The light nestled in David’s opened palm when he woke up. His face was wet with tears. Even as he woke up to the silence, he could still see his parents suffering, their bodies stretched and tormented. He heard the whimper from his mother and his father's dead eyes. He couldn’t shut it all out. The memories had followed him out of whatever that had been— a dream, vision? There had been no distinguishing thing to tell it apart. Olam was an eternal, he could have been showing David what was really happening after all.

“Olam?” David called. Except for the light in his hand, the place was dark. He wasn’t sure he was still in the same room, the chair was gone. He called the eternal’s name again only to get a pressing silence. That spurred him to stand up. He cradled the light with his two hands. Before, it was contained in an orb, but now it was just pure light, it gave no heat–just burning essence.

He wasn’t sure how to use the light. He had thought it would illuminate the way for him, leading him like the marauder’s map. But it sat on his hands, gently flickering like an ordinary flame. A thought occurred to him then; maybe he’d failed the test. He’d been too weak to save his parents, to save himself. He’d let himself give up and suffered with them as if paying for some a sin he didn’t remember. His heart broke when he remembered his mother. The hooks in her hands and the pain mixed with her voice. His insides ached and tears came to him, stinging his eyes.

The light flared and David jumped back, throwing it as warmth passed through his palms and went up his arms. The light fell but stopped mid-air. The tongue of essence fire was brighter now, more orange than anything, the red edges burnt off. It flickered wildly as if fighting against the wind for a moment, but David noticed it grow. Then it lifted to his eye level, bright but not overwhelming. He could see beyond the sputtering flamelike light to something blue in the middle. Somehow he knew what it was. An Eternal’s will. It was embedded in it as if Olam had kept a piece of himself within.

Your Path has been Chosen!

David ignored the message, focusing instead on the light. It moved around him, causing him to turn and then it flew, slowly so he could keep pace. There was no real illumination. He could see and sense nothing. The darkness was an absolute blanket. But there was solid ground beneath him. Although he flailed forward trying to touch any obstacle in front of him before he crashed, he found nothing. It took five more minutes to stop and simply just walk. There were no walls on either side. There was just the light and the path Olam had carved for him.

David willed the light to move faster and prayed to Olam to carry him swiftly, but the pace didn’t change and that seared his nerves. He was safe, but his siblings were not. They were alone, in the maw of something he’d pushed them into. If they died, it would be his fault. It would be his fault them to their deaths, hastening their ends.

The darkness was endless and the silence was overpowering. It pulled stray thoughts to him, willing images that David wished he could forget. But the tower was not so kind. Hanna’s face came unbidden. Her determination to save herself in that small slice of a moment had sealed her fate and saved the others. If she hadn’t died, they would have probably followed her to certain death. Yet, David felt guilty. For a moment–one sliver–he’d felt relieved that she was gone. As if he’d pushed her himself. He closed his eyes, cursing himself and willing her face away. It was replaced by Chloe’s, bleeding and in pain. A lot of questions rattled in his mind.

When he opened his eyes, the light was there, but there was another larger white light in the distance.

David ran for it, leaving the light behind. The front of him was completely black, but he could see that widening white at the end, and that was all that mattered. He had to come out somewhere and maybe that would be where Zoey and the others were. If he could find them, just to see that they were alright…the thought hung out there, incomplete. He was terrified of finishing it, scared the tower would turn his fears on him as Olam had done with his parents. He stretched for the light, wanting to leap through it so badly that he didn’t sense the coming danger until it was too late.

The arching light curved toward him, falling with what David realized was a small ball of fire. David slid left, summoned his sword, and swung. His sword went through the flame, severing it in two. The magic faded, essence dissipating into nothing. Then David saw the light, identical to his own that now floated toward him. At first, he was confused, but a second later he recalled he wasn’t the only one in Olam’s realm. He should have known they were going to meet again.

