Intro Note: Greetings to all readers, both old and new. To those who read my previous story, thank you for returning. To those reading my work for the first time, thank you for being willing to spend any of your precious time on my fanfic.

So full disclosure, this project came upon me out of nowhere. Anyone who read my previous story should recognize three characters that'll show up almost immediately, but there are some changes. Some slight, others big. Some glaringly obvious, others perhaps not so much. That's because this story is actually something I storyboarded years ago as a reboot of sorts. I believe I didn't want to keep the canon too much in mind, which is why I decided to take a different direction. I had a craving to write something and somehow this returned to my mind, so I chose to revisit it. There are plot details which may overlap with the canon, but there are also aspects I changed from canon, along with others where I filled in blanks left by SIU with my own interpretations. It'll be pretty obvious to any Tower of God fans, but this is undeniably an Alternate Universe, so I also don't have much intent to change anything if canon contradicts me in the future.

Also, sorry to anyone who got into TOG from . I started reading during Season 1, when it was only available through the glorious efforts of The Company, from the once-holy paradise of Batoto. I'm all about Zahard, not Jahad. Androssi, not Endorsi. Koon, not Khun. You get the idea. Really, sorry. Like, my brain flat out autocorrects to the names I'm accustomed to, even when I read new chapters.

The first 4 chapters here, I had actually written over 6 years ago. I spruced them up a bit here and there, but I didn't want to spend too much time doing so, which might mean there's a weird writing shift between them and chapter 5. I had gotten away from this project due to graduating from College and entering the cruel and cold world of the working. I had also lost interest in TOG for a time, due to a series of lackluster arcs, in my opinion. But since the recent hiatus ended, my interest has been rekindled for sure. Again, to TOG fans, I'll come out and say that I'm currently what might best be described as a White stan, so take from that what you will lol. Also, Albelda/Clone is best girl, don't me.
Just kidding. But not really.

Anyway, I'd like to use this story as an outlet to test myself, refine my creative process and figure out how I function best as a writer. Also, as I just hinted above, I have a severe writing addiction that I've been repressing for too long. Since it's been so long, it'll probably take me some time to get back in touch with what I was going for, as well as the characters to be introduced in the near future. I'll do my best though.

Again, thank you for coming to read my story and I hope it's worth your time! Please feel free to tell me whatever you think, good or bad, I appreciate all criticism. As I said, I'd like to test myself as much as I can here, so if you have any interesting ideas to add in, I'll do so if I believe it'll fit the story I want to tell here.

Enough from me, I really hope you enjoy my story!

Headon's Favorite Day

It was a dark and damp chamber, where the only light came from the lamps resting on the walls, each one a set distance apart from the others. With the dim lighting, the most visible items were the various carvings on the walls. Between each set of two lights, there was a single mural, which depicted grand environments; gargantuan creatures embroiled in battle; detailed, humanoid beings, the size of mountains; Gods that walked among men.

Aside from these ancient works of art and a large opening in the ceiling, the room was devoid of any other furnishings. Well, all furnishings apart from a chair. It was made of an odd, glowing blue material, which seemed to be viscous in nature, while mysteriously retaining the properties of a solid. Resting against the chair was a staff, golden in color, with a bluish green orb on each end. It belonged to the creature currently seated.

It sat upon the chair with two humanoid legs, which were currently crossed loosely. One of its hands, with only three digits, were twirling what seemed to be a thick black cigar. Its white body was covered in a dark purplish blue one-piece that covered the torso wholly and ended at the knees, where it connected to a pair of white boots. The head had a sharp yet smooth, elongated design, with two long white ears stretching from the top end. In most respects, the creature seemed to be a rabbit person that was missing eyes, a nose and a mouth.

The creature raised its free hand, a normal white mug materializing out of thin air and filling itself with a blue green fluid. Its featureless head revealed a black line across the lower section; his mouth. Taking a long and slow sip of the drink, he leaned into the backrest of his seat and allowed a content sigh of relief to escape his throat as the sweet taste of blueberries graced his tongue.

