Disclaimer: Everything here belongs to SIU. Except for my OCs.

An update within a month? No way.

Chapter 11

"There's an intruder in the test," Lero Ro frowned. He looked over the edge of the observation room held in the air by suspendium.

"What?" Quant raised his voice, getting up from his own seat. "I'll go take care of it."

Lero Ro stopped him. "No, Quant. Supervisor's orders. We can't interrupt the test, no matter what happens." He narrowed his eyes. "And by the looks of it, I don't think we would want to. It's not something we can handle."

Quant studied Lero Ro for a moment before scowling. "What the hell is going on? This damn test…"

Lero Ro wanted to ask the same thing. If his senses weren't fooling him, and it really was who he thought it was…then the entire floor was in extreme danger.

Hatz

Hatz was always wary of Shun. He couldn't help it. Although he grew more comfortable, talking and eating with Shun over the past few weeks, his instincts never fully relaxed. And if he willingly chose to ignore his instincts, Hatz would be a fool of a swordsmen.

Whenever Shun was mentioned, most regulars would be reminded of his overwhelming display during the crown game. The monstrous amount of shinsu and pressure that filled the arena… it wasn't something that Hatz wanted to feel again. As much as he had found it terrifying, there was also something strange about it. After the shinsu had faded away, he almost thought there was a tinge of anger and sadness that had left with it. But how was shinsu able to exhibit such emotions? After the test he had decided that he was just imagining it. It wasn't worth it to think about a question that could simply not have an answer.

When Shibisu told him to come over for lunch with Shun and his teammate, Hatz had expected a lot of different personalities to come out from the boy, but those expectations didn't come true. Instead, Shun seemed like a completely normal boy. He wasn't arrogant or distant like he would've expected from a member of one of the ten great families, which he found out quickly that Shun wasn't a part of. He wasn't at all boastful or cocky either, for someone who had such power. Other regulars he met would have let all that strength go to their head.

No matter how much he liked to speculate, Shun had seemed like just a normal kid, comfortable making friends with the other regulars, with a great deal of determination to get stronger. He did notice, as with many others, that almost every moment of the day not spent eating or going to the position lessons, Shun would be training. Hatz could respect that. Even with the strength he's shown, he kept training.

Besides Shun, there were a lot of peculiar regulars in the testing floor. Still, something about him made Hatz uncomfortable, more so than the others. He wasn't one to pry into other people's lives, but unless he somehow found out what had made that presence during the crown game, he didn't believe he could fully let his guard down around Shun.

As the final test was coming up, Hatz came up to the table that Khun and Shibisu were sitting at. They were planning out baseline strategies for the final test, and although Khun was a cold prick, Hatz could see him getting more comfortable with Shibisu. Princess Endorsi walked up to the table soon after, asking Khun a question Hatz was sure that all of them wanted the answer to. Unfortunately, the reply was far from satisfactory. He told the three of them that Shun hadn't remembered any part of his life before entering the tower, which confused Hatz. Everyone he had seen had some sort of reason to appear within the tower; desire was the most consistent emotion that regulars carried. Yet if Shun didn't know anything before the tower, then there was no desire.

Hatz knew his understanding and experience of the tower was elementary at best. But if he followed the theory that desire brought people into the tower, regulars at the very least, and Shun wasn't the one with the desire, would it be possible that someone else's desire had brought him here? Although there was no evidence for it, Hatz didn't like the possibility.

The final test approached, giving every regular good reason to be tense. Shun, out of everyone, was probably the most nervous. He was unfocused and anxious, as if he knew something bad was going to happen.

During the start of the test, everything had been going as planned. But the moment Khun asked him to check on Shun's situation, Hatz knew something was wrong. He proved himself correct when he stumbled upon a scene with Shun on the ground, and a man wearing a mask on the upper part of his face, stepping on his head. The man had a presence unlike anyone's he had felt before, one that chilled him to the bone, one that could only come from a ranker. But even with his fight against Quant, he hadn't felt something like this.

Hatz had his thoughts disturbed as the ranker started to move towards him. He managed to pull out his sword, gripping it until his knuckles turned white. A part of him knew he wouldn't be able to swing it but having it in his hands was the only thing keeping him from running away.

After a few steps, Shun latched on to the ranker. "GET OUT OF HERE HATZ!"

Hatz couldn't respond, feeling his heart drop into his stomach as the man smashed his elbow into Shun's face, forcing him to let go. The ranker then vanished, bringing Shun's face into full view, displaying a terror he'd never seen on anyone else's face before. After that moment, the ranker appeared above Shun, and swung his leg into his back, causing Shun's body to create a large imprint on the ground. Pieces of rock flew around the ranker as he landed back on the ground, prepared to move towards him once more.

