Cole exited the other side of the portal, with Lucy soon to follow. The room they entered resembled a long hallway. Behind them was a blank stone slab, with walls that stretched from their left and right as far as the eye could see.

“What,” Cole said, pausing for a moment, “What was that?”

“A portal,” Lucy replied frankly.

“No, no.” Cole said, still dumbfounded, “I meant what was it you did back there? I thought you used ice magic, not… whatever that was.”

“Hmm,” Lucy pondered, “you really don’t know all that much about magic, do you Cole?”

“Well, of course not.” Cole replied, “This world is still pretty new to me.”

Lucy stared down the hallway in front of them, seemingly ignoring Cole’s statement.

“Anyway, you didn’t answer my question. What was that back there?”

“It’s my ‘primary’ magic, you could say,” Lucy replied, beginning to walk down the hallway.

“Does everyone know a bunch of different magic? Is there a limit to how much I can learn?” Cole asked excitedly, following Lucy down the hallway.

“Not necessarily,” Lucy replied.

“Then why are you amazing at two?”

“Hmm,” Lucy hummed, “it’s always good to have options, I suppose. I can always melt ice to make water.”

“Wow,” Cole said, “I never really thought about it like that. Are you an expert at magic?”

“Not at all,” Lucy insisted, “I’m just telling you what my master taught me. Compared to him, I know about as much magic as you do.”

“Is that so?” Cole asked, unconvinced.

“It is,” Lucy replied. “My magic may seem ‘amazing’ to some people, but I’m just as fragile as everyone else. One lapse in concentration and I’m as good as done for.”

Cole took pause at Lucy’s final statement. If she wasn’t all that strong, then why would she risk fighting Felix? Why risk her life helping someone she didn’t even know? Even more so, she helped a demon, supposedly an enemy of humans.

She must be a really kind person, Cole thought to himself, continuing to walk alongside Lucy. I’ll have to find a way to repay her for everything. But, in order to do that…

“Lucy,” Cole said, taking some time to collect his thoughts, “will you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“Magic.”

“Hmm,” Lucy replied, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Oh,” Cole said, not expecting such an immediate rejection.

Cole had dreamed his whole life of what abilities he’d want if he were in a world with magic. Being unable to learn magic in a world filled with magic, however, was simply heartbreaking. Lucy glanced over to see Cole's change in demeanor as he slumped forward in disappointment.

“Well,” Lucy sighed, “we are going to be partners from now on. I’ll consider it.”

“You will?” Cole said happily, like a kid in a candy shop.

Lucy didn’t respond, and Cole realized just how transparent his reactions were. Nevertheless, Cole was willing to go through whatever it took to learn magic.

Cole and Lucy continued down the hall in silence, eventually reaching an exit. They approached the entrance of a large room. Entering the new area without hesitation, Cole and Lucy were greeted by a feminine voice.

“Hello,” The voice said, “I am IQ, and I’ll be your guide throughout your time here.”

Cole looked around the room, unable to find a face that resembled the voice he heard. The room he entered was unlike the plane cobblestone of the previous areas. This room had smooth walls, stretching up until sharply curving into the ceiling. To Cole’s left was roughly five meters of walking space, eventually leading into a large dip in the ground. This ‘dip’ stretched from one side of the room to the other, connecting two large ovular holes in the wall.

To Cole’s right a wall stretched straight to the other end of the room. The wall was barren, except for one long bench at the far edge of the room. On the bench, Cole could make out a middle-aged man, sitting completely still, staring at the other end of the room. It seemed as though the man was waiting patiently for something, intent on not moving a muscle as he waited. No matter where Cole looked, he couldn’t see this ‘IQ’ person.

“Welcome to the first tier of The Tower,” IQ continued, “A train will arrive shortly to take you to your allotted preparation room. Be ready to board when it is called. As you were informed earlier, you will be given twenty-four hours in your room to prepare for the subsequent trial, so use the time wisely. Please equip your provided system bands and take a seat. Good luck, adventurers.”

“What ‘system band?’” Cole asked as he looked around, unsure of where to direct his question.

