Chapter 243 – Floor 44: Part 1

  Floor Objective: Create the Prime Tower.

  Mathew walked down a path in New York’s Central Park just as the sun was setting. It was entirely absent of people, making it a serene and peaceful place. The fading light cast a soft, bluish hue over the park, blending with the warm oranges and pinks of the setting sun.

  The shadows of tall trees stretched long and dark across the winding paths, and the leaves overhead rustled in a slight, cool breeze.

  From here, it was almost impossible to know that a battle had been fought just a few streets over. The air carried a faint hint of smoke mixed with the earthy aroma of trees and damp soil. Mathew breathed it in deeply, calming his mind and focusing his intent on what he was about to do.

  He was alone, for now. The Villains that had agreed to assist him were waiting at the edge of the park, while the League of Heroes were content to let their newest ‘S’ Class do whatever he wanted as long as he stayed in the city to protect it.

  Mathew could remember the press announcement where he had merely stood to the side and let the executive talk to the reporters. His promotion hadn’t been a shock to him; he had brokered a peace with the Villains who had agreed to submit themselves to his judgement in exchange for an opportunity to enter the Tower.

  He would have to deal with the fallout of that, along with his new fame as he established Unyielding Declaration as this world's reigning deity. But for now, he attempted to clear his mind. Breathing in deeply, holding it for a moment and exhaling, Mathew came to a stop at the very center of the park.

  It was here that the Tower of Avarice had appeared in his New York so very long ago. Centuries, or perhaps millennia ago, from his perspective. He lost track of time, and living with Lunara hadn’t helped. Time held no meaning to the Celestials.

  Mathew let out another breath of air and banished that thought as well. He was here to do a task, and focusing on unnecessary things wasn’t going to help. But he couldn’t avoid thinking of his Mentor at that moment, and her response to his question on how to build the Prime Tower.

  “The Tower you need to create is not built, Student, it is found. It is a tether, binding this reality to Unyielding Declaration. You must summon it by seeking inward to the connection that lies within you, a thread that binds you as a chosen Apostle to your Deity. The Language will assist you in manifesting it.”

  Mathew closed his eyes as he sought that link, that spiritual connection between himself, Unyielding Declaration and the Tower of Avarice. Strangely, he hadn’t really explored it before. It had been there since he had agreed to become an Apostle, a bond that existed naturally without feeling constricting or controlling.

  But, when he focused on it, he found that it was different than the bond he shared with the Tower of Avarice. That was one of limitation, of necessity. It directed him on where to go and what to do, with the promise of rewards at the end of his journey.

  The connection with Unyielding Declaration, however, was a fusion of a mortal soul with a divine will. It was not a tangible thing; it wasn’t a physical chain or a visible light. It was a presence, a constant, unrelenting awareness that thrummed through his being like a second heartbeat.

  For a moment, it felt like fire, searing and demanding in its incessant urge for him to act. It wanted him to declare his purpose with unwavering certainty. Then, a moment later, it was a whisper, soft and inescapable with a quality that made him want to instinctively obey.

  Focusing on the link, Mathew came to understand a bit more about Unyielding Declaration. The Celestial Deity was not a god of mercy or forgiveness. There was no love in their bond or even faith. It was a bond of alignment, of a shared determination to accomplish their goals.

  Unyielding Declaration was a god of resolve, of certainty and conviction. The Celestial believed in truths carved in stone, of promises that could not be broken.

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  Mathew found that his soul bore the mark of that shared resolve. The connection between them felt like a thread of raw, golden light that stretched from the deepest core of his being to somewhere unfathomable, something infinite.

  When Mathew reached through that link, he felt both empowered and humbled, as though he stood at the edge of a vast abyss that was simultaneously alien and unknowable, but one that understood him and his desires and was willing to guide him.

  The link pulsed inside of him, alive with purpose and vibrantly demanding action.

  Mathew slowly opened his eyes, knelt down on the grass with one knee and touched the ground with his hand. The grass felt cold and wet against his palm. Just like that, he knew the words to say. It was like a melody inside him; his link with Unyielding Declaration granted him a glimpse of the Song of Creation.

