The world didn't shift gently. It snapped.
One moment Elias felt the forest's warm air on his skin, the scent of moss and leaves filling his lungs. The next, everything vanished. The ground beneath his feet dissolved into something smooth and cold, and the air turned still and stale, like a room sealed for centuries.
He stumbled forward, catching himself on the Trial Beast's back. The creature growled softly, its claws scraping against the new floor.
Elias blinked rapidly. "Where… where are we?"
The space around them was a long hallway—too long, impossibly long. The walls were made of stone, but not the rough, natural kind. These stones were perfectly cut, perfectly aligned, each one glowing faintly with a soft blue light. The ceiling arched high above them, disappearing into darkness. The floor was polished, reflecting their silhouettes like a mirror.
Dorian gasped dramatically. "A sacred corridor!"
Elias shook his head. "A death corridor."
Lira stepped forward, her eyes scanning the walls. "This place is old."
"You keep saying that," Elias muttered. "Everything is old. The forest is old. The Echo is old. The Bellkeeper is old. Why can't anything be new?"
"Because new things don't survive long enough to matter," Lira said.
"That's depressing."
"It's true."
Elias groaned. "I hate this world."
The Trial Beast sniffed the air, then growled again. Its tail lowered, and its ears flattened.
Elias swallowed. "Buddy… what do you smell?"
The beast didn't answer, but its posture said enough.
Danger.
Lira motioned for silence. "Stay close."
They walked slowly down the hallway, their footsteps echoing softly. The air felt heavy, pressing against Elias's chest. Every breath felt like inhaling dust and forgotten memories.
Dorian marched confidently, sword raised. "Fear not! For I—"
"Shut up," Lira said.
Dorian shut up.
Elias whispered, "Thank you."
They continued walking until the hallway widened into a circular chamber. The walls curved smoothly, forming a perfect circle. In the center stood a pedestal made of the same glowing stone, its surface etched with symbols that shifted like living ink.
Elias stared. "Nope. No. Absolutely not. That is a magical pedestal. Magical pedestals lead to death."
Lira approached it anyway.
Elias grabbed her cloak. "Stop! Don't touch it!"
She pulled her cloak free. "We need to understand where we are."
"I don't want to understand! Understanding leads to trauma!"
Dorian stepped forward proudly. "Allow me to investigate!"
He tripped on the first step and face-planted into the pedestal.
The pedestal lit up.
Elias screamed. "DORIAN, YOU IDIOT!"
The symbols on the pedestal glowed brighter, swirling faster, forming patterns Elias couldn't comprehend. The air hummed, vibrating through his bones.
Lira grabbed Dorian by the collar and yanked him back. "Don't touch anything."
"I didn't touch it!" Dorian protested. "It touched me!"
Elias groaned. "That's worse!"
The pedestal pulsed once.
Then again.
Then a third time.
The chamber trembled.
Elias clutched the Trial Beast. "Please don't explode. Please don't explode. Please don't—"
The pedestal projected an image into the air.
A hologram.
A figure.
A man.
Tall. Elegant. Smiling.
Elias screamed. "NO. NO. NO. NOT HIM!"
The Administrator's image flickered, stabilizing into a perfect projection. His smile was warm, almost gentle, but his eyes held a sharpness that made Elias's skin crawl.
"Hello, Elias."
Elias pointed at the hologram. "NO! NO TALKING! NO SMILING! NO EXISTING!"
The Administrator chuckled softly. "You're as dramatic as ever."
Lira stepped in front of Elias, dagger drawn. "What do you want?"
The Administrator ignored her. His gaze remained fixed on Elias, as if no one else in the room mattered.
"You've come far," he said. "Farther than I expected."
Elias shook his head violently. "I didn't come here! I was dragged! Kidnapped! Manipulated by floating people and bell-ringing weirdos!"
The Administrator's smile widened. "Yes. The Echo and the Bellkeeper. They do enjoy meddling."
Lira narrowed her eyes. "You know them."
"Of course," the Administrator said. "They are remnants of the old world. Fragments of what came before."
Elias groaned. "Why does everything come before something? Why can't anything just be normal?"
"Normal is boring," the Administrator said.
"I LIKE BORING!"
The Administrator laughed. "No, you don't."
Elias screamed internally.
The hologram flickered, and the Administrator's expression shifted—still smiling, but sharper now, more focused.
"You are becoming… interesting."
Elias froze. "I don't want to be interesting."
"But you are," the Administrator said. "Your system is evolving. Your beast is evolving. You are evolving."
"I DON'T WANT TO EVOLVE!"
"Too late."
Elias screamed.
The Administrator raised a hand. The hologram zoomed out, revealing a map—no, not a map. A diagram. A network of glowing lines connecting points Elias didn't recognize.
"This is the world," the Administrator said. "Or rather, what remains of it."
Elias blinked. "What do you mean, remains?"
The Administrator tapped one of the glowing points. It flickered, then dimmed.
"The world is unstable," he said. "The systems were created to maintain balance. But balance is… fragile."
Lira stepped forward. "What does this have to do with Elias?"
The Administrator's smile returned. "Everything."
Elias screamed again. "WHY?!"
"Because you are the variable," the Administrator said. "The anomaly. The unpredictable element that disrupts the system."
"I DON'T WANT TO DISRUPT ANYTHING!"
"But you do," the Administrator said. "Simply by existing."
Elias collapsed to his knees. "I hate my life."
The Trial Beast licked his face.
The Administrator continued. "The Echo warned you not to trust me. The Bellkeeper guided you here. They fear what you represent."
Elias looked up. "And what do I represent?"
The Administrator's smile widened. "Possibility."
Elias blinked. "That sounds… good?"
"It is," the Administrator said. "And dangerous."
Elias groaned. "Of course it is."
The hologram flickered again, and the Administrator's expression softened.
"I am not your enemy, Elias."
Elias pointed at him. "YES YOU ARE!"
The Administrator chuckled. "Perhaps. But not today."
The hologram dimmed.
The Administrator's final words echoed through the chamber.
"Keep moving forward. The world is watching."
Then the hologram vanished.
The chamber fell silent.
Elias sat on the floor, shaking. "I hate him. I hate this place. I hate everything."
Lira sheathed her dagger. "We need to keep moving."
"NO WE DON'T!"
"Yes, we do."
"I REFUSE!"
"You don't."
"I DO!"
"You don't."
Elias groaned. "I hate you."
"No, you don't."
Dorian clapped his hands. "A thrilling encounter! A mysterious revelation! A—"
Lira punched him in the shoulder. "Stop talking."
The Trial Beast barked.
Elias sighed. "Fine. Where do we go now?"
Lira pointed to the far side of the chamber.
A new door had appeared.
A door that hadn't been there before.
A door made of the same glowing stone.
Elias stared. "No. No. No. I'm done. I'm leaving. Goodbye."
Lira grabbed his collar. "You're not leaving."
"I hate this!"
"I know."
The Trial Beast nudged him forward.
Elias stumbled.
And the three of them walked toward the new door.
The chamber whispered behind them.
The door opened.
And the world shifted again.