Tower 1 — Floor Eleven, The Threshold of Dusk and Dawn
The stairway from Floor Ten opened into something unlike any floor before it.
A vast courtyard.
Soft twilight drifting across a sky that could not exist inside a Tower.
Grass—real grass—swaying gently, glowing faintly with amber light.
Trees with crystal leaves chiming lightly in an eternal breeze.
Ragnor froze mid-step.
"…are we… outside?"
Lyra looked up, eyes wide.
"No… that sky isn't real. It's… painted. Manipulated. Some sort of illusion."
Iris took a trembling step into the glowing grass.
"It's… beautiful…"
Aetherion walked ahead, letting cosmic particles drift from his fingers.
"The laws of physics don't match.
The horizon loops.
The sun and moon are in the same place."
Ragnor squinted upward.
Yup.
Both celestial bodies hung overhead like ornaments.
Iris whispered:
"T-this place… isn't natural…"
Aetherion nodded.
"It's a sanctum.
A resting floor between the lower horrors and the upper trials."
Lyra relaxed slightly.
"Finally. Something calm."
But Ragnor shook his head.
"Calm floors in this Tower usually mean—"
The ground shook.
Softly.
Like a heartbeat beneath their feet.
Lyra grabbed her bow.
"…something is here."
Aetherion's eyes narrowed.
"Yes.
Something powerful."
DRM stepped forward without hesitation.
Twilight reflected off his white mask, making his red eyes appear brighter—almost glowing in two different shades, reacting to the dusk and dawn simultaneously.
The sanctum noticed him.
The wind stopped.
The trees froze.
The grass leaned away.
The world paused…
In fear.
Ragnor muttered quietly:
"Oh great. Even the floor's terrified again."
Aetherion whispered:
"…it's more than fear."
Lyra asked:
"What then?"
The cosmic mage swallowed.
"The sanctum is trying to decide if it should bow or attack."
The Custodian Appears
A soft chime echoed.
Like a bell made of crystal.
The grass parted, revealing a humanoid figure formed entirely of twilight—
purple and gold mist shifting over a tall, elegant frame.
It wore flowing robes made of dusk.
Its eyes were twin orbs of sunrise orange.
Its presence was serene, heavy, and ancient.
Lyra gasped.
"A… guardian?"
Aetherion nodded slowly.
"No.
A Custodian.
A being that maintains the Tower's balance."
Ragnor clenched his fists.
"Friendly or not?"
Aetherion hesitated.
"Yes."
Then paused.
"…probably."
Lyra lowered her bow slightly.
"So it won't attack?"
Iris whispered:
"Then why is it looking at DRM…?"
The Custodian bowed deeply.
To DRM.
Ragnor's jaw dropped.
"You're kidding me again—?!"
Aetherion's heartbeat spiked.
"It's acknowledging him as… a higher rank…"
The Custodian spoke—
Its voice gentle, echoing, layered in dusk and dawn.
"Masked One."
"Your presence disrupts the path."
DRM tilted his head, mask angled upward slightly.
The Custodian continued:
"You walk ahead of the timeline."
"You walk outside the ordained climb."
"The Tower strains beneath your steps."
Lyra whispered:
"…is he… too strong… even for the Tower?"
The Custodian turned toward the group.
"And you…"
Ragnor gulped.
"…us…?"
"You travel with an anomaly."
Aetherion stepped forward.
"What does that mean for us?"
The Custodian's eyes shifted.
"Your fates bend.
Your futures distort.
Your burdens grow heavy."
Iris hugged herself.
"S-so… we're cursed…?"
The Custodian raised a hand gently.
"No."
And the twilight sky dimmed.
"You are protected."
Ragnor blinked.
"…protected? By who?!"
The Custodian's answer came slow.
"By him."
All eyes snapped to DRM.
The small masked child.
Silent.
Still.
Expressionless.
Yet…
Every divine being they encountered lowered themselves to him.
Lyra whispered:
"…even floors listen to him."
Aetherion exhaled shakily.
"The Tower doesn't know what DRM is…
but it knows he is not prey."
The Trial of Twilight
The Custodian stepped aside.
"You may rest within the sanctum.
Recover. Heal.
But you must face the trial before ascending."
Ragnor groaned.
"Of course there's a trial—what is it this time?"
The twilight grass rippled.
Crystal leaves chimed ominously.
The sky flickered.
The Custodian extended a hand—
and the twilight condensed into a weapon rack made of light.
Swords.
Staffs.
Shields.
Armor.
Aetherion's eyes widened.
"…a choice trial."
Lyra asked:
"What do we choose?"
The Custodian answered:
"Choose who you are…
before you choose how you fight."
Ragnor blinked.
"What does that even mean?!"
Aetherion whispered:
"It's not a combat trial…"
The sky darkened.
The sun and moon merged into one swirling orb.
The Custodian spoke again:
"It is a trial of identity."
Iris clung to Lyra's sleeve.
"T-that… sounds dangerous…"
Lyra nodded.
"It is."
Ragnor frowned.
"So… what do we do?"
The Custodian gestured toward a stone platform.
"Stand.
Reveal yourselves.
Be honest with your heart."
Aetherion stepped forward first.
His voice low.
"We do not get to choose our trials."
Ragnor sighed.
"Great… fine.
Let's do this identity crisis together."
Lyra smiled weakly.
"Best to do it now before the Tower makes it worse."
Iris whispered:
"I… I'm scared…"
Lyra placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"We'll face it with you."
They stepped onto the platform.
Light rose around them.
Warm.
Radiant.
Comforting.
Then suddenly—
Cold.
Dark.
Suffocating.
Splitting into two zones:
Dawn.
And Dusk.
Aetherion whispered:
"…we have to choose which side represents us."
Lyra stepped into Dawn.
Ragnor into Dusk.
Iris hesitated.
Then stepped toward Dawn—but her foot drifted toward Dusk.
The sky flickered.
And DRM?
He didn't move.
The Custodian turned toward him.
"Masked One…
your trial is not here."
Ragnor blinked.
"Where is it then?!"
The Custodian lowered its head.
"Yours will come at the end of this climb."
Aetherion inhaled sharply.
"That means—
DRM's trial is a life-or-death arc."
Lyra whispered:
"…so he DOES have limits…"
The Custodian raised its hand.
"Begin."
The sky split violently.
The sanctum erupted with twin lights—
Dawn and Dusk.
And the trial began.
CHAPTER 22 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 16
EXP: +210
Physical: Stable
Mental: Reflective, confused
Notes: Shows affinity to Dusk; future power evolution tied to emotional conflict
Lyra
Level: 14
EXP: +180
Physical: Rested
Mental: Determined
Notes: Dawn alignment amplifies precision aura
Iris
Level: 11
EXP: +220
Physical: Shaky
Mental: Turbulent
Notes: Torn between Dawn and Dusk; instability rising
Aetherion
Level: 16
EXP: +195
Physical: Improved
Mental: Focused
Notes: Dawn resonance heightens cosmic senses
Custodian of Twilight
Status: Neutral
Notes: Recognizes DRM as "timeline disruptor"
DRM
Level: ERROR
Mask Sync: 93%
Aura: Stage 2.8 — "Twilight Glimmer (Non-lethal pulse)"
Emotional State: Mild curiosity
Notes: No trial assigned.