"Those without crowns must carve their thrones from ruin."— Inscription on Floor 42's gateway.
The stair to Floor 42 curved like a serpent, coiling around a shaft of hollowed crystal. Kael stepped lightly, while Tirien walked slower, her gloved fingers trailing the curved wall.
He could tell something stirred in her.
"I saw it too," she said softly."My past."
Kael nodded, waiting.
Fifteen Years Ago — The Black Marches
In the barren slums of the Black Marches, Tirien was born nameless.
Her first memory wasn't of warmth or laughter—but of fire. Not the good kind. Not campfire stories or hearthlight.
This was the fire of purges, of cleansing. The day the Crowned Mages torched her district for "illicit breeding of markborn children."
Her mother had marked blood—a trace of glyph-ink in her veins from a grandfather who defied the Arcanum Laws.
Tirien's eyes weren't fully human. They shimmered, silver-flecked when she felt fear.
That day, they glowed like molten stars.
A mage caught her, raised a brand.
"Another gutter-curse. End it."
But he didn't swing.
She did.
With a shard of roof-tile, a broken rib, and fire she didn't know she could conjure.
She killed him.
At six.
She ran, lived in tunnels beneath Rivenholt, stole bread and coin, grew lean and sharp.
By twelve, she joined the Red Knives—street mercs for hire. She was smart, fast, and cruel when needed. Not loyal. Not foolish.
Just surviving.
But she never forgot the fire. The brand. The words.
"End it."
So she made a vow:
"No crown will sit on me. I will not bow. I will cut the chain instead."
Present — Floor 42's Descent
The crystal hall turned to red sandstone as they descended.
Kael glanced over his shoulder. "You were trained?"
"Self-taught," Tirien said. "And I didn't have a system telling me what to do."
She smirked. He liked that about her.
Still sharp-edged. But she'd seen him falter before the Echo. She understood him now, more than before.
They walked into an arch of onyx bones.
Tower Alert
Floor 42: The Uncrowned Path
This floor recognizes only those who rule themselves.External buffs, system guides, and divine blessings are suspended.Your Titles are suppressed.
Survive the Trial of Ruleless Flame.
Only those without chains may pass.
Kael blinked.
"Even the system's silent here."
Tirien drew her twin knives.
"Good. I've had enough voices in my head."
The trial began not with monsters—but with a throne.
A high obsidian chair sat in the center of the arena. From it, spectral warriors emerged one by one. Each bore a crown—but no faces. Just hollowness beneath helm or hood.
They attacked without sound. No roars. No fury.
Just entitlement.
Kael fought with instinct. His blade met magic, steel, and shadows. But his Skills were dimmed. No notifications. No bonuses.
Just him.
Tirien fought too, knives moving like memory. For every faceless king that fell, another rose.
Until finally, one sat on the throne.
"You've both lived without crowns," it said in a voice of many."Then why do you seek the Tower's peak?"
Kael hesitated.
Tirien didn't.
"To break it."
The throne cracked.
Tower Notification:
Trial of Ruleless Flame — Complete
+200 XP
+Rare Passive Unlocked: Will of the Chainless I
When fighting enemies with status or divine titles, gain +10% resistance to crowd control effects.
+Tirien Bond Deepened
Hidden Trait Activated: Bloodmark Memory
The path to Floor 43 opened—glass stairs stretching upward.
But Kael lingered at the broken throne.
He touched the cracked armrest.
"You didn't kill your past," he said to Tirien."You built on it."
She nodded. "You should try it sometime."
He smiled.
Then they climbed.
Kael's Status – End of Chapter 15
Level: 22
XP: 940 / 1050
New Skill Gained:Will of the Chainless I (Passive)
System Title Bonuses: Suppressed on Floor 42 but return in effect from Floor 43 onward