William Chen's head slammed into solid stone, the impact jolting him from unconsciousness. Pain exploded behind his eyes as he gasped, hands scrambling against rough-hewn floor. This wasn't his dorm room. This wasn't anywhere he recognized.
"What the fuck?" he mumbled, blinking away disorientation.
Cold air chilled his skin as he pushed himself to his knees. The space around him gradually took shape—a massive circular chamber with walls of dark stone rising into shadow. No windows. No doors. Just a perfect circle of polished obsidian beneath him, etched with symbols that pulsed with faint blue light.
William's heart hammered against his ribs. Twenty minutes ago, he'd been hunched over his laptop in his college dorm, cramming for tomorrow's economics final. Now... this.
"Hello?" His voice echoed, bouncing back at him from all directions. "Is anyone there? What is this place?"
No answer came except the soft hum emanating from the circle beneath him. William stood on unsteady legs, his tall, lanky frame feeling oddly heavy, as if gravity had intensified. He wore the same clothes he'd had on in his dorm—faded jeans, a worn MIT hoodie, sneakers—but they felt wrong somehow, like they belonged to someone else.
A grinding noise startled him. Along the chamber's perimeter, torches ignited one by one, flames bursting to life with unnatural synchronicity. The sudden illumination revealed twelve stone pillars arranged in a perfect circle around him, each carved with the same strange symbols as the floor.
"Okay, this is... not normal," William muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. "Either I've been drugged, or I'm having the most vivid stress dream of my life."
Movement caught his eye—something forming in the air about ten feet away. Light twisted and coalesced, hardening into the shape of a man. No, not quite a man. The figure stood nearly eight feet tall, its body translucent and glowing with the same blue energy as the floor symbols. It had no face, just a smooth, featureless head atop broad shoulders.
"William Chen," the figure spoke, its voice resonating directly inside William's skull rather than through the air. "You stand within the First Chamber of the Infinite Tower. This was not intended."
William backed away, his shoulder blades hitting one of the stone pillars. "What are you talking about? What tower? How do you know my name?"
"I am Custodian," the being continued, ignoring his questions. "I maintain the protocols of the Summoning. You were not selected for the One-Hundredth Cycle. Your presence represents a critical aberration."
William's analytical mind, the same one that had earned him scholarships and academic honors, struggled to process what he was hearing. "Summoning? Cycle? I don't understand any of this. Send me back—now."
The Custodian tilted its featureless head. "Return is not possible once the Summoning is complete. The anomaly of your presence must be addressed before the Cycle begins."
Anger flared through William's confusion. "Listen, whatever you are, I didn't ask to be here. I have an economics final tomorrow worth thirty percent of my grade. I need to go home."
"Economics. Yes. Your previous existence is recorded." The Custodian gestured, and a glowing display appeared in the air between them—text and images showing William's entire life like some cosmic social media profile. "William Chen. Twenty years of age. Student of mathematics and economic theory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Capacity for abstract reasoning in the ninety-eighth percentile. Physical capabilities: below average. Combat experience: none."
William stared, a cold feeling settling in his stomach. "How do you have that information?"
"All who enter the Tower are analyzed." The Custodian moved closer, its featureless face inches from William's. "You were meant to be a reference point only, not a participant. Something has interfered with the Summoning Protocol."
The being's proximity made William's skin crawl. He tried to push past it, but his hand passed through the glowing form as if through smoke.
"Let me out of here!" William demanded, voice cracking. "Whatever this is—whatever you are—I want no part of it!"
The Custodian's form flickered. "The One-Hundredth Cycle cannot be delayed. As an unintended participant, you require equalization."
Before William could react, the being's arm shot forward, plunging into his chest. There was no pain, but William felt something cold spread through his body from the point of contact—like ice water filling his veins. He tried to scream, but his voice failed him.