"There are few better ways to begin one's day, than enjoying a warm cup of tea."

Given the lay of the land, there was nothing to provide even a slight indication as to what the time of day could possibly be. However this rabbit knew, by instinct or otherwise, that it was in fact the crack of dawn. In fact, this creature knew a great deal of things.

The exact number of intelligent lifeforms in the entirety of his home. The amount of offspring currently being born. The names of every single person who had died in the last 60 seconds to pass.

He knew it all, even as he sat there drinking blueberry-flavored tea.

How could this creature know such specific things without the need to take survey? It all came natural to him. He always knew all, for he was always watching all, without the need to physically see it all. For he was the omnipotent God of the self-sustained world known as The Tower. The Guardian of the 1st Floor and owner of it all, Headon.

"What will happen today, I wonder?" The question was asked to none in particular. The simple habit of an all-knowing being, whom had already lived for a measure of time which no lesser existence could begin to comprehend. In fact, when he really thought about it, he was sure that people were quite literally incapable of putting a number to the years that comprised his eternal life. Of course, he himself had no idea how long he had been alive. After the first quadrillion or so years, there likely was no merit in keeping track. To him, 1000 years was akin to a minute for a human. So naturally, a single day was nothing but a few seconds at best.

Another sip he took, swishing the fragrant liquid about his mouth, before swallowing contently. "A day as monotonous as all others? Or perhaps the infinitesimal chance that something marginally amusing could occur, to occupy even a tiny fraction of my boundless time?"

It was with fond memory that the Guardian would look back on some of the visitors he had over his life.

A man who appeared after losing everything he ever knew and loved; whose nigh-infinite hatred for all of creation manifested as a hostile red vessel, to consume all about him. Who simultaneously proclaimed to serve the will of a matchless entity.

One with power incomprehensible, even to an omnipotent God like him, who entered and stayed to talk for all of three minutes, before whisking himself away to the currently established top of the Tower. Well, according to the Empire that ran things these days. It had been a most pleasant surprise, to hear the story of how that strange fellow had turned the font of the Empire into an unparalleled paradise of bloodstained glory.

More recently, a remarkably confident, bold and outspoken male, who had come in search of the one who brought anarchy right before him. He had, perhaps, been the most amusing of all. His reason had been so incredibly inane, that it prompted the single time in all of history, that Headon had cracked an honest laugh. These days, that man was something of a modern superhero, wasn't he?

When looking even further back, the God of the Tower found that his memory about the group of visitors he had received spontaneously, thousands upon thousands of years ago, was not a memory he was now fond of. It had been an unprecedented event, which to this day has not been repeated. They had not been the first Irregulars to open the doors to his paradise. Certainly not, for there had been thousands before them. They were, however, the ones who brought the greatest change to life in general. The strongest of them all, their leader, had gone on to become the King of the Tower, usurping the absolute control that once rested with the world's God. Through questionable means, too.

Yes, these days of monotony… They could all be traced back to the day that those thirteen warriors had breached the gateway to his ultimate paradise. Since they settled themselves in and built an only slightly impressive empire, his peerless freedom had been largely restricted. Where he could once do anything, any time, in any way he so desired, he was now held to rules and standards that belonged not to him. Where he could once take any natural inhabitant of the Tower to any Floor he wished, and play with them to his heart's content, he was now limited to only choosing the lesser beings at a set time as instructed; and as if that wasn't bad enough, he had to place them in designated zones of the 2nd Floor! For all intents and purposes, his world was turned upside down.

Of course, that isn't to say that he derived zero pleasure in his life these days. In fact, the process by which he chose the inhabitants, whom were now referred to as Regulars, was likely one of the most entertaining tasks he had left. For all the disdain he felt for the current regime, they did indeed bring about a breed of lesser beings more pleasing to his eyes than ever before. While the majority were unremarkable in ability, each had some kind of intriguing detail about them. Just enough to keep his interest, at least for a blink. Beyond that, those in the minority were incredibly amusing. Whether they possessed incredible power, unfortunate backgrounds, sad deformations, or even juicy love lives, a few of the Tower's Residents were very amusing to observe. Currently, there was one considerably more interesting and engaging than all the rest. However as entertaining as this individual was to watch, it was all too gratifying to leave them on the sidelines and to their own devices. For as much as they may resent it, they were to serve a higher purpose.

