I took a deep breath as I walked up the spiraling stairs of the Magic Research Tower, each step bringing me closer to the end of the second Act.
It was surreal being here, knowing how much more was at stake than when I'd played through this in the game.
The stakes were higher now.
I wasn't some player in front of a screen.
I was Noah Ashbourne, in person, and every choice I made was irreversible.
The second Act in [Beyond Horizons] had always held a strange allure for players.
Not because of the main storyline, but because of the infamous [Bad Ending No. 1].
For so many, this route was more of a legend than just a level, an experience unlike any other in the game.
It was a dark, twisted love story, woven in threads of sorrow and madness.
Players flocked to it for one main reason: Maya Brenthall.
In the standard route, Maya was known as a quiet, diligent student and, in some ways, a friend to the protagonists.
Even though she got manipulated by them long after.
But the character that Maya could become in [Bad Ending No. 1] was entirely different.
She went from quiet and composed to utterly unhinged, her mind shattering into a thousand pieces.
And what shattered her was, well... me—or rather, the original Noah Ashbourne.
Maya wasn't just a character players admired.
She was someone they loved and feared in equal measure.
In this route, the story took a chilling turn.
Maya, having lost the only person she loved and the anchor that kept her sane, let herself be consumed by grief.
She unleashed chaos upon the academy in a display of raw, overwhelming power, as if she were an avatar of vengeance and sorrow all in one.
She was, by far, the strongest character in the academy, even rivaling high-level instructors.
But that strength, in the [Bad Ending No. 1] route, was a tragic waste.
To see that tragic love story play out, to be part of it, even if only in passing.
It became a rite of passage among players, something that connected everyone in their shared obsession over Maya Brenthall.
As I climbed the tower now, I felt a pang of nostalgia.
If I could experience that route again, just once, it would be incredible.
But this time, everything was different.
I wasn't the original Noah, and so the story had already taken a turn from what was supposed to happen.
I hadn't died yet, which meant the route had deviated, forcing the game's story to cling closer to the original plot.
That was why I was here, heading toward the tower's peak to end the second Act.
I'd played this game more times than I could count, knew it inside and out.
But this time, I was doing it for real, making sure the second Act wouldn't dip back into [Bad Ending No. 1].
There was something that needed to be done—something I had to destroy.
The last root of evil, the trigger that, if left unchecked, could open the door to the darkest route and plunge the academy, and perhaps even the empire, into chaos.
If I removed it now, no hellish scenario would unfold, and the game wouldn't spiral into that terrible ending the company gave its players.
Maya's downfall, her heartbreaking transformation into something beyond her control, could be avoided.
Each step echoed louder as I reached the final stretch of the staircase.
My heart pounded.
I knew this tower well, had cleared it dozens of times, but now it felt different.
The stakes were real, and every decision I made counted.
If I failed, Maya's dark love story with the original Noah could very well manifest into something worse.
The [Last Terrible Ending] wouldn't just be a route; it would be reality.
Reaching the top, I took a breath and steadied myself.
This was it—the last chance to ensure that history wouldn't repeat itself.