Chapter 59: Last test
When the candidates who also passed the test of the twenty-first floor, Jack, Philip and the other guy from the trio, saw that Sam took more time than them to complete the same floor, they felt that he would withdraw from the twenty-second floor.
But before they could finish their thought process, they saw the twenty second floor lit up dimly. They didn't think that he would go further. Philip and Jack are confused. Then they heard Hawk saying.
"You guys know what the twenty-first round is. The test is according to one's own memory and the memory may not be of same time. So, we can't judge the ability by the amount of time we took."
After hearing that, they realized the situation. They also felt that they couldn't judge it like that.
Time passed and Sam slowly climbed from one floor to another and passed each trail. But the time required for each test kept on increasing. Sam came to the twenty fourth floor which the other guys failed or withdrew from. Sam is already in the floor for almost an hour. They felt like he might be pushing it too far. Just as they thought he would fail, the twenty fourth floor illuminated brightly.
The twenty fifth floor also dimly lit up. Sam didn't stop. He neither failed nor withdrew like all the other people thought. Instead, he advanced forward.
One hour passed, twenty fifth floor illuminated.
One and half hour passed. Twenty sixth floor illuminated. Slowly, Sam is getting higher and everyone in the crowd, including the bigshots are getting excited. They are anticipating what would happen.
Sam is right now, in a floor where the current Emperor set a record. This floor is the limit of the emperor and is the highest anyone has ever climbed. Now, another person is on the floor and he is a young man who is not even in his late-teens.
"Do you think this kid will make it?" Count Falcon asked Castor who is looking at the tower intently. He didn't answer to the question of his friend. He also wants to know. Will there be a genius who could beat the record set by the emperor himself? He is also curious.
Then another uproar broke in the audience attracting the attention of the Count. The twenty seventh floor illuminated after a long, long time. Someone reached the same level as emperor did. But they didn't see Sam coming out of the tower. Then they saw the twenty eighth floor dimly lit up.
"Damn, it."
"It can't be."
"Is he insane."
"Oh my god."
Everyone gasped as they saw the tower. Never did they expect that Sam would advance further.
Three hours passed. They just looked at the tower with mouths wide open. Even though it was almost midnight, no one is in a hurry to leave. They are all looking at the tower in anticipation. Then suddenly, the twenty eighth floor illuminated. Sam broke the record. He broke the record that was set by the emperor.
"He did it. He really did it." Count Falcon stood up from his feet as he spoke. Castor also looked at the tower with a surprised expression.
He saw the moment the Emperor's record is broken.
Twenty ninth floor. Sam is sitting there for a long time with his eyes closed. After he entered the twenty first floor, he has relived the worst scenarios of his past life. He has seen the past which he desperately wanted to suppress within his mind, but now they resurfaced again and he has to experience them all over again. Many times, he wanted to give up after a test is passed, but he gritted his teeth and just went along because, there is a voice in his mind telling him. 'Just one more step.' Every time he wanted to step back, his heart and mind are not allowing him to do that. They are urging him to take another step forward and he is finally at the twenty ninth floor. If he can get past this, there is only one more test, to complete this tower.
Sam opened his eyes with a jolt. The twenty ninth floor is over. He laid on the floor for a while to catch his breath. He is exhausted mentally. He looked at the door which opened and looked at it intently. He stood up and walked to the door slowly. He really wants to see, what he would be the final test. Because, he knew one thing about his memories. All the tests he passed now, there aren't even half of them, hell they might not even be a quarter of them of the whole incidents in his whole life.
When he entered the thirtieth floor, he is nervous and anxious to take a seat on the platform. But the spectators are just as anxious. They want to see, if the person would complete the Tower of Will. Would he be able to complete the quest even the emperor failed to? These are the things that everyone has in mind.
Sam slowly walked towards the platform and sat down. He closed his eyes and prepared himself to face whatever he has to face now. With a jolt, his conscious drifted to the distant past.
Sam opened his eyes only to see a familiar luxurious ceiling. He is in his eight-year-old self. He tried to move his arms but was unable to do so. When he looked at them, he saw that he was tied up to a bed. He immediately felt anxious, because he knew what would happen to him next. He sweated profusely and looked at the door of the room. He wished that the door would never open if possible.
But his wishes weren't fulfilled. The door opened and a mature woman walked inside the room in a revealing dress. She seemed to be in her late thirties, but actually she is in her early forties. She walked inside as she swayed her h.i.p.s and looked at Sam as if she was seeing a piece of meat served in a plate.
