Floor 0.
"My baby... I wonder how my baby is doing right now..."
A beautiful blonde-haired woman sat anxiously in her seat, her eyes glued to the large screen on the runestone pillar in front of her.
Around her, other parents waited in tense silence, their expressions reflecting a mix of hope and worry as they anticipated the results of their children's trials.
As the six-hour mark passed without any announcent, Eleanor's unease grew sharper. A heavy feeling pressed against her chest, an instinctive dread that sothing might have gone horribly wrong for her son. She couldn't explain why, but the feeling was so vivid it left her restless.
Her fingers tightened around the edges of her seat as her anxiety reached its peak. Then, just as she was on the verge of being overwheld, a warm hand rested gently on her shoulder.
"Hm?" Alard, she put her guard up, but was then told by a lodic voice,
"Relax. I'm not your enemy."
Eleanor turned to her side and found a strikingly beautiful lady in seductive red attire sitting beside her. The woman had her arm draped casually over Eleanor's shoulders, her legs crossed with an air of confidence.
Eleanor's body tensed even further, her alarm growing.
The lady glanced at Eleanor and chuckled softly. "You stress too much, El."
"Please mind your language," Eleanor replied coldly, attempting to shake the hand off her shoulder. To her surprise, her strength wasn't enough to dislodge it.
Her brows furrowed in frustration, a frown deepening on her face.
Sensing Eleanor's unease, the lady withdrew her hand with a faint smirk. Raising both hands in mock surrender, she said, "Alright, I'll back off. No need to get so worked up. I'm not your enemy—I'm on your side."
Eleanor's shoulders relaxed slightly, but her guard remained firmly in place.
The lady shifted her gaze to the screen on the runestone pillar and remarked, "The results won't be out for another half an hour. There's no point staring at it like that. Why don't we find a quiet café and have so tea?"
"I'm fine, but thank you for the offer," Eleanor responded curtly, her eyes never leaving the screen. Nothing was more important to her than Julien.
The lady sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "El, really, what am I going to do with you? Your soncon tendencies are so obvious, it's almost scandalous."
Eleanor knitted her brows, her lips parting to retort, but before she could speak, the lady rose gracefully from her seat and shook her head.
"This isn't the right place for such a conversation. Co with to the café. I have sothing to say about your son..."
Eleanor remained seated, her expression unwavering.
"...and his misfortune."
Eleanor's body tensed, her eyes widening in shock as her eyebrows quivered. Without a word, she rose to her feet.
The lady's lips curled into a soft chuckle. "Follow ," she said, turning away with an air of confidence.
.....
Floor 0 was the bustling reception of the mighty Tower—a microcosm of a small city. Shops lined the streets, selling weapons, potions, and trinkets. Cafés served steaming cups of tea and coffee, and luxurious hotels offered climbers a place to rest.
Though lively, this floor was often dismissed by higher-floor climbers as a re kindergarten, unworthy of their attention even though it was a challenging compulsion for every newbie Player.
In any case, it was due to this easy nature that high-profile entities rarely lingered here, leaving the place surprisingly peaceful for quieter discussions.
In a secluded corner of a modest café, Eleanor and the lady in the red dress sat across from each other, their beverages in hand.
Eleanor, with her composed deanor, took a slow sip of her steaming coffee, savoring its rich aroma.
The lady in red glanced at the blonde woman and took a sip of her tea.
"El," she said calmly and seriously, grabbing her attention. "I am your child's daddy."
*Pfftt—!*
Eleanor spit her coffee and almost spilled it all onto herself.
The lady dodged the coffee coming on her by turning to the side.
She had a neutral expression on her face, but really, the corner of her lips were curved up, as if she liked what had just happened.
"My apologies..."
Eleanor knitted her brows and said while wiping her mouth with a cloth.
She then turned to look at the lady and asked, "What do you an? And please stop referring to as El as if we're close."
"What?" The lady seed visibly surprised by the comnt. "We aren't close?"
"..." Eleanor was baffled. "Young lady, I do not know what you're up to, but yes, we are indeed not close. This is the first ti I've ever t or seen you."
"Elly, you're breaking my heart..." She shook her head and said with a sigh. "How can you say this to when we both are parents to the sa child."
