Chapter 5 : Jade

Nexus gazed at the massive gate that stood open before him, his nerves causing him to swallow hard. With a deep breath to steady himself, he bravely took a bold step forward into the towering structure.

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Upon entering the tower, Nexus found himself in a vast hall adorned with towering pillars etched with intricate runes and symbols.

The dome above him stretched high into the sky, resembling a celestial canopy. Faint star-like constellations adorned the dome, while the floor below shimmered like a swirling nebula, depicting galaxies and stars.

Despite the grandeur of the hall, it was eerily empty. Nexus stood in awe, once again struck by the magnificence of the Origin Tower.

As Nexus gazed upon the vast hall before him, a sense of bewilderment washed over him.

He found himself in a state of confusion, he didn't know how he had arrived in this mysterious place and uncertain of how to return. Lost and disoriented, Nexus stood at a loss for what to do next.

" WELCOME"

Suddenly, a booming and commanding voice echoed throughout the hall, causing the very walls to tremble. Startled, Nexus jumped in shock, his eyes darting around in search of the source of the voice. However, he found himself alone, with no one in sight.

"Who goes there? Show yourself!" Nexus called out, his voice tinged with nervousness. Yet, there was no response, and the hall fell back into an eerie silence.

" WELCOME MASTER OF THE ORIGIN TOWER"

Once more, the loud and majestic voice reverberated through the hall, addressing Nexus as the "Master of the Origin Tower."

Frozen in place, Nexus felt a chill run down his spine as the voice seemed to come from right behind him.

Nexus's face went pale as he slowly turned around, his heart trembling in his chest. Suddenly, a massive white face with big, curious eyes blinked into view.

Nexus lost all color in his face, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.

He stumbled backwards, pointing a shaking finger at the figure in front of him. "G-ghost," he stammered with a quivering voice.

The figure that appeared behind Nexus was stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.

" Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!"

The figure's shoulders trembled as it laughed uproariously.

Nexus, who had been scared out of his wits, looked at the white figure laughing without a care in the world, leaving him puzzled.

As Nexus slowly calmed down, his pale face gained some color. He observed the figure before him and was surprised by what he saw. The figure was a small girl approximately thirteen years old with white hair, milky white skin that seemed to glow, chubby cheeks, and red lips.

Nexus was shocked by the beauty of this little girl. She looked like a porcelain doll, too beautiful and cute. Not that he has weird taste, but he had never seen such a beautiful girl. Although Nyx is also beautiful woman is also one he has ever set his eyes upon but this little girl is on another level.

She exuded an aura of purity, but her current appearance ruined the overall look. Her white, silky hair was disheveled like a bird's nest, and she was wearing a pair of huge glasses and a baggy white dress.

The beautiful little girl couldn't stop laughing, clutching her stomach and not caring about her appearance at all.

"Hooo, that was a good one! You should have seen your face, it was so funny," she said, wiping away imaginary tears from the corners of her eyes. Nexus just looked at her blankly.

Not getting a response from Nexus, the girl put her hands on her hips and cheerfully said, "Come on, that was hilarious! You were totally scared out of your wits. You were like 'ahhh, ghost!' You should have seen yourself!" She mimicked Nexus's scared face from earlier, still chattering away.

Nexus was feeling confused about who this girl was and why she was in the mysterious tower. As he pondered her identity, the little girl finally stopped talking. Nexus breathed a sigh of relief at the silence.

"Ahem, sorry about that. It wasn't my intention to scare you. This is the first time I've come in contact with a living being, so I couldn't help myself," the girl said apologetically, her pure white face looking innocent.

Nexus, despite his confusion and unhappiness, wasn't able to bring himself to beangry with herseeing her innocent cute face.

"Don't worry about it," he said warily. Nexus looked at the little girl who appeared out of nowhere, he was really wary of this mysterious little girl

"Who are you? What are you doing in this tower? Are you a ghost?" Nexus questioned the little girl.

The little girl stuck out her pink tongue and replied, "Oh, sorry. Let me properly introduce myself. I'm not a ghost, I'm the spirit of this tower."

Nexus looked even more confused. "You're the spirit of this tower?"

"Yep, that's me!" the little girl said with a silly smile.

"Since you're the spirit of this tower, do you know what's going on here? How do I get into this tower?" Nexus asked, still trying to make sense of it all.

