For a split second, Noah felt his blood run cold.
But he refused to show it. He stood up, his chair scraping against the wooden floor. "By dawn, we should be at the Spire's Gate safely." His voice carried finality. Without waiting for her response, he turned and walked back to his room.
The moment he closed the door behind him, his legs buckled, and he slid to the floor. His hands trembled slightly as he exhaled.
That was terrifying.
That was the first real conversation of his life where his words actually mattered. Where one mistake—one misplaced stutter—could have ruined everything.
A faint, nervous chuckle escaped him. Then another. Soon, he was laughing softly to himself, the adrenaline refusing to leave his system.
From the bed, Adam's sleepy voice cut through the silence.
"Noah…"
Noah turned his head, meeting his brother's side-eyed stare.
"I never knew you were into that kind of thing."
Noah blinked. "...What?" as he stared at him, his face blank.
Adam's smirk widened. "Didn't take you for a romantic."
Noah sighed, rubbing his temples. Of all the things for him to misinterpret…
He flopped onto his bed. "Go to sleep, Adam."
Adam chuckled. "Sure, lover boy."
Noah groaned, pulling the covers over his head.
Tomorrow was going to be exhausting.
…
Everything he had only read about in Orvathis was now unfolding before his eyes.
With a quiet sigh, he slipped out of bed and padded downstairs.
The dim glow of candlelight flickered from the common area of the inn, casting long shadows against the walls. Silvia was there, seated at a small table near the counter, nursing a cup of something steaming.
She glanced up as he approached.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked, her voice neutral.
Noah pulled out a chair and sat across from her. "Something like that."
Silence hung between them for a moment. Then, casually, he spoke.
"How's the state of the Pillar?"
It was an innocent enough question on the surface, but for Noah, it was a crucial test—he needed to perfectly align himself with what was written in Orvathis.
Silvia exhaled, rubbing the rim of her cup with her thumb. "Hopeless," she said bluntly. "The neutral floors are a lost cause. They were supposed to be sanctuaries for those who couldn't climb anymore, but now? They're crawling with mercenaries, spies, and noble hounds. If you stay here too long, you'll be caught in their web one way or another."
Noah hummed in acknowledgment. So that leaves only one choice.
He didn't say what it was—there was no need. He already knew. It would reveal itself soon enough.
Silvia set her cup down and leaned forward slightly. "My plan is simple," she said. "I'm going to create an incident… something big enough to divert the soldiers' attention, even if only for a moment. That should be enough time for you and your brother to make it to the Spire's Gate."
Noah studied her carefully. "What kind of incident?"
She smirked. "The kind that makes people panic."
He had to admit, that was vague yet effective.
Her expression turned serious. "But listen carefully… those soldiers aren't just your typical guards. They're brainwashed. The moment they detect you, they won't hesitate." She tapped a finger against the table. "If you make eye contact—if you let them see you—you're dead. No warnings. No questions."
Noah stared at her, unfazed.
That wasn't new information to him. He had already experienced it first-hand.
Still, he nodded. "Understood."
Silvia studied him for a moment, her sharp eyes searching his face for any sign of fear or doubt. Finding none, she leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her drink.
Adam stirred awake to the soft rustling of fabric.
Blinking away the last traces of sleep, he turned his head and saw Noah—his older brother—tidying up his bed.
That… was unexpected.
Noah was never the neatest person. He wasn't a slob, but this? This level of care—fixing the sheets, smoothing out the wrinkles, placing everything just right—it was strange. Almost methodical.
A habit.
"…You're different," Adam mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Noah glanced at him, pausing for a fraction of a second before returning to his task. "How so?"
Adam sat up, studying him. "I thought you'd still be shaken after… after everything," he admitted. "The Noah I know would've spent days locked up, overthinking, maybe even crying."
Noah's hands stilled.
What kind of person was Noah Orthar?
That thought struck him harder than he expected.
He knew how Noah died—it was one of the few things the book mentioned. But who was he before that? How did he live? What were his fears, his dreams? There were only scraps of memories to work with.
I don't know who I'm supposed to be.
That was a terrifying realization.
But he did remember one thing: Noah was fragile, but he never hesitated to throw himself in harm's way for Adam.
That was enough.
Noah forced a smirk, straightening up. "If you're weak, then I can't afford to be," he said simply. "That's how it's always been."
Adam frowned but didn't argue.
Yet, deep inside, Noah felt something cold settle in his chest.
It's not really me.
He was saying the right things, doing what Noah should do, but there was a strange detachment—a feeling that he was nothing more than an imposter wearing someone else's skin.
His fingers twitched.
What is this second chance?
Not just Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance—not just the divine trait. But the whole thing.
The Second life…
Even if he was the one who chose to end his previous one, why was he here? What meaning was there behind this?
