Chapter 2: The First Trial of Breath
The moss beneath Rael's feet seemed to sigh as he stood.
The sky above shifted, red giving way to a pale gold as the canopy slowly parted. No stairs. No portal. Just a path of smooth stone curling between trees, newly revealed by the Tower.
Rael walked.
The forest grew quieter, not with absence but attention. He could feel it—every branch, every root—watching. Waiting.
After hours, or perhaps moments, he reached a clearing where a pool of still water reflected not his face, but sky. Stars wheeled in the surface despite the daylight above. A stone figure stood beside the water, robed and faceless, holding no weapon but breath.
As Rael approached, words did not appear. Instead, wind gathered behind the statue and coiled around him.
It whispered—not in language, but rhythm.
Inhale. Exhale. Feel. Understand.
A test of breath.
The air thickened.
Rael knelt beside the water. He closed his eyes. He mirrored the rhythm. Inhale. Exhale. The world slowed. Every heartbeat stretched. A minute passed. Then ten.
Then pain.
The breath turned sharp. Cold. Each inhalation burned. Each exhalation stole warmth from his bones.
His thoughts clawed upward—"Stop! Breathe faster! Survive!"—but Rael did not obey.
He endured.
Until his body no longer screamed.
Until he could feel the breath not as air—but as life.
The pool shimmered. The statue crumbled.
A breeze swept the clearing, not cold, not hot. Simply present.
Then a whisper filled his mind:
You have passed the First Trial of Breath.
Instinct Gained: Breath of Still Flame
You may regulate your physical state with breath—calming pain, extending stamina, resisting cold or heat. This instinct will evolve as you do.
Rael stood.
He felt no stronger.
He felt no different.
And yet the world now moved with him, not around him.
Tower Mechanics (Natural Climber Path)
No Interface: Rael has no status window. He grows through intuition, experience, and introspection.
Insight over Power: Each floor presents a riddle, emotion, or truth to uncover. Progression comes by internal realization.
Legacy Memories: Echoes of ancient climbers sometimes whisper their regrets and lessons.
Resonance: As Rael attunes to a floor's essence, he unlocks forgotten instincts or spiritual techniques—manifesting only when needed.
Instincts: Unlocked instead of skills, instincts are bodily and spiritual transformations that deepen with use
Do like to read chapter 3?