Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If she hadn’t been shaking, Serena would have picked the lock in forty-five seconds.

That was her record. Her partners could do it in less, but they placed the task on her to complete, and her alone. They stood off to the side, a few keeping watch while the others had their bags ready. It was hard to tell who was who under the cover of darkness, but the person breathing down her neck was easy to tell.

After a few more moments of her futile efforts, she sighed and leaned her head against the crate. “This would be much easier if you weren’t right behind me.”

“Alright, sorry!” He said, and from the shuffle of footsteps, he was off.

Serena bit back a groan. She needed to pick it fast, considering if they got caught there was no going back. The ship swayed and she dug her broken shoes into the wooden floor to keep steady. One lock. That was all it was, and she and the group would be able to feed themselves for another day or two. The merchant’s ship was unguarded for a while judging from the barnacles forming on the hull and the bird’s nests in the masts, so there was no need to worry.

And yet, she couldn’t crack the lock. The lockpicks nearly slid out of her hands, slippery as if someone dropped them in the sea and handed them to her. Not to mention her shaking. It was hard enough in the dark, but even more difficult to get her hands to still.

A tap. Hard soles echoing against the floor. The sound was unmistakable--footsteps.

Serena turned and dropped one of the picks. It hit the ground with a soft thud, muffled by the ocean waves.

Soft, but not soft enough.

The footsteps grew louder, a faint light appearing around the corner. Someone placed a hammer in her hands. “Just break it at this point!”

Her stomach dropped. She failed. Biting down her lip, Serena nodded. “Got it.”

“I don’t think so.”

Whirling around, a small orb of light flew in front of her along with a person surrounded by weapons not forged in the markets. Half of their face was covered with a helmet of some sort, which she immediately despised. Even though she stole, she never bothered to hide her identity. It was cowardly, hiding behind a mask while using others.

Whatever the case, there was an aura surrounding them she couldn’t describe. In all her years of thievery, she knew how to pick apart which people were easy targets and the ones that were untouchable. This person was definitely leaning on the end of the scale.

She couldn’t linger too long on the matter as a scream filled the room, followed by the metallic smell of blood. A body fell in front of her, long black hair covering their face. As the ship shifted, the head rolled over and Serena could see who it belonged to.

“Kia?” She whispered, staring at her head. She couldn’t be--her eyes, once wide and curious, now only stared blankly at her. “Kia--”

“That’s a ranker!”

“RUN!”

Another scream cut through the air and blood splattered against her leg, snapping her out of her daze. Adrenaline flooded her system, heart pumping and beating fast as if to rip out of her chest. The hammer fell to the floor, discarded along with the rest of the plan. Her body screamed at her to run, but all she did was crouch and cover her head as the screams of her partners continued to echo within the room.

“HELP!”

What could she do? The knife strapped to her belt felt as if it were burning through her dress, a sign that she could do something. Nonetheless, she remained in hiding, saliva thickening in her throat and sweat dripping down her face. One. Two. Three screams, including Kia’s. That would mean there were three of them left to go. Lucky number seven, for a team, but now they were all going to die.

“NO!”

Another. This was her fault. If she had only picked the lock sooner, they would have never been caught. Tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to spill as her body shook. Now wasn’t the time to be crying, but she couldn’t stop. The whole room swam before her eyes and nearly made her vomit.

She couldn’t die here. Her whole life was misery from day one. There was nothing she could do except one.

Pray.

Serena never believed in God. If one truly existed, then she would be living a better life. But she was out of options and the screams of her friends wouldn’t stop replaying in her mind.

If God was listening, please have mercy on her.

“We didn’t--we didn’t know this was your ship!” Her other partner pleaded. Serena dug her nails into her palms until they bled. The voice was high-pitched and young, the latest member of their group. She could recall the day they found them hiding behind a barrel, eating scraps of bread from the bakery. “Please! We’re sorry--”

“Tch.”

Another scream.

That would leave her last.

Her ears rang, sweat drenching her body. The thumping of her heart was too loud amidst the silence. Chest tightening, Serena curled up even further, hoping her rapid breathing would cease. In. Out. In. Out. In--

The footsteps grew nearer, the little orb of light turning the corner and stopping in front of her. She closed her eyes. If there was one last thing she wished to do, she hoped her teammates and God would forgive her.

“My, my, you seem to be in trouble.”

