The First Step

The air around the Heavenly Fate Tower was thick with anticipation. It stood taller than anything crafted by human hands, its ivory spires shimmering faintly beneath the morning sky. Strange patterns rippled across its surface like veins of light, pulsing with an ancient energy.

This was where it had all begun—the first Void Tower to descend nearly a decade ago. It had changed everything, shaping the rise of Fate Adventurers and Guilds. Now it served as a proving ground, a mandatory trial for anyone seeking entry into the other Fate Towers scattered across the land.

Most challengers entered the tower brimming with hope and determination, their threads gleaming proudly behind them.

Soren stood at the entrance of the Heavenly Fate Tower, a figure both strange and captivating. His long white hair drifted slightly in the faint breeze, framing a face that was both sharp and calm. His pitch-black eyes held a quiet defiance, unwavering determination, as if they saw past what others could comprehend.

Most adventurers bore shimmering Life Threads—gold, silver, crimson, or green—visible markers of their fated paths. These threads curled and pulsed faintly around their forms, symbols of power, destiny, and connection.

But Soren had no thread.

No threads surrounded him. No flickers of fate marked his existence. He was Threadless, an anomaly in a world defined by these very threads.

Despite this lack, he carried himself with an unmistakable resolve, his presence heavy in a way that demanded notice. He adjusted the simple sword strapped to his back—a plain, worn blade he'd bought cheaply from a local shop. It had no gleam of enchantment, no storied past. Yet it was solid, reliable.

He felt the weight of stares as he approached the base of the tower. A dozen other aspirants lingered near the entrance, their threads glowing in hues of gold, silver, crimson, and green. They whispered to one another, their voices low but cutting.

"That's him, right? The Threadless?"

"What's he doing here? The tower won't even recognize him."

"He'll probably get ejected before he even reaches the first floor."

Soren clenched his jaw and kept walking. He had heard it all before. Their opinions didn't matter. What mattered was what lay beyond those gates.

Two towering doors, etched with swirling sigils, loomed before him. They thrummed with energy, responding to the presence of the threads around them. The aspirants' threads shimmered in resonance, and one by one, they were drawn inside as the doors parted for them.

When it was Soren's turn, the shimmering faltered. The tower hesitated.

A murmur swept through the crowd behind him.

"He's not going to get in."

Soren ignored them and stepped forward. The air seemed to thicken, pressing against his skin as if the tower itself resisted his presence.

But then something shifted. The sigils on the doors twisted, flickering erratically. The pulsing light turned dark for a brief moment, as though the tower didn't know how to respond to him.

A low hum filled the air, and the doors groaned open.

Silence fell over the crowd.

Soren didn't look back. He stepped through the threshold, and the world beyond swallowed him whole.

---

The inside of the tower was vast and otherworldly. Pale light filtered through unseen sources, casting shimmering reflections across smooth, crystalline walls. Platforms floated in the air, connected by bridges of shimmering thread-like energy.

A disembodied voice echoed through the space.

"Welcome, Challenger. Identify your Life Thread."

Soren stood still, his heart pounding. He had no thread to identify.

The voice hesitated, its tone glitching as if confused.

"Error. No thread detected. Unable to categorize."

A pause.

Then, unexpectedly—"Access granted. Unique trial initializing."

The ground beneath Soren's feet trembled. The shimmering bridges of thread shattered, dissolving into fragments of light. The smooth walls warped, twisting into jagged formations. Darkness pooled at the edges of the space, and from within that void, something stirred.

A cold, metallic growl echoed from the shadows, followed by the sound of something large and heavy moving.

From the darkness emerged a creature—a hulking figure with sharp claws, glowing red eyes, and jagged armor fused to its flesh. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, dripping with venom.

The trial had begun.

Soren's heart raced. He felt a rush of adrenaline, but the clarity of his mind remained. His sword, that simple, cheap weapon he'd bought from a local store, felt heavy in his hands, like it carried the weight of his defiance.

The creature roared, its claws slashing the air with deadly speed.

Instinct kicked in.

Soren sidestepped at the last moment, barely avoiding the creature's strike. He could feel the air shift as the claws whooshed past him, a cold chill following in their wake. His breath hitched as he darted in closer, aiming a strike at the beast's exposed flank. The blade clanged off its armor. No time to think.

The creature turned, fury igniting in its red eyes, and swiped again. Soren ducked beneath the strike, feeling the heat of the creature's claws graze his hair. He swung his sword in a wide arc, this time landing a glancing blow along its armored shoulder. Sparks flew from the collision, but the creature didn't flinch.

It came at him again, faster than before. The air grew heavier, the shadows closing in on all sides.

Soren's thoughts raced, calculating every movement. He was fast, but the creature was relentless. A hit could be deadly. He needed to do more than just dodge. He needed to end this.

With a battle cry, Soren launched himself at the creature, sliding beneath its outstretched claws and sweeping his sword upward. The blade sank into its underbelly, cutting through its armor and into the thick, bloody flesh beneath. The creature let out a guttural scream, stumbling back, but Soren didn't hesitate.

He was already on his feet, swinging the sword again—this time aiming for its exposed side. The blade cut deep, carving through sinew and bone. The creature staggered, losing its balance, and Soren pressed the attack, his strikes coming faster, harder.

With one final, forceful thrust, Soren buried the sword deep into the creature's chest, piercing its heart. The monster's eyes glazed over, and it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Soren pulled the sword free, panting heavily. His hands were slick with blood, and his muscles burned from the exertion.

The trial was over. But this was only the beginning.

A new voice echoed through the tower's vast halls.

"Trial One complete. Proceed to the next phase."

Soren couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh.

"Guess I'm not done yet."