The next morning, Elora woke up with yesterday’s events still weighing heavily on her mind.
For a few seconds, she just lay there staring at the ceiling while her brain slowly started working again.
The orb incident came rushing back—the evaluation, the Nexus Orb cracking in front of half the academy, and the fact that she still had absolutely no idea what had happened.
And then there was the knock.
Someone had knocked on her door late last night.
When she’d opened it, nobody had been there.
Could it have been Lyra?
Maybe.
Or maybe some random student had decided to be weird.
Either way, she still didn’t have an answer.
She forced herself awake with a groan and pulled a pillow over her face.
Unfortunately, hiding under a pillow wasn’t a valid long-term solution.
With a sigh, she climbed out of bed and got ready for the day.
By the time she finished, the dormitory had already come alive.
Voices echoed through the corridor as first-year students hurried to meet their assigned instructors.
Today was the start of the entrance examination.
After grabbing her bag, Elora headed outside and joined the growing crowd gathering near the central courtyard.
All first-year students wore the academy’s standard black uniform with blue trim along the collar and cuffs.
Some looked excited, while others looked nervous.
A few seemed determined to convince everyone they weren’t nervous at all.
Her eyes wandered through the crowd, searching for familiar faces.
She finally spotted Lyra near the front as Lyra waved her over.
“Morning.
You’re looking surprisingly relaxed today,” Lyra said with a grin.
“After what happened yesterday?” Elora laughed.
“Trust me, staying calm is the best I can do right now.
Oh, anyway, I wanted to ask you something.” Lyra gave her a suspicious look.
“Please don’t start with difficult questions this early in the morning.” Elora waited for Lyra to mention the knock from last night, but she didn’t.
That made her hesitate.
Maybe it really had been some random student messing around.
Not wanting to make things awkward, she decided to play along.
“No.
Don’t worry.
I just want to ask you how likely it is that today’s exam involves another ancient artifact exploding.” “Considering yesterday?” Lyra paused.
“Higher than I’d like.” They both giggling about it.
That earned a giggle from both of them.
A few minutes later, Elora spotted several instructors approaching.
They began guiding the students toward another section of the academy.
The group followed a wide stone pathway that led away from the main classrooms and toward a massive structure near the edge of campus.
The building looked older than most of the academy.
Weathered runes covered its walls, and enormous stone pillars lined the entrance.
Students around her started whispering to each other.
“That’s where the exam is held?” “I know, right?
That place looks more like a fortress.
I’m honestly a little scared to find out what’s waiting for us in there.” “Maybe that’s the point.” Finally, the instructors led everyone inside.
The interior was enormous.
Rows of seats surrounded a circular chamber at the center of the hall, where a large magical formation glowed across the floor.
Once everyone had settled down, one of the instructors stepped forward.
He was tall, with white hair and a pair of glasses resting on his nose.
His robe was different from the others, and the silver emblem on his chest made him stand out.
“Welcome to the Entrance Examination, everyone.
I’m Professor Glynn, head of the academy’s Artifact and Research Department.
If all goes well, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me after today.” Ah.
No wonder his robe was different.
Elora had heard about the Research Department before.
They were kind of a big deal around the academy, and the special insignia was an easy way to tell them apart from the other instructors.
She leaned closer to Lyra and lowered her voice.
“Looks like Professor Glynn is exactly the person I should be talking to about the orb incident.
He’s basically the expert on that kind of thing.” “Shh.
Let’s forget about the orb for a moment,” Lyra whispered back.
“You should focus on today’s exam.” Elora nodded.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Without arguing further, she turned her attention back to Professor Glynn.
“This examination is about more than magical power.
We’ll be looking at your judgment, adaptability, problem-solving skills, and how you handle unfamiliar situations.” A large projection appeared above the chamber.
“The examination takes place inside a controlled ruin simulation.” A ripple of interest spread through the room.
“Once inside, each of you will receive different instructions.
Some of you may be dealing with monsters, others might be solving puzzles, gathering resources, investigating unusual events, or handling a variety of other challenges.” Murmurs spread through the crowd as Professor Glynn continued.
“You’ll receive all necessary instructions during the examination.
Your goal is simple: complete the tasks you’re given to the best of your ability.” The projection shifted, displaying images of ruins, monsters, and other situations students might encounter during the exam.
“You are not competing in a single standardized test.
Every challenge is designed to evaluate how you approach problems.
There is rarely only one correct solution.” Elora wasn’t sure whether that was reassuring or terrifying.
“Safety protocols are active at all times,” Professor Glynn said.
“While the environment will feel real, severe injuries are automatically prevented.
If you become unable to continue, you will be removed from the examination.” “This is your chance to show us what you’re capable of.
Do not focus solely on strength.
Observation, creativity, teamwork, and decision-making are often just as important.” Professor Glynn glanced across the crowd.
“The examination will begin shortly.
Prepare yourselves.” Elora looked toward the glowing formation in the center of the room.
Yesterday, a magical artifact had broken the moment she touched it.
Today, she was about to enter a mysterious ruin filled with unknown challenges.
Well.
This couldn’t possibly go wrong.
A short while later, the instructors began dividing the students into smaller groups.
Unfortunately, Elora wasn’t assigned to the same group as Lyra.
There were eight students in each group.
After a few quick instructions, they were directed toward different doors surrounding the chamber.
Elora’s group was assigned to a black stone door marked with a crimson symbol she didn’t recognize.
The symbol pulsed faintly with magical light, almost like it was alive.
That wasn’t ominous at all.
The massive door slowly swung open with a low rumble.
For a few seconds, everyone simply stood there staring at the dark entrance.
Most of them looked uneasy.
Honestly, Elora couldn’t blame them.
They were about to walk into a simulated ruin, and for all they knew, there could be monsters, traps, puzzles, or something much worse waiting on the other side.
Eventually, one student took a deep breath and stepped forward.
That seemed to break the spell.
One by one, the others followed.
Elora walked through the doorway with the rest of her group.
The moment she crossed the threshold, the world around her changed.
Gone were the bright lights of the examination hall.
In their place was a dark stone corridor that looked like it had been carved into the heart of an ancient ruin.
Cracked walls stretched into the distance, covered in faded runes worn down by time.
Strange blue crystals protruded from the stone here and there, casting a faint glow that barely pushed back the darkness.
Dust drifted through the corridor, and somewhere in the distance, water dripped steadily against stone.
The entire place felt unnaturally quiet, and a chill ran down Elora’s spine as she looked deeper into the darkness.
One of the students at the front of the group glanced back at the others hesitantly.
“Okay…
don’t you guys think this feels way too real?” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Nyx_Roses Imagine being told to enter a mysterious chamber as part of an exam.
Nope.
I’m definitely not going in there.
What about you?