Met with silence, Cole turned to Lucy for guidance, but she looked equally confused. The two peered over at the man sitting silently on the bench. IQ had told them to take a seat, and it didn’t look like they had much of a choice. Cole began walking to his left, towards the dip in the ground. As he suspected, it only reached a couple of meters below the surface. Cole put his hand on the wall to his left, leaning forward to take a look down the tunnel. Glancing to his left and right, he saw that both sides of the tunnel went in a straight line that ended as the light faded away.

Cole returned to his normal posture, removing his hand from the wall. He turned back around to see Lucy had remained where she was but was looking up at the ceiling. Cole followed her gaze as he walked back towards her but was met with the same, plain ceiling he had seen before.

“Did you figure out where the voice was coming from?” Cole asked.

Cole was met with silence as he finished his approach. Lucy continued to stare at the ceiling.

“Lucy?”

“Hmm?” Lucy replied, looking back down toward Cole.

“Uh,” Cole said, “never mind. We should probably take a seat, like IQ said.”

Lucy looked over at the bench they’d supposedly be waiting on. Cole could tell Lucy had something on her mind, but he wasn’t sure how to pick her brain.

“Ok.” Lucy agreed.

The two began walking over to the bench. As they did, the man continued to sit completely still. The bench was wide enough to fit roughly four people, giving Cole and Lucy little space to separate from the odd stranger. Getting a closer look, Cole took note of the man's appearance. Having sloppy brown hair and a stubble beard, the man looked rugged, given his brown jacket and brown pants were covered in large patches of dirt. The man's jacket stretched below his waist, making it resemble a short trench coat.

Lying on the other end of the bench were two thin, pitch-black bracelets. Lucy picked up one of the bracelets, taking a seat opposite to the stranger, leaving Cole to sit between them.

Fair enough, Cole thought, picking up the other bracelet and taking a seat directly beside Lucy.

Cole inspected the ‘system band’ he’d been provided, but it still looked like an ordinary bracelet. There was a small orb attached to its surface, taking up a good portion of the band. It felt much harder than the rest of the band, making Cole believe it was some kind of obsidian gem. He slid the band over his left wrist, wearing it with the orb facing outward.

A few minutes passed in silence, and Cole bored quickly. Turning to Lucy, Cole was hoping to talk more about magic. Lucy, however, had leaned back on the bench, with her head on its backrest, and her eyes closed. Not wanting to be an annoyance to his only friend, Cole decided to leave her alone.

She probably used up a lot of magic back there, Cole figured. That was a pretty dicey situation.

Cole looked back over at the strange man. He hadn’t seemed to take any notice of them and continued to stare at the other end of the room. Cole looked back in front of himself, not wanting to get into any more potential trouble. Cupping his hands together, Cole began to twiddle his thumbs.

IQ said the train should be arriving shortly, Cole thought to himself. I’ll just have to sit here… should be easy enough.

No matter how bored he got, Cole continued to sit in silence as time ticked away. Minutes turned into hours as Cole tried to keep himself mentally occupied. While he had a lot to ponder, primarily from the hour or so prior to entering the last portal, the boredom eventually got to him.

This guy’s been here even longer than us, Cole thought, turning his head to his right, I should ask him how long he’s been here. He doesn’t know I’m a ‘demon,’ so he shouldn’t be like Felix. Dear god, I hope he’s not like Felix.

“Hey,” Cole said. Met with silence, he continued, “I’m Cole. I was wondering if you’d let me know how long you’ve been here.”

Cole’s speech slowed as he finished his sentence, realizing the man was heading him no attention. He hadn’t said a word to either Lucy or Cole since they’d arrived, making Cole curious as to who he was and what he was doing. Cole leaned forward to get a better look at the man’s eyes. They had remained fixed to the wall across the room, and Cole followed his stare. Seeing nothing of significance, Cole turned back to the man.

“Hey, are you ok?” Cole asked, moving his hand towards the man. Cole waved his hand back and forth in front of the man’s face, but there was no visible reaction. “Um, sir?”

Cole moved his hand to touch the man’s shoulder. As he did, the man blinked.

“When did you get there?” The man asked, snapping his head towards Cole’s hand.

