You and Alejo waved goodbye to Penny as you left her home the next morning. Once you were far enough, Alejo then sighed dreamily.
"Isn't she just wonderful? Letting us stay there for the night." Alejo told. You laughed.
"Aw, is someone developing a crush on her?" You teased as you poked his cheek. Alejo let out a sharp gasp and he swatted your hand away as a massive blush appeared over his cheeks.
"N-no! She was j-just nice is all!" You chuckled. You then looked ahead of you and spotted the gate leading towards the third layer lying in the distance.
"The farmers live in these parts, right?" You confirmed. Alejo nodded.
"Yeah, this area is really secure. So farmers won't have to worry too much about their crops being eaten." As he said this, a grim expression appeared on his face and he slumped forwards. "This will be a very long walk for us." You sighed in response and you matched his actions. You then nodded in determination.
"Well, it wouldn't be a test if there wasn't any hardships on the way there!" You exclaimed. Alejo let out a tired laugh.
"Yeah...!" You both then started walking towards the third wall, ready to begin your trek to the third layer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situated in a room made up entirely of white, Dr Tenma let out a long sigh and he rested his hand on his forehead. He then heard the door open and turned back. A young robot boy wearing a pure white garment entered the room, his bright red boots clacking against the marble floor while his scarf followed behind him. Sitting around his neck was a black pendant. Tenma sat up from his desk and he eyed the young boy with a sense of eagerness.
"Astro, you're back. What were the results? Where there any intruders?" Astro came to a stop before him, and shook his head.
"No sir, there were none to be spotted." Tenma nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, now get back to your post. I will call you if needed." Astro merely nodded and walked out of the room. Tenma pursed his lips and he rubbed his temples. Just as he was about to return to his work, the doors slid open once more. Tenma looked behind him confusedly and to his disappointment, the head of the engineering department had appeared. Tenma desperately wanted to roll his eyes, but he refrained from doing so.
"What is it, Dr O'shay?" Tenma grumbled and he returned to his desk. A bead of sweat had formed on the poor man's head and he let out a light laugh.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I was just wondering if you were going to the viewing for the exam at the academy." Dr Tenma grimaced at the mention of such hassles and shook his head.
"Now why would I want to waste my time with something so trivial? I'm a busy man, O'shay, I don't have time to go to these things." This put a frown on Dr O'shay's face.
"But Tenma, as the royal scientist, mustn't you be there?" He mentioned. Tenma began to scratch his head and he pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to keep his cool.
"Then get someone to go in my place. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a busy man. I have lots of work to do." Dr O'shay continued to eye him with disappointment before exiting the room, leaving Tenma to go back to his work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With tired breaths, you and Alejo collapsed onto the ground in a fit of exhaustion. The two of you had finally made it! You let out a tired breath and you allowed the wind to cool your sweat. Then you looked up. At the foot of the gate, the two guards stationed there gave each other weary looks. They then eyed you with concern.
"Um, are you two okay?" One guard asked. You swallowed hard and nodded before standing up, leaving Alejo lying there.
"Ugh, I'm so tired." Alejo rasped. You used the back of your palm to wipe the sweat from your forehead. You then pulled out your ID Before showing it to the guards.
"We'd like to enter for the knight academy entrance exam please." You mumbled, your exhaustion catching up with you greatly. The two guards slowly nodded, and they stood to the side, giving you both entrance. You let out a worn out victorious cheer and you dragged Alejo inside.
As you stepped inside, you looked up and you immediately noticed the culture difference between the previous layers. Something felt different about this part of the city. Everything was more vibrant, and the buildings actually resembled a city. Glass buildings towered high over your head and the streets were littered with high class restaurants and stores.
Alejo looked down at the pavement below him and his eyes widened. There wasn't a spec of dirt to be seen! As you stood before the magnificent city before you, a sudden realisation came to you. You and Alejo felt very out of place here.
You heard a sharp gasp beside you and you turned to see Alejo eyeing one of the stalls with sparkling eyes.
