The ancient chamber beneath the library trembled, dust cascading from the stone arches as another wave of unmaking pulsed through the city above. Kaelen watched as the four Anomalies exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them. There was tension in the air, an undercurrent of disagreement that he couldn't quite decipher."The harbinger theory is premature," Thorne said finally, his amber eyes fixed on Vex. "We need more evidence before making such... dramatic assertions."
"The harbinger theory is premature," Thorne said finally, his amber eyes fixed on Vex. "We need more evidence before making such... dramatic assertions."
"The texts are clear," Vex insisted, their silver gaze unwavering. "A transmigrated consciousness at the moment of unmaking. The Tower's direct acknowledgment. The accelerated consumption abilities. All signs point to—"
"Speculation," Dr. Voss interrupted, her tone clinical but firm. "Fascinating speculation, certainly, but we must remain empirical." She turned to Kaelen, her sapphire eyes analytical. "Your experience with consumption is unique among us. The speed of your adaptation, the intensity of your hunger... it suggests a different relationship with the entropic energies."
Kaelen shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. The crystallized fragment Roland had given him had dulled the hunger, but he could still feel it lurking beneath the surface, a patient predator waiting for its moment. "I don't understand what any of this means," he admitted. "Harbinger? Vessel? I just want to know what's happening to me, to this world."
"Fair enough," Thorne conceded, moving to a table covered in maps and diagrams. "Let's start with what we know for certain." He gestured for Kaelen to join him. "The Tower appeared three days ago, though as I mentioned, time has become somewhat... flexible since then. Its emergence coincided with the beginning of the unmaking—the dissolution of reality as we understand it."
"But not a complete dissolution," Dr. Voss added, joining them at the table. "Rather, a transformation. The entropic energies aren't simply destroying; they're... reconfiguring. The laws of physics, the very fabric of reality, are being rewritten."
Roland, who had been standing guard near the tunnel entrance, grunted. "Doesn't matter what you call it. People are dying. Being erased or twisted into those... things." His green eyes flashed with barely contained anger. "And we're hiding in a hole, theorizing."
"Understanding is our only hope for survival," Thorne replied, his tone sharpening. "Or would you prefer we charge blindly into the Tower, weapons blazing? How well did that work for Captain Mercer and his men?"
Roland's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, turning back to his vigil. Kaelen sensed an old wound there, a history of conflict between the academic and the former guard.
"What happened to Captain Mercer?" Kaelen asked, drawn to the tension.
Dr. Voss sighed. "A military response was attempted during the first day of the unmaking. Captain Mercer led a squadron of the Imperial Guard to the Tower, intent on... neutralizing it." Her clinical detachment faltered slightly. "None returned. At least, not as themselves. Some of the creatures you encountered in the plaza... they wore fragments of military uniforms."
The implication sent a chill through Kaelen. Those twisted predators had once been soldiers, men and women attempting to protect the city. "And you think understanding the Tower will prevent the same fate for us?"
"Knowledge is power," Thorne said simply. "The Tower is changing us, yes, but it's also... communicating. Through the transformed texts, through direct impressions like the whispers you heard. It's testing us, evaluating our potential."
"Potential for what?" Kaelen pressed, echoing his earlier question.
Vex, who had been silent since their exchange with Thorne, spoke again. "Ascension. Transcendence. Evolution." Their silver eyes seemed to look through Kaelen rather than at him. "The becoming is not just destruction. It is rebirth."
"That's one interpretation," Dr. Voss said carefully. "Another is that we're being weaponized. Transformed into tools or vessels for whatever intelligence controls the Tower."
The hunger within Kaelen stirred at this, a resonance that felt uncomfortably like agreement. He remembered the strange sensation when he'd consumed Marcus, the feeling of becoming a vessel for something else. "And what do you think is controlling the Tower?"
Another exchange of glances between the four Anomalies. This time, it was Roland who answered, his deep voice grave. "Something old. Something that existed before our reality, maybe. The texts call it different things. The Entropic Entity. The Unmaker. The Crimson King."
