Alex followed Dea through the dark alleyway into a small, run-down apartment complex. Judging by the rubble and debris scattered all around the hallways, this complex was vacant. He hadn’t said a word as he followed silently behind the small creature that guided him, but he eventually decided to ask some questions that he’d been itching to have answered. And since he couldn’t ask Raphelia directly, her squire was the next best thing. He decided that he’d start slow then ramp his questions up.

“So, Dea, do you know all of the Wardens?”

“I do.”

“Does that include Chrono?”

“Yes and no.” She said bluntly. ”I knew Chrono, but he no longer exists as he did before.”

What a strange answer, Alex thought as he debated whether to ask her about the time shift or not. It’s not like Chrono had told him to keep it a secret or anything, he couldn’t help but feel like he was meant to keep to himself. Despite those feelings, he decided to ask anyway.

“Something happened a while ago with Chrono.” Alex said. “He appear-”

“I am aware.” Dea interrupted.

So she knows. “Does everyone know what happened, then? Did everyone get to keep their memories from the previous timeline?”

“No.” Dea said. “Out of all the humans, you are the only one whose memories were sealed.”

“I thought so. But why me? Why was I chosen?”

Dea paused for a moment before she spoke. “I can not say, for I do not know the answer to that question.”

“And what about the Wardens?”

“The Wardens, along with myself, were unaffected by the time shift.”

They walked around a large pile of rubble. The building looked like it had been the ground of a huge battle, and no one had bothered to clean it up.

“If I may ask,” Alex said, “what about Raphelia? If she knew that Chrono sealed my memories, why didn’t she bring it up?”

“I hold the answer to that question, but I can not speak it.” Dea said. “The world of the Wardens is complicated at the moment, and I have been forbidden from going into details. For our sake, I can not tell you everything that I know, but I can tell you that our interests are aligned.”

“I figured you’d say something like that. No offense or anything, but am I just supposed to take the word of a… Um, what exactly are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“There is no offense.” Dea said, with the same flat voice she always spoke in. “Your curiosity is only natural. But I can not answer that question, for even I do not know the answer. This is simply the form in which I manifest in this world.”

Another strange answer. It’s like she doesn’t know how to speak in simple terms.

Finally, Dea stopped in front of a wall with a large, unusual symbol on it that reminded Alex of hieroglyphics. She turned to Alex as she signaled towards the wall. “Go ahead. Please enter.”

“Enter the wall?” Alex asked, not knowing if she was being serious or not.

Dea nodded earnestly.

Alex wasn’t sure what to make of all this, but he didn’t have much choice but to play along. After all, his life was bound to his contract with Raphelia.

“Hold on.” He said. “Before I enter, I need you to answer a few more questions.”

“Very well.” Dea said. “I will try to answer them.”

“This Shadow Tower, how big is it, and does it take a long time to clear? I know its part of the contract, but I’d rather not waste time on other things when my goal is the Dominion Tower.”

“I do not know the answer to that question. But, I will tell you something that you should know: the Dominion Tower can not be cleared. It is impossible.”

Alex started at her with a blank expression, unsure if he’d heard her correctly. “What do you mean it can’t be cleared? We made it to the top floor last time. The only thing we had left was to kill the Demon King.”

“Yes.” Dea said. “You made it to the top floor, but you did not clear it. We believe that it was impossible for you to complete the final condition.”

“Then why are you telling me this now?” Alex said, his frustration beginning to show in his voice. “Why didn’t you warn us last time?”

“Because we only made this discovery recently.”

They discovered this recently? So, Wardens weren’t the all-powerful, all-knowing beings everyone thinks they are? What was he supposed to do with this information? This entire time he’d set his sights on the Demon King at the top, and now he’d been told that killing him was impossible. Was he supposed to give up just like that?

Dea placed her arm out toward the wall. “Please enter.”

Soured by the news he’d just received, Alex reluctantly stepped into the wall, and his body phased right through it.

