The world dissolved into white light.
When he finally managed to open his eyes, he found himself suspended in a white space, an immaculate void that extended infinite in all directions. There was no up or down, only a white eternity.
Confusion seized his senses while he tried to remember how he had ended there. He had touched that gem out of mere curiosity, and now he was in this inexplicable place.
Questions accumulated while the warm sensation he had felt moments before faded slowly, leaving behind a trail of uncertainty.
[Welcome to the Tower of Paradise.]
[Atom, will you begin the evaluation?]
In that moment, an avalanche of information overwhelmed his consciousness.
The Tower of Paradise...
A place feared by many, where those who managed to overcome the first floor would obtain exceptional abilities and become "Ascended."
Atom grasped the meaning of all that. There existed different forms of acquiring supernatural powers.
The first method consisted of awakening on one's own account. It required the capacity to feel, perceive and interact with the stellar energy that lay dormant in the interior of each living being, until forming the stellar core.
Although it sounded extraordinary, it was by far the most difficult path. Only the true prodigies managed to travel it. The difficulty was such that not even one among ten thousand people achieved it.
Awakening by oneself represented an authentic feat. In any kingdom, and even in the great empires, those who achieved it could be counted with fingers.
Aurore, his younger sister, had been one of those prodigies.
The second method was the most common, although paradoxically the least accessible. It consisted of absorbing the stellar core of a creature of third evolution.
These stellar beasts possessed a colossal size, and defeating one of them resulted more difficult than ascending to the heavens.
Those who managed to awaken by means of the first and second method were recognized throughout the world as Illuminated.
In third place, was found the Tower of Paradise. This offered a shortcut toward awakening, without necessity of seeking one of those elusive cores so coveted by those who aspired to become Ascendants.
The Tower selected individuals of diverse species without prior warning and the chosen at random were transported to this place, where they found themselves obligated to confront all types of monsters, each one more lethal than the previous, in a succession of challenges that put to test not only their physical abilities, but also their mental fortitude.
Despite the fact that this place could seem, in appearance, a training field designed to strengthen the participants, in reality it was an authentic dimension, governed by its own laws, where danger was constant and death represented the end, without possibility of return or redemption.
Those who managed to survive the trials not only acquired unimaginable powers, but also returned to the real world transformed.
Mavis was an Ascendant. Atom understood it instantly, and an ironic smile drew itself on his lips upon recognizing the advantage she had before him.
That gem, for which he had delivered his liberty, was not a simple object of power; it was a key capable of altering the course of his existence, a tool that could rewrite the destiny that had chained him since his birth.
The sensation that invaded him was different: lighter, more hopeful. Finally, the opportunity he had yearned for during so much time was before him, and although the price had been high, the path that opened before his eyes promised something more than survival.
It promised change.
Of course it was not a simple path.
The Tower was linked to multiple dimensions, spaces and realms. Only those with exceptional abilities managed to awaken as Ascendants.
Atom, still in his infancy, presented numerous deficiencies before the consolidated Ascendants. In his current state, he would have died before reaching even the first step.
Even so, the first floor offered a unique opportunity to obtain the necessary qualification.
It was not limited to measuring only physical strength. It evaluated talent, judgment, agility, ingenuity and the will of each Ascendant. Each aspect integrated into a result that defined the level of the aspirant.
Deaths, of course, never stopped occurring.
Many trusted in excess in their scarce abilities and launched themselves to the challenge without preparation, only to find death.
Atom, in contrast, understood the risks, but also recognized the immense value of the Tower.
He had always believed that life was a series of chained decisions, each one with the power to alter destiny in irreversible form.
While he continued along the path of life, he would always have the opportunity to make new decisions.
It made no sense to lament the errors of the past when the future awaited, malleable like fresh clay, ready to be molded by his own hands.
Novels and cartoons had been his refuge for years, windows toward fantastic universes where everything was possible. Now, suspended in this empty space, he felt that his moment had finally arrived.
This was his opportunity, his only opportunity.
[Choose your weapon.]
Before Atom's eyes appeared an impressive variety of armament, as if he were seeing the interface of one of those videogames that in bygone times he had so much enjoyed.
They were weapons for beginners, mostly devoid of ornaments or accessories, designed for functional purposes.
"Which should I choose?"
Sword, lance, katana, axe, hammer, bow... the repertoire was varied, and each election would bring different consequences.
[Atom, do you know what the nobles of this world fear?]
Atom remembered the last conversation he had with his father.
[It is to the changes in the world. And that change always begins with two things...]
[A weapon and a book.]
Will's words resonated in his mind, encouraging him to continue. Memories, both happy and painful, fed his determination.
After an exhaustive analysis, he determined that close combat weapons would be the most sensible option.
Although ranged weapons offered the undeniable advantage of maintaining a safe distance during combat, that advantage would only materialize if he had someone to protect him from close-range attacks.
Driving a sword into an enemy's face exerted a type of psychological pressure different from piercing him with an arrow.
It was a reality he could not ignore.
Except for the bow and staff, any other ranged weapon was discarded.
With the same logic, blunt weapons like clubs also remained out of consideration: they lacked the intimidating edge of a sword and were too heavy for someone of his age.
After weighing all relevant variables, the only viable weapons for him were the lance, sword and axe. There were multiple variants of each category, except for the axe. Although some axes were not too heavy, they did not attract him.
That left sword and lance as his final options. Many strategists would argue that the lance offered significant advantages due to its superior reach and apparent ease of use, but reality was more complex than it seemed at first sight.
The lance was an advanced weapon that no beginner could master with ease. It would only be more effective than a sword if the user could maintain optimal distance at all times, which would become extraordinarily difficult if the enemy managed to get close.
Atom had no idea what type of adversaries he would face in the Tower... he was not even sure if he could confront any. But it was obvious they would be stronger, faster and more precise than him. Using a lance could result problematic.
Despite all these reasonings, he chose the lance.
He chose it because it gave him a sensation of security, because it would allow him to fight with certain distance, because he feared confronting an enemy with a short weapon.
It was a decision driven by fear, but something about it attracted him. He felt an inexplicable connection, as if they were destined to remain together for much time, despite being a weapon difficult to master.
His heart beat accelerated while he contemplated it... It was as if there existed a predestined bond between them, as if they were inseparable since the beginning of times.
He trusted his intuition and began to examine the diverse available lances to find the one that best adapted to his needs.
Finally, he decided on a one-handed lance of appropriate dimensions, which appeared in his fingers. It was heavier than he had anticipated.
[The objective of the following trial is: survival.]
[Reward for success in the trial: Unlocking of innate ability.]
[Penalty for failing the trial: Death.]
"...Damn."
He never would have imagined such a penalty. If his existence possessed a turning point, this was without doubt it.
His voice faded in the void while he observed how the landscape around him began to transform before his astonished eyes.
The white space that enveloped him began to take color, as if an invisible artist were painting reality around him with powerful brushstrokes.
[You can only exit after fulfilling the conditions.]
[Mission begins: Extermination of goblins.]