Flesh was such a fragile thing, though once it takes hold, you can't escape till death.
And yet... it was the one thing I no longer had.
For centuries I drifted within these cursed walls, trapped with no security. It's a prison-my prison fitting a king, to torture one. No one to show my power, no one to spread my masquerade.
But now...
Now I am free to choose.
I paced slowly around the final four, the air around me chilling with each step, unseen by their eyes but felt in their bones.
Four survivors. Four vessels.
All strong, yes. They had to be, to endure all that was thrown at them. But strength alone is not enough.
No. What I need is a fracture.
A crack in the will.
A soul that can bend to my wim.
I paused before the tall one-Arnold, the protective type in platinum or another shiny amour, laced in a gold trim. The great sword at his side makes him look like a paladin. Makes me chuckle to myself.
Too strong minded, he would resist.
Next was the lightning boy-Kel. Sharp, intelligent, fast. But too loyal. Too naive. Though that naiveness must be his strength as it makes him such a fine pick if he wasn't so hardheaded.
So I move on, to the quiet, but tall man. Nate, a fine young man with instinct and a stone heart. He looks like he uses a longsword, quite the nice weapon alongside my favorite, the rapier. Though, I can't choose him, he has something specific and too strong keeping him down. Back home, a wife, a child. He would not fall, and would resist.
Then finally... him.
Tristan.
I lingered.
So small. So fragile.
And yet, he made it this far.
I don't think I even saw him kill a single thing. Though, when I gave them a choice, to kill or be killed, he reached for the dagger.
He broke.
That tiny motion told me everything. He gots the fracture I needed. He believes himself weak. And he's not wrong. A coward. But, lucky him, that makes him mine.
A smile crept across my lips.
"I am excited," I whispered to the room, to no one and everyone, "to finally be out of this eternal prison."
Soon, I will have form.
Soon, I will have freedom.
He will not fight me. He cannot. I will wear him like a glove, so I can finally leave this hellhole.
I raised a single hand and swept it outward, gently and with grace. One by one, the others dropped-Kel, Arnold, and Nate. Not dead. Not yet. Just sleeping. No need to trouble my new body with them.
I turned to Tristan as he turned to me. He looked scared by my presence. As he should. Though, he just stood there.
Good.
A creature that knows its place.
I moved close enough to see the veins in his neck pulse. The flutter of a heartbeat, like a trembling bird's wings.
"I welcome you," I whispered to him, more to myself, "to something greater."
Then I opened my mouth, my fangs pierced his skin with surgical precision. My fangs touching his veins. I began to pour myself, my soul into him. Like black ink into water. Like venom through a wound. My essence flowed, burning through muscle, nerve, bone-soul.
I expected him to fall. Collapse inward like everyone else before.
But instead...
He clenched.
My vision blurred.
My mind slammed against something I hadn't felt in centuries.
A wall.
No- a storm.
Raging like a tornado. A will screaming in defiance.
"You don't get to take this", it said, not in words, but in pressure-pushing back, resisting... "I earned this life. You don't get to have it."
Pain, the kind I thought myself numb to. A thousand white-hot needles driving into my essence.
The boy roared inside, and my grip began to slip. How could this have happened, I let my guard down? No, he was weak, he had no willpower! What is this? This can't be happening!
I tried to anchor myself, to claw deeper, to override his soul. But every time I pressed down, he pushed harder.
The room around us cracked and flickered-images, memories, feelings. His mother's laugh. His father's disdain. Blood. Failure. Hunger.
Fire.
I screamed as the pain surged.
He wasn't fragile.
He wasn't hollow.
He was burning.
And then-
Everything... Everything was black.
My awareness shattered like glass.
Only darkness remained.
.
.
.
I woke up gasping.
My head is throbbing with this aching headache. Like if I smashed it into a wall- like- a thousand times. The cold Stone wall that pressed against my back and head didn't help. I blinked through the pain, though it didn't vanish like I would hope.
I look around. There's stone walls, a low ceiling. A large hallway and stairs on the other side, going down. Then I see Kel, Arnold, and the other guy-what was his name?- I don't give a fuck right now... they lay crumpled on the floor nearby.
I groaned as I sat up slowly, the pounding in my skull making my stomach turn. I want to throw up. My hands trembled as I braced myself, almost falling back.
My whole body felt sore, like I went to the gym and didn't come back out till a few months. It's like something replaced my bones in my sleep. I rubbed at my temples, trying to make sense of it all.
Where was I before? Had it been a dream? The dining hall, the soup, everyone dying with the bats, then that dagger.... And that man-that thing-with the crimson eyes...
it has to be real, I remember so clearly, though, the more I try to pick at the thought, it falls like sand. Like a dream after waking up.
I watched others, still unconscious. Maybe I just passed out... Maybe I dreamt the whole thing, after all, it does seem unreal.
I sighed, leaning against the stone wall. The chill seeped into my skin. "ugh! We need to get out so I can find something this fucking headache!"
Finding the strength to walk over, I shook Arnold's shoulder first. He groaned, instinctively slapped my hand, then sat up with a confused scowl.
"...What the hell? Where are we?"
"Still in the Tower, I think," I said.
"Clearly," Arnold muttered in retort, massaging the sides of his forehead. "My fucking head..."
Kel stirred next, sitting up with a sharp gasp and wild eyes. "Are we dead?"
"Not yet," I said. "You good?"
