Ascendant of Shadows: The Monarch and The Eminence

The world, for the most part, moved on. The "Tumbling Twosome" incident became a legendary piece of academy folklore, a cautionary tale about how even god-like power couldn't save you from a moment of profound, public humiliation. This new reputation served as an even better shield than fear had. Jin-woo and Cid could now move about their lives with relative freedom, wrapped in a comfortable cloak of perceived weirdness.

But for the four people who had stepped outside of reality, peace was a temporary state. Alpha's report of the new energy signature was a stone cast into a still pond, and the ripples were expanding rapidly.

The location was the Great Sand Sea of Azmar, a vast, uninhabited desert on the farthest continent from the Midgar Kingdom. It was a place of myths, said to be so large and so desolate that not even dragons dared to cross it. And in its very center, something new had appeared.

In the Mitsugoshi penthouse, the team gathered around a magical projection showing the satellite image. It displayed a single, anomalous point in the endless sea of sand.

"The energy is stable," Alpha reported, her brow furrowed in concentration. "It's not expanding or fluctuating like a Weaver's presence. It feels... passive. Like a landmark."

"A new dungeon?" Zeta guessed, her hand resting on one of her daggers.

"The energy signature is wrong," Jin-woo countered, his senses reaching out across the globe, focusing on the distant point. "Dungeons in this world, Gates in mine—they are tears, wounds in reality. This feels... intentional. Placed. Like a piece being set on a board."

The decision was unanimous. They had to investigate.

The journey would be long and arduous by normal means. A trip to the Azmar desert would take months by ship and caravan.

For them, it would take less than a minute.

"Drone 001, lock onto the energy signature," Jin-woo commanded. "Prepare for gateway transit."

This time, only the core team would go: Jin-woo and Cid. Alpha and the others were needed in Midgar to manage the kingdom, maintain their cover, and continue monitoring for other threats.

In a secure, subterranean chamber beneath the department store, the subjugated Weaver Drone whirred to life. Fueled by a sliver of Jin-woo's power, it opened a stable, shimmering portal. Through it, they could see not sand, but a blinding, sun-drenched sky.

The two of them stepped through.

The heat hit them first. It was a dry, blistering heat, a stark contrast to the temperate climate of Midgar. They stood on a dune of fine, golden sand that stretched to an infinite horizon in every direction. The sky above was a brilliant, cloudless blue.

And in the center of it all, perhaps a mile away, stood the source of the energy.

It was a tower.

But it was unlike any tower they had ever seen. It was not made of stone or metal. It seemed to be constructed from pure, solidified starlight, a pillar of shimmering, opalescent energy that reached so high it seemed to pierce the heavens. It pulsed with a gentle, rhythmic light, radiating an aura that was ancient, powerful, and utterly neutral.

As they began to walk towards the tower, they noticed something else. The sand around its base was littered with... objects. Weapons, mostly. Shattered swords, splintered spears, broken shields. The remnants of countless battles.

"Others have been here," Jin-woo observed, picking up the hilt of a greatsword that had been turned to rust. "And they failed."

They reached the base of the tower. There was no door, no visible entrance. The shimmering, star-like walls were smooth and seamless. In front of where a door should be, a single, knee-high stone plinth stood, a series of glowing runes carved into its surface.

Cid, with his encyclopedic knowledge of fabricated ancient lore, recognized the style instantly. "These runes... they are not of this world. They are written in the 'language of beginnings'... the Author King's own script."

Cid traced the glowing lines with his finger. "It says... 'The Tower of Trials. A test for those with stories yet unwritten.' It speaks of a challenge. A series of trials, one on each floor. Those who reach the top shall be granted a single 'boon'—a gift from the Author himself, tailored to the victor's soul."

"So how do we enter?" Jin-woo asked aloud.

"The inscription has a final line," Cid said, a grin spreading across his face. "'To begin the trial, present a worthy purpose'." He looked at Jin-woo. "It's asking for our motivation. Our reason for climbing."

Jin-woo was silent for a moment. His purpose? To protect his worlds. To grow stronger to face the new threats he knew were coming. It was a simple, honest, and powerful motivation.

Cid's purpose was, of course, far more complex. To find the ultimate stage? To become the perfect Eminence in Shadow? To star in the most epic story ever told?

Before either of them could speak, the tower itself seemed to respond to their very presence. The wall in front of them shimmered and became translucent, forming a glowing archway. They hadn't needed to speak their purpose aloud. The Tower, a construct of the Author King, had simply... read them. It had seen the two "protagonists" arrive and had opened its doors.

They stepped through the archway and into the tower's ground floor.

The interior was a vast, empty chamber made of the same starlight material. In the center of the room, a single figure stood waiting for them.

It was a golem, but one of exquisite craftsmanship. It was humanoid, about seven feet tall, and forged from a shimmering, silver-blue metal that seemed to flow like liquid. It held no weapon. Its face was a smooth, featureless mask.

A new set of runes glowed on the far wall. Cid translated instantly. "'First Trial: The Trial of Self. Defeat the reflection of your own potential'."

As he spoke, the golem's featureless face shimmered. It began to morph, to reshape itself. One half of its face reformed into a perfect, metallic copy of Sung Jin-woo's stoic, determined features. The other half reformed into a perfect copy of Cid Kagenou's cool, confident smirk.

The golem's body split down the middle. One half of its liquid-metal form began to emanate the cold, sovereign aura of the Shadow Monarch. The other half began to radiate the chaotic, bottomless potential of the Eminence in Shadow.

It had become a perfect fusion of the two of them. A reflection of their combined power.

The golem raised its hands. From one, a blade of pure shadow formed. From the other, a blade of solidified, chaotic slime appeared.

It looked at them, its head tilted, and spoke with two perfectly synchronized voices—one the calm baritone of Jin-woo, the other the confident tenor of Cid.

"Show us," the golem said, its dual voice echoing in the chamber, "if you are worthy of your own story."

The first trial had begun. They had to fight themselves.