Golden sat at his desk, staring at the sunlight sliding across the classroom floor. The day had been ordinary. Predictable. Too predictable.
A faint vibration under his feet made him shift in his seat. He frowned. Probably nothing, he told himself.
Then the light changed. Not the sunlight—it bent. Shadows stretched in strange ways. The walls of the classroom seemed to breathe, bending slightly as if alive. Golden's stomach clenched.
He swallowed. His pulse quickened. This isn't right.
Some of his classmates noticed. Some whispered nervously. Others laughed, shrugging it off. Golden stayed still, watching. Trying to figure out what was happening.
The hum in the air grew—a low, vibrating sound pressing against his chest. Golden put a hand over it. The sensation was strange. Heavy. Unfamiliar. His thoughts scattered.
A faint crack ran through the floor. His heart skipped. Desks wobbled. Papers fluttered to the ground. Golden stumbled, catching himself on the edge of his chair.
He wanted to shout, to run—but his voice caught in his throat.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the walls and ceiling melted away. The light dimmed. The classroom seemed to stretch, fold, and disappear. Golden stumbled forward. His legs shook.
When he blinked, he was no longer in the classroom.
He stood on jagged black stone. The ground was uneven, sharp. The sky above was violet, pulsing faintly, like a heartbeat. A strange wind carried the smell of smoke and something… metallic.
Golden's chest tightened. His eyes darted around. He was alone.
"Hello?" His voice trembled. "Anyone…?"
No answer. Only the soft pulse of the sky.
A cold panic gnawed at him. Am I the only one? The thought made his stomach twist. He wanted to cry, to scream, to run… but he stayed frozen, scanning the horizon.
Step by Step, Cautious Exploration
Golden took a careful step forward. His legs shook. Every crack of stone beneath his feet made him flinch. The shadows moved in the corners of his vision. Every strange pulse of light made him pause.
He wanted to panic, to run, to hide—but he forced himself to keep moving, step by step. Slowly, cautiously. One foot in front of the other.
Even so, fear pressed against him, sharp and constant. His hands trembled. His breath came fast.
But the longer he moved, the more he noticed something… subtle. When he stumbled, he recovered faster than he expected. When shadows moved near him, he ducked instinctively. Not consciously. Just… instinct.
Golden didn't understand it. Couldn't. All he knew was that he needed to keep moving.
A shadow shifted far off, barely visible. Golden froze. His heart raced. He wanted to run—but curiosity held him in place. The shadow paused. Then disappeared.
Golden let out a shaky breath. Panic still throbbed in his chest. But he realized: standing still wouldn't help. He had to… observe. Learn. Survive.
If I'm really alone… I can't rely on anyone. I have to figure this out myself.
Golden crouched behind a jagged slab of black stone. The violet sky pulsed above him, faintly vibrating.
A soft hum filled the air, low and resonant. A whisper, almost imperceptible, seemed to brush against his ears:
"Those who survive… will shape the world. Those who fail… will vanish."
Golden's hands shook. His legs trembled. His chest heaved. Fear was still there, raw and unrelenting.
But one thought anchored him:
I can't panic forever. I have to keep moving. I have to survive.
He stood slowly, taking the first careful step into the unknown.