The town of Edgaris stood at the edge of the habitable zone of Floor 0, close to the deadly mist that surrounded the entire floor, a circumference of hundreds of thousands of kilometers. A mist that would kill any mortal who dared come close. The Veil. It was said that beyond it was a land of demons and beasts. The heart of activity for the town was the marketplace, and beyond it, the town center, with its massive white crystal, a teleportation node. Far in the horizon, a very large tree seemed to cover almost half the night sky.
The night was thick with smoke and fear.
Zara gasped, her lungs burning as she stumbled through the filthy alleys of Edgaris. Her boots kicked up clouds of dust as she weaved past crooked market stalls and rotting crates. She clutched a pouch of stolen coins to her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"There she is! Get the bitch!"
Zara didn't stop. She never did. Tanned skin slick with sweat, short black hair whipping behind her, she moved like someone born to outrun death itself. Quick, sharp, and never without a dagger, she was a walking headache for anyone dumb enough to corner her. Edgaris knew her well: too fast to catch, too stubborn to break, too wild to tame. She picked fights with thugs twice her size and smiled when bleeding. Rough around the edges, loud when pissed, and impossible to intimidate, Zara wasn't just surviving the filth of Floor 0. She was carving her own way through it, blade first.
Rough voices barked behind her. Zara didn't look back. She knew better. Mercenaries, not guards, hunted her now. Cutthroats who would do far worse than throw her into a cell.
A knife whistled past her ear, embedding itself into the wall inches from her face. Zara hissed under her breath and pushed herself faster. Her muscles screamed, still sore from her last beating days ago, but survival sharpened her focus.
"Almost there…"
An iron hand closed around her ankle.
She crashed face-first into the dirt. Before she could scream, another hand seized her hair and yanked her upright. Zara lashed out with her dagger, but a boot slammed into her wrist, sending the blade clattering away.
"Feisty little rat," a burly man sneered, pinning her arms behind her back. His breath stank of liquor and rot. "Pretty too. Maybe we'll have some fun before we sell you off."
Laughter erupted around her. Five of them. At least five.
"Lemme go, you sons of bitches!" Zara spat, thrashing wildly. Pain exploded across her cheek as a slap sent her reeling.
"Shut it!"
They forced her onto her knees. Dirt filled her mouth. She gagged.
"Think anyone's gonna save you here, little rat?" one of them sneered, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up.
A second later, a deafening bang shattered the night.
A ball of searing red fire smashed into the nearest thug, engulfing him in a furious blaze. He shrieked, flailing wildly before collapsing, a charred heap.
The mercenaries recoiled in shock.
Standing at the mouth of the alley was a boy.
No… not a boy. Something else.
He was around her age, maybe a year younger, dressed in simple clothes: a rough white shirt, a jacket, black pants, a necklace with a strange runic symbol and a beaten leather belt. But he stood straight, fearless. His messy blue hair caught the firelight, giving it a surreal sheen. And his eyes…
Blue.
Like the heart of the sea, or a clear summer sky. Eyes that didn't belong in this grimy, dying world.
"Blue eyes?" Zara whispered, her voice strained. Zara noticed her clenched fist trembling. "That's… impossible. They were wiped out."
He grinned, carefree, almost stupidly casual. A small gray cat perched on his shoulder, its tail moving lazily.
The thugs hesitated. Then their rage boiled over.
"Kill him!"
Two men lunged forward, blades flashing. The blue-haired boy didn't even flinch. He raised his hand and muttered something in a strange, musical language.
Another explosion rocked the alley. A red fireball, bigger than the last, roared to life, slamming into the attackers with bone-crushing force. Flesh and steel alike vaporized in an instant.
The remaining three hesitated, uncertain.
"He's just one kid!"
"Doesn't matter! Take 'em both!"
They charged.
The boy tilted his head, almost curious, then blurred forward.
Zara's eyes widened. His speed was inhuman.
The first mercenary raised his sword. The boy ducked low, sweeping the thug's legs out from under him with a casual kick. Before the man even hit the ground, another fireball exploded against his chest, sending him flying into a wall.
The second thug swung a massive hammer. The boy twisted aside with almost lazy grace. Without missing a beat, he slammed his palm into the man's gut. A shockwave of force blasted from his hand, folding the thug in half and sending him sprawling.
The last mercenary froze. His sword trembled.
The boy smiled, a smile that wasn't cruel, but utterly fearless.
He said something again in that strange tongue.
The cat on his shoulder yawned, then suddenly glowed faintly.
"Translation is now active," the cat announced in a bored manner. "Finally."
Zara staggered back, mind reeling. The boy's next words, previously incomprehensible, now rang clear.
