Tower 1 — Floor Eleven, Twilight Sanctum Trial Platform
The sky split in two.
On the left, Dawn—a warm gold aura radiating calm clarity.
On the right, Dusk—a cold violet pressure carrying hidden truths and buried emotions.
The platform beneath their feet pulsed like a beating heart, reacting to each choice.
Ragnor stood firmly in Dusk's shadow, the purple light outlining his muscles.
Lyra glowed under Dawn's radiance, her silver braid shimmering.
Aetherion stood tall within Dawn as well, cloak drifting gently.
Iris trembled on the line between both realms—light pulling her, shadow tugging her harder.
And DRM stood outside the circle entirely, untouched by the trial's influence.
The Custodian's voice echoed:
"Reveal who you truly are."
Ragnor's Trial — DUSK
A section of the platform swallowed Ragnor into a pocket realm of swirling darkness.
He found himself in a field of shattered earth.
A world made of ash.
The sky purple and violent.
A figure stepped out from the darkness—
Ragnor.
But older.
Broken.
Eyes dead.
Covered in the ash of those he had failed.
"Hello," the older-Ragnor muttered. His voice empty. "Do you know what you become?"
Ragnor's fists clenched.
"This is bullshit. I don't become YOU."
The older-Ragnor smirked sadly.
"You will. When the world dies under your fists."
The field trembled.
Thousands of screaming silhouettes rose from the ground, grabbing at Ragnor's arms and legs.
Older-Ragnor whispered:
"Your strength destroys more than it protects.
You dread weakness—but fear your own power more."
Ragnor roared:
"SHUT UP!"
He slammed his fists into the ground—
the shockwave blew away the silhouettes.
"I choose my OWN path!"
The Dusk realm cracked.
Darkness shattered into violet sparks.
Ragnor collapsed to one knee, panting—
But alive.
Trial passed.
Lyra's Trial — DAWN
Lyra found herself standing in an endless meadow under morning sunlight.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
A familiar voice whispered behind her.
"Lyra…"
She turned—
her mother stood there.
Alive.
Warm.
Smiling gently.
Lyra's bow fell from her hand.
"Mom…?"
Her mother stepped forward, reaching out.
"You can stay. Stay here. Forget the Tower. Forget death. Forget fighting. You've earned rest."
Lyra trembled, tears forming.
"I… miss you…"
Her mother's smile widened.
Too wide.
Wrong.
Lyra's eyes sharpened instantly.
"You're not her."
The figure twisted—skin peeling, smile splitting too far.
The meadow turned white-hot, then pitch black.
"You seek perfection… but perfection breaks you…" the creature hissed.
Lyra grabbed her bow.
"And I don't need perfection."
She fired—
an arrow of pure Dawn light piercing her false mother's chest.
The realm cracked like glass.
Trial passed.
Aetherion's Trial — DAWN
Aetherion stood on a cosmic bridge over a swirling galaxy.
Stars spun around him like music.
A figure in a cloak of starlight approached.
Aetherion recognized the silhouette instantly.
His master.
The one who abandoned him.
"Why did you leave?" Aetherion whispered, voice shaking. "Why wasn't I enough?"
The master lifted a finger.
"Because the cosmos has no favorites."
Aetherion's jaw clenched.
"No. You're lying."
The master smirked.
"You seek power to prove your worth. But you will die forgotten in this Tower."
The cosmic wind howled.
Aetherion raised his hand—
starlight condensing into a miniature supernova.
"I don't need your approval. Not anymore."
He hurled it.
The master dissolved in cosmic flame.
The galaxy brightened—
choosing Aetherion.
Trial passed.
Iris's Trial — DAWN & DUSK
Iris stood alone in a space of broken clocks.
Time fragments floated around her like dying snowflakes.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock—
Then they stopped.
All at once.
A small hand touched her shoulder.
Iris turned.
A little girl stood behind her.
Herself.
At age five.
Crying silently.
"You didn't save me," child-Iris whispered.
Iris covered her mouth, breath shaking.
"I—I couldn't…"
"You let us suffer," child-Iris whimpered.
The clocks around them began to melt, warp, twist.
She looked into Iris's eyes.
"And you're going to let your friends die too."
Iris screamed—
time magic ripping out of her in waves.
She surrounded the child with a storm of broken time, choking on tears.
"N-no… I WON'T! I—
I want to protect them!
I WANT TO LIVE!"
The child dissolved into gentle starlight.
Dawn and Dusk merged around her—
She passed both trials simultaneously.
She collapsed to her knees.
But she was alive.
DRM's Part — NONE
DRM simply stood outside the circle.
The Twilight sky dimmed around him—
as if waiting for a trial that will never come.
The Custodian bowed.
"His judgment comes later."
And then turned away from him.
Almost fearfully.
The Trials End
The sanctum pulsed with light—
The sky flickered—
And a staircase of twilight formed at the far end.
The Custodian spoke:
"You have revealed yourselves.
Ascend to Floor Twelve."
As they stepped toward the stairs—
A faint distortion flickered behind DRM.
A shadow.
Watching.
Laughing.
[Shadow Presence Detected]
[Name — ████]
[Observation: Interested]
It vanished before anyone could turn.
CHAPTER 23 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 17
EXP: +540
Alignment: Dusk
Mental: Stabilized; fear of destructive potential confronted
Notes: Future Dusk evolution unlocked
Lyra
Level: 15
EXP: +480
Alignment: Dawn
Mental: Stronger; emotional wounds reopened but processed
Notes: Precision Aura growth accelerating
Iris
Level: 12
EXP: +620
Alignment: Dual (Dawn/Dusk)
Mental: Shaken but resilient
Notes: Unique hybrid evolution triggered
Aetherion
Level: 17
EXP: +510
Alignment: Dawn
Mental: Focus heightened
Notes: Cosmic control refined
Custodian of Twilight
Status: Neutral
Notes: Confirmed DRM's fate is separate and catastrophic
DRM
Level: ERROR
Mask Sync: 94%
Aura: Stage 2.9 — "Twilight Pulse (Suppressed)"
Emotional State: Steady
Notes: The Tower defers judgment; shadow continues pursuit