"One day, my child, one day~" There was always a hint of affection in his voice, when speaking of the one he had most loved to watch over, these last few centuries.

Having continued sipping the tea while reminiscing about old times, Headon released the cup, which faded away in a blue light that, like nearly all things in the Tower, was comprised of Shinsoo; the paradoxically limitless substance that existed in every last corner of the Tower. Bringing the black cigar to his mouth at last, the tip lit ablaze via an ocean green spark of fire. As the cigar was placed against his mouth, and he were about to take a single deep puff, something changed.

As if the entire Floor had suddenly come to life, the Shinsoo began to accelerate violently. The atmosphere itself started to quake, leaving the Guardian feeling like a lone tadpole within a trembling glass tank.

The quaking only magnified as time went on, however instead of panicking, the rabbit's mouth took on a sharp curve. He knew what was coming next and his mouth had reached a full grin, just as the entire environment grew still and calm, just as suddenly as it had gotten excited. His own heart danced, as if to hold the sensation within himself for a time, to bask in a most anticipated moment. While the atmosphere was the same as before, there was one thing that had changed. Headon was no longer the only life-form on the 1st Floor, for he had been joined by a second. A woman, by the looks of it. The first female visitor that he'd had in a long time.

Rising from his seat, the chair disintegrated into neutral Shinsoo, seamlessly assimilating into the atmosphere. Instead of falling to the ground from the chair, the staff floated and entered Headon's hand. The cigar had already followed the fate of the chair, as he strode to stand closer to the girl.

"The breaking and mending of space and time to breach the Tower… Always such a welcome phenomenon. Were it that I, myself, could achieve the opposi-" His grin faded away as he raised his empty hand to his mouth.

That's right, I must hold my tongue. It's been a while since I've had a guest. It simply would not do to speak of things that do not yet concern this young lady.

As if the voice was a catalyst, the ears of the girl twitched, her eyes opening. Sitting up with a yawn, she stretched her arms out before rubbing her head. As her vision focused, she took a look around at her surroundings, finding the area to be foreign to her.

Headon observed the girl with interest from behind, taking note that she seemed to possibly be from the same place that the previous visitors had come from.

Her hair was a long and wavy dark blue, her skin as white and smooth as milk. Her body seemed to be curvy, dressed with a bright plain blue tank top, accompanied by a black skirt and sandals beneath her feet. Even without seeing her face, it seemed that she was pleasing to look at, just like the other female guests he'd had the pleasure of greeting.

"Where are we?" The girl asked curiously, as if expecting a reply.

"You are in the Tower now. More specifically, the 1st Floor of the Tower. Welcome, young lady." Spoke Headon naturally, in response to the question.

Surprised and confused, the girl quickly jumped to her feet, turning to face the one who had replied. She clearly hadn't expected to hear another voice. "A…a bunny? A talking bunny…"

Glancing to her left side for a brief moment, the girl's eyes shot right back to the one before her. "That's true, I guess it shouldn't be too shocking."

Had he eyebrows, Headon's surely would have raised at that point. Nonetheless, he decided to follow up. "Greetings, my name is Headon. I am the Guardian of the Tower's lowest Floor."

"The Guardian?" She seemed somewhat lost, as she once again glanced to her left side, though her eyes seemed to follow something around to the other side of Headon. "Yeah, I guess there was something like that…"

"Pardon?" The confusion belonged to Headon this time, his head tilting slightly.

The girl blushed slightly, as if she'd been alerted to something embarrassing. Waving her hands awkwardly, she shook her head a few times. "Sorry! Uh, I'm Ashera! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Headon!"

"…" Lifting a hand to his chin, Headon nodded. "Yes, well met Ashera. I am, however, more partial to Lord Headon."

