The white space trembled faintly.
Hundreds of Astralis Arcanum students stood scattered across the endless brightness, their figures small against the infinite void. The echo of the mysterious woman's voice still lingered in the air—
"Competition of the Conscious Nexus!"
A wave of confusion erupted instantly.
"What competition!?"
"Is this some kind of joke!?"
"Send us back—NOW!"
"This… this has to be a dream, right? RIGHT!?"
"Someone pinch me—AH! NOT SO HARD!"
Chaos spread in seconds.
Some panicked.
Some trembled.
Some tried running, only to find their steps leading nowhere.
Some crouched on the floor, covering their heads.
And some… simply stared blankly, unable to understand any of it.
Amid the noise, Ron, Lia, Selene, and Jax stood together in a small circle — each trying to process the situation.
Ron scanned the endless space.
"There's no exit. No walls. Nothing."
Lia held her hands close to her chest, silver-tinted hair glowing faintly in the bright space.
