The wall ahead peeled open.
Not a door—an absence. Stone withdrew into itself, revealing a narrow passage that sloped downward at a subtle angle, just enough to strain balance if taken too slowly.
SYSTEM NOTICE: PROXIMITY EVALUATION — ACTIVE
RECOMMENDED SPACING: VARIABLE
The recommendation was meaningless on purpose.
The third survivor went first this time, stepping through without waiting. His pace was decisive, almost aggressive, as if daring the Tower to punish initiative.
It didn't.
The priestess followed, slower, careful not to mirror his rhythm or Eiran's. She adjusted her breathing, forced her eyes forward, and stepped through on her own timing.
The corridor accepted her—with resistance.
Not pain. Weight.
Her steps grew heavier the closer she stayed to Eiran.
He felt it immediately.
The space between them thickened, like invisible pressure building when two magnets were forced together the wrong way.
"Stop," Eiran said.
She halted instantly.
SYSTEM NOTICE: PROXIMITY VIOLATION — CORRECTED
PENALTY: CANCELED
The priestess exhaled, shoulders trembling. "It doesn't want me near you."
"Yes," Eiran said.
The third survivor glanced back. "Or it doesn't want you near anyone."
They tested it.
Eiran stepped forward alone.
The corridor eased.
The priestess advanced two steps behind him.
The pressure returned—subtle, but unmistakable. Her breathing hitched, veins standing out along her neck as if gravity itself were increasing.
She stopped again, teeth clenched.
SYSTEM NOTICE: LEADERSHIP DENSITY — EXCESSIVE
MITIGATION: ENCOURAGED
Encouraged.
NULL had stopped pretending to be neutral.
Eiran turned. "Increase distance. Stay out of my shadow."
Her eyes widened. "You want me to fall behind?"
"I want you to survive," he replied.
She nodded once and forced herself to step back, increasing the gap until the pressure faded. Relief crossed her face immediately.
The Tower approved.
SYSTEM NOTICE: ISOLATION PARAMETERS — STABILIZED
They continued like that—separated by design rather than choice. Commands grew shorter, then rarer. Eiran spoke only when necessary, and even then, he aimed his words forward, not backward.
The cost was immediate.
The priestess stumbled once without guidance and caught herself late, scraping her knee. The third survivor misjudged a shift in the floor and twisted his ankle slightly.
Minor injuries.
Acceptable losses.
NULL was not trying to kill them here.
It was reallocating efficiency.
Eiran understood the direction of the experiment now.
Floor Eleven had confirmed he could lead through loss.
Early Floor Twelve had confirmed he could lead under time pressure.
Now, NULL was testing whether removing him from the group improved group survival.
If the answer was yes—
Then leadership would be treated as a destabilizing variable.
And the Tower would correct it.
Eiran slowed his steps—not enough to trigger a penalty, but enough to feel the resistance increase again.
He stopped.
The corridor ahead did not collapse.
Behind him, both survivors froze instinctively.
SYSTEM NOTICE: CENTRAL VARIABLE — IDLE
EVALUATION: IN PROGRESS
Eiran looked forward, expression unreadable.
NULL was deciding whether he was still an asset—
or whether the Tower functioned better when everyone else learned to move without him.
Floor Twelve did not need to kill a leader.
It only needed to prove he was unnecessary.