"Lord Headon? Well…okay, if that's what you want." Ashera nodded to the Guardian.

Headon stared hard at the girl, whose head was now shifting back and forth, likely in effort to determine his facial structure. It was then that he noticed her silver eyes, glistening with innocence and naivety. "Ashera. Hm, that isn't a very tasty name. How unfortunate."

"Y-yeah, I'm called Ash for short, but I guess most people wouldn't consider ashes to be tasty..." The girl's shoulders slumped a bit as she sighed, "I'm sorry."

She apologizes for something so trivial? Interesting.

"Pay it no mind, young lady." Headon replied calmly, lifting his staff to get her attention. "The Tower, you see, is the place where one must climb and climb, even further still, passing tests on each Floor, in order to aim for the top. Once there-"

"-any wish can be granted!" Ashera cheerfully interjected, with a clap of her hands.

The God of the Tower grew silent for a few moments, before getting over his irritation at being interrupted. "Correct. It would seem that you are quite educated on the way the Tower works. Have you heard stories in the past?"

Once again, the girl looked to be nervous, as if she'd been reprimanded for something. "Yeah…something like that. Please, continue!"

Moving his staff a few paces to the right, a section of the chamber opened up and expanded, revealing a gigantic squared out space, filled with a bright blue substance; Shinsoo.

With an about face, Ashera turned to take a look after noticing blue light from behind. "Whoa, is that a tank? It's huge!"

"Huge. Is it?" Headon tilted his head again, for a brief second. "As you must be aware, you must take tests in order to advance. That said, shall we begin with the first test, to allow you to climb to the 2nd Floor?"

The girl seemed to not hear anything for a moment, but quickly turned back around when she jumped as if she'd been shocked by electricity. "Yes! Test! Let's do it!" She lifted her left hand to her forehead in a salute.

Ah, that is one of the mannerisms introduced by other Irregulars. How curious. Do they all come from the same place after all?

"This is called the Ball Test," Headon announced, pointing his staff to the tank.

When the girl turned again, he continued, focusing on the black ball that was now at the end of the tank, opposite the gate that served as its entrance. "Your only task is to pop the ball that short distance away."

Ashera blinked a few times, a dumbfounded expression on her face. "That's it? Seriously?"

With a simple nod, the Guardian replied, "Yes, 'that's it,' Ashera."

It was then that a massive figure passed by the gate, eyes taking a good look outside as it swam by. It seemed to be a monstrous eel that came straight out of a science fiction movie.

"Ah, I forgot to mention your playmate." Headon admitted, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "It's called a White Steel Eel, one of the more...interesting creatures of the Tower. While you should obviously strive to avoid it, your goal remains the same. Simply pop the ball with some force, so that you move on to the 2nd Floor."

Ashera crossed her arms as she watched the Eel take a swift lap around the tank. She didn't seem bothered, as Headon hoped she might be. Her eyes directed to her side once again, looking into empty space. "This shouldn't be too hard, right?"

The rabbit was about to speak, when he noticed two presences above the chamber.

Two pesky intruders, hm? Well, this may prove amusing in its own way.

Prompted by catching the attention of the Floor's Guardian, one of the two in hiding fell down from the opening in the ceiling.

"Hm?" As if she had been alerted, Ashera glanced over her shoulder, just in time to see a small man hit the ground on his back.

With a pained grunt, the man sat up, thankful that his backpack had managed to break his fall.

"You okay?" The second of the pair, a woman, descended, landing a meter from her friend as she inquired about his well-being.

"Like you care, you're the one who pushed me down here." Came the irritated response from the small one. Upon receiving a sharp look, he instinctively shot to his feet and backed up a few steps.

The small man had short silver hair and dark gray eyes. His outfit consisted of a green jacket, complete with multiple pockets, and simple black pants on his lower half.

The woman was just a bit taller than the Irregular girl and sported long black hair, tied to the left side in a ponytail, by a red ornament. She wore a long-sleeved white jacket, open at the top to reveal a black shirt and a red tie, which was adorned with three red eyes and three dots beneath. With a red skirt below the jacket, the woman's legs were covered in black leggings. It seemed like she dressed to match her red eyes.

