"Ah, this feels amazing," I said as I laid down on the bed, relishing the softness of the pillow and the firmness of the mattress.

It had been a lifetime since I had felt anything close to luxury, and despite the inn being a far cry from Earth’s hotels, the bed was a thousand times more comfortable than sleeping on the cold hard ground.

"Flint," I said, "don't forget, we are waking up early for training."

Flint groaned in reply.

Eliaria climbed into her own bed, "Why do you guys insist on training each day? You can't level your stats up anymore with training."

"That's true," I said, "but we aren't trying to increase our stats, just our skills."

"If you want to learn how to wield those magic javelins of yours, you might want to join us," Flint said.

"Maybe I will," Eliaria said, pulling the blanket up to her neck.

"Time for sleep," Flint said, climbing into his bed.

I watched as he turned the other way, his back facing us.

"Night," I responded, glancing at Eliaria who had already buried herself under the covers.

"Night," Eliaria added.

I closed my eyes and smiled to myself, a happy sigh escaping my lips.

The next day was going to be a long one. We would have to find a way to earn enough essence to buy the information from Miko's friend. And even if the guy had all the answers, we still needed to find a way to beat the floor boss. There was a lot of work ahead, but for now, all I wanted was to sleep.

I rolled over, trying to get my mind to switch off. I was exhausted, but no matter how much I tossed and turned, sleep would not come. My mind kept coming back to the same thought. Could the wish card resurrect people that had been dead for some time? Maybe there was a time limit? If so, how long did we have? We were gambling on the fact that we would save our village.

If we fail— I don't want to think about what that will mean.

I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, my mind going in circles. As I lay there, I heard a sound. At first, I thought I had imagined it, but then I heard it again, this time closer. My ears pricked at the noise. I grabbed my dagger from the side table and got out of bed, the wooden floorboards creaking slightly as I padded over to the window.

I peered out into the darkness, and the city seemed eerily quiet. The streets were empty, and there were no signs of movement anywhere. But far in the distance I saw the silhouette of what looked like a giant worm, rising above the city walls like a serpentine monster.

Guards carrying torches ran along the top of the wall, shouting orders as they chased after the monster.

"What's going on?" Eliaria asked, appearing beside me, a groggy look on her face.

"Giant worm," I said. "Looks like the guards have it under control."

"This place is crazy," Eliaria murmured, yawning as she stretched her arms above her head.

I laughed, nodding. "I know, right?"

She looked at me, her blue eyes bright in the darkness. "Can't you sleep?" she asked.

I shook my head, "Not really."

"Me neither," she said, her voice a whisper. "I can't stop thinking about my temple, what's happening in my absence? Without me, there's no healer left."

"They will manage," I said.

Eliaria didn't say anything, and for a long moment we both just stared out the window, watching the guards herding the giant worm away from the city.

After a while, the sound of the guards shouting grew faint, and soon the only thing we could hear was the sound of our own breathing.

"So...," Eliaria said, breaking the silence.

"Could you two shut up already!" Flint groaned from the other bed. "I'm trying to sleep."

Eliaria giggled softly. "Sorry," she whispered, covering her mouth.

"Do you want to talk downstairs?" I asked.

She nodded eagerly, "That will be nice."

"Good," I said, grabbing two blankets from the bed.

I wrapped one around my shoulders, and handed the other to her.

"Let's go," I said.

She followed me downstairs, her footsteps echoing softly in the silence. I had no idea what time it was, it was hard to tell in a city permanently shrouded in darkness, but I guessed it was around three in the morning.

The inn was silent except for the crackling of the fire, and the occasional sound of footsteps from upstairs. The fire was low, and I tossed another log into the flames, before settling into a chair.

Eliaria sat next to me, pulling her legs up onto the chair, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.

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We chatted quietly for a while, discussing our plans and hopes for the future. Eliaria told me about the pilgrimages she'd been on, and the adventures she'd had.

"If I could go anywhere," she said. "I want to see what's beyond the Tower. There must be something out there."

"Maybe," I agreed. "Or maybe not."

I wasn't sure there was an outside of the Tower. In some distant corner of my brain locked away and forgotten, I recalled a memory of floating in the air, and looking down on the Tower from above. There was nothing around it, just emptiness. The memory was fuzzy, like an old photograph, but it felt real enough.

"You don't think there's an outside?" Eliaria asked, sounding surprised. "Our ancestors came from somewhere, there must be something outside, a world we know nothing about."

"I don't know," I said. "There's so much we don't know."

I wasn't sure what else to say. I alone had memories from Earth, but I was sure that I was not the only one who had come from there.