Hatz's feet were stuck in place, unable to move forward, unable to fall back. A cold sweat ran down his neck, his body as stiff as a statue. His eyes widened in horror as Shun used the last bit of his strength to grab onto the ranker's ankle. Hatz wanted to yell at Shun to let go, but his mouth didn't open, not even a crack. He had never been so frustrated with himself. What kind of swordsmen was he, unable to find the courage for a friend who was willing to risk everything, just to protect him? He knew that Shun couldn't take any more damage, but Hatz couldn't force himself to speak up.

Then, just as the ranker looked back, a flash of red and grey appeared to strike the ranker, pushing him back a few meters. Seeing the ranker knocked away from Shun broke Hatz from his petrified state, finally allowing him to slowly move forward. The man, who was now in front of Shun, wore a silver suit with a red undershirt, sleek black dress pants, and carried the same dreadful presence as the ranker who he attacked.

"I can't believe it," the silver suited man said with a soft voice. "You made it back."

Hatz narrowed his eyes, daring to take a few more steps toward Shun, only a few dozen feet away now.

"Sun Scorcher," the masked man said with a hint of surprise. "To what do I owe the honour?"

"Shut it," the man replied curtly. He lowered himself to his feet to check on Shun, then glanced at Hatz. "What are you doing? Hurry up and come over here. You're his teammate, right?"

The best that Hatz could do was nod.

"Good. Do your best to feed him this. Just one will be fine. It'll help stability his body." The man Hatz now assumed to be the Sun Scorcher placed a small package on the ground next to Shun, then stood back up to face the other ranker.

"Ussuri," he said calmly. "What are you doing here?"

The masked man lowered his hands and lifted his mouth slightly. "Most likely for the same reason you are here. To think that you would show up, perhaps the next wave is about to hit the tower."

"What would you know about that? You're the one that's supposed to stop those waves from happening. You exist only to satisfy the paranoia of one man. Is that not shameful?" Sun Scorcher pointed his disdain.

"Not a man, but a kingdom. A kingdom that is responsible for keeping the peace within the tower," Ussuri responded kindly. He didn't seem to mind the insult.

"Unsustainable peace. Peace only met if the Jahad family can claim benefit. This tower will only tolerate so much, and your false peace will come to an end."

"A lively prospect. But so long that Jahad is king and ruler of all that is under the heavens, this will not happen."

The silver suited man suddenly dug his foot into the ground and launched himself toward Ussuri, causing a rift in the space behind him. Ussuri met his attacker with both arms but seemed to struggle under the impact. Placing his right foot in front, Ussuri precisely swerved his body to be slightly underneath the Sun Scorcher, then fired his leg directly into his abdomen to propel him into the sky. Ussuri lifted himself toward the other man, continuing to exchange strike after strike, filling the sky with deafening sounds of impact.

Hatz inched closer to Shun, unable to take his eyes off the spectacle being held above him. He could feel the force of each hit vibrate through his body. Only when he was close enough to Shun, did he look away to put away his sword and crouch beside Shun.

"Are you alright?" Hatz asked Shun, who was struggling to keep his eyes on the two men above. He only groaned in response.

Hatz picked up the small, circular package with shaky hands. It had a shiny gold exterior, with some sort of flower design on either side. Inside, were small balls that held a bright substance that moved in every direction it was allowed to within the sphere. Hatz narrowed his eyes and stopped to think for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he carefully grabbed one of the spheres with his hand, deciding that if the ranker had ill intention, Shun would probably not be here right now. He moved his hand over to Shun's mouth. "Try to open your mouth Shun," Hatz said, then dropped the spherical object as Shun painfully opened his mouth.

After a few minutes, Shun attempted to push himself to his elbows. "What...what the hell is happening?"

"Don't try to move right now, you've suffered too much damage," Hatz replied, although he wanted to ask him the same question. He pulled his pocket into visible mode to tell Khun that Shun was alright for the time being, but he couldn't make contact. Hatz scrunched his eyebrows together, concerned if something had happened to the test. But his attention shifted back to the fight in front of them as the masked man broke away, landing himself on a distant boulder. The Sun Scorcher settled himself down on a patch of grass, a large stretch of rock and dirt between them.

