> [Deploying Clone No.2 – Sync Rate: 92%]
[Mission: Solo Clear – B-Rank Dungeon / Type: Forgotten Cathedral]
[Objective: Observe dungeon shifts linked to Tower Resonance]
---
The clone's eyes fluttered open beneath a shattered stained glass ceiling. The colors of broken glass scattered over cracked marble floors, a mosaic of broken light and shadow.
The ancient cathedral was a ruin of forgotten faiths. The scent of dust and mana corruption hung thick in the air, mingling with faint whispers that seemed to crawl from the darkness itself. Shadows flickered like restless spirits, shifting between toppled pillars and shattered pews.
Rael's clone moved silently, aura suppressed to near invisibility. Even so, the cathedral's twisted magic stirred uneasily at his presence.
---
From the shadows, ghastly figures emerged—Ghoul Paladins, armored in rusted plate, and Wailing Priests, faces twisted in eternal lament. Their hollow eyes glimmered with corrupted mana.
They charged without hesitation, ancient hatred burning bright.
But Rael's clone was no ordinary intruder.
He danced between strikes, blade flashing cold and precise.
> [Skill Used: Phantom Edge]
[Critical Hit ×5]
[Monsters Eliminated: 11]
Each enemy fell like a broken statue, their corrupted forms shattering beneath the relentless onslaught.
---
The clone moved deeper into the cathedral's heart, senses alert.
The altar loomed ahead, cracked and draped in faded banners. There, bathed in cold light, stood the true challenge—a woman clad in crimson armor, her halberd resting casually on her shoulder.
Her gaze was sharp, piercing through the dimness, and yet there was a strange familiarity in her eyes.
Rael's clone's internal scan activated.
> [Scan Initiated]
[Name: Aeris Talvora]
[Rank: A]
[Affiliation: Crimson Dawn Guild]
[Status: Tower Returnee – 68%]
[Connection: Former Ally / Participated in MC's Death]
---
Memories surged forward like a violent storm—Aeris's face, the betrayal, the final battle where Rael fell, the cold silence that followed.
Aeris's voice trembled as she stepped forward, halberd ready but unsure.
"You…" she whispered, eyes wide. "You shouldn't be here. You died."
Rael's clone said nothing. The cold stillness of his gaze met hers, a mirror of pain and resolve.
"I tried to stop it," she admitted, voice breaking. "I didn't want it to happen that way. You have to believe me."
Her grip on the halberd tightened. "But I hesitated. And that hesitation was enough."
The clone's voice was cold and unyielding. "You hesitated. That was your choice."
---
The silence grew heavy, charged with unspoken accusations and old wounds.
Aeris lifted her weapon. "If you're really him, the Tower will hunt you. I can't risk you falling into the wrong hands."
Rael's clone's aura flared—a ripple of power shaking dust from the crumbling ceiling.
"You've grown stronger," Aeris said, voice barely hiding fear.
"No," he replied quietly, "You've grown weak."
In a flash, he closed the distance between them.
---
The battle was brutal and swift.
Aeris fought with precision and desperation, every strike honed by regret and guilt.
But Rael had battled gods. His power was beyond hers.
His blade stopped an inch from her throat.
"I don't want your death yet," he whispered. "But remember this moment."
He leaned close, voice like a promise of storms to come.
"Next time… I won't hold back."
---
> [Clone Recall Activated]
[Memory Syncing with Original Body…]
---
Back in his apartment, Rael opened his eyes.
Selene stood by the window, pale moonlight casting a ghostly glow over her features.
"You saw her?" she asked softly.
"Aeris," he said.
Selene's expression remained unreadable. "Will you kill her?"
Rael looked down at his hand, still trembling slightly from holding back.
"Eventually."
He met Selene's steady gaze, voice low but certain.
"But not until she learns what fear truly means."
---
Rael's thoughts drifted back to the Tower—the endless climb, the betrayals, the friends lost and found.
He clenched his fist.
The Tower was changing. The cracks Selene had spoken of were spreading.
And soon, the game would change forever.