The Villainess has Shattered

Scene 4

[Godehard Hospital]

"So, Mr. Siegfried, your discharge papers are done. You're free to go." The receptionist explained, smiling as she finished typing on her computer.
"Please be careful. Next time you climb The Spire, try not to go alone, or at least buy recovery items."

"I will! Thank you very much," Siegfried replied as he walked out of the hospital. Entering the city street, he strolled along the way slowly so as not to open the wounds around his stomach.

His injuries were caused by the two wolf-like beasts on the fourth floor of the spire. He walked past people from all walks of life, but they could be split into two categories: those who lead normal existences and those who braved the spire: hunters.

Siegfried turned the corner and entered his tiny apartment, the space only large enough to contain the bare minimum: a bed, closet, desk, bathroom, and a small kitchen.

Without hesitation, he walked to his bed and proceeded to collapse on it. Shifting his body so he lay on his front, he called out to something.

"Open Shop," and a translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes. He reached over to his side and placed his hand into what seemed to be a pocket dimension before pulling out five small crystals of varying sizes. He pushed the stones into the interface, and they faded away.

[2 D Rank Stones] [3 E Rank Stones] [Sell]

"Sell" he called out.

[Thank you for selling We are now processing your money]
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[Your Total is €2100!]

A ping sounded off from his phone, turning to check he sees that his bank account has updated. A growl from his stomach sounded. Unlocking his phone screen, he swiped til the app TaxiEats. Siegfried ordered his food before getting up from his bed and went over to his computer.

As he waited for his food to arrive, he scrolled through the internet, mainly looking for information on how to improve in the spire. Several videos came up such as 'What to bring into first floor.', 'C rank Mage vs Orc Boss!!!!!' 'How to get notice by Constellations' and so on'

"That getting noticed by Constellations video sucked!" He muttered under his breath before he decided to click on to a 'Beginner's Guide to the Spire' video!

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<Beginner's Guide to the Spire!10.54minutes>

{The spire just emerged one day. It's stoney walls just emerging from the ground in each country, causing a worldwide panic.

Why has this monument appeared? Who was behind this? Is this the end of time? Many questions were asked, yet no one could answer them until they had examined them.

Before governments could quarantine the area from the public, some brave or foolish souls had entered the building. The inside explained it all.

Inside were a multitude of new discoveries for humanity. Magic, new ores, creatures, and the like were within the confines of the mysterious structure. Though it was not a place of easy discovery, Many came out scared or simply didn't come out at all, dying to do so for several reasons.

However, humanity persevered, and soon the tower became a fact of life. Its discoveries were brought back to be analysed, and magic became integrated into society. More commonplace.

Though the spire's reason for existing remained unknown, But an even greater mystery came into place with the existence of constellations. Beings whose existence is beyond our power, but also beings who granted their strength and abilities to those they took an interest in.

Why did they do that? Who could say? It could be a desire for worship or entertainment. Regardless, supporting constellations play a huge part in those who chose to venture into this danger's lives. These foolhardy people are called hunters.

And that's why you are here, dear viewer!

What's up guys? It's me, your boy...}

Siegfried watched the video as he ate his food, biting into each morsel as he focused. The video eventually came to a conclusion, and so did his meal. Throwing away his food boxes, he proceeded to collapse on his bed.

"Ugh! God! Should I quit being a hunter? I don't even have a constellation. Why would the spire even allow me in?!" The man complained, looking up to check his status window to see the same message once more. [No Supporting Constellations] was a normal site for him, yet would be completely foreign to others.

Despite the amount of videos on the internet, being a hunter isn't as widely spread or lucrative as it is made out to be. Those few who were qualified to enter the spire and became truly successful were few. And that was due to having an inherent skill. The rest were able to make decent living with abilities gained from supporting constellations.

Siegfried had none. Despite surviving in the tower for so long without both, one would think some constellations would take an interest in him. Though he had the determination to fight, that was all he possessed. He lacked the stats or the money to make up for his shortcomings. Essentially, he was utter trash besides his mindset.

"Let's just sleep," Siegfried said as he closed his eyes and drifted off into slumber.

Not long after, he felt his eyes open, no longer seeing the familiar room he was once in but a grand theatre. The hall was a soft crème colour, and it was beautifully adorned with golden ornaments. The thousands of velvet seats lay empty.

"Whoa, this place is... Hold on, where am I?" Siegfried asked, his voice reverberating off the walls and echoing around the room.

Unsure what to do, Siegfried walked to one of the chairs and sat down. Upon seating himself, the lights dimmed and the large grey curtains opened. Emerging from the centre stage was the soft glow of white light, whose form slowly shifted into something humanoid.

The thing stood there alone for a few seconds before it straightened its body, putting one foot before the other.

"Is this a ballet?" Siegfried questioned himself as he gazed at the delicate light performing in front of him. It moved with the gracefulness of a bird; each step was as soft as feathers, causing small ripples in the stage, akin to a leaf falling onto a still lake.

"So beautiful," Siegfried unconsciously commented as the dancer swayed its arms softly. Getting up from his seat, Siegfried slowly walked closer to the stage, yet as he approached it, he bumped into an invisible pane of glass.

Pressing his face against the glass, he looked at the performance space to notice that there was a huge, seemingly endless gap below it. Underneath, there was the same stage, with the same dancer performing a different dance. Beneath that was the same thing, yet each performance was different. Upon this realisation, the area of the performance hall where he stood began to descend.

"How many of these are there? How-hold on. The ballerina looks different." He said as he watched each ballerina dance, some dances were soft and graceful, and others were violent and rough. Some dances were almost identical, while others couldn't be anymore different.

However, the most striking part was how, in each performance, the dancer's movements slowed down.

"Hold on! Wait! Wait!" Siegfried yelled as he banged his fist on the invisible wall in front of him. Each dancer's performance, no matter how different, ended with the same violent move before they collapsed and their bodies cracked like glass.

"Hold on! Shit! How long has she been dancing? It felt like hours!" He shouted as he kept punching.
"Hang on! I'll help you!"

His half of the theatre stopped, descending onto the final stage. The thing stood on stage, not dancing but just standing, still facing the floor. Several black cracks formed on its glowing body.

The thing turned its head towards Siegfried as he repeatedly tried to break his way through. It crawled slowly towards him and reached out its hand.

"Yes yes! I'll help you!" Siegfried called out. His hand was on the glass. The being slowly placed its hand on the invisible wall, causing it to slowly break.
"Yes, that's it."

Yet at that moment, the numerous cracks in its body gave way, and the being began to crumble at its soles.

"No, no, no! You're so close!" Siegfried cried out; his assault on the glass increased, causing a small hole to visibly chip in the barrier. The being placed its index finger through the hole.

Upon instinct, Siegfried reached his finger out as well, allowing them to touch one another for only a brief second before the thing crumbled as well.

The lights turned on, and the curtain closed.

Siegfried shot up from his bed so quickly that he almost reopened some of his wounds. The white moonlight trickled through his bedroom window, illuminating the beads of sweat on his body.

"What the fuck!"

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[In the Sopher Mansion]

Opening her eyes suddenly, ether leaked out of her body, causing her scleras to turn black. Breathing heavily, she looked frantically at her hands before gazing at her right index finger.

"What was that?!?"