Opening her eyes, Serena covered her face as the new light nearly blinded her. Something tilted her head up, a large orb similar to the other, but connected to a staff. The person holding it wasn’t one however, a large white creature with long ears.

Shape-shifting? She heard of ridiculous abilities Rankers could do, but now they were going to kill her--

“Relax, child, I’m not here to hurt you,” the creature spoke. “I’m here to give you an offer.”

It paused as if to give her a moment to reply.

“My name is Headon,” it continued.  “What is yours?”

“S-serena,” she barely managed to croak. Her throat felt dry, despite earlier. “Serena Rinnen. The ranker--”

“What a wonderful name. Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of him.” Its eyes, or what counted as them, seemed to stare at her with something she couldn’t quite place. Colors swirled in the orb, reminding her of the ocean waves. It put her mind at ease, if only for a bit. “I am the guardian of the first floor of the tower. I’ll suppose you’ve heard of it?”

“I--” She had heard the stories and rumors.

“The tower is a magnificent place. Whatever you desire, wealth, power, glory, can all be found up there. It is a hard and painful journey, and only a few individuals ever reach the top.

“Would you like to climb the tower?”

Serena stared at it. Headon’s face offered her no explanation. Of all people, she was being asked to climb. Only those who were talented and from great families climbed the tower, not poor thieves like her. She couldn’t even do her job correctly at that. She was undeserving of such an honor.

But the Ranker climbed the tower. The Ranker that killed her friends and almost her. Blood dripped from her palms as anger began to boil under her skin, fury sweeping like waves. They risked their lives every day to survive, and here she was, throwing away the offer of a lifetime. No. She would climb--had to. She’d kill that Ranker herself. She owed that much to her teammates.

Looking up, Serena clasped Headon’s hand and shook it. “Yes.”

It tapped the staff on the floor. “Excellent.”

If there was one thing God got right, it was giving her a second chance.

Chapter Text

Her time in the field for the first test was a blur.

Bruises from the battle. Grass and bloodstains on her dress. The satisfying squelch of her knife meeting soft flesh. Guttural screams of people taking in their last breath.

She didn’t know how many she killed. How many she hurt. All that mattered was getting stronger and taking out those who weren’t.    

By the end of it, she concluded one thing.  

Everyone’s screams sounded exactly the same before they died.

Lauroe’s plan (more like proposition) sounded suspicious, but it wasn’t like they had any other choice to win the game. They and another team step into the arena, and Lauroe fell asleep the moment it started. 

“You know the plan,” he told them before retreating into his blanket. Great.

Tracksuit guy, Shibisu, if she remembered correctly from the Shinsu test, was their opponent as the swordsman fought the other team. He lamented at the fact she left their temporary team up before they began. 

Their fight didn’t feel like one, from the quips they threw at each other and how his attacks didn’t have the intent to kill. He dodged her knife and Hoh’s kicks, bruising them both with his punches. The one to her face damaged her dignity if anything as blood dripped down her nose.

“Hey!” She shouted. Her eyes watered and she wiped them quickly. “You can’t punch a woman!”

“How can you say that when you’re trying to stab me?!”

His next phrases made Serena grip her knife tighter, glaring daggers at him. The nerve. She wiped off the blood.

Shibisu’s eyes drifted to Lauroe, still sound asleep on the floor. The second he lifted his gaze off them she and Hoh charged. He wrapped his arms around Shibisu’s, locking them in place and allowing her to go for the kill. Gripping her knife, she rushed forward and prepared to--

Shibisu closed his eyes. Tilted his head down. Almost as if he accepted his fate.

He wasn’t a random stranger in the field or the cursed Ranker. This was somebody she talked with. Laughed with, joked with, struggled with. There was no anger in her like before. 

Serena hesitated, and the knife was knocked out of her hands a second later. 

“ Hatsu !”

Said guy rolled his eyes. “Don’t close your eyes during a fight.” 

Right. That was the plan. Getting him in that position would mean his teammate would come and leave the throne defenseless. The other team was already taken out, leaving them in the clear. Serena huffed, Hoh giving her a nod as they darted towards it.

Lauroe stood. A ball of Shinsu formed in his right palm and he pointed it towards the throne.

“Anak!” Her teammates yelled.

Anak barely jumped out of the way of the attack. She landed on the throne and glared at them.

“I can attack you from anywhere,” Lauroe said. “Give up.”

