Seren slowly exhaled, her eyes fixed blankly on the faint glow of her laptop monitor. Her hands rested above the keyboard, motionless. The search bar before her was blank, just like the emptiness in her heart.
It was over.
Her last exam was only hours earlier, but no relief came her way as anticipated. Instead, a haunting nothingness extended throughout her. No school anymore. No stilted, polite small talk. No solitary sits in a room where she never fit.
She had spent the past year keeping everyone at arm's length—her classmates, the claustrophobic school walls, the pointless gossip that never involved her. She had learned in isolation, gone to coaching, and only appeared when she had to. It was simpler that way.
But now that it was all done… what next?
Seren closed her laptop softly and reclined in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. Out there, the world just went on, unaffected by the change in her reality. Faint glows of streetlights filtered through her window, and far away, the distant hum of traffic went on as it always had. Everything was just the same… different.
A soft chime rang out. The clock on her desk flickered to 12:00 AM.
And then—something changed.
A faint, eerie glow spread across her room, casting strange shadows along the walls. At first, she thought it was a trick of the light, but then she saw it—a symbol.
Right there, on the smooth white wall beside her bed, an intricate, glowing emblem pulsed softly.
Seren's breath snagged in her throat. The symbol was unfamiliar to her eyes—sleek, archaic, extraterrestrial. It glowed in a deep, dreamlike blue, its curves shifting as if something sentient was breathing just beneath the surface.
A curious energy vibrated in the air. It wasn't merely light—it was calling to her.
"What. the hell?" she breathed, barely able to make a sound.
Her heart thudded as she approached it slowly. A voice within her screamed don't touch it—but another, a lower, unexplainable compulsion, was urging her to.
Her hands shook as they inched out.
The instant she touched—
A searing blast of power was jolted through her.
The world around her distorted, twisting and warping into a vortex of colors. Her body was pulled forward by an unseen force, her breath ripped from her lungs. A cold whisper, old and incomprehensible, reverberated in her ears.
Then—darkness.
A World Unknown
When Seren's eyes opened, a harsh, alien coldness pierced her skin. The air was heavy, dense, and clammy. A far cry from the warmth of her bedroom.
She blinked, getting used to the blackness around her. This was not her room. This was not even her world.
Rough stone seeped into her palms. Her body hurt. Her clothes were ripped. Scars and bruises dotted her body. Panic in her chest as she attempted to move—but her limbs were weak.
"What the hell just happened?"
Her mind was racing crazily. Was this a dream? Had she been reading too many fantasy comics and now her brain was messing with her?
Her fingers clenched, her fist forming on their own. I have to be dreaming.
She pinched her cheek, hard—up with her finger.
"Ugh—ow!" A sharp pain shot through her. Ow. That stung.
So… this wasn't a dream.
Her heart raced as the awareness came over her like a tidal wave. Where was she? Why was she here? And. how did she get here?
There was a distant noise from further into the cavern.
Seren froze. A voice.
It was deep, raspy, little more than a whisper of agony.
She pushed herself to her feet, her legs shaking under the weight of her. She needed to get up and move—sitting there wasn't going to provide her with answers. With slow, careful steps, she moved further into the cave.
And then—she saw him.
A bound and hurt man leaned against the rock surface. His black hair was clumped with dirt and sweat, his clothes shredded and stained red. She could tell, even in the fading light, the cuts crisscrossing his chest and arms. His breathing was harsh, spasmodic.
He hurt. He was going to die.
Seren's throat ached. She approached, sitting next to him.
"Hey," she said loudly, jostling his shoulder. "Do you hear me?"
A soft groan escaped his lips. His head lolled to one side, but he didn't stir. His wounds were terrible.
Her fists clenched. What in the world was she to do?
She looked frantically around the cave, hoping for something—anything—that would help. And then, her eyes settled on a clump of alien-looking leaves lying around.
Instinct pushed her into action. She plucked a few and applied them to his wounds—
The instant they made contact with his skin, a soft radiance surrounded him.
Seren's breath froze. The heavy cuts and bruises disappeared before her very eyes. In a matter of seconds, the man's breathing was stable, his agony purged from his face.
Her hands shook as she withdrew. What… just occurred?
Her mind was yelling that this was impossible—but she had just witnessed it. Experienced it.
This was real.
She sat next to him, staring at his healing wounds, utterly and totally lost.
A soft chime suddenly rang in her ears.
Then, a message flashed before her eyes—
[System Activated.]
Seren's breath caught. System? What system?
[Host detected. Welcome to the Trial of Worlds.]
Her blood froze.
What… the hell… was this?
A Debt to Repay
She must have dozed off at some point, fatigue finally catching up with her.
Because when she opened her eyes once more, he was awake.
The man looked down at her, silver eyes gleaming with a soft intensity.
"You saved my life," he replied, his voice smooth but cut with something incomprehensible. "I owe you, my lady. I will repay you at the cost of my life."
Seren blinked, still dazed. "H-Huh?"
She sat up, massaging her temple. "That's okay, I suppose. But. can you tell me where we are? And more importantly, why I'm here?
The man nodded slowly before answering. "This is a cave."
Seren glared at him, her eyes unimpressed. "No kidding."
He chuckled slightly. "As for how you got here… I have no idea. But I was taken by my enemies and abandoned here to perish."
Seren furrowed her brow. Enemies? Things were not making sense in this world by the second.
She took a harsh breath. "Alright, fine. Do you know how to get out of here?"
The man nodded. "If we exit this cave and ascend the mountain, there is a village at the peak. We might be able to get some assistance there."
Seren stood up, arching her cramped muscles. "Then let's go."
She had no idea what lay outside of this cave.
But one thing was guaranteed—her life would never be the same again.
---
What are the secrets of this world? Who is the man she rescued? And what is the real intention of the enigmatic system?
The adventure has just started.
---