for those who are part of the magic section.
"There is a section for the flora and fauna of the region later on, which includes plants and animals of all kinds, from the most common to the legends."
During the explanation, a fully dressed girl joined the group, then waited for the end of Edwin's speech to introduce herself.
"Hello, I'm Cartheya and I'm in charge of the plan. If you want to follow me."
she turned around immediately afterwards, swinging her black silk hair and bringing the group to a secluded place, where there were also snacks and drinks.
"Well, from now on you can stay here for about an hour maximum. If you want to leave earlier there is no problem, you will find me in the central room of this floor. You can't buy the books here, or borrow them, because they're the domain of the tower. For the rest: happy reading." said Cartheya with a polite smile as she went out with Edwin.
After they came out, Alice took the word: "Well guys, take the books you want and read them here, and don't go and get into strange places. Okay?" While his sapphire-colored gaze hinted at the consequences.
Adamas shuddered along with Ambra, and they both nodded to Alice.
Immediately afterwards they went to look for subjects of interest to them, while Alice, embarrassed and awkward, tried to figure out if she could get a cup of green tea...
Exactly 5 minutes later, both Adamas and Ambra returned with 2 books each; Ambra, short of topics related to magical practice, chose the basic notions of the input of magical power in diagrams.
Adamas, on the other hand, picked a book about the various tools every magical craftsman should master.
It can be said that both readings chosen are not for inexperienced young people in the relevant sectors.
Time, immersed in reading, passed so quickly that they were dissatisfied with Edwin and Cartheya's return, announcing the end of the hour.
"Well gentleman and miladies, unfortunately time is exhausted, you can stay here as much as you want after you start courses at the academy." said the guide in a solemn voice, While the black-haired girl made a slight bow, as if she wanted to apologize.
Accepting their sad fate, they laid the books in the corresponding sections, and walked to the exit.
The path to exit the tower was different from the entrance path: they went to the opposite side of the floor, finding another platform of the same style as the previous one.
Ambra was confused, so when she was about to ask the question of why it was like this, Edwin anticipated it, probably noticing the confused look, explaining that they were reasons for security and evacuation speed.
"There are normally predefined roads and paths, so a starting point and a point of arrival for each floor. But if something happens, you have two escape routes instead of one."
Alice fu la prima ad annuire in risposta alla spiegazione, mentre Ambra rimase comunque nei suoi pensieri.
They're inside one of the four towers in the world where the most powerful magicians are. Do they really have to worry about these things...?
Arriving at the platform, the process was the same as the outward journey: card, flame-stone ignition, vision first very bright, then dark.
The group opened their eyes and found themselves outside the tower, more precisely in a gazebo, relatively simple, made of birch wood, in the outer garden, with a teleportation diagram at the base; relatively close to the gate that bounded the first space magic.
As he looked at the trio, a faint melancholy softened his usually impassive tone.