A full year had passed since Arlon received the sword.
He had been walking for exactly that long—moving forward for eight hours a day, then training or resting for the remainder.
He had asked a few more questions to Jiroeki after his excitement from receiving the gift ended, but in the end, he departed.
He needed to climb the Tower from the zeroth floor.
And now, at last, he saw it.
A platform stood ahead with an escalator-like structure in its center. His steps slowed as he approached. The moment he stepped onto it, it moved.
Jiroeki had told him this would bring him to Trion's Tower without a hitch. The Tower had been repaired, and now it was connected to the other Towers.
Arlon exhaled as he felt the movement beneath him. He was going back.
But before that, he reached for his sword. His fingers wrapped around the hilt, and he pulled it free.
