The Tower of Cormalfin

Pop sprang up the stairs with the fervor of a man a hundred years younger. Each alabaster step was lined with gold and studded with precious gems. On the walls of the tower were murals emblazoned with vibrant colors. There were warriors fighting vicious beasts, noblemen dressed in purple gowns with white frills, and portraits of what must have been the Builders. Children frolicked through the forest. Massive ships sailed up the Apsinro river. Pop had never seen such a beautiful display of art and history.

He had been Ascending for nearly thirty minutes and reflecting on how he chanced upon such unbelievable fortune. The adrenaline moved his legs at an unsustainable pace and Pop had to remind himself to conserve his energy. He was in fine physical condition for his age, but philosophers contemplated how even the most well built individual would fare during the climb.

The citizens of Cormalfin had awoken that morning to a blue mark drawn on their door. Pop hadn’t heard anyone approach his home in the night and was sure it was a mistake until he looked around at the disbelief on his neighbors’ faces. Those without doors or homes saw the mark on the doors of others and joined in on the commotion. After the shock began to wear off, a steady stream of Cormalfins, with their lanterns, coursed from their respective corners of the city towards the main road and down to the town square. The morning light had risen above the mountain tops and into the clouds by the time the Deciders took their place upon the stage. The eldest, Rinshel, remained standing and addressed the crowd, confirming the thought that was currently at the forefront of thousands of minds.

“Today we hold a special Ascension Ceremony…” Rinshel was unable to finish before the crowd erupted in cheers. He smiled and allowed the Cormalfins time to settle down.

“Today we hold a special Ascension Ceremony,” he continued, “to honor our great community and to bless one worthy individual who exemplifies kindness and selflessness to the highest degree…”

The small children grew restless as the Head Decider delved into the traditional speech. Had the townsfolk known about the ceremony in advance they would have prepared a grand festival with music, games, food, drinks, and other frivolities. The Ascension is only supposed to occur once every five years and its arrival is eagerly awaited by all either for the very small opportunity of being chosen or for the celebration.

“This person is a cornerstone of our society and known to all for their good deeds. For this reason, we grant them passage to what lies beyond by way of the Tower…”

Behind the Deciders stood the massive architectural wonder that soared into the sky. Those who don’t know any better call it the Tower of Ten Thousand Steps for the sake of poetry, but every estimate puts the stair count into the hundreds of thousands at the least. Due to the clouds, it is believed that the only people who have ever seen the top of the Tower are the ones who built it and the ones who have successfully conquered it.

“We are proud to count this individual as one of us, but now it is time for them to leave us. May they have the strength and perseverance to carry this distinction above the clouds.”

“Above the clouds!” The Cormalfins shouted in reply. Then his name was called.

There were no windows inside the Tower, but Pop’s path was lit by inextinguishable flames. His knee had begun to ache and he sat down on a step for a quick rest. The events of the day still raced through his mind. Pop hadn’t had time to think before the assembly whisked him to the front. The religious, clothed in rags, prostrated themselves before him. They believe that the Ascension is an apotheosis that culminates in the grand deification of a Protector who would shield Cormalfin from above and look after its people. Nobody, except for possibly the Deciders, truly knew what awaited at the end of the staircase.

Pop speculated that there would be riches of some kind, or maybe a type of knowledge forbidden to the rest of the world. There must be living quarters for him and the climbers who came before him. Avena was the last to be chosen less than two years ago and Haneron five years before her. Pop wondered if they would be surprised to see him. He rose and continued his journey upwards.

The Tower is believed to have been erected as a monument to the fallen at the end of the great war between man and beast and to signify the beginning of the Halcyon Period. Amongst a city in ruin and devastated by enormous loss, a legion of survivors who would later be known as the Builders came together to show that Cormalfin could become stronger than before. In a matter of decades, their society had been resurrected.

Their children became the first Deciders and set forth the goal of continuing what the Builders started in an effort to create as perfect a town as possible. The tradition stands to this day that only direct descendants of the Builders can be Deciders. Because of the importance of the Deciders, they are not permitted to be selected for Ascension and as a result Cormalfin has become more prosperous every generation. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Cormalfin is the willingness of all of its people to help each other, especially those in dire need.

Pop now saw only granite. Granite beneath him, granite above him, granite to each side of him. For hours he had stared into a grey abyss. His knee was in flames, his feet ached, and he winced with every step. When Pop was a child, he suffered a major injury playing The Wizard's Revenge with his friends. Someone had accidentally grabbed hold of his foot as he dove for the cloak. He was confined to healing in bed for months and only after he was well enough to walk again did the other children start calling him ‘Pop’ after the sound that his knee had made.

He rounded the staircase and the sight of something other than stone sent a jolt of fear through him, causing his foot to miss the next step. Pop landed hard on the stairs and tumbled downward until he hit the wall. He quickly directed his gaze back up trying to determine if he just saw what he thought he saw - bones. He started crying.

Why had the Deciders chosen him? He was sure that he was going to die and doubted that he was even worthy of climbing the stairs in the first place. Pop’s only interaction with a Decider had been a humiliation; he had been serving the donated weekly leftovers to his neighbors when Rinshel entered his home. On his way to greet the Head Decider, he stumbled and spilled hot gravy on Rinshel’s garments. Pop went down to his knees and begged profusely for forgiveness, but Rinshel lifted him back to his feet, laughed, and assured Pop that there was no harm done. He had not seen the Head Decider again until the ceremony a few days later.

Maybe Rinshel had seen how sincere his apologies were and felt that he was truly virtuous. The special ceremony could have been his way of not only demonstrating to all of those who had heard about the incident that the Deciders are forgiving, but also that Pop had more than adequately atoned for his mistake.

The idea that Rinshel must have seen something in him reignited Pop’s desire to forge onward. He charged past the skeleton with hardened resolve. Pop noticed that it was growing more difficult to breathe. Droplets of dried blood were present on each step, growing larger until they became red footprints stained in the stone. The lucky Cormalfin nearly collapsed again when he saw what no other living Cormalfin had ever seen.

Thousands upon thousands of colorful sparks lit the clear, dark sky. Some were large and some were hardly noticeable. To Pop, they seemed close enough to touch, but far away at the same time. He scaled the final few steps gazing up in a dreamlike trance, only seeing the broad platform through the sides of his eyes. It was at this moment that Pop truly missed his friends and regretted not being able to share this moment with them. He wished that he would have been given the opportunity to say goodbye.

On the edge of the platform stood a giant glass encasement concealing what looked to be wood, grass, and other natural debris. He circled the dome until he saw a lever, which he pulled with great effort until there was a loud click. The rapid reaction of a mechanism inside the encasement created a bright flash and set the kindling aflame. As the fire burned through the night, Pop laid on the hard floor and closed his eyes.

There was a loud thud followed by the click of the lever. Pop’s skin felt hot and he struggled to open his eyes without squinting. He heard footsteps coming towards him. A giant beast approached from across the platform, but Pop stood his ground.

“Who are you?” Pop asked. The creature extended its hand to Pop and he accepted its invitation by climbing into it. With a loud swoosh, the beast’s wings powered them both into the sky. Pop laughed as the warm breeze washed over his face. The exhilaration of soaring above the clouds repressed the uneasiness Pop felt in his stomach. They had traveled a great distance in what felt like a moment’s time. He looked down in amazement as the clouds vanished; they were no longer over land, instead a vast expanse of water stretched further than could be seen. The creature’s mouth was hardened, but Pop depicted what he thought was a smile in its eyes. Then its mighty fingers unfurled and Pop was released.