The descent was silent.
No wind. No sound. Just Lucian, Naia, and Lysia moving downward—deeper into the Tower's spiral.
The platform beneath their feet floated over a sea of ink.
Above them, constellations formed and broke apart like fragile thoughts.
Then—
A gate rose from the void.
Carved into it, in symbols older than gods:
"Let your tongue shape your truth. Or be shaped by your lies."
Lucian stepped forward.
[System Notification]
You are entering: Floor B91 – The Chamber of Judgmental TruthsRules:– All speech is binding.– Lies warp the speaker's body.– Half-truths distort perception.– Silence invites punishment.
Objective: Endure until you speak what must be said.
The gate opened.
And they walked into a room made of mirrors—but none showed reflections.
Instead, the mirrors listened.
As the door shut behind them, the air shifted.
A voice—not a system, not divine—something older—whispered from nowhere and everywhere:
"Speak."
Lucian took a breath.
"I am Lucian."
Silence.
Then a ripple of approval. The mirrors shimmered, but held still.
Naia went next.
"I am here by choice."
The mirrors pulsed.
But her shadow flickered.
Lucian noticed.
Then Lysia.
Her voice was defiant.
"I'm not afraid."
The moment she said it—The mirrors screamed.
Her body convulsed.
And suddenly—her back erupted in dozens of blinking eyes, wide and wild and staring.
She dropped to her knees.
Lucian rushed forward. "Lysia!"
But she screamed again.
"I'm NOT—"
More eyes. More fear.Her form twisted.
Naia caught her arm. "Stop! Stop lying!"
Lucian knelt.
"Say what you really feel."
Lysia shook.
Then whispered.
"…I'm terrified."
Silence.
Then—
The eyes closed.
Vanished.
Her body returned.
Lucian exhaled.
Naia helped Lysia stand.
"This place punishes who we pretend to be."
Lucian nodded. "We have to say the truth. Especially to ourselves."
Then the voice returned.
"Next statement. Voluntary. One at a time."
Lucian stepped forward.
He knew this was coming.
He stared at the dark ceiling.
And said:
"I don't know if I'm the villain or the hero anymore."
Nothing happened.
But his chest ached.
His form wavered—not out of punishment, but recognition.
Naia followed.
She looked at him, voice shaking.
"Part of me hates you… for what you made me forget."
The mirrors pulsed red.
A crack formed in her chest—not physical, but reflected.
Lucian reached toward her, but she held up a hand.
Then continued:
"…But I also think I never stopped loving you."
The crack glowed.
Then healed.
Lysia stared at both of them.
Her hands clenched.
"I think…"
Silence.
She struggled.
"I think I only followed you because I thought you were invincible."
The mirrors hissed.
"And now that I've seen you bleed… I don't know if I want to stay."
The room dimmed.
Lucian turned to her.
"It's okay."
"No, it's not!"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I'm afraid of being nothing again. Of being forgotten."
Lucian approached.
"You won't be."
She looked up.
"I might leave. I don't know yet."
He nodded.
"I'd rather you be honest than loyal."
The mirrors glowed softly.
Then—
The final challenge came.
A mirror at the center cracked open.
Revealing a voice—familiar, cold, venomous.
Elyon.
"So. You face your truths. How noble."
"But are you ready for theirs?"
The mirror split.
Inside—a room from Lucian's past.
And five figures.
Kareth. Elenya. Orien. Sylen. Naia.
But not their bodies.
Their doubts.
Their shadows walked forward—each a twisted echo of their love, their loyalty, their pain.
And one by one, they spoke.
"We never believed in you. We just followed your power."—Kareth
"You let me think I mattered. Then erased me."—Sylen
"You knew I would kill you. And you still smiled. Why?"—Naia's shadow
Lucian stepped forward.
Trembling.
"I did all of it… because I thought I had to."
A pause.
Then—
"But thinking I had to, doesn't make it right."
The shadows paused.
The mirrors began to heal.
Then the room shifted.
No longer mirrors.
A single door stood at the end.
Wooden.
Old.
On it:
"Only those who know their truth may leave."
Lucian turned to the others.
"Are you ready?"
Naia nodded.
Lysia hesitated. Then stepped forward.
They passed through the door.
And for the first time in chapters—
The Tower did not fight them.
[System Update]
Floor Cleared: Chamber of Judgmental TruthsTrait Gained: [Stabilized Self] – Lucian is now resistant to illusions, gaslighting, and false memory manipulationCompanion Alignment Shifted:– Naia: Acceptance Phase– Lysia: Conditional LoyaltyEmotional Profile Logged: Humanized Anchor
But far above, Elyon frowned.
"She survived the mirror?"
A whisper answered:
"Yes. She still loves him."
"…Then love is now a liability."
He turned to the Heralds.
"Unleash the Godless One. The one who loved Lucian… and chose to become inhuman to forget."