Into the Tower God's Sanctuary

"If it is alright for me to ask, who is this 'old man' you were referring to?" Lerish asked the little girl out of curiosity.

"...Huh? Ah, you see...he's just like me, a god that existed way before you mortals came into being. Too bad that he's dead, though, that's why he can't welcome us in his place anymore."

Recalling my little knowledge about gods like her...I think she's referring to the so-called [Tower] God. Tower God, for lack of a better name, is one of those gods that perished in the Great War that happened thousands of years ago—the only god surviving is this annoying little girl that's with us right now. Aside from the fact that he died a very long time ago, little is known about him, and to this day the tower he had built is the only remaining gift he has given to this world.

Once a product of human imagination, the tower whose height is unparalleled became a contentious topic to everyone, whether it is possible for such a thing to exist in this world or not. The two sides kept on arguing and fighting each other until those who believe in the tower's existence decided that it's foolish arguing with the 'fools' on the other side and find the compelling truth once and for all. Not long after that, they prepared their things, shifted their gazes into the world, and so began the age of exploration.

For hundreds of years, those who believe that the tower exists traveled around the world to find its location and prove their point, combing through every point on the map, but many of them gave up or ended up dying. The very few who claimed to have 'seen' the tower gave various locations where they 'found' it, but no definite proof was at their hands...

...Until now.

"Now that I think about it, isn't this tower more spacious than the chamber we were inside not long ago? It's many times as large as far as I remember..."

"Nn, I think so too. Perhaps to have an inconceivably high tower, it is only logical to have a very wide base to support it first."

I don't know how exactly was this place hidden from sight all this time, but the way everything changed so abruptly disoriented me and my sense of direction, as I start wandering around like a child in this unfamiliar place.

"Hm? I wonder what this thing is..."

"...Don't touch it!" the little girl slapped my hand as I'm about to touch and hold a funny-looking statue this tower has.

"It's none of your business, you little brat."

"...Hmph. No wonder you're like that: no one taught you not to touch anything you're unfamiliar with. How pitiful."

"Well, if I ever needed someone to teach me that, I will never ask it from you."

"...Oh, really? Well, I don't want to teach you anything either!"

"Um, both of you...I would appreciate it if the two of you were to make up and be on good terms again just like before..."

""No!!!"" the little girl and I yelled.

"S-Simultaneously?!"

Clearing my throat, I replied, "It is what it is now, Lerish. If this girl doesn't want to associate herself with us, then so be it. I'd rather befriend a huge worm than deal again with someone like her, honestly."

"...You two brought me here against my will anyway so I'm in the right to leave this place. If only I could see the way out, however...ah!"

With her legs almost back to normal after a few minutes of not doing anything, she simply walked to where an enormous door is located, possibly the one that leads to the outside world. She exerted all her strength to push the door open, but the sheer difference in size between her tiny body and the door itself is like night and day. She gave up almost immediately and went back to where we are standing, visibly exhausted.

"What the hell is that, you gave up after just one try? I thought you're better than that?" I jeered at her.

"...Tch, I didn't give up because I'm still weak! The door is just stuck, that's it!"

"Oh, yeah? Why don't you just admit that you're already way past your...uh, Lerish?"

When I made a glance at Lerish, I noticed that she's been looking down for a while now, her two fists clenched tight. With her body trembling very slightly, I could feel the atmosphere around her change, and not in a good way.

"Um...Lerish? What's wrong, are you not feeling well...?"

"...H-Hey..."

Amid our confusion, Lerish then raised her head, and without any warning, proceed to pinch our ears.

"O-Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch!!!"

"...W-W-What's gotten into you all of a sudden, you woman?! Y-You're hurting me!!!"

Speaking in a very cold manner, Lerish replied:

"My apologies. It seems that I have been too lenient all this time, to let this petty quarrel happen while in my presence. Worry not, Miss Aoi and Ren, for I will make you reconcile to recompense for my shortcomings, one way or another."

As she said that, she tightened the grip on our ears, even more, causing both the little girl and me to squeal in pain.

"...Yaaaaaaaahhh?! My ears—you're tearing my ears off?! I get it, I get it! I'll try to not bicker with him as much as possible! That's why, please...let us go already..."

"S-She's right! We'll do our best to behave properly...!"

Still not showing any sign of her fury waning, Lerish asked, "Are the two of you trying to fool me into thinking that your words are coming from your sincere mouths? You know that I despise being toyed by other people the most."

In fear of us losing half of our pair of ears, the little girl and I finally capitulated, and—

""W-We promise! We will not fight, as long as you're around!""

Almost instantly she let go of our ears, and we immediately sank to the floor, both of us vigorously rubbing our ears to soothe the pain. Lerish, on the other hand, spoke again with her back facing us.

"While I prefer that your relationship will be resolved soonest, this will do for now."

"S-So...are you still mad at us?" I asked.

"Only until a while ago. I feel considerably better now that I finally let out my thoughts."

"...That's...great..."

"However, I will make sure to discipline both of you if you were to misbehave again, do you understand?"

""Y-Yes ma'am!!!"

"Splendid!" she said as she looked at us, her bright smile and demeanor surfacing again. "Well then, let us continue like this for the rest of our days, shall we?"

As Lerish continue to explore the interior of the tower, the little girl and I, who are still kneeling on the ground, looked at her with a bewildered gaze, still feeling the whiplash of her very swift change in mood.