Anak chuckled, which was never a good sign as her grip on her sword tightened. “Give up?” Massive green tendrils erupted from the sword, covering the entire room. She swung it left and it crashed into the ground. “I can attack you anywhere from here.”

The weapon sliced through the dirt in front of Serena and Hoh. She froze as it retreated and aimed towards Lauroe. 

The power, the movement, it was almost like--almost like--

The Ranker’s weapon.

Their screams, the smell of blood and saltwater blending, flooded back and the room swayed under her feet, either from the memories or Anak. She kept her eyes on Hoh, trying to quell the panic rising in her throat. They could die. The weapon covered the entire room and destroyed everything it touched. Lauroe dodged and fired off attacks towards the throne. They did nothing and sooner or later, they’d be killed.

A huge flash went off in one of the waiting rooms. Anak gasped. “What..?”

The weapon tendrils withdrew as Anak leaped off the throne and towards the room. Lauroe extended a hand forward, preparing to fire off another attack with her back turned. 

Serena already knew what would happen. Grabbing the back of his blanket, she dragged him away and fled. 

“What are you doing?!” Lauroe protested. “I was about to--”

“Can’t you tell?!” She tightened her grip and ran after Hoh. “Getting us out of here!”

“We’ll be disqualified--” 

“Fine by me!” Serena yelled. Disqualification was nothing compared to their lives. “I’ve run away more than I can count, and we’re screwed if we stay!”

Lauroe groaned. “I hate this.”

“Idiot! Give up!” She was grateful Hoh wasn’t arguing as well. It was hard enough running while they could. “We don’t have to die over some stupid bonus game!”

Panting, she slammed her fist against the button as the door shut behind them. The announcer’s message of “ Team Serena, Hoh, and Lauroe is disqualified” greeted them upon arrival. Lauroe huffed and pulled his blanket over him. Hoh stared at her with something akin to sympathy, frown on his face and eyes drooping. From that, he must have known this was their best chance at survival, but he averted his gaze to Lauroe.

Serena bit the inside of her cheek. “Brat.” Her legs ached from the running. The image of Shibisu and her knife above his head flashed in her mind along with how easily Anak’s weapon sliced through the ground like it was nothing. They didn’t stand a chance. 

She knew when to fight and when to flee.

The Ranker taught her that.

Scout wasn’t exactly the position she preferred, as being a fisherman or spear bearer seemed better. They were stronger and dealt more damage, rather than playing as support. Light bearer and wave controller didn’t suit her so she supposed there was liberty in that. She knew nothing about Shinsu and how to control lighthouses. Running was something she knew from day one. 

The instructions for their first assignment made her sit and stare at the teacher. No weapons, no killing, hardly any fighting. Ten signatures on a scrap of paper and they were done.

One of the others voiced her concerns perfectly. “Huh? What?”

“Yes,” the instructor said. “You will need to make ten friends and have them sign their names on this paper.”

“Why?”

They smiled at that. “Part of a scout’s job is to gather information and report to the other members of their team. Making ten friends will allow you to learn more about them or any information that may be useful to you as you climb the tower. Turn these in by the rest of the week.”

Following the rest of her peers, Serena read over her paper. There were ten boxes for the signatures, along with a line where she was to put her name. She knew how to write, of course, yet a bizarre first task only made her wonder.

“Hey! Hello?” Someone waved a hand in her face. 

“Agh!” She glared at them. “Get off--oh, it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me--wait, what’s with that reaction?!” Tracksuit guy frowned. “Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever had a chance to properly introduce myself. I’m Ship Leesoo!”

“I know,” she said flatly. “I’m Serena. What do you want?”

“Nothing! Just wondering if you’d want to be our friends and sign our papers! After all, the history we’ve shared--”

She ignored him, glancing at the person on his left. His hair was dark and unruly as she resisted the urge to ruffle it like how she did to the younger thieves in their group. Black and maroon fabrics clung loosely to his figure and a small mole was underneath his eye. “Hatsu,” he said. 

Serena blinked. “Okay.”

“You mean you will?!” Shibisu beamed and she whipped her head to face him.

“What?! No, I never said that!”

“Too late!” 

Snatching the paper of her hands, they gave her theirs in return. Hatsu signed first and Shibisu next, handing hers back.

“Thank you!” He said. “Great to be friends with you!” His smile faded as he read the paper. “Wait, you didn’t sign ours!”