  “Beneath a sky of fractured hue, where twilight’s grip turns sharp and true. There rose a spire, black as sin, a beacon calling souls within. Its walls were forged of longing’s cry, each stone a dream too grand and high. Desire etched on every beam, the echoes of a shattered dream. No mortal hand could place its crown, nor earthly power strike it down. For in its shadow, all is lost, ambitions flame consumes its cost.”

  Mathew's voice split the silence of the park, and the ground rumbled in response. The words he spoke had a sing-song quality to it, rising and falling to an unheard melody. It was close to the form of magic the Celestial’s practiced, their Words combing together into a song that could change reality around them in ways that just speaking the language couldn’t.

  “It gleamed with light that wasn’t light, a hungry glow that fed the night. Those who gazed upon its height, would find their hearts consumed in fright. Yet deeper still, within its core, a tether to a truth of more. The god who claimed this domain, Unyielding in its cold refrain.”

  Mathew’s voice rose higher now, and everyone in the city could hear it. Millions of people stopped what they were doing and looked out their windows or up at the sky. The magical words Mathew spoke resonated inside of them, calling to their very souls.

  “’Declare!’ It shouted, ‘Claim and take! Build what you will; destroy, remake! But know that each step you climb in pride, you leave a piece of soul inside.”

  Mathew paused and his voice faded away as the warning rang out, cautioning everyone who would seek to enter the Tower that there were risks involved. Like the deity that created it, the Tower was only for those with a strong resolve, and a will-like iron that could see them through the Tower despite all they would be facing.

  “The Tower stands, its lure immense. It is a testament to consequence. And those who seek its endless peak, will find the wish they dare to speak.”

  With the final words, the rumbling intensified as a pillar of pure, white light shot into the sky.

  The Tower rose from the heat of a Central Park like a shard of night piercing the sky. Its presence was both terrifying and awe-inspiring in equal measure. Its gothic fa?ade was a, elegant masterpiece of intricately carved and designed spires and arches that seemed to scrape the heavens themselves.

  The black stone of its walls shimmered faintly, as though infused with a light that was not of this world. It had a divine glow that emanated from its depths, a slight, bluish haze of Aether surrounded it and the entire area carried a hint of spice in the air.

  Carvings adorned its surface, depictions of tall, long-limbed humanoids with an alien appearance that only Mathew would recognize as Celestials. The walls told a story that he was familiar with, of how they discovered the song of creation and their inherent connection with the universe.

  Runes emitted arcs of light that climbed the structure, and windows shone with an interior light that blocked any external eyes from seeing what was within. The towering spires curled and twisted; their tips crackled faintly with energy.

  The air around the newly summoned Tower felt as though it was charged with static electricity, and there was a heavy stillness that silenced even the slight breeze that had been blowing moments earlier. The ground that had been broken apart by the Tower’s rise had not shattered but was transformed.

  The soil glowed faintly with verdant green grass and plants as if the park had been sanctified by the Tower’s emergence. The usual paths and manicured lawns of Central Park were now covered in slight mist, framing the Tower like a cathedral resting upon sacred ground.

  Despite its imposing structure, the Tower didn’t radiate malice or dread. Instead, it spoke of judgement, resolve and finality. The luminous aura that it emitted offered a sense of higher purpose, a divine will that both beckoned people to approach it but humbled those who were found lacking in their convictions.

  It was the perfect physical manifestation of Unyielding Declaration. Here, the Tower proclaimed loudly, ‘Those who are steadfast in their principles are welcome.’

  Mathew’s hand, which had been resting against the ground, was now placed against the cold, stone exterior of the Tower. He could feel the connection inside him thrum loudly, declaring its satisfaction at the outcome.

  He had succeeded in bringing the Prime Tower to this world, allowing those within to enter. But, unlike the Tower in his world, he had made sure they would know exactly what was waiting for them inside. He wouldn’t stop them from entering; that was their choice.

  But he would ensure they would do so with their eyes open.

  ‘Ding.’