"Poetic names for a phenomenon we barely understand," Thorne interjected, though Kaelen noticed a flicker of unease in his amber eyes. "What matters is that the Tower is a conduit, a bridge between realities. And we, the Anomalies, are being transformed into... compatible forms."
Kaelen absorbed this, his scholar's mind racing. "Compatible for what purpose? Invasion? Colonization?"
"Perhaps," Dr. Voss acknowledged. "Or perhaps something more complex. Symbiosis. Merger. A new form of existence altogether."
The chamber trembled again, more violently this time. Dust and small fragments of stone rained down from the ceiling. The unmaking was intensifying, the pulses coming more frequently.
"We're running out of time for theories," Roland growled, steadying himself against the wall. "The safe zones are shrinking. Soon, there won't be anywhere left to hide."
Thorne nodded reluctantly. "Roland's right about that, at least. We need to accelerate our research." He turned to Kaelen. "Which is where you come in. Your unique nature, your connection to the Tower... you might be able to access areas, information, that have been closed to us."
"You want me to go back out there?" Kaelen asked, incredulous. "Into that chaos?"
"Not alone," Dr. Voss assured him. "We've developed methods for navigating the entropic zones safely. Pathways where reality remains relatively stable. And with your consumption abilities, you'd have a distinct advantage against any threats."
The hunger pulsed again, eager at the prospect. Kaelen fought it down, disturbed by its growing influence over his thoughts. "What exactly would I be looking for?"
"There's a structure in the Old Quarter," Thorne explained, pointing to a location on one of the maps. "A museum of antiquities. Before the unmaking, it housed artifacts from ancient civilizations, including texts that referenced phenomena similar to what we're experiencing now. We attempted to reach it earlier, but the entropic distortions were too severe."
"But now that the unmaking has progressed," Dr. Voss continued, "those distortions might have stabilized into new patterns. Patterns that you, with your enhanced perception, might be able to navigate."
Kaelen studied the map, noting the museum's proximity to the Tower. It would be a dangerous journey, through the heart of the entropic zone. "And you think these ancient texts might explain what's happening? Why the Tower appeared?"
"It's our best lead," Thorne said. "The transformed books here have given us fragments, but we need more. The museum's collection included tablets from the Pre-Imperial Era, when similar entropic events were recorded. If we can understand how those events were resolved..."
"If they were resolved," Roland muttered.
Vex, who had been studying Kaelen with unsettling intensity, spoke again. "The harbinger will find more than texts. The Tower guides. The Tower reveals." Their silver eyes seemed to glow brighter. "The seed of change must be planted in fertile ground."
Dr. Voss shot Vex a warning look. "What our colleague means is that your unique connection to the Tower might reveal insights beyond what's written in the texts. Your instincts may guide you to what we need."
Kaelen wasn't convinced. The cryptic statements, the tension between the Anomalies, the convenient timing of their need for his abilities... it all felt orchestrated, manipulative. But what choice did he have? These were the only other beings he'd encountered who hadn't been reduced to mindless predators or dissolved into nothingness. And if there were answers to be found, if there was any hope of understanding what he was becoming...
"I'll need more of those crystallized fragments," he said finally. "To manage the hunger."
Relief flickered across Thorne's features, quickly masked by scholarly detachment. "Of course. Dr. Voss has refined the stabilization process. The fragments should provide sustained satiation, though they lack the... potency of direct consumption."
"And I won't be going alone," Kaelen added, making it a statement rather than a question.
Another exchange of glances. "I'll accompany you," Roland said, surprising Kaelen. "I know the Old Quarter better than anyone. Was stationed there before... all this."
Thorne nodded, though Kaelen detected a hint of calculation in his amber eyes. "A wise choice. Roland's combat experience will be valuable, and his consumption abilities are the most... controlled among us."
"Meaning?" Kaelen asked.