"Excuse ?" Eleanor glared at her.
If this floor wasn't a no fight zone, she really would've attacked the lady for the audacity she was showing.
The lady chuckled, finding it all amusing, and then shook her head.
"Okay, okay, I've joked enough. I'll get to the point now."
Eleanor's anger subsided and she was calr now.
The lady took a sip of her tea again and said, "Who I am is not important. What's important is Julien. Let's discuss a bit about him. Before you get all worked up, let remind you again that I'm on your side. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Julien and I only wish for his imnse prosperity and happiness."
She had to say this because Eleanor wasn't dropping her guard in the slightest and was too worked up. If she stayed like that then she wouldn't be able to make proper decisions.
Eleanor gave the lady a curt nod and gestured her to continue.
"Okay, firstly, since you don't like being called El, I'll take that na instead. Call El from here onwards."
Eleanor was a bit baffled again, but said, "Okay...?"
"Good. So I'm El, and I wasn't lying when I said I'm your child's daddy. Now, now, now, before you get worked up again, know that I'm not into won. I'm not trying to pursue you and we both definitely don't have the capabilities to make a child, so I'm not your long lost lover or husband either. We're both won, the most we could do is probably eat each other ou—"
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Eleanor waved her hand and tried to stop her. What even was this lady spouting? It was all so embarrassing! Did she not feel it? How could she say all of this with such a straight face?
El rolled her eyes and shook her hand. "I know that deep down you're more shaless than . Why bother acting like this? Anyway... be a bit more serious for now, El. This topic is important. Pay attention."
Eleanor was so confused...
Didn't she say she won't call her El and would instead like to be nad as El herself? And what did she an about getting serious? She was the one that should be serious!
Eleanor had many grievances, but she didn't express anything or show a change in her expression.
El leaned forwards and said with utmost seriousness, "Julien's misfortune is a problem for everyone present."
Eleanor's deanor changed and she switched to her serious self quickly.
El continued, "You might think that you know it's bad, but I'm sure that you're still severely underestimating how bad the situation is and how worse things can get."
Eleanor knitted her brows as she felt the gravity of the situation. "Please elaborate."
"El," the red dress El took a pause and leaned back. She turned the teacup on the table and continued, "The card is what will kill our child. It has killed him once, it will kill him again."
"Did you call here just to say this?" Eleanor was not in the best mood.
"No." El replied. "I called you here to tell you..." she turned to look up and stared into Eleanor's eyes. "...it's going to be alright."
El smiled warmly.
"I'm with you, which is the sa as the Tower being with you, so that's half your worries resolved."
Eleanor didn't understand whatever was being said.
El then shook her head. "However, while I can ensure he isn't killed by the card, there's sothing more complex that needs our attention—no, needs your attention."
"What is it?"
"Julien's state of mind." El said it straight. "He thinks that he isn't worthy to be with you, to have you as his mother, and to have a loving family. He thinks that him being around you will put you at risk and may possibly kill you and your daughters. This thing... I'm sorry to say but..."
El sighed.
"...this is one thing I cannot help you with. I can't change his state of mind. I can only protect him and try to push him to live a little, but I cannot influence him like you can. At the end of the day, you are his mother, not . This is sothing only you can do."
Eleanor's heart was at unease when she heard that. Her baby boy didn't want to be with her? He thought that he was a burden for them? And that he didn't deserve a loving family?
How dare he... how dare he thought like this...
Eleanor was truly pissed.
El took a sip of tea and said, "You look like you want to give him a good ass whooping."
"Oh, I will. Just let et him again." Eleanor didn't even deny. She was furious.
El chuckled softly and said, "Good, good. I support the good ol' beating your children thing. There are so many bad kids in the Tower that wouldn't have been as bad if they were beaten up as kids and disciplined."
Eleanor looked at El and asked, "In any case, whatever you've said so far, I understand that. But what I don't understand is... why are you helping us? Helping Julien, I an. What do you get out of this?"
El put her teacup down and smiled. "Now you're asking the right questions. I want Julien to conquer the Tower. Once he does that, I'll ask him for one thing."
"...and that is?"
"A secret." El winked.
"..."
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