At the brink of dawn, a young man had just woken up from the shrill scream of his alarm ringing in his ear. The man jolted upright, with his forehead already drenched in sweat. This man was Victor Cruz, a member of the fourteen Magic Families.
Victor stared at his clock as he yawned. "Hmm, 6:52."
...
"Shit!" he suddenly blurted, realizing the time.
He was late.
The man threw himself out of bed and got ready as fast as he possible. Today was not just any day for him. It was the day he would enter the Oblivion Spire.
After dressing, Victor went to close his windows and doors before departing. But as he was closing his last window, next to his wardrobe, he looked out.
"There it is..." he smiled at the view.
At a distance, it was impossible to miss. A massive tower so huge, no one has ever seen the top. It reached above the clouds and further beyond that.
This giant tower, the Oblivion Spire, appeared five centuries ago suddenly and without reason. Since then, its peak remained untouched. It was the place where Adventurers go to explore and more importantly, combat humanity's greatest foes; 'The Invaders'.
With its peak above the clouds, some people speculated that the tower is a bridge to a completely different world.
Today, Victor was about to take his first step. He and his dear friends were going to venture into the Oblivion Spire for the first time.
A rush of excitement coursed through Victor as he finished fastening his boots.
"I bet everyone is waiting for me."
After closing his house, he sprinted through the narrow streets of Loria City.
He crouched through alleyways and vaulted over crates while ignoring the shouts of vendors as he pushed forward. Nothing could block him from his goal this morning. It was all he had ever dreamed of, the day has finally arrive.
When he arrived near the outskirts of the city, Victor started to slow his pace. Just up ahead were the gates of Emberstone Keep. The gate that led into the Oblivion Spire. At the front of the gate were the other three.
"They're here!" Victor cheered, happy to see his friends.
His childhood friends, his own Party of rookie adventurers.
"Hey! Guys!" Victor called out as he ran to them.
His friends all glared at Victor's direction as he ran.
"You're late!" one of them shouted annoyed.
The girl next to the complainer simply smiled, relieved that Victor bothered showing up.
"Was thinking you chickened out." she teased.
Victor stopped once he caught up to them, gasping for some air. "No, I wouldn't dare miss this day."
"In fact, I'm surprised you came Ericka. I thought you were against us going today." Victor said, also relieved to see his friend present.
Ericka Hersches, a young woman with short blonde hair, her eyes as blue as the sky and a gorgeous from face to boot. Unlike the others, she wore light armor around her arm and chest, with two swords on her waist. Similar to Victor, she also hails from a Magic Family.
The Hersches Familia was a family not only adept in enhancement magic but also the only bloodline who managed to step into the most advanced levels of swordsmanship currently known to man.
"If possible, let's venture up to the 30th floor. Just to feel things out, no need to go overboard." Ericka suggested.
"30!? No way! I say we travel to the 90th today." Victor argued.
"I heard there are vampires there. Aren't you curious about how we stack up to them?"
The bald one among the group raised his hand to interject. "Settle down, Victor. Remember, this is going to be our first time entering the Tower. I agree with Ericka's suggestion. The 30th floor should suffice."
The man who just spoke was Oda Bazzin, a monk in training that belongs to no special lineage or bloodline. A common man, who just wants to travel with his dear friends.
"I fear you're going to get us into trouble right away Victor."
"Do me a favor and prove me wrong okay."
Victor chuckled while giving Oda a harsh slap on his back.
"The fact we are entering means we want trouble, Oda. You're not making any sense."
The other member of the party, Utar Grace, was the largest one among the four. His broad muscle frame was built for battle, and like Oda, he too was a man belonging to no special bloodline.
He made the first step towards the gate, with his hands trembling for all to see.
Victor walked up to his big friend, curious to why he was shaking so badly.
"You okay?"
But a single glance at Utar's face gave Victor his answer. From past experiences, Victor knew Utar was never a guy to lose confidence and today, his smile was especially wide.
Utar was trembling in excitement, experiencing the same rush Victor was feeling.
"It's happening," Utar said, taking the first steps towards the gate.
"Can't believe we're here. After all these years of dreaming, it's finally time to step inside."
Utar looked up, staring at the highest point he could see.
"We're going to climb this thing, and we're going to make it to the top. I can feel it."
These four were prodigies of the current era. Sharing the same birthday and time, as well as possessing the same potential to be humanity's greatest weapons.
All known Adventurers and regular civilians know of these four rookies. Before even entering the tower, these four already received a party name, "The War Potentials".
Together, these four could change the tide of any war with their powers.
At the age of six, Ericka single-handedly killed a group of bandits that were wreaking havoc for nearly three years.
Oda at the tender age of four, mastered the most difficult healing spells and proceeded to learn concepts only he could grasp. By the time he was eight, he had a class of adults as his students, teaching them his newfound concepts and how to apply.
The Cruz Familia's Head was one of the strongest in the land, only a handful of humans could lay any harm on that titan. And yet, Victor demolished him over a temper tantrum. Yes, at age 10, Victor beat his father to a pulp over sweets.
Utar's accomplishments were the most unreal to the ears. The majority still could not process the strength one person could possess. Ten years ago, the Court of Loria crumbled due to a sudden earthquake. The King of the Courtroom survived that sudden incident because of one boy's overwhelming strength to stop pillars with his bare hands. Throwing them like pebbles.
So, if it was not obvious already. These four were anomalies amongst humanity, defying the limits once set.
"We've dreamt of this day, and now it's here. But remember, we're not just going in for a little sightseeing. Whatever's inside this construct was going to take everything we had. If not, it would have been conquered ages ago."
Ericka nodded, her hand resting on one of her swords. "You lead Victor. We'll follow you like always."
The four of them had always been together, bound by something greater than the bloodlines that ran through them. Something deeper. Something that united them through the years.
He turned his gaze back to the Oblivion Spire, its sheer enormity making the city around it seem so small. As he walked towards the tower, he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. It was the beginning of something incredible. At the same time, a creeping sense of dread clawed at the back of his mind. Whatever waited inside that tower... was far beyond anything they had prepared for.
But they had made a promise to each other. They would see it through.
"Let's go," Victor said, his voice unwavering. "For the top."
And so, the party of four began their journey.