We were like tiny ants before that vastness, lost in the absurd scale of the place. Towering columns rose until they vanished into the shadows above, while a soft light descending from the top illuminated particles of dust floating in the air.
At the center stood the true essence of the structure: an inner tower with staircases winding in a spiral, climbing endlessly toward the top.
“How many hours is it going to take us to climb all that?” one of the reaction team members commented, his voice tense as he swallowed hard. I didn’t recognize who it was; the sound came out muffled through the helmet.
He looked visibly shaken by the sight, and honestly, I couldn’t blame him. In fact, he wasn’t the only one. The expressions around us revealed the same silent discomfort, tense gazes sweeping across the vast interior of the tower as if searching for some visible limit.
The impression was clear: no matter how far someone climbed, reaching the top seemed simply impossible... that is, of course, if a top even existed.
Tenebrya was still by my side. As always, she remained silent, her two small eyes fixed on the top of the tower with almost hypnotic concentration. She didn’t say a single word, but I could feel her curiosity in the air, a quiet, intense focus, especially directed toward whatever might be waiting for us up there.
Even so, there was no surprise in her posture, only calm, observant curiosity. And that was strange. Very strange, actually. After all, Tenebrya technically didn’t seem to have the slightest idea what this place was, and yet she behaved as if she were merely investigating something new, not confronting something unknown.
Now that I think about it... since the beginning, Tenebrya has shown interest in almost everything around her, but not exactly surprise.
It’s not as if those things were completely unfamiliar to her; it’s more like she was revisiting something familiar from a new perspective, like someone returning to an old place after a long time and seeing it with different eyes.
Maybe it’s a contradiction that’s hard to explain, because it sounds strange to say that something can feel both new and familiar at the same time. Still, that’s exactly the impression I get.
Victor, who was standing beside me, was the first to step forward, interrupting the whirlwind of thoughts filling my mind.
He walked up to the stairs that, by all indications, led to the top and studied them in silence with a careful gaze. The staircase looked worn and dirty, and some steps showed old cracks that didn’t inspire much confidence.
“Even though they don’t look very reliable, they don’t seem like they’ll give out under our weight” Victor commented as he planted his feet on the first step and pressed down hard, testing its resistance.
The dry sound of the impact echoed through the space, but the structure remained firm. He nodded to himself before continuing: “As long as we climb carefully, we should be fine”
I heard several murmurs of agreement spread through the group, although most still showed a certain reluctance as they faced the staircase that would take us to the top.
I couldn’t blame them; the steps were practically in ruins, marked by deep cracks, loose stones, and entire sections simply missing.
Every step felt like a gamble against our own balance. The place, filled with silence and accumulated dust, gave the clear impression that it had been abandoned for a very long time.
“Let’s move” Victor said, his voice firm and decisive.
He was the first to climb. A bit of loose dirt slid down the steps, falling in small grains that made Victor hesitate for a moment as he assessed the structure’s stability. Still, nothing seemed truly compromised.
With a light push, he simply jumped into the air, landing directly on the edge of the staircase. Surprisingly, the stairs didn’t even tremble under his weight despite their appearance.
“See?” Victor commented, throwing a confident look over his shoulder: “Safe”
Everyone exchanged silent glances before taking their first steps toward the staircase. The sound of feet hitting the steps echoed unevenly, one after another, breaking the heavy silence hanging in the air. Despite the evident tension, no one hesitated for long; slowly, they began to climb.
As for me, I stayed at the back of the line beside my little sister. The first reason was simple: letting Tenebrya go ahead could easily result in some unfortunate accident, and I preferred to avoid unpleasant surprises.
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Besides, there was a strategic advantage to staying last. If someone slipped or lost their balance, I would have a few precious seconds to react, enough time to intercept a fall before it turned into something worse.
Our climb toward the top continued for several minutes without major incidents. The only sign of tension came when someone swallowed hard after looking down and realizing the dizzying height we had already reached. Other than that, we moved forward in silence, focused on each carefully calculated step as the cold wind brushed against the rough stone.
“Remember to keep your hands against the wall, we don’t want accidents just because someone lost their balance” Victor called out in a firm, authoritative tone that echoed along the narrow ascent and made everyone pay closer attention.
Murmurs of agreement echoed through the space, mixed with subtle notes of discontent that vibrated like a constant hum in the air. Meanwhile, Tenebrya kept her gaze fixed downward with unusual curiosity. I wasn’t sure why, she had been like that for several minutes.
I tried to follow her focus and see what had caught her attention so strongly, but we had already reached such an absurd height that below us there was nothing but a dense sea of darkness. It was during one of Tenebrya’s curious glances downward that everything happened.
