The Tower of Emnu

Aaron awoke spluttering and coughing and fell to his knees. Terror and panic ran through his veins as he grabbed at his face.

He had two hands. His arm was still there and he was naked. His armor was gone, his weapons, even his injuries.

Everything just was gone like it had never been.

Shaking he looked around and found himself in a small room that looked like a modern artwork. Lines and scriptures ran along every wall, the floor and the ceiling forming circles and ever expanding mysterious formations. They gently thrummed with energy and he was alone in the room besides a floating light in the middle of it all, illuminating everything.

"Congratulations Aspirant, you have bested 53 foes and are on the top 10 of all humans without abilities of all time on the leader-board of the Hall of Illusions." the female voice of the "Spirit" said with a slight snark.

"Not bad for a human."

Aaron swallowed and got to his feet, looking back he could see the opening leading to the Room he had woken up. Had he not moved at all and just stood there in the entrance?

"That...all of that was an illusion?" he asked with shuddering breath, remembering the teeth that had crushed his skull.

"Yes, but you did actually kill the Knight, he was another aspirant, but much more boring than you."

"So I could have died to him."

"Yes."

"But not to anyone else in the Illusion."

"No."

"Well thanks for telling me that, that makes me feel loads better." he said sarcastically and sat down on the floor.

"What now?" he asked after a while.

"Now you get to choose your reward and ask any questions you have. Unlike Golem, I am more than capable to answer any questions you may have."

Aaron swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"Am I dead?"

"You are alive now, but you died on your world, yes."

"How? How is that possible?"

"The void is mysterious, few arch mages ever get in contact with it. But our Lord Emnu is a master of summoning. He is the greatest man to ever live. He was a natural born magical genius and it is an honor for every lesser being like us to serve his every whim." the female voice said with fervent belief and conviction.

"That did not answer my question." Aaron said carefully.

"Your soul was summoned into a new body made after the image of your soul. It is very complicated and impossible for anyone but Emnu himself."

"Okay, why was I summoned, brought back to life?"

"To serve Emnu of course."

Aaron frowned. He would serve no man but himself. But he could not really tell that to this fanatical voice now could he? She talked about this Emnu guy like he was a god. And hell maybe he was a god if he could bring back the dead. What exactly was she anyways?

"What exactly are you and how exactly am I supposed to serve him?" he asked wearily.

The word serve was not more than a snarl.

"I am a spirit, mortal, immortal and beautiful, far beyond mortal understanding. You will serve Lord Emnu as a death soldier most likely. You will be trained and once you ascended the tower you will be transported to one of the battlefields to kill his enemies and die in his service."

Aaron scowled openly now.

"That does not sound very appealing to me."

The spirit gasped.

"How dare you! It is an honor to die for Lord Emnu! But oh well, yes there are other ways. Should you prove yourself worthy and survive long enough you might become a general or even gain your freedom. Such a thing is not unheard of."

"Okay...how do I do that?"

She snorted.

"By being stronger than anyone else in the Tower and then on the battlefield."

"Who are we even fighting?" Aaron asked, feeling a headache coming. This was all too much. He was supposed to fight like some summoned minion for some half crazy god?

"The other forces of the Multiverse." she said with audible disgust.

"The Multiverse?"

"The Multiverse is the name for any known and unknown dimension and parallel universes. There are hypothetically infinite parallel dimensions so rejoice you will have the chance to conquer no matter how well our Lords conquest goes."

"Yay." Aaron said tiredly.

"You should be thankful you know, once the void has you in its grasp your soul disappears forever. This is a chance of a new life and from your state of knowledge, your soul came from a primitive backwater."

"Yeah, a primitive backwater with m16s and nukes. Keep talking spirit."

"Any novice magician can make a shield that can neutralize a nuclear bomb. Children are born strong enough to shrug one such over sized fireball off in their cradle. You have not the slightest idea how weak you really are.