Ha Yuri Zahard and the Guide, Evan Edrok. Interesting indeed. They've come to see the Irregular, then?

"Ah, Lord Headon!" The small man, known as Evan Edrok, turned to face the Guardian, bowing respectfully. "Please forgive our intrusion!"

The woman, Yuri Zahard, casually waved with a smile. "What's up, Headon? It's been a while!"

Headon responded with a wordless glance at the two, small white eyes now visible within the line that seemed to be his mouth.

"Hey, did you understand what they just said?" The Irregular female made a nudging motion, a short distance to her right.

"Hm…you haven't given her a Pocket yet?" Yuri inquired, looking at the girl. "She's a cute one, huh?"

"I seem to have misplaced the Pockets," The Guardian answered with a shrug, "Perhaps you would be so kind as to offer one of the extras you have on hand, Princess Yuri?"

One word struck a chord with the dark blue haired girl, "Princess!?"

Evan observed the girl, who was now staring at Yuri, her eyes filled with wonder. He only needed a glance from the Princess in question, to know what to do. Setting his backpack down, he opened it and reached in, rummaging around for a few moments until his hand wrapped around a spherical object.

Ashera noticed the small one approach, extending a hand to offer a sleek black sphere, which was a bit too big for his hand to wrap completely around. "Is it okay for me to take it?"

Yuri and Evan both shared the confusion Headon had been feeling, as they watched the girl get permission from some unseen source, before taking the sphere.

Perhaps she is afflicted with that mental condition. It started with an s, I believe. Schi-something? It is a word I've only encountered once, I suppose.

"Can you understand us now?" Yuri asked curiously, eyes still on the girl.

"Yeah!" Ashera responded enthusiastically, "Somehow, I can understand you perfectly now! What is this thing anyway?"

She looked over her shoulder, where the object was now floating in a semitransparent form.

Evan cleared his throat before replying, "It's called a Pocket, one of the Tower's most important items. Simply possessing one will automatically allow you to understand all the languages of the Tower, as it translates on its own for you. In short, you can communicate with anyone, so long as you have one. There are numerous other features, such as maintaining long distance contact with other registered Pockets and keeping track of the time."

Lifting a finger, Yuri added with a smile, "If you say 'Invisible Mode' to the Pocket it'll turn invisible. Saying 'Visible Mode' will return it to normal for easy use. If you play around with it for a little while, you can learn to use it in Invisible Mode, but that's really irritating and pointless."

"Invisible Mode!" Ashera commanded, while staring at the Pocket. When it disappeared, she jumped up and down joyously.

"Visible Mode!" When the Pocket reappeared, the girl squealed in excitement, "This is so cool!"

"What a simple young lady," Headon remarked, as the girl began to repeatedly shout the two commands in alternation.

Nodding in agreement, Evan looked from Ashera, whom Yuri was laughing at, to the tank. "So the test is Ball, and the Keeper is a White Steel Eel?"

Evan's oral observation caught the attention of his partner, who took a peek. "Ah, you're right. Do you think she can clear this?"

"Um…Miss Yuri, right?" Ashera asked nervously, blushing as she scratched her cheek, having apparently snapped out of her episode. "Thank you for the Pocket. My name's Ashera Celeste, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

She bowed to Yuri, and Evan as well.

"Ah, you can just call me Yuri." The Princess decided, grabbing the girl's shoulders to make her stand upright. "And it's nice to meet you too, Ashera!"

Evan nodded, smiling politely at the girl. He could tell she was different from the previous Irregulars to enter. Excitable, yes, but kind and gentle as well, with great strength hidden beneath her exterior. "My name is Evan Edrok, Chief Guide of the Zahard Royalty."

"Zahard? Royalty? Oh, that's right! You're a Princess, right Ms. Yuri?!" Ashera grabbed Yuri's hand abruptly, excitement written all over her face.

