Blessed Messiah and the Tower of AI

Chapter 5: Tower of AI

"Ia... Ia, Ia, Ia..."

Mayu whispers, simultaneously poking her sister's shoulder with her index fingers. Ia, on the other, quietly skims through the paragraphs on the scroll over and over, until she stops suddenly from Mayu's pestering. Mayu is unfaltered as she doesn't realize this nor Ia's irritated stare.

"Psst, Ia..."

Ia sighs and an unsatisfied expression aims Mayu's way. "What is it, Mayu? Can't you see I'm trying to read the scroll?"

The younger of the two lowers her arms and informs, "Yeah, I know, but I think I see the cliff we're supposed to go to."

Ia's eyes widen and she looks around frantically. She doesn't question where and yet Mayu can already tell Ia doesn't want to waste any more time asking. Instead, Mayu extends an arm and points northeast.

"Woah..." Ia utters under her breath.

The cliff- despite being farther away in their perspective- is much larger than she expected it to be. Not to mention much, much taller than she thought. Compared to the very top, she can simply imagine her and her sister as tiny specks from down below- maybe you couldn't even see them at all.

She's completely mesmerized and Mayu notices Ia's fascination. Mayu pats her shoulder to grab her attention, turning back the way they came.

"Let's go alert the rest." The younger sister smiles warmheartedly, jogging forward and disappearing into the trees.

Ia looks back at the cliff. She clenches her fists tighter on the unfurled scroll and glances from the landform to the parchment. She reads one of the paragraphs silently to herself.

"The tower contains the nine blessings, one on each floor excluding the first floor and the top of the tower. Each blessing is sealed before a door that opens as you step onto the floor. Once you step into the room of the blessing, the doors close with no way to reopen them. The person who obtains the blessing shall-"

A tear falls over the next word on the scroll.

Her teardrops fall restlessly down her cheeks and roll onto the page as wet spots against the parchment. Ia disregards this and rather lifts her head to the top of the cliff, staring at the dawn. She can't see it, but she knows it's there, silently cursing at it for bestowing this fate upon them- the tower. It's punishing the Messiah, their companions...

She rolls the scroll back up and stuffs it in her bag.

... her little sister. Even knowing that the destiny lying ahead of them, just beyond their climb, is the most dangerous, Mayu's still smiling and unhesitant to pursue towards the end of their path.

'Mayu, how do you keep peace, how do you smile-!' Ia wipes her eyes and starts trudging back. '... even in the darkest of times?'

✧

"Rise and shine, Messiah, Messiah's companions, it's early mornin' and the cliff is just up ahead!" Mayu hollers to the sleeping eight.

To Rin, Mayu's wakeup call was practically the blaring noise of drums ringing loud in her ears. Although annoying, she remains in her curled-up sleeping position, ignoring it the way she does to the usual rooster call in the morning.

Barely anyone rises but Gumi and Meiko, thus leading to Ia's turn to yell at the rest.

"Wake up, sleepy heads! The cliff ain't gonna climb itself nor will Earth be restored if you don't get yourselves into gear!"

Mayu presses her palms onto her ears attempting to block out Ia's booming voice. As she manages to awaken them all but three, Mayu saunters to Miku's side and taps her arm. "That includes you, too, Miku, the Messiah needs to head to the tower."