"Y/n do you see that!? It's a candy store!" He exclaimed and before you knew it, he had himself pressed against the window, spying into the shop. You walked up beside him and you also peered into the store.
"Oh wow, I've never been into a candy store before." You admitted while spying the many jars filled with yummy treats. Alejo's eyes lit up like a child's and his mouth watered at the sight.
"Me neither. I've always wanted to taste candy." Your eyes widened and you whipped your head towards him.
"Wait, you've never had candy before!?" You cried out, alarming him and everyone around you. People gave you odd stares, making you shy back from them. Alejo looked flustered, and turned to the side to hide his embarrassment.
"W-Well we've never had anything like that in the outer layer. Besides, have you seen the price of everything here? You'd have to be rich just to eat this stuff!" He cried out. By this point, everyone had recognised you as a country bumpkin and him as a very poor child, and they decidedly ignored the two of you.
You leaned to one side and you held your chin. You then closed your eyes and hummed thoughtfully to yourself.
"Hmm, well if that's the case...." Alejo eyed you curiously as a smile appeared on your face, and you begun to dig around in your back pack. It took you a good few seconds to find what you were looking for, but once you did, the smile on your face widened and you brought out the desired object. "Here it is!" Alejo leaned on his knees as he looked down at the object in your hands.
"What is that?" He asked. You gripped the lid and popped it off with a turn of your wrist. You then held up the opened can to him and grinned ecstatically.
"Candy!" Alejo looked down at the colourful wrappers with wide eyes, and he gasped.
"T-That's-!" His hands shakily reached forwards, and he carefully cupped your hands into his with the tin of candy. He stared into the tin in mesmerisation. Jewels sat before him. The most beautiful jewels he had ever seen. And here you stood, unsurprised.
"You...you've gotta be rich! How did you get your hands on these!?" He cried out and looked at you. You looked down at the tin of candy with pursed lips.
"Well I'm not rich, that much I can tell you. I got this candy from one of my brothers back at the orphanage for my birthday." You said, oblivious to Alejo's envious gaze. Alejo blinked at you in surprise and he hesitantly took the candy from you.
"You live in an orphanage?" You nodded your head and smiled at him.
"Well yeah. For pretty much all my life." A curious spark had ignited within Alejo, and he wanted to ask you more questions about the out lands and the orphanage you spoke of. Before he could, you grabbed one of the candies from the tin and you unwrapped it before plopping it into your mouth. "Go on, try some!"
Alejo looked down at the candy almost thoughtfully. He then smiled and grabbed one out of the tin. He handed the tin back to you and carefully unwrapped the candy. The hard ball of sweetness sat in his palm and shone like a pearl. With a deep breath, Alejo opened his mouth and he popped the candy inside.
The moment the candy drop hit his tongue, sweet flavours exploded across his pallet. He let out a squeal of delight and he chewed into the candy. You watched with a smile as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste.
You left the tin of candy with Alejo and you pulled a sheet of paper out of your bag with hand written instructions on it. You looked down at Kate's notes and you furrowed your brows at the makeshift map.
"Okay, so if we go down that way, then make a right, we should arrive at Kate's friend's place...." you mumbled to yourself. Alejo turned towards you and he eyed you quizzically while chewing on the candy ball.
"What're you looking at?" He questioned and he peered over your shoulder. You pressed your lips into a thin line and you cocked your head to the side.
"Oh, I'm meant to find someone in the city. That's where we'll be staying until the exams begin." You stated. Alejo nodded his head. He then doubled back in shock.
"Wait you know someone here?" You turned towards him and happily nodded.
"I don't know them personally, but my caretaker knows them. She's letting me stay there for free. And I'm sure she won't mind if I bring a friend along." You assured. Alejo felt touched by the consideration. He then took the map off you and he looked at it himself.
"Well, if we're going to follow this map, then we should head this way." Alejo stated and he pointed to the road turning right. You gave him a mock salute and grinned.
