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Back in his home, in the Adolescent Chambers, also known as the ADC, Felix sat in a hot tub surrounded by a number of other hot tubs and artificial waterfalls. The room was long and narrow, and the ground went up and down making a slope of hot tubs with narrow tile paths in between them. 

Una was in an ice bath on a lower part of the slope. 

Felix sat at the end of his tub and looked down at Una, who was floating on her back. He was talking to her about the dragons he met. 

"-The first dragon was like all the dragons that I've seen from a distance. Practically like statues made out of scales, so thin and long, but the second dragon I met was stockier and made of metal! He told me his name was Error, and he had a garden and books and all sorts of other stuff in this capsule. He hit the tower with a capsule! The other dragons didn't have anything like that," Felix explained.

"You think this Error guy came from outer space? You think he might be an alien??" Una asked. She sat up and faced him.

"Maybe, I mean it doesn't look like there's anything else in the world. It's just us and the sky. He'd have to come from outer space," Felix said. 

"Ehh, I don't think that's right. The tower has to be standing on something," Una said. She moved her body to the edge and leaned her elbows over the sides of the bath. 

"The sun doesn't have to sit on something," Felix said.

"Yeah true, but I'm just saying that there would have to be materials to make the tower in the first place. Where would the materials come from if the tower wasn't sitting on something?" Una said. 

"... Space," Felix said. Una chuckled.

"… That could work. I still don't think the tower's just floating in space though. My mom always told me that the tower sits on a planet," Una said. 

"But how does she know that?" Felix asked as he gestured with an arm.

"She says everybody knows that," Una said.

"But I saw the outside world there right in front of me. I didn't see a floor anywhere," Felix said. 

"Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Everybody also knows that the tower is 'impossibly tall' and 'incredibly wide'," Una used her fingers to quote, "Maybe we're just so high that you couldn't even see the ground, or if you did, it was unrecognizable at this height."

"As much as I hate being wrong, I hope you're right," Felix put his chin down on the side of the tub, "I don't like thinking about the tower like it's the only thing in the world. It makes me feel uncomfortable, like it's unnatural." 

"How so?" Una asked. 

"Mmn… It's like, I feel trapped here and all the cool things I've been searching for in the Wilderness Chambers don't really exist. I want to be free from all of these repeating rooms and corridors. I just want to be free.." Felix lamented. 

"But where would you go?" Una asked. She tried to imagine a big place without walls but her mind found it difficult.

"I'm not sure, but maybe Error can tell me. It doesn't matter if he comes from space or the planet, he knows there's something else out there, and maybe he can teach me about it," Felix said.

"I donno Felix. You still don't know anything about this Error guy. You don't even know why he's here," Una warned. 

"He spared me. I think we're cool," Felix said.

"He spared you, one time. Who's to say he won't kill you the next time you see him?" Una said. She put one finger up to represent 'one time'.

"I know, and I have been careless.." Felix looked away briefly.

"And?" Una asked.

"I just can't help myself in going back," Felix admitted. 

"Uhg! Felix," Una rubbed her forehead in annoyance.

"I know! I know! But I can't just let this opportunity slip past me. I have questions, he has answers! He's the most incredible thing I've ever laid my eyes on. Even if it's not really smart, I have to know something about what he knows. I have to know before we grow up," Felix said.

Una sighed.

"... I can see where you're coming from, but I would be so upset if you said all this to me, and suddenly never came back. Maybe ask your dad for answers before going out and risking your life," Una said. 

"I'll try, but he's never really great at answers," Felix said.

"You asked him about something before?" Una asked.

Felix nodded and tapped his collar with a claw. 

"Ah.." Una understood. 

***

Back in his room, Felix sat at his desk with a sheet of lined paper and a pencil in hand. He tapped the pencil to his chin in thought. 

He was going to write a question to his father but picking just one question was going to be difficult. He wished he could just visit his father, but it was forbidden for children and adults to interact all that much. That's why Felix was separated from him in the Adolescent Chambers, while his father Digit was in the chambers above, known as the Grownbot Chambers.

'Hey dad, I haven't contacted you in a while but I'd like to ask you some questions. 

Is the tower sitting on a planet, or is it just floating in space? Are there other worlds? And what does my collar do? Also, how are you doing? 

-Love Felix'

To fill up the rest of the page Felix doodled animals that he liked to draw in the Wilderness Chambers. He folded up the page and placed it in an envelope. He wrote down his father's address on the letter and slipped it into a slot in the wall. 

He tapped his foot.