A tremor ran through the structure, faint, almost too subtle to notice. Even so, I felt the dust gathered on the steps loosen beneath my feet, sliding slowly before plunging into the abyss that opened below us. I watched in silence as the grains vanished into the darkness, swallowed by the void.
No one besides me, and Tenebrya, seemed to notice the tremor. Which, to be honest, was strange. From my perspective, it had been quite clear. Not violent, but present enough to trigger an instinctive unease at the base of my neck.
For a moment, I considered warning them. The words nearly reached my throat... but I hesitated. It didn’t seem serious. At least, that was what I wanted to believe.
Besides, mentioning tremors while we were climbing an endless staircase pressed against the walls of a colossal tower probably wasn’t the best way to keep the group calm, especially when a fall would mean certain death, without even the dignity of a final scream before impact. So I stayed silent and kept moving forward as if nothing had happened.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. Only a few steps later, the tremor returned, this time stronger and unmistakable.
The ground vibrated beneath their feet, making some members of the group shudder slightly as their bodies were shaken from side to side, threatening to throw them off balance with every step.
A low groan traveled through the structure around us, as if the very environment were under strain. Immediately, everyone stopped. Heavy breaths, thick with worry, echoed one after another in the tense silence that followed.
When the shaking ceased, the silence that remained felt even heavier. No one spoke. No one even moved properly, as if any motion might bring the tremor back. Glances met briefly before turning away, each person avoiding being the first to put into words what everyone already knew.
The air still vibrated faintly, and fine dust fell from the ceiling in nearly invisible particles. The distant sound of something creaking continued to echo through the space.
That was when Rupert finally spoke: “That...” he hesitated, voice low. He ran his tongue over dry lips before continuing: “That was an earthquake... or was it just me?”
He swallowed hard, his throat moving visibly: “I’d really appreciate it if someone told me I’m wrong right now... you know...”
“Unfortunately, my dear friend...” Arthur said, his voice tense. He paused briefly, as if carefully weighing every word before continuing: “I don’t think it’s all in your head. We all felt it”
“Enough talking” Victor declared, his voice firm and his expression impatient. Straightening his posture, he added: “Let’s keep climbing. I want out of here as soon as possible”
Everyone followed Victor’s lead. To be honest, no one seemed inclined to disagree. So we moved on. Our footsteps echoed along the stone stairs, the steady rhythm reverberating through the cold walls of the tower, louder and more intense than before.
As we climbed, I couldn’t help noticing my little sister repeatedly glancing downward, her eyes fixed on something only she seemed able to see. At first, I thought it was just my imagination... but by this point, even I was starting to suspect she truly could see something.
In fact, the tremors didn’t stop, quite the opposite. They intensified, each one more violent than the last. The ground shook beneath our feet as if something colossal were awakening in the depths.
At one point, one of the group members lost his balance, his body tilting dangerously toward the void. If Arthur hadn’t reacted quickly, the shock alone might have killed him before he even hit the ground. Though, to be honest, I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen under any circumstances.
“Damn it... I don’t feel like we’re getting anywhere” Rupert grumbled, irritation clear in his hoarse voice as he clenched his fists, struggling to keep his balance: “And these damn tremors aren’t giving us a break either”
It wasn’t the first time Rupert had complained. In fact, murmurs of frustration and tension had become almost constant background noise since we started climbing the endless stairs.
With every flight we ascended, the air felt heavier, and the absence of any visible “top” began to erode the group’s patience and confidence.
Uneasy glances were exchanged in silence, steps hesitated for fractions of a second, and the tremors, once merely unsettling, now came in irregular waves, making the structure vibrate beneath our feet.
Despite that, thanks to the perfect balance I had recently discovered I possessed, I remained steady. My body responded with an almost unnatural stability, ignoring the chaos around me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for the others. Some leaned against the rough walls, while others struggled to keep pace.
Until then, we had been climbing without facing any truly serious adversity. The tremors, although constant, weren’t strong enough to knock us down; all it took was maintaining balance and doubling our attention with every step. At least, that was what I thought... until a far more violent jolt shook the entire structure.
The ground trembled beneath our feet as if something colossal had awakened in the depths. The impact was so sudden that everyone instinctively crouched, gripping the uneven steps tightly to avoid being thrown backward.
Dust and small fragments of rock broke loose from the walls, falling around us as a brutal sound of stone grinding echoed through the space like thunder.
When the shaking finally began to settle, Rupert was the first to break the silence hanging in the air. Still tense, he cast a restless glance around before saying, his voice thick with nervousness: “Is it just me, or did that tremor feel actually dangerous... and terrifying?” His words echoed through the space, but no one responded.
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