Only when he drew closer did Silvanus finally see the true appearance of the tower.
It was far from calm or ordinary. Instead, countless chains wrapped around it, constantly shifting and moving.
The body of the tower might have been half the size of the World Tree, making any human before it painfully small.
Those chains coiled and twisted as though anchoring the tower deep into the ground below, extending so far downward that the end could not be seen.
Yes—into the ground. Because surrounding the towering structure was a vast abyss. Looking down from above revealed nothing but a mass of darkness, impossible to discern.
The maid was preparing to swim across the chasm, but at that very moment, her entire body suddenly froze. The water around her turned to ice, and in the next instant a powerful force yanked her backward, slamming her onto the ground. She couldn't move even an inch.
A shadow flickered past, and the tray in her hands was already gone.
