"Welcome back to the lift," Hector says, his voice a low rumble that echoes off the metallic walls.
Unlike last time, the lift is completely filled, though with only 46 people, a stark contrast to the earlier count of around 150.
The space is tighter, the air thicker with the unspoken tension of those who remain.
Leonardo nods, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Yup, he let me out to ex—plore!" he exclaims, his voice carrying a note of forced cheerfulness. He's trying to mask the unease that's been gnawing at him since the lift first began its descent.
"You're making this up, right?" Marquis asks, his tone dripping with skepticism.
He's always been the doubter, the one to question the absurdity that others might accept without hesitation.
"Well, no—" Leonardo starts, but he's abruptly cut off by a shout from the other side of the lift. near the door,
"Shadow blade!" a figure yells, bursting onto the scene with an almost supernatural spontaneity.
His appearance is jarring, to say the least. He's clad in clothing reminiscent of a vigilante he watched growing up,
complete with a long, flowing cape that billows behind him like a shadowy storm cloud.
The cape is eerily similar, giving him an air of menace. He wears cargo pants for some reason, an odd choice given the rest of his attire.
The tactical vest he dons is strapped tightly to his chest, filled with pockets and compartments that suggest a readiness for battle at any moment.
Leonardo blinks, trying to process what he's seeing. The figure stands relatively tall at 5'8, his eyes white.
"What in the 21 realms is it with this situation!" Marquis exclaims, his voice laced with genuine bewilderment.
He's seen a lot in his time, but this? This is beyond anything he could have imagined. "You're the tour guide's son, then why are you, you know, black?" Marquis asks, his words stumbling over themselves as he tries to navigate the awkwardness of the question.
"Well, brown kinda, but still."
Marquis has always had a way of putting his foot in his mouth, and this is no exception. "Well, I don't know my mother," Leonardo says, a bit defensively, then continues with a shrug, "so that cancels out."
He glances over at the text that seems to hover in the air, telling him exactly what to say. It's unnerving, this sense of being guided by something—or someone—unseen. "Am I sure that isn't the tour guide?" he thinks as the text slowly fades away, leaving him with more questions than answers.
The figure, now fully commanding the attention of everyone in the lift, smirks as if relishing the confusion he's caused.
"They think I merely hide in rasvian energy, but I am Rasvian," he declares, striking a dramatic pose that's almost comical in its intensity. The way he moves, the way he speaks—it's all reminiscent of the heroes
Most heirs saw growing up.
And then, just as suddenly as he appeared, Rasvian Shadow vanishes, leaving nothing but a faint ripple in the air where he once stood. He seemed to vanish
"Isn't that weird?" Leonardo tries to say, but his voice is drowned out by the overwhelming noise of the lift's machinery grinding against the forces of acceleration.
"Look. At. Me," Marquis demands, grabbing Leonardo's arm and pulling him back to reality.
His eyes are wide, almost frantic.
The thought of the tour guide having a son—especially one like that—is indescribable, a notion so outlandish it borders on the absurd. It's on par with the idea of a sage procreating with a "human," a concept that defies the very laws of nature and the established order of their world.
The lift's speed increases abruptly, throwing everyone off balance.
"It seems we have to increase the speed a bit more," Hector announces looking over at marquis and Leonardo, his tone casual as if he's merely adjusting the thermostat in a room. He looks at the air in front of him, waving his hands in a motion that seems to communicate with the lift's controls.
"3x speed enabled," a voice drones. This voice is unlike the authoritative tones of the sages; it's monochrome, robotic, almost devoid of any emotion or inflection.
The lift responds instantly, moving at a speed so intense that the very fabric of space-time seems to warp around them.
The stars outside the lift, once twinkling dots of light, now stretch into long, unbroken lines, creating a dazzling display of colors as the Doppler effect kicks in.
The light shifts from white to blue to red, the stars appearing as if they've been smeared across the sky by an unseen hand.
All of this happens in the span of 11 seconds, a blur of motion and sensation that leaves everyone reeling. Hector smiles a bit, clearly enjoying the chaos he's unleashed.
