Reminisce | Tower of God

Chapter 5

Elyse leaned back against the wall of the break room, hanging her legs off the bench that she and the rest of her team was sitting on. Her gaze darted between the other groups around her. A far smaller number of them than before, it appeared. She wasn’t too surprised, considering what kind of examination they’d just passed.

“This test was hard, indeed,” her brother concluded, “a lot of teams didn’t make it up here.”

Khun didn’t seem so convinced. “But there are more than I thought. It looks like over 20 teams.”

That was one way to look at it. While she hadn’t exactly agreed with how he was deciding to put things into perspective, perhaps she should’ve been a bit more concerned that he thought that way. Because it meant that there was a high chance some of the people around her were much more dangerous than Khun, the most skeptical and calculating of her teammates, had anticipated.

“The break’s almost over,” the blue-haired boy noted, changing the subject with ease. “I should go to the bathroom.”

Elyse nodded. “Okay. Try to hurry back.”

As soon as her teammate left the area, another person entered her field of vision. A freckled, brown-haired boy in a purple tracksuit. In comparison to all the rankers and previous fellow regulars she’d encountered, not a single thing about the stranger caused her to be on edge. He hadn’t exactly seemed all that threatening after all. Excluding her and her brother, as far as she could tell, he was the most normal one there.

“Hey! You guys passed this one too!” He held out a hand, shaking her own in greeting before extending his hand in the same way towards her brother. “I’m Shibisu. And you two?”

Bam gave him a small smile, answering for the both of them. “Oh, I’m Bam and this is my twin, Elyse.”

Shibisu returned the bright expression, glancing between her and her sibling. “Ah, it must be nice going up the tower with your other half.” As the words left his mouth, his gaze drifted over to the crocodile sitting beside them. “What’s the name of that big guy?”

“I’m Leader Rak.”

The boy in the tracksuit paused before echoing, “Leader Rak?”

“I’m the true leader of the era,” her teammate replied without any hesitation, but with complete seriousness.

Shibisu laughed, a reassuringly genuine sound. “You’ve got some funny guys on your team! Not to mention you’re one of the only ones who have a group of four here.” He took a seat next to her before adding, “By the way, there aren’t many teams left, which means that the test is almost over. They’ll be harsher from now on, but I’ll pass all of them. I made a promise to my friend to make it up the tower. How about you two? Why’d you guys come into the tower?”

Elyse’s gaze fell to the floor. “Well, part of the reason is because I’m trying to stay with my brother. And the other part … Let’s just say I’m trying to find someone who can answer all my questions.”

“That’s pretty vague,” Shibisu quipped, “though I guess I can’t demand for someone I just met to tell me everything. What about you, Bam?”

Her brother, for some reason, seemed even more hesitant than her to answer the question. “I also have to … find someone in the tower.”

“It’ll be difficult to find someone in the inner tower, it’s too huge.” His matter-of-fact expression shifted at her brother’s disappointment. That’s probably why he dismissed his own words as he got to his feet. “But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find them. And I hope to see you again after this next test.”