Serena grinned at him, already leaving the room. “Sorry! Get someone else to sign it!”

“You, you, you tricked us!”

“Get back here!”

The door slammed in their face. Laughing, Serena ran down the hallway and through the crowd as the two yelled at her to stop.

She would have signed theirs.

But they deserved someone better to be friends with. 

“Why don’t you buy any new clothes?”

Her hands moved to her knife and she turned, only to glare at who spoke. Shibisu stood in front of her, genuine curiosity on his face. He and her formed (she wouldn’t call it that but it was nearing one, she supposed) some sort of friendship after they received their positions on the floor of tests, despite her recent scam. Probably because they both struggled or how ordinary they were compared to the rest of the people. Some weird tracksuit dude and a poor thief. Funny how the tower worked. 

“What’re you talking about?” She asked, taking a bite of her food. Delicious, the days of eating stale bread and scraps were over. 

“You know,” he gestured at her attire, “you’re wearing rags--”

The spoon clattered against the plate. “Excuse me?!”

“I mean,” Shibisu said quickly, raising his arms in defense, “you can buy clothes with the points you earn!”

He pointed at the boy currently holding a pile of black clothes. Light blue hair, dark blue eyes, Khun family material. Serena watched as the points on his pocket emptied and he stuffed them into his bag. A bit of an odd choice, seeing as they wouldn’t pair well with his looks. The girl with red hair stood behind him, donning a pink hoodie also from the shop.

Serena frowned at her dress. She had ripped off the curtains from a shop window and tied it with rope to make it fit her, one of her old friends hemming it. It did as clothes were meant to do, cover the body, and keep her warm. Buying new ones would waste her much needed points.

(That and aside from her knife, it was all she had left to remind her of why she was there in the first place.)

“Eh, no thanks,” she said. “I don’t need to. How about you?”

Shibisu shrugged. “They’re not really my style.”

“And the tracksuit is?” 

“Yeah, doesn’t it look great--stop laughing!”

Hoh was interesting. 

She knew something was off about him at first from his behavior. His smile always felt forced, or how a wave of anger seemed to be hiding behind it. Revenge, most likely, he wanted revenge or something of the sort.

She never expected this . 

Sitting outside the hospital room, Serena buried her head in her arms, curling up next to the door. Lauroe and Bam slept soundly beside her, their snores drowning out the clock’s chimes. She and Lauroe stayed as it was their responsibilities as teammates, but Bam stayed because of Michelle (or Rachel, she gave up remembering) and genuine concern for Hoh. Everyone else had waited with them originally but left once it became dark. Now, they were the last three left.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway and she tensed. They stopped in front of her as she looked up to meet their gaze.

Shibisu smiled sadly. “Hey.”

“He’s dead,” she said instead of an answer. “I know.”

Neither of them spoke, the clock’s ticks echoing in the hallway.

“You know,” she said slowly. Shibisu sat across from her. “I was a thief before this. Still am, but a Ranker showed up when we were looting a ship. They killed everyone except for me since Headon saved me. Hoh too, but he wasn’t a thief.”

He nodded, staring at her in rapt silence. Serena continued.

“Endorsi said something earlier.”

“What was it?”

“Something where ‘we all lose everything eventually.’” Her teammates died in less than a minute, Hoh died in less than half. “That’s why she said we have to keep going forward. I couldn’t save my friends, and I started climbing the tower. I couldn’t save Hoh either, so now what?”

She didn’t realize she was crying until Shibisu wiped her face. He grabbed her hand, which was clutching the ends of her dress so tightly it tore. “None of their deaths was your fault.”

It still felt like it anyway. “I--”

“They weren’t your fault,” he repeated. “You don’t have to keep climbing if you don’t want to, whether it’s for their sake or not.”

“But--”

“No buts!” Shibisu smiled and stood. “I don’t think they’d want us to be like this. I’ll get us some snacks. You’ve been here for a while.”

“Thanks,” Serena said, looking at the two sleeping boys next to her. Bam’s head rolled off her shoulder and she caught it before he hit the floor. “That’d be nice.”

“Alright! You ever want to talk or hang out, I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, Shibisu.”

“Any time.”

The funeral did not go the way she expected it to, but in a good way.

“No,” Hatsu said firmly, pushing the cup away. “I don’t drink.”

“Aw!” Shibisu pouted and stared at the cup. “Okay, then.”