“Uh,” Cole said, jerking his hand back in surprise, “I got here a little while ago. My friend and I are waiting for the train.”

“A while ago, you say?” The man asked curiously, looking over Cole and Lucy, “I must have fallen asleep or something. I didn’t notice either of you.”

Who falls asleep with their eyes wide open? Cole asked himself, maybe I shoulda let him be…

“Well, I’m Cole. I guess we’ll be waiting together.”

“Nice to meet you, Cole.” the man said, “‘Name’s Migdol, but my friends call me Iggy.”

“Iggy?” Cole asked.

“Yup, that’s me,” Iggy said confidently.

Cole didn’t know what to make of Iggy. While he seemed pretty friendly, Cole knew to keep his guard up.

“So… Iggy,” Cole said, hesitantly, “how long have you been waiting here?”

“Oh, not too long,” Iggy replied, waving his hand back and forth, “I practically just got here.”

“Huh,” Cole said, “and when do you think the train will arrive? You’re waiting for it too, right?”

“Yes indeed,” Iggy replied, pointing his thumb to his right, “‘was told it’d be here shortly after I pressed that button.”

“Button?” Cole asked.

Looking past Iggy, Cole leaned forward to see what he was pointing at. To his surprise, the button Cole saw reminded him of one you would see at a crosswalk. It was tucked away on the wall behind Iggy, making it hard to see from most angles.

“And you pressed it?” Cole asked.

“Yup.”

“Well… we’ve been here for a while now. We should probably press it again.”

“I don’t think so.” Iggy insisted.

Cole had never heard someone so confidently against pushing a crosswalk button before. Nevertheless, he wasn’t exactly in Kansas anymore, so his surprise faded quickly.

“Why’s that?” Cole asked.

“The strange lady said I should only press the button once.”

“IQ?” Cole asked after a short pause.

“Yes!” Iggy said happily, “You heard her too?”

“Yeah,” Cole replied, “she told us the train would be here soon about an hour ago, I think.”

“An hour?” Iggy said, “was I really out that long? I hope I didn’t miss it.”

“Maybe we should press the button again, then,” Cole said, seeing an opportunity. “You wouldn’t wanna wait here forever just to find out you only needed to press the button again.”

“Hmm... she was pretty specific in saying to only press it once,” Iggy mused, squinting his eyes at Cole, “you’re not trying to test me, are you?”

“No, no,” Cole said, leaning away from Iggy’s glare, “it was just a thought.”

“Hmmm,” Iggy loudly hummed.

Cole turned back to looking at the other end of the room. His conversation with Iggy had suddenly turned to a standstill, and all Cole could think about was that shift. Cole and Felix had got along swimmingly until a similar moment occurred, and Cole couldn’t help but get worked up over it.

We’ve got to have been here for over an hour now, Cole thought to himself, I’d better wake Lucy up. She’ll know what to do.

Cole turned to see Lucy in the same position she was before. Lucy’s head hadn’t seemed to move an inch from where it was on the backrest, and the rest of her body seemed to have stayed the same as well.

“Lucy?” Cole said, checking to see if she was even awake. A few moments passed before he repeated himself, a bit louder this time, “Lucy?”

Cole watched as Lucy didn’t react to either of his calls. Even if Lucy were asleep, surely she wouldn’t be as still as she was. Cole noticed this, making him think Lucy was simply ignoring him.

Even if Lucy was extremely patient, Cole paused to think, she couldn’t think something like this is normal, right?

Not wanting to drag things out, Cole reflexively did what he normally did to wake up one of his friends: poke them on the shoulder repeatedly. In an attempt to do so, Cole’s finger connected briefly with Lucy’s shoulder. However, as his finger began to press further against her skin, Cole felt the slight resistance fade away, and his finger began to pass right through her.

After a moment, Lucy’s eyes slowly began to open. Cole met Lucy’s glare, her eyes seeming to peer directly into Cole’s soul. In an attempt to ease the moment, Cole smiled wryly and tried to move his hand back to his side. When he did, he felt a strange sensation on his finger. It felt as if Lucy’s shoulder was holding onto his finger, making him unable to pull it out.

