After the croaked words were spoken, Adonis naturally found his feet taking him towards the staircase.
Mzdrig... this presence belongs to him?
As he climbed the first few steps a voice came from behind him.
"Adonis... is this really safe?"
Raphilia remained at the bottom of the steps, frozen in fear. She would be too weak to sense the presence of the red light, but the ominous voice was enough to send chills through her body.
Adonis ignored her and continued climbing. After a while, she followed.
Once halfway up, it became harder to climb the stairs. The presence was palpable, like a physical weight resting on his being. Mzdrig must have noticed, as his voice croaked again.
"Almost there now."
Raphilia fell in beside him, as the pair reached the final steps of the staircase. At last, they had reached the source of the red light.
As their heads peaked over the steps, their eyes caught sight of a being unlike any other.
At the top of the staircase was a wooden cross, similar to the statue that they had seen before entering the portal. Though this time, it was just large enough to fit a regular man on its face... but the man crucified upon it was not regular.
A starved, sickly body hung from the cross. His grey, wet hair fell over him like vines, covering most of the features of his sunken face; all that could be seen was the man's toothless gums and hollowed-out eye sockets.
Needles were struck through the man's wrists and ankles, pinning him to the cross where the blood that beamed so bright had continued to drip onto the floor. The man's hands and feet had been cut off, making him look like a mere remnant of what he might have once been.
As Adonis and Raphilia stood before the cross, both struck by utter shock, the man raised his head. The black holes where its eyes once were seemed to gaze into their very souls, but the man's weak form brought no threat itself.
It was only the power of his presence that let his strength be known to Adonis.
"Was Paradise not enough? The Paradise that I gave my life to create."
Mzdrig's lips cracked as he spoke the sinister words. Adonis felt Raphilia shift uncomfortably beside him.
Adonis knew simply by standing in front of Mzdrig, that he was beyond human. He knew nothing about him or his powers, but it was clear that he would be unrivalled amongst most humans, even in this weakened state.
Yet still, Adonis Nameless dared to step forward. He had to.
Mustering all of the courage that he could, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Take us to the second floor."
Mzdrig remained still, his bright red blood beaming across the darkness. Raphilia was now shoulder to shoulder with Adonis, stealing his comfort.
Then, the crucified man nodded his head gently. "I will. This floor is far too weak for you."
Too weak?
It was no surprise to Adonis, but to be given praise by such a being.
He tried his best not to show the satisfaction on his face.
"But first, three questions." Mzdrig started, allowing his words to hang in the air for a few moments before continuing. "You may ask me three questions. If I have the answers, then I am obliged to answer. Such are the rules of the Tower."
Adonis's spirit was suddenly elated. He did not know what to expect from such a being, but to be granted answers to any question of his choice was a great surprise.
Raphilia looked at Adonis and nodded her head. She was more than happy to entrust the questions to him.
And so, Adonis ran a thousand thoughts through his mind.
Mzdrig has made it clear that he will only answer questions that he has the answers to. That means he is not all-knowing.
He also mentioned being a guardian of the first floor and called it weak. That means that there is a high chance that, in the grand scheme, that he is weak. He may not be able to answer questions that are too complex.
...
After a few moments of Mzdrig staring deep into Adonis's soul, he was given his first question.
"You said that you are the guardian of the first floor of Ephrem's Tower." Adonis started. "How many floors are there?"
Mzdrig's face remained serious, as though his weakness stopped him from making any other expression. Only when he spoke did his body move.
"I do not know how many floors are in Ephrem's Tower. Only that are Three Eliminator floors. Those used to wipe out those unworthy of climbing the True Floors. You have just passed the first Eliminator."
"The True Floors? What is—"
Raphilia started but was cut off as Adonis raised a hand to silence her. The woman held a hand to her mouth, noticing her stupidity.
"Stay silent. That would have been a waste of a question." Adonis ordered. Her cheeks went red in embarrassment.
Adonis was pleased with his first answer, so he moved on to the next.
"Why was this tower created?"
He was sceptical of asking this question. If Mzdrig did not know how many floors there were, then what was the likelihood of him knowing the reason behind its design.
His intuition was correct.
"I do not know. The answer likely lies on the floors above. Ephrem has not entrusted me with such knowledge."
Ephrem. That name again.
Is he the god of this world?
Not letting his wasted question bother him, Adonis asked his final question. One that would not have a definitive answer yet would bring to light the nature of these Guardians.
He crossed his arms and spoke calmly, staring back at the darkness of Mzdrig's eyes.
"I assume that you are some sort of god. Assuming there are others in this world, here is my question. Are the gods good?"
For a moment, Adonis felt that he noticed Mzdrig's facial expressions shift. His forehead raised slightly, and his blank eyes widened. It seemed that the question had surprised him.
"That... is one of the more interesting questions that I have been asked."
Adonis shrugged his shoulders smugly.
It was the best I could have given in such a short time.
After a few moments of what seemed like deliberation, Mzdrig spoke.
"What is good and evil, matters only to some of the guardians. Many, like myself, see ourselves above the concept."
Raphilia stepped forward. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Adonis flashed her a look, ensuring that she did not step out of line, but the woman seemed more focused elsewhere.
"Well." Mzdrig started. "Take this floor for example. Its nature might seem cruel to you, but to me, it is nothing. A mere game."
The bloody, crucified man's words brought confusion to both Adonis and Raphilia. It was as though he was incapable of speaking plainly.
"But how?" Raphilia asked. "Your floor offers any luxury that a man or woman could imagine. What is cruel about that?"
Mzdrig shot a sharp breathe through his nose in an attempt to laugh.
"The Servants. Did you not ask yourself how they came to be?"
The pair looked at each other, their confusion only growing deeper.
"The servants?"
Mzdrig gently nodded his head up and down.
"Yes, the servants. Though I call them slaves, since they are merely a reincarnation of those that die upon my floor."
Adonis felt his heart drop into his chest.
His question had been answered plainly.