It was going to take a while before Digit saw the letter, and his answers were always fickle. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to do some exploring while he waited. 

***

In the vast abandoned town, at the bottom of the towering staircase, Felix sat with his back to a crumbling building. With him was his backpack, his lantern, and his sketchbook and pencil. He watched on as a small herd of coyne were making their way around the street in front of him. They were amphibious deer-like creatures with two sets of antlers, one under their jawbones, and one on the tops of their heads. They never stayed around here for long, as this town didn't have much food, but they liked to stretch their legs and bound.

One of them broke from the herd and walked generally in Felix's direction. When it reached Felix, at first it seemed to ignore him, then it sank its neck down to Felix, sniffing him.

"Hi.." Felix said to it sweetly. He reached out to its snout but the coyne snapped its head back up and took a step away, "...My bad." Felix said to it. The coyne herd continued walking through the roads, away from Felix. Still, even from where he was sitting, the coyne felt comfortable acting out their habits with him around. 

A red blur silently landed on top a building nearby. Felix sat up to see it better. It was Error, holding some type of tablet in his claws. Error looked out to the road. Felix followed his gaze to the coyne herd. 

What a perfect time to observe the silvery beast in action. Error didn't even know he was here. Felix turned his lantern down and flipped to a new page in his sketchbook. He lightly sketched out the shapes of Error, flicking loose lines until he got the beast's look just right. 

His rectangular snout, his tiny nostrils, his sharp red eyes. He stood so strong, even on his hind legs. Felix had trouble imagining what it would be like to try pushing him over. Such a sturdy creature that somehow could also fly, trot and run. His metal muscles must've been just as unbreakable as his body. When trying to draw his claws and wings Felix stopped. He wasn't close enough to see them in detail. Maybe it would be better to just draw him how he seemed from a distance. 

Error turned his head in Felix's direction. Felix froze up and turned his lantern lower. It was too late. Error had already lept into the air and was gliding to a building across the street from him. He landed, making little sound, but the wind from his wings were as powerful as ever.

"What are you doing?" Error asked. It was a dry statement that Felix wished he could properly interpret.

"Nothing.. I'm just exploring again, like always," Felix held his sketchbook closer to his chest. 

"Hmmm," Error breathed. He looked back to the direction of the coyne and held his tablet up again, sketching on the screen with a pen. Felix followed his gaze but looked back to Error who was close enough to see in detail now. One of his claws was hanging off of the roof. Felix sketched it while Error was distracted. Error looked back to Felix.

Felix snapped his head over to the coyne and stared. They were still very beautiful creatures, but he really wanted to draw Error now that he was here. 

Felix glanced at his drawing book. Looking up from it he realized that Error was still looking at him. 

Error snapped his head over to the coyne again. He coughed awkwardly. 

"They're called coyne… the guys with the antlers," Felix said. 

"Oh..." Error said. He made eye contact again, "You know anything else about them?" 

Felix made a mental note in his mind about Error's sharp teeth and large canines. They flashed briefly when the creature spoke.

"They live in their family herd and eat every plant in sight. They're amphibious so I believe they also swim but I haven't really seen them do it," Felix said. 

"Maybe they're similar to bogwalkers and walk at the bottom of water," Error suggested. 

"..Maybe," Felix said, "I personally haven't seen it, but I haven't tracked all their routes. Their main predators are dragons. I don't wanna get between your species and their lunch," Felix said. 

Error raised his brows a bit.

"...Do you think I'm a dragon?" He pointed to himself with a claw. 

"... You're not a dragon?" Felix squeaked. He couldn't keep eye contact. Error sighed.

"It's a really common mistake. I am a frogen," Error said. 

"Is that a kind of hybrid? A furrow, and a dragon? I didn't know that hybrids-" Felix began. Error had to stop him. He climbed down the building he was sitting on and sat in front of Felix.

"I'm not a hybrid, I'm just a step below dragons in evolution. But don't assume that makes me inferior to dragons just because I'm older! Dragons are savages who murdered my people. I won't have any association," Error said.

Felix looked at Error's teeth. He sketched as silently as possible.

"Oh, I'm sorry, and sorry for your loss. Are you.. are you the last of your kind?" Felix asked. He brought his attention back to Error.

"Yes, in a way, I am the last.. What about you? I've never seen any more of your kind around," Error said. He picked up his tablet again and drew while he talked.

"The other gwenens are far from here. They're sealed up in their own chambers. I live in the Adolescent Chambers. It's where all the kids live," Felix said. Since Error was drawing, Felix didn't feel the need to keep up the act, and drew freely.

