Chapter 25 – Secrets Under the Shadows
📍 Dark Room – Midnight
[The faint light of the tower trickled through the corners of the room, casting cold hues across the walls.]
A mysterious figure sat on a solid chair, his face hidden in the shadows. In front of him stood a girl, her eyes glowing gray, her purple hair cascading over her shoulders. She was the same madwoman he had seen earlier… Reem.
The mysterious man, in a heavy voice:
"Tell me about your report, Reem…"
[The camera zooms in on Reem's face, highlighting her strange features, a mad smile playing on her lips.]
Reem, with a smile mixed of madness and cunning:
"Isaac is dead…"
The mysterious man, suspiciously:
"Who is Isaac?"
Reem giggles lightly, raising an eyebrow:
"Oh… sorry, I forgot you don't bother remembering the names of your men… even if they are high-level."
[Her laugh echoed around the room, a distorted resonance.]
The angry man bangs the table hard, the sound resonating like it could break the room:
"Focus, Reem!"
Reem, complaining:
"This man… he doesn't even let me speak…"
The man insists:
"The spy we sent to Deyako's workshop… she's dead."
[A heavy silence, their breathing quickened—Reem and the man alike.]
The mysterious man, firmly:
"Then who killed her? And what did she discover?"
Reem, seriously:
"She died… under the Oath of Silence."
The man's frown turns into satisfaction:
"So… the 'Oath of Silence' did its job, good. Continue."
Reem screams in anger:
"Do not interrupt me again! Leader,"
[She sighs slowly and continues:]
"Our plans have been uncovered… we have a spy among us!"
The man, internally stunned, whispers to himself:
"Impossible… I had all members under the influence of the 'Oath of Silence'…"
Reem, with a sharp gaze:
"Don't be foolish… the curse has a deadly weak point. It can easily be broken."
[The atmosphere thickens with tension… silence fills the room.]
The man exhales slowly:
"Then… it must be one of the members who leveled up!"
Reem nods silently in agreement.
The man stands in anger, turning his back:
"I'll check myself…"
[A devilish smile spreads across Reem's face as he leaves the room.]
Reem, in her silence, laughs softly:
"Good luck, darling… hehehe…"
[The light gradually fades, leaving Reem's smile shimmering in the darkness.]
📍 Eyas's Room – Same Time
[Eyas sleeps deeply, his face relaxed, his body slouched on the bed. Starlight from the window draws silver lines across the room.]
[A sigh. It seems he has decided to postpone his journey to the second floor after a long day of analysis.]
---
Kitchen…
[Wide shot: Moonlight and planets gently illuminate the kitchen, reflecting on metal surfaces and shiny pots. The aroma of coffee fills the air, mingling with soft night breezes.]
Selin leans over the table, her laughter filling the room, her eyes sparkling like stars amid the light beams. Saman sits opposite her, watching with a warm smile, as if every laugh of hers lights up the entire Alpha planet.
Selin (stopping her laughter with difficulty):
"Last time, you liked my coffee a lot… How about trying a new cup from my hands this time?"
Saman (enthusiastically):
"If it's made by you, I'll definitely try it… and what's the surprise this time?"
Selin (smiling):
"Let's make it a surprise!"
[Selin moves lightly around the kitchen, pouring coffee into a glass carafe. Light reflects off the tiny sparks from the thick white liquid.]
Saman (relaxed in his chair, calm tone):
"Let's be honest, Selin… Eyas is no longer that lost boy who forgets the tower's smallest details."
[Selin's hand slows slightly, her laughter fades for a moment, her eyes focused on the drink. Then she lifts her head, listening. Saman continues in a deeper voice, his eyes glimmering with empathy.]
Selin:
"He was incredibly smart since childhood… the word 'genius' was insufficient… more like a monster, sometimes gentle, but when it came to learning or fighting, he had no equal."
Selin, with a fleeting smile:
"All that changed after he delved into the tower's mysteries… each thing he learned, he forgot another."
[A short pause. Selin breathes deeply and continues, carefully preparing the coffee, the sparks reflecting on her face.]
Saman (serious, piercing gaze):
"In short… Eyas was as if cursed by the tower… warned away from approaching knowledge he wasn't meant to know… and when he finally broke free… his personality began to change gradually."
[Selin lifts the glass carafe, the white liquid flowing smoothly into the cup, shimmering in a golden-blue hue. Tiny sparks rise gently, as if each drop pulses with ancient magic.]
[Close-up on the coffee cup, steam twisting in interwoven threads, the aroma of coffee, warmth, and mystery filling the space.]
Saman (looking amazed, leaning slightly forward):
"Let me see…"
[Selin hands the cup to Saman, his eyes fixed on every movement. He lifts the cup slowly, drinks with eyes closed, exhales deeply, feeling astonished.]
Saman (placing the cup gently on the table, looking at Selin):
"This… this is something I've never experienced before…"
Selin (smiling lightly, blinking):
"Well, poet… how's my coffee?"
Saman (flirtatiously smiling):
"If coffee were magic… you'd be the spell."
[Selin laughs, her face blushing. Saman smiles and shakes his head lightly. Laughter fills the room once again.]
Selin:
"Alright, back to our topic…"
Saman (slightly nervous):
"He has changed since the first-floor challenge… I felt it more after the friendly fight."
[Selin ponders for a moment, then responds wisely]:
"The first ten floors of the tower are a real test for every challenger… testing all your abilities, mind, body, until you earn the right to the next floors."
Then both, in unison, excitedly:
"So… the first floor was the starting point of his transformation!"
[They laugh together. "And while they laughed in the kitchen, Eyas faced his nightmare far away…"]
📍 Eyas's Room – Same Time
[Narrow shot: Eyas tosses on the bed, sweat dripping from his forehead, moving left and right, immersed in a nightmare.]
Eyas (murmuring intermittently, words incomprehensible):
"Where… where… the book… oh… M… Mukhtar…?"
[The light gradually fades, covering the room in darkness, the only sound is Eyas's heavy breathing.]
– End of Chapter 25