Things only got worse the farther they went.
Then, without warning, everything changed.
Elora barely had time to realize something was wrong before the corridor started collapsing.
Crackkk!
A massive fracture spread across the ceiling as dust rained down from above.
The ancient red sigils carved into the walls flickered weakly, like dying embers.
Strange…
“What the hell is this?!
This definitely wasn’t part of the academy exam they told us about!” someone shouted from the back of the group.
“Fall back!” The shout echoed from somewhere behind her, immediately followed by the sound of panicked footsteps as students abandoned formation and ran toward the exit without hesitation, driven entirely by survival instinct.
But Elora didn’t move.
Her attention stayed fixed on something ahead of her, hidden beyond the falling debris and fractured stone at the very end of the corridor.
“…What is that?” In the darkness stood a throne.
The moment her eyes landed on it, the crystal pendant pulsed once against her chest.
It wasn’t carved from stone or crafted by human hands.
It looked as if darkness itself had been forced into the shape of a throne, swallowing every trace of light around it.
Clink…
clink…
clang…
Chains drifted through the air around it, stretching endlessly across the chamber as they wrapped around the throne in a steady rhythm.
“This is seriously not part of the exam…” “Fall back.” Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened slightly.
“…Who said that?” No answer came.
The only thing filling the corridor was the low hum of ancient magic vibrating through the cracked stone walls around her.
KRAAAK!
The entire passage behind her collapsed inward.
Stone and debris crashed violently into the corridor, sealing the exit beneath layers of rubble as dust exploded into the air around her.
Elora coughed lightly before staring at the destroyed pathway in disbelief.
“…Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me.” So much for leaving.
Clink…
clang…
clink…
The chains moved again, their metallic sound echoing softly throughout the chamber.
“Do not proceed.” Elora exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay calm.
“Then give me another exit.” But silence answered her once again.
“…Yeah, thought so.” Every warning in her head told her to stop.
She stepped forward anyway.
The moment her foot touched the ground, a blast of freezing air swept through the chamber.
Whoosh!!
“Hah?!” “What was that…?” Now every step toward the throne felt heavier, while the sounds of the collapsing ruins slowly faded behind her.
At the base of the throne, Elora noticed a strange sigil carved into the black stone beneath it.
This sigil looked untouched— too perfect compared to the cracked stone surrounding it.
“…I’ve seen this before…” But she couldn’t remember where.
“Final warning.” The voice lowered slightly, sounding more serious this time.
“If you touch the seal, you will not be released.” Elora stared at the symbol.
Before she realized what she was doing, her hand had already drifted toward it, stopping just short of touching the surface.
“…Released from what?” Again, no answer came.
Only a deep rumble shook through the chamber beneath her feet.
Rumbleee…
The ruins trembled violently as chunks of stone crashed from the ceiling one after another.
The entire structure was falling apart.
Elora looked at the glowing sigil beneath the throne before slowly clenching her jaw.
“…I’m not running.” She pressed her hand directly against the black sigil.
At the exact moment her palm touched the seal, the necklace flared with heat so intense she gasped.
The crystal cracked with a soft sound, but she was too focused on the pain in her bleeding hand to notice.
Slash!
Pain shot through her palm the instant her skin made contact with the seal, causing her to hiss sharply as blood immediately flowed into the carved lines beneath her fingers.
“Ahh—damn it!” FWOOOOSH!
Crimson light exploded from the sigil and flooded the entire chamber in an instant as energy surged wildly through the ruins.
Every chain snapped tight simultaneously with a deafening metallic scream.
Crack…
crack…
crackkk…
The throne began splitting apart from the inside.
Something was forcing its way out.
A crushing pressure slammed onto her body, forcing her to her knees.
The floor beneath her suddenly cracked.
Before she could react, it collapsed completely, and Elora fell into the hole.
The drop seemed endless.
She felt herself falling deeper and deeper into the earth, swallowed by darkness.
Eventually, the fall came to an end.
Elora landed hard, and for a moment she could only lie there as she tried to figure out what had just happened.
After a few seconds, she pushed herself up and quickly checked herself over.
Everything seemed fine, and nothing felt broken.
She looked around, but there was nothing to see.
The emptiness stretched endlessly in every direction.
Then a transparent crimson screen suddenly popped up in front of her.
Rows of glowing symbols spread across the panel, followed by lines of text she couldn’t understand.
An emotionless voice broke the silence.
“Welcome to the Abyss World.
I am the System Administrator.
You may proceed further.” _________________________________ [Abyss King System Detected] [Host Status: Compatible] [User Authorization Required] [Establish Connection?] [YES] [NO] __________________________________ Ghk—!” Elora’s eyes widened.
She stumbled back, staring at the screen as if it might disappear if she looked hard enough.
“W—what is this?!” Her breathing faltered instantly as an invisible force crushed against her chest.
No matter how desperately she tried to move, her body wouldn’t respond.
And then…
A shadow appeared behind her.
“…After centuries.” The voice echoed through the darkness the moment it spoke.
Low and ancient.
Every instinct she had screamed at her to run.
A cold hand touched her chin, making Elora flinch instantly.
The touch didn’t feel human.
The hand tilted her chin upward.
Behind her, darkness began to take shape, forming the outline of a tall man.
“You will not die,” he murmured as he leaned closer to her.
“Not until I decide.” His fingers brushed her jaw and tilted her head higher.
The moment their eyes met, her body locked in place.
“Now…” he whispered near her ear.
“Accept the process.
It’s the only way you’ll escape this place.”