Tower 1 — Floor Two, Lower Depths
The farther they walked, the quieter the Tower became.
Too quiet.
No breathing walls.
No shifting corridors.
No echoes.
No ambient hum.
Just a long, empty, silent hallway.
Ragnor stopped walking.
"…okay. This is worse. WAY worse."
Lyra's bow was drawn without her even noticing.
"This silence… feels intentional."
Iris hugged herself.
"T-this is the Tower's fear layer. It suppresses sound to amplify psychological tension…"
Aetherion scanned the walls with narrowed eyes.
"This level exists to break the human mind. No monsters. No illusions. Just… anticipation."
Ragnor swallowed.
"…anticipation of what?"
Aetherion didn't answer.
Because the Tower did it for him.
A deep clang echoed behind them.
They turned.
Nothing.
A heartbeat passed.
Then another clang—closer.
Ragnor raised his fists.
"I HATE this."
Iris trembled violently.
"D-don't look behind us."
Lyra frowned.
"Why?"
Iris's voice cracked.
"Because… if we turn around… it gets closer."
Aetherion exhaled slowly.
"So it's a stalking trial."
Ragnor blinked.
"A WHAT trial?!"
Aetherion pointed ahead.
"Don't look back. Just move forward."
Ragnor opened his mouth to protest—
Another clang.
This time… it came from the ceiling.
Lyra hissed softly.
"Move. NOW."
They walked.
Fast.
Another clang.
Now from the floor.
Another.
From the left wall.
Another.
From the right.
It was circling them.
Ragnor muttered under his breath as sweat dripped from his brow.
"I'm gonna punch whatever's doing that right in its—"
CLANG.
Suddenly, cold air pressed against his back.
Iris whimpered.
"It's r-right behind us…"
Lyra's knuckles whitened around her bowstring.
"How close?"
Iris's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…breathing distance."
Ragnor clenched his teeth so hard they creaked.
"Oh, that's it—nope—I'm swinging—"
Aetherion grabbed him by the collar.
"If you turn around we ALL die!"
The clang became a deep inhale.
Hot breath.
Right behind their necks.
Lyra's voice cracked.
"…Aetherion… permission to panic?"
"No."
Iris was shaking violently now.
"I—I can't take this—I can't—"
The breath stopped.
Silence again.
Then—
A whisper brushed Iris's ear.
Not human.
Not deep.
Not alive.
"Child of time…"
Iris screamed—
But Aetherion slapped a hand over her mouth.
"DON'T react. Don't give it emotional feedback—these things feed on fear."
Ragnor's voice dropped low.
"…what THING are we talking about exactly?"
Aetherion answered without turning.
"A Fear Stalker. They're invisible. Intangible. They don't kill you physically—they drive you insane."
Ragnor grunted.
"Fantastic."
Another whisper drifted across the hallway into their ears.
"Why are you running?"
Lyra's breath hitched.
"This thing wants us to look."
Aetherion nodded.
"That's the point of the trial. To break instinct."
Ragnor growled.
"Okay but WHAT if we—"
Suddenly—
CLANG.
Something massive slammed into the floor behind them—
hard enough to send dust flying past their legs.
The whole floor cracked.
Lyra gasped.
"H-how are we supposed to ignore THAT?!"
Aetherion smiled tightly.
"With discipline."
Ragnor snarled.
"With WHAT?!"
Iris was whispering rapidly.
"C-can't do it can't do it can't do it—"
And then—
The stalker finally spoke clearly.
A deep, cold voice.
"Look at me."
Iris couldn't hold it.
She turned.
"AIRIS NO—!"
But before the others could react—
A small hand touched Iris's shoulder.
Her head stopped turning instantly.
They froze.
Everyone froze.
Aetherion whispered:
"…DRM?"
DRM stood behind them.
No sound.
No aura flaring.
Just there.
His mask inches from Iris's face—
looking directly where the Fear Stalker should be.
He lifted his head slowly—
Then tilted it slightly right.
As if listening to something only he could hear.
The air bent around him.
The shadows trembled.
The stalker spoke again.
"….you… are not… permitted."
Aetherion felt his skin crawl.
"Did—did the stalker just… back down?"
DRM took one step forward.
The Tower walls dimmed.
The floor cracked again—
But this time as if something was trying to MOVE AWAY from him.
Ragnor stared in disbelief.
"He's scaring the thing that's supposed to scare US?!"
Lyra whispered:
"He terrifies monsters that don't even have physical bodies…"
Then—
DRM pointed directly at the invisible stalker.
A single gesture.
A soft sound filled the air.
Crack.
Something unseen shattered.
Then silence.
Then nothing.
No breath.
No whispers.
No footsteps.
No presence.
The stalker was gone.
Not fled.
Not hiding.
Just erased.
Iris collapsed to her knees, trembling.
"T-thank you…"
DRM didn't look at her.
He simply walked forward.
Ragnor called out:
"H-HEY! Could you at least WARN US next time—?!"
DRM paused.
Turned his head slightly.
And raised one finger.
Aetherion understood.
"…He IS warning us."
Lyra swallowed.
"About what?"
Aetherion turned pale.
"Something worse is coming."
The floor ahead opened.
The path to Floor Three revealed itself.
They all felt it.
An immense presence up ahead.
Heavy.
Breathing.
Waiting.
And DRM?
He walked toward it without hesitation.
CHAPTER 7 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 8
EXP: +150
Skills:
Earth Strike
Ground Pulse
Mental State: Extremely stressed, frustrated
Physical Status: Minor shock damage
Notes: Strong resistance to fear
Lyra
Level: 7
EXP: +180
Skills:
Constellar Mark
Void Arrow
Mental State: Shaken but stable
Physical Status: Normal
Notes: Highly intuitive on fear mechanics
Iris
Level: 5
EXP: +240
Skills:
Temporal Bind
Chrono Sense
Mental State: Fragile, traumatized
Physical Status: Knees weak
Notes: Extremely vulnerable to fear trials
Aetherion
Level: 8
EXP: +190
Skills:
Microcosm Blast (Harmonic Shift)
Mental State: Anxious intrigue
Physical Status: Stable
Notes: Fear Stalker analysis accurate
DRM
[UNREADABLE]
Level: ERROR
EXP: Unknown
Aura: Stage 1.9 — Silent Nightmare (Approaching Stage 2)
Domain: Ripple detected
Mask Sync: 67%
Emotional State: Unknown
System Note: "Subject eliminated a Fear Stalker. This should not be possible."