Chapter 19: Secrets in Room Eighty

Days passed within the Stone Tower, and Abel immersed himself in his knowledge book every waking moment. The more he read, the more he realized just how intricate and dangerous his path could be. The book outlined a meticulous procedure, filled with arcane techniques and complex symbols that needed to be replicated precisely with a specially crafted magical pen. This pen wasn't just any ordinary writing instrument—it needed to be fashioned from the feather of a magical bird or a part of a magical beast, imbued with an aura that could harness the flow of mana. The blood required was even trickier; not just any magical beast's blood would suffice. It needed to be from a creature with certain qualities, ones Abel was still struggling to understand fully.

Tonight, he had another meeting with Room Eighty, the group that had become his only semblance of allies in this unforgiving tower. Nando had promised to share a new ritual, and the anticipation filled Abel with both excitement and anxiety. As he studied the book in his hand, pouring over its arcane patterns, something strange began to happen. The book started to tremble. A moment later, it grew hot, almost burning his hand. Abel yelped and placed it on the desk, backing away in alarm. The book continued to shake violently, and then, to his horror, sharp, spindly legs burst out from its spine. It twisted and contorted, metamorphosing into a spider-like creature with the body of the book.

"Is this normal?" Abel whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the sound of his heartbeat. The creature—his knowledge book—skittered across the wall with unnerving agility, heading straight for the door. To his astonishment, the door creaked open by itself, as if obeying some unseen command. The spider-book crawled out, and Abel watched it move toward the staircase.

Peering into the hallway, Abel saw other recruits poking their heads out of their rooms, all wearing expressions of confusion and unease. All around, their knowledge books were undergoing the same bizarre transformation, becoming grotesque, insect-like entities clambering down the walls and ceiling in unison. It was as if the books had a life of their own, a collective intelligence guiding them.

One recruit, panic-stricken, lunged at his book, trying to wrestle it back into his room. "No! I haven’t memorized everything yet!" he pleaded desperately, clutching the book-turned-creature tightly.

Suddenly, the other books stopped in their tracks, their legs twitching. Without warning, they darted toward the boy, their sharp legs stabbing into his back, arms, and hands repeatedly. Blood splattered onto the stone floor, and the boy screamed in agony, releasing his grip. His cries echoed through the halls, sending a chill down Abel's spine. The other books returned to their migration as if nothing had happened, leaving the boy bloodied but alive. He staggered back to his room, clutching his wounds, his face pale from blood loss.

Abel's stomach churned at the sight, a wave of nausea washing over him. He had seen violence before, but there was something grotesquely unnatural about this. “So, the books have their own will,” he thought, a mixture of fear and curiosity churning within him. So it turned out the books were a free trial then, of course, they wouldn't give anything for free.

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He knew he needed to meet with Room Eighty soon, and after the books had finished their migration, he quickly made his way to Sena's room.

Inside Sena's room, the atmosphere was tense. Nando, Isabella, and Sena were already there, deep in conversation about the latest Tower news.

“Did you hear?” Nando began, his voice low and conspiratorial. “Not just Three Eyes and Salamander have returned, but Greenthumb is back too.”

Abel looked puzzled. “Greenthumb?”

“Yeah,” Sena explained. “He was a non-gifted recruit like us, but during his expedition, he somehow managed to ascend and became an Apostle. He’s climbed the ranks faster than anyone expected.”

Isabella chimed in, her voice tinged with a mix of admiration and concern. “It’s sent the Tower into a frenzy. Everyone’s wondering how he did it. Becoming an Apostle isn’t just about power; it’s about influence too. His return has shaken things up.”

The room buzzed with speculation and anxiety. Abel took a mental note of this new development. Greenthumb’s meteoric rise was both inspiring and intimidating. If a non-gifted recruit could ascend to an Apostle, maybe there was hope for them too.

“Alright, enough of that,” Nando said, shifting the conversation. “I promised you a ritual, didn’t I?”

Nando pulled out several sheets of paper, aged and yellowed, with handwritten instructions scrawled across them. “This is something I brought with me from my family. A luck ritual. One-time use, designed to be performed before something important—like a breakthrough, a battle, or any significant decision. It’s meant to tip the scales in your favor for a short period, giving you a burst of good fortune.”

“And the requirements?” Isabella asked, her eyes narrowing. “Nothing comes for free in the Tower, as Marcella said.”

Nando nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Three bodies of magical beasts. Doesn’t matter which ones, as long as they have some essence of magic still in them, and they are around the user the luck ritual could go through. Another important part of the ritual was having a piece of your hair around the ritual site and once all of these requirements are done you can just chant what I wrote on these slips.”

Isabella’s face brightened slightly. “They don’t need their heads, right?” she asked, her voice holding a hint of dark humor.

Nando chuckled. “No, the heads aren’t necessary. Just the bodies.”

The group fell silent, each lost in their thoughts. The ritual had the potential to be incredibly valuable, but the price was steep. Magical beasts were no small feat to obtain, and even if they could find them, the risks involved were great.

Abel felt a mix of excitement and trepidation. This ritual could be the edge he needed. As he listened to the others discuss possible strategies for acquiring the necessary ingredients, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was just the beginning of a path that would lead them further into the darkness of the magical world.

The meeting ended, and they agreed to regroup in a few days. As they parted ways, Abel’s mind raced with possibilities. The Tower was a place of opportunity, but every opportunity came with a price. He couldn’t shake the feeling that their choices here would define their fates—whether they rose to power like Greenthumb or fell like so many others before them