"Equalization protocol initiated," the Custodian stated. "All participants in the One-Hundredth Cycle must possess a System. You will be granted one commensurate with your unexpected status."
The cold sensation intensified, centering in William's right hand. His fingers spasmed, curling involuntarily as golden light began to seep from beneath his skin.
"What's happening to me?" William finally managed to gasp.
"You are receiving the Godhand System," the Custodian replied. "An incomplete prototype, deemed too unstable for standard distribution. It is... appropriate for an anomaly such as yourself."
The golden light engulfed William's entire right hand now, pulsing in rhythm with his racing heartbeat. When the light finally faded, his hand appeared unchanged, save for a faint golden symbol etched into his palm—a circle intersected by three lines forming an abstract eye.
"The System is bound to you," the Custodian said. "Its capabilities will manifest as you ascend. I cannot predict its evolution."
William stared at his palm, the symbol already fading into his skin until it was barely visible. "System? Ascend? You keep saying words like I'm supposed to understand what they mean!"
"Understanding is not required for participation," the Custodian replied. "The One-Hundredth Cycle begins in thirty seconds. As the final Cycle, standard protocols have been modified. Failure to reach the summit will result in permanent death. This applies to all participants, including anomalies."
William's mouth went dry. "Death? What do you mean by 'permanent death'?"
"In previous Cycles, those who failed were returned to participate again. The One-Hundredth Cycle offers no such mercy. The Tower must have its victor before collapse."
"Collapse? What happens if no one reaches the summit?"
The Custodian's form began to dissolve at the edges. "Then all perish. The Tower. Its inhabitants. The connected realms. Everything ends."
The room started to shake, dust falling from the unseen ceiling as the pillars vibrated. The blue symbols on the floor brightened to a painful intensity.
"Wait!" William shouted. "You can't just leave me here! I don't know what to do!"
"Ascend or die. Those are the only choices in the Tower." The Custodian's voice grew fainter as its form dispersed. "The First Floor awaits. Should you survive, we will speak again."
William lunged forward, trying to grab the dissolving entity, but his hands passed through nothing but glowing particles. "Wait! How do I use this System? How do I ascend? What's at the top of the Tower?"
"One piece of advice, anomaly," the Custodian's voice echoed as its form completely disappeared. "Trust nothing. The Tower has no mercy, only tests. And you... were never meant to be tested."
The floor beneath William suddenly became transparent, revealing an endless drop below. His stomach lurched as gravity shifted, and then he was falling—plummeting through darkness as the chamber vanished above him.
Wind rushed past his ears as he tumbled through empty space, screaming until his lungs burned. Just as suddenly as it began, the fall ended—not with the deadly impact he expected, but with a gentle deceleration that deposited him onto soft grass.
William lay still for several seconds, gasping, his body trembling from adrenaline. Gradually, he became aware of his surroundings—the scent of unfamiliar vegetation, the sound of wind rustling through leaves, and the unmistakable sensation of being watched.
He opened his eyes to an alien sky, crimson clouds swirling above a landscape that couldn't possibly exist on Earth. Rising unsteadily to his feet, William found himself standing at the edge of a vast forest. In the distance, perhaps a mile away, an enormous structure rose into the blood-red sky—a tower of black stone that stretched beyond the clouds, so tall its top couldn't be seen.
The symbol on his palm tingled, drawing his attention. Golden text suddenly appeared in his field of vision, hovering in the air like a video game interface:
[GODHAND SYSTEM INITIALIZING...]
[CALIBRATING TO HOST...]
[WARNING: SYSTEM UNSTABLE]
[FIRST FUNCTION UNLOCKED: SKILL ACQUISITION]
"Skill acquisition?" William whispered, staring at the floating text. "What does that even—"
A roar interrupted him—deep, guttural, and terrifyingly close. William spun around to face the forest's edge, where branches were cracking as something large moved toward him.
The floating text changed:
[HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]
[RECOMMENDATION: RUN OR DIE]