Do you think you are strong? You are a human without any abilities. Your only saving grace is that humans can learn, can change, otherwise you would forever be weak and insignificant like an insect." The spirit ranted with fury.

Aaron raised his hands in defeat. If the spirit said the truth, then all of this was really a world of super humans. Hell he had just fought in a life like illusion for hours. Magic was real, or it was technology so advanced it was basically magic anyways to him.

"Okay, I understand. So how do I get that strong? How do I climb the tower?"

"By choosing a path of course. Considering your excellent performance, for a human, you have 3 options."

The spirit floated over to him and 3 transparent images formed underneath it.

"The first path, the most common path is the path of augmentation. You will become a Vessel and a spirit will be implanted into you and it will guide and reforge your body, give you access to classes and improve your abilities."

"A spirit like you?" Aaron asked with a slight smile.

"Me?! I am far too noble and powerful to bond with a mere human. If you were a Master, maybe, but an Aspirant? Unthinkable.

You would be given a new born spirit, but considering your exploits it would give you a good class with high attribute gains."

"Attribute gains, classes? Like in a game?"

"Yes, some of you humans call it an RPG, but really what is happening on a deeper spiritual level is nothing game like. Your very essence gets improved by a noble spirit." Her light flared and ebbed away when the spirit was emotional. Aaron noticed it just now, but it gave the disembodied light more character.

"How do you even know about things from my world?" Aaron asked wearily and really hoped it could not read his thoughts.

The spirit snorted.

"You are not the first from your World to be summoned and we have intricate dossiers on every world that comes within the spherical alignment between dimensions and is as such eligible for Summoning."

"Wait I am in a different dimension? And there are other people from earth?"

"Yes, is that so hard to believe? Your world is one of 15 that have had some contact to the Sub-Dimension this tower resides in."

Aaron let that sink in. Apparently he was not the first to end up here. But that was not really important now.

"Okay, that’s one option, whats the other two?" he said.

"The second option is the path of magic. You will follow in Emnu’s footsteps and embark on a journey of magical prowess. Magic will enable you to do anything imaginable, there are no limits like with augmentation. But it is far more reliant on yourself. Finding the right path to form spells and gather mana to amplify your prowess, it is the most noble path. A path that eventually leads to immortality, should one ascend beyond arch-mage. Then you will be able to channel the very energy of the Multiverse yourself."

Aaron was impressed, but it seemed far more dangerous to embark on this path. It sounded like a classical magic path, but how that lead to immortality he could not really understand. Still it was enticing, the prospect of creating spells, shooting fire balls from his fingertips... and this tower had been created through magic after all.

"And the third path?"

The spirits light flared and she snorted.

"The path of the enemy. The disgusting dregs who dare to ignore mana, the most pure path to ascension. Instead they try to channel the energy of the Multiverse from the start, in their own bodies. The foolishness. The Gall. They are so weak because they can't access the mana around them and need to channel it through their bodies. It is inferior, it is the worst path. No sane being should ever pick it."

Aaron snorted, the visceral disgust was a very human emotion for a being of light that called itself spirit. He carefully thought it through though. Why did she have such a reaction to it?

Was it to prevent or to goad him into picking this option?

"The path of the enemy? If it is so weak, then how could they be a challenge to Emnu?" he asked eventually.

The spirits light dimmed and it almost sounded like she was pouting.

"Well, channeling the energy of the Multiverse extends their lives from the start and eventually, after centuries they become quite powerful. But before that they are vastly inferior."

"Mhmmm, then why offer it?"

"Emnu in his wisdom offers it to the most talented in case he needs some...infiltrators. Not because the path is good. Only the most talented can make something out of themselves with that path.

Do not pick it, you have no chance with it!"

Aaron frowned. Her rejection of this path made him weary of her. He actually wanted to pick this path more because of her rejection, it was paradoxical, but maybe she was trying to manipulate him?

"After choosing a path I can't pick another?"

"No, once started on a path they are contradictory to each other."

