(Root Core)
The room they awoke in was dimly lit, shadows dancing across walls that looked like a strange marriage of technology and ancient magic. Faint lines of glowing runes ran along the stone floor, while strange, crystalline panels hummed softly on the ceiling. The atmosphere carried the heavy silence of a church at midnight—sacred, yet unsettling.
A pleasant female voice broke through the groans of the youths lying scattered across the floor.
"Welcome, destined ones."
The words echoed, as if the walls themselves repeated them, sinking into the ears of the group still struggling to stand.
Vida, rubbing her temples, was the first to retort, her tone sharp and defensive."Where the fuck are we?"
Her voice bounced harshly off the walls, breaking the tension but not easing it.
One by one, they pushed themselves up with difficulty, bodies still sluggish as if weighed down by more than just gravity. The events that led them here flickered in fragments in their minds, but nothing was clear.
Chip's wide eyes darted around, and his lips trembled before he blurted out the thought that scared him most."W-Wait… i-is this heaven or hell?"
The female voice replied, calm and unfaltering."No, chosen one."
Chip swallowed nervously, trying again."Reincarnation gate?"
"No, chosen one."
The voice's tone remained patient, but its steady calm only made the air feel heavier. Chip looked like he was about to keep asking, his mind already brimming with wild theories, when Xander stepped forward and raised a hand slightly, stopping him.
Xander put on his signature smile—confident, maybe even a little too relaxed for the situation—and addressed the unseen speaker."Hello, the name's Xander. May you be so kind as to tell us why we're here?"
Before the voice could reply, Nick suddenly stepped forward, anxiety written all over his face. He wasn't smiling, wasn't joking—just raw worry in his voice.
"Look, enough of this horror movie shit for one day. Could you just send us back? My motorcycle is not in a safe place right now, and I know you're the one who dragged us here. Nobody welcomes strangers unless they're the ones doing the inviting."
His logic was sharp, and his emotions sharper. The others glanced at him but couldn't disagree. Nick wasn't just worried about himself—he was worried about the one thing he had left that mattered. That motorcycle had been with him through every sleepless night, every city he drifted through, every failed attempt at settling down. It was his anchor in a life that felt like constant motion.
Hearing him, the rest nodded inwardly, realizing he wasn't wrong.
The voice didn't answer immediately. Instead, a robed figure slowly took shape in front of them, as if the shadows themselves condensed into form. The robe flowed with an ethereal shimmer, concealing all but the faint outline of a human figure. The figure raised a small rod tipped with a delicate star-shaped crystal. With a soft flick, the robe shimmered and vanished, dissolving into light.
What stood before them was a woman with a middle-aged, elegant face. Her features were serene, carrying a beauty that wasn't youthful but timeless.
But instead of comfort, this sight only heightened their unease. If anything, it confirmed she wasn't ordinary.
Only one among them reacted differently—Chip.
His eyes lit up like fireworks, and before anyone could stop him, he nearly jumped in place."Magic!!"
His voice cracked with excitement, and he spun toward Vida, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them with way too much energy."Guys, guys, that's real magic! She just made her cloak vanish with a wand!"
Vida blinked, disoriented from his sudden shaking. Her patience snapped, and she slapped his hands away."Tch—hands off!"
The irritation in her voice masked the truth—they were all shaken, even if only Chip dared to admit it out loud.
If someone had told them yesterday that magic was real, they would've laughed, shrugged, maybe rolled their eyes. But after everything they had gone through today—the strange pull, the impossible lights, the collapse of reality into this place—they couldn't laugh anymore.
Vida took a steadying breath, then glared at the woman."Alright, alright. Why exactly are we here? Because I'm pretty damn sure you planned for that old man to trick us into walking into this mess."
The woman didn't flinch. Instead, she raised her wand and with another flick transformed—her posture shrank, her face wrinkled, her body curled slightly with age. An old man stood where the woman had been. Then, another flick, and she returned to her original form.
"Yes, I did. But rather than saying I sent an old man… I was the old man."
They froze, astonished.
They had seen rangers battle monsters on the news. They had seen kaiju-like creatures stomp through city streets on TV reports. But those had always been distant spectacles—things you believed, yet never touched.
Now, seeing shapeshifting firsthand, the line between fantasy and reality shattered right in front of them.
"That's shapeshifting!" Chip nearly exploded with glee. "Can I learn that?!"
The woman's lips curved into a soft, motherly smile."Yes, you can… and you definitely will."
"Awesome," Chip whispered to himself, his grin stretching ear to ear.
The room fell quiet for a heartbeat, the group unsure how to even process what was happening.
Then the woman spoke again, her tone carrying weight."Once again, I welcome the destined ones. My name is Udonna, also known as the Snow Witch."
As if her words themselves carried power, the air turned cold. A faint flurry of snowflakes drifted down from nowhere, landing on their shoulders, in their hair, melting softly against their warm skin.
Their mouths parted slightly, awe mixing with disbelief.
"So, Miss Udonna," Xander broke the silence, his smooth voice returning, "why exactly have you brought us here?"
Udonna's gaze swept across them like a teacher regarding uncertain students. Her answer was simple, but it carried the force of a hammer blow."For you to save the world."
Xander blinked."...?"
The others froze.
"????" was practically written on their faces.
Nick was the first to snap."Uhm, could you say that again? 'Cause I think I just heard something completely insane."
Udonna smiled faintly, as if she expected their disbelief."You are the saviors of the world."
Silence fell.
Not just a pause—two long, drawn-out minutes where none of them spoke, their brains clawing at the edges of comprehension.
Then Nick exhaled sharply and clapped his hands once."Yup. Alright, team, let's work together to find the exit."
Without another word, the others nodded and began spreading out, determined to ignore the "crazy woman" in front of them.
The room wasn't particularly large, but every surface was strange—walls of stone laced with glowing lines, no windows, no doors. They searched corners, pressed against walls, even stomped the floor, hoping for a trick panel.
Minutes stretched into twenty.
Still nothing.
Not a single exit.
Just them, the strange glowing patterns, and the serene woman standing silently, waiting.
"Are you done searching?" Udonna's pleasant voice reached their ears once again, calm as ever, as if she'd known how this would end from the very beginning.
The group turned toward her slowly, frustration and unease thick in their expressions.
Madison, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. Her voice trembled slightly, betraying the fear she'd been holding back. "No, we're not. And what right do you have to lock us up in here? Aren't you scared we'll report you to the police?"
Her words cracked in the middle, but the defiance in her tone was real.