"Every crown on this floor was earned.
And every neck beneath it broke."— Tower engraving, Floor 49
The climb from Floor 48 had been quiet.
But when Kael and Tirien stepped into Floor 49, they were greeted by the sound of metal dragging against stone. Not footsteps. Not breathing. Just crowns—dozens of them—being pulled across the floor.
And ahead of them, a staircase.
A spiraling ascent of gold, bone, and glass. Each step decorated with a crown, hollow and cracked. Hundreds of them, resting like failed ambitions.
Tower Notification:
Floor 49 – The Stair of Hollow Crowns
Trial: Climb the stair. But with every step, bear a crown.
Each crown holds the burden of its fallen wearer. Resist the weight, or fall.
Optional Bonus: Reach the 100th step without setting a crown down. (+300 XP)
Kael stepped closer to the first crown. It was plain, iron-forged, dented.
When he picked it up, his knees buckled.
"My people starved while I gilded my walls."
A voice—not his. Not the Tower's. But the king who once wore the crown.
Step 1 – Hunger's Lie
Kael straightened. The weight wasn't physical—it was regret. Memory made solid.
He stepped onto the first stair.
The crown whispered, faded.
Tirien followed, picking her own—a silver circlet. Her face went pale as she gritted her teeth and stepped forward.
"They get heavier."
Kael nodded. "Keep moving."
Step 25 – Madness of the Prophet-King
By the 25th step, Kael carried three crowns—each adding more voices, more burden. One had executed children for dreaming of rebellion. Another had drowned a city in wine before letting it burn.
Kael's Willpower stat burned like a fuse inside him.
"Why do I feel their crimes like they're mine?" he gasped.
Tirien: "Because on this floor, to wear a crown is to accept everything it stood for."
Step 50 – The Burning Queen's Wreath
The crown Kael chose here was still warm. Gilded in obsidian and lined with velvet ash.
"I burned every forest for my empire. I never saw a tree again."
Kael faltered. His arms trembled. The voices surged.
"You will be like us."
But Kael focused. On his own crown—invisible, unclaimed.He had never ruled a kingdom. Never wanted to.But every floor of this Tower was giving him power—and power could always rot.
"I'm not here for a throne," he growled. "I climb to break the ones built on bones."
The crown flickered.
And lightened.
Step 100 – Crown of Silence
The last crown had no weight.Because its king had never spoken.Never led.Never made a single decision.
And the world died in his silence.
Kael placed it on his head.
And stepped.
Tower Notification:
Trial Complete – Stair of Hollow Crowns
+400 XP (100th step + burden carried without dropping)
New Title Earned: "Uncrowned Heir"
You may command lesser Tower dwellers who recognize ambition but not legacy.+1 to Willpower and Memory while resisting legacy-based effects.
Kael's legs gave out.
Tirien helped him to his feet. She was pale. Her crowns had whispered truths about her past—and her lost family's own mistakes.
They climbed the final step together.
Ahead, the entrance to Floor 50.
Kael's Status
Level: 25
XP: 340 + 400 = 740 / 1550 XP(Still below level-up threshold)
New Title:Uncrowned Heir
Can command Tower entities drawn to ambition
+1 Willpower and Memory vs legacy-based effects
Mental State: Shaken but stable
Tirien Bond: Tested and unbroken