Chapter 21 — The Floral Tower

Sunny stepped in. A small sound echoed—ding—as if the palace itself welcomed him.

Before him stood the legendary place known to all as the Royal Mage Palace. But when he looked up... it didn't feel like a palace.

It felt like a giant flower blooming into the sky.

Ten floors high, wrapped in white vines and petals made of glowing magic stone—the Floral Tower lived up to its name. Each floor looked like a ring of petals, soft lights moving across its edge.

And in the center—the thing that caught his breath — was the tree lift. It looked like a divine tree, with golden bark and transparent branches holding a glowing platform. The leaves shimmered, and instead of pulleys or wires, floating energy vines lifted it.

"This isn't a building… it's alive," Sunny thought.

He stepped in, and the lift began to rise with a soft hum, petals parting floor by floor.

Floor 1 – The Entrance Hall

The base of the tower was wide, open like a garden shrine.Tall glass walls let nature peek in—golden sunlight hit the marble floor like liquid fire.

In front stood two giant floral guardian statues, shaped like lions, made entirely from vines and white roses. Their eyes glowed faint green.

As Sunny stepped closer, they opened their mouths slightly—a sign of approval.

"They can sense magic… or intent."

A floating crystal desk in the center acted as reception. No one sat there. The desk simply blinked once, reading his presence, and allowed him forward.

Floor 2 – Archives & Records

This floor felt like a spiral—a circular maze of floating bookshelves, filled with magical scrolls and glowing books.

The air smelled like old paper and ink.

A mage librarian, eyes shut, floated mid-air, writing something on a hovering parchment. His desk didn't touch the ground.

Maps danced in the air, showing events of the past, future, and some that never happened.

"They don't store history here. They bend it," Sunny whispered to himself.

Floor 3 – Potion & Herb Lab

As soon as the lift passed, the scent hit him.

A mix of fresh mint, burning petals, and rainwater.

Inside, a glowing garden bloomed under artificial moons. Plants moved as if breathing. He saw blue-stemmed herbs curl and lean toward mages who plucked them gently.

Tables lined with potions glowed—some purple, some gold, some alive.

"Even the plants here are trained," he thought.

Floor 4 – Armory & Artifact Room

Walls of dark stone. Heavy air.

Swords, staffs, gloves, masks—all floated behind crystal glass cubes. Some blinked. Some growled.

Each artifact pulsed with a different heartbeat—as if it waited for its next master.

At the far end, he saw an empty cube, its label faded.

"Did something escape… or was it taken?"

He moved on quickly.

Floor 5 – Ranger & Mage Briefing Rooms

Now the floor buzzed with people.

Rangers in black. Mages in deep blue coats. They stood around floating boards showing maps, battle formations, and blinking red lights.

He passed a room where someone was arguing over a mission—a beast appeared on the board and began to breathe fire.

"Every plan of this world starts here… and maybe ends here."

The atmosphere was thick; no one noticed him.

Floor 6 – Meditation & Elemental Rooms

This was the quietest floor.

Circular doors led to different rooms—each with a symbol: fire, wind, thunder, or water.

He saw inside the wind room—feathers floated mid-air. A young girl sat cross-legged, hair floating, breathing slowly. The fire room glowed like a heart. Someone stood inside, shirtless, flames dancing around their body.

Each room had a mood. A feeling.

"Even peace here is a weapon," Sunny thought.

Floor 7 – Council Room

Here, everything floated.

A giant round table, made of pure crystal, hovered mid-air. Seats moved on their own, adjusting to unseen leaders.

Above, orbs rotated slowly—each showing a different face, some human, some not.

The walls were dark but alive. They shimmered with every whisper.

"This is where decisions change the world… in silence."

Floor 8 – President's Private Library

The lift paused longer here. A red line blinked—locked.

A blood sigil hovered over the entry. No one could pass except her.

Inside, Sunny saw ancient books wrapped in chains. One floated and opened for a second—showing a page that bled ink.

"She keeps her secrets close… and dangerous."

Floor 9 – Sky Garden

Suddenly, air rushed in.

This floor was open-air—a magical garden floating in the clouds.

He saw trees with floating leaves, some spinning slowly. The flowers bloomed with colors that changed based on feeling—red if you were angry, white if calm, and purple if confused.

Birds sang songs that made the wind slow down.

A mage meditated under a tree, and the tree leaned closer.

"This is paradise…"

But he didn't belong. He was just passing.

Floor 10 – Scarlet's Throne Hall

The lift opened slowly… like petals blooming one last time.

White roses floated in the air, frozen mid-bloom.

The room was massive—a high dome where the walls were covered in moving paintings. The faces of old presidents blinked slowly as if watching.

In the center, under a throne made of silver vines and blooming lilies, she sat.

President Scarlet.

She looked not a day over twenty.

But Sunny knew—she was more than a hundred.

And still in control of everything.

Her fingers touched a vine on the armrest—and somewhere far below, something obeyed.

She smiled.

"You made it."

Sunny couldn't help but stare—not out of awe, but out of confusion.

The room was grand, yes… but what disturbed him was that it breathed. The flowers around her throne expanded and closed gently, like lungs. The vines beneath her moved without sound, coiling and uncoiling with grace, like they had emotions.

The light that poured through the glass dome wasn't just sunlight—it was filtered through something magical, giving everything a faint silver glow.

He stepped forward. The floor didn't echo—it welcomed him.

Scarlet raised her hand. A vine lifted beside her, offering a floating cup of something glowing and blue.

"Tea of Clarity," she said softly. "Don't drink it unless you're ready to remember things you've forgotten."

He didn't take it.

His eyes shifted, scanning the room. The paintings watched him. One of them—an old man with silver eyes—even blinked twice.

"What is this place…?" he thought again.

Scarlet leaned slightly forward. "You're the first outsider in five years to see this floor, Sunny. Everything here… is alive for a reason."

And for the first time since stepping into the tower, Sunny felt something heavy. The truth was going to bloom soon.

Sunny's brows furrowed. He looked directly at Scarlet now, no longer distracted by the moving vines or breathing walls.

His voice was steady—not loud, not desperate, but sharp like a needle piercing the calm air.

"Where is my sister… Sakura Vincent?"

The flowers above trembled for a split second.

Scarlet didn't smile this time. She placed the glowing cup back on the vine and leaned back into her living throne. The vines curled tighter, as if bracing.

"So… you've come this far for her."

Her tone was unreadable—not hostile, not kind—just deep, like the roots of a secret too old to speak.

Sunny's fists clenched gently.

The tower, once beautiful and mystical, suddenly felt like a maze of hidden doors.

He hadn't come here for beauty. He came for his sister. And truth also. I can sense...