Into the abyss
A feeling of weightlessness overtook Lucien as he plunged into the unknown.
Wind howled past his ears as his body fell, fell, fell. His mind raced—Is this magic? A trap?
Just as panic threatened to take over, Lucien felt his instincts from his past life kick in.
Calm down. Assess. React.
Through the darkness, he noticed faint glimmers—platforms suspended in midair. Some students had already landed, while others screamed as they continued to fall.
Lucien twisted his body, angling himself toward the closest platform. He braced himself—
THUD.
Pain shot up his legs as he landed in a crouch, but he barely had time to recover before—
SCREEEEEECH!
A guttural noise echoed through the abyss.
Lucien turned his head slowly.
Red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Something was here.
And it wasn’t friendly.
Lucien’s breathing was steady, but his mind was racing. What the hell is that?
The red eyes in the darkness flickered—then charged.
Lucien didn’t waste a second. He pushed off the platform just as claws swiped where he had been standing a moment ago. The beast screeched in frustration.
From above, he caught glimpses of other students struggling—some had already teamed up, fending off creatures similar to the one that had targeted him.
“Lucien!”
He turned mid-air, spotting Michael a few platforms away, waving frantically. “Over here!”
Lucien barely managed to land near him, dust scattering from his boots. “So, what’s the deal with these things?”
Michael smirked. “Just some old-fashioned hazing. These are illusions—sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“They can’t kill you, but they sure as hell can hurt.”
As if to prove his point, one of the beasts lunged at a student nearby, clawing at his arm. The student yelped, barely dodging in time.
Lucien exhaled sharply. No time to waste.
“The goal is simple.” Michael gestured toward a glowing archway floating in the distance. “Reach that before time runs out.”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed. “That’s it?”
Michael grinned. “Well, we do have to get through a horde of these things first.”
Lucien cracked his knuckles. “Easy enough.”
—
Ten minutes later, the trial was over.
Lucien wiped sweat from his brow as he stepped through the archway. Behind him, students staggered in, some limping, others gasping for breath.
The moment the last student crossed the threshold, the illusions vanished. The abyss turned back into the Grand Hall, and the floating platforms disappeared. It was as if nothing had ever happened.
Lucien straightened his glasses, watching as the headmaster stepped forward.
“Well done,” the headmaster announced, voice carrying across the hall. “Most of you survived.”
Lucien arched a brow. Most?
Some students looked around, realizing a few faces were missing. A nervous murmur spread through the crowd.
“Those who failed,” the headmaster continued, “will not be returning.”
Silence.
Lucien sighed inwardly. So that’s how this academy works, huh? Ruthless.
But he already expected that.
“Now,” the headmaster clapped his hands, breaking the tension, “get some rest. Classes begin tomorrow.”
Just like that, the trial was over.
Or at least, that’s what Lucien thought.
Because as he turned to leave, he felt eyes on him.
And when he glanced up, he caught a few of the elites smirking at him—like predators watching their prey.
What the fuck did I just put myself into to.
This was only the beginning.