"Well, as much fun as that was, I'm not one to overstep my boundaries. I should be taking my leave now," Ussuri announced, his clothes lightly battered. He pulled out a small pendant, decorated with black trimmings and a bright blue center. "You've given me everything I've needed to know Sun scorcher. Next time we meet-"

In that moment, Hatz thought he saw the space between Ussuri and the Sun Scorcher turn a dark shade of grey. Following the sudden change in atmosphere, the shinsu pressure dropped, sending shivers up Hatz's skin. A loud bellowing sound filled the testing arena as if a whale had suddenly appeared in the fishbowl. Hatz looked back to see the masked man knocked to the ground, his mask now presented with a large fissure down the side. The Sun Scorcher stood over the man with the pendant in his hand.

"I'm not letting you go, not this time," The Sun scorcher stared down. But as he moved to grab the masked man, Ussuri whispered something indiscernible and started to glow. Hatz stared at Ussuri's body as it began to turn into streams of light until there was nothing left. The silver suited man looked up at the sky for a moment, staring at the streams fly away, before walking over to Hatz and Shun.

"How is he?" The man asked.

Hatz looked down to see Shun slumped down on one of his arms. "I think he should just be unconscious. What happened to the other ranker?"

"He had a backup."

Hatz was about the ask another one of the many questions he had, but suddenly the man's head jerked away, as if ducking his head away from a loud noise.

"Yes, I got it Evan, you can calm down." The man looked back at Hatz, picking up the package of spheres. "Make sure he gets to a medical center; these pills aren't usually taken by regulars. I would stay until he wakes up, but the administrator is getting a little cranky that I've stayed for too long. Until then, give him this note when you can." The man tossed a cerulean letter towards Hatz. "I should thank you for taking care of him. What should I be calling you?"

"Hatz." The swordsmen replied.

The man smiled softly. "Then perhaps I'll be seeing you Hatz." He then leapt away, quickly leaving Hat's view.

Hatz let out a big sigh, feeling his legs turn to jelly as the man went away. He placed his palms on the ground and leaned against them, finally able to relax as both rankers left. He looked at Shun, who was still lying on the ground, then glanced at the sky.

He couldn't help but question if the second floor was supposed to be this stressful.

"So, you knew we were here. Test director Yu."

"I waited for hours." The man in question held up a cup of coffee while gesturing for the silver dwarf to take a seat. "Chief guide of the Jahad family, Evan Edroch."

Evan sat down on the mat, crossing his legs. He frowned as he looked inside his cup. "Really? Instant coffee? Well, I guess I shouldn't be expecting anything else. Evankhell has been away for awhile, hasn't she?"

Hansung Yu gave him a slight nod. "With all the hassle around the second floor, she didn't want to be bothered by it. I would bet that she won't be gone for much longer, however. You can still count yourself lucky that she's still away, else you wouldn't be alive."

The guide couldn't disagree. "But if Evankhell were here, you wouldn't be carrying out the exam this way, right? I noticed two members of the royal enforcement division in the test. Don't even think of telling me that you didn't know they were here."

He continued. "I'll be straightforward. We'll interrupt the test to retrieve the Black March. Whatever happens during the process, you don't have the right to complain."

"Very true." Hansung Yu smiled.

"Eh?" Evan found himself dumbfounded by his simple answer. "Are you really a test director?"

"Of course. I'm carrying out the test under the order of the guardian of this floor. So… please eliminate the members of RED and retrieve your black march." Hansung Yu gave Evan a sly smile. "As the king and ruler of this tower, shouldn't Jahad be the one to keep it clean, and pick up any garbage?"

Evan looked at Hansung Yu for a moment, then turned his head slightly to address his subordinate. "Kurdan! I'll give you one minute. Go."

The guide waited until it was just him and the test director in the room before speaking once more. "I wasn't expecting one of the vice commanders to appear here on the testing floor. Although, I suppose security around the earlier floors has been going up."

Hansung Yu took a sip of his coffee. "The Jahad empire has been sending a lot of attention down here, haven't they? Though, I doubt you and the princess are here on official business."

The silver dwarf glanced to the side. "Perhaps we are. Perhaps not."

"I would also doubt that the Sun Scorcher is here for the same purpose. I do hope he doesn't choose to destroy this floor. I would hate having to find a new job." Hansung Yu smiled slightly. "Besides that, with him here, should I assume the princess has found a new ally?"

Evan lowered his gaze.

"Seems as though the upper floors have started-"

A deep cry from the ocean could be heard outside the director's room, cutting off Hansung Yu. Evan put his hand on his forehead. "Damn it. He said he would be careful."

