Chapter 7 - Part 1

That morning, I woke up enveloped in a mix of anticipation and anxiety. After getting ready, I joined my sister for breakfast, a ritual of calm and precious complicity in our eyes. The atmosphere was bathed in a strange alchemy of routine and novelty, amplified by recent events that had shaken our reality.

Finishing our meal, I discreetly passed her an envelope containing a significant sum of money, aiming to alleviate the financial pressures weighing on our family when I was not there. As expected, she reacted with moved surprise and profound gratitude, deserving every penny for her unwavering support towards our mother and myself.

Despite her gratitude, I knew she wouldn't want to accept it, so I briefly summarized the official statement released by the Association of Éthérés that morning. It had confirmed our speculations and fears from the day before: the tower was indeed a portal to another world, a space of convergence for the peoples of our planet, defying borders and cultures.

In their statement, they explained that similar towers had been observed across the globe, revealing a global reality rather than an isolated phenomenon, placing the Association of Éthérés at the heart of an unprecedented crisis due to their obligation to explore and solve this mystery.

My sister, captivated, listened to me, oscillating between worry and fascination. I tried to hide my apprehension behind a façade of serenity while sharing with her the mysterious objectives and rules inscribed inside the tower.

When she expressed the desire to become an Éthérée, I encouraged her dream, despite the uncertainties looming over our future.

With that cheerful moment, I said goodbye and headed towards the association.

As soon as I left the safety of our home, I was confronted with a chaotic reality. The streets, normally a model of order and civility, were transformed into scenes of disorder reminiscent of apocalyptic images from a "Purge" movie. Wrecked vehicles littered the lanes, their twisted carcasses testifying to the madness that had seized the drivers. Groups of people, driven by a frenetic and destructive energy, wreaked havoc, smashing storefronts and confronting anyone in their path. The police, overwhelmed and clearly under-equipped to deal with such anarchy, attempted in vain to restore some semblance of order.

Driven by a protective impulse, I dialed my sister's number, urging her to stay indoors. Her promise not to go out without informing me brought scant comfort to my heavy heart. After hanging up, I continued my journey towards the Association of Éthérés, hoping to find a more accurate picture of the current situation.

Scenes of chaos unfolded relentlessly. A particularly affected intersection offered a heartbreaking spectacle: a bus had violently crashed into a lamppost, throwing its passengers into a macabre dance. Around, shocked bystanders attempted to offer help, while others, lost in unexplained fury, attacked anything and everyone. The cries, the tears, and the clatter of impromptu fights composed a terrifying cacophony, a soundtrack for the collapse of society as we knew it. Fortunately, the only positive aspect in all of this, in my opinion, was that no Éthérés seemed to participate in these atrocities.

Finally, the vision of the Association appeared, an imperturbable fortress amidst the surrounding disorder. The premises were protected on all sides, and security was at its highest, a true bastion against the madness engulfing the city. After identifying myself, I was allowed to enter, where the atmosphere was radically different. Here, there was no panic or despair, but a feverish, focused, and determined activity.

To learn more about the situation, I decided to walk around and listen to people's conversations. According to discussions, the source of the turmoil was the Ascension Tower, which, due to the Association's efforts to study its structure and mysteries, had led to the publication of its rules, an act that, far from reassuring, had plunged the population into a profound existential crisis.

The revelation that our world, as we knew it, might be on the verge of an irreversible transformation in three months had shaken the foundations of society. Some saw in these rules an opportunity, a chance for transcendence or redemption. Others, however, interpreted the situation as the prelude to an inevitable end, provoking hysteria and rebellion.

Apocalyptic sects had emerged, preaching the end times and inciting revolt against any form of despair and fanaticism, finding resonance among those who, already disillusioned, saw chaos as a form of liberation.

A few hours later, after booking my next dungeon and returning home, the Association of Éthérés, in collaboration with government authorities, faced with the intensification of the chaos threatening to overwhelm our society, took a drastic but necessary measure by declaring a state of emergency.

This unprecedented decision, although difficult, was essential to try to restore peace and public order. To support this bold initiative, considerable resources were mobilized, encompassing everything from emergency medical supplies to logistical support, to aid relief operations and the interventions of special units made up of Éthérés, specifically dispatched to quickly resolve any violent events in the country's cities…

In the days following the declaration of the state of emergency, a slow but sure return to some form of normality began to emerge on the horizon of our shaken community. The joint and tireless efforts of the government and the Association of Éthérés began to bear fruit.

Thanks to this return to normalcy, the state of emergency was lifted, and normal life resumed its course, allowing me to go conquer my next dungeon.