The Tower seemed to breathe around them.

  The oppressive silence of the second floor had turned into a constant whisper, as if something — or someone — was watching Lukas and Búdica with every step. The ancient stones vibrated with residual magic, and the light of the mana crystals flickered in strange tones, as if mocking the two.

  Lukas walked ahead, shield in hand, eyes sharp, and both gladii strapped to his back. Búdica followed close behind, her twin lances crossed on her back. Neither spoke a word.

  — Don’t you feel it? Lukas asked in a low voice. — The Tower has changed. It’s testing us.

  Búdica nodded, curtly, but gave no reply.

  Suddenly, a wave of heat and distortion swept through the corridor. It was as if the air itself had been slashed by an invisible blade. Lukas felt the shield vibrate on his arm. It wasn’t just magic... it was something older, more perverse.

  Before he could react, a streak of energy snaked along the floor, rising like a silver serpent and…

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  — What was that?! Búdica exclaimed in fury.

  Her body was… transparent.

  For a second, the armor over her chest and waist vanished like smoke dissolving under the sun.

  Lukas froze, wide-eyed.

  Búdica’s pale skin, marked with old scars. Her firm breasts, rosy, perfect, as if carved from living ice. The curves of a warrior forged by battle.

  Time froze.

  And then it crashed back brutally.

  — PERVERT! Búdica roared.

  The punch came straight to Lukas’s jaw.

  He flew back, spinning in the air before slamming against the stone wall.

  — AAAAAAARGH! he groaned, feeling his vertebrae arguing among themselves.

  The seal glowed once more. And an ancient laugh echoed in Lukas’s mind. A feminine voice, malicious, almost sensual.

  — Well, well… I thought you needed to see with your own eyes what guards your path. Did you like the view, Lukas?

  He trembled.

  — You… who are you?

  — Ah, Lukas… how can you forget me? We’ll play a lot more… but for today, just a gift.

  The voice faded. The seal went dark.

  Búdica stood, furious and red with shame. Her armor already back in place.

  — I… Lukas began.

  — If you say one more word, I’ll bury your head in a hole until you learn to keep your eyes shut.

  He stayed silent.

  ---

  Secret Epilogue (Interlude in the Black Tower)

  On the 100th floor of the Tower of the Unfortunate…

  Morgana laughed before the black mirror. Her dark eyes gleamed with malice.

  — Ah, Lukas… you’re such a treasure. So much shame over a body. So much purity…

  She walked toward the shadowed altar, where ancient symbols glowed with power.

  — I will corrupt you. But not yet. I want to see you… grow. Burn. Desire. And fail.

  The shadows around whispered her name.

  Morgana, Queen of the Outer Tower.

  She touched her lips, smiled, and blew a kiss toward the mirror:

  — Sleep well, heir… of lust and of war.

  End of the Extra Chapter.