I remember the sky breaking.

I was stretching out my wings, wings that seemed like they never could be tired or burdened​ a moment before. Adjacent, the globe fractured; light lost its contour, shadow warped and ceased properly play, and gravity dragged me down to a ground that wouldn't allow me get back up. And my wings... always an extension of me, felt stifled and futile. like they were working against me instead of with me We were all going to fall and no volume of wind bending or sky rendering would prevent the trajectory.

I seem to fall for hours. Around me, I saw nothing but broken sky and flickers of light. It was disorienting. I wanted to scream, but the wind took it. And then it ceased just as suddenly as it had begun.

I landed on my feet, miraculously unscathed but it was somewhere else than where I had been a few moments earlier. And the air … was heavy, stifling. The sky was no longer wide-open, endless freedom for me anymore; it was an infinity of black end. Before me, rising to infinity was the most colossal, oldest thing I had ever seen: The Tower.

What in the name of hell is this place?

My wings twitched, desperate to take off, but the air felt wrong. No wind, no sky currents—just stillness. It was like my connection to the sky had been severed. I felt naked without it. My instincts screamed at me to fly, to escape, but I couldn't. There was no sky left to run to.

I walked forward, cautiously, the vastness of the Tower making me feel insignificant. As I approached its base, I noticed a strange figure standing near a door—if you could even call it a door. It wasn't made of wood or metal, but of something shifting, like liquid darkness frozen in place.

The figure grinned at me, their sharp teeth glinting in the dim light.

"Welcome to the Tower, irregular."

"Irregular?" I echoed, my voice sounding distant in the oppressive silence. "Where am I?"

The figure's grin widened. "You don't need to know where you are. You need to know what you have to do to survive. The Tower doesn't care who you were. It only cares what you can become."

I blinked, trying to make sense of it. This was… some kind of test, a game? But why me? The confusion must've shown on my face because the figure chuckled.

"The first test awaits you inside. All you need to do is pass, and the Tower will let you live a little longer."

Before I could ask any more questions, the liquid-black door rippled and slid open. A gust of wind—real wind—rushed out, carrying with it the scent of a battlefield. My wings twitched again. Without thinking, I stepped forward, entering the unknown.

I found myself standing in a wide, open space that didn't make any sense. The Tower's exterior had seemed endless, but now I was in what felt like an arena. Surrounding me were dozens of other people, all as confused as I was, murmuring to themselves and each other. Some looked scared, others determined, but everyone had the same look of uncertainty in their eyes.

A booming voice suddenly echoed through the air, loud enough to make my wings bristle in alarm.

"Welcome to the first test of the Tower. Only half of you will advance. The other half will die."

My heart skipped a beat. Die?

The voice continued, ignoring the sudden wave of panic that swept through the group. "The rules are simple: fight, survive, and make sure you're not part of the half that gets eliminated. Begin."

Chaos erupted immediately. People rushed at each other, some with weapons, others with strange powers I had never seen before. I barely had time to react before someone charged at me, swinging a jagged sword. Instinctively, I dodged, flapping my wings to create distance between us, but the air was too still for me to fly properly.

"Damn it!" I cursed, backing away.

The man lunged again, his blade aimed at my chest. I ducked, twisting out of the way, and flicked my wings forward. A sharp gust of wind followed, but it was weaker than I intended. The man stumbled, surprised by the sudden force, but not enough to stop him. He recovered quickly and slashed at me again.

Focus, Kael. My wings might be weakened here, but I still had control of the wind. I couldn't fly, but I could fight.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground and spread my wings wide. Drawing in the stale air around me, I focused all my energy into my next move. As the man swung again, I flapped hard, sending a concentrated burst of wind directly at his legs. It swept him off his feet, and he crashed to the ground with a grunt.

Not wasting a second, I rushed forward, my fist glowing with shinsu. I wasn't sure how I knew what it was—shinsu, this energy pulsing through the Tower—but it felt natural. My punch connected with his chest, and the shockwave from the impact knocked him out cold.

I stood over him, panting. Around me, the chaos continued. People were dropping one by one, either from injuries or outright death. I couldn't afford to be next.

A distant memory flickered in my mind—training with my father, learning to fight in the air, to harness my wings for combat. But this wasn't home. The rules were different here. The Tower was a predator, and I was its prey.

The ground suddenly shifted beneath me, and I stumbled, looking around wildly. The battlefield was changing, the walls closing in, forcing the survivors closer together. Fewer than half remained now, and I could feel the tension rising in the air. I had to stay sharp, or I wouldn't make it.

