Prologue
There was a story my mother used to tell me, when I woke up and couldn't fall back to sleep. She called it "The Seven Fates."
The names of the seven fates from oldest to youngest are Regalia, Clara, Melodie, Amara, Mia, Desirae, and Gailia.
When my mother would tell the story, she would always begin by staring me straight in the eyes and smiling. She would clutch my shoulders and squeeze gently. I never thought much about it until later on.
"My little Raine, I know you love this story. I love it too." She would say. Sometimes with a giggle, and other times with sparkling eyes.
"One day the seven fates were given an anonymous present. This present was a beautiful glowing box with golden wrapping paper and a letter inside a silver envelope."
"The youngest of the fates, Gailia, was a very carefree and innocent fate. She treated everyone kindly, even the mortals whose destinies she created of the heaviest of materials." Mother would say as she fluffed up my favorite galaxy purple pillow case.
"Make sure to watch out for signs from Gailia." I would laugh because I knew exactly what she was gonna say next. "She sends things like repetitive numbers and vibrant and out of place colors." Which I believed.
Mother would then pull out one of my stuffed animals from under my blankets, placing it in my arms and tucking us in.
Gailia was kind and generous. She cared for everyone equally and even spoke to her mortals about the small things daily.
As a child I secretly admired Gailia. I always thought my mother had the same loving personality as her. They were both polite and beautiful. Treated everyone fairly. Sent notes in my lunch boxes for school.
They were so caring that I was terrified of disappointing them. Following Gailia's advice I always listened to my mother. I treated others how they treated me, I did my chores, I even went into the military for my mom.
But realization hit me way later than I would've liked it to. The world is a cruel place. It's never fair to the people who deserve it. Hate and evil run rampant.
Yet denial coursed through my veins about the world I loved. Even when I was backstabbed and discharged, I was kind.
The sergeant had told me I was stupid. My positive mindset was apparently putting the soldiers down and screwing up the training. Positivity ended up getting me thrown overboard. Then I even died.
Everyone except my mother seemed to hate me and for my goodness. They were all horrible people and I hated them for it, but not more than I hated myself.
Thankfully The Tower was different. They saw my worth and I entered into an alliance with The Polarity Family. My experiences on earth helped me to use their power easily.
Then I ran into INK. Groups of rogues each with a Joker Factor. Evil people and betrayers of their lineage. INK wanted to rewrite the history of The Tower and then rule the lower floors with an iron fist.
I betrayed Polarity for INK's taunts. I was even given the power of telepathy. At that time they needed someone who was easy to manipulate to take their artifact.
I was an easy target and they gave me The Left Lens which voided my vision in darkness. I did what I was told. Until Ayla's light cleared my vision and helped me.
Ayla was Dez's partner. The two of them were double agents from different families. They heard of me being kept prisoner and thought I was someone they knew.
They were ambushed but I protected Dez just long enough for him to take the new group into his shadow realm. I was close to death but my past saved me. I changed my ways and even had new friends. Then I had more than I ever had on earth.
Then I fused The Left Lens with The Right Lens, the once broken ancient artifact of the Polarity Family. The Mind's Eye artifact had renewed my freedom and I saw a vision.
The Tower itself spoke to me through an avatar named Pater Turris. He told me the truth about The Seven Fates. He helped me break the first seal on The Library of Faith.
Realizing all the things of my past had helped me achieve a miracle I thanked Gailia for choosing me. I scattered all of The Family's ancient artifacts for temporary peace among all floors of The Tower.
And then I had my second vision. I watched the fates downfall like a movie. Gailia's inattentive mistake, the seven silks, Regalia's prophecies for the chosen.
Six others were to be plucked from earth for the greater good, and I knew what had to be done and Pater supported my decision.
Pater said that the next chosen was a girl named Luna. Desirae knit her destiny in a sparkling sapphire silk, and she is destined to walk a path laced with ice cold magic.
