His trial complete, Kael stepped through the rift leading into what he understood to be the final resting zone before the end of this infernal tutorial.

  Calm.

  Too calm.

  A dull tension hung in the air—

  invisible, yet undeniably real.

  As if the place itself were holding its breath.

  The air felt heavier, saturated with an unseen weight.

  Every step died before it existed, smothered by that thick silence.

  What the…?

  No. It’s nothing. Just fatigue.

  But no.

  Every fiber of his body contradicted him.

  His heart suddenly accelerated, hammering against his ribs like a living alarm.

  A dry heat crawled up the back of his neck.

  Breathe. It’s nothing. Breathe.

  He tried.

  The air only entered halfway.

  As if something were squeezing his chest from the inside.

  Not pain.

  Pressure.

  Slow. Cold.

  His fingers trembled.

  He couldn’t tell if he was freezing or suffocating.

  His throat tightened; his breath shortened.

  A light dizziness rose in his skull, almost pleasant.

  What the fuck… is this?

  His eyes swept the room.

  Nothing.

  No movement. No threat.

  Just a perfect void.

  That unnatural silence.

  Too perfect to be real.

  A vibration, faint, rippled through the ground.

  A muffled beat—almost organic.

  He wasn’t sure. Maybe his own heart. Maybe not.

  This isn’t a panic attack… is it?

  No. I know what this is.

  Something was off.

  Something was approaching.

  He clenched his teeth, trying to convince himself it was only an impression.

  But the more he tried to believe it,

  the more his body screamed the opposite.

  This wasn’t fear.

  It was… something else.

  Something watching him.

  He stepped back.

  One step.

  And even that single movement made him feel exposed to a formless presence.

  His breath stopped.

  One beat. Two.

  Then nothing.

  Silence.

  Total.

  Then suddenly—

  a violent tear of light ripped through the air.

  Another one.

  Someone else had finally crossed the rift.

  It wasn’t the presence of an ally that mattered.

  Just the fact he wasn’t alone anymore.

  A faint breath drifted across the room.

  The anxiety didn’t vanish—

  but it stepped back just enough for him to breathe.

  Kael felt the tension in his chest loosen, slightly.

  His heart was still beating too fast—

  but the rhythm, this time, was human.

  For the first time in what felt like an eternity,

  he managed to breathe.

  A little.

  Kael watched the spatial fractures open one after another.

  Some burst loudly, in blinding cracks of light.

  Others tore open slowly, like wounds refusing to close.

  He stayed still, eyes fixed on those shifting fissures.

  With each burst, his heart quickened—

  expectation mingling with apprehension.

  He caught himself hoping.

  Hoping to see certain faces.

  The thought disturbed him.

  Had he really grown attached?

  To whom, exactly?

  He couldn’t say.

  But he knew one thing: solitude had limits.

  Even for him.

  It wore down the body first,

  then the mind.

  And now he felt both wavering.

  He looked away, trying to chase the weakness off.

  The stone floor cracked softly under his boots, a thin dust of black rock scattering.

  Around him, the chamber vibrated with each opening rift,

  as if space itself were exhaling reluctantly.

  He drew a deep breath, hoping the next portal would at least reveal a familiar presence.

  Someone. Anyone.

  Just… not being alone.

  A breath of heat twisted the air a few meters away.

  Another rift reopened.

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  And this time, a silhouette stepped out.

  Not another stranger.

  A familiar presence.

  Kiyoshi—straight, calm, as always.

  And just behind him—Gravyor.

  Kael’s heart loosened without his realizing it.

  The tension, for a moment, faded.

  Gravyor staggered closer, covered in black soot.

  His hair stuck out in every direction.

  His clothes looked like they had survived a literal explosion.

  Kael froze for a second.

  Then a laugh escaped him—

  dry, shaky at first, then real.

  It had been so long.

  Laughing, here.

  He dragged a hand down his face, trying to regain composure,

  but the smile stayed.