"So the first is augmentation through a spirit. Becoming a Vessel.

The second is Ascension through Magic and the third?"

"They call it Cultivation. As if they could cultivate the very energy of the cosmos. The height of folly."

Aaron had read some cultivation stories. He was at least somewhat familiar with the genre. But that it actually existed was beyond his expectation. Then again, magic existed as well. So he thought about his options.

Cultivation and her vehement denial of the path made him want to pick it, but he was still tempted to pick the first.

LitRPG powers were usually very powerful in stories and the second path seemed too theoretical for him.

He did not understand half what the Spirit had said, if he was honest. He had no reference point to begin with. The only hint so far was, that at the highest level of achievement Mages did something similar to what the Cultivators did from the start.

"So, let me get this straight. Picking Augmentation is the quickest way to power, but it doesn't change much about you right?"

"Correct, Augmentation will not turn you into a being that can transcend mortality, but you would gain power quickly and it would help your survive. As well as help the spirit mature."

"Wait, wait wait. Mature? Are you telling me we are just some sort of incubation chamber for you spirits?

Vessels, its actually in the name." Aaron grunted in disgust.

The light of the spirit flickered erratically for a few moments.

"Of course not, its a genuine path to power. Most soldiers in Lord Emnu's army are Vessels." but her voice sounded strained.

Yeah fuck the first path.

"The second path sounds quite harsh for someone like me who does not even know what mana even is." he probed.

"Obviously for someone like you, it is impossible to emulate Lord Emnu's prowess. But the Magicians are the officers, are the generals, they are who change the fortune of war. You might even one day become Lord Emnu's disciple. A greater honor is impossible to get in the multiverse."

Aaron nodded gravely, it sounded like a bunch of hogwash, but better than become a host for some spirit.

"The third path, it would make me an infiltrator?"

"At best." she said with disdain. "Yes, it will grant you a long lifespan and eventually you will be powerful, but who wants to spend a hundred years to gain power? You will never be an officer in the army as a Cultivator, that much I can promise you."

Aaron had watched some animes in his time. After all when he was not "working" or studying, he had nothing much to do. He knew more or less what people of earth thought cultivation was. Some eastern kung fu stuff where people could fly and punch through rocks and stuff. It did sound interesting, but if he believed the spirit, magic was far superior. But this spirit was suspicious from the start. It was evasive and way too fanatical in its belief of Emnu. And it did sound like magic only reached what cultivation did at the very pinnacle of the art. Yeah he had decided.

Even if the spirit was manipulating him, he could only rely on the information he had and that information was clear.

"Hundreds of years you say? Well If I can serve as an infiltrator to Lord Emnu that would be an honor." he said with a smile.

The spirit froze.

“Are you certain? The path of mana and magic is the best, let me promise you. It will be a pleasant path to power. And should you pick augmentation, I will make certain you gain a powerful spirit giving you strength beyond all others. Being a cultivator is folly. You have to embrace the filthy doctrine of the enemy. It will tarnish your soul."

But the more the spirit tried to dissuade Aaron, the more he was certain it was the right answer.

If they were the enemy, then gaining their power could make him powerful enough to even stand up to this Emnu, right? If it took a long time, then why not? A long life sounded grand for someone who had died in his mid thirties.

"I choose the third path. Cultivation." he said seriously.

The spirit sounded enraged and her light was way too bright for a moment.

"You will regret this decision. You will die worthlessly, like most cultivators do. Now go to the end of the corridor and choose the right door. I do not feel like answering any more questions, you massive fool."

Aaron snorted dismissively and walked over to the end of the room where three doors had opened. The left one was grand and imposing, wisps of light fluttering around it, like miniature spirits.

The one in the middle was even more impressive.

Streams of liquid power that thrummed in Aaron’s chest flowed around the door made out of gleaming silver and gold.

The right corridor was simple, made with stone and entirely unadorned. With a smile on his face Aaron entered the unassuming corridor.