"You've got quite the grip," Yuri noted before nodding, "But yeah, I am. Ha Yuri Zahard, one of Zahard's Princesses."

The Irregular tilted her head in confusion, "Who is this Zahard?"

"The King of the Tower," Evan explained calmly.

With an odd glance to Yuri's left, Ashera let out a surprised gasp. "There's a king?!"

Unfortunately so. Thought Headon, who decided to allow the intruding pair to explain the details he didn't care for.

"Take it away, Evan!" Yuri ordered with a grin, keeping hold of the other girl's hand.

With a sigh, Evan resigned himself to explaining the information that rightly should have come from a Princess. "We, the inhabitants of the Tower, refer to people like you, who opened the door on their own, as Irregulars. Many, many years ago, a group of Irregulars entered the Tower and passed Lord Headon's test. The strong and charismatic Zahard, along with his allies, whom are now known as the Ten Great Warriors. While climbing the Tower, they established what is now known as the Zahard Empire, which currently runs the Tower in large part. With the rise of the empire came a slew of rules, naturally, but we would be here all day if I took the time to explain. Do you understand so far?"

"Yes, we- er, I do!" Ashera confirmed with an energetic nod.

After a short breath, Evan continued, "In accordance with the empire, there are now set times every year, where Lord Headon will traverse the Tower to select any inhabitants that he deems worthy of getting a shot at climbing. All those who accept the offer to climb, are referred to as Regulars and begin on the next Floor, the 2nd Floor. All Regulars aim to pass the various tests given to them and advance to higher Floors. Currently, Zahard's Empire ends at the 134th Floor, but there are more yet to be conquered. Upon a Regular reaching the current top, they essentially graduate from that status to become Rankers. If you pass this test here, you'll be transported to the 2nd Floor and registered with the Regulars. Get it?"

Looking up in thought, Ashera nodded again. "Yeah…I get it. So this one has a king…weird."

"Hm?" She looked to her right this time, nodding once again. "So, are there a lot of other Irregulars aside from us- me and those other eleven?"

"Yep, there are." Yuri chimed in. "There are a few others, actually."

She tapped her cheek thoughtfully a few times, "You shouldn't go around advertising that you're an Irregular, though. See, all of the previous Irregulars since the Ten Great Warriors have brought chaos to the Tower. Some of us are really interested by your kind, but most hate you, to be honest. It's mostly because of the two top ranked ones actually. They each caused a huge uproar in the Tower."

"I see…" The Irregular frowned, likely bothered that she would be discriminated against because of those that came before her.

"Ah, but you shouldn't feel bad!" Yuri claimed, shaking the girl's hand a bit. "The last Irregular is really strange, like you, but he's a really strong and reliable guy! He's one of my closest friends, too!"

Ashera looked to be confused at being called strange, but smiled at the Princess. "Good! So not all Irregulars are hated, right?!"

"Well, I think quite a few women hate that Urek-" Evan was cut off when a swift elbow struck his shoulder, nearly causing him to bite his tongue in pain.

"Women don't like him?" Asked Ashera in concern.

Yuri waved her free hand dismissively, a slightly nervous smile on her lips. "Don't worry about it! Get in there and blow this test out of the Shinsoo!"

She blinked as she realized what she had said, "That's right, Shinsoo is-"

"Oh, I know about Shinsoo already." The sketchy girl admitted happily.

"You do?" The Princess and Guide exchanged expressions of surprise, before gazing at the girl again.

This was another moment where, if Headon had eyebrows, one would be raised quite high.

This girl is already aware of Shinsoo? None of the other Irregulars ever possessed initial knowledge of it before now. Where exactly did this girl come from?

Noticing the shared disbelief among the three apart from her, Ashera pulled her hand from Yuri's. "Is it okay if I just go and try immediately then? All I have to do is pop the ball, right?"

"Correct," Headon said calmly, deciding to avoid posing a question since she changed the subject. "It may take a little force, but the test will end the moment you pop the ball there."

"Are you that confident in yourself, Ms. Ashera?" Evan inquired curiously.

