Guidance and Omens

Liam stood, rooted in the vast belt of grasses, watching the talking rabbit - the Tower Administrator - stare back at him with those curious black eyes."Okay, human," the rabbit said in that wonderful calm yet mocking voice, "you redeemed Tower Points for my guidance; so ask your questions. Just be brief - I don't have all day."The Conversation with the AdministratorInhaling deeply, Liam steadied his racing mind. "Well, first question-what is this Tower? Is this for real?" The rabbit twitched its ears and sighed, saying, "Your existence is too low to comprehend that answer. Such questions would not be relevant for your understanding. Concentrate on your present concerns. Next."Liam frowned but soldiered on. "Then what about the difference between gold and Tower Points?"The rabbitfronted by an odd regal posture, sat on its behind. "Gold is players' currency - earned by making guild quests, trading items,and selling resources. Items that are traded by players among themselves or in the shop are priced in gold.""And Tower Points?" pressed Liam."Tower Points," the rabbit continued, "are rewards directly given by the Tower for clearing floors and stages. Materials or artifacts provided from the Tower itself - collectible items far beyond the mundane trinkets of players - are purchased with such points. Points are rare as only the most significant achievements grant them."Liam's head spun with the new information."Then...how did I even get so many points? Is 90,000 normal?"The gaze of the rabbit sharpened. "No. You and Clara were never meant to conquer the Tower together. The Tower just happened to malfunction with the glitch of your birth. Her death caused all of her accumulated points in the Tower to be transferred to you. You have her strength, and within those points lies much of her sacrifice."There was a brief pressure on Liam's breath as the words of the rabbit sank in. "Clara..." He clenched his fists as the very absence of her hit him like a sledge in the gut. Images of her smiling face came to mind, guilt tugging at his chest.The rabbit softened slightly in their voice. "Don't let what happened bother you because it can't be changed. You're expiring time at this point here.""What-?" he started but suddenly found the ground moving beneath his feet. A sudden swirling vortex opened up, suffusing him into its spiral force."Wait!" Liam yelled, fighting against the pull.As he was pulled into the swirling void, he faintly heard the voice of the rabbit echoing, "Purchase the Moon Stone".Return to RealityLiam woke with a start, drawing in sharp breaths. He lay on his dorm bed drenched in sweat, heart racing, mind flipping over some impossible encounter."Did you see your death or something?" cut in a mocking voice.Looking up, he found a servant leaning against the door frame, smirking. "Settle down, it's time for dinner," he said, grabbing stuff and leaving.Liam shook off the disorientation, cleaned himself up, and made his way to the cafeteria of the castle.Dinner and WhispersLiam selected a seat in the corner farthest from the crowd. No sooner had he begun to bring the piece of food to his mouth when a sharp instinct made him stop. He stared at the meal; his gut was twisted. Something's wrong. Trusting his gut, he pushed the plate aside and scanned the room instead.Pretending to eat, Liam's attention turned to the gossiping of other servants."Did you hear? The eldest prince achieved yet another great thing yesterday. Little wonder everyone says he'll be king," whispered the first servant."Aye, everyone knows. It's because the king loves him a lot. Who else?" added another.Liam scowled. The son who has the eldest was the favourite one? Intriguing. And now just a day remained before the ceremony. Time was running out.The Moon StoneBack at his dormitory, Liam opened the Tower Shop window. Remembering the cryptic words of the Administrator, he was looking for the Moon Stone.[Moon Stone]"Protects the user from the authority of higher entities."Liam narrowed his eyes at the description. "Authority of higher entities? What does that mean?" He was confused, but he had faith in the advice of the Administrator to buy the stone using 20,000 points.The usage of it is bare very simple: crush it. But Liam didn't decide to use it yet.Midnight IntrusionThe plan began unfurling at midnight. He took his invisibility cape and silently crept toward the church, to where the youngest prince was carried off.To his surprise, the guards were nowhere to be seen. This is perfect timing, he thought, slipping through the shadows. But just as he reached the entrance, a sudden screeching sound pierced his ears, more intense than anything he'd felt before.And then came a notification :[Warning: A Higher Authority is Protecting This Area!]There was a whirlwind in Liam's mind. This must be what the Moon Stone is for. Without hesitation, he crushed the stone in his hand. A gentle silver light surrounded him, and sound abruptly dissipated.Liam pushed the doors open and entered the church. The grand hall inside is eerily silent, far illuminated only faintly by the light of the moon filtering through stained glass windows. They tried to search every corner, but neither Liam nor Nyx found anything suspicious."That makes no sense," Liam muttered. "Something is wrong here, but what?"Surveillance SpiritsLiam was determined that he was not going to leave empty-handed, so he accessed the Tower Shop again. There he found a solution:[Wind Spirit - 24 Hour Surveillance]"A small spirit that eyes things and gives report back after 24 hours."Liam bought one for 1,000 points and left it hidden in the church before retreating to his dorm.The next morning, wait, Liam saw small prince wheeled back into the church. Now let's see what's happening for real.To expand his investigation, Liam bought four more Wind Spirits. He sent one to the princess's room and three to the rooms of the king's sons.The ReportsBy noon, the Wind Spirits returned to Liam, bringing their findings:The report of the church spirit stated that the priest has a dark and terrible aura hanging over him.He was wearing some odd jewelry piece that bled the same ominous energy. This is what the eldest son's spirit revealed.Nothing suspicious was found on the second son.The spirit sent to the princess' room... has not returned.Liam's heart sank as he processed: "So, the priest and the eldest son are linked to some dark affairs. What about the spirit due to come back from the princess's room?"His instincts screamed that something in the royal family was deeply rotten to the core. Gritting his teeth, Liam resolved."My first target... is the priest."To be continue...