"Some truths cannot be fought. Only faced."— Carving on the walls of Floor 46
The stairs from Floor 45 ended in silence.
No wind. No system voice. No flames or illusions.
Just a narrow path of white stone, leading toward a single figure kneeling at the center of a shallow pool. The floor stretched on like a cathedral built from glass and breath.
Kael stepped forward. Tirien hesitated. "He's... not Tower-born."
Kael nodded. "He's a Guardian."
They had met one before—on Floor 30. Guardians weren't hostile unless the trial was failed. But this one felt different. He radiated stillness like a wall.
The man wore monk's robes faded by time and reflection. But instead of a face, a smooth silver mirror-mask covered his head.
As Kael approached, ripples spread across the water, but the monk didn't move.
Tower Notification:
Floor 46 – The Mirror-Worn Monk
Trial: Reflect the Truth. Break Nothing. Lie Not.
You will be shown memories twisted by regret. Speak only truth to pass. The mirror sees beneath thought.
Kael exhaled. "No sword, then."
Tirien sat nearby, arms crossed. "This one's all you."
Phase I – The First Reflection
The monk raised a hand.
A mirror rose from the water.
Inside it: Kael, fifteen, drenched in blood, kneeling over a fallen cultist—a friend. Kael was holding a dagger. His mouth whispered: "You made me."
It had been self-defense.
But not immediate.
He could have run.
The monk spoke in a voice like cracked porcelain:
"Did you hesitate?"
Kael's throat tightened. But he forced it out.
"Yes. I waited to be sure. I hated myself for how sure I was."
The mirror shimmered.
Truth accepted.
Phase II – The Second Reflection
Another image formed: Kael laughing beside Tirien… but with the cult mask in his hand.
A vision of what could have been—what he would've become had he stayed.
The monk's voice echoed:
"Do you miss it?"
Kael didn't lie.
"Sometimes. The purpose. The clarity. But never the chains."
The monk bowed his head.
The image vanished.
Phase III – The Final Reflection
This time, no mirror appeared.
Instead, the monk removed his mask.
There was no face beneath.
Just Kael's.
Older. Tired. Eyes worn. The version of himself that might emerge if he climbed without changing—gaining power but losing direction.
It whispered:
"Why do you still climb?"
Kael stared at the figure. At himself.
He could've said revenge. Or defiance. Or to destroy the cult that made him.
But he said the one thing he had never admitted aloud.
"To become someone who deserves the life I stole back."
The monk stood.
And smiled.
Tower Notification:
Trial Complete – Mirror-Worn Monk
+300 XP
+Trait Gained: Soul-Bound Honesty (Rare)
You gain +5 resistance to illusion and manipulation when telling the truth aloud.
Certain Tower floors may react differently to you based on this trait.
The water drained, forming a staircase of crystal.
Tirien rose. "You okay?"
Kael's hands were shaking—but steady beneath the tremor.
"I'm not sure. But I'm better than I was."
They moved on.
Behind them, the monk replaced his mask.
And sat.
Waiting for the next climber who feared their own reflection.
Kael's Status – End of Chapter 19
Level: 24
XP: 1140 / 1250**
From Chapter 19: +300 XP
Prior Total: 840 XP → Now: 1140 / 1250 XP
New Trait:Soul-Bound Honesty
+5 illusion & manipulation resistance when truth is spoken aloud
May affect future interactions with sentient Tower floors
Weapon Equipped:Blade of the Forged Will
Mental State: Calmer, Anchored
Tirien Bond: Deepening