Chapter 34: What the Shard Wants

The fifth floor was… different.
Not entirely new, not entirely familiar—but something in between. It carried elements of everything they had seen before. Patches of greenery like the first floor, streams and mineral veins like the second, and scattered creatures like the third. But everything here felt… elevated.
Stronger.
Sharper.
More demanding.

The creatures were faster, more aggressive, and less predictable. Even the smaller ones didn’t hesitate to attack, forcing Aerin and Mira to stay alert at all times. The materials they gathered reflected that same shift—better quality, denser, more refined.
And yet—
It still wasn’t right.

Kael noticed it immediately.
The materials were better.
But not like before.

The same inconsistency that had started all of this—it was still here.

The fifth floor was also larger.
Far larger than the others.

Where most climbers chose a single path, completed their tasks, and returned within a day, Kael didn’t follow that pattern. She never had. Exploration, observation, understanding—that was her way.
And now—
She had a reason.

The shard.

It reacted.

Faintly at first.
A small vibration in her pocket, subtle enough that she almost ignored it. But she didn’t. She paused, her fingers slipping into her pocket, pulling the shard out just enough to feel it properly.
She rubbed it.

The light appeared.
Then vanished.

Kael frowned slightly.

She tried again.

Nothing.

She slowed down, her fingers tracing the surface more carefully this time. There—one edge, slightly smoother than the rest. She pressed against it and rubbed it once.
Twice.
Three times.

The shard lit up.

Not brightly.
But clearly.

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Interesting,” she muttered.

She stopped walking for a moment, testing it again.
Three times.
On the same spot.

Light.

Anywhere else—
Nothing.

So that was it.

A trigger.

Simple.
Specific.

She turned it off again.
Then on.

Controlled.

Kael slipped it back into her pocket, her mind already adjusting.
If it reacted—
Then it was leading.

And if it was leading—
Then there was something here.

She didn’t explain it to Aerin or Mira.
Not fully.

“Training,” she said simply. “We’re not following one path.”

They didn’t question it.

Days passed.

More than usual.

They moved across the fifth floor without rushing, covering ground slowly but thoroughly. Where other climbers entered and exited within a day, Kael kept them inside, pushing further, exploring wider areas.
Aerin adapted.
Mira followed.

They trained.
Fought.
Collected.

But this time—
They were also searching.

The shard guided them.

Not in a straight line.
Not clearly.

But enough.

It reacted more in certain directions, dimmed in others. Kael adjusted their path based on it, subtly shifting their movement without making it obvious. To Aerin and Mira, it looked like strategy.
To Kael—
It was something else.

On the third day of exploring the fifth floor, the change became clearer.

The shard didn’t just glow anymore.

It vibrated.

Stronger.

They were in the middle of a fight when it happened.

Three smaller creatures—fast, low to the ground, attacking in quick bursts. Aerin held one back while Mira moved between them, striking when openings appeared. Kael stepped in where needed, her movements efficient, controlled.

And then—

The vibration intensified.

Kael felt it immediately.

Her focus split.

Not fully—
But enough.

She shifted her position mid-fight, her eyes scanning the surroundings rather than just the creatures.

There.

A bush.

Nothing unusual at first glance.

But something—

Kael moved.

Faster.

She finished her opponent in two precise strikes, stepping past the remaining fight without hesitation.

Aerin and Mira didn’t question it.
They trusted her pace now.

Kael reached the bush.

And saw it.

Another shard.

Dull.
Lifeless.

Just lying there.

Her breath stilled for a moment.

She picked it up.

Behind her, Aerin and Mira finished the fight, turning toward her just as she straightened.

“What is it?” Mira asked.

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

She rubbed the new shard.

Once.
Twice.
Three times.

It lit up.

And then—

Something changed.

The shard in her pocket reacted instantly.

Stronger.

She pulled it out.

And before she could even process it—

Both shards moved.

Pulled toward each other.

Magnetically.

Aerin blinked. “What—”

They collided.

And merged.

Not violently.
Not forcefully.

But naturally.

As if they were always meant to.

The shape shifted.

Smaller.
More refined.

And—
Alive.

Not glowing brightly.
Not aggressively.

But steadily.

Kael stared at it.

For the first time since she found the first shard—
She couldn’t hide her expression.

Surprise.

Aerin stepped closer, his eyes wide. “It… combined?”

Mira looked between the two, her voice quieter. “What is that?”

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

But her grip on the shard tightened slightly.

Now she understood.

This wasn’t just a guide.

It was incomplete.

And there were more.

Somewhere in the Tower.

Her gaze lifted slightly, looking ahead.

Riven.

And this.

They weren’t separate anymore.

For the first time—
She had more than one reason to keep climbing.

And now—
She knew what she was looking for.

End of Chapter 34