There's a brief pause as the lift stabilizes, and for a moment, everyone seems to float slightly off the ground, suspended in a state of near-weightlessness. It's disorienting, the sudden shift in gravity playing tricks on their senses.
"What is that man doing?!" Anna's voice cuts through the din, her tone sharp with alarm. She's standing far off, but her voice carries, echoing through the enclosed space.
As Shadow blade reappears, he's already at the top of the lift, clinging to the ceiling with an ease that defies explanation.
He doesn't even have time to react before the lift's next movement sends him crashing against the ceiling, his body plastered against the metal like a fly caught in a web.
"Floor 2900!" Hector announces, his voice gleeful as 6 people get down, their faces pale from the ordeal.
"Floor 2805!" Two more descend, moving with an urgency that suggests they want off this ride as soon as possible.
"Floor 2705!" Two get down.
"Floor 2650!" Nine more exit, leaving behind an air of quiet desperation. Leonardo watches in amazement.
How can so many people live on a single floor? How big is one floor? He tries to ask, but the words catch in his throat as the lift accelerates once more, propelling them deeper into the tower's depths.
Hector, oblivious to the growing tension, is thoroughly enjoying every bit of the ride. He throws his head back and laughs, a sound that borders on madness.
"HAHAH" he cackles, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"What is that man doing?!" Mei Ling shouts, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and frustration as her guide struggles to keep her steady. The speed of the lift is relentless, unforgiving, and it's clear that not everyone is handling it well.
Mei-Ling's guide, however, is having a much harder time, his gauntleted hands trying—and failing—to find purchase on the slick polsium floor.
Tyrsson, ever the stoic warrior, lies flat on the ground, his body rigid as he braces against the forces threatening to fling him into the air.
Rasvian Shadow clings to the ceiling, his fingers digging into the metal as he fights to maintain his grip.
His guide is nowhere to be seen, possibly on the ground—or worse. Leonardo's mind races with possibilities, none of them comforting. Ryuji and wata on the other hand stay on the ceiling.
"Floor 2000!" Hector announces, his voice a little less jovial now as one more person steps off, their movements slow, almost reluctant.
"Well, looks like this is my stop," Marquis murmured as the lift finally began to decelerate, the hum of machinery quieting.
His hands, perpetually buried deep in the pockets of his hoodie, remained there, even as the blood-red lettering on his hoodie came into view.
"Future," it proclaimed in bold, near Gothic letters, Yeah," he continued, his voice softer now, tinged with a rare vulnerability, "this might be the last time we cross paths."
Leonardo hesitated, the words slipping out before he could catch them. "I know. It was nice meeting you... 'blue-haired saviour.'"
Marquis let out a low, sarcastic chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "You're a trip, you know that?" he said, extending his hand, a gesture that felt both final and unexpectedly sincere. "It was fun."
"what do you mean fun? we barely talked" Leonardo replied
"Nah nothing, you just seem better than Alain and Ryuji combined"
"Just get on with it already!" a nearby heir barked, his patience fraying, his voice a sharp contrast to the strange calm that had settled over Marquis and Leonardo.
Leonardo ignored the outburst, focusing solely on Marquis as he grasped his hand firmly.
Marquis nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he turned away. The lift's doors slid open with a whisper, revealing a lush, vibrant forest that stretched endlessly before them, the scent of pine and earth rushing in like a breath of fresh air.
"Marquis, wait—" Leonardo began, a sense of urgency rising in his chest.
"Yeah?" Marquis turned back slowly, his eyes meeting Leonardo's for just a heartbeat.
But before the words could form, the doors snapped shut with a finality that echoed in the small space.
"Moving on!" Hector called out, his voice edged with a note of finality. The lift jolted, then resumed its descent, the stars outside blurring back into streaks of light, a cosmic reminder of the relentless pace of their journey.
As the lift hurtled through the void, Leonardo stared at the closed doors, a mix of regret and resolve churning within him,
"it was fun"