Cain, Noah, and Ava had hidden under a table that covered some sides. They were scared, covering their mouths. The guard was about to leave, but he saw a piece of paper on the floor. He bent down to look at it. It was Ava's exam, which she had thrown on the floor in a hurry.
The guard wanted to inspect the room. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary on the shelves. Ava, frightened, accidentally dropped the flashlight that was in her hands. It inevitably rolled until it hit the leg of a chair, causing the lens to break.
The guard was alarmed. He took the flashlight out of his pocket and began to head towards the source of the sound. The three of them awaited their inevitable fate. They waited. And they waited. But the guard never came.
Cain, puzzled, lifted his head slightly. He saw the guard crouched down, looking at something. It was a stuffed rabbit. Wait, a stuffed animal? Cain didn't remember seeing any. The guard tried to grab him, but upon touching him... he disappeared. Just like that, out of nowhere. The guard disappeared right before Cain's eyes. He blinked and poof! He was gone.
Noah tugged at his pants, calling him. —What's going on? —he asked, while hugging Ava with one arm.
—...— Cain, puzzled, stood up, making Noah and Ava do the same. He pointed at the stuffed animal, which was still on the floor.
—That thing... He swallowed it.
—What?! What are you talking about? It's impossible! —Ava protested, calmer now that the guard wasn't there.
—Yes, I swear! I've seen it with my own eyes! Noah, dude! You are the smartest one here! What do you think? —he looked at Noah, and he started to think
—Even though it seems surreal... Cain has no reason to lie. And the guard couldn't have just disappeared like that, even after hearing the lantern break. We should at least have heard the guard leave. —he cast a glance at the stuffed animal, a yellow bunny with a pink heart on its torso. —Besides... I don't remember seeing that stuffed animal there. — The stuffed animal seemed motionless, on the floor.
Until, for a second, it seemed to move its head, now looking at the three of them, with some quite creepy button eyes. Noah started to feel a bit dizzy. His vision was starting to blur. He looked at Cain and Ava. They seemed to be the same. Then the mysterious letter came to his mind, that letter that had scared him so much at the time.
"Player number 9998, player number 9999, and player number 10000. Welcome" they heard an adorable voice in their heads.
—Hey... Am I the only one hearing that...? —murmured Ava, falling to her knees on the floor.
—W-what's happening...? —whispered Cain, falling down as well, lying on the carpet in the teachers' lounge. Noah couldn't stay on his feet for long either. His feet wobbled, his knees feeling weak. It had been a long time since he felt that sensation.
"You are the last lucky ones to arrive! Great, everyone is here!" that adorable voice seemed to be laughing, very happily. However, now the three of them were on the ground. Their vision seemed more distorted, seeing green and red lights.
—Mom... Help... —Ava could be heard saying. Noah, with great effort, looked at her, and then at Cain.
"Very well! The Tower Games are about to begin!" was the last thing Noah heard. Then, he closed his eyes.
—A little bird, flying in the air, with freedom... —a woman could be heard singing. She had a beautiful voice, almost angelic. Noah, as a 5-year-old child, felt a warm embrace as he snuggled in his mother's arms, about to fall asleep. —It wanted to reach the sun, to embrace its love... A sprig of olive it carried in its beak...
His mother gently stroked his hair while continuing to sing. It was a lullaby that she had invented just for him, her only son. The woman's long black hair fell over her chest, and Noah, sitting on her lap, played with it absentmindedly.
—Mommy... When is Daddy going to arrive? I'm hungry... —asked the boy. The woman, with pale blue eyes, interrupted her singing to look at him.
—Calm down, Nini... He will arrive soon. And we will eat. You'll see... —she replied with a serene smile.
But he...
—NOAH, WAKE UP! — Ava's voice pulled him out of the memory like a flash of lightning. He opened his eyes abruptly. She was very close, looking at him with concern... and fear. Noah sat up immediately.