"Think about it this way," I said, "if our ancestors entered the Tower and saw all the monsters and traps and still thought it was a good idea to stay, then just imagine what it must have been like on the outside."

"Hmm," Eliaria hummed.

"I have no doubt there's another world out there, but we might be better off not knowing."

She frowned, her expression thoughtful. Just then, a bright flash, coming from an adjacent room, caught our attention.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

She nodded.

The two of us exchanged a look.

I stood up and headed towards the source of the light. I reached the doorway, and just as I was about to knock, the door burst open, revealing a man standing on the other side of the door.

He was tall and thin, his features sharp. His hair was long and black, and his eyes were deep-set and piercing. He carried a massive axe across his shoulders, and wore a cloak that covered his body. He glanced at us, and his gaze lingered on me for a long moment, and I felt power rippling from him, the same kind of power I felt from Malachi and Nidalee.

"Hello," I said, stepping away from the door.

The man tilted his head to the side, his expression curious. "This is the second floor?"

I nodded.

"Interesting," the man said, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He strode out the room and into the hall. Leaving Eliaria and I staring at his back, in stunned silence.

"That was weird, right?" Eliaria said, after the man was out of earshot.

I nodded.

"Where do you think he came from?" she asked.

I shrugged, "Who knows."

I looked into the room and saw what had to be the waystone. It looked like it had been activated, its glow fading as the man disappeared through the doorway.

"He must have traveled from a different floor," Eliaria said, stepping closer.

"Looks that way," I replied, staring at the waystone.

I took a step towards it, and then another. Soon I was standing in the room, the waystone at my feet.

"What are you doing?" Eliaria asked, her voice rising with concern.

"Nothing," I said, "just looking."

I knelt down and examined the stone. At first, it looked like a painting on the floor, but from up close it could see that it was made of obsidian and seemed to be melded into the ground. The runes etched into its circumference were unfamiliar to me.

I touched it and as I did, the symbols glowed brighter.

"Don't!" Eliaria exclaimed.

But it was too late.

Golden words appeared in front of me.

[Which Floor Do You Wish To Travel To?]

With a thought, I willed the prompt to reveal the destinations available.

[Genesis Floor Activated]

[Second Floor Activated]

When did I activate them?

Had it happened the moment I'd stepped into the Waystone Inn back at home?

I selected the genesis floor, and the waystone's light flashed brightly.

"What are you doing?" Eliaria asked, holding onto my arm, her eyes wide.

"I have to see it," I replied.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

"You don't have to come with me," I said.

She held on tighter to my arm, "I'm coming with."

I nodded, and the waystone flashed once more, the runes bathing us in light.

***

When the light faded, we were no longer on the second floor, but rather in the burnt down inn back at the village.

Eliaria was standing beside me, her hand still clutching my arm.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"Home," I answered.

Her eyes widened, and she looked around, her gaze taking in the ruins of the village, the charred remains of houses, the scorched ground, the burned fields.

"This is Misty Hollow?" she whispered.

"Yes," I said.

A moment passed.

"Is anyone alive?" she asked.

I wasn't sure what to tell her. I didn't know. I hoped so.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

We walked through the streets, our footsteps loud in the silence. Most of the buildings were a wreck, many of the homes, shops, and businesses were reduced to rubble. The ground was blackened and scorched, the air thick with ash.

The village I once knew—where laughter echoed through the streets and warmth resided in every corner—now lay in ruins. As we walked, I noticed that someone had removed all the bodies.

We headed towards my old home, and I couldn't help but wonder if anyone had survived.

Eliaria looked at me, and I could see the worry on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," I lied, "I just want to check on my house."

She gave me a weak smile and nodded. "Of course."

I led her to the house and found it completely intact, untouched by the fire that had ravaged the village. I stood outside the front door and hesitated, my heart racing.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" she asked.

I shook my head, I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to witness this.

"I'll be fine," I said.

She nodded and stepped back, her expression troubled.

I took a deep breath, and pushed open the door. I entered the house, expecting to see my mother's corpse, but there was nothing there, no sign that anything had happened.

I moved through the living room, and into the kitchen. Everything was exactly as I had left it. I headed upstairs and found my room, the same as I had left it. The bed was made, my books and notes still piled neatly on the desk.

I sat down on the bed, staring at the walls, my mind blank. I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting there when I heard footsteps outside my window.

"Eliaria?" I called out, standing up.

I walked over to the window and peered outside. I saw Eliaria standing in the yard, her eyes fixed on something.

"Elia!" I said again, louder this time.

She turned towards me, and her eyes widened.

"Hide," she shouted, "hide!"

A shiver ran down my spine as a monster emerged from the darkness.

***