Murmurs. Muffled laughter. Whispers buzzed around him.
Leonardo opened his eyes.
His heart raced, and he felt completely disoriented. He stood, his hand resting on a crystal sphere, surrounded by a crowd of students and adults dressed in formal coats. A magical spotlight illuminated his silhouette. Young people his age watched him with smirks, some already snickering.
"Did he faint with his eyes open or something?"
"No... he's glitching! Look at his face!"
"What a joke..."
"He awakned ... that? Seriously?"
Leonardo frowned.
"Why am I here? Where am I? Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something floating nearby. He glanced down to see an interface hovering beside him.
[AWAKENING SYSTEM: ACTIVATED]
Name: Leonardo Evans
Level: 1
Unique Ability: Understanding
Color: White
Tower Rating: Insufficient
"What?"
He was baffled. He had never seen this interface before, yet a part of him knew that it wasn't from a game.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his skull, and a silent scream caught in his throat. His legs buckled beneath him.
He collapsed.
One hour later, the light was softer here, more calming—away from the spotlight and prying eyes.
Leonardo opened his eyes again, and this time, he remembered.
"My name is Leonardo Evans. I'm on Earth, but everything is different now. Everything changed when the Obelisk Tower appeared, coinciding with the world's announcement. An AI voice declared that our world would merge with a new universe in twenty-five years, and that was five years before I was born. I'm eighteen now, so it's only two years away... that's too soon. I need to fully understand the memories of this body to know my position."
The school day ended, and everyone had already left. Since Leonardo lived nearby, he walked home. On his way back, something shook him, though he somewhat expected it: Melissa was in someone else's arms.
They weren't just hugging. Her face was buried in the guy's neck, and his hand was tangled in her hair. Their bodies were too close, too intimate.
And worst of all? She looked happy.
He smirked, thinking, "She already did that to me, and now she's doing it to this body. What was I expecting from her? I was going to break up anyway, but this gave me an actual reason."
As he tried to pass and leave them alone, Melissa spotted him and started smiling. "Oh, Leo, you're here! Let me tell you, I don't need a loser like you anymore. This is Blade, who has blue fire control. I'm his girlfriend now."
Leonardo looked at her with disgust. "Congratulations, you fit each other," he said and left without looking back. He heard some voices, but didn't pay attention.
She was a part of his past and needed to stay there. The only thing that could save him now was more knowledge about his situation, but first, he needed to rest.
When he opened his house door, he called out, "I'm home," but received no reply. The house was empty. He went to his room and sat in front of his computer to look for videos explaining the tower precisely.
"Obelisk Tower – Tier History – World 01: Shigan – Stealthy Ninjas and Demonic Beasts"
"Tier 04: Hero League – Clash Between Alter-Egos"
"Tier 07: Forbidden Alchemy and Transmutation Circles"
A shiver ran down his spine.
Shigan = Naruto
Hero League = My Hero Academia
Forbidden Alchemy… Fullmetal Alchemist?
He quickly typed into the search bar:
"Naruto" Result: none.
"Anime" Result: unknown term – do you mean "animal"?
He stopped, breathless. He searched for One Piece, Bleach, Demon Slayer, and even Dragon Ball. Nothing. He scoured cultural, historical, and artistic databases. Nothing. Not a single name, not a single image. Has this world never had anime?
Suddenly, he understood. This body had never known Japanese fiction. Nor manga. Nor cartoons from the East. It was him... only him... who knew. Every world in the Tower was inspired by them. And he was the only one who could recognize them in advance. He slumped back in his chair.
That's it... His golden finger. It wasn't a power the Tower gave him; it was a weapon he brought back from his old life. A small smile tugged at his lips. "In this world... I'm the author. And no one knows it yet."