Assuming Luna was chosen because of her unparalleled love for others, I had a guess as to why Gailia chose me. I'm attentive, a quick learner, a natural born leader, and I show kindness to my allies.
Since Luna is a shy girl, I hope my age can adjust to my hospitality. She was even an assistant teacher on earth, although it wasn't by choice. Hopefully her life in The Tower won't be as heartbreaking as mine was.
"That whole war thing isn't very fun." I mutter to myself before breaking my train of thought and shout out my teleport spell.
"Ianuae!"
Being a major history fanatic in school, I find it so fascinating that the spells in this world are casted in the language in which earth calls Latin. Now I just think and wait.
As the world shifts and twists around me, I envision a floor of The Tower. Painting a picture in my mind of a damp swampy area. The trees are low and seem to sink into the water about twelve feet from my location.
The air is chilly and vines are growing in twisting knots around nearby branches. A Single building is in my line of sight. Cracked and mossy cobblestone steps lead into walls with similarly ruined columns.
My mind avatar walks through the open area of a broken door, down a set of stairs, and comes across another door. Then I stop to blink and solidify my surroundings.
The spell activates and I stand before an ancient looking temple door. Snow is caked upon it in layers, and ice has frozen its handle. Brushing some snow to the side I notice an indication of letters on the door.
If I'm correct I should be in Princess Erianna's temple. I knew that Luna would have been plucked and placed on Floor 8. But the fact that the location is an ancient ice deity's throne room is a little scary.
"This is the part where something bad happens to the main character of a manga." I mutter out loud as I push open the door to the temple. Thankfully I've finished my main character roles and now I'm a mentor.
"I just hope she hasn't touched the artifact yet." I think to myself as the door clangs into the wall on my right side. The energies in the temple thus far are stable enough.
Then as I turn to my left, a gush of icy cold air wishes across my nose, tracking snow all over the floor of the ancient temple.
"Spoke too soon. Just my luck." I mutter under my breath as I pick up my pace. Snow that lined the walls had turned to ice as I jog down a hallway. The weather app on my phone didn't say anything about snowfall.
"I guess my fear has come true." I gasp.
"My mind phone is broken." I chuckle at my joke and kick a half broken door out of the way. Instantly I spot the cause of the ice.
A whirling blizzard is in the center of the room. The once mighty golden throne is now covered in cracked ice. And beside it, an ice bear is frozen into a sparkling blue sculpture.
Strolling toward the blizzard with my hands in my pockets I close my eyes tightly.
"Imperium!"
My voice echoes across the walls of the room, sending vibrations of my mana throughout the entirety of the snowy space.
The bear statue swirls and forms into a lit lantern before landing in my hand. The newfound light gives me a closer view at the storm. Cloudy mist veils dissipate, and ice and snow melt to show me the chosen.
"Why is there a boy?" My eyes widen as I see him. A deep gash in his back marking a conflict with the bear. His once yellow shirt is now ripped and stained orange with his blood. Pieces of baggy grey running shorts lay ripped and covered in snow.
Then he looks up at me with cloudy eyes. His pupils resemble storm clouds with a red-orange colored iris. I notice a chain necklace typed around his neck with a carnelian lightning bolt pendant on it.
The boy looks up at me with numbness scattered across his features.
"Please." The injured boy coughs and his breath turns to ice in the air around him.
"…Help Luna…" His voice cracks and goes hoarse before he turns over and collapses on the ground beside a shivering girl. His once golden blonde hair is sticky and stained to his sweaty and blood covered forehead.
Luna is lying down shivering, clutching Ramus Glacius, the ice artifact tightly. Her purple hair glitters with newly added frost.
Turning Luna's unconscious body over, I notice not a single injury on her body. Her baby blue jeans and purple sweatshirt look almost brand new. Not a single rip or tear.
