Jace inhaled a breath of cool air. The nineteenth Floor had not been compelled with encroaching rain or heavy snow, instead it had only surrounded the Climbers in a labyrinth of stone walls that stood eighty meters high.
After the past expeditions of the First and Second Generation of Climbers, the Floor's structure had withered down over the years, leaving a vast mess of rubble and debris scattered in every direction. Even if some of the stone walls remained standing, it was hard to distinguish how it once looked.
They stepped off the crystal pedestal, digesting their setting. Despite the numerous battles that had taken place, vegetation continued to thrive in every Floor they ventured.
Every base of the stone walls were fully enveloped in slithering vines as if the plants were the monster themselves. But judging from some of the caved holes and deep craters throughout the flattened grass, sentient or carnivorous plants weren't the slightest concern. Their environment had actually felt more safe on any Floor because of how spacious it looked.
The walls were at most fifty meters apart, giving an open glade that was trashed with pieces of irregular stone from the echoes of previous battles. Through the mess, there were only two entrances into the stone labyrinth, as the other two opposite from where they faced had a blockade.
Without any more thoughts, the two of them walked forward, keeping their wits steady and vigilant.
It was likely around evening on the Floor. As much as Jace felt finally relieved from that endless sunshine on Sun Valley, turning dark in Stoneveil sounded just as aggravating. The sun had just barely peeked into the walls so he would imagine how truly dark it became.
The Floor was already quiet, excluding the sounds of the strangely groaning walls and sprinkling debris, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Erin could see from afar, as one of her presumed Skills provided her with such useful perception for oncoming threats.
They crossed over amassed rubble, walking deeper through the passages in search for an encounter. Though, only if Erin had deemed the monster worthy enough for two Climbers.
After a while of traversing through the boundless maze, she was the first one to break the silence, shifting away from their tense mood.
"I'm still surprised we haven't run into any other Climbers yet. Higher floors are supposed to be famous grounds for gaining experience."
Jace vaulted over a large piece of rubble, pulling Erin right after.
"When did you want to meet other Climbers?"
Erin snorted, standing beside him as she dusted her hands from sediments.
"No, jumpy, I'm wondering when was the last time we fought with other Climbers. We're all on the same team, right? Fighting for humanity?"
Jace stared at the other half of the passageway, deciding in his mind that another turn to the left would somehow lead them closer into the maze's heart.
"I guess, yeah, I haven't seen any other Climbers in any of my expeditions either, even in ones before I joined your squad."
Erin continued with her say.
"It's a small world in a big Tower."
He had thought for a bit then asked her:
"After the Revolution, how many humans lived?"
She turned to him, forming an answer in her head.
"About…maybe—less than a million?"
The number had sounded more staggering than he thought. Even if a million humans bundled up together in a space would seem overwhelming, knowing that was only left of humanity was depressing.
In their original world, Arcadia had a population of three billion humans before it was struck by four of the ominous Towers, covering each point of the world. And for years, humanity had been rapidly growing extinct due to the monsters.
That was until, of course, the Soul had started to choose its candidates.
Jace dropped down from the rubble, still continuing the conversation with her.
"Around a million humans in the Tower, with a hundred Floors, how much do you think we dispersed after the Revolution?"
Erin followed after him, landing on her feet smoothly.
"A lot of the population are in Safeworlds, jumpy, what type of question is that? Did any of your previous squad members tell you anything?"
Jace scoffed with a faint of laughter.
"Do you seriously think I would ask any of them for a lesson about humanity's past?"
Erin ran beside him, matching his gaining pace.
"And now that task falls on me? I'm supposed to educate you?"
He kept his face forward and said indifferently.
"You're the only one I trust."
She averted her eyes away as a small grin tugged across her lips.
"Well, I'm not a living bookworm, so don't take any of my answers guaranteed."
And like that, the two Climbers had spent half an hour being immersed in their own conversation, moving through the maze at a droning pace. It could have been said they were trying to pass some time as finding an encounter in a Floor that was likely cleared by the past Generations.
Though, he refused to believe this was their second date. Running beside a beautiful blonde girl and having her lecture him about the world had slowly turned casual in a comforting way, as if everything was narrowing just between them.
Being lost in a towering stone maze couldn't have been more romantic than sharing their similar interest in a cafe while eating vanilla cake.
To say the least, Jace did learn something in return. His speculation whenever he was in Pensula, about believing that every human possessed a Soul in the Tower, had actually been incorrect.
There were humans that weren't afflicted with the Soul, living in the Tower in semblance of a normal life.
From what Erin had told him, the Soul chooses its subjects when the human has reached sixteen years of age.
Jace had somewhat remembered the Soul's transparent window appeared in his face when he was still stuck in the orphanage. That was until later in the next year, he decided to leave and join the expeditions as a Climber.
But if mundane humans really lived in the Tower, settling down in a Safeworld, that meant they were eternally trapped on that Floor for the rest of their lives.
Jace had somehow glossed over the fact that people could fall in love, get married, bear children, and raise families. If none of them were chosen by the Soul, then none of them could ascend in the Tower.
The Safeworld was their world.
He felt his eyes stare off, running along the long corridors of the stone maze as his thoughts engrossed him. He absolutely dreaded idea of being stuck in a Safeworld. There wasn't any other fate more terrible than to be born inside the Tower without a Soul.
How would anyone defend themselves against the horrible monsters created by the Tower? How could anyone live without reaching the full extent of their Soul?
That was him being selfish. He failed to realize that other people didn't share his same desire for power.
Some humans wished for a peaceful life, that was why Climbers had risen from the depths of their ruined world and began the Revolution. That was when the First Generation was truly born.
