Rainey stood in the silence of the chamber, his hand still resting on the orb as the light faded completely. His chest felt tight, his breath uneven. The memory fragment he had just experienced was clearer than the previous ones, yet it left him with even more questions. The words echoed in his mind: The tower is awakening.
"What does that even mean?" Rainey muttered under his breath, pacing the small chamber. He clenched and unclenched his fists, frustration gnawing at him. "If this tower is waking up, what am I supposed to do about it?"
He didn't even know why he was here, and now there were warnings of some impending change. The tower wasn't just a trial; it was something more, something alive. That thought unsettled him more than the beasts or the shadowy figures he had fought.
As he walked, Rainey's mind swirled with doubt. He didn't belong here—the system had made that clear from the beginning, labeling him an anomaly. The figure he had fought had told him as much. Yet here he was, being pushed deeper into the tower, forced to confront these fragmented memories.
"Why me?" Rainey muttered, his voice low. He felt the weight of the question settling over him like a heavy cloak. "Why was I brought here in the first place? What am I supposed to do?"
His thoughts wandered back to the memory fragment: the library filled with ancient texts, the figure scribbling furiously at a desk. We've run out of time. The tower is awakening. The words gnawed at him. He couldn't place the figure, but the tone—the urgency—was undeniable. Whatever was coming, it wasn't good.
Rainey let out a long breath, trying to shake off the tension. He glanced around the chamber. The glow of the orb had dimmed, and the faint light from the runes on the walls flickered like they were struggling to maintain power. Everything felt off, like the entire tower was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
"I need answers," Rainey said aloud, more firmly this time, as if voicing the thought would make it more real. "I need to figure out who I was, why I'm here… and what the hell this tower wants from me."
His gaze fell on the sword at his side, the dark blade now resting quietly. The weapon had saved his life more than once, and yet, he knew almost nothing about it. Was it tied to the tower as well? Or was it something else entirely?
"So many questions," Rainey muttered, shaking his head. "No answers."
But there was no time to dwell on his uncertainty. The tower wasn't going to wait for him to piece everything together. There were more trials ahead, more challenges to face, and the tower's system had been clear about one thing: his progress was still incomplete.
As if on cue, the chamber rumbled softly. The floor beneath him shifted, and a new message flickered to life in the air before him.
"Next Trial Unlocked: Trial of Resolve."
Rainey straightened, the words pulling him out of his spiraling thoughts. Trial of Resolve? The name alone made his stomach twist. He had barely survived the last trial, and now the tower was throwing yet another test at him. But what choice did he have? The only way forward was through.
With a deep breath, Rainey stepped toward the newly revealed passage at the far end of the chamber. The walls were lined with runes, much like the ones he had seen before, but the energy they radiated felt different. Sharper. More intense.
"This is it," he muttered as he entered the passage. His steps were measured, cautious. He didn't know what to expect, but the tension in the air was palpable. "If this trial is about resolve, what's the tower going to throw at me this time? What do I have to prove?"
His thoughts circled back to the word—resolve. What did it mean in the context of this trial? Would it test his will to continue, his commitment to find the truth? Or was it something deeper, a test of his ability to handle the weight of his own past, whatever that might be?
"I've survived this long," Rainey said, more to himself than anyone else. "But resolve… Do I even know what I'm fighting for?" His voice wavered at the end, the uncertainty he had been holding at bay threatening to spill over. "I don't even know who I am."
The passage opened into a new chamber, this one much larger than the others. The ceiling was lost in shadows, and the walls were lined with intricate carvings—stories etched into the stone, depicting battles, triumphs, and failures. Rainey's gaze swept across them, a feeling of unease creeping up his spine. The figures in the carvings seemed eerily familiar, though he couldn't say why.
In the center of the chamber stood a tall stone pillar, its surface glowing with faint light. At its base was a shallow pool of water, perfectly still, reflecting the pillar's glow. The air was thick with energy, a subtle hum that vibrated in Rainey's bones.
As he approached the pillar, a new message appeared before him.
"Trial of Resolve: Face Yourself."
Rainey's heart skipped a beat. Face myself? What did that mean?
Before he could process the words, the surface of the water rippled, and the room's temperature seemed to drop. Rainey stepped back, his grip tightening on his sword. Something was happening.
From the pool, a figure began to rise. It was humanoid, but as it emerged, Rainey's blood ran cold. The figure's face—its body—was a mirror image of his own. His heart raced as he stared at the doppelgänger, his own reflection now standing across from him, sword in hand.
"This can't be real," Rainey whispered, his voice shaky. But the figure didn't waver. It met his gaze with cold, unfeeling eyes—eyes that looked exactly like his.
Another message appeared.
"Defeat the Reflection."
Rainey swallowed hard. "Defeat… myself?" His mind reeled at the thought. How could he fight something that was him, that was his own reflection? What did this mean?
The reflection moved, raising its sword in a motion that perfectly mirrored Rainey's. It was calm, methodical, but there was a deadly precision in its movements. It was as if the tower had taken everything Rainey had learned so far and used it to create a perfect opponent—one that knew his every strength, every weakness.
Rainey took a step back, his heart pounding in his chest. "How am I supposed to fight myself?"
The reflection lunged, its sword flashing in the dim light.
Rainey barely had time to raise his weapon in defense, the impact jarring his arm. The force of the blow sent him stumbling back, and his mind raced. He wasn't just fighting a shadow. He was fighting himself—his skills, his strength, his doubts.
The reflection's eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity, and Rainey could see it now—this wasn't just a physical test. This was a battle against everything he feared, everything he doubted about himself.
"I have to win," Rainey whispered through clenched teeth. "I have to." His resolve hardened. He didn't have all the answers, and he still didn't know why he was here, but if he was going to survive this trial, he had to fight back.
Because if he couldn't defeat his own reflection—if he couldn't face himself—how could he hope to survive the tower?