'What kind of dream is this?' Seph pondered in the white space. The game-like screen stood still in front of him. He tried touching it but his hand just went through it.
Suddenly, a voice resounded throughout the room.
"This isn't a dream."
Seph looked behind him and a woman stood there. Her body was covered in a white veil and she held a golden stopwatch. Even though her face was covered, Seph could tell she was immensely beautiful.
"Welcome, Seph," she spoke, her voice echoing softly in the vast emptiness around them.
Seph's heart raced, his mind struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "Who are you? Where am I?" he managed to stammer out.
The woman offered him a serene smile, her eyes gleaming with a sense of seniority.. "It matters not what I am but what you are," she explained, her voice carrying a weight of authority. "And you, Seph, have been chosen as a successor."
Seph's brows furrowed in confusion. "Successor? Chosen for what?"
The woman's gaze hardened as many shadowy figures appeared above them.
"These are gods at the pinnacle of their powers," she pointed above.
"With extraordinary powers that defy the laws of the universe, they reign supreme at the peak of the tower. You may call them constellations."
Seph looked even more confused.
"Why would a god need a successor?"
The lady laughed.
"Nothing in this universe is eternal, successor. The only thing that is eternal is the emotions you will feel as you ascend. The more you ascend, the more powerful you will become."
"Powerful?"
"Of course. The Tower will grant you strength like no other. And with your constellation's advice and experience you will be much more than what you are. Rather than a pitiful and weak human, you will be a god. A god that makes the impossible possible."
Of course, there was only one thing he wanted. To be with others. To be loved by others. And most importantly, to protect others.
Memories of his parents' death flashed through Seph's mind. Through his gritting teeth, he pushed those memories away.
The lady veiled in white must have noticed my expression because she spoke in a soft voice.
"Unpleasant memories can always be replaced with new, happier ones. All you have to do is fight for it."
He absolutely despised his past. All the memories of his parents, whether happy or sad, he wanted to remove it all. So, willingly he accepted what was presented in front of him.
"I will do it."
"Are you sure? Your constellation will ask you to do anything for them and you will have to do it." She emphasized on the 'have' as she pitied Seph and the sad expression on his face.
"I am sure. If I can change my fate, I will willingly do any task presented to me."
"Even if it's death?"
Seph fell silent. Of course, he was hesitant to answer such a question. And as if it was natural to him, he lied.
"I will do it even if it kills me."
The lady sighed at his words but continued on about the Tower.
"The Tower is designed to nurture successors into constellations. Whatever it holds for you will be for your own benefit." She paused to see Seph's reaction but Seph remained unwavered. "If you think or say 'Status' allowed, the Tower will show you your powers."
She looked at Seph with her golden eyes as if urging him to say it. And Seph obliged as he screamed at the top of his voice.
"STATUS!"
She grasped her ears and whispered in a soft voice.
"You don't have to scream.."
However, Seph looked at the screen that had appeared. He was curious about the information and read through them thoroughly.
...
Name: Seph
Rank: None
Constellation: [ERROR]
Class: None
Essence: None
Techniques: None
Attributes-:
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 5
Endurance 5:
Intelligence: 15
Unused: 0
...
A big fat red '[ERROR]' was beside the constellation.
'Huh, isn't this supposed to be where my predecessor's name should be? Why does it say Error?'
He looked at the gleaming eyes of the lady veiled in white. Of course, this was unprecedented otherwise she would have said something.
He had finally been given a chance. A chance at power. A chance at changing his own fate. What if the lady sent him back after realizing he wasn't supposed to be here. What if his chance gets stolen from him and given to someone else.
'Absolutely Fucking Not.'
"Everything looks fine?"
Seph nodded quickly and smiled at her.
"What do I do now?"
"On every floor of the tower you will be given a quest. Fulfill the quest and ascend to the next one. Hundreds of successors have already started before you and are still in the earliest floors."
"I see." So there were indeed other successors. All of them were competitors yet Seph saw a chance at making friends with them. Something he hadn't been able to do in all his lifetime.
She smiled and closed her eyes. As she continued speaking, Seph could feel a chill down my spine.
"All successors have a class which is a type of affinity if you will. For example, A successor with a swordsman class will have a strong affinity to the sword and a successor with an archer class will have an affinity towards the bow."
A light suddenly engulfed Seph. He looked down at the white light which surprisingly did not hurt his eyes. She spoke after a brief silence.
"You have been alone most of your life, Seph."
Seph looked up at her. She still had her eyes closed and the chills that ran down Seph's spine got colder, making him shiver.
Memories flooded into him as she spoke.
...
"You were bullied for no reason."
A familiar bathroom surrounded them. Three boys were drowning another boy inside a toilet.
"You lost everyone due to your unfortunate fortune."
A scene of a car crash, with bodies laid on the road.
"You struggled in an unknown place."
A small cardboard was taped onto the wall of a building which provided a ceiling for a teenager whose eyes were glued onto a book.
"Yet, you still went on."
A young boy rummaged in trash, looking for hope..
"You still lived in a situation where many would give up."
A boy shoveled the lawns full of snow for the money to buy a piece of bread.
"Your love for books outgrew the hunger that was in your stomach."
A boy sat in a corner of a library, reading his favorite book.
"You did not lash out to the world but thanked it for giving you the book to read."
A boy who was stepping into manhood looked at a small place that had a sign that read, 'Hiring.'
"You lived through hell to find your own heaven."
A man now stood in a library that he nurtured. He had a smile on his face.
...
They were brought back to the first floor.
The Lady veiled in white still had her eyes closed. But tears ran down her cheeks.
"To you, the one who had gone through hell."
"To you, who walked on the thinnest thread."
"I use my privilege as a Sapien and give you an Unique Class."
"I wish you well throughout your journey, and I hope you will live on to find an even greater heaven than the one you created."
[You have completed Floor One]
[You have gained the unique class, Librarian.]
[The Tower has strengthened your class due to the lack of a constellation.]
[The Tower Recognizes Your Fate]
[Welcome to Floor Two.]