  Gravyor raised an eyebrow, half amused, half annoyed.

  — What? Is this the dress code around here now? he said, shaking a burnt flap of his jacket.

  Kael shrugged, breath still unsteady.

  — Let’s say it beats corpses.

  The laugh returned, freer.

  For an instant, the world felt less hostile.

  Another burst of light.

  By reflex, Kael turned from Gravyor’s nonsense to see who would emerge.

  A shape stepped through.

  Not a familiar one.

  A stranger. Again.

  Disappointment hit him harder than he expected.

  He froze, unable to understand why the absence of recognition stung so sharply.

  Was I… waiting for someone?

  The thought crossed him before he could chase it.

  Ridiculous.

  And yet, it settled.

  He realized it now—

  he truly was hoping for one face in particular.

  Maybe the one he didn’t dare to name.

  A chill slid down his neck.

  Sharp, precise.

  And he knew.

  Without reason. Without sight.

  Just instinct.

  Someone was coming.

  Not just anyone.

  He sensed it before the rift even opened.

  A soft pulse rippled through the air.

  And she appeared.

  Veda.

  Joyful, as always.

  Even after all this.

  She carried a strange warmth with her—out of place in such a bleak chamber—

  a light that defied stone, fear, and cold.

  Every time she smiled, something inside him loosened.

  A fraction of the weight he carried dissolved,

  without him understanding how

  or why.

  And for the first time in a long time,

  he wanted to believe.

  Even a little.

  But when their eyes met,

  Kael’s gaze slipped away.

  A reflex.

  Instinctive.

  His eyes dropped to the ground, searching for an anchor in the void.

  Was it shyness?

  Lack of confidence?

  Or simply fear of hurting her again?

  No one knew.

  Not even him.

  He hadn’t even looked around until now.

  Everything until this moment had been tension and suffocation.

  But now, as calm settled, the room’s details emerged.

  A perfect circle carved into the stone.

  The floor rose in even layers—wide stone steps forming concentric rings.

  A space built for gathering… or for watching.

  He couldn’t tell.

  Kael sat halfway up the tiers, leaning back, hands pressed to the cold stone.

  Above, the ceiling projected a false starry sky—

  thousands of tiny lights, frozen in an imitation of peace.

  He stayed like that for a while, simply watching.

  Everything seemed so calm… almost too calm.

  The distant murmur of the rifts faded, swallowed by silence.

  Even the light softened, as if the Tower itself had grown tired of tormenting him.

  Without thinking, Kael closed his eyes.

  Gently.

  As if, for once, nothing else existed.

  A fragile moment.

  Suspended outside time.

  Just him, and the false sky.

  Then—

  heat brushed his skin.

  Not warmth—

  a slow, biting burn.

  The air itself seemed to scorch.

  A thick stench of charred flesh filled his lungs.

  He opened his eyes.

  And the world collapsed.

  The chamber was gone.

  No steps. No starry ceiling.

  No rest.

  In its place—

  a glowing wasteland, shifting constantly.

  The ground pulsed, alive, as if hell were breathing beneath him.

  Vertigo hit him.

  He knew this place.

  Somehow.

  A blurred memory, gnawed by time—

  or by the Tower.

  An old nightmare, maybe.

  Close enough to recognize,

  twisted enough to doubt.

  And then he saw her.

  The creature.

  As hideous as it was majestic.

  As powerful as it was vicious.

  And above all—merciless.

  Its claws—half a meter long—gleamed gold.

  Dangling from one of them was a body.

  Human, at first glance.

  Kael narrowed his eyes, trying to see the face.

  It wasn’t Thana.

  Nor Lyana.

  Although for a heartbeat, he doubted.

  He stepped forward.

  One step.

  And the world tore open.

  It was Veda.

  Impaled.

  Her torso skewered clean through by those razor-edged claws.

  The creature exulted.

