The echoes of the fallen Colossus still thundered across the Crimson Expanse. Dust and ash drifted through the air like falling snow, glowing faintly red in the eternal light of the wounded sky. Carlos forced himself to his feet, the Blade of Ascension still humming faintly in hi
The victory felt hollow.
The other Colossi still moved in the distance, their shapes like mountains in motion. Their roars rolled across the wasteland, a reminder that the trial was far from over. But something else tugged at Carlos's senses—an unease that went deeper than the titan
He wasn't the only one
Maren stumbled closer, her staff glowing faintly as she steadied herself. Sweat dripped down her face, her eyes distant, unfocused. "Do you hear it?" she whispered.
Carlos frowned. "Hear wha
"The voice," Maren said, her tone eerily calm. "
Rina let out a harsh laugh. "Great. We've got giant monsters outside and now voices in your head. Perfect."
But Carlos froze, his stomach twisting. Because now that Maren had said it, he realized he could hear it too—a faint whisper threading through the air, carried on the waves of heat and ash. Not words at first, just sound, like the crackle of fire in a dead language.
Then, slowly, it grew clearer.
"Ascend… ascend… the citadel awaits…"
Carlos turned toward the horizon.
There, rising out of the haze of smoke and crimson light, stood something impossible. A tower—black stone reaching higher than the Colossi themselves, its walls carved with shifting runes that pulsed faintly with blue light. The Whispering Citadel.
It hadn't been there before. He was certain of it. The moment the Colossus fell, the citadel had revealed itself, like a secret the realm had been waiting to share.
Thalor spat into the dust. "That… was hidden."
Lys lowered her bow, her expression grim. "Then it wants us to see it now."
"Wants us?" Rina scoffed. "Buildings don't want anything."
Maren's eyes flickered with strange light. "This one does."
Another tremor shook the ground, but this time it wasn't from the Colossi. The air itself seemed to ripple as the citadel's runes flared brighter. The whispers grew louder, overlapping, dozens of voices pressing into their minds at once.
Carlos gritted his teeth, clutching the Blade tighter. "It's a trap."
"Or a chance," Lys countered. She pointed at the distant titans still moving in the Expanse. "We can't fight them all. We'll be crushed before we take down the second. That tower—whatever it is—it might be the real trial."
Rina crossed her arms. "Or the end of us."
"Maybe both," Carlos muttered.
The Helm pulsed suddenly, the cracked visor glowing with sharp blue letters only Carlos could see:
Optional Path Revealed: The Whispering CitadelEnter to transcend the Colossi trial. Refuse, and continue the chosen cycle.
Carlos's heart pounded. It wasn't just a building. It was a choice.
The Helm was offering them a way out.
He turned to the others, the weight of the decision pressing down like stone. "We go to the Citadel," he said firmly. "If the Helm wants us to waste ourselves fighting giants until we fall, I won't play that game. Not again."
For a moment, silence hung between them. Then Lys nodded. "I'm with you."
Maren followed, her eyes still distant. "The voice wants us there. It's… guiding."
Thalor growled low in his throat but finally gave a curt nod. "Better to walk into a trap than wait to be crushed."
Rina sighed, twirling her daggers. "You people are insane. But fine. I'd rather die in a tower than under a giant's foot."
Together, they turned from the battlefield and began their march across the scorched land toward the Citadel.
The journey was grueling. The Expanse fought them with every step—rivers of lava cutting across their path, storms of ash blotting out what little vision they had, cracks in the ground opening without warning. The whispers grew louder the closer they came, until the words pressed against their skulls, worming into their thoughts.
Carlos stumbled more than once, clutching his temples as the voices repeated his name. Carlos. Carlos. Ascend. Claim what is yours.
At last, after what felt like hours, they stood at the base of the tower. The stone surface was unlike anything Carlos had ever seen—not built, but grown, as if the Citadel had risen out of the world itself. The runes along its surface shifted constantly, never the same shape twice, alive and watching.
A massive door stood before them, its surface cracked like glass.
Maren stepped forward, her hand trembling as she raised it toward the runes. "It's waiting for us," she whispered.
Carlos caught her wrist. "No. Not until we're ready."
The ground shook violently, cutting off his words. Across the horizon, the remaining Colossi roared, their eyes blazing brighter. They were moving now, marching toward the tower, as if they too were drawn to it.
Carlos's stomach clenched. Time was running out.
With a deep breath, he placed his hand against the stone door. The runes flared to life under his touch, burning blue fire. The whispers became a scream, deafening, overwhelming.
Then the door split open.
Cold, unnatural air poured out from the darkness beyond. A spiral staircase rose into the impossible height of the tower, vanishing into shadows above.
The Helm spoke once more:
The path diverges here. Ascend, or be consumed.
Carlos tightened his grip on the Blade of Ascension, his reflection flickering faintly in the stone like a ghost of himself.
Without another word, he stepped into the Whispering Citadel.
And the tower swallowed them whole.