CHAPTER 20: CLIMBING FOR POWER 2

Aegis crept toward the Sky Piercer, heart hammering.

[Commoner’s Locket first.]

She touched the tarnished necklace. A subtle warmth spread through her chest. The enchantment activated, making her presence... forgettable. Not invisible, just unimportant. The kind of person nobles’ eyes slid past without registering.

The two guards at the entrance stood like statues. Bored. One yawned.

[Perfect.]

She circled wide, staying in shadows. The north side hedge loomed ahead. Behind it, the maintenance hatch waited.

[Now for the Moonlight Veil.]

The translucent cape materialized around her shoulders. Then—nothing. Her body vanished completely. No shimmer, no outline. Just gone.

[Still weird as fuck.]

She moved carefully toward the hatch. Being invisible didn’t mean silent. Every footstep on gravel sounded thunderous to her ears.

The guards didn’t react.

She reached the hedge and ducked behind it. The hatch sat flush with the wall, barely visible. Rusted metal with a simple latch.

[Please don’t be locked.]

It wasn’t. The latch lifted with a quiet click. Inside, a narrow shaft stretched upward into darkness.

[Great. Claustrophobia AND heights. My favorite combo.]

She squeezed inside and pulled the hatch shut. Total darkness. The shaft was maybe three feet wide, with metal rungs bolted to one wall. She started climbing.

Ten rungs. Twenty. Her arms already protested.

[Power 6 is such garbage.]

The shaft seemed endless. Her invisible hands groped for each rung. Twice she missed and nearly fell. The Moonlight Veil made this harder, not easier.

[Can’t even see my own fucking hands.]

After what felt like hours but was probably ten minutes, she saw light above. Another hatch. She pushed it open carefully.

An empty hallway. Administrative offices lined both sides. Closed doors, dark windows.

[Third floor. Halfway there.]

She climbed out and the Moonlight Veil flickered. Died.

[One use per day. Already gone.]

But the Commoner’s Locket still worked. She walked down the hallway like she belonged there. Just another servant doing late-night rounds.

The window at the hall’s end overlooked the courtyard. She pressed her face against the glass. Far below, the guards looked like ants.

[That’s... really far down.]

The window latch was simple. She opened it and cold wind slapped her face. The ledge outside was six inches wide. Beyond that, smooth stone stretched up into darkness.

[This is so stupid.]

She climbed onto the ledge. Wind tugged at her uniform, trying to yank her off. She pressed herself against the wall.

[Don’t look down. Don’t look down.]

She looked down.

[FUCK.]

The courtyard spun below. If she fell from here, she’d be paste. No respawns. No second chances.

[Stop being a baby. You wanted more mana? This is how you get it.]

She looked up instead. The tower stretched forever. Smooth blocks with tiny seams between them. Here and there, decorative ridges jutted out maybe half an inch.

[Those are my handholds. Half an inch of stone.]

She reached up, fingers searching for the first seam. Found it. Barely enough room for her fingertips.

[Here goes nothing.]

She pulled. Her feet left the ledge. For one terrifying moment, she dangled by her fingers alone.

[SHIT SHIT SHIT.]

Her feet scrambled against the wall. Found another seam. Pushed.

She moved up six inches.

[Only... three hundred feet to go.]

Another handhold. Another foothold. Pull. Push. Six more inches.

Her arms screamed. Her fingers went numb. Sweat made everything slippery.

[This was such a bad idea.]

Ten feet. Twenty. The ledge disappeared below. No going back now.

The wind picked up. Gusts slammed into her, trying to peel her off the wall. She pressed closer, cheek scraping stone.

[The game made this look so easy. Just a Power check. Pass or fail.]

Her right hand slipped.

She dropped, caught herself with her left. Her shoulder nearly dislocated. Pain shot down her arm.

[FUCK!]

She hung by one hand. Her body weight felt enormous. Power 6 arms weren’t meant for this.

[Get the other hand back up. NOW.]

She swung her right arm up. Missed. Swung again. Her left hand started sliding.

[No no no no—]

Her right hand found purchase. She pressed against the wall, gasping.

[That was too close.]

She stayed there, trembling. Muscles on fire. Lungs burning.

[I could die. Right here. Splattered across the courtyard like an idiot.]

But...

[But I’m not dead yet.]

She looked up. So much tower left. An impossible distance.

[So what?]

She’d spent three years dying slowly in a hospital bed. Watching her body fail piece by piece. This? This was different.

[This is me CHOOSING to risk it.]

Another handhold. Another push. The pain faded to background noise.

[Every foot I climb is a middle finger to fate.]

Twenty more feet. Thirty. Her fingers bled where stone had scraped them raw.

[Good. Means I’m still alive to bleed.]

The wind howled. Her uniform was soaked with sweat despite the cold. Everything hurt.

[But I’m doing it. I’m actually fucking doing it.]

She paused on a tiny ledge, maybe two inches wide. Just enough to rest her toes. The academy spread below like a map. Lights twinkled in dorm windows. Normal students living normal lives.

[Fuck normal.]

She reached for the next hold. Her body had found a rhythm. Pull, push, breathe. Pull, push, breathe.

[I’m going to make it.]

The thought surprised her. Not hope. Certainty.

[I’m going to reach that peak. I’m going to meditate in pure Aether. I’m going to get strong.]

Her grip slipped again. She caught herself faster this time. Adjusted. Kept climbing.

[And then I’m going to show everyone what a commoner with maxed Charisma can really do.]

Fifty feet from the third-floor window now. The wind grew stronger up here. Colder. Her fingers were numb clubs.

[Doesn’t matter. I’ve got this.]

She’d been reborn into her favorite game. Given a second chance at life. She’d be damned if she wasted it playing safe.

[Power 6? So what. I’ll make it work.]

Another handhold. Another foot gained. The stars watched her climb.

[I’m Aegis fucking Starcaller. I seduced my way past the entrance exams. I have legendary items and a goddess’s blessing.]

Her muscles screamed. Her lungs burned. Her fingers bled.

[And I’m going to conquer this stupid tower.]

She grinned, wild and fierce. The pain meant nothing. The danger meant nothing.

[Because I’m ALIVE.]

For the first time since waking in that carriage, she felt truly, completely alive. Not playing a game. Not following a script. Just her, the wall, and the impossible climb.

[Bring it on.]

She reached for the next hold. Her body protested. She ignored it.

[Just watch me.]

The Sky Piercer stretched endlessly above. She had maybe two hundred feet left. An eternity.

[Perfect.]

She pulled herself up another six inches. The wind tried to tear her away. She laughed.

[Is that all you’ve got?]

This was insane. Suicidal. The dumbest thing she’d ever attempted.

[And I’ve never felt better.]

Tomorrow she’d be sore. If she survived. Tomorrow she’d have to face Nazraya’s wandering hands and Talia’s suspicious glares and all the political bullshit of academy life.

[But tonight?]

Tonight she was just a girl climbing toward heaven.

[Tonight I’m unstoppable.]

She reached for the next hold, fingers finding stone, and pulled herself higher into the wind and stars.