The woman slowly raised her arm toward the children and waved gently.
"You can come down now," she said with a soft smile.
Adam stiffened. "What?"
Seleph blinked, baffled. "What's happening?" he whispered.
The man beside her sighed deeply.
"Seriously? They sent kids up here without even telling them anything?" he muttered while scratching the back of his head. "Can't they do their job properly for once?"
The woman elbowed him sharply.
"Now's not the time, Kenzo."
She stepped closer and extended a hand to them.
"First of all, come out of the pillar. It has to go back down so they can send more people up."
Adam hesitated. "Send more people up…?" he wondered silently as he stepped out of the platform.
Kenzo gave Seleph a gentle nod and a reassuring smile before reaching for Eve. Seleph carefully removed her arm from his shoulder, allowing Kenzo to lift the girl onto his back with surprising gentleness.
They walked a short distance before the platform sealed shut behind them and began its descent.
"Because of what happened on the first floor," the woman explained as she guided the boys toward the exit of the Scalae, "the Council decided that all residents will temporarily move to designated areas on the second floor. It may take months before everything down there is inspected properly."
Seleph frowned. "We're going to live on this floor now?"
She looked at him with a gentle expression and patted his head.
"Yes. But only until the investigations are complete. For now… you'll be staying inside the Scalae."
Her eyes shifted toward Eve, who remained silent, limp in Kenzo's arms.
"Is she alright?" she asked, worry seeping into her voice.
Seleph shook his head.
Kenzo glanced at the girl on his back, then at the boys.
"What happened to her?"
Seleph's throat tightened. "We… we saw something. Something… horrible."
Kenzo slowed, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"We… we… w-we… sssaw…" Seleph tried to continue, but his voice trembled violently. His knees wavered, his breathing hitched—his body was rejecting the memory he was forcing himself to hold.
Adam stepped in.
"We saw the people we considered family… die."
The knights stopped walking.
Silence pressed around them like a tightening fist. Their eyes softened, pity mixing with an unspoken respect. The emotional weight carried by such young children… it was unbearable to witness.
The woman knelt, placing a hand on each boy's head. Her voice trembled—not with weakness, but with sorrow.
"You don't need to explain any further."
She pulled both boys into a tight embrace, then reached over to gently draw Eve in as well. That small act—simple, human, warm—was enough to shatter the fragile shells they were clinging to.
Seleph broke first. Tears he'd been fighting so viciously poured down his cheeks. He had forced himself to be strong, to prove he wasn't a burden… because he feared being abandoned.
Eve followed next, crying silently at first, then uncontrollably.
Adam clenched his jaw, letting only a few tears fall, struggling to hold himself together—not out of pride, but because someone had to stay on his feet.
The woman held them all, fury and heartbreak twisting painfully inside her.
"This shouldn't have happened," she thought, gripping them tighter. "All because the first floor is the one place the White Lion Order refuses to watch over… the only floor without a base. A lawless wasteland we've allowed to exist. This tragedy was preventable."
Three Hours Later
The same woman—Elaine—walked briskly through a long, ornate corridor. At its end stood a towering double brown door. She grabbed both handles and pulled it open.
The office beyond was enormous, decorated with tasteful luxury. At the far end sat a man in his forties—scarlet red hair, emerald eyes, and sharp features unmistakably similar to hers. His tailored suit and posture radiated power. He didn't bother looking up.
"What could be so urgent that you burst into my office without knocking, Elaine?" he asked coldly while scribbling on a document.
"Didn't you hear?" she snapped, her brows tight with anger. "The first floor was broken into."
His pen froze. Slowly, he raised his head.
"Broken into?" he repeated, voice eerily calm.
She nodded sharply.
"People died. Children lost their families. And it only happened because the White Lion Order has no base on the first floor—unlike every other floor."
He stared at her a moment.
"Get to the point, Elaine."
Her bitterness sharpened.
"Why does my proposal keep getting rejected, Father?"
He sighed.
"This again?" He returned to his paperwork.
"Answer me."
He finally set his pen down.
"The real question is why you insist on placing a base on the first floor in the first place."
"I JUST told you why."
Her anger only seemed to amuse him.
He removed his glasses and placed them on the desk.
"Tell me, Elaine… are you still looking for hi—"
"NO!" she snapped, voice cracking.
He stared at her silently as she struggled to catch her breath.
"This has nothing to do with him."
"Are you certain?" he asked calmly.
Elaine met his eyes with renewed resolve.
"We both know what he did. This isn't about him." She leaned forward. "Why does no one care what happens down there? Criminals or not, there are innocent people too. What is being hidden from us?"
Her father leaned back in his chair.
"Nothing is hidden. It simply isn't discussed."
"Meaning?"
He laced his fingers together.
"There is a fundamental difference between those on the first floor… and the rest of us."
Back at the Scalae
Kenzo had taken the children on a short walk around the second floor to help them get their bearings.
"Who was that woman?" Seleph asked Adam excitedly. "She was so nice, right?"
Adam frowned. "How am I supposed to know? It was my first time meeting her too."
Kenzo laughed.
"Her name is Elaine. She's a strong knight—and as you said, a very good person."
Seleph smirked.
"Do you love her, mister?"
Kenzo nearly jumped out of his armor.
"W-WHA—WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" he stammered, face red.
Adam smirked faintly.
"Looks like she's pretty popular around here."
"Yeah," Kenzo admitted with a sigh. "Even though she's a noble, she treats everyone equally… unless they prove they don't deserve it."
Seleph froze.
"SHE'S A NOBLE!? Like the ones from the books!?"
"Stop yelling, Seleph…" Eve muttered, annoyed.
Adam stared thoughtfully. "She's a noble? She didn't act like any I've met."
Kenzo crouched to eye level.
"So, what are your names?"
"Adam."
"I'm Seleph! That's Eve."
Back in the Office
Her father's tone shifted—colder, more authoritative.
"The reason we do not concern ourselves with the first floor?" he repeated. "It is simple. They are humans. Inferior."
Elaine's expression hardened instantly.
"So that's the truth behind the negligence? Discrimination?" she growled. "Even though we aren't so different—"
"We are VERY different," he cut in, eyes narrowing. "Arch humans live longer. Think faster. Are physically superior. Our brains are evolved. And most importantly—we possess arcane energy."
Elaine's fists clenched.
"That doesn't justify—"
"Do you truly believe they deserve equal treatment?"
A long silence.
"…How do you even know there are no arch humans down there?" she asked quietly.
He didn't blink.
"Answer my question first."
"Answer mine."
Another sigh. He removed his glasses.
"When arcane energy and arch humans were first discovered, it was also discovered that an arch human has almost no chance of producing a child with a human. And even if they did… the child would be human."
Elaine's eyes widened.
"To prevent dilution of our race, humans were separated… and sent to the first floor."
She felt her heart stop.
"As for the arch humans," her father added, "the more arcane energy they possessed… the higher they were placed within the tower."