The
Chapter 23 – When Gods Fall
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[Perspective Shift – Earth123 | Rooftop of the Fallen Guild]
The sky was a quiet blue. Too quiet.
Riv stood on the roof of the guildhouse, arms folded, chin raised defiantly toward the heavens. Her wild black hair danced in the wind, and her small frame looked tiny against the vast sky, but her eyes—those fierce, curious eyes—held storms.
Below her, Neo trained.
Rosaria lounged in a corner, wings half-spread, painting her nails with a bored expression. She still hadn't grown used to Earth's lack of chaos.
And the butler... he was sharpening a blade that shouldn't exist in this world. His hands, usually soft and refined, moved with quiet precision.
Then it happened.
The sky ripped.
Literally. Like someone tore the page of reality.
Riv's head tilted. "Huh?"
From the tear, a man descended—slowly. Silently.
No wings. No aura.
Yet the world shivered in his presence.
Neo dropped his weapon. "Who—"
The man floated an inch above the ground, white robes glowing with symbols that rearranged themselves like clockwork. His eyes were deep pools of gold, his smile maddeningly serene.
"Children of Earth123," he spoke softly, yet it echoed across cities. "You stand on a broken system."
The air stilled.
"Rankings," he continued, "flawed. Power? Mismeasured. Chaos reigns beneath false order."
Neo instinctively stepped in front of Riv. "Who the hell are you?"
The man's golden eyes blinked once. "A god."
Riv snorted. "You don't look like one."
"Most truths don't," he whispered—and the sky cracked again.
Lightning fell upward.
The world twisted sideways.
Neo clutched his head, trembling. Even Rosaria stood, eyes narrowed, tail flicking behind her.
Then, without warning—
He moved.
A blur.
A soundless explosion.
The rooftop detonated, sending debris flying. Only the butler's barrier saved them from immediate death.
He stood in front, eyes glowing with crimson intent.
Rosaria appeared beside him in a blink. "We fight, old man?"
"Indeed."
Neo gasped. "No—don't! He's—!"
But it was too late.
The butler struck first, blade shimmering with spells centuries old. The slash was fast enough to split mountains.
The god caught it with two fingers.
The air exploded behind them from the pressure.
Then Rosaria screamed—her wings expanding into a chaotic black vortex. Spells, seduction, curses, death-marks—all launched in a symphony of destruction.
The god stood still.
He blinked again.
And time paused.
Neo's mouth moved, but no sound came.
Riv blinked.
Rosaria and the butler were frozen mid-strike.
The god touched Rosaria's forehead with one finger.
She was launched a mile away, crashing into a tower.
He grabbed the butler by the collar and slammed him through four dimensions at once.
Only Neo and Riv remained.
"Stop," Neo whispered. "Please—"
The god hovered inches from him now. "You are a variable, Neo. But not a solution."
A golden circle opened behind him. Three figures floated inside it—unconscious.
Luna.
Riv.
Neo.
Neo stared at his own unconscious body.
"What… what is—?"
The god turned away.
"You are mine now."
And then, with a blink, he vanished—along with them.
Gone.
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[Perspective Shift – Lucian | Inside the Tower | Floor Two]
Stillness.
Lucian knelt on a stone floor, hand clenched.
He had just finished the River of Moments.
Sweat still dripped from his brow. Pain still gnawed at his soul.
But then—he felt it.
A pulse.
A scream across time, space, and fate.
The bond with Neo, Riv, Luna—severed, yanked.
Lucian's body stiffened.
He stood slowly.
And the Tower… noticed.
Its walls creaked.
Its lights flickered.
The Book appeared, pages flapping wildly. "Lucian—wait—"
Too late.
Lucian's aura flared.
No longer calm. No longer contained.
Desperation twisted it into something feral.
> "They took them."
The Book trembled. "Lucian. Breathe. The Tower reacts to emotion."
"I don't care!"
His voice was thunder.
The floor cracked beneath his boots.
Flames. Black, purple, and red—spiraled around him.
The Fifth Week glowed—then exploded into its hidden layer.
> Fifth Week: Unity – Unchained Synchrony
The Tower rang like a bell—shattering from the pressure.
Lucian turned toward the wall.
His right hand raised.
"I don't know who took them…"
His voice dropped an octave.
"…but I'll burn every floor until I find them."
He moved.
No flash. No warning.
Just obliteration.
The entire second floor exploded outward in a column of light and darkness.
The walls disintegrated.
Monsters screamed and vanished.
Rooms collapsed.
The Tower wailed, reacting in horror.
The Book coughed smoke. "YOU FOOL! You're triggering a core alert!"
"I SAID I DON'T CARE!"
Lucian roared again—this time the Tower sent guardians, crystalline angels and beasts of law.
They died in seconds.
His fists moved like storms.
His mind blurred.
Only one thought:
> Bring them back.
Lucian stood in the heart of the ruins—panting, shaking.
The second floor—gone.
Ashes.
The Book hovered above him, singed and torn. "You're becoming something the Tower fears, Lucian."
He didn't answer.
He just looked up.
And whispered a promise.
"I'm coming."
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