Noah took a deep breath and shook the thought away. He couldn't afford to get lost in that abyss. Not now.
…
Noah and Adam pulled their hooded cloaks tightly around themselves as they slipped out of the inn, leaving a few copper coins on the counter for the real innkeeper—not Silphy.
The moment they stepped outside, Noah felt it.
Pre-dawn chill.
But something was wrong. This wasn't just the usual early morning chill—it was freezing.
So, she made her preparations.
The realization put him on edge. His past two mistakes had already cost him dearly, and he wasn't about to make a third.
Every step through the alleys felt like navigating a maze of unseen traps. From above, it might have even looked like PACMAN.
Hiding in the shadows, Noah waited.
The soldiers shifted their positions in a predictable rhythm, allowing him to time his movements precisely.
He had repeated this procedure multiple times already—observe, calculate, move.
Then, in the darkest corner of an alley, he spotted his last killer.
The man was hunched over, consuming some kind of powder with trembling fingers. His posture, his twitching—so that's what he was doing.
That damn junkie.
Noah exhaled slowly, adjusting his pace. Just a little more. Almost—
A step forward, slipping past—
Safe.
"Safe!" Adam whispered, exhaling in relief.
Then, with a small chuckle, he added, "I hate to be a nuisance, but… where exactly are we going? I'd rather not end up as a clown in Lunareth, y'know. That would be a nightmare."
Noah stopped in his tracks. His fingers curled slightly at Adam's words.
He turned to his brother, keeping his voice low but firm.
"We keep moving forward. That's what Grandfather would have wanted," he said. His breath was visible in the frigid air, but his voice remained steady. "We can't stop. Not here. Not now."
Adam listened, his expression unreadable.
Noah continued, "The neutral floors—every single one of them—is just like Solmaris now. And it's all because of a name that no longer belongs to us."
A bitter chuckle almost escaped his lips, but he held it back.
That's the absurdity of it all.
But even as he spoke, his mind was racing.
Did I look right? Did I miss something? Did I mess this up?
Because no matter how confident he tried to sound, deep down, Aaron—the real him—was shaking.
Words weren't his thing. He wasn't built for them. If he was, he wouldn't be here to begin with.
But for now, it would have to do.
With one last glance at Adam, Noah pulled his hood lower and kept walking.
…
Once again, just like the first time, Noah found himself at the plaza on the outskirts of the Spire.
From a distance, he watched.
The faces were different this time. These weren't the same soldiers who had slaughtered him like maniacs before—probably a different shift. That should've been a relief. But it only meant that his knowledge of their movements was incomplete.
Then—
A voice called out from behind them.
"You two—state your business."
Noah froze.
Shit. I wasn't paying attention.
The next time—surely the next time, I'll get it right.
And if I fail again?
Both he and Adam swallowed hard. Adam began to turn, ready to respond—
And then the ground shook.
A deafening boom rang out, followed by another, and another.
Shouts erupted from multiple directions, incomprehensible at first, but then—clarity.
It was a notification system. A single soldier yelling the alert to the nearest units, who passed it on, spreading like wildfire. Within seconds, the chain reached the soldier behind them.
"A terrorist attack."
Four watchtowers—collapsed, frozen over.
The soldier hesitated before turning back to them. "Stay here. I'll find you again."
Liar.
Noah knew the truth. If the soldier had really seen their faces, they'd be his top priority.
somewhere in the city, Silvia Volkovich had made her move.
She reached Floor 63 at this age.
The mistake people made was assuming she was as young as she looked.
She wasn't.
Silvia was well into her thirties.
Noah didn't hesitate. He grabbed Adam's wrist and pulled him forward.
"Run."
The chaos Silvia had unleashed had emptied the area around the Spire gate.
Soldiers and enforcers rushed to contain the situation, abandoning their posts in the wake of collapsing watchtowers and frozen streets.
They slipped through the gate.
And everything changed.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the world behind them vanished.
The Spire's interior was nothingness. A vast, endless void.
Noah had expected as much, but seeing it for the first time sent a shiver down his spine.
Adam, breathing hard from their escape, turned to him. "Noah, where—?"
"There's no way for us to reach the neutral floors. Not yet," Noah interrupted, his voice firm.
Adam blinked.
"The only way forward is to start over." Noah exhaled. "We have to descend. To the First Trial Floor, we must climb"
Noah placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, locking eyes with him.
"Listen to me, Adam." His voice was low, urgent. "Never trust anything inside the Pillar. Never."
Adam's breath hitched.
"Don't believe what you see. Don't believe what you hear. Reject the lies."
Adam swallowed, his fingers curling into fists.
"After that," Noah continued, "find me. Follow me. And we'll survive."
The void around them shuddered.
Light erupted from all directions, blinding them—
And then darkness.