The door opened.
No creaking. No shadows.
Just light.
After the torment of Floor B91, it was blinding. Warm. Inviting. Too inviting.
Lucien blinked. The room beyond shimmered with gold—tall columns spiraling upward into endless sky, sunlight pouring down like a divine blessing. The floor was made of polished obsidian inlaid with gold runes, whispering promises in tongues older than time.
[Floor B90: The Golden Floor.]Reward floor unlocked.No threats detected.All system privileges restored.
Naia raised an eyebrow. "Now this is suspicious."
Lucien nodded. "Exactly the kind of gift the Tower would use to poison us."
But Calen... smiled. For the first time since his resurrection.
"Maybe we earned it. Maybe the Tower just—stopped trying to kill us."
Lucien said nothing. Because he saw it, before the others did.
The door to the next floor was gone.
They stepped forward.
The moment their feet touched the obsidian, the Tower shifted.
Time bent.
The sun froze mid-glow. The gold around them pulsed like a heartbeat. And a new notification appeared.
[Warning: Reward Floor Contains Embedded Loop.]Escape requires "emotional fulfillment."
Naia read it aloud. Then whispered, "What the hell is emotional fulfillment?"
Lucien turned slowly. And froze.
Standing across the floor, three versions of themselves. Naia holding a child. Calen kneeling in front of a restored Temple. Lucien... in a throne, smiling with Cassandra beside him.
Perfect lives.
None of them real.
They split without speaking. Each drawn to their mirror-life.
Naia saw herself as a mother. A protector. The Tower gave her a version of herself that had saved Cassandra, not failed her.
Calen saw his people restored. His death undone. His life full of meaning.
Lucien...
He saw peace. A false peace. But beautiful.
"I missed you," Cassandra said, taking his hand. Her warmth wasn't illusion. It was temptation.
"You can stay here," she whispered. "Just say yes. No more climbing. No more blood. We've earned this."
Lucien closed his eyes.
[System Notice: You are free to stay. Choosing this option will seal your progress and retire your identity.]
"Isn't this what you lied for?" Cassandra asked.
Across the chamber, Naia wept. Holding a child she never bore.
Calen prayed to a god that never answered.
Lucien rose from the throne.
"It's perfect," he said softly. "But only for people who want to stop climbing."
He walked across the golden floor. It cracked beneath his steps.
The illusion trembled.
"Naia. Calen. It's not real. It's bait."
Naia turned. Eyes red. But blade ready.
"I know. But it felt real."
Calen stood. He hesitated longest. Then whispered, "I was tired. But not done."
The three reunited. Stood at the center.
Lucien raised his hand.
"System: I choose progress. No fulfillment. No peace. Just the climb."
[Emotional Fulfillment: Rejected.]Override Accepted. Door unlocked.
A new staircase spiraled down.
They turned their backs on paradise. And kept walking.
But they weren't alone.
As the golden floor faded, a shadow detached itself from the wall. It had no face. Only a mask.
PLAYER 7 has observed your progress.Player 7 is now tracking your floor trajectory.
Lucien stared at the mask as the light vanished.
"Another player."
Naia whispered, "We were never alone in this Tower."
Calen asked, "Then why haven't we seen the others?"
Lucien smiled darkly.
"Because the ones worth seeing... are the ones who lie better than us."