Hansung Yu frowned. "It seems as though… the princess isn't the only one being allowed to cause trouble."

The fishbowl was something to behold. Beautiful shades of blue surrounded the shinsu bubble, emanating a sense of serenity. Light shined in from the outside, giving the water a mystical gleam that Rachel thought could only come from books. She rested her hands on the blanket covering her legs as she stared up to the schools of fish swimming alongside them.

"Rachel," Bam interrupted her thoughts. He was sitting behind her, leaning on the back of her chair.

"Hm?" She replied.

"Are your legs alright?"

Right, her legs. After Shun confronted her that day, Rachel had trouble keeping herself calm. She didn't know how or why he seemed to exactly know what she was about to do, but it scared her. "Yeah. I…I can't walk, but it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Rachel," Bam spoke softly. "After this test, let's go up the tower, together. I will be your legs."

Rachel pressed her lips together. She didn't know how Bam could say such things so easily. "Bam. Do you know why I'm going up the tower?"

"You're going up to see the stars."

"But do you know why I want to see the stars?"

"Well," Bam stayed silent for a moment. "Sorry… I'm not sure. I don't know why you want to see the stars."

The sounds of swarming fish enveloped them as Rachel thought of the next thing she wanted to say. "Do you remember the things I told you in the cave?"

"Of course I do." Bam said. "The world of light and happiness, the fruits in the trees that the God gave them. Days filled with festivals where the chosen people danced and played, a place without darkness. I dreamt that one day… I could have fun there with you. But I wasn't chosen."

Bam paused. "But it's ok now. Here, I'm with you Rachel. This tower is scarier than I thought but… I think I'll be fine if I'm with you."

Rachel glanced behind her for a moment, then turned back around. "Bam, you really haven't changed at all."

"I have changed though. I cut my hair, I have new clothes I can change into everyday, and, um, I learned how to control shinsu," Bam's voice grew pensive. "I met a lot of people like Ms. Yuri, Mr. Khun, Mr. Rak, Mr. Shun, Ms. Endorsi, Mr. Hatz…"

Rachel scrunched her face when Bam mentioned Shun. She didn't like that his voice was interfering with her thoughts.

"… and I let go… of so many people." Bam's tone turned sorrowful.

"There's still a lot of things that you rely on other people for, isn't there?" Rachel tried to fill her voice with scorn but fell off the mark. "You… you're still a wuss."

"Rachel?" Bam must've noticed her unsteady tone. "Well, I don't think I'm that much of a wuss anymore. I got stronger, and I gained some muscle."

Rachel's lips lifted a little, but it quickly left. "I'm sorry, Bam."

If only… I wasn't like this…

Suddenly, both of their attention was directed outside, as the fish around them starting to move behind them in a frenzy. Then, something hit the side of the shinsu bubble, causing it to shake.

"Are you okay, Rachel?!" Bam shouted, his voice filled with panic.

"Yeah, Bam, I'm fine!" She quickly responded. Looking behind her chair, she saw a large black figure with piercing red eyes. That must be…

"It's alright, Rachel! I'll take care of it!"

Bam stretched out his hand, gathering shinsu within it. He bit down hard, as he released it into the creature. Rachel held her breath in as the creature suddenly froze, with its mouth just over the bubble. Bam attempted to gather shinsu to form another bang, but was disrupted as the beast gained back control, and pushed back the bubble with a sudden screech.

Rachel watched as Bam prepared to face the beast once more, only to fall onto the platform as his hand caught onto the side of the beast's mouth. Blood began to pour out. "Bam!" She tried to build up the resolve to act but couldn't find the right timing.

"I-I'm alright, Rachel." He responded, slowly getting back up. He then raised his other hand, shinsu gathering into his palm. The beast was coming straight towards him. Rachel suddenly had a dreadful sense of familiarity run through her body. Bam waited until the creature encased the shinsu bubble with its mouth, then brought his hands together and desperately launched the bang he formed.

Rachel dropped her mouth in shock as the beast seemed to evaporate under the strength of the bang that Bam produced. Its body flopped back into the darkness below. Overhead, the mouth of the queen goby dolphin came into view. She had to move fast if she wanted to fulfill her promise.

"Bam!" Rachel called out. "Are you okay, Bam?" She looked back, resting herself on her palms to see Bam hunched over, breathing heavily.

"Rachel," He finally responded. "Let's go together. Wherever you want to go, I'll take you there." He stretched out his hand toward her.

This was it. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Her heart was pummelling her chest, ready for her to follow her wish.

