Tower 1 — Floor Thirteen, The Vault of Breathing Stone
The staircase twisted upward, spiraling like a spine made of obsidian vertebrae.
There was no wind.
No light source.
Yet the steps dimly glowed with a pulse—
ba-dum… ba-dum…
like a heartbeat.
Ragnor hated it instantly.
"Nope. I don't trust stairs that feel alive."
Lyra exhaled softly.
"None of us trust anything in here anymore."
Iris hugged her spellbook tighter, steps shaky.
"A-And now this floor is… breathing?"
Aetherion's eyes narrowed.
"It's not breathing.
It's reacting."
DRM moved ahead silently.
Each time his foot touched a step, the glow dimmed—
as if the Tower tried to hide its heartbeat from him.
Lyra noticed.
"…the Tower is still scared of him."
Aetherion shook his head.
"It's not fear."
He watched the stairs shiver under DRM's weight.
"…it's anticipation."
The Vault Opens
The staircase ended at a massive stone vault door.
Carvings covered the front:
Humans kneeling
Monsters ascending
A single masked figure above them
And at the bottom: a shadow with no face
Ragnor blinked.
"…uh, guys? That masked dude—kinda looks like—"
"Like DRM," Lyra finished quietly.
Aetherion stepped closer.
"These carvings are ancient… pre-Tower. The Tower didn't carve these."
Iris stammered.
"S-So that means…?"
Aetherion swallowed hard.
"DRM's existence was known before the Towers even arrived."
Ragnor whispered:
"Are we traveling with a prophecy?"
DRM didn't react.
He placed a small hand on the Vault.
The carvings lit up—
One by one.
A low groan echoed through the chamber.
GRRRRRRRRRRRNK—
The Vault door split open.
A rush of cold air swept out, carrying faint voices.
Lyra tensed, bow raised.
"What now…?"
Aetherion scanned the air.
"No hostility.
These are… echoes.
Residual memories trapped in the stone."
Ragnor frowned.
"That doesn't sound comforting."
But they stepped inside anyway.
The Hall of Breathing Stone
The interior wasn't a hallway.
It was an enormous cavern lined with colossal statues—
each the size of a three-story building.
Each statue breathed.
Their chests rose and fell.
Their stone lungs groaned like ancient mountains shifting.
Iris's breath caught.
"T-These are… giant humans…?"
"No," Aetherion whispered.
"These are the Ancient Climbers."
Lyra looked in awe.
"The first people who ever tried to climb the Tower…"
Ragnor blinked.
"…but why are they breathing? They're stone!"
Aetherion answered:
"Because they are not dead."
Iris nearly fainted.
"W-WHAT?!"
Aetherion walked forward.
"This floor… preserves them.
The first climbers.
Their bodies turned to stone,
their souls trapped in the Tower's memory.
Alive, but frozen."
Lyra exhaled shakily.
"This is horrible…"
Ragnor lowered his fists.
"These guys… were like us?"
A faint whisper drifted across the cavern—
a broken, ancient voice.
"h…elp…"
Iris gasped.
"H-HE TALKED—!!"
Lyra stepped back in shock.
Ragnor shouted:
"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR US?!"
Another statue moved slightly—
stone fingers twitching.
More whispers followed.
"c…an't…"
"r…un…"
"the…shad…ow…"
"the Child… masked…"
Lyra froze.
"…they're talking about him."
The cavern trembled—
the statues shivering in fear.
Another whisper:
"mask…ed…one…d-e-s-t…r-o-y…e-d...u-s…"
Aetherion's pupils shrank.
"This is bad."
Ragnor's jaw clenched.
"DRM—you wanna explain that?!"
DRM stared up at the statues.
Silent.
Expressionless.
Unmoved.
He raised a hand.
The breathing statues fell silent instantly.
Every chest stopped moving.
Every whisper halted.
Every petrified soul froze in mid-groan.
Lyra's Constellar Mark flared bright on instinct.
Aetherion whispered:
"He silenced an entire floor's worth of ancient souls…"
Iris backed away.
"H-He's… terrifying…"
DRM lowered his hand.
The cavern shifted violently.
Stone cracked.
Dust rained down.
The statues' shadows began moving on their own—
stretching, crawling across the floor.
Ragnor stepped forward.
"Oh COME ON—what NOW?!"
Lyra aimed her bow.
"Aetherion—what's happening?!"
The cosmic mage answered with dread:
"Their shadows are alive.
Separate entities.
This is the floor's TRUE trial."
The largest shadow rose—
towering, swirling, faceless.
A system prompt appeared:
[FLOOR THIRTEEN: BREATHING STONE]
[BOSS: SHADOW OF THE FIRST CLIMBER]
[WARNING: THIS SHADOW DEVOURS AURA]
Ragnor roared:
"WE FINALLY GET A FIGHT—!! LET'S GO—!!"
He sprinted forward.
Aetherion shouted:
"RAGNOR—NO—!!"
Too late.
The shadow punched him in the chest—
but instead of impact, it drained him.
Ragnor collapsed, gasping, aura flickering.
Lyra shot an arrow—
and watched it get swallowed mid-air.
"Our attacks… aren't working!"
Iris tried a time spell—
it unraveled instantly.
Aetherion backed up.
"This thing is literally consuming our essence—!!"
The shadow towered over them—
dark
hungry
ancient
first-born of the Tower's hatred.
It reached for them—
And DRM stepped in front.
He looked up at the towering shadow.
Tilted his head.
Raised one finger.
His presence felt heavier than the entire cavern.
The shadow froze.
Then—
It knelt.
Not out of worship.
Out of absolute, primal fear.
Ragnor choked.
"…AGAIN?! REALLY—AGAIN—?!"
Aetherion whispered:
"He's overriding the floor's first guardian…"
Lyra's voice cracked:
"…how strong IS he…?"
DRM tapped the shadow once.
A soft sound echoed—
pop.
The shadow shattered.
Gone.
The statues resumed breathing, but faintly—
as if exhausted.
The staircase to Floor Fourteen opened.
Ragnor got up, still winded.
"I'm… getting real tired of this kid doing EVERYTHING."
Aetherion shook his head.
"No.
We should be grateful."
Iris whispered:
"Or terrified…"
As they approached the staircase, DRM paused—
turning his mask slightly.
Behind him, the shadow from before flickered—
laughing softly.
[Shadow Presence Detected]
[Name — ████]
[Comment: "Little brother… you're fun to watch."]
And then it vanished.
DRM remained still for a moment longer.
Then continued forward.
The team followed him nervously—
into the next descent.
CHAPTER 25 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 19
EXP: +540
Physical: Aura-drained
Mental: Irritated, confused
Notes: Overly reliant on DRM's intervention
Lyra
Level: 16
EXP: +400
Constellar Mark: Surging; second node awakening soon
Mental: Shocked
Notes: First Climbers whispered her name
Iris
Level: 12
EXP: +310
Mental: Highly fragile
Notes: Time magic almost consumed by shadow
Aetherion
Level: 18
EXP: +500
Mental: Aware of DRM's influence growing
Notes: Fears cosmic consequences
Shadow of the First Climber (Boss)
Status: Erased
Notes: Submitted instantly to DRM
DRM
Level: ERROR
Mask Sync: 96%
Aura: Stage 3.1 — "Shadowbreaker Pulse"
Emotional State: Calm