"...To think that she could be like that when she's mad...I must've underestimated her too much."

"Y-Yeah. I've never seen that side of hers before..."

Well, even someone as gentle as Lerish has their limits too, so I don't blame her for becoming angry at us. Much like an older sister, she's the one who's currently doing the most to mend my relationship with this girl beside me, and I can't thank her enough for that. It's a shame, though, that doing so is easier said than done. Right now, neither side would budge and will remain the same for a long while.

I just hope that this little girl won't make things harder for Lerish.

-----

As remarkable as this tower's height might be, its interior quickly loses its splendor the longer we stay here. From the inside, this tower is an empty and hollow place, like a tube that's sealed on one end. If we shout we could hear echoes, which adds a little spooky factor to our tour.

The only thing that entertains us right now, are the inscriptions on the columns supporting the tower. Each inscription tells a story from a long past, particularly how this tower came to be.

"...So what this inscription means is that the one who built this tower—the [Tower God]—out of the blue, decided to keep the tower from everyone's sight while admiring the look of his creation from a distance. Thus, using his power he made the entire tower sink under the ground one night, just in time when everyone's asleep. Then, to make it even harder for anyone to find it, he also placed illusion magic in a large area around the location of the tower, and added creatures that will hunt down any trespasser who would enter the illusory realm he had created, much like that worm we have encountered earlier."

"Um, do you have any guesses as to why the Tower God concealed the tower from the world, Miss Aoi? Perhaps there is a compelling reason that pushed him into doing it," Lerish asked.

The little girl shook her head and said, "...To tell you the truth, that god...I had great trouble approaching him."

"Why is that?"

"...Ugh...how do I put it," concentrating for a moment, the little girl replied, "he is, uh, what people call nowadays as a 'bookworm'? He loved reading and researching so much, that the other gods would often remind him of his duties and not put all of his attention on his books. Even at the time, he disappeared from this world, he always loved his books.'

As she tells us her memories of her past, it is obvious that this little girl still cared for her fellow god, by the way, her blue eyes expressed her somber feeling. She might be the Death Goddess, but I can't deny that she's not an evil girl like what her title says. I still think that she's an annoying brat, though.

Anyway, if the Tower God was such a bookworm...then that means...

"...Come back here, you—"

"Ren? Where are you going?"

"Sorry, but I just remembered something!" I said as I began running.

On the opposite side of the tower, the funny statue I almost touched earlier is still intact, waiting for a visitor to notice it. I don't know why, but I have this sudden urge to topple it down.

"Well then, let's see if I do this..."

Holding the statue on its head, I then twisted it sideways, like snapping a real human neck. I thought at first that the statue will break, but it revealed a green button hidden inside it. Aha!

"Ren? How did you know there is a button inside that statue?" Lerish asked, shocked by my discovery.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I just recalled the experiences I had when I was a child?" I shrugged my shoulders.

Well, I can't tell her that I knew about hidden buttons from playing video games and watching movies, right? More than that, I need to explain what those things are first before she could finally understand what I'm trying to say, and we don't have time for that.

"...What happens if you press that button?" the little girl asked.

"I don't know yet, but..."

*Piiiiiiiiip*!!!

The moment I pressed the button, a loud, high-pitched noise suddenly blasted into our ears as the tower began to tremble. Then, countless steps formed out of the ground and spiraled their way on the walls to how far up our eyes can see. An infinite giant staircase appeared right before our eyes.

"Would you look at that? Now this tower isn't as empty as before."

"It is. Even I never anticipated that this tower has its hidden features..."

"...That's the Tower God for you. But, it seems that this isn't the only hidden thing we have to worry about."

""Eh?"" Lerish and I both looked at the little girl.

Seeing our reaction, the little girl scratched her cheek and spoke:

"...Ah, I haven't told you about it yet, but the Tower God...he..."

"He is what?"

"...Uh..."

"Just tell us already, will you?! We don't need suspense at this point!"

Holding her by her shoulders, I shook her tiny body until she finally tell us what she was trying to say to us.

"...I-I-I'll say it already, okay?! He...he hated humans very much! There, I finally said it!"

""Ehh?!!""

"...Nn. Perhaps he hated you bunch more than I do, that's why the ground where you are standing are the only parts that are about to collapse," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Wait, what...?!"

As Lerish and I looked down, we saw that the ground below our feet is indeed forming cracks, and growing at an alarming rate. I took a couple of steps back, but the cracks seem to follow where we are, and the crackling and popping sounds they create are starting to get worse.

"Ren! The ground, it is starting to fall apart!" Lerish called, as she almost slipped into the crevasse that formed right below her.

"Come here! We'll run out of ground sooner if we don't stick together!"

Watching safely from the sidelines, the little girl laughed malevolently as she spoke, "...What are you going to do, then? Even though the master of this tower is long gone, his hatred for humans still lives on and is going strong. Maybe if you start begging for forgiveness I could help you in your—hweehh?!"

"What are you saying? If we fall, we'll bring you down with us."

"...Eh? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Holding Lerish on one hand and carrying the little girl on the other, I took a deep breath and jumped a long way towards the first flight of stairs on the other side of the tower, jumping over the huge hole that was formed by the collapse of the floor beneath us.

'What are we going to do', she asked? Of course, if we wanted to survive, we have to climb this tower as soon as we can.

Yes, the only way left for us...is up.