She stared at Bam's hand, bracing herself to stand up and push him out of the shinsu bubble. "You should understand how much harder your climb is going to be if you betray Bam." Shun's voice echoed within her head. Rachel grit her teeth, determined not to let his words deter her.

Bam was the enemy. He was the one who had stolen her place. He's the one undeserving of such a privileged life. Friends, power, talent, it was unfair that he was given so much. He should have just stayed in that cave and waited for her to return.

Rachel tensed her legs, and quickly pushed herself to her feet, her hands swiftly moved past Bam's hand.

"I'm sure that if you asked, Bam would bring you to see the stars without a second thought. I guess I just don't understand why you would want to throw that all away."

She stopped just before she reached Bam.

"Rachel?" Bam grasped one of her hands. "Your legs…"

Rachel curled her other hand and lightly placed on Bam's chest, lowering her head so that he couldn't see her pained face. "Damn it…"

This wasn't part of the plan. She wasn't supposed to stop right in front of him. The mouth of the queen was getting closer, the test was about to end. She was running out of time. Rachel looked up to see Bam's face, only filled with concern. He didn't know yet, she could still push him off. But something in her didn't allow her to draw any more strength to her arms.

"Bam, I-" Just as Rachel began to speak, sounds of swirling water around the bubble interrupted her. Before they could figure out what was causing the noise, something entered the shinsu bubble, spilling water over the two. Rachel rose her hand to cover her eyes, seeing glimpses of something that resembled a long black, tentacle. It swerved around for a moment, then launched itself at Bam. The tip burst into smaller segments, wrapped itself around his chest.

"Bam!" Rachel shouted as the tentacle started to pull him toward the edge of the bubble. She clamped the hand that Bam was holding and tried to pull back. But as she tried to find some footing, another tentacle came into the bubble and violently shoved her away. Pain sparked through her chest as she struggled to get back up.

"Rachel!" Bam shouted, stretching out one of his hands toward her. His other hand was struggling to get a grip on the tentacle. She could only watch as Bam turned to her, his face twisted in fright, as he was yanked out of the shinsu bubble.

Rachel stared at the place where Bam had been taken out, disbelief filling every fiber of her being. Breathing heavily, she crawled to the edge of the bubble, only to see a stream of air bubbles tunneling down into the depths of the fishbowl.

The mouth of the queen was just above the bubble now. Something… someone had made sure that her promise was kept. Rachel planted her head into the platform. The start of her story, this was what she wanted from the beginning. She shut her eyes, scared of the frigid feeling spreading across her body. The bubble was now within the mouth, and the test was about to meet its end.

Headon rested the staff on its shoulder, slowly pacing around the stone coverings that have been around for eons. As he walked, particles of shinsu started to form around it, guiding it toward a very special wall. A soft cry was carried along the stream of shinsu, rousing a wide smile from Headon.

As it reached the wall, Headon rose his face to bring the entire carving into view. It held scratched out markings, and indiscernible sketches. Every quadrant of the wall had something inscribed into it, with no empty space hanging on the canvas. Headon rose the staff, carefully examining each part of the wall. Once Headon was satisfied, the staff was pulled back, then immediately swung into the wall. The impact rattled the stone structures within the floor, causing dirt and dust to be released from the ceiling.

Headon released the staff from the wall, leaving a perfect spherical imprint. A cackle escaped from the guardian, and an eerie smile could be seen within the black slit on his face.

You who dared to violate the tower,

Should know that your actions will prove to be pointless.

Your vision will amount to nothing,

And this story will go on as intended.

A/N

Thanks for the follows from D4nTheM4n, cantkeep, sutando-tsukai, Voice132, TheBeginnerLibrarian, LuxVonHell, zarani, Vectrob11, f-rahman1302, AsuraNight, stampot, Bloodless Moon, Casu4lDucK, reestone-12, farmingwooshes, tholex71, RandomAsian00, Cuppalolli, megan9810, and nuel95!

Reviews:

Chifle: Thanks! Already answered you :p so I'll leave it at that.

Guest: That's really appreciated, I'll do my best to continue updating.

A/N

I know that the pronouns of Evankhell is a little confusing, but for this fic, I'm just going to address her as her.

If you want to chat, I'm pretty active on the Fanfiction Treehouse server. Great writing advice, and other writers to talk with. They mostly have fire emblem and pokemon fics, but there are some other fandoms we talk about as well.

Link: Discord. gg/9XG3U7a

Any comments or suggestions are really appreciated!

Thanks for reading!