██████

The air inside Lila's hidden home felt dense with secrets, and as the three of them sat around a low, rune-inscribed table, the silence stretched long and heavy. Books lined the walls—most of them handwritten, many with pages that pulsed faintly with enchantments. Crystals flickered in floating sconces, casting pale blue light across the room. A kettle hissed on a small magical stove in the corner, its steam forming spirals that danced in the air before fading into the glow.

Lila sat cross-legged, her eyes narrowed, fingers drumming lightly against the table. "You want to know what I know about the Markers?" she finally said, voice barely above a whisper. "Fine. But you'd better be ready to understand just how deep this goes. This isn't just hidden lore or forbidden knowledge. This is the kind of truth that gets people erased."

Chosa leaned in, nodding. "We're listening."

She exhaled slowly, as if each word carried weight. "Years ago, I was part of an elite raid party. We were strong—A-rankers, a few S-rankers. We climbed fast, floor after floor. Most people think no one's ever gone past floor 30. The truth? We reached floor 50."

Chosa's eyes widened. Kaisel sat up straighter. "That's impossible. There's no record—"

"Because the Markers made sure there wouldn't be." Lila's voice turned sharp, brittle with pain. "When we got to floor 50, we found something... twisted. The Marker that rules that floor—it wasn't like the others. It didn't barter or test us. It hunted us. It spoke, clearly and maliciously, and it wanted one thing: to devour us."

She closed her eyes, and her voice trembled. "It tore through my team. I watched it consume them—not just their bodies but their abilities, their essence. It evolved right in front of us. Every death made it stronger. I only escaped because I tore out part of my own magic core—my main conduit. I used it to fuel a teleportation rune. It was barely stable. I shouldn't have made it back."

The silence in the room grew heavier, nearly suffocating.

"They covered it up," Lila continued. "Wiped our data. Claimed our party never existed. No one reaches past floor 30 because the Markers don't want anyone to. The government we think we have? Puppets. Controlled. The Markers pull the strings now. All of this climbing, this dream of reaching floor 100—it's just bait. We're lab rats in a maze designed by gods who want to feed."

Chosa sat back, stunned. "That explains so much. The inconsistencies... the missing data... it all adds up."

"There's more," Lila said, turning her gaze to him. "The anomaly hunter you mentioned. Grim. I've heard whispers about him. He doesn't just serve a Marker—he serves one of the originals. The kind that existed before the Tower was even built. His Marker... it's nameless in the records, but its presence is felt across the deeper floors. It's known for creating entities that walk the line between reality and void. Grim is one of them."

Chosa took a deep breath. "Then you'll want to hear this."

He told her everything—about his death on the first floor, his revival, and Luna's appearance in his interface. He described the eerie moment he met the Fallen Marker, the one who stopped time and reached into his soul.

Lila's face changed the moment he finished. Her hand stilled, lips tightening.

"I know who that is," she said quietly. "I've tracked whispers of it across forgotten ruins and cursed floors. That Marker wasn't cast out for being generous. It was banished because it was a madman—an egomaniac who tried to consume the rest of its kind. It believed it could rule them all. Some say it found forbidden power from another realm, one the other Markers feared. I found references to it in scattered notes... burnt scrolls, half-erased stone carvings."

Chosa leaned forward. "What's its name?"

Lila opened her mouth. "Its name is ██████."

The moment the word left her lips, a sharp, ear-splitting screech tore through Chosa's head. He screamed, collapsing onto the floor, clutching at his temples as if his skull were about to crack open.

"Chosa!" Kaisel shouted, grabbing him before he could hit the stone.

Lila bolted up, rushing around the table. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

Chosa's body trembled for several agonizing seconds before the pain began to fade. He panted heavily, eyes wide in confusion and fear. "I... I don't know. That name—when she said it, something exploded in my head."

Then Luna's voice came through. Cold. Robotic. Stripped of its usual warmth.

"You do not have access to information. Another attempt to access classified data will result in extreme pain. Further attempts may lead to death."

Chosa's breath caught. Sweat beaded on his brow. "Luna...?"

"Yes, Chosa?" she responded sweetly, back to normal as if nothing had happened.

He stared into space, uncertain if he was more afraid of the name he couldn't hear—or the system he now relied on.

He shook his head slowly, forcing a smile. "...Nothing."

Kaisel and Lila exchanged a worried glance.

The room remained silent, but the shadows along the walls pulsed—almost like they were listening.

And somewhere, far above, the Tower waited, patient as ever.