He appeared on the other side in a pocket of space which reminded him of the zeroth floor. Except rather then an empty blue space, this one was entirely black, with only a large, red gate standing before him. At his feet, he noticed that he was standing on a platform which appeared to be the width of the gate. He tried walking past the edges, but an invisible wall confirmed what he’d suspected; there was one entrance and one exit. No way around.

Dea appeared from the same wall that he’d jumped out of.

Alex turned to her. “So, this is the Shadow Tower, huh?”

She nodded. “This appears to be this tower’s version of the zeroth floor.”

“I noticed. But why do you need me to do this? Can’t you do it yourself?”

“We can not.” Dea said, as she stepped up to the gate and placed her hand on it. “Neither Raphelia nor I were able to enter past this gate. But we believe that humans can get through.”

“And what’s waiting for me on the other side?”

“We do not know, but we strongly believe that the secrets of the Dominion Tower are held within these walls. That is why we need your help.”

Alex placed his hand on the gate, and doors swung open. He looked inside but all he saw was pitch black. With a sigh, he turned to Dea. “I’ll see what’s on the other side and I’ll come right back. I don’t intend on clearing the whole thing in one go. Is that okay with you?”

Dea nodded.

He held his breath as he marched through the gate. On the other side he saw what looked like a palace courtyard, but the atmosphere was far from normal. Streaks of red and black swerved slowly through the sky, like paint strokes gliding gently through the air. Like the goblin dominion on the first floor, these colors radiated down on everything below, painting everything with a dark ambiance. But compared to the first floor, this place looked much more ominous.

One path stood directly in front of him, and two rows of bushes lined up each side, inviting him to step forward. On the other side of each row of bushes, there were small pools of water. It all reminding him of an upscale palace he’d seen on TV a long time ago. The dark atmosphere was not limited to mood, however, as the murkiness from the colors above tapered off into darkness, severely limiting his vision. He could only see a couple of meters ahead.

This place is like a mix of optimistic royaly combined with grim foreboding. I wonder if this place similar to the other floors… Maybe it’s the dominion of some kind of royal zombie army.

Alex proceeded cautiously through the main pathway. As he walked, his vision extended further and further out. It quickly became clear that he was in a garden of some sort, but the red and black dye changed the typically calm environtment into a sinister one.

A couple steps later, and two shadowy figured emerged at the edge of his vision. They appeared to be lying down in the on the grass. Alex squinted his eyes to get a better look, but he couldn’t make them out. Moving ever slowly, he crept up the path until a status screen appeared above the two creatures.

Hellhound

A Hellhound? Like a dog? Where’s their HP?

He crept a little closer, and in one swift motion, both creatures jumped to their feet and turned to face him. It was if they sensed him the second he stepped into their detection radius. He quickly backed off, but the dogs kept their focus on him. They moved forward as he tried to backtrack. Looks like they’re staying focused on me.

Both hounds let out a monstrous growl, then sprung into action, aiming straight for Alex. They were quick, closing the distance much quicker than he’d anticipated.

Crap! I have to use tiger.

Alex entered Tiger Form and a rush of orange energy surrounded him. Before he could strike, one of the Hellhounds lunged at him and sunk its teeth deep into Alex’s arm.

HP: 74/100

Alex ignored the pain as he focused on the message that appeared before him. What the hell!? Since when do I have HP!?

He ignored the prompt an swung his arm violently in an attempt to shake the creature loose. It didn’t work, and the other Hellhound tackled him, knocking him to the ground. With one pair of teeth clenched tightly around his arm, another pair dug into his side.

HP: 48/100

A shot of pain jolted through his body. What the hell’s going on!?

Alex squirmed on the ground as he tried to shake free, but the weight of the Hellhounds kept him locked in place. They were unbelievable heavy; it was like trying to lift up a truck.

With nowhere to run, the Hellhounds took their time digging their fangs into Alex. One bit into his stomach while the other gnawed on his neck, and with each bite, his body screamed with pain and his HP fell further.

I’m in trouble. I have to get out of here.

He activated every muscle of his body and fought with all his might to shake free, but it didn’t work. He was completely helpless. All he could do was lay there as the Hellhounds ate at him and watch as his HP trickled down to zero.