"Hey, asshole," he said cheerfully. "Pick up your friend and scram."
The last thug didn't need to be told twice. He dropped his weapon and ran, screaming curses into the night.
The boy turned to Zara, still smiling. "You okay?"
Zara gawked at him. Her mind struggled to catch up.
"Y-you... what the hell just happened?!"
The boy tilted his head. "I think… I saved you?"
"Saved me? Saved me?!" she snapped, scrambling to her feet. "I didn't need your help, you idiot! I could've handled them!"
The cat rolled its eyes. "Sure you could."
"Shut up, cat! Wait. A talking cat!?"
"Name's Lato," the cat replied dryly. "And you're welcome."
Zara crossed her arms, glaring at the boy and his talking cat. Her heart still raced from the fight, and she hated how weak and rattled she felt.
The boy smiled again, unfazed. "I'm Vaylan. This is Lato."
Zara huffed. "Zara."
For a moment, they just stared at each other.
The silence stretched.
Finally, Zara broke it. "Tch. Fine. Thanks, I guess. But don't get the wrong idea. I don't need babysitters."
Vaylan just grinned wider. "Good. We suck at babysitting."
"Whatever," Zara said.
"By the way, we wanted to know a few things," Vaylan said while scratching his cheek, feeling unsure.
Zara turned on her heel. "Tch. Fine. Come with me if you have questions. But if you slow me down, I'll leave you behind. I'm only doing this to show gratitude for helping me out."
Vaylan and Lato exchanged a glance.
"I like her," Vaylan said brightly.
"She's a pain," Lato muttered.
Still, they followed.
Above them, the World Tree loomed in the distance, its colossal branches blotting out the stars. Unseen, something ancient stirred within its depths, watching.
And for the first time in countless years, destiny shifted slightly on its course.
This was only the beginning.
***
The sun dipped low behind the dunes as Zara, Vaylan, and Lato trudged back toward the ramshackle neighborhood that clung stubbornly to the edges of Edgaris.
Zara walked ahead, arms crossed, silent but alert, sneaking glances back at the strange boy and his talking cat. Vaylan, meanwhile, was bouncing along with a wide, easy smile, blue hair tousled by the desert breeze, his blue eyes gleaming with curiosity. Lato, perched like a king on Vaylan's shoulder, simply moved his tail and surveyed the dusty streets with lazy disdain.
They finally reached a sagging wooden house nestled between crumbling sandstone walls. Zara rapped sharply on the door with her knuckles.
"Katalin! It's me!"
The door creaked open, revealing a woman in her mid-thirties with tired green eyes and curly auburn hair tied back in a messy bun. Her eyes widened as she took in the battered Zara, then narrowed at the unfamiliar boy and his cat.
"Zara! You're all bruised up again!" Katalin exclaimed.
"You brought guests?" she asked, her manner skeptical.
"Long story," Zara muttered. "They... helped."
Katalin ushered them inside. The interior was humble: threadbare rugs, a battered table, a chipped basin of water, but clean. She sat them down around the table and poured water into tin cups.
"Explain," Katalin said, arms crossed.
Zara relayed the incident at the marketplace: the attempted mugging, Vaylan's sudden appearance, the fireball and her motives.
As she spoke, she realized Vaylan looked increasingly confused.
"Wait," Vaylan interrupted, setting his cup down. "For starters, mind telling us where we are?"
Katalin and Zara exchanged a look.
"Are you messing with us?" Zara demanded, leaning forward.
"No," Vaylan said earnestly. "I really don't know."
Lato yawned, then said, "We're... new."
"You're in Edgaris, a town at the edge of Floor 0," Zara explained.
"Right… What's Floor 0?" Vaylan asked sincerely.
"What do you mean?" Zara replied with a question of her own.
"I mean, like, what even is a 'Floor'?" Vaylan visibly becoming even more confused.
"Even a toddler knows what a 'Floor' is." Zara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. Listen carefully, weirdo."
She began explaining.
"This whole world? It's a realm called The Habitable Zone. Each realm, we call them Floors, is stacked on top of each other. This, where you are now, is Floor 0. The bottom. The pit. The trash heap."
"I'm surprised someone doesn't know this," Katalin said while tending to Zara's bruises.
"Yeah, even someone from the higher floors that get tossed here would know what a 'Floor' is."
"I see. So it's a bunch of worlds stacked on top of each other, and the tree is sort of like a ladder?" Vaylan asked.
"Yes, exactly," Katalin said as she stood up and grabbed a seat.