A group of three fighters spotted me. One had a spear, another held daggers, and the third seemed to manipulate fire with their hands. They moved as a unit, approaching me cautiously. My wings flexed instinctively, but there was no easy way out of this.

Think, Kael. Use the wind.

I felt the currents of air shift slightly, still weak but there. I could use it, just like I did in flight. The spear-wielder lunged at me first, the blade aimed straight for my head. I ducked, sweeping my wings forward in a broad arc, summoning another gust of wind that caught all three of them off balance. The fire-user launched a blast of flame toward me, but I quickly sidestepped, the heat grazing my arm.

"Too slow!" I growled, channeling shinsu into my wings. I couldn't fly, but I could fight. With a powerful flap, I sent a whirlwind toward them, throwing them back as they struggled to stay on their feet. This was my advantage—I could fight the wind, but they couldn't.

I didn't have time to catch my breath after taking down the fire-user. That's when I felt it—a presence. No, multiple presences. It was like a sudden shift in the air, a tension so thick it felt like it was pressing down on me. I turned and saw them. A team. Not like the others scrambling in chaos, but a unit moving with deadly precision. And they were heading straight for me.

He stood as a looming figure, shrouded in an aura of mystery. His tall, muscular frame exuded power and dominance, each movement deliberate and confident. The striking red of his skin contrasted sharply with the long, flowing black hair that cascaded down his back, giving him an almost otherworldly appearance.

His helmet was a formidable piece of craftsmanship, crafted from dark metal that gleamed ominously in the dim light. It enveloped most of his face, leaving only his nose and mouth visible, which added to his enigmatic presence. The design was intricate, featuring sharp angles and subtle engravings that hinted at a history far beyond the Tower.

Despite his imposing size, he remained completely silent, a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding him. His eyes, partially obscured by the helmet's visor, held a depth that seemed to pierce through the darkness, surveying the battlefield with an intensity that unnerved those who caught his gaze.

Each time he moved, there was a fluidity that belied his bulk—a predator in its element, waiting for the right moment to strike.

I tensed, readying my wings, but before I could react, he charged. For something so massive, he moved with terrifying speed. I ducked, barely dodging his massive claws as they sliced through the air where my head had been moments ago. His presence was suffocating, like the shadows themselves were trying to crush me. I flapped my wings hard, sending a gust of wind toward him, but it barely made him flinch. He was a tank—unstoppable.

I skidded back, trying to gain some distance, but I didn't get far before the second figure leaped into the air. I barely had time to register her movement before her foot came crashing down toward me. I raised my wing instinctively to block, but the force of the kick sent a sharp pain through my arm. She was fast—too fast. I staggered, struggling to stay on my feet as she circled me like a predator playing with her prey.

I could feel the third figure's eyes on me, watching, calculating. She hung back, letting the others do the dirty work, but there was something about her presence that set my nerves on edge. She didn't need to fight—she knew she was in control.

The giant charged again, this time with more force, his claws aimed for my chest. I had to move. With a desperate flap of my wings, I launched myself sideways, barely avoiding the strike. His claws tore through the ground where I had been standing, leaving deep gouges in the dirt.

I was running out of options. My wings were aching, the air felt thick and heavy, and I knew I couldn't keep dodging forever. But I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

The agile one moved in again, closing the distance in an instant. I swung my wing forward, sending a blast of wind her way, but she danced around it effortlessly, her movements fluid and deadly. She was toying with me, testing my limits.

I needed to end this—fast. As she darted in for another strike, I focused all my remaining strength into my wings. The air around me shifted, swirling violently as I drew it in. Just as she was about to land another hit, I flapped my wings with all my might, unleashing a concentrated whirlwind in every direction.

The sudden force caught her off guard, throwing her back. The massive one stumbled as well, momentarily losing his balance.

It wasn't enough to take them down, but it gave me a moment to breathe. I could feel the shinsu flowing through the air again, responding to my will. But just as I was about to press my advantage, I felt it—a surge of energy from behind me. A huge shadow casted over me as a fist raised above me.

How I'm sure I blew him away how'd he recover so fast!

Before he could make her move, a booming voice echoed through the air, freezing everyone in place.

"Stop. The test is over."

I exhaled, the tension in my muscles releasing all at once. The battlefield went silent as the announcement reverberated through the space. I had survived—for now.

But I knew this was just the beginning.