"Lead the way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The walk was rather short, and you unexpectedly found yourself in front of your destination within ten minutes. Even Alejo looked baffled. You and Alejo shared a look before you walked up to the front door. You reached up to knock when the door opened, revealing a short woman garbed in a hooded cloth and bangles all over her body.
Your eyes widened and you stood back. Alejo hid behind you while looking at the short woman. The woman smiled at you, as if she was greeting an old friend.
"I've been expecting you, child. And your friend too of course." Your eyes widened.
"You were expecting the both of us?" You questioned. The short woman nodded.
"My name is Kia. Come in." You and Alejo swallowed hard. You then nodded and walked in. 'Kate has some weird acquaintances.' You thought to yourself.
Upon entering, the smell of incense hit you hard, making you gag. You clamped a hand over your nose and you shuffled back while Alejo walked passed you with no problems. 'I'm not used to such strong smells. How is Alejo able to withstand this?' You looked over to your friend and you saw him seat himself down on the red velvet couch. 'Must be a city thing.' With that thought, you followed your friend and sat beside him.
As you made yourself comfortable, your eyes began to wonder around the room. Lined along the many shelves were old antiques and gems. It would have been interesting if you hadn't spotted the animal skulls hidden away between the crystals. You cast your gaze forwards and you found yourself face to face with a crystal ball embedded into the coffee table. Through the crystal glass, you saw Kia seat herself on the opposite side of you.
"I've been waiting for your arrival, Y/n, Alejo." Alejo felt inwardly creeped out by her claim and he inched himself closer to you.
"H-How did you know that I was coming?" He stuttered while trembling with fear. Kia merely smiled.
"The stars told me." Alejo's eyes widened as well as yours.
"You're a fortune teller!" Alejo exclaimed just as you opened your mouth to yell out 'witch'. You clamped your mouth shut while Kia nodded.
"Yes, I have the power to see one's past, present, and future." Kia then smiled at you, sending a jolt through you. "Your future, it is set in stone." You raised your eyebrow at Kia who only shook her head. She then clapped her hands and a maid strolled in with three trays of food. By the cog in her head, you could tell she was obviously a robot. The trays of food were then placed in front of the three of you and the maid bowed, before walking away. Alejo's eyes gleamed with excitement as he watched the maid leave.
"A robot maid!" He exclaimed and leaned over the edge of his seat. Kia chuckled while you watched on in awe. She then gestured to the food sitting before you.
"Eat up, you will need your strength for tomorrow." Both you and Alejo instantly reminded of the exam, and you nodded before digging in. You looked down at the food seated in front of you, which was a bowl of curry with bread sticks laid out on the side.
"Woah, I've never had curry before!" Alejo exclaimed and he happily ate a spoonful. You watched him carefully as he savoured the first mouthful. His eyes then went wide and he dropped his spoon. "HOOOOOOOT!"
You looked down at your curry with a worried gaze as the maid returned to the room with a glass of cold milk. Alejo hastily grabbed the glass and he gulped down its entire contents in mere seconds. He then began to fan his red lips with the occasional whimper, making Kia laugh.
"Oh come now, it isn't that hot. You need to further refine your taste buds." Kia advised as she took a spoonful of her curry, swallowing it without a problem. Her eyes then met yours, and she smirked. "Go on, have some."
You lifted your shoulders as you stared into her waiting eyes. Was she challenging you? You looked down at the curry and swallowed hard. You then carefully dipped the spoon into the curry and raised it to your lips. It wasn't as if you hadn't had curry before, but you definitely weren't used to the insane amount of spice which the dish contained.
With a deep breath, you put the contents of the spoon into your mouth and you squeezed your eyes shut as a burning sensation appeared on your tongue. You had to endure it! You had to-
Suddenly, the burning went away, making your eyes widen. Alejo and Kia watched you earnestly as you looked down at your curry with a mild look of surprise.
"It's...not hot." You muttered. Alejo's eyes widened while Kia smiled. She then leaned back and enjoyed the rest of her food while Alejo had a try of yours. Naturally the heat was too much to handle for him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After dinner, the maid took away the empty bowls while Kia conversed with you.
