Chapter Seventeen: Self-Testing in the South Tower

The South Tower towered before them, its black walls that seemed to breathe like a living organism watching them.

The heavy energy that surrounded the place made the air heavy, and dread silently crept into everyone's hearts.

Lin walked steadily towards the entrance, followed by the others, while the mysterious girl watched the tower with a gaze that said more than her words.

As soon as they passed through the gate, they were engulfed in absolute darkness, as if the tower had swallowed them whole.

The sound of the gate closing behind them was the last thing they heard before the tower began to separate them, leaving each individual alone to face the test of self.

For Lin, shadows surrounded him as intermittent words echoed from every direction: "Don't come closer! Don't come closer, you bloody monster!"

The voices were charged with fear and anger.

In front of him appeared the pale image of a young boy covered in blood.

Someone screamed: "They killed him... you're a monster in human form!"

His heart clenched as he felt that those words were not mere illusions, but old wounds that had been forcibly opened.

As for Yumi, she found herself trapped by an old scene that haunts her even in her waking hours.

Her parents were dying in front of her, looking at her sadly.

She tried to move, to do something to save them, but her feet felt like they were chained to the ground.

Her mother's voice echoed in her mind: "You couldn't save us... you couldn't."

Her tears flowed unceasingly, and the sinking feeling in her heart stifled her breath.

Rin, on the other hand, found himself in that old moment that he had always tried to forget.

The moment his parents abandoned him.

He was a small child screaming their name as they walked away without looking back.

The sound of their footsteps as they walked away was louder than anything else, and the loneliness of that moment came back to encircle his heart again.

Maro was standing in the ashes of his memories, watching the scene play out before him as if he was reliving those moments all over again.

Everything was collapsing around him: The sounds, the houses, the people he loved.

The wreckage was drowning him in his helplessness, and the anger seemed to drown out his inner voice.

"Why? Why wasn't I strong enough?" He muttered angrily, but the only sound he heard was the echo of his own screams in the void.

While each of them was immersed in their own suffering, Len felt like something was trying to take over.

The images and sounds that haunted him grew heavier with each passing moment.

But he was not alone.

In the darkness of the tower, the mysterious girl appeared.

Her words were steady, as if she knew exactly how to face the darkness.

"Lin, you have to remember who you are... You are not what they say you are. Let the past reveal itself, but don't let it control you."

Lin steps forward, following her instructions.

The voices of guilt and fear became quieter, as if they were slowly fading away.

The girl whispered again: "Find the circle, as you did in the East Tower. Here lies the key."

Len began to look around, despite the thick darkness.

His whispers: "The circle..." was enough to trigger his recollection of what had happened in the East Tower.

He continued to search, clinging to the idea that this tower would not triumph over him.

Eventually, he found it.

The Circle was hidden in the centre of the tower, surrounded by glowing symbols waiting to be activated.

Lin stood inside the circle.

At first, he felt a strange energy attacking him, but he didn't retreat.

Instead, he released his inner strength, everything he had gained from his previous experiences.

The symbols began to glow fiercely, and the tower's cries became louder and more desperate.

Moments later, the tower began to collapse from within.

Gradually the light returned, and the team found themselves outside the tower.

The south tower had been reduced to rubble, just like the east tower had been before.

Everyone was in a state of mental and physical exhaustion, but they knew they had passed the tower.

Lin looked at his hand, where new symbols had appeared, bright and clear.

He was the only one to get them again, which raised questions among the team, but there was no time for discussion.

The mysterious girl, who remained still and silent, stared at the symbols, as if she knew the answer she didn't want to give.

On the horizon, the third pond began to glow, pointing to the western tower.

Despite his fatigue, Lin stood firmly and said firmly: "We didn't come here to give up. The West Tower is waiting for us, and we will continue."

The team advanced towards the West Tower.

Thanks to the little girl, reaching the tower was easier than they expected.

She was able to pull Lin out of the vortex of energy that was testing his endurance.

The test was more like an internal confrontation; those who endured being filled with energy survived, and those who failed lost their lives.

As Lin entered the circle to destroy the tower, the symbols began to glow again.

This time, the collapse was faster and more ferocious.

As the tower was reduced to rubble, another lake radiated from the surrounding ponds.

"The towers and the lakes seem to be directly connected," Maru said. "Only one tower and one pond remain."

Yumi responded with a question: "How did we manage to destroy the previous two towers without being asked for anything specific?"

Lin, who had gained more confidence, replied with a smile: "Perhaps the key is not in what is asked, but in what we can offer."