—Ava?! Are you okay? Are you hurt? — He examined her hurriedly, but at first glance, she didn't seem to have any injuries. He sighed with relief. —Where is Cain?
—Here I am, sleeping princess. —Cain replied with a mocking tone, sitting beside him. He gave him a light tap on the head—. Did you enjoy the ride through the dreams?
—... I don't know why I keep worrying about you... —murmured Noah. It was then that he noticed something strange. They all wore their usual clothes, but there was a new detail: a white tag on their chest. Cain had the number 10000. Ava, 9998. He looked at his tag: 9999.
—What is this supposed to be?
—We don't know... They all have one too. —Cain replied, as they stood up.
—All? — Noah looked up. Around him, there were a lot of people.
Ava nodded, still somewhat pale—. We woke up here, I don't know how long ago. There is no sun. There are no clocks. Just... this.
Noah looked up. A white and opaque sky covered everything, with no traces of clouds, sun, or shadows. It was like being inside an infinite room, without walls or ceiling, but with a light that enveloped everything equally.
The crowd around him murmured. Men, women, children. Some were standing, others sitting or huddled on the floor. They all had the same white tag on their chest, each with a different number.
—Has anyone tried to take off the tag? —Noah asked, looking back at his friends.
—Yes. —Cain replied, more seriously now. —A girl tried, desperate. But she couldn't. Even if we took off all our clothes, there would still be a number written on our skin. An old man tried it before.
Noah took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts. Everything felt like a bad dream. The warm memory of his mother still floated in his mind, cruelly contrasting with the feeling of being trapped in something that defied all logic.
—Has anyone come? Has anyone said anything?
—No one —Ava said quietly—. We just woke up... all of us here. There was nothing. Until...
—Until what?
Cain pointed towards the horizon. Noah followed the direction with his gaze, and then he saw it.
In the distance, a figure was approaching. Tall, thin, wrapped in a white robe that floated with a wind no one felt. It had no visible face. Just a blurry silhouette, as if the air itself refused to reveal its true form. And with each step he took, the voices in the crowd faded away.
The figure stopped. The silence was absolute. Not a murmur, not a step, not a broken breath. Only that presence which, without saying a word, imposed an invisible weight on everyone.
So, he spoke. Its voice was not exactly a voice. It didn't come from its mouth—if it even had one—but resonated directly inside each person's mind, deep, vibrant, inescapable.
—Welcome... to the Tower Games.
A chill ran through the crowd. Noah swallowed hard. The air had become dense, laden with something he didn't understand but his body recognized: danger.
—They have been chosen, continued the voice. Ten thousand. Ten thousand to ascend. Ten thousand numbers marked to advance... or die.
—What is this?! —a man shouted from the back. He was tall, rugged-looking, and his voice resonated with fury. —I'm not going to participate in any damn game! Take me back! I demand to be let out!
The figure did not flinch.
And in the blink of an eye, the man screamed. His body bent backward as if an invisible thread had pulled him by the forehead. A brutal crack echoed in the air. His neck snapped at an impossible angle. He fell to the ground like an empty sack.
A muffled scream escaped from the crowd.
—No, no, no! This can't be happening! —a woman cried, trembling—. I was just at home! I haven't done anything! I want to leave! Please...!
Another snap. Her body collapsed next to the previous one. The same grotesque angle in the neck. The same immediate silence that followed each death.
Cain tensed up. Ava sobbed. The figure remained motionless, as if nothing had happened.
—No one escapes from The Tower. The game has already begun. Surviving is advancing. Refusing is dying. Choose. —having said this, the unknown figure disappeared.
Silence once again took over the place. No one dared to move. Noah felt his own breathing becoming heavy, irregular. He couldn't take his eyes off the corpses.
—Are they... dead? —Ava whispered, her voice trembling. Cain didn't answer. It wasn't necessary.
