Arc 2: The Tower of Power
Nora
"The elevators are just a few meters ahead—let's move," I said.
"I'm exhausted… Is the water gone?" Rebeca asked Helena.
"Actually, it evaporated inside my canteen," Helena replied, with a creepy smile on her face.
"I didn't even know that could happen..."
We were drained. It had taken us forty minutes to climb the mountain. The temperature had to be around forty degrees Celsius, and walking through soft sand only made things worse.
"Shhh… Be quiet," I whispered to the other two.
I could hear sounds echoing through the desert. Sound travels up to 1,200 kilometers per hour, so it wasn't surprising that the noise had reached us even in such a flat, open place.
As we moved a bit closer, we were shocked to see a large group of people fighting in front of the elevators. Out of ten elevators, two had their doors shut. There were just over thirty participants remaining. Looking closely, the elevators were small—meaning not everyone would fit. Some people were going to be left behind.
"What's going on? Why are you fighting?" I asked, grabbing a dwarf by the neck.
"The elevators only support the weight of three people! If there are four or more, the doors won't close!" the dwarf shouted, struggling in my grip.
"Think we can sneak by without being noticed?" Helena asked.
"I'm joining the fight. I'll try to clear a path," Rebeca said, vanishing with a flick of her leg.
The elevators were spaced about fifty meters apart, making it easier for fights to break out around them.
"Let's follow Rebeca. She insists we stick together as a team, but she's always the first to leave us behind," I muttered. I was tired of her rebellious attitude—I've always been a more… commanding type.
Helena and I headed after Rebeca, who was already a few meters ahead. Jumping into a fight without thinking—just charging forward and hitting the first person in her path—wasn't a great plan. But it was all we had.
"Helena, as soon as you get the chance, enter the elevator in front of us. Don't worry about leaving me behind. Just follow my orders and everything will go smoothly."
Rebeca was fighting alone against a group of four—all humans. Among them, a mage acted as support, enhancing the others' abilities with magic.
The strength and experience Rebeca had gained were remarkable. At just eighteen, she'd already fought in wars and countless battles. Watching someone so experienced fight with a smile on her face was both terrifying and reassuring—at least she was on our side.
"Take the mage. I'll deal with the fighters. Helena, focus on the giant with the hammer. He's slow—you can outmatch him."
"Got it," Helena replied without hesitation.
Rebeca moved like lightning, appearing in front of the mage and landing a powerful kick that sent him flying, separating him from the group.
"She never shares her plans… Just charges in and expects us to read her mind? Maybe she intended to isolate the mage from the start."
One of the fighters was a giant man, wielding a massive two-meter hammer. He was slow, but terrifyingly strong.
Helena summoned her black spear and charged at the giant. As she approached, he raised his hammer and slammed it into the ground, kicking up a wave of sand around him.
Helena dashed beneath his legs and stabbed her spear into his heel. The three-meter-tall man immediately dropped to one knee. Taking the opportunity, Helena infused her spear with dark mana, spun it horizontally, and severed his left arm.
Helena was covered in blood. But for some reason, when I looked at my sister, I noticed something that chilled me—she was smiling.
When did we stop being human? I wondered.
The giant writhed in pain, slowly trying to stand—but before he could, Helena drove her spear through his neck. A girl only 165 centimeters tall, taking down a giant with a weapon twice her size… It wasn't something you saw every day. I felt proud. And yet, at the same time, a dark thought lingered:
When did we lose our empathy? We kill for our own convenience. We were never raised by a mother—I never even met her. Maybe being raised under the rule of a tyrant turned us into weapons instead of people.
Rebeca's fight intensified. She was about ten meters to our left—close enough for us to see what was happening.
I was up against two human men at once. They were skilled, but nowhere near my level. I stayed on the defensive, dodging their sword strikes—until I finally had to counter.
By channeling mana through my body, I boosted my strength and speed. I spun to the right, stepped forward twice, and pierced the heart of the man on my right. He froze, stopped breathing, and blood poured from his mouth. His eyes slowly shut—he was dead.
I felt… nothing.
Where are my emotions? I just took a life, and I feel absolutely nothing. Maybe it's better not to think about it.
The remaining man panicked. Realizing he was alone, he turned and ran in a random direction. I didn't chase him—waste of time. I hurried to regroup with the others.
As I approached Helena, I asked:
"Where's Rebeca?"
"She disappeared with the mage."
"Worried about me?" Rebeca said, appearing behind us—holding the mage's severed head in her hand.
"Let's get into the elevator before more teams show up," she added, tossing the head aside like a rock.
When she reached us, she grabbed our hands, and together we stepped into the elevator in front of us.
To be continued…