Tower Arc | The Heart of the Verdant Maze
Location: Floor 3 – Heart Vein Region, 3rd Trial Zone
The path to the heart of the floor was unlike any before.
No vines. No illusions. Just… stillness.
Ankit stepped cautiously through the glade of hollow statues—each sculpted in the likeness of climbers who had failed. They bore expressions of despair, agony, or… regret.
Every step made his heartbeat louder, but his eyes were calm now.
He'd seen his own guilt in the illusion. And lived through it.
Now it was time to confront the tower's judgment.
🩸 Tower Mechanism Activated – Trial of Pact
A red flower bloomed from the ground ahead.
The entire glade began to shift—twisting inward like a corkscrew. Statues turned to face Ankit, and from their hollow mouths came a low hum:
"Soul Climber 02117: Ankit Kumar.
You have severed illusion. You have resisted grief.
But can you survive betrayal?"
Vines erupted from the ground and dragged two unconscious figures before him.
Riya. Kaido.
Bound. Bleeding slightly. Unmoving.
A phantom formed behind them. Silver-eyed. Cloaked in tower mist.
Trial Guardian – Thorn Keeper Valis
A voice, neither male nor female, echoed:
"You must choose. Save one. Leave the other."
Ankit's hand gripped his Talwar.
Valis raised a finger. "Strike me, and both die. Decide. The tower demands proof of your resolve over emotion."
🔥 Ankit's Resolve
Ankit closed his eyes for a second. When they opened, they burned with crimson mana.
"I'm not playing your game."
Valis tilted its head. "You reject the pact?"
"No," Ankit said, stepping forward, swords drawn. "I accept a new one."
He sliced his palm and let his blood pour onto the ground.
"I make this vow: I will not sacrifice those I fight beside. Not for strength. Not for godhood. If that means defying the tower, then so be it."
🌪️ System Warning – Contractual Violation Detected
Suddenly, a crack rippled through the ground. Not destruction—but awakening.
His Soulmark glowed brighter, and a sharp hum of resonance echoed from within him.
[Your Soul Weapon has reacted to your pact.]
[New Trait Acquired – Oathbound Heart]
As long as Ankit refuses to abandon his comrades in life-threatening trials, his soul weapon gains a 15% increase in durability and speed when defending them.
The statues trembled. The vines receded.
Riya gasped awake. Kaido followed moments later, coughing, eyes wide.
Valis faded.
🌱 Scene Shift – Floor Maze, Raunak's Side
Raunak felt it.
A tremor. A pulse of rebellion in the very floor of the tower.
He frowned.
"So the tower acknowledged that oath?" he murmured. "Tch. The tower's evolving too."
Behind him, three new recruits—former loners like the earlier boy—stood silently.
Raunak turned to them.
"Looks like we're not just fighting beasts. We're fighting ideologies."
He smiled.
"I'll make sure his bonds are the very weapon that breaks him."
🌀 Scene Return – Ankit, Riya, Kaido Reunited
The three regrouped beside a pond, using the brief calm to rest and share information.
Kaido grunted. "We're close. I saw it before I blacked out—there's a gate ahead with the core symbol."
Riya looked at Ankit. "What did you see?"
Ankit's grip on his sword tightened. "The tower wanted me to sacrifice one of you."
Kaido blinked. "You didn't—?"
"No," Ankit said. "I refused. That's the kind of man I want to become."
They nodded, silent respect blooming in the tension.
But from above, in the mist, an eye-shaped glyph flared—watching.
The tower… had taken interest.