  A deep, vibrating laugh rumbled through the burning air—

  a sound belonging neither to the living nor the dead.

  Kael tried to scream.

  Nothing came out.

  His body refused to move.

  He collapsed to his knees, hand clutching his chest.

  A crushing pain devoured his heart.

  I don’t understand…

  The beast turned.

  Its golden eyes opened, slicing through the darkness.

  And everything shattered.

  Kael woke with a violent jolt, gasping.

  His body shot upright—

  a reflex of pure panic.

  A dull impact.

  He had hit something—someone.

  — Ow!

  Veda, right in front of him.

  She stepped back, rubbing her forehead, more surprised than upset.

  Kiyoshi and Gravyor hurried closer, worried.

  — You were moving a lot, Kiyoshi said.

  — And talking… in some language we don’t get, Gravyor added.

  Kael stayed silent.

  His breath shaky.

  The pain in his chest still lingering—

  the ghost of the nightmare.

  He slowly raised his eyes to Veda.

  Alive.

  Her real face.

  But for a heartbeat, he thought he saw—

  behind her—

  the golden glint of the monster’s eyes.

  Veda took another step, worried.

  — Kael… are you sure you’re okay?

  He blinked, surprised by the softness in her voice.

  He wanted to answer, but no words came.

  She frowned, gently.

  And that’s when he understood.

  His cheeks were wet.

  Tears—silent ones—he hadn’t even felt.

  He wiped his face, embarrassed.

  — I… yeah. I’m fine.

  A blatant lie.

  But Veda didn’t push.

  She simply stayed beside him—

  as if her presence alone could quiet what he couldn’t say.

  Kael inhaled slowly, then stood.

  His hand rested on Veda’s head—

  a simple gesture, almost brotherly.

  — Thank you, he said, softer than usual.

  She blinked in surprise at the sudden warmth.

  He managed a faint smile.

  — Listen… whatever happens next, stay with Kiyoshi and Gravyor.

  — Always.

  — Promise me.

  Veda frowned, thrown off.

  — Kael… why are you saying that?

  — Promise.

  She hesitated, then nodded.

  — Okay. I promise.

  He thanked her with a slight nod, then looked away.

  His gaze lingered on the false sky—

  before dropping to the center of the chamber.

  Without another word, Kael descended the stone steps.

  The silence grew heavier the closer he got.

  Then the main rift opened again.

  A silhouette stepped through—

  radiant, too perfect to be human.

  The Guide’s replacement.

  In a calm, almost benevolent voice, he spoke:

  — Conquerors… the ninth floor awaits.

  After the final explanations, Kael stepped into the rift leading to the ninth floor.

  The transition hit him like a slap.

  A crushing heat slammed into his face—

  almost liquid.

  The air stank of ash and burnt metal.

  The ground vibrated faintly, alive.

  Black stone cracked beneath him, exhaling thin streams of glowing vapor.

  Every breath burned his throat.

  Before him stretched an apocalyptic landscape.

  Islands of dark rock, separated by rivers of molten magma.

  On each island, a rift hovered—

  wavering like an unsteady flame.

  And far away—

  a throne.

  Carved from obsidian.

  Colossal.

  A massive, shapeless figure sat on it—

  but its aura alone bent the air around it.

  A chill climbed Kael’s spine.

  This place… he recognized its weight.

  The same suffocating dread from the rest zone surged back—

  stronger, crushing.

  Something in him screamed that nothing here was right.

  That all of this was a mistake.

  His eyes drifted to the rifts.

  Human silhouettes stepped out, one by one,

  each finding their own island.

  He tried to call out to Veda.

  Nothing left his mouth.

  One beat. Two.

  Then pain.

  Brutal.

  A dagger burst through his chest.

  Cold metal pierced his ribcage, exiting in a spray of scarlet.

  Kael looked down.

  His trembling fingers brushed the blood-slick blade.

  His breath caught.

  The world froze.