Part I: The Intrusion
High above the dark waters of the First Floor, shadows danced along the cliffs.
"My Lady! Lady Yuri!"
A short, silver-haired man scrambled over the rocks, his breathing ragged. He was Evan Edrok, a High Ranker and a Guide of the Tower, but right now he looked more like a panicked babysitter.
"Just what are you trying to accomplish by coming down to the bottom level?!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the cavernous dark.
Ahead of him, a woman with long, flowing black hair and eyes like crimson rubies leaped effortlessly from rock to rock. She was Yuri Jahad, a Princess of Zahard, and she was grinning.
"Didn't you hear, Evan?" she called back, her voice ringing with excitement. "Someone opened the door! An Irregular has entered the First Floor!"
Evan skidded to a halt. "I know! But it's dangerous! If Headon finds us-"
"I don't care about Headon," Yuri interrupted, crouching at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the test floor. "I want to see him. The Irregular."
She peered down into the gloom. Below, in the vast chamber of murals and purple light, she saw two figures. One was the monstrous Guardian, Headon. The other was a small, fragile-looking boy.
"That's him?" Yuri whispered, disappointment coloring her tone. "He looks... ordinary."
Evan peeked over the edge, adjusting his backpack. "See? I told you. He's just a normal human. No three heads, no beams of light shooting from his eyes. Usually, Irregulars are monsters like Urek Mazino. This kid... he looks weak."
Down below, the boy suddenly moved. He didn't cower. He didn't beg. He turned and sprinted- straight toward the steel cage where the White Steel Eel thrashed in the water.
"Wait," Yuri gasped. "Is he... taking the test?"
"He's running toward it!" Evan yelled, horrified. "Is he crazy?! That's suicide!"
Yuri's eyes widened. A grin, sharper and wilder than before, split her face. "Now this is getting interesting."
"My Lady, we should go-"
"Evan," she said, standing up on the precipice. "I'll be right back."
"My Lady? NO! DON'T-"
Yuri didn't listen. She never did. She pushed off the cliff edge, plummeting hundreds of feet into the darkness, her red tie fluttering like a banner of war.
Part II: The Language of the Tower
BOOM.
Baam skidded to a halt as the ground in front of him exploded. Dust billowed up, and from the crater emerged a woman radiating raw power. She stood up, brushing dust off her skirt, and glared at him.
"Hoo-" She exhaled, locking eyes with him. "Hey, Newbie. Are you trying to die as soon as you enter?"
Baam stared at her, trembling. He gripped his knife, confused. "Who... who is this woman?" he thought. "What is she saying?"
He couldn't understand a word. Her voice was just a stream of alien sounds.
"Why aren't you responding?" Yuri demanded, hands on her hips. "Don't you understand me?"
She glanced at Headon, who was watching with amusement. "Hey, Headon! Did you not even give him a Pocket? Are you trying to get him killed on purpose?"
"My, my," Headon chuckled, spreading his hands. "Even I make mistakes, Princess."
"Liar," she spat. She looked up toward the cliffs. "EVAN! Get down here!"
A moment later, Evan dropped down, looking miserable. "Why do you always drag me into this..." he muttered, avoiding Headon's gaze.
"Give him a Pocket," Yuri ordered.
Evan sighed and rummaged through his bag. "Fine, fine. Here." He tossed a small, blue marble toward Baam. "Take it. It's an A-Grade Pocket. Way too good for a rookie, but it's all I have."
Baam caught the cold marble. What is this?
"Can you understand me now?" Evan asked.
The sounds in Baam's head suddenly shifted, rearranging themselves into meaning.
"Ah..." Baam blinked. "Yes. I can understand you."
"Good," Evan said, puffing out his chest. "I am Evan Edrok, a Ranker and a Guide. And this violent woman is Lady Yuri, a Princess of Zahard."
Princess...?" Baam looked at Yuri. She was terrifyingly beautiful, but her eyes held a fierce curiosity.
"Listen, kid," Yuri said, stepping closer. "You're an Irregular. Someone who opened the door from the outside. Usually, Irregulars are monsters who bring chaos to the Tower. But you..." She looked him up and down, unimpressed. "You look weak."
"Princess," Headon interjected smoothly. "Since you seem so concerned, why don't we make things interesting?"
Yuri narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"The test is to pop the ball," Headon said, pointing his staff at the cage. "But the boy has no weapon capable of piercing the Steel Eel's hide. However... if a High Ranker were to lend him a weapon..."
Evan turned pale. "No. No, no, no. My Lady, don't listen to him."
"A weapon?" Yuri murmured.
"The execution of the test is impossible for him," Headon purred. "But if he had, say... the Black March?"
Silence descended on the hall.
"Are you insane?!" Evan screamed. "The Black March is one of the 13 Month Series! It was given to her by King Zahard himself! Lending it to an outsider is treason! It's execution!"
Yuri went quiet. She looked at the terrified boy clutching a dull kitchen knife. Then she looked at the impossible monster waiting in the water.
"Hey, Baam," Yuri asked softly.
Baam looked up. "Yes?"
"Do you want to climb the Tower?"
"Yes," Baam answered without hesitation. "I have to find someone."
"Is she worth dying for?"
"I... I can't give up on her."
Yuri stared at him. She saw the fear in his legs, but the steel in his eyes.
"Fine," she said.
"My Lady!!" Evan shrieked.
Yuri held out her hand. The air shimmered, and a long, slender black needle materialized. It hummed with an ominous, ancient energy. The Black March.
"Take it," she said, shoving it into Baam's hands.
"B-but..." Baam stammered, feeling the weight of the weapon. "This is precious to you..."
"Just take it before I change my mind!" Yuri yelled, her face flushing slightly. "And you better return it! If you break it, I'll kill you myself!"
"Thank you!" Baam bowed deeply. "I promise, Yuri Noona! I will return it!"
"Noona?" Yuri blinked, caught off guard. She turned away, hiding a small smile. "Whatever. Just go."
Evan slumped in defeat. "We're all going to die."
Epilogue: The Needle
Baam turned back to the cage.
The fear was still there, but the weight in his hand gave him something new. Hope.
He gripped the Black March. The needle was cold, darker than the water awaiting him. He didn't know how to use it. He didn't know if he would survive the next ten seconds.
But the door was open.
"I'm coming, Rachel," he whispered.
He stepped into the water. The White Steel Eel roared, a sound that shook the very foundations of the floor, and lunged.
Baam raised the needle.
The boy has the legendary weapon, but a weapon is useless if it refuses to wake up. As the jaws of the Steel Eel close around him, Baam is about to discover that the Black March has a personality of its own- and she might not be willing to help.
***
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