The name Eternal Tower echoed in Arin's mind.
Alaric, the Radiant Sovereign, had left them with a challenge. A warning. And an opportunity.
Arin had no intention of backing down.
Standing amidst the ruins of the cathedral, he turned toward his companions. "We move now."
Lilith grinned. "Straight to the Tower? No rest?"
Arin's crimson eyes burned with determination. "Rest is for after victory."
Selene smirked. "Heh. I like that mindset."
Seraphina, however, hesitated. The Eternal Tower wasn't just a battleground—it was a graveyard for the unworthy.
"He doesn't know what he's walking into."
Yet, looking into Arin's eyes… she knew there was no turning back.
---
The Tower's Entrance
The Eternal Tower loomed before them, piercing the stormy skies like a monolith of judgment. Each of its 100 floors held a trial, a guardian, and a lesson in power.
As the group stepped toward the entrance, a mechanical voice echoed through the air.
> [Eternal Tower – First Floor Trial Initiated]
Objective: Prove Your Existence
The ground beneath them shifted.
A blinding white light swallowed them whole.
---
Trial of Souls
When the light faded, Arin and his team found themselves in a vast, endless void. Stars glittered above, but the ground was nothing but a reflective mirror beneath their feet.
Then, figures began to rise from the surface.
Their own reflections.
No… their past selves.
Arin's eyes narrowed as a younger version of himself stepped forward, still bound by the chains of his past.
Seraphina gasped as she faced a version of herself in full holy regalia, before she had questioned the gods.
Lilith smirked as a blood-soaked version of herself licked her lips, reveling in slaughter.
Selene's expression darkened as her mirror self stood with a throne behind her, draped in shadows—a queen of darkness, untamed and unchained.
> [Trial of Souls: Conquer the Shadow Within]
Their own pasts, fears, and regrets had come to challenge them.
Lilith licked her lips. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
Seraphina clenched her fists. "This… this isn't just a battle. This is a judgment."
Arin smirked. "Then let's show them who we've become."
---
A Battle Against Themselves
The void trembled as the past selves charged.
Arin clashed fists with his former self, shattering the chains that once bound him.
Seraphina crossed blades with her saintly counterpart, defying the destiny she once accepted.
Lilith laughed madly, tearing into her own bloodthirsty past, proving that she was more than just a killer.
Selene stood face to face with her throne-bound self, shadows wrapping around her. A battle for control.
The battlefield roared with echoes of power.
The past tried to consume them.
But they refused to break.
And one by one…
They shattered their pasts.
> [Trial Complete: Your Existence is Acknowledged]
[Floor 1 Cleared – Access to Floor 2 Unlocked]
The void collapsed.
The team stood victorious.
Arin exhaled, his fists still burning with residual power. "That was… enlightening."
Lilith giggled. "I kinda wanted my evil self to stay. She was fun."
Selene smirked. "Next floor, then?"
Seraphina, breathing heavily, simply nodded.
Arin turned toward the floating stairway that had appeared before them.
"Let's ascend."
---
[TO BE CONTINUED…]