Opening – The Descent
Rain's boots clanged softly against the steel rungs. The deeper he went, the less the air moved. The Spire's heartbeat — the groan of gears, the sigh of steam — faded until there was only silence.
The walls around him shifted from metal to smooth black stone, warm to the touch despite the cold air.Somewhere far above, the hatch sealed shut with a final, echoing click.
The Chamber
The ladder ended in a vast circular room.The floor was a mirror — not polished metal, but water, perfectly still and so black it reflected the ceiling like glass.
Hanging in the air above the water were thousands of faint, glowing threads. Each thread pulsed gently, like a slow breath.
When Rain stepped closer, he saw that each thread was tied to a small floating shard of crystal. Inside each crystal, a tiny scene played — moments from lives he didn't recognize.Until he did.
The First Memory
One crystal contained him — younger, standing under the metal awning of a market stall, holding a bread roll too big for his hands.It was raining, and his sister was laughing beside him.
Rain froze. He had not thought about that day in years.
From behind him came the whisper again — closer now, almost in his ear.
"Memories are heavy things, aren't they?"
The Figure
Rain spun around.A man stood there, half-shrouded in shadow. Same height, same stance… same eyes.
It was him.Or rather, a version of him — older, sharper, wearing a coat lined with silver thread. The same silver as the line on the black card.
Older Rain: "You're late. I nearly had to climb this damn place again."Rain: "…Who are you?"Older Rain: "The one who failed. The one you'll become if you choose wrong."
The Bargain
The older version held up his own black card — but the silver line on his was broken, jagged at the end.
Older Rain: "The shard you're chasing? Worthless. The Librarian's errands are just bait. What matters is this place. The Memory Below."
He gestured to the floating crystals.
"You can change one. Just one. Any moment. Your own… or someone else's. Fix a mistake. Erase a loss. Rewrite it."
The Warning
Rain's hand itched toward the nearest crystal — the one with his sister.But the older version's tone shifted, colder now.
Older Rain: "Of course, you'll pay for it. Every change you make here… will cost you something you don't choose."
He stepped back into the shadows, voice fading:
"Decide quickly. Memory doesn't wait forever."
The black water rippled beneath Rain's feet, and the crystal of his sister drifted closer, glowing brighter.
Cliffhanger – Touch or Turn Away?
His fingers hovered an inch from the crystal.One choice could undo years of regret.One choice could shatter everything else.
Somewhere far above, the Spire groaned — as if impatient for his decision.