He looked at me, then around the room, slowly settling. "Yeah. I think. The boss... what happened to the boss?"
The last guy-Nate or Nils, something like that-groaned awake just as Kel said it. The three of them looked at me in unison.
"I was hoping you knew," I said.
Arnold frowned. "We were fighting it. That big ugly thing. Claws, spikes, screaming shadows-yeah? Then it... died?"
"Did we kill it?" Kel asked, glancing around. "I don't remember the final blow."
Nate rubbed his face and grunted, "I remember slashing at it... then everything went black. Guess we won?"
I stared at them. None of them seemed to remember what happened. They spoke about the boss like it had been some overgrown spider demon..
Not a crimson-eyed monster in a suit.
"...You guys don't remember him?" I asked quietly.
Arnold tilted his head. "The boss?"
"No," I said. "The man. The Host."
Kel squinted at me. "What man?"
"The one who... offered us dinner? Do you at least remember the bats?"
All three stared at me like I'd sprouted a second head.
"Tristan," Kel said slowly, "there was no man. It was a monster. A bit too much for an E rank tower but it was a monster."
"No. No, he spoke." My voice cracked. "You don't remember the dagger? The test?"
Nothing but blank expressions.
My heart thudded.
Kel blinked. "I think the boss knocked you out and you were dreaming. Are you doing okay there?"
I opened my mouth-then shut it again.
The memories felt real. Too vivid to be dreams. However, we aren't there anymore and no one remembers. Was it all a dream? Was it a hallucination from the boss? Almost on instinct, I touch my neck, feeling just a light burn.
Arnold stood and stretched. "Well, whatever happened, we're alive. And we should find a way out of the tower."
Kel nodded, brushing dust from his jacket. "Let's move."
They started toward the staircase.
I lingered behind.
The stone steps tapped along our feet as we descended the spiraling staircase, the air growing less oppressive with every level we passed.
Kel broke the silence first, "Man... remember back on the spider floor?" He bumped my shoulder and chuckled. "I told you then, Tristan-I'd kill for a smoothie after this. Still stands. Maybe strawberry, banana, or mango... no, wait, a Pina colada!"
Arnold chimed in, "I like matcha."
"Gross," Nate said. "Matcha's just wet grass in a cup."
Kel shrugged dramatically. "Then a burger and fries, too. With those thick-cut wedges. And ketchup. You know what? Two burgers."
Nate grunted. "Now you've got me thinking about food. I want one of those long sub sandwiches. Warm. Toasted. With a mountain of pickles and a side of salad. Big soda to drown in."
Arnold laughed, his voice deep and it echoed slightly off the stone, bouncing and reverberating. "I can't wait to get home and eat spaghetti with the family."
They were all smiling, joking and talking about food now. I tried to laugh along. I really did. After all, we deserved it, we survived.
However, with all the food conversation and talk, mixed with how hungry I am, it made my stomach twist. Though, I don't want any of what they are yapping about. I want something slightly sweet and salty. But I can't put my tongue to it.
I kept quiet, letting the conversation pass over me. I didn't want to admit that none of it sounded appetizing. Not even a little.
The exit was in sight now, a faint glow ahead, warm and golden. Real light. Real air. Almost there.
"Hey, Tristan," Kel said, stepping closer to me as we walked. "You remember that we talked about going to the bar?"
I blinked. "Uh..."
"You wanna come with me still?"
I hesitated, watching the sunlight creep closer.
"Yeah," I said. "Sure."
He grinned. "It's a promise, then."
Still, it doesn't really sound appetizing, but I smile and nod anyway. Maybe a nice beer or whiskey shot would do me good.
We got to the open tower door. They open once the tower boss is dead, so another piece of evidence that the host and dining room was a dream.
We walked outside, suddenly I winced, the sun hit harder than I expected. I gulped, able to stand. It felt too warm, like it might burn my skin off me. Of course, it is probably because we were in the tower for so long.
The plaza outside was quiet. That same woman from before stood at the entrance-clipboard in hand, tight bun,and her uniform crisp. Her eyes widened as we stepped toward her.
"...Only four?" she asked, voice tighter than it had been. "But... how? This is an E-rank Tower!"
Arnold stepped forward, his usual calmness gone. "You should tell your boss to reassess that death trap. That wasn't an E-rank. C-rank monsters. A B rank spider boss on the 13th floor."
The woman's brows furrowed. "C- rank... B rank..."
She started scribbling furiously, flipping through pages. She looked up-and for a split second, her eyes met mine. Brows faintly pinched, like she was trying to remember something. Or figure me out. But the moment passed. She went right back to writing.
"You'll receive your payments soon," she said briskly. "Once the Tower is reassessed, the system will issue trauma compensation. It'll hit your Defender debit cards automatically."
She paused, looking directly at her clipboard. Quietly, she sighed before she whispered, "And I'll arrange trauma and life pay for the families of the dead Defenders..."
I blinked. "What?" I muttered. Her lips barely moved. How had I heard that?
Before I could dwell on it, Kel clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Alright, c'mon, Tristan! You owe me a smoothie. No backing out now!"
I didn't even get a word in before he started dragging me off by the arm, practically bouncing despite everything.
The sun followed us, warm and golden as we walked further into the city. Unknown to Kel, it was mostly him dragging me since I felt so groggy.
I don't get it, but since I left the Tower I felt so tired and sluggish. It's probably because I AM tired, after all that that was a lot to deal with.
I wonder how much the pay will be.