Tower of cours

Chapter 9: The Whispering Walls

The climb up the Tower of the Curse had grown more treacherous with each floor. The ninth floor was no exception. When Selene and her companions, Kael and Mira, stepped through the creaking iron gate, an eerie chill ran down their spines. The room was vast and circular, with walls made of jagged black stone, pulsing faintly as if alive.

It wasn't empty.

Far above them, suspended in a tangled web of chains, hung a massive clock with its hands ticking erratically, stopping and restarting at random intervals. Below it, in the center of the room, stood an altar made of bones. A single orb rested atop the altar, glowing with a dull red light.

"This floor's test will be different," said a disembodied voice, reverberating off the walls. It was deep and hollow, as if coming from the tower itself. "Here, you face not a battle of strength, but of will."

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The Test of the Ninth Floor

Before they could react, the orb split into three glowing shards and shot toward each of them. The moment the shards touched their skin, everything changed.

Selene found herself standing in a fog-drenched forest. The air was damp, and the ground squelched beneath her feet. Shadows danced between the trees, and faint whispers reached her ears.

"Selene..."

The voice was soft, almost soothing, but it sent a chill down her spine.

"Who's there?" she demanded, gripping the hilt of her dagger.

No response came, only laughter. Then, stepping out from the mist, she saw her brother, Elyas. His eyes glowed unnaturally, and his face was twisted with malice.

"You left me to die," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "And now, you'll join me."

Selene's heart pounded. She knew this wasn't real—Elyas had died long before she began her climb—but the guilt she carried made it hard to ignore his words. Her legs froze as he raised a sword, his steps growing louder.

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Meanwhile, Kael was trapped in a memory of his own, reliving the night his village was destroyed. He could hear the screams, smell the smoke, and feel the heat of the flames licking at his skin. A monstrous figure loomed over him, the very beast he had sworn to defeat by climbing the Tower.

"You think you can escape me?" the beast snarled, its many eyes glowing.

Kael clenched his fists, his resolve wavering. How many times had he told himself this moment couldn't hurt him anymore? And yet, it did.

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Mira's trial was quieter but no less harrowing. She stood in a pitch-black void, surrounded by nothingness. A single voice echoed in her mind.

"You are nothing. You will always be nothing."

She tried to scream back, to fight the voice, but no sound came from her lips. Her own doubts, her deepest fears, swirled around her, threatening to consume her.

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Breaking Free

Back in the real world, the clock's hands spun faster and faster. The walls of the room began to crack, dark tendrils seeping out and reaching toward the trio's immobilized bodies.

Selene closed her eyes, forcing herself to remember Elyas as he truly was: kind, brave, and selfless. He wouldn't want her to falter now. With a scream, she broke free from the illusion, the shard of light in her chest shattering into dust.

Kael and Mira followed suit, each overcoming their trials in their own way. The tendrils recoiled as the trio regained control, and the room trembled violently.

"You have passed," the voice declared. "But beware—the higher you climb, the heavier your burdens will become."

The chains holding the clock snapped, and it came crashing down. As it shattered, a staircase spiraled upward, glowing faintly in the darkness.

Without a word, the trio ascended, their resolve stronger than ever.