Sam clearly knew the situation. He was 'adopted by a big shot couple who are very popular and rich in India. As technology developed and country progressed, the people who practised their traditional arts became lesser and lesser and particularly in a country like India, where people are used to behave like a mob. If they see a person succeed in information tech, they will push their children to IT. If they see their neighbour's son earn high by working overseas, they will push their son to do the same. This is the most common thing that happens in India and it stayed even when they improved in tech and development of Economy and soon came a day where the people who are extremely proficient in traditional skills are treated like national treasures and the couple who 'adopted' him are actually to people who inherited the skills like 'Kancheepuram's textile making', Aari or maggam work etc.
But why was he tied up? Because the truth behind his adoption is that he was sold by someone to this couple who has weird s.e.x.u.a.l preferences and he is their new 'toy' who they bought to 'play'.
The lady slowly walked towards Sam and said. "You said, you wanted to study right? I will help you. But you have to be obedient and do whatever I ask you to. Understand?" She spoke and didn't wait for Sam's response as she climbed the bed with some 'tools'.
The next day morning. Sam walked out of the mansion, with a driver who is taking him to his private tutor's place. The lady agreed to let Sam study, but she will never agree to let him go to school, as it would be risk of getting their secret out. At the same time Sam looked at the young girl about the same age as him, coming out of the room of the husband of the lady. He only looked for a second and boarded the car.
Sam life continued like that for days. He will be going to the various tutors' house to learn different subjects. Even though, it was more tiring than going to school, it has some perks too. Sam's learning is extremely high that the teachers were stunned completely. They never seen any kid like that. But there is only thing that is different about this guy. He will never ever talk. He is completely aloof.
Sam days passed and the nights…
A year passed and Sam had change in the tutors for a third time. Due to his quick learning ability, he is far ahead of his peers and learning quickly. The couple who 'adopted' him though, didn't really care about that. They have money to hire tutors and they will have a 'toy' who is obedient.
But this time someone came into Sam's life. A young lady teacher, who is in her twenties became his art teacher. She tried to become closer to Sam and did so with her utmost effort. But Sam was completely repelled by her behaviour.
One day when Sam came to the art class, he wasn't able to sit his chair. Last night the 'play' affected him too much. As he was being obedient for sake of classes, the lady took it too far.
When the young teacher looked at Sam's situation, who is feeling vexed and didn't have any outlet to vent his frustration, she approached him and started talking. She told him her story and Sam was completely dumbfounded when he heard that.
She is also once 'adopted' by the same couple and that was when she was ten years old. She has been their 'toy' for more than three years until she crossed the age of their preference. She was again 'adopted' by someone else.
Sam looked at her and hugged her as he cried. He is after all an eight years old kid. How can he take all this abuse? Then from that day on Sam and the lady came to become closer and one day the lady said something to Sam.
"I have a way for you to escape this. If you do what I say, I will take you out of that house and you can study and play as you like." Hearing the young lady's words, Sam became tempted. Seeing his expression, the young lady passed him a vile and said.
"Mix this in their food and they will sleep for a long time. Then I will come and take you out of the mansion. Do it when they are alone." Sam took the vile and went back to the mansion. He hid the small vile carefully and went to his room.
Every night the couple will send all the workers of the mansion back and the couple and their two 'toys' are the only people left in the mansion before dinner. Sam walked to the kitchen slowly and emptied the vile in the juice the couple will have after dinner.
After dinner, as usual the couple started drinking the juice as Sam watched them from behind a wall sneakily. As the couple was talking and drinking, slowly they started losing consciousness. When they finally collapsed, Sam walked towards them and looked at their faces.
But when he looked at them his face paled in horror. The couple is bleeding from their mouths and nose. He just stood there rooted after realising what he did.
The young tutor sneaked into the mansion silently and looked at Sam and said. "Come here Sam. Let us go. They are just sleeping. We have to leave before they wake up." She said in a gentle voice.
But would Sam believe her? He has seen too many people die right in front of him and even though he was young, he can differentiate between people from being dead and alive.
He killed someone. This is the thought that came into his mind. He didn't know what is happening as the young lady dragged him out.
His world turned upside down. He became a murderer. Without even knowing why, an eight-year-old Sam became a murderer.
The Sam in the tower opened his eyes all of a sudden and saw the same old man's silhouette he saw when he entered the twenty first floor. The old man's face is not clear at all, but he can faintly sense that the old man is smiling at him.