The next day arrived swiftly, and the moment the gates to the Infinity Tower opened, Asher and the four women split up, each heading to their designated entry point.
Asher stood before a wide, rune-etched gateway suspended in a circular platform of floating obsidian. Light drifted around him in soft spirals, pulsing in rhythm with the tower's breath. At this location—the one assigned specifically to him—no one else was allowed. Not even his companions could step in with him. He was alone.
He took one last glance behind him at the city skyline, then turned to face the gate. The faint words "Floor 200" glowed across its surface—the last floor he had reached in his previous ascent. The floor where he had stopped.
His crimson eyes narrowed. "No more holding back."
Asher raised his hand and placed it on the glowing sigil. The gate pulsed. It recognized him. Accepted him.
The tower shimmered, and then—
He stepped through.