"I guess so," Replied the girl, before she once again spoke to someone or something that nobody else could see. "I've got this!"

Yuri smirked as the girl immediately rushed over to the tank, entering without hesitation and without any resistance. "Nice spirit! Show us what you've got!"

"Roger!" Came the already distant shout in response.

Headon watched carefully, as the White Steel Eel was quickly alerted to the intruder, swimming toward her with immense speed and momentum, its mouth open and ready to eat.

I do hope that she's as impressive as she is odd. Otherwise, she won't be able to contend with this Eel, who's restless and hungry, in the middle of breeding season.

"Whoa, she isn't dodging!" Yuri pointed out as the girl met the creature head on.

"Out of the way!" Ashera shouted, swinging her right hand out and forward, as the Eel drew close.

Her open hand connected with the bottom of the Eel's open mouth, the creature launching off on impact, with even greater momentum than it had charged the girl.

Soaring way off to the left of her, the Eel's jaw was brutally shattered. To make matters worse for the unfortunate animal, the entirety of its body sprawled out upon impact with the wall at the edge of the tank, sending a great shock through it from head to tail. Due to the Shinsoo Density, the Eel at least had a slow and gentle descent before landing on the floor.

"She…slapped it?" Evan's jaw was dropped, shocked at what they'd just witnessed. "She's strong… No, not just that, it's almost as if she was slapping the Shinsoo itself away…"

Yuri's hands shot up with a loud cheer, "Awesome! That's girl power, Ashera!"

Headon's mouth curved upward into a devious grin as he stared at the girl, who was now looking at her hand in minor befuddlement.

She's even better than I had hoped for. She'll serve our purposes very nicely, indeed.

"Er, right." Now sprinting for the ball, as if she'd been spurred on by someone else, Ashera let out a war cry that matched the previous cheer. "Girl power!"

As her right foot touched down before the ball, she threw her left forward with all her strength, kicking it. Rather than being blown away, the ball burst on impact, black remnants shooting off in random directions around the tank.

"WOOHOO!" Yuri bellowed, enthusiastically throwing a punch Ashera's way. "You're amazing!"

Evan blinked a few times as he observed the girl, who turned to wave at them cheerfully. "She really is irregular, isn't she?"

Well, well, well… That ball should have been even harder to break than the White Steel Eel's jaw, yet she succeeded with surprising ease. This one is just full of surprises, isn't she?

The omnipotent rabbit's grin seemed to widen with his amusement, "I welcome you to the Tower, Ashera Celeste~"

As the Irregular attempted to exit the tank, she was engulfed in a bright flash of light, but nowhere to be seen when it faded.

"Perhaps we should have taken the time to explain the next Floor to her, at the very least." Evan suggested, after realizing the girl had been transported already.

With a laugh, Yuri set her hands on her hips proudly. "It's okay Ashera's a tough girl! I'm sure she'll manage to get through somehow!"

She turned to Headon, "Well, thanks for having us! Later, Headon!"

"It was a pleasure to see you again, Princess." Headon claimed, his voice without any emotion.

"I'm sure it was," Yuri replied sarcastically, glancing at Evan. "Let's meet Ashera again on a higher Floor, after she passes the Floor of Test!"

Evan sighed as Yuri leapt from the ground, bounding clear through the opening with ease. "Yes, let's do even more things that we shouldn't be doing."

He bowed to Headon one final time, before jumping through the opening to follow his Lady.

The Guardian turned his back to the tank, which compressed within a second, the chamber returning to the way it had been during his tea time. Realizing that he was once again alone, a chuckle found its way out of his mouth.

"It has been a long time since I've felt such excitement," He admitted to himself. "For once, I find myself eager to witness what comes next. It is all in your hands now, my child~"

With another, longer chuckle, the God of the Tower tapped his staff against the ground. In a misty haze of dazzling, white starlight, he vanished from the Floor altogether. The only thing left behind was the sound of his laughter, which bounced off of the walls and echoed, continuing long after he had left.

Clashing Waves

1st Floor- Headon's Favorite Day

END