David’s light circled his head and hovered just above him, mimicking the light opposite him. David strained his eyes, trying to get a clear look at Liam. That was the only person that could have done something like that. Behind the light and Liam was the ring of white-blue, steady like a calm sea. David moved his gaze from the portal to the light. He couldn’t see Liam’s face, and he hadn’t heard any of that crazy giggles. That was what felt wrong.

“Liam?” David took a step forward. “Did you find the others? Andrea? Sam? You think they are alive?”

The silence tugged at David. There was something wrong about how motionless Liam was, even his light didn’t move at all. Liam was like a salted warm. He moved at all times, even in danger. He couldn’t help it. He’d chucked that first attack to the man being crazy, but this was different. The grip on his sword tightened as he took another step forward. If Liam had gone completely mad, he’d need to kill the mage before he did any spell.

“Liam, listen to me. We can get out of here. Just turn around and you will see the way out of here. You don’t have to fight me. We can be free, alright? The tower doesn’t have to take our lives today.”

The closer David got, the harder it was to see Liam. Something moved in the shadow behind the light. David brought his sword up swiftly as if to block an attack, but nothing came. Then he heard the sobs. They were gentle at first, like a child’s. When he heard the mutters, it sounded like Liam was far away, like whispers carried in the wind. But he could make them out in pieces until they all fit together.

They are all dead. All dead. I killed them. It was a mistake, a mistake. I told Calveir, I told him not to touch the staff. I told them I didn’t want to do any spells. Oh God! They are dead… small Bridget, tiny and roasted. No! I didn’t mean to. They made me! I have to stay here. Stay here. Too many will di… oh! They are dead. Just bones… Charred. I didn’t mean to. Bel…ieve me! They made me do it. Fel, beautiful Fel.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

David saw that movement again. It was discrete, cloaked by the darkness, but he’d focused on that point, knowing the light would stay in front of Liam. He had to reach the man or reach the portal. Something told him that Liam was the best bet.

“Liam, you are alright. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do it to kill them. You are good, my friend. Remember me? Let’s go meet Butcher and Andrea. We can leave this place and move to up to the tower. You are imp–”

His voice caught in his throat and he staggered forward, catching himself as another surprise bloomed in front of him.

You know what you have to do, Ignis rumbled in David’s mind as three fist-size orbs of fire come alive, illuminating Liam’s face. His eyes were wide as if he was shocked by what he’d done, but he didn’t stop. Arcane power spooled out of him, fueled by David’s life essence. The balls of fire grew, almost head-size now. David coughed, his eyes watered as he blinked fast to focus his blurring vision. His heart was hammering in his chest, loud in his ears. He knew what he had to do, but somehow, it was difficult to do it. Liam was scared. There was something of a child in him. It was broken and it needed soothing.

And you think you are the one for it? Ah! This is Amareth’s tower! You will die with that compassion of yours. You can feel bad for him when you are alive.

“There must be a better way,” David said, struggling to push every word out. His throat was dry and the grip on his sword was loosening. But he was close. He was so close that he could see the fresh tears on Liam‘s face. That wasn’t the eyes of a murderer. That was someone who needed saving. But how? David was sure he’d die before he reached the man like this.

“Kill me,” Liam muttered. The words shocked David, they made him stop and crumble to his knees. David shook violently. He was suddenly parched. Liam was wringing him dry and soon there would be nothing of him left. Yet, David couldn’t move. Ignis growled in his head like a maddened beast and David understood the dragon’s rage. Why was it difficult for him to do this? He’d killed humans before. Bad ones, yes, but Liam wasn’t completely innocent. He had to do this, had to pull away from his conscience, and his empathy. He needed the part of him that was rational and saw beyond sentiments.