"Meaning I don't enjoy it," Roland said bluntly. "The hunger. The consumption. I feed because I must, not because I crave it." His green eyes fixed on Kaelen, challenging. "Can you say the same?"
The hunger within Kaelen stirred again, an uncomfortable answer in itself. "I'm learning to control it," he said, not entirely convinced of his own words.
"You'll need to," Roland replied grimly. "The museum is in the heart of the hunting grounds. The twisted ones gather there, drawn to the entropic nexus. And they're not the only danger."
"The environment itself is hostile," Dr. Voss explained. "Reality is thin there, malleable. Perceptions can't be trusted. Physical laws operate... differently. You'll need to rely on each other to maintain your grip on sanity."
Kaelen absorbed this, weighing the risks against the potential rewards. Knowledge. Understanding. Perhaps even a way to stop the unmaking, to save what remained of this world. Or at least to understand his own transformation, to find purpose in the chaos.
"When do we leave?" he asked.
"Dawn," Thorne replied. "Or what passes for it now. The crimson moon will be at its nadir, the entropic energies slightly less volatile. You should rest until then, conserve your strength." He gestured to a small alcove where bedrolls had been arranged. "We've prepared quarters for you."
Kaelen nodded, suddenly aware of the bone-deep exhaustion that had been building since his awakening in Klein Moretti's body. How long had it been? Hours? Days? Time had lost all meaning in the chaos of the unmaking.
As the others dispersed to their own preparations, Vex approached Kaelen, their movements fluid and unsettling. "The harbinger walks between worlds," they whispered, their silver eyes intense. "Neither of the old nor fully of the new. The Tower has marked you, but not claimed you. Remember this when the hunger speaks with another's voice."
Before Kaelen could respond, Vex drifted away, leaving him with a fresh chill of unease. The cryptic warning—if it was a warning—echoed in his mind as he made his way to the alcove. He lay down on one of the bedrolls, the revolver and the notebook from Klein's room still with him, tangible links to his strange arrival in this dying world.
Sleep came surprisingly quickly, but it brought no peace. His dreams were a kaleidoscope of horror and transformation. The crimson moon, watching with malevolent intelligence. The Bleeding Tower, pulsing with dark purpose. And himself, consuming, changing, becoming something that was no longer human, no longer Klein or Kaelen, but something new and terrible.
He awoke with a gasp, the hunger a gnawing void within him. Roland stood nearby, his green eyes glowing in the dim light of the chamber. "Time to go," the former guard said, offering Kaelen a small pouch. "Your fragments. Use them sparingly. They're all that stands between you and becoming like the twisted ones."
Kaelen took the pouch, feeling the entropic energy pulsing within the crystallized fragments. A temporary solution, a bandage over the gaping wound of his transformation. But it would have to do.
As they prepared to depart, gathering supplies and weapons, Kaelen noticed the continuing tension between the Anomalies. Thorne and Dr. Voss spoke in hushed tones, their glowing eyes darting occasionally to Vex, who stood apart, watching with that same unsettling intensity. Roland seemed oblivious, or perhaps deliberately ignorant, focused entirely on the practical aspects of their mission.
"Something's not right here," Kaelen murmured to Roland as they checked their equipment. "They're not telling us everything."
Roland grunted. "Of course they're not. Academics never do. Always holding back, playing their games of knowledge and power." He secured a makeshift bandolier of crystallized fragments across his chest. "Doesn't matter. We need what's in that museum, and they need us to get it. Simple transaction."
But Kaelen wasn't convinced it was that simple. The hunger within him, the void that demanded to be filled, resonated with something deeper, something connected to the Tower and its purpose. And Vex's warning about "another's voice" lingered, a disquieting premonition.
As they prepared to enter the tunnel that would lead them back to the surface, back into the heart of the unmaking, Kaelen couldn't shake the feeling that he was being guided along a predetermined path. That his arrival in this dying world, his transformation into an Anomaly, his meeting with Thorne and the others... none of it was coincidence.
The Tower was watching. Waiting. And the hunger within him was its voice, calling him ever closer to his becoming.