She used Ramus Glacius to save the boy's life. If she hadn't, his wound would have caused him to bleed out or worse the ice bear would have torn him to shreds.
"She's got a talent for magic as expected. But who's the boy?" I wonder as I flip through Luna's mind. Two memories surface almost instantly of the duo, and I gather her partner's name is Skye.
Emotions flood my senses as I witness Skye comforting Luna with a hug. Luna is bawling while telling Skye that the hospital informed her of her parents death.
Skye eventually parts the hug and grabs Luna's shoulders, declaring that he will protect her in their place, never leaving her side. Seeing things from Luna's perspective I can't help but admire Skye's confidence.
The pained look on his face resembles that of someone who's in the know. A face that makes it hard to believe he's just a boy. His lip is quivering not just from empathy for his friend, but with a subtle anxiety. I blink and my senses return to the ice covered walls and snow caked floor of the temple.
At that moment I have zero hesitation and I know that I can't leave the boy to die. Right in time a familiar energy shifts around the wall seven feet in front of me. Shadows part to reveal an angry looking woman dragging a man by his jacket hood across his spell.
"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with you!" The girl's voice shouts through the shadows of a newly formed door. She drags the man with little effort and then drops him on the snow covered temple floor.
"Ayla… I just woke up…" The man groans in response to his head thumping on the snow.
Ayla pouts and crosses her arms. She has on a loose purple crop top that is fitted over a tighter white undershirt. A pair of fluffy white boots are tied over silver leggings. She has absolutely stunning features.
Makeup perfectly applied to her slightly rounded face. Dirty blond hair that's tied upon the top of her head in a messy bun. And a necklace with vibrant yellow crystals.
She seems to constantly radiate light energy and as she sees me her pouty face eases slightly. She smiles, but the happiness is short-lived as the man spins to face me.
His aura is the complete opposite of Ayla's. Shadows seem to cloak his figure, and he looks at me with partially covered eyes. Deep black strands of hair move to reveal his eyes as he looks at me.
"Sup' Raine. Dez here for mission time." The man yawns and stretches his arms before rising to his feet. His pupils are an even deeper black than his shadow, with the greyness of his iris just barely brightened.
His outfit is completely black as well. Black shoes, black pants, black hoodie, and even a black beanie covers his black hair.
"Dez! All you do is sleep!" Ayla shouts at Dez before kicking some snow at him.
"This is the third time I've had to drag him through his own spell!" Ayla looks at me expecting me to say something about it.
"You know, you could have just gone when I did." I chuckle and Ayla kicks some snow at me too. Her mind is saying, "Yeah sure, I'll catch you before you teleport next time."
These two have changed a lot since the war on Floor 50. Ayla seems to have changed her style from showing skin to a more stylish and appealing look.
Dez used to have cold and lifeless eyes that were darker than any shadow, but now they look brighter and more happy.
"Sleep is very beneficial, but I think we have more important things to discuss at the moment." I gesture towards the two children.
"Oh my days!" Ayla gasps before springing into action.
"Plenus Sana!"
Ayla casts her spell and light engulfs the two children. I watch as Ayla's high healing light warms the shivering girl and soothes Skye to a softer and more comfortable position.
The back injury that had stained and ripped his shirt is cleared of all blood and the wound closes. Light fingers wipe the blood from Skye's forehead and then merge to form a cradle of warmth and healing.
"How did they get like this?!" Ayla turns to me with a worried expression on her face.
"Wasn't it just supposed to be a girl?" Dez asks with a puzzled glance at Luna's friend.
"Well… From what I've gathered Skye protected Luna from an ice bear and then Luna used Ramus Glacius to kill their adversary and close Skye's wound." As I say this I set the ice bear turned lantern on the ground in between me, Ayla, and Dez.
"The good news is that if the boy hadn't acted bravely the girl would be dead. The bad news is I can't read his mind." Dez and Ayla meet each other with widening eyes.
Then in unison they scream "WHAT!