"Oh, you don't know what's going on?" the little girl said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Nexus nodded, looking a bit confused.

"You were able to enter this place because you are its owner, which makes you my master," the little girl said, still smiling excitedly.

Nexus was taken aback, bewilderment written all over his face. Pointing at himself, he said, "You said I'm the owner of this tower and I'm your master?"

"Yes, and let me tell you a secret - you're the first and only person to own this precious tower," the little girl said, grinning.

"I'm the first owner of this tower, but I don't remember encountering this kind of existence. How did I become its owner?" Nexus was really getting confused. He had never come across this type of tower before.

"I don't know," the little girl shrugged, pushing her oversized glasses up her little nose.

"But didn't you say you were the spirit of this tower? How come you don't know how I became the owner?" Nexus said, slightly confused.

The little girl puffed out her chubby cheeks and said, "I may be the spirit of this tower, but I don't control it."

"What do you mean?" Nexus questioned.

"You really have so many questions," the little girl sighed. "Let's put it this way - I'm more like an overseer or supervisor of the tower, do you get it?"

Nexus nodded in realization.<

"All I know is that the tower saved you on its own when you were in the spatial turbulence," the little girl added.

Nexus was taken aback. "So it was the tower that saved me and the others?"

"Yeah, how do you think you survived that spatial turbulence?" the little girl said lazily.

"Now that makes sense. Previously, I wondered how we were able to survive in the spatial turbulence, so it was the tower that saved us," Nexus realized.

"As for your question of where youare, did you not see the words written at the entrance of the tower?" the little girl asked, rolling her eyes at Nexus.

Nexus remembered the red characters that read "Origin Tower." He muttered to himself.

" Yes that right, the Origin Tower is the most powerful existence to ever existed "

Suddenly, the little girl's voice sounded beside his ear, almost giving him a heart attack.

Before he knew it, the little girl had appeared beside him, looking at him with curiosity and excitement.

Nexus calmed his racing heart and looked at the little girl with a hint of annoyance. She had almost made his heart skip a beat. Could she just act normal?

"So, you're saying this Origin Tower is the most powerful existence ever?" Nexus asked.

The little girl nodded proudly. "Yes."

"What makes the Origin Tower so special? What does it do?" Nexus asked, intrigued.

"Well, for starters, the Origin Tower is a powerful weapon," the little girl began.

Nexus interrupted her, shocked. "You mean this massive tower that seems to reach into the depths of the universe is a weapon?"

"Yeah, don't interrupt me again, okay? Let me finish," the little girl said, rolling her eyes.

Nexus smiled sheepishly.

The little girl continued, "The tower itself is a weapon, but it also has other uses.You see,the Origin Tower has floors and each floor contains precious treasures, but you have to be strong enough to open them. And there are endless floors, as you can see from the sheer height of the Origin Tower."

Nexus listened to her explanation and nodded in understanding.

"But if the tower is a weapon, how can someone wield it, considering its size?" he asked, confused.

"You're not strong enough to know this information " the little girl said suddenly, her expression solemn and serious.<

It was the first time Nexus had seen the little girl being serious since he arrived here.

As he looked at her, Nexus suddenly remembered something. "Previously, you mentioned that this is the first time you've seen a living being and come in contact with one, right?" Nexus asked, feeling curious about the girl.

"Yes, I don't know how I came into existence. All I know is that when I woke up, I was in this tower and became its spirit. I've traveled through the Astheria World with the Origin Tower for countless years, seen many big things, powerful figures, and much more, but I've never left the tower before. So, I was really excited when I saw a living person appear in the hall for the first time in countless years," the little girl said with a sad look in her eyes, quickly covering it with a smile.

"How old are you exactly?" Nexus asked again, hearing that she had been in existence for countless years.

"I don't know exactly, maybe a million, billions, or trillions. I don't know," the little girl said with a pondering expression.

Nexus was shocked. How lonely must it have been in a tower with no one for so many years?

Looking at the little girl with pity in his eyes, Nexus asked softly, "Do you have a name?"

"I don't have a name," the little girl answered.

After pondering for a moment, Nexus said, "How about I give you a name?"

The little girl's eyes flashed with excitement. "Yes, I really want a name. I've always wanted one."

"Okay, since I am your master, I shall give you a name. From now on, you will be called Jade," Nexus confidently said while looking at the little girl.

The little girl's face flushed red with excitement. "I have a name! My name is Jade.