Tower 1 — Floor Nineteen, The Convergence of Lost Paths
The bridge dissolved behind them the moment they stepped off it—
stones breaking apart and scattering into dust.
Ragnor looked back in disbelief.
"…this Tower REALLY wants us dead."
Aetherion didn't respond.
He was staring forward.
The next floor was not a room.
Not a battlefield.
Not a hall.
It was a chamber of staircases—
massive stone stairways spiraling upward from a circular platform.
Four of them.
Each leading toward a different glowing archway.
Lyra scanned the area cautiously.
"No monsters. No boss. No traps so far."
Iris hugged her book closer.
"I… don't like this. It feels… wrong."
Rio stepped forward, gaze shifting between the four staircases.
He whispered:
"They're all… ending in different timelines."
Aetherion turned sharply.
"What did you just say?"
Rio blinked, as if realizing he had slipped.
"O-Oh—
I mean—
I can sense… mana fluctuations… um—"
Lyra touched his shoulder gently.
"It's okay.
You don't have to explain if you're scared."
Rio smiled softly, grateful for the protection.
But Aetherion's eyes narrowed.
"Those staircases distort space-time. Only someone with advanced temporal sensing could detect that."
Rio's smile didn't fade—
But his shoulders stiffened.
Ragnor stepped between them.
"HEY—ease up on the kid. He just saved our asses."
Aetherion didn't answer.
Rio stepped back behind Iris, looking small and harmless again.
The silence was broken by:
CRACK—
One of the staircases collapsed into dust.
Lyra gasped.
"We didn't even TOUCH it!"
The system chimed:
[FLOOR NINETEEN: CONVERGENCE ROOM]
[RULE: ONLY ONE PATH IS REAL]
[FALSE PATHS WILL ERASE THEMSELVES]
Ragnor blinked.
"…erase themselves? Like—poof?"
Iris shivered.
"N-No… the Tower means 'erase' literally… not physically…
It erases… memories… existence… time…"
Aetherion's blood ran cold.
"If we pick the wrong staircase… we might lose someone permanently."
Lyra exhaled shakily.
"We need to think carefully."
Another staircase cracked.
They spun around.
"What—?! Why are they collapsing before we decide?!"
Rio spoke quietly:
"Because…
the Tower wants pressure."
Aetherion snapped his gaze toward him again.
But before he could interrogate further—
The third staircase cracked violently.
Ragnor yelled:
"OKAY—WE NEED TO PICK NOW—!!"
Aetherion grabbed Lyra and Iris—
"Stay together—!"
Ragnor pulled Rio close instinctively.
"Stick with me, kid!"
Rio blinked.
"Ragnor—"
But the final staircase began to fracture—
CRRRRRK—
Lyra screamed:
"WE'RE OUT OF TIME!"
Aetherion's instincts screamed at him—
But Rio quieted the panic with a soft, calm voice.
"Take the one with no glow."
Everyone froze.
Ragnor blinked.
"What—?"
Lyra stared.
"A staircase with… no light?"
There was no such thing.
But when they looked again—
One corner of the room held a staircase barely visible.
No light.
No aura.
No glow.
As if the Tower didn't want them to see it.
Aetherion's eyes widened.
"Why that one?"
Rio lowered his gaze.
"Because the Tower thinks we won't choose the path it hides."
Iris whispered.
"That… makes sense…"
Ragnor nodded.
"Alright—SOUNDS GOOD—LET'S GO—!!"
Aetherion grabbed his arm.
"WAIT—
Rio, how do you know that?"
Rio hesitated.
Too long.
But then he smiled shyly.
"Support instincts."
Aetherion's eye twitched.
"That's not a thing."
But the staircases began collapsing faster—
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—
Ragnor roared:
"WE'RE PICKING THE HIDDEN ONE—MOVE—!!"
The team sprinted toward the unseen staircase.
DRM walked calmly, mask tilted slightly, as if amused.
As they stepped onto it—
The other three staircases collapsed entirely—
And the entire room folded inward—
Like paper crumpling around them.
Rio's expression flickered—
A moment of relief.
Aetherion saw it.
"You knew."
Rio's eyes widened.
"Wh-what? No—"
Aetherion stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"You're hiding more than support magic."
Rio flinched.
"I—
I'm sorry—
I just—"
Ragnor interrupted.
"HEY—no interrogations during death traps!"
Lyra smiled gently at Rio.
"He's scared. Let him breathe."
Rio looked down.
"Thank you…"
They ascended.
The staircase shimmered—
the world bending like heat haze around them.
DRM paused at the top.
His mask turned toward Rio for exactly one second.
No words.
Just acknowledgment.
Rio's heart skipped.
He looked away quickly.
Lyra whispered:
"You okay?"
Rio forced a smile.
"Y-Yes.
Let's… keep going."
The door opened—
And a cold mechanical voice echoed:
[WELCOME TO FLOOR TWENTY]
[MAJOR MILESTONE REACHED]
[WARNING: HOSTILE ENTITY IMMEDIATELY PRESENT]
A shadow stood in the doorway.
Smiling.
Blade-thin.
Motionless.
And the system glitched as it tried to display a name—
[ENTITY: ████]
Ragnor whispered:
"Oh no…"
Lyra's heart pounded.
Iris froze.
Aetherion stepped forward.
Rio's breath trembled—
because he recognized the aura.
And DRM—
tilted his head.
Because the shadow…
smiled directly at him.
CHAPTER 32 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 22
Mental: Fired up
Notes: Becoming an emotional pillar
Lyra
Level: 19
Constellar Mark: Node II stable
Notes: Empathic awareness sharpening
Iris
Level: 13
Mental: Frightened but adapting
Notes: Sensitive to Cifer's arrival
Aetherion
Level: 19
Mental: Suspicion rising
Notes: Rio's abilities defy logic
DRM
Level: ERROR
Mask Sync: 99%
Notes: Watches Rio closely
Incoming Entity
Status: Engaged next chapter
Name: ████
Notes: Target unknown. Intent not.