Both bodies lay on the smooth, white floor, without a drop of blood, but with that same final gesture of horror frozen in their eyes. As if their souls hadn't had time to leave before their necks were broken.
—This is real... —murmured Noah. It hurt to say it. But it was. He felt it on his skin, in his chest, in his stomach.
He looked around. The crowd was starting to react. Some cried silently. Others were hugging. A couple of people were vomiting. No one was trying to run. No one spoke a word louder than a whisper. It was as if every throat were trapped by an invisible hand.
The place itself didn't help either.
Noah tried to find a horizon, a point of reference... something. But there was nothing. The ground was white, smooth, without a single crack or stain. The sky was the same. A soft, diffuse light, without a visible source. It was neither hot nor cold. There was no wind. There were no smells.
Just an endless space... as if they were inside the thought of something much greater.
Ava clung to Noah's arm, trembling.
—This can't be heaven... or hell. There is nothing. Nothing... —sobbed Ava, clutching Noah's ark tighter. He stroked her head.
—There has to be a border. A limit. Somewhere to get out...
—There are no exits —interrupted a voice behind them.
She was an older woman, with an angular face and a sharp gaze. She had the number 4987 on her tag. She was practically an old woman, as her gray hair fell down her back, but she had hardly any wrinkles.
—I walked. For hours. You always return to the same place. This... is a circle. An endless illusion.
—How do you know? —Cain asked, suspiciously.
—Because I've tried. —the woman pointed to a random side —I walked for about half an hour, but I came back... There. —she said, pointing to the opposite side from where she had pointed before. —My name is Claire, by the way.
—Noah, Ava, and Cain —Cain replied, naming them and shaking hands. Suddenly, another figure appeared in the sky. It was a stuffed animal, specifically a rabbit, with button-like black eyes, yellow fur, and a pink heart on its torso. Noah recognized it instantly. It was the same stuffed animal as in the teachers' lounge.
"What a pity! Two players have died! Player 4353 and player 7361 are eliminated! Meeeec!" it said, crossing her arms. Now, everyone was paying attention to that thing. "Good morning, afternoon, evening, or Great Hour, my dear ones! I am Kílin, your host! Now, I will explain the rules of The Tower, and then, the first game!"
—Wait a moment! —Claire shouted, catching the rabbit's attention. —I'm not saying I want to leave! But there are children here! Why did you bring them here?
"Player 4987! I didn't know you cared about the kids!"
—Huh? To what...?
"Real name: Claire Scandal! Age: 57 years! Sin: You abandoned your daughter in a forest when she was only 10 years old because you didn't like her childish behavior! And you know what? She managed to survive, and she had two children, a boy and a girl who are twins! And you know what else? She died! She was murdered by her husband! And you know what else? This wouldn't have happened if her mother had accepted her!"
All eyes were now on Claire.
—Bitch... —said a man in a suit, who was next to him. —How dare you!?
"Number 5936! That language is not allowed!"
—Shut up, damn rabbit! At least I know I'm right!
"Number 5936! Real name: Luis Montero! Sin: Spanish corrupt politician who left more than 12,000 people bankrupt! Many families starved because of you! You also promised several of those people, specifically women, that you would return their money if they spent several nights with you!"
—And you were calling me the bitch?! —Mrs. Scandal shouted at him. The rabbit saw her and simply smiled, more than he had before.
"All of you who are here have been chosen because you have committed sins! It doesn't matter how big or small it was!"
"Alright, if there are no more questions, let's proceed! These are the main rules of the tower! There are 25 floors, and you will play on 24 of them! Floors 6, 12, 18, and 24 will have a rest room for you to rest before the games on that respective floor begin! No one will be able to advance to the next floor until the game is over! The System that will appear in front of you will explain the next part, all in more detail!"
—Huh? "System?" Noah asked. Suddenly, a black reflection appeared in front of everyone present. It had decorated white borders, and a message (also in white) with very cursive handwriting.
