He awoke to the sound of running water and distant whispers.

"Rise, Kain."

The voice echoed in his skull, soft and ethereal. A command that lingered as he tried to take count of his situation. His eyes fluttered open, and he pushed himself up from the floor he was lying on. He took a look at the reflection in the water under him, which showed a younger face, maybe nineteen years at best with a black mop of hair and striking, yellow eyes.

Who's...There?" His voice cracked, dry and unused.

There was no answer.

Kain rubbed his head, his thoughts feeling sluggish and frazzled. All he could remember was his name. He had no memories of a past before this moment, no image of his parents or why he was here. All he remembered were vague concepts and the meaning of the words he was currently thinking about. He lay on a wet, smooth, and freezing-to-the-touch stone floor in a chamber filled with runic symbols that glow with a deep, blue color.

Beside him rested a thin, rapier-like blade, its hilt was rough and far too worn for what seemed like an ornamental sword, if it was even that.

Ahead, giant double doors stood, their surface carved with spiraling symbols that mirrored the runes covering the rest of the chamber and, at the very center, was an eye split down the middle between the doors.

"What...the hell is that-?"

"Rise" The voice cut him off as if it was waiting for him to speak.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kain muttered to himself, annoyed that he was cut off. His legs shook as he pushed himself to his feet. He gripped the blade tightly, its weight grounding him.

"Climb." The voice said into his mind once more.

Kain stared at the door, his pulse quickening. As he heard that word, it was as if something in his body reacted. His mind? His soul? Who knows?

“What if I don’t? Who even are you?” he asked, trying, and failing to sound defiant.

There was no reply, but the silence felt heavier, expectant.

"Of course." He huffed in annoyance, stepping towards the door.

The carvings on the door seemed to shift and snake around as Kain approached, their spiraling patterns almost sentient. When he placed a hand on the surface to push the door open, a sharp pain shot through his palm. He pulled back with a hiss, clutching his hand, but the pain didn’t fade as expected.

A mark began to etch itself onto his skin, glowing faintly with an eerie blue light. It pulsed in time with the runes above, as though they shared a single heartbeat.

“What the hell is this?” He demanded, pain continuing to shoot through his entire arm as he did.

As the mark stopped glowing, and the pain in his arm partially subsided, the doors began to open on their own, almost accepting him.

"Climb." The voice repeated, annoyingly.

He almost felt a vein pop on his forehead, as he listened to this voice try to command him. The boy knew nothing of who he was, but that single word made him realize two very important things about himself:

Kain hated commands.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Kain wanted to learn more about Kain.

“Yeah, I got that part,” He snapped. “Not like I’ve got anywhere else to go for now.”

He stepped through the doorway, the weight of the blade in his hand offering a small comfort as he began to climb.

The next chamber he reached was smaller than the one below it. Jagged, semi-broken-down pillars held the chamber up from caving in on him. Shadows around the pillars shifted unnaturally.

"Anyone in here?" His voice echoed in the empty chamber.

A low growl answered back.

He froze, his grip tightening on the blade and his mark, unknown to him, began to glow in the same bright blue coloring. From the shadows emerged a creature—a twisted amalgamation of black mist and spiked limbs, its form flickering every time it left the shadows. Two pale lights hovered where its eyes should have been, and its mouth opened in a silent snarl.

“Oh, great,” Kain muttered. “This just keeps getting better.” He said, surprisingly calm.

“Fight,” the voice urged, calm and detached.

“Fight? With that thing? Are you out of your mind?!" His calmness, however, had its limits

The creature lunged, its claws striking faster than Kain could react. He stumbled back, barely avoiding the blow by raising his blade to take the brunt of the hit. His heart pounded in his chest, and the Mark on his palm flared with the same pain as before.

“Draw on the Mark,” the voice said.

“I don’t know how!” He screamed in agitation, realizing that this thing really was trying to kill him.

But as the creature lunged again, instinct took over. Kain raised his marked hand, and a surge of blue energy exploded outward. The force struck the beast, sending it crashing into a pillar.

The creature wasn’t done, however. It reformed instantaneously, its misty body twisting as it charged again.

“Focus,” the voice said. “Draw from the Mark.”

“I don’t even know what that means!” He yelled, ducking under another swipe from the misty being.

The heat in his hand grew unbearable, and with a desperate shout, he held the thin blade on his marked hand, and pierced up and towards the chest of the beast. It let out a piercing wail before dissolving into black mist. Kain looked down to see his blade covered in a blue, watery aura that slowly inched its way back onto his hand and disappeared into the mark.

Kain collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The Mark’s glow faded, leaving only a faint warmth.

"What...the hell...is happening?" He questioned with disbelief.

“You are starting to learn.” the voice replied.

“Learning? I nearly died!” He said with a hint of madness. This THING didn't understand what he just felt.

“Yet you did not,” the voice said. “Climb.”

He gritted his teeth. “You keep saying that. Why? What’s up there?”

There was no response to his question, as he expected.

Kain let out a bitter laugh. “Of course. Why am I not surprised?” He said, before a wall began to lower itself and a staircase appeared ahead, signaling that it is free for his usage.

"So, you either die or you Climb. I hate this place already."

The boy began to climb, not noticing the crack that had begun to appear on his sword. Or on his arm.

The next floor was different. Instead of a chamber, Kain found himself in a narrow corridor lined with portraits of different people. None of these people meant anything to him, however. The boy walked on a dark hued carpet through the corridor. The candles on each side of the corridor were the first source of heat he had found in this place.

"Well...This is different." He said to himself as he walked, trying to ignore how the portraits seemed to look at him.

The corridor ended in another door, this one smaller and unadorned. He hesitated, his grip tightening on the blade. He didn't want to fight again. That last encounter was...more than enough.

“You’re not going to tell me what’s in there, are you?”

Silence.

“Obviously.” he muttered, pushing the door open in defeat.

The room beyond was circular and made of marble, with a single pedestal at its center. Resting atop the pedestal was a fragment of black stone, its surface etched with similar runes as the walls of the first chamber.

"Let me guess...I'm supposed to take that stone." He said, as he walked forward. He had decided to use this voice's guidance until he understood his situation a little more.

"Take it." The voice urged. At least now he knew it listened to him.

Kain sighed. “Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”

He reached out and touched the fragment.

Pain incomparable to what he felt from the mark shot through his entire body, and the world dissolved into chaos. Images flooded his mind; A black tower reaching up into infinity, shadowed Silhouettes locked in combat, and a giant, Blue-colored eye staring down at him. The Mark burned brighter, its light searing his vision.

The voice suddenly became louder, pushing through his pain and directly into his mind.

"Congratulations, Champion Kain. You have gained the qualifications to begin your Ascension. May the Tower kings fear your name."

For once, the voice felt like it cared. Like it had...emotion. For once, the voice felt human.

And with that, Kain’s strength gave out, and darkness swallowed him whole.