The silence following Grim's departure was deafening. Dust still swirled through the fractured cavern, illuminated by faint strands of light bleeding through cracks in the stone ceiling. Chosa leaned against a shattered pillar, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his brow. Nearby, Kaisel sat cross-legged on a piece of rubble, arms resting on his knees, his head tilted upward as if staring through the stone above.
"We almost died," Kaisel said quietly.
Chosa gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah. I was thinking the same thing."
The silence lingered, thick with unspoken questions and adrenaline. Kaisel finally turned his head, eyes narrowing as he stared at Chosa. "He called us anomalies. You heard that, right?"
Chosa nodded, running a hand through his damp hair. "Yeah. Loud and clear."
Kaisel studied him intently. "He seemed especially interested in you. Said your aura was 'wrong.' What did he mean by that?"
Chosa didn't answer right away. He stared at the flickering glow of his gauntlet, still faintly humming from the recent Berserk activation. Luna remained silent, as if understanding this was something he had to explain himself.
Finally, Chosa exhaled and sat down on a cracked piece of stone. "Because I think I really am one. An anomaly."
Kaisel raised a brow, waiting.
Chosa looked up, his voice lower now, more personal. "When I first entered the Tower... I died."
Kaisel blinked. "What?"
"Not metaphorically. Literally. I triggered something. A hidden path—something forbidden. There was this creature there… it was ancient, twisted, not like any normal floor boss. It called itself a fallen Marker. It should've killed me, and it did. But right before everything went black, something woke up in me. Something different. I don't know how to explain it. Since then, I've had this skill—'Copy.' It only activates when I'm about to die."
Kaisel leaned forward, eyes narrowed in thought. "That's how you got Berserk?"
Chosa nodded. "I saw you use it, saw the risk, but I also saw the strength. I figured, if we were going to survive, I had to take a chance. I asked Luna to copy it."
Kaisel ran a hand through his hair and gave a low whistle. "You copied my skill… during the fight. That's insane."
Chosa gave a weak smirk. "Welcome to my life."
Kaisel's face shifted into a grin for a brief moment before turning serious again. "Still. That power—it's not normal. Even the way you use skills feels... off. I've seen some rare abilities, but what you just did shouldn't be possible."
Chosa nodded slowly. "I've been keeping it hidden. But now… I think hiding is no longer an option."
Kaisel stared at him. "You really died… and came back stronger. That explains a lot."
Chosa stood and brushed off his pants. "I didn't want to drag anyone else into it. But now we've both been marked. Grim said his master would know. I don't think we'll get another quiet moment."
Far above, in a place untethered from mortal perception, a void shimmered and parted. Grim stepped from the mist into a darkened chamber carved from black stone and starlight. His cloak dragged along the floor like a living shadow. Despite his confident stride, faint wounds lingered on his body—souvenirs from the clash.
A voice boomed from all around him, deep as tectonic plates grinding together. "You return bloodied."
Grim knelt without hesitation. "I found them. Two anomalies. Both awakened, one tethered to the forbidden floor."
There was a long pause, the space itself holding its breath.
"And did you complete your task?"
Grim lifted his head slowly, a smirk dancing on his lips. "No. They surprised me. One of them—he used a power he shouldn't have had. The other... already walks the edge of entropy."
The shadows in the chamber thickened. A figure emerged—titanic, radiant, and terrible. Drenched in light yet casting none, a being of geometry that bent the mind to look upon. His armor shimmered like galaxies condensed, and his eyes swirled with the weight of existence.
A Marker.
"You were meant to observe, not provoke," the Marker said, each word vibrating with cosmic resonance.
"And I did," Grim replied. "I saw their growth. Their will to survive. The cracks in the foundation."
The Marker stepped closer, each footstep sending ripples through space. "Then it begins."
Grim bowed his head. "Shall I return to cull them?"
"No," the Marker answered. "Let them rise. Let them become symbols. The higher they climb, the more satisfying their fall."
Grim's grin widened. "As you wish, my master. The game begins."
Back in the fractured cavern, the tension finally faded. The dust was beginning to settle, the silence shifting from oppressive to oddly calm.
Chosa stood, his body sore but still functioning. He glanced toward Kaisel, who was staring at the closed gate ahead.
"We're being hunted now," Chosa muttered.
Kaisel nodded grimly. "Then we hunt back."
Chosa chuckled. "I like the sound of that."
They shared a glance—wounded but united. The echoes of Grim's laughter still lingered in the back of their minds, but they pushed forward, steps heavier with the knowledge of what now lay ahead.
Their journey was no longer just about climbing floors. It was about surviving a cosmic game. And somewhere, beyond the veil of space, the eyes of the divine had opened.
The Tower had noticed.
And it would never look away again.