The Stairs That Erase Names

Kain's steps cut through the misty plains that stretched to the north. The sky above him was half open—a deep red, like an unhealed wound. Ever since leaving the temple, the glyphs in the Ancient Book had been moving on their own. Chapter III rewrote itself every time Kain made a decision.

Not far ahead, the silhouette of the Tower of Beginnings emerged from the mist. Tall, thin, it was almost impossible to stand upright. There were no windows, no doors. Only black stone walls reflecting light that came from nowhere.

Ankhar, who had been following from afar, stopped a few steps from the edge of the field.

"I can't follow any further. That tower… rejects any god who still has a will."

Kain turned his head for a moment. "Are you afraid?"

Ankhar smiled wryly. "I'm afraid of you, not the tower."

[Status: Entered Key Zone – Tower of Beginnings]

[Effect: Time Doesn't Apply In This Area]

As soon as Kain stepped through the shadow line, the world changed. Time stopped. Not literally—but in a strange way: seconds passed inconspicuously, but steps kept moving.

The walls of the tower absorbed sound. Even the sound of breathing disappeared.

Kain touched his hand to the stone. It was not cold. It was not rough. But it felt like touching… a memory.

The Ancient Book suddenly opened by itself.

[Active Fragment: Lazu's Trace – Year 0]

In that instant, the space around him changed. Kain was no longer standing outside the tower, but inside it—in the past. The gods gathered around the god Lazu, who sat on a low throne, his eyes blank, his mouth chewing on something invisible.

"War? Again?" Lazu's voice was low. "Why are you all such slaves to glory?"

One of the oldest gods, armed with a spear and wings of fire, replied sharply:

"Because glory is our inheritance."

Lazu only laughed briefly. "Inheritance? I'm more interested in inheriting naps."

Everyone laughed at him. But behind that laughter… was fear. Because despite his laziness, Lazu had never lost. He had just… never really participated.

Kain watched all this in silence. But a new glyph appeared in his book:

[First Trace: Lazu Leaves the War Without Touching a Weapon]

One small decision, one path rejected. The world changed not by power, but by the refusal to play.

Back in the present, Kain gasped. The tower was alive. And he was reading Kain… in turn Kain was reading Lazu.

The floor shook. The stone in front of him slowly parted, forming a doorway spiraling downward.

[Access to the Tower Core Opens]

Ankhar from outside shouted—though his voice could barely penetrate the dimensional barrier.

"Kain! Every step down will reveal Lazu's past… but only if you are prepared to lose a part of yourself."

Kain stepped inside.

"If that is the price of understanding the truth, I am ready."

The first step began.

The spiral staircase was not made of stone, iron, or wood—but of memories. Each step led Kain to a stranger depth, and with each step, a name faded from his memory.

Not someone else's name.

His own name.

[Active Effect: Temporary Identity Erasure]

[Description: To understand the God Lazu, you must let go of who you are.]

The 12th step. Kain forgot his birth date.

The 20th step. He could not remember his hometown.

The 27th step. The name "Kain" sounded like someone else's.

And on the 30th step, he stopped.

Not because he was afraid… but because down there, someone was sitting.

A man, young but tired. Eyes half-closed. Clothes like a ball of cloth wrapped in a random way. In his hand: the first version of the Ancient Book, unopened. The figure was Lazu.

But this was not Lazu the god. This was Lazu before he was chosen. Still mortal. Still confused. Still human.

Lazu turned his head. His eyes were fixed on Kain.

"You came all this way just to sit and regret?"

The voice was lazy. But it contained something deeper—like someone who had had enough of the world.

Kain answered, though his mind was blank:

"I came to understand why you gave up."

Lazu laughed. Not a cynical laugh. But the laugh of someone who knew too much.

"I never gave up. I just stopped playing a game I didn't make."

He threw the book in his hand at Kain.

"Take it. See for yourself. But remember: all answers have a price. And whatever price you paid… it wasn't enough."

Kain opened the book.

The first page was written in blood:

"The war of the gods is the result of one unanswered question: Who has the right to determine the meaning of power?"

Suddenly the entire room shook.

[Status: Dimensional Interference Detection]

[Third Observer: Has Entered]

The sky inside the tower split open. A metallic ringing sound was heard, like a funeral bell being played backwards.

New Entity: The Corrector

It was a cracked statue with six arms and two heads. It slowly descended, its eyes glowing red.

"You've dug too deep, Holder of the Book. This trail should be buried."

Lazu stood. Not afraid. Not respectful. Just… bored.

"You're late. He's already reading."

The Corrector raised his hand, trying to erase the glyph from the air.

But the Ancient Book of Cain opened on its own.

A new glyph formed, not from ink… but from forgotten memories.

[Chapter III – Open Subtitle: Stolen Names Return in Resistance]

Cain stood. Though nameless, he knew who he was.

Not because of the past. But because of his present decision.

He looked up at the entity in the sky and said,

"If you come to erase, then I will write faster."

The book lit up. Glyphs shot from its pages, forming a protective circle. The stairs shook, the room collapsed in parts, and a single voice rang out clearly from the walls of the Tower:

"Welcome to the core. You are now not only the holder of the Book… but its author."