Tower of Paradise

Once inside, I was able to observe in more detail the dark corridor that stretched before me.

I found myself in a hallway that ran in a straight line. The walls, built of hard stone, extended imposingly and cold on both sides. The corridor was lost in darkness both to the left and right, decorated only by lit torches placed sporadically in metal candelabras. The flames provided a dim but constant light, casting dancing shadows that seemed to take on a life of their own in all directions.

— It's a little dark. —Murmured KathyIn, who remained one meter away from me.

— Prepare your mind. The moment you hesitate, you will die. —I replied in a hoarse voice while staring at her intently. Truth be told, I didn't know if I was saying this to KathyIn or to myself—. Suppress unnecessary behavior and remain calm as much as possible.

KathyIn, however, allowed her true emotions to manifest, thinking that no one would see her. She seemed much more lost, alone, and frightened than before. She was like a child trying to pretend to be brave.

I pitied her fate; the tower ordered me to kill her. Fortunately, the mission didn't seem to have penalties, so the decision to kill her or not was merely personal.

The problem was her private mission; the most annoying thing that could happen is if she had a mission identical to mine. Private missions could be the same, opposite, or completely different. Other people couldn't know what your private mission was.

— Why are you staring at me like that? —KathyIn smiled with feigned confidence and touched her face playfully with her index finger—. Is it because I'm cute?

— Forget it. —I shrugged. I didn't bother paying attention to her and took the lead down the hallway.

Was she attentive or just an immature girl? From what I could see, I didn't think I had to worry much about her... although I couldn't trust her too much either. In this situation, having someone by her side must have made her feel comfortable. For now, she seemed to trust me. However, I shouldn't lower my guard. We would never know what the other person was thinking.

Unfortunately, in our current state, we couldn't outrun the spider-reptile.

This was just a narrow corridor, so I couldn't think of any strategy other than running. We could only hope that we wouldn't encounter the mutant.

I saw that the path forked to the left. If viewed from above, both paths would form an inverted L. The decision wasn't simple; each choice could mean the difference between life and death.

— Which way? —Asked KathyIn, licking her lips.

— Use your ability. —I told her after considering it for a moment—. Create an ice bird and send it to find the location of the spider-reptile.

— If I do that, I'll be vulnerable during the process. —Blinking with her ruby-colored eyes, she stared intently at my face.

Her ability could be seen as a kind of advanced multitasking. Imagine that she had the capacity to alternate between her normal vision and that of the birds, as if she were switching channels on two televisions at the same time. This meant that in theory, she could maintain her attention on her immediate surroundings while simultaneously observing through the bird's eyes. But being able to synchronize her movements and maintain her situational awareness while switching between her normal view and the bird's was something that only someone with a lot of training and control could do. In summary, what KathyIn was saying was that she couldn't do it without losing sight of her own surroundings; she could only focus on the bird's view.

— Don't worry, you can count on me. —I tried to sound more confident than I really was. It was true, to some extent, as long as the situation allowed it, I would help her.

I would have liked to say: "I will protect you." But I knew I shouldn't. If I said it, KathyIn would know without a doubt that I would be lying.

I gritted my teeth and tried to deceive her with words that I really didn't intend to fulfill. One had to be a fool or have no desire to live to allow such things.

To be honest, I wanted to believe until the last moment that the answer would be "I will do it," but I didn't want to lie to myself. Between KathyIn's life and mine, I would undoubtedly choose mine. The truth was ruthless, cutting like the edge of a knife.

It's not that I didn't feel sorry for the girl or didn't want to help her. It's just that I knew with certainty that this was something I simply couldn't do. I could barely save myself, let alone save someone else if the situation warranted it. If I tried, we would simply die together.

Still, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed in myself. Self-preservation and selfishness seemed to me as natural traits as breathing, but that didn't mean I was proud of them.

— Really? Are you not lying to me? —KathyIn approached me and slightly tilted her torso with her hands behind her back as she stared at me with a small smile.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. The words stuck in my throat, suffocated by my own cowardice.

— Then, promise me that you will protect me. —She tucked strands of her hair behind her ear.

My face, hidden behind my mask, hardened.

Damn it.

I cursed silently; I was cornered. Unwittingly, KathyIn had backed me into a corner. I, as a human being, could lie, could deceive, but I would never break a promise. The words "I promise" were sacred to me. As sacred as the memory of my late mother.

The reason I was alive was due to a promise. For me, that was a basic rule of my own existence. Growing up in my mother's arms made me feel like I had everything. That's why I didn't worry too much about the future back then.

KathyIn crossed her arms. She patiently awaited my response with a bright smile. Apparently, she had realized my intentions. Grumbling inside, I accepted my defeat.

— I promise.

KathyIn nodded, closed her eyes, and extended her hands in front of her. A bluish glow began to emanate from her palms, gradually condensing until it formed a small bird of crystalline ice. It was impressive to see how the details formed: the delicate feathers, the sharp beak, the bright eyes that seemed almost alive.

Innate abilities as well as spells were techniques fueled by stellar energy through a process similar to a mathematical formula within the user's body. The tower forcibly engraved these techniques in our brains so that we could use them even without prior affinity or the ability to do so, unlike the Awakened where talent dictated everything. You simply had to prove yourself worthy, and the tower would reward you with something according to your efforts.

The bird flapped its wings and rose, floating in front of us for a moment before KathyIn indicated with a gesture that it should fly over the marble walls searching for the mutant.

— I'll maintain the visual connection. —She informed me, her voice adopting a distant tone as her mind connected with the ice creature.

— Good. —I nodded, still impressed by her ability. The bluish glow emanating from her eyes while maintaining the connection was both beautiful and unsettling.

— For how long?

An ability like that should have a time limit. Otherwise, the mental overload would be overwhelming.

— Ten minutes is the maximum. —She replied without taking her gaze away from the void.

Ten minutes... A time neither too short nor too long. Could we get out of the labyrinth in ten minutes? The odds weren't in our favor, but we would have to try.

— Good, your mission is to monitor the location of the...

— I've already found the mutant's location.

— Well done! From now on, you must tell me how close or far away it is.

KathyIn nodded without hesitation.

I grabbed her hand so she wouldn't trip or fall, and carefully began walking down the hallway. We had taken too much time in this conversation. Every wasted second was one second less to escape.

Soon, I stopped right where the wall ended and carefully, slowly peeked my head out to verify that the path was clear.

Seeing that the new path was safe, we both advanced through the new corridor. My steps were deliberately slow and silent, trying not to alert the creature that KathyIn had located.

— Again the path forks. Which way should we...?

— Left. —KathyIn's soft voice didn't waver.

Again we advanced down the left corridor. Although KathyIn's hand was soft and comfortable, it wasn't easy to walk with her. She ordered us to go left whenever we encountered T-shaped forks.

— What's wrong? —Asked KathyIn hesitantly, noticing my confused expression.

But a strange air gripped the place along with dried blood. It turned out to be a dead end.