The climb from Floor 6 to Floor 8 was a blur of brutality and evolution.
With Zuvanox at his side—his loyal Pi Yao companion glowing faintly with black-gold majesty—SeTa pressed forward like a storm wrapped in silence. The low-tier trials he encountered were no match for the synergy he'd built between his growing arsenal of skills and the silent beast who could sniff out hidden treasures and secret pathways.
The trials themselves, though brutal, seemed more like assessments of his endurance and adaptation than genuine threats. He no longer needed to rely solely on brute force. Using Inception EX, he warped gravity in small areas to launch himself past enemies, disrupt trap mechanisms, or nullify the recoil of high-speed attacks. Veilstep had evolved to allow phased dodging, and even his normal perception had begun to stretch beyond the visible. He saw danger before it arrived, felt pressure in the air like whispers from the Tower itself.
He fought with growing elegance, learning from each encounter.
But then came Floor 9.
Unlike the previous floors, Floor 9 was unnaturally quiet—humid and heavy. A suffocating air clung to every breath, and the sky inside the pocket realm was choked with haze. Tower flora and ancient trees lined the floor's sprawling basin, hiding predators within a deep forest of bioluminescent fungi. In this strange biome, SeTa felt watched.
It didn't take long to understand why.
Trial of the Forgotten Hive.
The Tower's whisper confirmed it. The enemy was a collapsed civilization of mythical bees—once revered creatures whose honey had been a panacea in ancient eras. Exploited to the brink of extinction by greedy climbers and factions, their genes had regressed, devolving them into unstable, aggressive insects that now roamed like husks of a forgotten royalty.
He moved silently through their corrupted hive. Its architecture was haunting: twisted amber pillars, cracked hexagonal cells, and dried husks of ancient bees long dead. But among the ruin, there was life—a staggering amount of buzzing, confused, and violent creatures. Zuvanox snarled at the scent of something old.
The Hive Queen attacked without warning.
A monstrous beast, bloated with venom and rage. Her intelligence was fractured, devolved from generations of forced mutation. She fought like a berserker, tearing at reality with pheromone-laced shrieks. SeTa didn't confront her head-on. Instead, he used Inception EX to generate mental traps, layering illusions and false terrain. He danced between the queen's massive strikes, baiting her into crashing against her own walls.
But it wasn't the Queen that pulled his attention.
A golden thread appeared.
Not from the System—not from anything he consciously called.
It was like the subordination thread had activated on its own. This thread was yellow, radiant yet subtle, like it was trying not to be noticed. It shimmered in the ruined part of the hive, pointing not to a threat—but to a small, forgotten cell.
SeTa followed the thread.
And there, huddled behind layers of cracked amber, was the princess.
She was small—barely the size of a wolf pup. Her body was sleek with soft yellow chitin and faint silver fur along her limbs. Her eyes were wide, uncertain, reflecting confusion, trauma, and faint sparks of ancestral intelligence. She had four legs, thin arms, translucent wings tucked close, and a partly humanoid face marred by bruises and ash.
Zuvanox stood protectively at SeTa's side, not growling this time—but kneeling.
SeTa stepped closer. The golden thread pulsed.
"You're not meant to be here like this."
He extended a hand.
The princess trembled, skittered back, and hissed. But she didn't run. Her eyes latched onto the thread as if recognizing it.
"You're still a child… but you're not a mistake."
He activated Subordination.
It wasn't forced. The thread linked. A bond formed.
The system responded: Subordination Complete. New Beast Bound.
Name: Unknown Title: Descendant of Mythical Line Intelligence: Medium Evolution Potential: High Current Power Level: Sub-Bronze
SeTa stared at her for a long moment. He knew she couldn't speak, but the message was clear: save me.
He turned to Zuvanox.
"We'll protect her. We'll raise her… and she'll show them what a true Queen is."
The bee princess crawled into his shadow. Safe.