Shimmers of the past

Tyr steps onto the cold dark coloured rock surface. Before him is a massive gate, four people wide at least. As he steps closer, he can hear a faint sound. Tyr can't make out the words. When he opens the gate thou, he gets a tremendous surprise. The stairway is part of a heaven gate. In his old life, he heard about that these. The only way to find is by luck and they test a person's will. Tyr prepares himself as best he can. He has been to several small stairways to heaven before, but this one is the biggest.

He moves up the stairs with ease. The spiral staircase upwards is not as challenging as he expected. From his memories, he knows it means one thing danger! A staircase to heaven has requirements of all three major factors. The mind, the body, and the spirit. On his first twelve-step heaven's gate. As a level two hundred and thirty-five Legate. He only got to the third step. Heaven's staircase has always been unbelievably tough.

Every twelve steps divides the stages of the stairs. The first twelve of these steps is a simple test of strength. As a level zero, the staircase can only exert a negligible force. Tyr realized on the fourth step. He went over his steps, checking everything he can. He noticed how his stamina was draining thrice as fast. Lucky for him, the combo of his low level and Pristine body makes the steps bearable.

From the fifth step, Tyr can feel his whole body strain. His foot wobbles onto the sixth floor as a heavy force envelopes him. He shutters.' this is how the test should be.' His apprehension that his memories might be wrong is misplaced. Besides them being incomplete and confusing. There is a small part of him that still doesn't believe. What kind of madman risks everything and everyone he knows. For a chance, to win a game.

Tyr steps on the eighth step. He focuses his mind on not stopping. One of his memories tells him that stopping is death and pain. Staircases cause 'Real death'. Real death is a term when somebody's account is deleted from the game. If someone dies while connected to the game, that is called 'True Death.'

Tyr can hardly lift his leg onto the ninth step. It feels like his spine is being crushed. He looks like an old shaking with every step. He is covered in salty sweat. His heart is pounding in his throat.

Tyr tries to use his arms to help lick up his leg onto the tenth step. He tries to stand to take a breath. He only musters a few quick breaths. Tyr takes many little steps, making sure not to stop. His grandpa shuffles his way through. He tries to lift his heavy leg onto the last step. The moment he touches it he coughs up a large amount of blood. The force on him makes it feel like he is a pimple about to be popped.

He can feel his life-force fading. The drain making him power shuffle the three steps he needs to take to clear might as well be a mile. Tyr continues willing his body as his life-force reaches zero. He is a half step away. Tyr tries anyway. He made it this far. At least he can try to make it. This is the furthest he has ever gotten he can be proud of. His pixelating body fizzles on the eighth floor.

[Trial Cleared: Strength of Will Detected 1/3]

Tyrs' body reappears on the eighth floor. There is a small forested area with a wooden cottage looking over a large lake. Tyr moves towards the wooden cottage. It doesn't look lived in for many years. He pushes the door it's stuck. Slamming his body into it the door falls off its hinges.

A man young and vibrant looks up at him. The dust and gunk all over the cottage don't cover him at all. He looks up at Tyr putting down his book. The book in his hand phases into the tome on the small desk next to him. He says, "you could have knocked, brother."

Tyr doesn't know what to say. He stares at the man. His persona doesn't match the cottage. To Tyr, it's like finding a diamond on top of a pile of shit. Tyr remembers something about how high-level characters can sometimes leave behind shimmers of themselves. These shimmers appear around places of power or where that character died. Tyr hopes this man didn't die here because that's a whole different kind of shimmer. He shudders as he is flooded by a memory that he wants to forget.

"The door just fell on its own. I'm really sorry about that." Tyr tries to laugh it off. He doesn't know what might set this young man off.

The young man says, "Well, now that you are here, brother. We can talk about uncle Adro."

Tyr says, " What about Uncle dear brother?" Tyr looks at the man's face. His youthful vibrancy flushing. A strong aura enveloped the man. Tyr shudders how does this young know one of the true names of a Moon God.

He stands suddenly, pointing at the door. "He's here already. Take my book. It has all my designs use it to build a support for the people. It is my gift to you."

Tyr, baffled slightly, says, "That book?" Pointing at the tome. Tyr can't tell if it's a veritable treasure or not. Shimmers can hand a player a tome, claiming it to be something only for that player to die.

The man says, "Take it, make sure uncle doesn't find it. I will hold him off go now, brother!" The man walks out the door in a brilliant flash. Tyr grabs the tome. The cottage, the forest and the lake all crumble around him, revealing another set of twelve steps. These steps are all different colours and spiral upward to a black ceiling that moves about like water.

Only the Tome and Tyr are remaining. Tyr picks up the black covered book. The pages look purple and clearly, there are a lot of pages missing. A chime from the system sounds off.

[Tome of Discovery - Mind Fragment]

Info: The tome of Discovery belonged to Nogu before he ascended to godhood. Nogu was famous for his many passions. Over the years it many sorts his designs. His brother broke his tome into three pieces.

Unusable

Drops on death

Requirements: Inheritor of Nogu

Tyr doesn't know which god Nogu became, but becomes his inheritor should be the purpose of this tower. Most inheritances are in three pieces. While he has never seen a tome in his past life. Several players found inheritances like Thousand Styles Miles and Da-Meter the machine god.

Tyr looks at the dark liquid floating ahead. The spiral staircase in front of him is scary. He shakes his body, trying to convince himself to climb these steps. The words of Ramata come to mind as he climbs. The steps like before, as he steps on his body, tingles. But it's more internal, like someone is directly pulling at his nerves. He takes the first three steps quickly. With each step, he feels warmer. Rushing now, the pressure is not as heavy as before, but an unfamiliar pain is assaulting him.

Tyr's body is burning from the inside out. His insides feel on fire, his wounds rubbed with raw chilli. He won't stop the increase in fire's intensity pushing him forward. By the tenth step, he is literally on fire. His entire body was surrounded by blue fire. The sizzling of his skin cracks as he steps. His blood evaporates from the heat of the blue flames. He has to hold his to stop trying to stop the flames. Even in this state, he steps on every step on the way up. Many players in his old life made that mistake jumping over steps is always punished.

The dark waters soothe Tyr as soon as he enters. Another system message getting his attention. He slowly floats up as he reads the message.

[Trial Cleared: Spirit of Fire Detected 2/3]

Tyr is in the middle of the dark lake. Looking around he can't see anything no stairs. Not even a place to rest. His body starting to get cold. The waters while soothing are also freezing. His teeth start to chatter. He swims not knowing what to do. He swims until he can't anymore. His body is tired his muscles are burning. This gives him a thought he tries to remember what it felt like when he was on fire. He remembers the feeling towards the end is similar to activated passive. It's like holding your thumb with all four fingers but in your mind.

The sudden explosion of fire from his body hurts more than the cold everything feels exposed again. At full blast, he can not even last two more minutes...