Finally, Ars and Yuki arrived at the base of the White Tower. Up close, the tower was even more breathtaking. Its walls rose straight up into the sky, disappearing among the clouds.
There were no doors, no windows, no handholds. Only a smooth, flawless marble surface.
Ars walked closer and pressed his palm against the wall. It felt cold and vibrated with an almost imperceptible energy. How would they get inside?
As his hand touched the wall, the carvings that had been faint on the tower's surface began to glow with a golden light.
The lines of light flowed along the tower, gathering at the point directly in front of Ars. The light formed a giant symbol that Ars recognized very well from the temple he had found in the forest.
The Fool symbol.
The wall inside the symbol became transparent, revealing a passageway shrouded in darkness inside. It was an invitation.
The door made of light made no sound as Ars and Yuki stepped through it. Behind them, the symbol of The Fool dimmed and the marble walls became solid and seamless again, cutting off their only way back to the outside world. They were now inside the Tower.
However, the inside of the tower was not what Ars had imagined. There were no magnificent stone corridors, no torches burning on the walls, no spiral staircases reaching upwards.
There was only... nothingness.
They stood in the middle of an endless room shrouded in absolute white. The floor, walls, and ceiling merged without corners, creating the illusion of a confusing, limitless space.
There were no shadows, no echoes, even the air felt silent and sterile. It was like stepping into a blank sheet of paper.
Yuki whimpered softly, pressing her body against Ars's legs. Her animal senses were clearly uncomfortable with this unnatural environment.
Ars himself felt a strong sense of disorientation, his eyes searching for a point of focus but finding nothing.
"Status," he whispered. The blue panel appeared, the only color in the sea of white. Nothing had changed.
"[The Observer's Eye]," he muttered, scanning the space in front of him.
> [White Void Room]
> Type: ???
> Description: A conceptual space. A canvas waiting for the first stroke.
"A conceptual space?" Ars frowned. This was no longer architecture, it was philosophy.
He tried to take a few steps, but the scenery around him didn't change at all. It felt like walking on a giant treadmill.
That was when a voice echoed in the room, and also in Ars's mind. The voice didn't sound masculine or feminine, old or young. It was calm, ancient, and crystal clear.
"Welcome, Wanderer. You are the one who carries Arcana Zero."
Ars turned around, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was no one there.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
"I am the guardian and core of this tower. You are at the Threshold, the first floor of the Arcana Trial. Each Arcana has its own path. Your path, The Fool, begins with emptiness."
Ars's heart pounded. The Arcana Trial. So this tower was some kind of testing ground.
"Zero is the beginning of everything, and the end of nothingness," the voice continued.
"Show me your path, Wanderer. What first step will you take on this unblemished canvas?"
After uttering those words, the voice disappeared, leaving behind a silence even thicker than before.
Ars analyzed the words. A riddle. His gamer brain immediately went to work. *The first step? An unblemished canvas?* Maybe there was some kind of hidden button on the floor. Or he had to walk in a certain pattern, following a sequence of invisible symbols.
He began to walk slowly, observing the floor carefully, but there was nothing. He tried jumping, crouching, even crawling. The room remained white and empty. Frustration began to creep over him. This was a puzzle without clues.
Yuki, who looked bored, started chasing her own tail to play, spinning around happily in place.
Seeing Yuki's behavior, Ars stopped. The little fox wasn't trying to solve the puzzle. He wasn't trying to find hidden meaning. He was just *acting*. He was creating his own movements in the midst of emptiness.
Enlightenment struck Ars like a bolt of lightning.
The Fool. The card does not symbolize intelligence or strategy. It symbolizes blind faith, a leap into the abyss without knowing what lies beneath. This puzzle is not about finding an existing path.
It is about *creating* a path.
"The first step..." he whispered to himself. The voice did not ask for the *right* direction. The voice only asked for the *first step*.
Ars took a deep breath, putting aside all his doubts and gamer analysis. He stared straight ahead, at the endless white expanse.
He had no reason to choose that direction, no logic behind it. It was simply a choice. A statement of intent.
He took one steady step forward.
As the soles of his shoes touched the white floor, a ripple spread from beneath his feet, not a ripple of water, but a ripple of color. The floor beneath his feet transformed into a moss-covered stone path.
He took a second step. Lush green grass grew on both sides of the path.
A third step. Giant trees appeared out of nowhere, their canopies forming a soothing ceiling. The faint chirping of birds began to be heard.
With each step he took, the world formed around him. The white emptiness receded, replaced by a beautiful and peaceful forest landscape. He did not follow the path; the path was born from each of his steps.
After walking about a hundred meters, he saw a simple wooden Torii gate standing in the middle of the path, marking the end of the forest he had just created. Next to the gate was a small, clear spring.
"You understand," the tower's voice echoed again, this time with a tone that sounded like approval.
"For The Fool, there is no right or wrong path. There is only the path that is chosen. Your first step has created your world."
A system panel appeared before Ars.
> [You have completed the First Trial: The Wanderer's Step.]
> [Your understanding of your Arcana has deepened.]
> [The ability [Observer's Eye] has evolved into [Observer's Insight].]
Ars quickly checked the description of his new ability.
> [Observer's Insight (Passive)]: Allows you to see basic information about objects, creatures, or items. Now also reveals the hidden 'Intent' or 'Purpose' behind an object or creature. The stronger or more complex the target's intent, the more blurred the information.
This was an incredible upgrade. He could no longer only see *what* something was, but also *why* it existed.
He looked at Yuki to test it out.
> Name: Yuki
> Race: Kitsune (Young Form)
> ...
> Current Intentions: [Protecting Friends], [Seeking Warmth], [Curious About Shimmering Water]
Ars smiled. He could sense Yuki's emotions through their bond, but now he could see them in clear words. Ars then looked at the spring in front of him.
> [Memory Spring]
> Quality: Mystical
> Description: Pure water that responds to thirsty souls.
> Purpose: [Restores Stamina], [Heals Minor Wounds], [Awakens Dormant Memories]
Seeing the last line, Ars looked at Yuki. "Thirsty, little friend?"
Yuki barked in agreement and then ran to the spring, and began to drink greedily. As the little fox drank, a soft light enveloped her body.
Her wounds from the bear trap healed completely, and her fur looked whiter and shinier than before.
Ars knelt down and drank too. The water felt incredibly refreshing, not only quenching his thirst but also lifting the fatigue from his journey off his shoulders.
As he stood up, he realized something new had awakened within him. Another notification panel appeared, and this one was more personal.
> [Unlimited Potential has responded to your 'Creation' action.]
> [New affinity unlocked: Illusion Magic (Basic Level).]
> [New ability acquired: [Camouflage Finger].]
> [Camouflage Finger (Active)]: By touching a small object, you can temporarily change its appearance to blend in with the surrounding environment. The effect will disappear if the object is moved. It's not a powerful ability, but it's versatile.
Ars stared at his hand in amazement. he didn't get a fireball spell or a magic sword. True to the nature of The Fool, he got a trick, a little magic trick.
He grinned, picked up a small stone from the path and touched it while imagining the grass next to it. The stone flashed and turned green, almost invisible among the grass.
It was a small power, but its potential was enormous.
"Your path awaits, Arcana Zero," said the tower's voice for the last time.
Ars carried Yuki, who now seemed more excited than ever. They then stepped through the Torii gate, ready to face whatever trials awaited them on the next floor.
He was no longer just Nael. He was Ars, the creator of his own small world, a novice illusionist, and a traveler who had only just begun his journey. And he couldn't wait to see what crazy puzzles the tower would throw at him next.