[As long as you're wearing the Ring of the Dead, you'll be considered and seen as a Dead Climber.]
"That's it?" Kael asked, squinting at the faint shimmer of the ring on his finger. He flexed his hand, testing its weight, almost expecting some surge of energy to ripple through his body. "I thought I'd get… like some super powers or abilities… like the guy that almost killed me." His voice had a hint of disbelief, but beneath it, a trace of hope, fragile and wary, lingered.
"Yeah… no," Torrac said, his tone even, unflinching. He leaned slightly forward, eyes glinting with a mix of irritation and reluctant concern. "That's something you'll have to earn. Also… trust me, in your condition, there is no greater gift than that ring. I wouldn't recommend taking it off. The dead don't take kindly to the living…"
"Oh," Kael murmured, uncertainty threading his words. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, feeling the cold marble beneath him. The silence stretched for a beat, then he added, "I guess…"
Torrac reached into one of his side pockets, producing a small, old-fashioned watch. He tapped it lightly, eyes narrowing as he muttered to himself. "You should hurry. The manager of the first floor isn't… particularly patient with people who are late…"
Kael cocked his head, curiosity peeking through the exhaustion. "I thought you were the Administrator."
"I'm the general administrator for the first ten floors," Torrac replied, voice low, controlled. "I manage the managers who handle the tests and trials. Go on now… and good luck. Trust me, you'll need it." He gave a brief nod before stepping aside.
However, deep down, Kael felt something wrong… as if there was something behind those red eyes that scrutinized him. For some reason he just didn't like the rabbit with the tux.
Back to reality and away from his thoughts, Kael swallowed, feeling the weight of anticipation pressing against his chest. He approached the door and pushed it open. For a moment, there was nothing but black, a void so absolute it seemed to pull at his chest, a vacuum swallowing every instinct. Then, as he stepped forward, the door behind him disappeared, and the world snapped into view.
A city stretched out before him, drenched in red clouds. The sky itself was hidden beneath a bruised, oppressive canopy, the air heavy and acrid, carrying the faint tang of burnt metal and ash. Skyscrapers, once proud symbols of human ambition, now lay broken and flattened, some piled atop each other in impossible angles, like a nightmare version of the city he knew. Smoke curled lazily from fires in the distance, blackening the horizon. The scent of ozone and scorched concrete lingered faintly in the air, mixing with a metallic tang that made his stomach twist.
The first thing that caught Kael's eyes was the fact he wasn't alone, and he wasn't wearing the same clothes from earlier.
Kael's eyes flicked downward at his new clothes. Black, tight, uniform, just like everyone else's. It clung to him, unfamiliar yet oddly fitting. A tracksuit of sorts that everyone was wearing.
The crowd was massive. Thousands of figures, all clad identically, moved and shifted in a low hum of panic and confusion. Some cried out, voices high and raw with despair. Some were clutching their arms as if they were torn, or wincing in agony, though Kael could see that nothing had physically harmed them. The illusions of pain were as real as the fear in the air.
"Ahem."
The sound was low, almost imperceptible, yet it carried through the crowd like a physical weight. Heads snapped upward, eyes turning toward a point in the void. A small horned creature emerged, walking with the deliberate poise of a predator, its fur bristling faintly as if charged with static energy.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here," it said, voice smooth and playful, though tinged with menace. It looked over the assembled climbers, eyes sharp and bright. "It seems you've all realized how your hubris and arrogance fared for you. You're all dead. Congratulations." Its tiny hands clapped, the sound hollow yet somehow echoing in every mind present.
None of the climbers reacted with joy. Desperation and fear hung thick over them like a blanket.
"Is this… the Afterlife?" someone in the crowd called out, voice shaking.
The creature cackled, spinning on its tiny hooves, tail flicking like a whip. "The afterlife? Who said that's a thing?" It stopped abruptly, pointing a clawed finger at the speaker. "You're dead. This is your second chance. You should be happy!"
A murmur of hope spread, fragile yet electric, rippling through the crowd.
"Wait… does that mean we can leave the Tower?" one climber asked, his voice carrying a thread of disbelief and longing.
The creature grinned, wide, sharp teeth glinting unnervingly. "Leave? Technically… yes. Possibility is close to none. After all, you're required to do something you failed to accomplish the first time. When it was easier" It waved a claw theatrically. "To clear the Reverse Tower!"
"You, furball," a man with a lazy but serious expression interjected, voice calm yet edged with incredulity, "you mean we can't leave at the ten-floor marks anymore?"
The creature's gaze flicked toward him, unimpressed. "No. You're dead. How are you supposed to leave?"
"I look pretty alive, though…" the man said, a nervous chuckle breaking through his tone.
"Are you sure?" the creature waved a hand lazily. In an instant, the man's knees buckled, his head rolling from his body in a horrific yet impossibly controlled display. Half of his torso followed.
Screams erupted, violent and raw. The air seemed to vibrate with fear. Kael's stomach twisted at the sight. Yet the man's eyes blinked once, stubbornly alive, even as he wailed, "What did you do to me?!"
"Me? Nothing. I merely revealed the nature of your body. You're… pretty dead. Deader than dead, in fact," the creature said calmly. With another gesture, the man reassembled, whole and unharmed, shaking slightly as he checked his body. The demonstration left a chilling impression on everyone present: this Tower was absolute, and its rules were final.
"You mentioned leaving, even as a possibility" a woman next to Kael asked cautiously. "How does that work?"
"Simple. Climb. Reach the final floor. You're granted a wish. Resurrection included." The creature smiled, almost warmly, though the effect was uncanny in contrast with the harshness of its previous demonstration.
"Now," it said, voice tightening slightly, "how about we play a game? I assume everyone here already knows the rules of our games."
"Are we hunting goblins again?" one climber asked, voice tinged with skepticism.
"Why would you think that?" the creature replied, tilting its head. A faint laugh escaped, almost musical, yet carried the edge of danger.
"I died at the third floor," the climber said, "so I remember, the first floor of the Tower of Trials was to kill five goblins to proceed."
"Well, aren't you experienced," the creature laughed, eyes glinting. "Close, but this is the Reverse Tower after all." It reached into a pocket and pulled out a small white marble, holding it aloft. "Your objective is to gather fifty of these. You have thirty days. Enjoy."
It vanished as suddenly as it appeared, leaving behind a silence heavy with anticipation, fear, and the faint metallic tang of the Tower itself.