Chapter 26: Before the First Floor

They didn’t go to the guild.
Not yet.
Instead, Kaelira Voss turned toward the narrow street that had become familiar over the past few days, the one most people ignored without a second thought. Aerin and Mira followed without question this time. Neither of them spoke as they stepped into the shabby stall, the dim light and quiet air settling around them like something known, something grounding.
The old woman glanced at them once.
That was all it took.
Without a word, she turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

Kael took her usual seat.
Aerin and Mira sat across from her, both noticeably more attentive than they had ever been before. The earlier excitement was still there, but now it carried something steadier beneath it—anticipation mixed with the understanding that this was no longer just an idea.
Kael didn’t rush.
She let the silence sit for a moment before speaking.

“We’re not coming back anytime soon,” she said.

The words landed simply.
No drama.
No weight added to them.
But they carried enough on their own.

Aerin nodded almost immediately. He had expected something like that. Mira, however, stiffened slightly, her fingers tightening in her lap as the reality of it settled in more clearly.

“And we’re not climbing blindly,” Kael continued, her gaze steady as it moved between them. “There are restrictions. We can’t go beyond the fifth floor until we reach E rank.”

Aerin nodded again. “I know.”
Mira looked at him briefly, then back at Kael, her expression shifting.

“But…” she started, hesitating, “Riven might be higher than that.”

Kael didn’t dismiss her.
She didn’t soften either.

“And rushing there won’t help,” she said. “Not like this.”

Mira fell silent.

Kael leaned back slightly, her tone calm but firm. “If we go up now, unprepared, we won’t find him. We’ll just become another problem someone else has to deal with.”

That was enough.

Mira lowered her gaze, her frustration still there, but tempered now by understanding.

“So we train,” Kael said. “First five floors. We learn. We adapt. We take what we need and leave what we don’t. No unnecessary risks.”

Aerin’s posture straightened.
Mira nodded slowly.

“We don’t rush,” Kael added. “We don’t panic. And we don’t act like we’re stronger than we are.”

Both of them agreed.
Without hesitation this time.

The old woman returned, placing their food on the table without a word. The smell filled the small space, familiar and grounding in a way that made the moment feel… real.
Not distant.
Not imagined.

They ate.
Not quickly.
Not slowly.
Just enough.

No one spoke much after that.
There wasn’t anything left to say.

When they finished, Kael placed the payment down as always, exact and without excess. Aerin gathered their small packs, Mira adjusting hers carefully, making sure everything was secure.
They stood.
Turned.

“Don’t die.”

The voice came from behind them.
Flat.
Unchanged.

All three of them paused.

Kael glanced back.
The old woman stood there, her expression unreadable, her eyes carrying no visible emotion.

Kael held her gaze for a moment.
Then nodded.

Simple.
Flat.

Aerin smiled awkwardly. “We won’t.”
Mira followed quickly, nodding. “Thank you.”

The old woman didn’t respond.

They stepped out into the evening air.

The Tower stood ahead.
Closer now.

And with every step Kael took toward it, something inside her shifted.
Not fear.
Not hesitation.

Weight.

Her hand brushed lightly against her pocket.

The shard.

It wasn’t faint anymore.

It pulsed.
Vibrated.

Not violently.
But enough.
Enough to remind her that this—
This wasn’t just a decision.

It was a direction.

Kael didn’t stop walking.

Neither did the others.

And for the first time—
They weren’t just approaching the Tower.

They were about to enter it.

End of Chapter 26