The main hall of the Ardent Institute fell into an eerie silence as the instructors took their positions on the elevated platform.
Solstice found himself swept into the crowd, shoulder to shoulder with nervous candidates whose whispered prayers and hopeful boasts had died the moment the announcement ended.
Kent stood beside him, bouncing on his heels with barely contained energy. "Here we go," he muttered.
"This is it."
Solstice said nothing the whole time. His eyes were locked on the platform where a tall woman in a pristine white uniform stepped forward.
Her hair was silver despite her young face, and the insignia on her shoulder marked her as an A-rank Ascendant — three interlocking stars beneath a crescent moon.
She was: Instructor Veyra.
He had heard the name whispered in the hallways out of fear during school hours and probably saw her face on academy promotional materials more than twice. But most importantly, she was famous for her ice-based aspect and her brutal honesty during evaluations.
"Candidates," she began, her voice cutting through the hall without need for amplification.
"You stand here today because you believe you are ready. Some of you have trained your entire lives for this moment. Others have scraped through by luck and observation."
Her gaze seemed to sweep across the crowd, lingering on no one and yet seeing everyone.
"The trial you are about to face is not designed to be fair. It is designed to reveal who you are beneath the facade of preparation."
"Your aspect, your class, your very worth as an Ascendant to be — all will be determined not by what you know but by what you will do when everything is stripped away." She continued, commanding a strong presence despite not being so close to them.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Solstice played calm despite his beating heart.
'What if you're not fully prepared for this, what then?' He asked himself beneath the murmurs that erupted.
Veyra raised one hand, and a holographic display shimmered to life above the platform. It showed a sprawling landscape: forests, ruins, canyons, rivers. A city sized dimension rendered in vivid details.
"You will be sent to the Eldritch Realm," she continued, holding it up for everyone to see equally.
"A pocket dimension maintained by the Institute specifically for evaluations. It is a natural terrain populated by beasts, monsters, and environmental hazards calibrated to test your limits and survival."
'A pocket dimension? How did they manage to capture a whole city of another dimension?' His eyes widened slightly before returning his expression to normal.
'Woah..'
The hologram zoomed in on six glowing points scattered across the map.
"Your objective is quite simple: retrieve the six Orbs of Immortality and return with them before the trial ends. Each orb is hidden in a location marked by these coordinates." She gestured, and symbols appeared beside each glowing point, cryptic signs that meant nothing to Solstice.
'Apparently, they're expecting us to mentally remember this graphical representation when finding the orbs using these coordinates?.'
"You will be given hints as to their locations," Veyra said, her tone making it clear that "hints" was a generous word.
"But make no mistake, this is not a treasure hunt. I repeat, this is not a treasure hunt. The orbs are guarded. The terrain is hostile, and you are not alone."
'Makes perfect sense now, showing us the coordinates to the orbs was practically more than a "hint", but then it is understandable since it's being guarded by monsters..' he nodded, folding his arms and paying attentive attention to her and her words.
"You will be divided into groups of three," she continued.
"However, upon entry, each of you will be scattered randomly across the dimension. Finding your group members is possible but not guaranteed. You may choose to work together, work alone, or…." Her lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"....take advantage of your fellow candidates."
Kent leaned closer to Solstice and whispered to him, "Take advantage? What does she mean by that?"
Solstice remained quiet, not answering. He had a bad feeling he already knew exactly what she meant.
'This is no longer an evaluation! It's basically a quest for survival. Survival of the fittest!'
"The trial will last seventy-two hours," Veyra said. "At the end of that time, the portals will close. Anyone still inside will remain there until a rescue team is dispatched, 'if' a rescue team is dispatched. The Institute does not guarantee retrieval for those who fail."
'Huh? What?!!' A cold weight settled in Solstice's chest.
"You will each be assigned a registration number and equipped with a neural interface that will provide basic information and access to the trial system. This system will monitor your vitals, track your progress, and, if necessary, record your final moments for post-mortem analysis."
