Tower of Paradise

I felt how the light enveloped every centimeter of my body, embracing me with its blinding radiance. Upon opening my eyes again, I found myself in a completely unknown space. The moment I stepped inside, the numerous torches clustered on the walls came to life simultaneously, illuminating the interior of that strange chamber.

Immediately, a notification appeared floating before my eyes:

[Public mission activated: Staring Contest.]

[Objective: Survive and cross the sixth floor.]

Everyone else must have received the same notifications. I observed their faces tensing as they assimilated the information.

— Oh, the lights are on. Good —someone mumbled to my left.

— This is the first time I've seen a floor like this —another commented.

— There's something... different about this place —a female voice added with evident unease.

I cautiously observed my surroundings. The atmosphere of the place resembled an ancient sanctuary, but not just any sanctuary. It was old and decrepit, as if it had been buried and hidden underground for millennia. Moss and undergrowth grew sporadically on the floor, walls, and ceiling, giving it an even more sinister appearance. I noticed how several Ascendants shrank and shivered slightly at the sight.

— It's a bit creepy here, isn't it? —someone whispered, their trembling voice betraying their fear.

— Doesn't it seem like someone is watching us? —another added, nervously looking around.

My attention focused on the most notable element of the sanctuary: right in its exact center stood an enormous rhombus-shaped crystal nearly three meters tall, radiating an unsettling blood-red glow. I studied it carefully, feeling a strange and unpleasant sensation running down my spine. Something in that crystal presaged disaster.

While the most fearful Ascendants remained grouped near the entrance, three or four of the strongest, or perhaps the boldest, of the group ventured deeper into the enclosure.

— Tsk! Don't say anything that might screw us over, will you? —one of them snapped with poorly disguised nervousness.

— Let's finish this quickly and go home —another responded, in a failed attempt to sound confident.

The interior was incredibly vast, much larger than it appeared from the outside. The chamber was shaped like a gigantic dome, with dimensions comparable to several Olympic stadiums put together, or perhaps even larger.

— That... that over there... —one of the Ascendants stammered, pointing forward, a few meters from our position.

Suddenly, dozens of blue flames ignited, forming a horizontal line along the lateral walls of the sanctuary as the group advanced a few meters towards the crystal, creating an ethereal barrier that prevented them from continuing their advance.

— What does this mean? —someone asked, with evident confusion.

— Why is there a giant crystal in the center?

Everyone swallowed hard, visibly nervous, and watched with expectant attention. However, nothing else happened. Only the flames came to life, and that was it. We waited for a time that seemed eternal to me, but no visible change occurred. The first flame began to slowly extinguish. The others remained bewildered by the situation, unable to comprehend what was truly happening.

— The portals are there —KathyIn said with a calm voice, breaking the tense silence that had formed.

Unlike the other floors, this one had two blue portals that resembled black holes in the fabric of reality. It was evident, even to the least perceptive, that a single portal would not be enough to guarantee everyone's survival; this fact alone spoke eloquently of the difficulty of this floor.

— They're right behind the crystal.

Unlike the others, I had a fairly clear idea of what awaited us on this floor. Therefore, I found myself apparently calmer than the others, though no less alert.

A metallic and cold voice, devoid of all emotion, suddenly resonated in the sanctuary:

[The challenge will begin soon.]

[You can advance when the blue flames go out.]

[Try not to die.]

I watched with interest as Philip took a premature step forward. He passed through the blue flames as if they were mere illusions, confirming that they did not burn and that each of them acted as a timer, just as the impersonal voice of the tower had suggested.

— Hey, wait! —someone tried to stop him, but their warning came too late.

There are always individuals like this. People who act without reflecting, impulsively, risking not only their own lives but those of everyone else. I watched him sideways through my mask, meticulously evaluating his behavior and calculating his survival probabilities. They were not high, I concluded without any emotion.

— Shouldn't it be normal to continue towards the portals? —Raymond's voice sounded at my left side while KathyIn remained silent on my right. I deliberately ignored Raymond's question and focused on what was about to manifest, on the threat I already clearly sensed.

— Get ready. Do not take your eyes off the creature you are about to see —I warned my two companions in a low but solemn voice, laden with the gravity the situation required. Then, I cast an evaluative glance at the people to my left, a few meters from Raymond.

— The portals are not very far —commented a tall man with tanned skin and completely shaved hair.

— Can't we just run towards them? —asked the last man in the group, obviously anxious to finish that test as soon as possible.

— Yes, but... —the voice of one of the two women in the group of four wavered, betraying her internal fear. Similar to Raymond, she had tanned skin, but her short gray hair adorned her head like an uneven crown. Her hair seemed mistreated and barely reached her neck, ending in irregular points as if staggered. The other woman, with fair skin and long brown hair, looked with evident concern towards the portals. Both appeared to be over twenty years old, although fear made them seem younger and more vulnerable.

While they debated withouh knowing what course of action to take, I watched with calculated attention how the flames were gradually extinguishing, one by one. Time was inexorably running out, like sand in a red crystal hourglass.

— I can do it! —Philip suddenly exclaimed, who had initially acted on his own. This time he ran towards the portals, his recklessness manifesting in every hasty step he took.

— I'm coming too! —A second Ascendant followed him. This one did not seem willing to be left behind. He was a man with darker skin and long curly hair that resembled a lion's mane, of an intense black color.

— Let's go —and the group that had initially hesitated, seeing that the others were getting ahead of them, decided to join that suicidal race.

— Very well. I'll go too. This is a good opportunity. I advise you to take advantage of it —the man who had been next to KathyIn and who had repeatedly tried to talk to her spoke to us with a sufficiency that was irritating while moving away at a speed that betrayed his nature.

By his extraordinary swiftness, I deduced that he must belong to the assassin class and seemed to genuinely believe in his words, in his own invulnerability. I simply looked at him and, without uttering a single word, shook my head with subtle disapproval. His overconfidence would undoubtedly be the instrument of his perdition.

— Many are joining them —KathyIn's eyebrows arched in a gesture of uncertainty, her voice betraying the insecurity that overwhelmed her. She also seemed to doubt, which was understandable given the circumstances.

— Aren't we going with them? —Raymond observed me from behind. By his intonation, I could deduce that he must have his brow deeply furrowed. I also perceived his penetrating gaze fixed on my back, silently questioning my decision to remain motionless.

— Don't rush. The challenge hasn't started yet. We must be very careful with that crystal.

Before the two groups running swiftly forward could reach the location of the enigmatic crystal, exactly what my mind feared happened. A violent reaction was triggered when impetuous winds of crimson lightning began to agitate in the epicenter of the crystal, forming a cyclone of malevolent energy. The energy emanating from it was almost palpable, charging the atmosphere with tension that resembled static electricity before a devastating storm.

— What the hell...?! —people began to manifest their panic, and with good reason.

Suddenly, the enormous crystal fragmented into countless pieces. The fragments rained down on the Ascendants like a deadly hailstorm of sharp stones. I watched with repulsion as a fragment cleanly pierced the skull of an unfortunate one. A scarlet rain spilled, and one of his eyes was thrown into the air, while the others desperately tried to evade the projectiles.