Spell: Left Hand of Chaos

David stood up, groaning as he pushed himself forward. One step at a time. He closed his eyes, stumbling forward as if pushing through a storm. Liam didn’t move, he didn’t ignite the spell. The orbs of flame roared in front of him, making a crescent above his staff. The heat was how David knew he was close. He pushed his gauntlet forward, arms tired and lead-heavy. He opened his eyes, looking deep into Liam’s. The man’s smile was completely gone. All that freedom and happiness. The spring in him that bounced even as they faced monsters. All gone. The parts of Liam that scared Cain turned out to be the best part of the mage. Now, David saw only pain and regret. The mask was torn off, revealing the sore of regrets.

Chaos has been tamed!

You have acquired a new spell: Call of Wrath. Because of your affinity for fire which is the core of this spell, it has merged with your unique skill. You have become the second master of Call of Wrath. The spell borrows from the flames of Wrath.

Essence consumption: High

David watched the spell fade and the darkness swallowed them again. But before he lost sight of Liam, he pushed his sword into the man. Gently, because he didn’t have much strength, and he was shaking. Liam took the blade with a gasp. David caught him just before he dropped. He held him as he shuddered, struggling with the throes of dying. It was never easy, no matter how prepared anyone faced death, they were always short on courage. David listened to Liam cry until there was only silence. He held him even after that. He couldn’t shake the wrongness he felt. Hopelessness dug into him.

Again, he’d been able to do nothing. He didn’t save his parents, Hanna and he couldn’t even save Liam. Of what use was he if everyone met ended up dying? Who would it be next? He let the body rest and stood up.

He retrieved his sword, turned toward the portal, and swore.

You have Olam’s blessing to leave his realm!

You have shown courage and determination to advance!

Amareth blesses you!

You have dominated the fourth floor!

David hissed, his arm burned as if it was being seared. He pulled his sleeves up in time to see his tower ring grow. The third was thick and complete and the fourth was halfway there. There were spirals of something ghostly snaking the third ring, David had a suspicion, but that wasn’t important at the moment. He had to get out before that old man changed his mind.

The light descended and David caught it. It flickered once and then whittled like a dying flower. A black stain was all that was left, and even that vanished. David took a glance at the darkness behind him. Out there, somewhere, Olam was watching. David was sure of it. He turned and walked through the portal.

The rush of chatter assaulted David. He was standing in the middle of a cobbled street. Someone screamed to his left and something growled. David jumped out of the way just as a large beast sped past him. Someone bumped into him and then shoved him back into the road. David cursed, turning to scream at the man only to find that he was in the way of a small, smiling boy.

The road was busy. He had to push and weave through until he was standing on the sidewalk in front of what looked like a tavern. He staggered in, suddenly thirsty. The air here was fresh, sweet as if he stretched his tongue out he could get a taste of the air.

He had expected to find his siblings. That had been the path he wanted. This place looked peaceful, an anomaly in the tower. He caught one of the serving girls walking toward him immediately he sat down. She smiled; polite and sweet. David pushed his hair back behind his ears. He’d only just noticed how long it had become when that stranger shoved him.

He asked the girl for a cup of water, but before she left, he gestured for her to come closer.

“Have you seen three new travelers come here?” He asked. “One is a boy like me. He looks tall, broad shoulders, but somehow shrouded. A girl, this tall.” he placed his hand where he thought Zoey’s height should be. “And another this tall. One carries a bow and the other doesn’t talk much.”

The serving girl stared at David for a moment, probably flipping through the faces in her memory. David knew she’d come up blank when the look in her eyes didn’t change. She told him she couldn’t remember and then walked away to bring his drinks.

Welcome to the Fifth floor—Zur-Del

This is the first city of ascension. Visit the holy temple of Amareth to gain insights and find your ranking. You must gain the top ten ranking and obtain the Key of Masters. Here, evil lies underneath the beauty and death is only a step in the wrong path.

Time Limit: Ten days

David groaned. He’d just wished to rest and find his siblings. Now he had to fight others. And there was also the promise he made to the dragon, Ziel.

And you have limited time, Ignis added, a suspicious cheer in his voice. David sighed with relief as the serving girl brought his drink. He would take a few minutes to rest and recuperate and then he’d head to the temple.