Lato, this world is so fascinating. Not only is it much larger than we thought, much much larger than observed from outside, from our old world, but now it seems that this world is not a singular world, but a bunch of worlds stacked vertically on top of each other. Weird.. Vaylan whispered to Lato.
"Anyways, the only way up to other worlds, other realms is through climbing the World Tree, Yggdrasil, itself, that giant thing you can see from anywhere. Climb the tree, reach higher floors. They say the higher you go, the better life gets. Utopia, paradise, heaven."
"Yggdrasil? That is not Yggdrasil," Lato communicated to Vaylan via his skill: Telepathy.
"I thought you said Yggdrasil was destroyed," Vaylan replied.
"It should be."
"Yggdrasil, you say, so just by climbing you can go to new realms?" Vaylan asked.
"Yes, but only Ascendants can climb. You get branded by Thor's Seal, see?" Zara pulled back her sleeve to show a black tattoo spiraling around a number: 0.
"That's the highest floor I've reached. You get branded the moment you enter the Tree. It lets you teleport between floors you've already been to, but only in the habitable zones outside the Tree. Inside? You climb or die."
"Thor?" Lato thought to himself. "Even if I brought that name up, Vaylan wouldn't remember."
"So why are you still stuck here then?" Lato asked.
"Unfortunately for me, I couldn't beat the monsters inside the tree my first time and had to get out. So I don't have any other floors I can freely go to, as you can only go to floors below the highest you have reached."
Vaylan's eyes shone with wonder. "And nothing is lower than Floor 0."
"Exactly!" Zara answered.
Zara huffed. "It's not amazing when you're stuck on Floor 0 where murderers and garbage are dumped. Corrupt nobles, psychopaths, they exile scum here. Even worse? Monsters live outside the Tree on this floor."
"And the Veil?" Vaylan asked.
"So you know about The Veil at least? The Veil.. well.. It's death," Katalin said curtly. "A mist wall around the edge of every floor. Touch it, and you're gone like dust."
Vaylan seemed confused again.
"Anyway, in order to climb the tree, for Floor 0, there's this fat bastard blocking the entrance who demands payment. He's called The Hound."
After a moment, Katalin's face hardened. "Zara, we need to talk."
Zara stiffened.
"This... Tree dream of yours, it's going to get you killed."
"Katalin…"
"Listen," Katalin said firmly. "I can get you a job at the brothel. You wouldn't have to do... everything. You could just clean, serve drinks, maybe manage the ledgers. Safe work. Regular pay. I can put in a good word."
Zara's face twisted with anger. "You want me to work at a whorehouse??"
Katalin flinched, pain flashing in her eyes. "It's better than dying in that damn Tree."
"I'd rather die chasing something better than rot here!" Zara snapped. She shoved away from the table. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."
Without another word, she stormed out into the night.
***
The desert air was cool, the stars harsh and bright above. Zara kicked a rock, muttering curses under her breath. She didn't know where she was going, only that she needed to move.
"Oi," a voice called.
Zara whipped around. Vaylan stood there, hands in his pockets, smiling sheepishly.
"Were you stalking me?!" she exploded.
"Uh, no?" Vaylan said, scratching his head. "I just... took a walk."
"Liar!"
Without warning, she lunged at him, throwing a punch. Vaylan blinked and sidestepped easily.
Zara spun, launching a kick at his side. He ducked, catching her ankle midair. She twisted, trying to use the momentum to throw him, but he planted his foot and flipped her gently onto the sand.
"Ouch!" Zara glared up at him, panting.
Vaylan offered a hand, grinning. "Chill, Zara."
She slapped his hand away, scrambling to her feet. "Tch."
There was a long silence.
"Why are you even here?" she muttered, dusting herself off.
"Because," Vaylan said simply, "you looked sad. Katalin also looked sad."
Zara froze.
"Why do you care?" She asked.
"Why shouldn't I?" Vaylan replied. "Anyway, you want to climb the Tree, right?"
"Of course," she snapped, hugging herself. "I'm going to climb all the way to the top. Become a goddess. Rich, powerful. Then I can bring Katalin out of this hellhole."
She blinked rapidly, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sick of being nothing."
Vaylan smiled, blue eyes glowing in the dark. "I don't know much about this world... but what I do know is that my destiny lies within the Tree.."
He looked up at the distant Yggdrasil.
"I think... my origin is up there."
Zara stared at him, confused.
"We'll climb together," Vaylan said, holding out a pinky.
Zara hesitated, then hooked her pinky with his cheeks burning. "Tch. Fine. But don't get the wrong idea, idiot. I'm only letting you tag along because you seem like you could be good at carrying my things."
Vaylan laughed.
For the first time in a long time, Zara smiled.
The journey had begun.