Chapter 252 – Floor 49: Part 1

  The god of Mischievous Depravity is watching you intently.

  Floor 49: A World of Dusk.

  As a newly consecrated ‘Chosen,’ you are at your most vulnerable. Obey your Elder in all things, and you may survive long enough to stand on your own two feet.

  Mathew floated in darkness; the oppressive stillness surrounded him like a thick, suffocating blanket. He couldn’t tell if his eyes were open or closed, and there was no sense of up or down. He was in an endless, formless void.

  His thoughts were fragmented as if he were in a dream that he could barely remember. Time felt irrelevant here; it could have been moments, hours, or even centuries since he arrived. The silence was deafening; it had an almost physical presence that pressed up against his ears.

  Eventually, a faint, distant hum began to rise in the emptiness, barely perceptible to Mathew. He thought he was imagining it at first, but it reached a level that was unmistakable.

  The hum was accompanied by two slim, white disks that gradually widened to form eyes that materialled in from the darkness. Their round, milky irises stared at him unblinkingly and were bright against the dark of the void. They hovered in the emptiness, their gaze fixed on Mathew with a hungry intensity that made his skin prickle.

  Although the eyes were all he could see, Mathew felt an overwhelming presence looming just beyond his sight, something vast and ancient that stretched out in the darkness. It was beyond his comprehension, and its power felt twisted and alien.

  It didn’t belong here, or perhaps it was Mathew who couldn’t exist in the same space as this being. It was an outsider, a being from a reality that had no place being in the same universe as him. There was something corrupting about it, something insidious that gnawed at the edges of his mind.

  Mathew could feel it like a sickness spreading through the air, twisting at the space around him. It was as though the presence was seeping into his thoughts, distorting them and pulling at his mind.

  This entity was wrong, an incomprehensible anomaly that defied all human understanding. The eyes were only a fragment of the being’s true form.

  “Mathew Larson…”

  The voice came from nowhere and everywhere at once, an impossible contradiction of sound that tore at the edges of Mathew’s perception. It was both a whisper and a scream, layered upon itself; each word split into a thousand echoes that overlapped in a symphony of sound.

  It reverberated through him in an overwhelming storm of sound that pushed against him, and Mathew struggled to retain his sanity against it. The voice was simultaneously horrible and dreadful to hear and one of the most beautiful things he had ever experienced.

  “No longer Apostle to Unyielding Declaration. I have taken an interest in you for so long…” The voice continued, its tone filled with a desire to possess and a craving for control.

  “Mischievous Depravity.” Mathew replied softly, sure of the identity of the deity in front of him.

  “Did you enjoy my gift? Ten Floors…so much closer to seeing your beloved.” The god said, stressing the words ‘gift’ and ‘beloved’ in a strange way as if the words were foreign and incomprehensible to it. The voice rose to a screech that set Mathew’s teeth on edge, and he winced in response.

  “What do you want?” Mathew asked, not wanting to engage in banter with the deity.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “I could help you…she lives, Mathew… you could be together. Serve as my Apostle.” The god’s voice trailed off, and the oppressive silence returned like a crashing wave. The deity seemed expectant as if its offer could not be refused.

  Mathew couldn’t be sure if the revelation of Emily’s fate was true or not. Mischievous Depravity couldn’t be trusted; he knew that in his heart. But had the god, or its followers, ever lied to him before? He frowned as he thought, scouring his memory for an answer.

  “I…no. I won’t serve you.” Mathew said, his voice faltering for a moment. Emily was the entire reason he had entered the Tower in the first place, and here was a chance for him to help her. He could accept and be with her again!

  Mathew gritted his teeth and drove the thought out of his mind.

  “Never.” Mathew spat out harshly. The eyes seemed to glow brighter as the voice spoke once again.

  “We shall see…”

  Page Break

  Mathew woke up with a start; his heart pounded in his chest as if it were trying to break free. He gasped for breath, disoriented, with his body trembling with a cold sweat. The faint remnants of that suffocating darkness still clung to his mind like a nightmare that refused to fade.

  He blinked rapidly, trying to focus, but nothing made sense. The air smelled unfamiliar, clean and sterile but stagnant. He was lying in a bed, soft and comfortable, with thick white sheets that were tangled in his limbs.

  The walls were a pale grey, and the furniture consisted of a single metal chair. Looking down, Mathew saw that he was completely nude, his clothing and equipment gone. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, his feet met the cold, polished floor.

  Raising his hand, Mathew tried to reach into his inventory to pull out clothing, but nothing happened. The space where his items were located was sealed. To his surprise and shock, the silver wristband that had been with him since he had first entered the Tower, that had never left his side, was gone.

  Mathew tried to stand but immediately collapsed back onto the bed. A wave of dizziness washed over him, forcing him to grip the edge of the bed for support as his stomach churned with nausea. He had never felt this weak before, not even when all of his Levels and Attributes had been taken from him.

  Where was he, and what was happening to him?

  Before he could panic, someone opened the door and entered his room.

  The woman walked through the doorway with an impossible grace, her every gesture smooth and deliberate, as if she expected the world to bend itself to her will. Her long, dark brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, perfectly styled with precision.

  Her features were striking, and possessed a beauty that few could match, with high cheekbones that framed a perfect face. The woman’s bright, emerald-green eyes assessed him carefully as if she were looking for the smallest flaws.

  She was dressed in modern clothing, a deep blue blouse and a black skirt, giving Mathew a hint at the time period he found himself in.

  Mathew was immediately drawn to the woman who stood before him, not because of her appearance but for some other, supernatural way. There was a connection between them, an indefinable thread that linked them in a way that reminded him of his bond with the Tower.

  “Good, you survived. I was beginning to have my doubts. The process typically takes a single night, but you have been asleep for two.” The woman stated that a small crease between her eyebrows was the only indication of a frown Mathew could see.

  “Where am I?” Mathew asked, his voice hoarse and dry.

  “You don’t remember?” The woman asked, her frown deepening as she asked the question. When Mathew responded with a shrug, she sighed and carefully sat down in the chair. Crossing her legs, she patiently explained.

  “That is regretful but not unusual. The process takes something from all who imbibe the Aether-Blood. In your case, it is probably best that you do not remember the past. It is irrelevant now.” She stated, mistaking Mathew’s confusion over where he was as amnesia.

  Mathew’s face didn’t reveal any of his emotions, but he was secretly surprised. Unlike other Floors where he represented the Tower of Avarice but was still himself with his own Blessings and Disciplines, it seemed that on this Floor, he would be forced to operate within its limits.

  A unique Blessing, no access to his inventory or status, no enhanced abilities from his Attributes.

  If Mathew were alone, he would have cursed.

  “You are Mathew Larson, and as of two days ago, a newly Chosen Initiate of Clan Exaltis. Your past is immaterial; you serve the Clan now. We are descendants of the glorious Lineage of Eryn, the Exquisite, of the Aether-Blood Ascendant.” The woman explained, the pride in her voice clear.

  “And who are you?” Mathew asked.

  “I am Adelaide Kingsley. It was my blood you drank that binds you to our legacy. I am your Elder, your progenitor, and you will obey me in all things for the rest of your existence. You will never grow old, never feel the effects of sickness or infirmity.” Adelaide smiled, her entire face lit up with a worshipping expression.

  “All of this is thanks to our god, The One Who Dwells Beyond The Veil. Mischievous Depravity.”

  Chapter 314 – Floor 99: Part 1