“Nathan Pierce!”

A deep, rumbling voice shook Nathan awake. His eyes shot open and he leaned up, his heart hammering against his chest, and beads of sweat dripping down his face. He looked around but did not find himself in his bed but in a vast, rocky expanse. The scenery left Nathan speechless, and his jaw hung open while he observed his unearthly surroundings. He appeared to be on a moon-like object in space, and the ground beneath him was rough, dusty, and barren. After further investigation, he realized he was not on a whole moon, but on a destroyed piece of one. An uncountable number of rocks, varying in sizes, orbited the area. In the far distance, he could see a bright red star being warped and pulled in by what seemed to be a black hole, its accretion disk shining brightly in the vast emptiness of space. As if he was on the moon, looking back at Earth, he saw a red planet of magma and death, unusually close to the fragment of rock Nathan sat on. However, this planet was almost entirely obscured by a figure. Towering like a skyscraper, its form was vaguely humanoid yet composed entirely of writhing black vines. This being had no discernable features as if a human was stripped of everything that made them unique.

Nathan's eyes darted, taking in the colossal figure before him, and the words tumbled out almost of their own accord.

"Stuff like this better not happen every time I'm unconscious," he muttered.

Rising to his feet, Nathan found the gravity familiar, and air filled his lungs, even though he seemed to be in the vacuum of space. Luckily, his limbs obeyed his commands, and he could talk as he pleased. Was I teleported here, or is this some type of illusion? This isn't a dream, so what is going on?

His silent inquiries were abruptly cut short.

"Not many beings can communicate with mortals on deserted and outcast planets like Earth. And I am the only one who would have an interest in doing so. This will not happen to you frequently."

The entity's declaration reverberated through space, the words emitting an authority that bent the very fabric of space around them. A primal fear caused Nathan’s heart to beat rapidly, yet the notion that this might be a mere projection, a conversation across an impossible distance, offered a sense of relief. Nathan waited for the entity to continue the conversation, but when it didn’t, Nathan decided to ask a question,

"Why are you trying to communicate with me?"

The being lingered in contemplation and silence, its body not moving an inch, before it began to reply.

"To give you a warning."

The gravity of the voice seemed to distort reality itself, yet Nathan's curiosity was not yet satiated. The being seemed to be much more powerful than the entities within the memory he viewed. Or maybe this was what the celestial’s made a contract with. Nathan was hesitant to ask, but if this thing wanted to kill him and could do so, it would have already,

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"Are you working with the celestials?" Nathan asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Time seemed to slow, stretching out before the being responded. Over a minute passed, and Nathan quivered, concerned he might have angered the being before him. But then it spoke,

"You know more than I thought. It seems the transfer had much more of an effect than it should have... But no, I have nothing to do with the celestials or their war. As I said, I have come to give you a warning. And do not ask why I am helping you, as I can not give you such information right now."

The world flickered, a visual stutter like a TV losing connection,

"It seems our time to speak is coming to a close. Do not question my warning, and I implore you to follow it no matter what happens. Do not use Erebus’ power during the Tower’s Trials."

Then, everything plunged into darkness.

As Nathan's awareness returned, he felt the sensation of a soft sheet enveloping his body. Gasping for air, he jolted upright, his body drenched in a cold sweat. Disoriented and trembling, he struggled to regain his composure,

“What the fuck…” Nathan uttered, his voice trembling with disbelief. His heart raced, and his breaths came in ragged gasps as he desperately tried to ground himself in the present moment.

Questions flooded Nathan’s mind, overwhelming him with their weight. The events that occurred in what he believed to be the memories of Erebus, ones which he thought he sort of understood, now seemed much more complicated than he had realized. Nathan lay motionless, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, the slow rise and fall of his chest the only sign of movement as he silently sifted through the ocean of thoughts swirling in his mind. The warning he received from a being that seemed like a god repeated in his head.

Eventually, Nathan had an urge to move. Rising from his bed, he made his way to the dresser, preparing a fresh set of clothes. Seeking a sense of calm, he then stepped into the steaming shower, hoping the cascading warmth would soothe his troubled mind. And indeed, as the water coursed over him, his mind became clearer. Nathan sat in the shower silently, long enough for all of the hot water to be drained, and decided to step out, putting on a fresh set of clothes.

In his new clothes, Nathan’s eyes fell on the clock. It read ‘6:34’.

“I think I got enough rest,” Nathan said to himself, his gaze shifting downward. Strewn upon the floor, his leather armor and empty sword sheath, marinated in blood and sweat, emanated a disgusting smell. However, determination ignited within Nathan’s eyes, fueled by an unyielding thirst for answers, he gave little care to the smell of his trusted battle gear. Quickly, he equipped himself with the armor and secured the sheath on his back.

“The only way to get answers is to continue climbing the tower.” The words of the mysterious being still echoed in his mind. The Tower’s Trials were tests of a hunter’s power that occurred right after the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 100th floors. These tests are not individual floors of the tower, but something that occurred between floors. They are completed alone, and their difficulty scales to the hunter’s strength. There is no reward for completing the trial, but it is a required step to continue climbing the tower. Nathan could not help but feel nervous at the thought of not being able to use his strongest skill during the trials, but he understood that it would be wise to follow that entity's warning.