Outside the Tower — Foot of the Silent Spire
The ground trembled with a low, unnatural hum.
As the four approached the Tower, it felt less like walking toward a structure and more like approaching a living thing.
Its walls shimmered—stone, metal, and something organic blended together.
Every few seconds, the runes engraved into the surface shifted patterns like they were breathing.
Ragnor took a deep breath.
"This place gives me the creeps."
Lyra kept her bow raised.
"It should. Everything about it feels wrong."
Aetherion's cosmic aura flickered.
He stared at the runes—calculating, measuring.
"They rearrange every ten seconds… responding to proximity. This isn't architecture. This is… awareness."
Iris clutched her book.
"T-towers… shouldn't be aware…"
Ragnor placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Stay close."
But Iris wasn't looking at him.
She was staring at the ground.
At the footprints.
Small ones.
Leading into the Tower entrance.
Lyra's voice trembled.
"He… walked in alone?"
Aetherion gave a humorless exhale.
"He didn't just walk. There's no hesitation. No pause. No fear."
Ragnor's fists tightened.
"That kid is something else."
Iris swallowed.
"He's not a kid…"
She pointed.
The Tower doors—massive slabs of shifting stone—opened by themselves.
A cold wind blew out.
Carrying whispers. Screams. Laughter.
And something faint…
Like a heartbeat.
Aetherion nodded slowly.
"He's waiting."
Ragnor stepped forward.
"Then we won't keep him waiting."
But as he crossed the threshold—
everything changed.
Inside the Tower — Floor Zero: The Hall of Echoes
The world warped instantly.
The corridor stretched into infinity, walls pulsing with pale green light.
Symbols flickered like fireflies.
The floor reflected their faces—but distorted, twisted, wrong.
Lyra inhaled sharply.
"This… isn't what the scouts described."
Iris stepped behind Aetherion.
"S-scouts didn't make it far."
Ragnor ignored the illusions and raised his fists.
"We should focus. This is Floor Zero—the tutorial floor, right?"
Aetherion shook his head.
"No. This… isn't a tutorial. This is designed to break people before they try."
The lights dimmed.
The corridor stopped breathing.
Silence.
Then—
Footsteps.
Light. Barefoot.
Soft echoes.
The team froze.
A small silhouette emerged from deeper inside the corridor.
A child.
Mask gleaming in the dim light.
Red eyes glowing softly behind the eye-holes.
Bare feet leaving no sound.
A faint black mist drifting from his fingers.
The masked child tilted his head again.
Ragnor's breath hitched.
"…kid."
No reaction.
Lyra whispered:
"This is DRM."
Aetherion frowned.
"No rank. No signature. No aura record. Just… nothing."
Iris stepped back.
"T-this isn't safe—"
Then the masked child raised a hand.
A finger.
And pointed at them.
The lights flickered violently.
Then the walls began screaming.
Iris clasped her ears.
Lyra stumbled back.
Ragnor steadied himself.
Aetherion's eyes widened in understanding.
"The Tower is reacting to HIM."
The runes glowed bright red—
the floor vibrated violently—
the ceiling cracked—
And visions burst into existence.
Tower Zero Test: Fear Manifestation
Three figures emerged from the smoke:
A bloodied version of Ragnor
A dying version of Iris
A monster version of Lyra
Their eyes were hollow.
Their bodies contorted.
Their movements jagged.
Iris screamed.
"T-this is what the Tower does—! It shows your worst—"
The illusions rushed forward.
Ragnor charged the vision of himself.
Lyra fired at the monster version.
Aetherion unleashed cosmic shockwaves.
But none of their attacks landed.
The illusions passed through like mist.
Except—
They left wounds.
Ragnor stumbled as blood dripped from a fresh cut on his arm.
Lyra gasped as her leg buckled.
Aetherion grimaced as his chest burned.
Iris fell to her knees, sobbing.
"W-we can't touch them—this is—this is impossible—"
The illusions circled them.
Laughing.
Crying.
Screaming.
Begging.
The Tower's whispers grew louder—
Then everything stopped.
Like reality hit pause.
Ragnor looked up.
The child stood between them now.
DRM.
His mask faced the illusions.
His tiny hand lifted.
A faint sound escaped the Tower walls—
Somewhere between a whine and a groan.
The illusions froze.
Twitched.
Screamed.
DRM's fingers curled—
—and the illusions shattered like glass.
Silence fell.
The nightmare floor returned to normal.
DRM didn't look at them.
Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
He simply pointed deeper into the Tower.
Then walked away.
Disappearing into the shifting corridor.
Leaving the four speechless.
Aetherion inhaled shakily.
"We… we wouldn't have survived that floor without him."
Ragnor punched the ground.
"Damn it! Why won't he TALK? Why won't he explain anything?!"
Lyra exhaled softly.
"He didn't kill us. That should be enough."
Iris trembled.
"But if… if THAT is Floor Zero… then…"
She stared down the corridor where DRM vanished.
"What's waiting for us on Floor One?"
No one answered.
The Tower pulsed.
As if it was laughing.
CHAPTER 3 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 7
EXP: +540
Skills:
Earth Strike (Improving)
Ground Pulse (Minor)
Aura: Aggressive, shaken
Physical Status: Minor wounds
Mental State: Frustrated, confused
Notes: Fear manifestation caused emotional stress
Lyra
Level: 6
EXP: +450
Skills:
Starlight Arrow (Stable)
Aura: Cold, brittle
Physical Status: Leg strain
Mental State: Focused but rattled
Notes: Mental resilience improving
Iris
Level: 5
EXP: +360
Skills:
Temporal Bind (Minor)
[New Skill] Chrono Sense (Unstable)
Aura: Fragmented
Physical Status: Exhausted
Mental State: Terrified
Notes: Time distortion exposure triggered new ability
Aetherion
Level: 7
EXP: +400
Skills:
Microcosm Blast (Stable)
Aura: Expanding, stressed
Physical Status: Chest burn (manageable)
Mental State: Anxious curiosity
Notes: Strong reaction to DRM's presence
DRM
Level: ERROR
EXP: Unknown
Aura: Stage 1.5 — Silent Nightmare (Intensifying)
Domain: Slight Resonance Detected
Mask Sync: 64%
Emotional State: Unknown
System Note: "Subject manipulated Tower Zero directly."