None of them lived in Safeworlds because they grew complacent, it was because they wanted to live away from the terrors of the Tower. Not every human was equipped with the same mindset to become a Climber, even if they were chosen by the Soul.
People were normal. Jace was far from that.
Jace tripped on a piece of stray rubble, tumbling to the flattened grass.
Erin drifted to a stop, trying not to burst into laughter.
"What the—are you okay?"
Jace pushed from the ground, brushing off the rocks that embedded into his arm.
"Wasn't looking."
She rested one of her hands on her hip.
"Well, any more questions? With the ones you've been asking, it sounds like you want to join the humans and start a family."
He caught up next to her, running into another turn of the stone maze.
"I thought everyone in the Tower had the Soul."
She snorted.
"Obviously not. If that were the case, could you imagine the chaos humanity would be in? I wouldn't even think the Tower could handle that much at once. A million Climbers? We would have already conquered the Tower."
He vaulted over more rubble.
"Then…how many Climbers exist as of now?"
She stopped with a confused expression on her face.
"Is there a reason why you're asking me this?"
He noticed she wasn't beside him and turned back to look at her. His barrage of questions must have provoked some suspicion. But it was never against the rules to be curious.
The auburn boy was just learning something new.
Erin scratched her blonde hair, walking closer, and reassured him.
"We're not really going extinct, Jace, I was joking about that. Humans are still going to thrive in Safeworlds, that's why it's called Safeworlds. They're going to repopulate, that's the normal way of life."
Jace wanted to remark on her thought of him being that ignorant but he left it alone.
"What if we fail? Is there any way that monsters could travel through Ports, or through gates, invading Safeworlds like that?"
Erin shrugged.
"Have you ever heard of a Tear?"
He shook his head.
"A Tear?"
Instead of answering, she bumped his shoulder.
"I'll lead this time, alright? From where you're taking us, we've been running into dead ends and more trash."
He didn't know why she blamed him despite having a Skill for enhanced eyesight. But he still followed her, of course.
After a few minutes of climbing around the toppled stone, she explained the term Tear.
"Sometimes, when people say the Tower gets really frustrated, a Tear happens in some of the Floors. It's when the air literally tears apart and monsters spill through."
Jace found that hard to believe.
"The air tears apart?"
Erin glanced at him as she ran forward.
"I know it sounds stupid but I can't explain it any easier. How did you think the Tower sent humanity on the brink of extinction? Tears happened through Arcadia. Humans with the Soul fought back, slaying those same monsters, and gained experience. That was how the First Generation happened."
He didn't know how that fact had flown across his head. Maybe the orphanage truly taught him nothing about Climbers before he decided to abandon that place.
It wasn't a great feeling like he was a child again, especially when that only fueled the blonde girl's image of him.
Jace pieced the information together on his own, sparing himself any more embarrassing lectures.
"Were Tears happening in Safeworlds?"
Erin nodded her head.
"It's becoming more apparent lately, as they say. I haven't seen one yet but it must have been terrifying for the humans. Without the Soul, they have nothing to defend themselves. They could only pray that Climbers are near that catastrophe."
He suddenly stopped before he would ram his body into another structure of rubble. Instead he leapt from the ground and caught the blonde girl's arm, pulling himself over as he asked:
"You said the Tower gets frustrated? Is it just as alive as the Soul?"
She gestured at the stone walls surrounding them.
"What do you think, jumpy? Did you think all of this came out of nowhere? The Tower made this for us to ascend. It's more than alive."
He jumped off after her, landing hard on the flattened grass.
"So, how does a Tear work? Can it just happen anytime? Or do we have to do something to absolutely anger the Tower? How about I shout some insults—"
She smacked his shoulder.
"Very funny, jumpy. Though…you're sort of right. Have you ever attended a Clearing Parade?"
Jace groaned.
"You're making these words up."
Erin snorted, smacking his shoulder again.
"Now I really think you lived under a rock before you met me. A Clearing Parade is when we defeat the Gatekeeper, clearing the Floor and entering the next. It's how humanity celebrates its resilience against the Tower."
He walked next to her, wondering why they stopped running. Instead, he asked:
"And that's why the Tower hates us? Because we conquered one of its Floors?"
She frowned.
"Close, but it's the opposite of that. Because we didn't clear a Floor, slaying a Gatekeeper, Tears began to happen. It's been about a few years since the Second Generation tackled the fifty-ninth Floor and they keep failing. The Tower isn't happy about that."
Jace always knew the Tower and Soul were extraterrestrial beings that his mind would never comprehend. But he would have never guessed they hated humanity more than him. Because of the failed expeditions from the Second Generation, humans have to suffer their consequences.
He hated to imagine what a wave of terrible monsters could crash down into a Port Town of defenseless and mundane humans.
"When was the last Tear?"
Erin answered, as if she was ashamed.
"There was one in Hailfen. I was lucky to be living in Sun Valley at that time."
He wondered if any monsters that spilled from the Tear could survive a single night in Hailfen, recalling how severely cold that blizzard was.
Though, instead of dwelling on the misfortune of unfortunate humans, the two Climbers stopped at a turn.
Instead of meeting into another passage of straight rubble and debris, this particular path was vastly different.
Because all of the walls were gone. It was another glade like when they had first arrived on the Port.
Jace cursed to himself, remembering when Erin had accused him of why they were lost.
"We made a full trip back to where we started! Are you serious?!"
Then Erin slapped his mouth shut as her eyes focused through the massed ruins in front of them.
He pried off her hand.
"Do you see something?"
She glared at him for a few seconds before nodding.
"I said I knew what I was doing, jumpy, don't ever doubt me again."
He suppressed a grimace and asked her:
"What did you see?"
She stared back into the rubble.
"A monster."