Taking it from him, Serena downed it in one gulp. “More for us then!” At Shibisu’s frown, she snickered and said, “Don’t worry, I bet he’s embarrassing drunk.”

“I am not!” 

“See?”

Hatsu glared at them both and snatched the bottle from their hands. “I. Am. Not.” 

Pressing the bottle to his mouth, he stood and chugged the contents down. Serena and Shibisu could only stare as he finished the last dregs and slammed the bottle down. “There,” he said firmly. 

Serena blinked. Not bad. 

Ten minutes later, his face was completely red and she was pouring him another cup as he rested his head on the table. She threw her previous assumptions out the window--she was right. Ten minutes of him drunkenly dancing and hugging them was more than enough proof. 

“Hey.”

Serena looked up, vision blurring from the alcohol. Lauroe sat next to her with his face equally red.

“Thanks, thanks for stopping me during the crown game,” he slurred. 

Crown game? Oh, bonus game, Serena hummed. “That was a long time ago,” she said. “Isn’t it a bit late for that?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Took me long enough.”

“It’s fine.”

Taking a long sip of the bottle, she wiped her mouth and passed it onto him. The rest of their company were doing the same, Shibisu and Hatsu drunkenly dancing while Khun and a few others had already passed out. She laughed as one of them tripped over Anak’s tail for she slapped them in the face with it and ran. It was fun, for one of the last nights she’d spend with them.

Serena hoped Hoh was happy somewhere.

She woke up a few hours later, everyone passed out on the floor. Carefully tiptoeing around them, she tried her best to not wake them up or worsen her headache. Serena made it past them successfully and walked into the empty hallway.

“Oi.”

She didn’t jump. Shibisu leaned against the wall, watching her. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”

“Goodbye,” she joked. “We gave Hoh a proper sendoff.” 

“You should get one too,” he argued. “What will everyone say when you’re not there tomorrow?”

“I’m not dying,” she said with a shrug. “They’ll be fine. They probably won’t even remember me when they wake up. I was going to fail the test anyway, so it’s not like it matters. I don’t have any regrets.”

Serena paused. “I guess that’s a lie.” She thought of Hoh, her teammates, all of those she killed in her fury. None of them deserved it. “My life is nothing but regrets.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure,” she said truthfully. “Lie low, settle down somewhere I guess. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two on why I survived.”

“And you won’t find that here?” 

She laughed. “I’m not as strong as you or the others. I’ve done all I could, there’s nothing left for me here. The tower’s not for me.”

Shibisu looked as if he were to protest. He frowned and opened his mouth, but Serena cut him off.

“Take care of this, will ya?” She tossed him her knife. It had been with her through everything during her time here. “Promise me you won’t die. Climb the tower, Shibisu.”

With that, she turned and left him and the tower behind.

In her opinion, the outer tower was larger than the inner tower.

She’d been traveling for five months and the old seaside port she lived in was nowhere to be found. Miles and miles of empty dirt roads and towns filled with exotic goods to steal were interesting but left her well-off enough to travel to better locations. Caravans, wagons, and ships frequented each town, and smuggling herself onto one were easier than expected.

The caravan she was on had five other passengers, most younger than her. An air of unfazed confidence hung around them, youth and naivety clear in their behavior and appearance. They stayed on their side and whispered, sneaking a glance at her every once in a while.

She tugged at her strands of hair. It’d grown a lot since she left and she hacked them off to shoulder length using a knife. The dress she wore still fit, but new stains and tears littered it like scars.

The caravan stopped, causing them to look up. Tarps covered the windows and their hiding spot so none of them dared move. After a few minutes, one person lifted it and ducked their head to tell the others. 

“Why’d we stop?” She asked the person next to her. They shrugged and tugged their shawl over their head. 

A scream came from the front, along with a loud thud. Serena grabbed them by the arm before they could bury themselves even further. “What’s going on?!”

“I don’t know—AH!” 

The wheel of the caravan broke, all of them crashing to the ground. Most ran, a few helped others up or remained sitting until another scream cut the air.

Pushing the cloth off her, Serena stood up to survey the rest of the area. Three caravans in front of them had also fallen, the familiar scent of blood flooding her senses. On the horizon, she could see the faint view of the town they’d left. A figure stood on top of the debris as her companions ran, a mask on their face and three weapons floating beside them.

Serena had her weapon out in seconds.

This time, she wouldn’t run.