"My, you travelled far haven't you?" Kia spoke. You nodded your head while Alejo let out a long sigh.
"It was exhausting! We ran into so much trouble, but I'm glad we made it here in one piece." Alejo spoke. Kia smiled. She then rose to her feet and she gestured for you to do the same.
"Come now, it's getting late. Go and take your baths before heading off to bed. If you enter that hallway, you'll find rooms with your names on it." You got to your feet and you watched Kia leave without another word. You and Alejo then wandered over to the mentioned hallway, and you peered inside.
The hallway was long, and many doors were lined along it. You searched the doors for your name. To your surprise, you didn't find one, but two doors labelled with your name. You and Alejo both shared a look, and you found that Alejo was in the same predicament as you.
"Should we just go inside?" Alejo asked. You shrugged your shoulders.
"Just pick a door I guess." With that said, you followed your advice and you picked the door on the right as did Alejo. Upon entering, you saw that you had entered the bathroom. 'Which is good I guess, since this is where I need to be.' You told yourself, and you approached the already drawn bathtub. You looked down at the water with wide eyes. When had she drawn this? Was it the maid? Without giving it a second thought, you began to remove your clothes.
You put them to the side and dipped your toe into the water to test the temperature. Perfect! You smiled and stepped into the bathtub. You then sunk deep into the water and sighed as you allowed the water to envelop your body. The moment you came into contact with the water, a sweet scent filled your nostrils. 'What is this scent? It smells...nice.' Your eyes began to grow heavy, and you couldn't help but he drifted away by the sweet aroma. 'Wow, this is a really nice bath.'
You allowed your head to go under after closing your eyes. With the water filling your ears, a sense of serenity washed over you for a moment. If you could, you would stay in here forever. But your lack of air was growing to be too much. You had to emerge soon. So you did.
You opened your eyes and to your surprise, everything around you was pitch black. Your eyes widened and you inhaled some water with your sharp breath. You clawed at the sides of the bathtub before finally dragging yourself out of the water. You let out a series of coughs and you clutched your aching throat. Great, you almost drowned in a bathtub. You then heard a knock on the door.
"Y/n? Are you okay? You've been in there for a while." Alejo called out to you. Your eyes widened and you turned your head towards the door.
"U-uh yeah! I'm just getting out now!" You told. It wasn't a complete lie, the bathwater had grown cold. Wait, cold? You looked down at the water in confusion and you slowly lifted yourself out. How could that be? You had just gotten in. As you stepped onto the fluffy towel placed outside of the bathtub, you spotted the clock by the bathroom counter and you eyed the time. Your eyes practically bulged out of your head as you read the hands of the clock.
"I'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR ONE HOUR!?" From outside of the bathroom, Alejo leaned back from the door and he winced at your loud voice. He then pressed his ear against the bathroom door and he furrowed his brows.
"Y/n? You okay in there?" You hastily dried yourself off before throwing on your PJs. Without warning, you swung the bathroom door open, causing Alejo to stumble. He yelped and quickly caught himself before straightening. Once he saw that you were okay, he smiled. "Good, you're still alive." You chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, I just had my head under too long." Alejo sighed and shook his head.
"You've got to be more careful." You smiled and nodded.
"I know." Alejo then smiled at you.
"Well, I'm heading to sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Good night." You nodded and waved to him.
"Good night." Alejo turned his back to you and he disappeared into his room. You looked down at your hand and you clenched it. 'What a weird dream.' You shook your head of the thought and you opened the door to your room. You then walked inside and immediately threw yourself onto the bed. The moment your body landed on the soft mattress, your eyes widened. It felt like you were laying on a bed of clouds! You happily squealed and you rolled from side to side on the bed, feeling the springiness. After your bit of fun, you came to a stop and you stared up at the ceiling. The test was tomorrow. With the test so close, you couldn't help but be worried.
'I have to pass, I absolutely have to.' With that thought in your head, you closed your eyes and fell asleep. Without knowing it, tomorrow was the day your life was going to change forever.