"Where do all the adults live?" Error asked. 

"In the rest of the Gwenen Chambers," Felix said.

"Are the adults and children separated ?" Error asked. 

"Yeah. It's so that the adults can focus on protecting us and improving society overall. We join them and become machines when we get older," Felix said. 

"Become machines?" Error asked with concern.

"All the adults are machines. You can't improve society if you never improve yourself," Felix said.

"Hrnmm.." Error grumbled. 

Felix wanted to ask what was wrong with that, but he didn't want to challenge Error's views so early. 

"...Are all frogens.. made of metal?" Felix was going to say 'are all frogens machines' but Error didn't exactly move like a machine. Maybe it was like a type of armor covering his organic body. 

"Frogens aren't made of metal. I used to have skin and bones and fur. Only now is my body all machine. The only thing that's left is my brain, well, most of it," Error tapped his cranium with a claw. 

They were quiet for a moment. Felix saw Error's gaze follow his hands. 

"Are… you drawing me?" Felix asked.

Error's face went stiff.

"Yes.." He gave a sheepish smile, "Could I see your palms? I'm just curious,"  

"Of course, uh, they don't have fur on them, my palms," Felix said. His fingers were black, and the skin on his palms were dark too. Error began to draw on his tablet again. After a bit Felix went over to see what he was drawing, "Oh woah, that's me! That's really good." On it were digital sketches of the little gwenen sitting and talking.

"Thank you. I've been drawing wildlife most of my life," Error said. He continued to sketch Felix's hand, and made hash marks wherever his skin or fur was darker, "Gah..I'm messing it up now that you're looking," Error said and he continued drawing a line, undoing it and then redrawing it.

"Don't sweat it, you're great! and uh, I was actually drawing you too," Felix said. He showed Error the sketchpage which had a big picture of Error in the middle and little isolated doodles on the sides. 

Error stopped everything, put his tablet down and took the sketchbook in his own two claws. 

"It's me.." He said in wonder.

"... It's not as good as your stuff but-" Felix started.

"Don't put yourself down, I love it. It's exactly me," Error said, keeping his eyes on the paper. Felix noticed how focused he was. He couldn't help but smile. He'd made this frogen machine happy with one of his skills. They were drawing together, a gwenen and a creature from space. He was so close to him too. He could feel the heat coming off of Error. He was just inches away from touching him.

"Oh! Error, I was meaning to ask you some things," Felix said. Error put the drawing down and broke from his trance.

"What kind of things?" He asked. 

"I was talking with my friend Una about you, and we started talking about the tower, and where you come from.. Is the tower sitting on a planet or is it floating in space? Also, do you come from space?" Felix asked.

"In a way, yes, I do come from outer space. The tower sits on a planet. Its name is Talonlands, which to the rest of the universe sounds more like a country. I guess you've been in the tower all your life then huh?" Error said.

"Yeah. I'm actually not even supposed to be out here in the wilderness. I've never seen the ground before, which is why I asked in the first place," Felix said. He got a little quieter. 

"You're supposed to stay in your chambers..?" Error stated. It wasn't exactly in a negative or positive tone.

"Kinda sorta.. but I'd rather be out here! I would never have met you or of been able to study all the animals out here if I stayed in the ADC. It's boring there," Felix said.

"Do your parents know you're here?" Error asked.

"No, and I only have a dad," Felix said, "I send him letters occasionally, but I'm not comfortable telling him about my favorite hobby. I only tell Una, and that's it."

"You should probably stay in your chambers from now on. I assume you're well protected in there..." Error said.

"Huh? No, Error It's ok, I like being out here, even if it's dangerous. I can handle myself. I've been exploring since I was eight years old," Felix tried to reassure him. His ears drooped at Error's disapproval. 

"I'm not saying that you should be afraid of this place as it is now. It's going to change, and when it does I want you to be in someplace where you can be protected. You should tell everyone you know to prepare too. Prepare for the worst," Error said. 

"Prepare for what? How can we prepare if we don't know what it is?" Felix asked.

"That's the point, you'll never really know. It could be anything: Snakes for organs, shapeshifting pies, invisible clouds of mind altering smoke. The list of things to be afraid of are infinite. You must be clever, never let them in, and if anything's suspicious, cast it out. No exceptions," Error said.

"I don't understand…" Felix said. 

"You will, but please, go to a safe place," Error said, "Go on!" 

Felix picked up his drawing book and stepped back. He took one last look at Error before heading toward the giant staircase to the ceiling. Mixed feelings riddled him.