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Kaelen's world dissolved into mist, the once solid ground beneath his feet turning into wisps of smoke. He felt his body becoming weightless, as if he were floating, untethered to anything. The woman's words echoed in his mind, a constant, insistent whisper.
"Wake up."
The field, the labyrinth, the battles, all of it—began to blur and fade, leaving only darkness behind. For a long moment, Kaelen couldn't tell if he was still dreaming or if something more sinister was at play. His mind was racing, thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind.
He tried to call out, but his voice didn't respond. There was no sound. No sensation. Just the oppressive weight of nothingness.
*This can't be real,* he thought desperately. *I've fought too hard. I've come too far. It can't end like this.*
But the more he tried to hold on to that thought, the more the sense of reality seemed to slip away from him.
And then, a sudden, jarring sensation—the unmistakable feeling of something solid underfoot. The darkness receded, replaced by a blinding light. Kaelen's vision flickered, and with a gasp, he jolted upright, his heart pounding in his chest.
He was… back.
He looked around, disoriented. He was lying on a cold stone floor, the same floor that had been there when he and his companions had first entered the labyrinth. But this time, there was no labyrinth. No twisted halls. No menacing presence. Just the faint hum of some far-off machinery and the sterile, clinical environment around him.
He tried to move, but his body felt sluggish, heavy, as though his limbs were made of lead.
"What… what is this?" Kaelen muttered to himself, the words thick and unnatural.
A soft beep sounded nearby, followed by a low voice that echoed through the cold room.
"*Subject Kaelen, the process is complete. Welcome back.*"
Kaelen's head snapped up, his mind struggling to process the situation. There was no mistaking the voice—it was robotic, detached, almost mechanical.
"*What?*" he demanded, forcing his legs to move and rising to his feet. His heart raced in his chest, the sudden realization hitting him with full force. "What the hell is going on?"
A glass partition separated him from a vast array of blinking consoles, machines, and monitoring equipment. His eyes locked onto a figure standing in the middle of the room, their face obscured by the flickering lights.
The voice came again, calm and methodical. "*The simulation was a success. Subject Kaelen has completed the trial phase.*"
Kaelen's chest tightened as the weight of the words crushed him. *Simulation? Trial phase?* He felt his blood run cold. This was not the labyrinth, nor the dream world—it was something else entirely.
The figure at the center of the room stepped forward, and Kaelen could make out the silhouette of a person now—tall, wearing a lab coat, and holding a tablet in their hands.
"*You've done well, Kaelen. Congratulations. You've passed the threshold.*"
The figure's voice was calm, almost congratulatory, but it made Kaelen's skin crawl. He took a step back, his mind racing. "What do you mean? What's going on? Where is everyone else?"
The figure remained silent for a moment, then sighed. "*They are still within the system. As you were. But now that the trial phase is complete, they will be re-integrated into the cycle.*"
Kaelen's thoughts whirled, but he couldn't grasp the full picture. "*System?* What cycle? What the hell is this place?!"
A mechanical arm extended from the wall, and a screen in front of him flickered to life. On it, a series of images appeared—images of the labyrinth, the crystal, the dark creature he had faced. But these images were overlaid with numbers and charts, like some sort of data report.
"*This is the Nexus. A simulation designed to assess and modify the mental, emotional, and physical states of the subjects. You were never in a real labyrinth, Kaelen.*"
The words hit him like a blow to the chest. He staggered, his hands reaching for support against the cold metal wall. "*No. No, that's not possible. It all felt so real. It was real!*"
The figure behind the glass leaned in closer, their voice softening, almost pitying. "*It was real to you. But it was never real, Kaelen. Your mind… your emotions… all of it was manipulated. You were trapped in a virtual space.*"
Kaelen's breath came in ragged gasps as the world around him seemed to blur once more. He staggered forward, his fists clenched. "*No!* You're lying. You have to be lying!*"
"*I'm afraid not,*" the voice said. "*The simulation was necessary. The anger, the fear, the doubts you experienced—it all contributed to your evolution. We needed to see how you would react. How you would grow.*"
Kaelen's head swam. *Evolution? Growth?*
For the first time, he felt completely and utterly lost.
"I'm sorry, but your journey through the labyrinth… was nothing more than a test."
Kaelen's body went numb as the walls seemed to close in on him. His pulse thudded in his ears as the weight of the truth sank in. The battles. The friendships. The anger and the power that had guided him through it all.
It had all been a lie. An illusion.
"*But don't worry,*" the voice continued, almost cheerfully. "*Now that you've passed, you'll be able to move forward. Your real journey begins now.*"
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