"The First Trial"
> 20 years ago, the Tower rose.
Not from stone or steel, but from concepts — a structure of laws older than language. It pierced the sky and carved a place between dimensions.
Now, humanity climbs.
---
[Present Day]
Eli blinked as the world shifted.
One step — that was all it took. The marble platform of the entrance vanished beneath him. He stood now in a field of pale fog and ash-colored grass. The air was still and bitter cold, pressing against his skin like old paper.
> This... is Floor One?
He turned slowly to see he was surrounded by trees likely he was in the middle of the forest.every where was calm with the leaves whistling against the wind. Everything felt....Unreal. Like the rules of reality bent slightly off-axis.
A sharp chime echoed in his mind that pulled him away from his thoughts.A glowing interface appeared in front of him, projected from nothing.
[FLOOR 1: TRIAL INITIATED]
Objective: Eliminate 10 Riftborn Creatures
Time Limit: 1 hour
Failure Penalty: Death
Optional Objective: Discover the Hidden Room
Bonus Reward Multiplier: 2x
---
> "Penalty: death," huh?"
No tutorial. No guide.
Just live, or die.
He stepped forward cautiously. His only possession was a silver bracer on his right wrist — its surface smooth, warm, and thrumming faintly.
That's when he heard it.
Skrch.
A scraping, wet sound, like meat dragging across stone. He spun around.
From behind a broken stump, something crawled into view. Human-shaped — vaguely — but twisted. Its skin sloughed off like wax, and it had far too many joints. Its jaw hung open, twitching. Its eyes glowed white, empty.
> "A Riftborn…" he whispered. The name appeared in his mind instinctively.
The creature shrieked and launched at him, limbs flailing.
Panic flared in his chest.
> Move!
Eli dove to the side, rolling through the grasses as claws slashed the space where his chest had been.
His right hand lifted on instinct — the bracer pulsed.
[Conduit Initiated]
Weapon Configuration: Arc-Blade (Tier 0)
Materialized. Duration: Temporary. Power: Syncing… 4%… 9%…
A blade of faint light surged from the bracer — curved like a crescent moon, flickering with unstable energy. It vibrated in his hand, alive.
The Riftborn lunged again.
He slashed upward.
Schhh—CRACK!
The blade cut through the creature's arm and across its neck. It screeched, gurgled, then fell — twitching violently before evaporating into a cloud of gray sparks.
He stared, panting.
> What the hell was that?
More screeches answered. He turned — four more shapes moved through the fog, drawn by the sound.
"Ten, right?" he muttered. "Just have to survive…"
He raised the arc-blade. His hands trembled. But something inside him felt… clearer.
The fear didn't vanish — it sharpened.
The next Riftborn attacked low. He dodged, barely, and delivered a shallow slice across its chest. Not enough. It swiped back — claws catching his shoulder. Pain seared through him.
> "Shit!"
He dropped to one knee. Two more rushed him.
But then — something in his mind clicked. He saw their movements just half a second earlier. A rhythm.
He spun low. Cut one across the knees, twisted, and stabbed upward into the second's throat. Blood hissed like acid as it died.
His bracer pulsed again.
[Adaptation Threshold Achieved: +5% Sync]
[New Motion Memory Unlocked: Defensive Counterstep I]
> It's learning. With me.
As he was distracted by that thought one of the last creature was already at him and before he could react it lounge at his face with claws ready to reap his head off then it happened.
A flash of blue light exploded near the last creature.
It didn't come from Eli.
A spear made of condensed runes slammed into the Riftborn's chest, pinning it to a rock before detonating in a controlled burst.
The fog parted slightly — and she stepped out.
A girl, maybe a few years older than Eli. Long hair bound back by woven cords, her skin bronze in the Tower's twilight. A scholar's robe fluttered around her legs, marked with glowing script.
>"Not bad," she said coolly, eyes flicking over Eli. "For a first timer."
Eli stared, gripping his blade. "You... just killed my target."
You weren't going to finish it. I did you a favor."
She waved a finger — runes floated around her like leaves. She didn't even seem winded.
Who are you?" he asked.
Liora Vale. Researcher. Traveler.
Floor 5-certified."
"You?"
"Eli. First day."
"Clearly."
She moved past him without further explanation, scanning the trees and rocks like she was hunting something different entirely.
>"Let me guess," Eli muttered, "You're after the optional objective."
