Chapter 250 – Floor 48: Part 1

  ‘Congratulations, you have completed Floor 47 and have progressed to Floor 48.’

  The burning words hovered above Mathew’s wrist, glowing faintly in the apartment. The text floated there, unbidden and unwanted, a hallow reminder of his progress through the Tower of Avarice. He barely glanced at the shimmering message, his focus was instead locked entirely on the figure standing in front of him.

  The words his Mentor had spoken moments before echoed in his mind; each syllable was like a hammer blow against his mind. He clenched his fist in both anger and fear as his stomach dropped at the statement.

  ‘Former Mentor.’ Mathew harshly reminded himself.

  It felt as if the floor had fallen from beneath his feet. The reassurance that he had someone on his side, someone backing him, had given him the confidence to face the Tower’s trials without fear.

  Not since Samuel had he ever felt so betrayed by someone he had trusted.

  “Why?” Mathew whispered, his voice hard and emotionless as he mercilessly crushed his feelings in order to navigate through this situation. He had lived too long and had survived through too many trials and difficulties to give into despair.

  He had been given the Title ‘The Enduring’ for a reason, and no god could take that away from him.

  Lunara, the Celestial and the one who had guided him as a ‘Speaker’ for so long was a storm of rage. Her fury manifested itself in a glow that surrounded her. Her normally expressionless visage was now tinged red with anger.

  “An offer was made to support us, and the decision was made to accept.” Lunara explained before holding up her hand to stop Mathew from asking his next question.

  “And yes, I agree with the decision. My anger is directed towards myself and our race for being so weak that we must accept outside help. First, we relied on you to regain our material forms and then on another deity to support our deity and protect our Demesne.” Lunara’s anger cooled slightly, replaced with a tinge of regret at what they had been forced to do.

  “I see.” Mathew replied. He understood that Unyielding Declaration was in a delicate and precarious position. The Celestials were an outside force in the Tower, unique across the entire multiverse. Unyielding Declaration was their only way of maintaining a foothold.

  It made sense, and logically, Mathew could understand the decision. But it didn’t help him at all.

  “You will be rewarded for your service. The Tower’s stewardship will fall on another, and you will progress to the next Floor without the prerequisite year of guarding this place once you have settled your affairs here.” Lunara offered.

  “How generous of you.” Mathew stated. He was unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone. Without being a Speaker and the Words of Power, how was he going to survive on the next Floor?

  “And you will be given a choice of Disciplines, all of extreme rarity.” Lunara finished. Sensing that Mathew had little desire to speak with her anymore, she was about to fade away when Mathew asked a question.

  “Which god made the offer?”

  Page Break

  Alone, Mathew stared at the wall of the fake apartment that the Tower had created and waited for the appearance of his new Disciplines. It had been so long since he had been offered one that he could hardly guess what they could be.

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  His wait was short, and soon, another familiar face came to visit him.

  The woman entered through the rear of the apartment from a door that Mathew hadn’t noticed before. She walked with authority and a commanding presence that displayed an air of cool confidence. Her tailored grey suit was impeccable, the sharp lines and precise fit accentuating her figure.

  The jacket was buttoned nearly; a subtle shimmer in the fabric caught the light from windows as she moved. Her hair was pulled back into a flawless bun, and not a single strand was out of place. Her eyes, keen and focused, locked onto Mathew immediately.

  She smiled at him and nodded as she moved closer, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. He noticed she carried a book under her arm, a thick and old-looking volume that wouldn’t look out of place in some dusty library.

  “I apologize for my delay. I was meeting with an interested party regarding your choice of disciplines and the upcoming floors you will be traversing.” The grey-suited woman stated as she stood next to him and gestured for him to take a seat.

  Sitting on the chair, she crossed her legs and placed the heavy book on the coffee table.

  “Let me guess, Mischievous Depravity.” Mathew said with a frustrated tone as he ran his fingers through his hair and took a seat across from her.

  How much more trouble were they going to cause him before this was over?

  “They have taken a keen interest in you, Mr. Larson. There are limits to their interference unless you agree to become their Apostle, but they can certainly influence things. For a price.” She explained, tapping the book with her fingernail as she did so.

  “I’m not interested. I’ve had enough of gods and Apostles.” Mathew replied, and the grey-suited smiled at the statement.

  “I somehow knew you would say that, Mr. Larson. Still, the price was paid, and they have gotten their desired outcome. You seek a new Discipline, and these have been tailored to you for the upcoming Floors.” She stated.

  “If that’s true, you should tell me what to expect so I can make an informed decision.” Mathew countered, and, to his surprise, the grey-suited woman who represented the Tower’s interests, nodded.

  “That is to be expected.” She replied. Gripping the heavy book, she spun it around so that the cover faced Mathew. The book was a relic from another age, its worn leather cover was cracked with age. The edges were reinforced with brass, and its title was embossed in gold.

  The Codex of Aether’s Legacy.

  Reaching out, she flipped open the cover to reveal the contents inside. The pages were thick and rough, as though they were handmade from fibres that gave them an odd texture to modern eyes. The parchment bore the faint yellowing of time, but the ink inside was well preserved.

  Each page was an intricate work of art; the text on the left pages was written in flowing English that looped and curled in a way that only a skilled calligrapher could achieve. Each of the right pages had pictures describing the scenes described by the words.

  They depicted figures in shadowy battles, scholars studying in dim candlelight and heavenly, beautiful entities struggling with their inner, monstrous natures.

  “This is different from previous offerings.” Mathew stated, staring down at the pages in front of him in fascination. The art seemed to almost be alive; the colours were vivid, and he could see that real gold had been used in the illustrations.

  “As I said, these Disciplines fit within the world of the Floor you are about to travel to. In exchange for this limitation, you have been granted a corresponding boon. You will spend ten Floors in this world, growing stronger as you spend time there.”

  “But, when you finally leave it, you will return the chosen Discipline to the Tower and select a new one.”

  “That’s an odd limitation.” Mathew commented.

  “The world you are travelling to is very unique. It is already within the demesne of Mischievous Depravity, but they have chosen to leave it isolated from the Tower. They harvest Aether in a different manner.” She clarified.

  “Then why do I need to go there?” Mathew asked, his eyes still on the book. He had no choice in the manner. Unyielding Declaration had abandoned him, and he could only go forward alone. He would do whatever it took to survive.

  “There have been significant complications. It is the patron deity’s belief that a Demigod will rise, one that could usurp control of their world. It will be explained further after your selection. Would you like an explanation of the Disciplines?” The grey-suited young woman asked, flipping the pages.

  “Please.” Mathew said.

  “The world you are about to enter has been under the control of Mischievous Depravity for tens of thousands of years. Time, as you know, works differently within the various Worlds. Rather than construct a Tower, a single person was chosen to be ‘enhanced’ with Aether.” She described, pointing to a picture of a man having blue mist enter his body.

  “Unlike the Disciplines and Blessings you receive from the Tower, this power came directly from Mischievous Depravity.” She clarified.

  “It corrupted him.” Mathew guessed, having it confirmed a moment later by the young woman’s nod.