Alyssa walked across the desert under a sea of red stars. A chilling wind whipped across the sand; she pulled her cloak tighter. Grains of sand tumbled by and her thoughts rolled with them. She knew most of the story behind the Tower’s descent, but there were crucial pieces missing—puzzle pieces Scale intentionally left out.

  “We’ll save her,” said Sarah, the two pacing side by side. Their silhouettes looked like the humps on a camel from behind. Their eyes met in a soft moment. A cold hand held a warmer one as the two humps became one.

  Anatoly’s long stride put him at the front of the pack. He hummed a tune and marched to it like a soldier staying in step. His voice didn’t carry on the desert winds.

  The Association Chairman held down the rear of the party. Spread in front of him were 12 people, some of the strongest Awakeners in the world. His voice alone couldn’t offset the opinion of the others. He followed the group into The Tower even if he didn’t agree with their choice. Theo stared for a long time at the sand as it glowed red under the odd starlight. His hands trembled. He rubbed a wetness from his eyes. He made the right choice. He assured himself over and over again. It had to be the right choice.

  They entered the tower too early; it felt like his friend’s sacrifice held no meaning.

  “Heavy… I’m sorry.”

  His voice was lost to the wind.

  Hana was vigint. Her team entered the crack in space as a single unit, linking themselves together with rope. Four of the team members also held hands. Those four were carrying a camera and started a second stream. They were preparing themselves in the event of a forced separation whilst moving between floors. It was already proven that the first floor had multiple channels, parallel spaces where different groups would face the trial independent of one another. Their cautious approach could only be interpreted as the correct response to the cruelty of The Tower.

  A bright light blinded them upon entry, and a peal of thunder shook their bones. Several team members stumbled on an unsteady, wet floor. A storm raged overhead. Bck clouds spit forked lightning. The force and majesty of the thunderbolts were only matched by their frequency. The sky never dimmed. The booms never stopped.

  The ground tilted 45 degrees to the right. Everyone, still tied together, started to slip. It was only at this point that they realized exactly what they were standing on. They were on a sailboat. Wooden pnks creaked under the wind and waves. The wide sail billowed above them, whipping forward and back in the gale with a ‘thwap’.

  A wine-dark sea surrounded the ship. There was no ft horizon. The purple, brackish waters and the bck sky were stitched together where they met in vertical strands, like interlocking fingers.

  “Cut the lines!” said Hana, She raised a knife and cut the ropes binding her. Without being dragged down she recovered her footing. Her eyes danced left and right, taking in everything. She made the best decision with what she had. She gave her next order, “We need to pull up the sail!”

  The rest of the team followed Hana’s command. They cut themselves free from the ropes and a few climbed the mast.

  “Edwards and Lee take charge up here. Keep your camera running. Pharrel and me, we’re going to search below deck to see if there’s another inscription somewhere. We’ll take the second camera with us.”

  “Affirmative,” said Edwards.

  “Aye Aye, Captain.” Lee had a shit-eating grin on his face as he saluted.

  “Pharrel and I,” said Pharrel.

  “Move!” barked Hana.

  The rusted hinges on the doorway to the lower deck creaked. Hana followed the stairs down one level but couldn’t see anything in the dark belly of the ship. She pulled a fre from her pack and lit it. Red light hissed to life in her hands and illuminated the middle floor: a wide storage space packed with empty benches, chains, and broken shackles. A pool of rotting water pooled on the floor. Two old pnks, nailed together in a cross, were pierced into the rounded side of the starboard hull. Dribbles of water collected together along an inscription scratched into the wood.

  The inscription, short and sweet, read: “As above, so below.”

  “That’s ominous.”

  “There’s another level below,” said Hana. She tossed the fre; it rolled to the middle of the room, spitting red flecks of light. She pulled a new one and twisted the top. “Let’s move.”

  Anatoly reached the crack to the second level first. He waited for the rest of the group.

  [System Message: Congratutions for reaching the end of the first floor. Rewards are being distributed…]

  “This…” His voice faded as he looked down at his glowing hands. The difference was small, much smaller than the reported percentages of Hana’s scout team.

  “How is it?” asked Sarah. She paused as soon as she reached the crack, staring off into the distance while looking at her own [System] message. “Huh,” she said. “Much smaller than I hoped.”

  “It’s still something,” said Alyssa, arriving next. “Probably only about three percent for me.” She checked a small monitoring device and nodded, confirming her 3% guess.

  “Yeah. It seems there’s a higher reward for the first clear.” Sarah nodded.

  “But the fact that anyone can just follow the earlier team’s path and get stronger doesn’t sit right with me,“ said Anatoly. His frown made his beak-like face more pronounced.

  As far as we know the only way to leave this Tower is to clear it. It only seems fair to get something if you’re jumping into Hell with both feet.” Alyssa pulled out her stream devices. “Now, we have a decision to make.”

  The rest of the group arrived and gathered. They all looked at Hana’s stream and frowned. Everyone started giving suggestions and a short debate followed.

  “How much food do we have in Portal’s subspace?”

  “Enough to st half a year.”

  “But that includes the food for future floors. If we waste time here hoping to learn more and we run low on resources ter we’ll regret it.”

  “The fact that our reward is smaller for not getting the first clear is enough of a reason to push forward. Hana’s mana increased by over 30 percent. We can’t give that up!”

  The debate went on for a few minutes. Despite disagreements no tempers fred. Everyone here was a consummate professional. The discussion ended amicably after a vote.

  “We go in,” said Alyssa. Everyone nodded. They tied a rope between them. It wasn’t clear if Hana’s team appeared on the same ship because they entered at the same time or if because they were physically tied together. They decided to py it safe. Anatoly was on one end. He looked at the group and then at the camera. Right before they entered, Anatoly cut the rope to isote himself. The camera caught it. He jumped in first. Everyone else followed in a panic.

  “You son of a bitch!” Alyssa grabbed Anatoly’s shirt, but because of the height difference she grabbed it in the middle instead of near the colr. “What were you thinking?”

  “That we should test it to be sure.”

  “So you tested it with your body? What if you did end up getting separated?”

  “I would be fine.”

  A vein bulged on Alyssa’s forehead. “Tch.” She clicked her tongue and stomped away. “Sarah, you stay with me at all times. We should check out the lower deck and compare it to Hana’s—”

  “No.” The Chairman stepped forward. “Look at where we are, Watergss.” He gestured to the sea. “Right now you’re the single strongest combatant and it’s not close.”

  “I disagree,” said Anatoly.

  “Shut up!” Theo snapped. “As I was saying, we need you where you can do the most. And that’s here, near the surface of the water.”

  “I raised the sails!” Sarah’s cheerful voice cut in from above, barely audible over the storm. Seawater and rain sprayed her. She looked like a drowned rat.

  “I said you stay with me!” Alyssa’s patience was wearing thin.

  “I was only gone for a second,” said Sarah, now next to Alyssa again.

  “Anatoly and I will go down to the lower deck,” said the Chairman. “Portal, can I have two fres?”

  “Sure.”

  “Then let’s move.”

  Hana stepped down into the bottom of the ship. A rotting stench made her cover her face. She pulled a breathing mask from her pack and put it on. She raised the fre above her head and waved her arm slowly. The bottom of the ship came into view. Iron bars reached from the floor to the ceiling. It was a brig…

  “Fuck.” Hana cursed. Most of the cells had bones in them, but one was empty. The middle, rgest cell had nothing inside… And the iron bars were bent open.

  A loud scream came from above.

  “Shit. Move, Pharrel! Upstairs!”