What’s wrong with me? Cole thought, gaining a vast feeling of awkwardness.

“How’d you do that?” Lucy asked, squinting her eyes at Cole.

“Uh, I don’t know,” Cole said worriedly, “it’s just kind of stuck.”

“And?”

“I don’t know!” Cole continued, still trying to gently pull his finger out of Lucy’s shoulder, “I was just trying to wake you up!”

“Wake me up?” Lucy asked, her eyes returning to normal.

“Yes!” Cole replied, “We’ve been waiting for the train for a while now, and I wanted to get your opinion on things.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow as Cole said this, taking a moment to scan the room they were in.

“Cole,” Lucy replied, “we just got here.”

“Huh?” Cole said, visibly confused, “we’ve been sitting here for at least an hour.”

“Is that so?”

“I swear it is.”

Cole didn’t know what to think about the situation but could tell Lucy was giving it some thought. What Cole didn’t know was which interaction was weirder: waking up Iggy or waking up Lucy. Iggy was definitely a character, but having his finger stuck inside Lucy’s shoulder wasn’t anything normal either.

Is this part of her magic?

Before he could voice his question, Lucy brought her hand up to his. Wrapping her hand around Cole’s, Lucy pulled his finger out of her shoulder. Strangely, Cole didn’t feel any of the resistance he had felt before, and his finger slid right out. Uncertain of what to think, Cole tried to bring his hand back down to his side. As he did, Lucy’s grip tightened, restricting Cole’s hand.

Shortly after, Lucy loosened her grip again and began to move her hand up Cole’s arm, eventually resting it on his shoulder. Lucy moved her elbow behind the back of the bench, making it seem as though she was trying to get comfortable.

“So,” Lucy said, tapping against Cole’s shoulder, “what have you been doing over this ‘hour?’”

“Well,” Cole replied, “I was waiting for the train, but it never came. I talked to Iggy, and he said… the same thing.”

Cole’s tone shifted as he finished speaking. He had been so surprised by his finger being stuck that he hadn’t considered what should have been obvious. Lucy and Iggy had both ignored him when he’d initially spoken to them while on the bench. However, the two of them had an immediate reaction when being touched. It was as if they couldn’t hear him unless he were in physical contact with them.

Wait, Cole thought, I only touched Iggy once but had a whole conversation with him afterward. Am I just going crazy?

Cole wanted to blame the situation on stress, but current circumstances were far too odd for such a conclusion. Lucy continued to tap her fingers consecutively against Cole’s shoulder.

“The same thing?” Lucy asked, having been waiting for Cole to go on.

“Yeah,” Cole continued, “when I woke Iggy up, he seemed to think he’d just sat down.”

“And ‘Iggy’ is him,” Lucy said, nodding her head past Cole.

“Yup,” Cole confirmed, turning his head back towards Iggy.

To his surprise, Iggy was still squinting his eyes at him. This made Cole jerk back towards Lucy a bit, but he was mostly held in place due to the support from Lucy’s hand. Iggy’s stillness reminded him of when he’d initially entered the room, only this time, Iggy was staring at him instead of the wall. Cole moved his head to the left, but Iggy’s gaze remained fixed.

“It’s like he’s frozen,” Cole noted.

“It seems so.” Lucy agreed.

“But why?” Cole asked, turning back to Lucy, “I was just talking to him a second ago. Why would he suddenly freeze up?”

“What did Iggy say to you?” Lucy asked.

“Um,” Cole said, collecting his thoughts, “He said he’d just gotten here as well, and that IQ told him to press that button. Iggy said she explicitly said to only press it once.”

Cole pointed his finger past Iggy. Lucy leaned forward on the bench to look at the button.

“It would seem we’ve had a misunderstanding,” Lucy said, leaning back.

“A misunderstanding?” Cole asked, turning his head back towards Lucy, who was now looking up again at the ceiling.

“This isn’t a normal train stop.” Lucy stated, “After all, IQ did just say we were already in the first tier of The Tower.”

“So when Iggy asked if I was testing him, he meant literally.”

“Exactly. It seems our first trial has already begun.”