[Player number 9999. Information:
Strength: 1
Intelligence: 2
Understanding of the world: 0
Stamina: 1
Sanity: 65/100
Mana: 0
Courage: 1
Inventory: (unlockable starting from Floor 2)
Store: (unlockable from Floor 2)
Special ability: (unlockable from floor 10)
Identity/ies: Not yet obtained.]
—Why do I have all 0s?! —said Ava, looking at her screen —Noah! Cain! Tell me that you...!
—I have everything 1... Hehe... Except mana, of course. —Cain, mocking Ava. It seemed that his fear had dissipated. In fact, Noah noticed how deep down, Cain was having a great time.
—Psychopath... —Noah said, giving him another unpleasant look. Cain heard him and stood by his side, leaning on his shoulder.
—Let's see what you have, 197... Huh? I don't see anything... —he said. Noah took a look at Cain's System. He couldn't see anything either.
"What you are now seeing are your in-game statistics! Don't worry if you have zeros! Let me explain it to you: Let's say we have a normal person as A, a very intelligent person as B, and a very strong person as C. The norm is that A has at least one stat of 1, and the rest with 0. That's because, compared to The Human World, their knowledge and strength in The Tower are null. However, B and C will have higher stats than A, depending on what they are best at. That said, the maximum level one can reach is 50, except for mana, which will be 1200. Each floor you will be leveling up, and you can even buy levels in the shop, with a system that will be explained to you later."
"That said, some of this data is private. So, try not to give them out freely... Although I am impressed with the stats of some. For example, player 9999, player number 1789, and player 407 have an intelligence of 2! It's amazing! And player number 7945 has a strength of 2! Or player number 1788, with a bravery level of 4! However,... then there's player number 90! Surprisingly, he has all the stats, except for mana, with a 5!" The room went dark, and focused on player 90, a bit distant from them. He was the only one sitting, with his arms crossed.
He was a young man, just a bit older than Noah, around 20. He had long, dark brown hair, ending in red tinted. He had his eyes half-closed, crimson in color, a bit shiny. He wore somewhat strange clothes, consisting of a red tunic that covered his entire body except for his torso, which was partially visible, revealing his not-so-large muscular tone, along with sandals of the same color.
—Do you enjoy watching me, rabbit? —he said. Kílin smiled.
"Of course, number 90! I can't wait to see how you cooperate in helping your teammates!"
—And who told you that I was going to help them? Except for the ones you mentioned before, the rest are nothing but trash. —he said coldly. Several people were distancing themselves from him, some displeased, and others simply angry.
"That's why I brought your sister here. So that you wouldn't kill just like that." The eyes of number 90 widened, staring at the rabbit.
—Sister? I don't have any siblings. I was an only child.
"Ha! That's what you think! Real name: Azrail...! Huh? What? Can't I see your last name? Well, whatever! Age: 27 years! Sins: I won't tell you all, but you have a list of 927 sins you've committed! And that's not the best part! Yes, your parents had a daughter afterwards! Guess who it is?! MUAHAHA!" the rabbit was cracking up, but Azrail had the face of someone who was going to kill anyone who spoke to him. Kílin turned the lights back on.
"Anyway, I'm getting distracted! Time to explain the first game! The game is called Kílinia! The rules are simple: Each participant will be assigned a different number, shape, or animal. Each participant has a partner with an identical number, shape, or animal. The objective of the test is to find that partner before the time runs out (1h 30min). This game is based on chance: you might get very easy numbers, shapes, or animals, and others that are very difficult. When you find the pair, only physical contact will be needed to have completed the game. If you lose, you will be eliminated immediately. Is that clear?"
—Wait! —a woman at the back spoke up —If someone killed someone, what would happen to the couple?!
"Good question, 6394!" That couple would also be eliminated! —with just those words, the atmosphere became tense.
A giant golden hourglass, quite elegant, and with white sand appeared above the people.
"The time begins... NOW!" the hourglass turned over, and started to run