Legacy of the Descendants XIV: Tower of the Future

"WHERE IS IT!?" Kazir shouted, his laid-back demeanour replaced by a cruel(er) and angry one.

"I don't know...what you're even talking about...please..." Mizu croaked, his arm bleeding even more, pain-induced tears trickling down the sides of his face.

Kazir had forgotten that the White Star had told him that Mizu had no idea about the Yamiokami Gem, or where it was, but his psycopathic rage had shoved that thought into the recesses of his twisted mind. The only he wanted to do right now was find out where his enemies were, and his 'guest' wouldn't say a word.

"You just have to make this worse for yourself don't you?" he growled. He raised the knife.

More pain.

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"W-what the-!?" Jinsoku tripped over his own words, flabbergasted by the sight before him: a huge, circular area of the spire, illuminated by large hexagons on all surfaces, tesselating together like honeycomb. Otherwise, it was empty, but the sight was simply spectacular.

"What is this place?" Shinji gasped, the others staring in awe.

"This...is not meant for you to see. This is a paradox."

"Here? Why?"

"This is a makeshift realm, made specifically for us."

"Why us?"

"Each set of people related by mutual unfinished business have thdeir spirits deployed here, to communicate with the living with which thier business lies. When we are done here, this place will cease to exist. As such, there may be many paradoxes here."

"So, you're saying there are many Hidden Realms?"

"Precisely. Anyway, I dounbt it is something that any of you will ever be able to comprehend, as well as myself. What is important is climing this tower. Come, we must take the stairs," Nina said, poiting to a spiral staircase climbing the wall of the tower, going up and up and up so high that the end could not be seen.

"Climb all those steps!? No freakin' way!" Skylar moaned, awestruck and annoyed. This outcry sent the whole group into an argument about how to negotiate this scenario, until they were silenced by a soulless, paned and terrified scream echoing from the top of the spire, all the way to here. Gale froze and her skin paled. Rakurai cught her as she threw herslef at her old friend, beginning to cry.

"Tell me...tell me he's gonna be okay...!" she sobbed.

"We will get to him. Don't do this to yourself." he said calmly, unusually sypathetic-souding. He pulled Gale off of him, holding her at shoulder length. "It's what Kazir wants." Gale smiled weakly, wiping away her tears.