>"Good instincts," she replied without turning. "Stay quiet and follow, or go die somewhere quieter."
Then she walked off
As he crossed through the far end of the field.
Eli's kill count now sat at six, thanks to some intense efforts.
As he stumbled barely able to stand straight with broken stride as the last Riftborn disintegrated.
The moment the last Riftborn disintegrated into stardust and vanished into the air, a hum pulsed through the Tower's structure. It wasn't loud, but it was deep—felt through bone and breath.
Eli held back, gasping for air. The blade of light he had summoned earlier had already vanished. The aches in his arms and chest reminded him just how close death had crept.
[TRIAL COMPLETE]
[CLEAR TIME: 37:59]
[STATUS: PASSED]
[LEVEL: 1]
The message floated before his eyes, golden and absolute.
"I… passed," he whispered, barely believing it.
Around him, the Tower began to shift. The forest pulsed with faint energy, the lighting softened, and the oppressive pressure that had blanketed the entire floor was lifted ever so slightly.
It was over—at least for now.
That was when she appeared again.
Liora stepped from the mists like a memory returning. Her expression unreadable, arms folded loosely, eyes flicking over him—not with warmth or approval, but calculation.
"So you lived."
Eli managed a shaky grin. "Barely."
She tilted her head. "Then maybe you're more foolish than I thought. Or more dangerous."
He sat down on a stone block, nursing his ribs. "You knew I'd survive?"
"No." She walked past him. "I thought you'd die."
Eli exhaled a laugh that hurt. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
She didn't smile. Instead, she paused near the far tree—one he hadn't noticed before. Cracks ran along its surface, faintly glowing. Almost like a sealed door.
"Hey," Eli said, forcing himself up. "What is that?"
"Nothing," she said too quickly. "Just residual energy from the trial. Leave it."
He took a step closer. The closer he got, the more the air buzzed.
"Wait—"
She turned and grabbed his wrist hard. "Don't touch it."
Her eyes had changed. Sharper. Afraid?
Eli frowned. "What's behind it?"
Liora didn't answer immediately.
When she spoke, her voice was lower. "Some doors open only when the Tower allows it. And not everything behind them is meant for people like us."
"So you do know what it is."
She let go of him, taking a step back. "I know enough to walk away. You should too."
She knows something.
But she won't say it.
Eli stared at the crackling seal. Something inside it pulsed faintly—as if waiting.
"Why did you really come back?" he asked.
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned and walked away, vanishing once more into the fog.
Eli stood there long after she left.
His instincts screamed at him to reach out. To touch the wall. To open what was closed.
But something else held him back.
Maybe it was her warning. Maybe it was fear.
The Tower had accepted him. He had passed the first trial. He had reached Level 1.
But in the Tower, every victory opened the door to a deeper question
What was the price?
And somewhere within that cracked tree or door … something was listening.
As he hesitantly turned and left the tree chasing after the enigamic researcher"the tree pulsed ever slightly with a low hum"
And as if the tower itself was plotting against him,that when they found it.
Behind a collapsed stone arch — a door. Not made of stone or metal.
It pulsed, gently — as if alive.
Flesh-like, sealed with black runes, and radiating an oppressive pressure.
Liora stopped. Her voice lost its sharpness.
"That… shouldn't be here."
Why?" Eli asked.
>"Because I've studied this floor. Extensively. No version of it includes a living seal or death-runes this old. This is… pre-Tower."
Eli moved closer, drawn by an unseen gravity.
It's breathing," he whispered.
Suddenly, the runes flared. A symbol burned into the air:
[ ENTRY REQUIRES KEY: BLOOD OF SYNCHRONIZED ONE ]
Liora stepped back. "You're a Sync-type. It wants your blood."
Eli's mouth went dry. "What happens if I give it?"
"I don't know. But if that door's what I think it is — it either leads to a sealed shard or something that we can't comprehend.
"A fragment of one of the first beings ever bound by the Tower."
"You're telling me this on Floor One?"
"Exactly. Which means someone, or something, is watching you."
Silence.
Behind the door, something breathed. Faint. Ancient. Waiting.
>"You came here to survive your first trial," Liora said softly. "If you bleed on that seal... your entire path might change."
Eli's hand hovered over the bracer. It pulsed again — faster now. A heartbeat.
He met her gaze.
>"What would you do?" he asked.
She paused,as she turned then slightly replied.
>"Run."
Then added:
"But I'm not you."
To Be Continued