Someone in the crowd gasped, then another, and another
Soon, the hall was filled with murmurs again.
When the murmurs quieted down, she continued from where she stopped.
"Do not mistake this for a game," Veyra said sharply.
'With all these rules, I'll be a fool if I did!'
"Death is rare, but it is possible. Injury is common, and psychological trauma is expected. If you are not prepared to face the worst parts of yourself, leave now."
She gave everyone a moment, but no one moved.
Veyra nodded as if she'd expected nothing less. "Good. Proceed to the preparation chambers. You have thirty minutes."
▪︎▪︎☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆▪︎▪︎
The candidates were herded into a vast underground facility lined with rows of sleek metal pods. Each pod was roughly the size of a coffin, with a transparent lid and a control panel embedded in the side.
Technicians in gray uniforms moved efficiently between the rows, checking systems and barking instructions.
Solstice was separated from Kent almost immediately. The crowd churned and shifted as people were assigned to different sections based on their registration numbers. He caught one last glimpse of his friend's worried face before the tide of bodies swept them apart.
Guess that's that, Solstice thought.
He found his designated pod, number 206, and stood before it, staring at the cold metal surface. Around him, other candidates were stripping off their jackets, emptying their pockets, and preparing to enter. A few were praying, and others looked terribly sick.
While he was distracted by the sight, a faint voice asked. "First time?"
Solstice turned to see a girl standing beside the pod next to his. She was shorter than he was, with dark hair tied back in a practical braid and sharp green eyes that studied him with casual interest.
"Yeah," Solstice said. 'I mean, it is everyone's first time, right?'
"Me too." She offered a faint smile. "My name's Lira."
He blinked, a bit flustered by her comment. The Lira? The one Kent had been talking about in the car?.
"Solstice," he said back, feeling obligated to return the introduction.
"I know. We're in the same combat fundamentals class." She tilted her head slightly. "You never really talk much, do you?"
"Well, not much to say."
"Fair." She glanced at her pod, then back at him. "You nervous?"
"Should I be?"
"Probably, I guess." Lira shrugged. "But I guess we'll find out in a bit."
Before Solstice could respond, a technician approached them and handed him a small metallic bracelet. "Put this on. It'll sync with the trial system once you're inside."
Solstice fastened it around his wrist. The metal was cool against his flesh, and a faint hum vibrated through it as it activated.
"Step into the pod," the technician instructed. "Lie down, and the system will handle the rest."
Solstice hesitated for only a moment before climbing into the pod. The interior was lined with a soft, gel-like material that molded to his body as he lay back. The lid closed above him with a hiss, sealing him inside.
For a moment, there was only darkness and the sound of his own breathing.
Then, the system activated.
A pale blue light flickered to life in front of his eyes, forming words in mid-air.
[Registration complete!]
[Initialising...…]
Solstice's heart pounded as the texts shifted.
[Player Name: Solstice]
[Player Age: 17]
[Player Number: 000]
He frowned slightly, staring at the number. 000?
[Checking...]
The number flickered, glitches for a moment before stabilising.
[Player Number: 206]
There was a short pause. Then, a new text appeared.
[World: Eldritch]
[Game: Survival]
'Game?' Solstice thought. That was a strange word for it, a stark contrast to what Mrs Veyra told them in the hall earlier.
[Loading Player briefing….]
More texts scrolled past him, moving in a horizontal order.
[Tip: Trust nothing that speaks in riddles]
[Tip: Sanity is a resource, guard it carefully]
[Tip: Death may not be your only exit]
Solstice's blood ran cold upon reading the scrolling messages. 'What the hell does all that mean?'
The tips vanished before he could decipher their meanings, replaced by a simple prompt.
[Transferring Player...]
[Goodluck!]
The pod shuddered. A low hum filled the chamber, growing louder and louder until it vibrated through Solstice's bones.
The gel around him began to glow, pale and cold, and he felt a strange pulling sensation, like he was being stretched thin, spread across an impossible distance.
His vision blurred from the impact, the world dissolved.
And then….