The passage accepted Eiran without resistance.
Stone did not close behind him this time. It stayed open, as if the tower wanted him to remember that retreat was still technically possible.
He did not look back.
The corridor was shorter than expected. Ten steps. Maybe twelve. Distance felt honest here in a way that was almost insulting.
At the end waited light.
Not bright. Not welcoming.
Just neutral.
Eiran emerged onto a wide, circular platform—cleaner than any space they had seen since entering Floor Eleven. No shadows. No breathing beneath the floor. No distortion in sound.
Only silence.
The others followed one by one. The priestess limped heavily, supported by instinct alone. No one spoke.
Karsen did not appear.
SYSTEM NOTICE: FLOOR 11 — CLEAR CONDITION MET
SURVIVING MEMBERS: 3
CASUALTIES: 3
CLEAR STATUS: SUCCESS
The word success hung in the air, hollow and weightless.
The platform began to rise.
Slowly.
Too slowly to feel like relief.
The priestess stared at the system window, eyes unfocused. "Is… is that it?"
Eiran nodded.
"Yes," he said. "That's it."
The ascent continued in silence.
No victory announcement followed. No reward screen immediately opened. NULL did not celebrate clears.
It recorded them.
As the platform rose, faint images appeared in the air around them—brief, incomplete impressions.
A hand slipping.
A shadow hesitating.
A figure walking forward without being told.
Karsen, once.
Only once.
Then gone.
The priestess covered her mouth, shoulders shaking soundlessly.
Eiran remained still.
He felt no relief.
Only confirmation.
Floor Eleven had not tried to stop them from clearing.
It had tested whether they were worth letting through.
Not because they were strong.
But because they were willing to continue after learning exactly how the tower killed.
The platform slowed.
Light shifted.
The system chimed one final time.
FLOOR 11 COMPLETE
NEXT ENTRY AVAILABLE AFTER STABILIZATION
RECOMMENDED REST PERIOD: IGNORED
Eiran closed his eyes briefly.
NULL had taken three lives.
Not to punish them.
Not to teach morality.
But to refine its understanding of leadership, silence, delegation, and voluntary sacrifice.
And somewhere deeper in the tower, those lessons were already being applied to the next floor.
Eiran opened his eyes as the platform stopped.
Floor Twelve awaited.
And it would not ask the same questions twice.