As they kept walking, it felt like they were moving through an endless tunnel.
The corridor stretched ahead in near darkness, the only light coming from faint blue runes that pulsed along the stone walls. It lit the path before and behind them.
Jisung’s footsteps echoed softly behind the woman’s steady pace. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop his mind from racing. With every step they took, his thoughts grew louder.
The air grew cooler the deeper they went, carrying a faint mineral scent that reminded him of wet stone after rain.
He cleared his throat. "Excuse me?"
She didn’t turn. Not even a glance. His skin prickled. The nerves that had settled a little after Sam’s pep talk crawled back up his spine and settled heavily in his stomach.
’Great. Silent treatment.’ He rolled his eyes and sighed.
A long minute passed and finally the tunnel opened. She turned and smiled.
"We’re here."
Jisung stepped into the room and stopped dead in the doorway, mouth slightly open.
It was brighter than the corridor, with soft golden light spilling from floating crystals high above. And it was full.
Participants, dozens of them, all around the same age as him, scattered across clusters of chairs. Some sat rigid with arms crossed. Others fidgeted, whispered in low voices, or stared at the floor as if the stone might open and swallow them. He counted quickly in his head, then again more carefully.
’Thirty... thirty-five?! Maybe closer to forty.’
His mouth fell open for a second before he caught himself. The generous lady gestured to an empty seat near the middle of the room. He swallowed hard and sat still, scanning the faces seated around him.
They were more people than he could comfortably count, and none of them seemed like they knew each other.
They had different skin tones, different clothing styles under the simple white shirts they’d all been given and different ways of holding themselves.
Some tense and alert, others quietly keeping to themselves. It reminded him, unexpectedly, of something Zhang Wu had said the night before.
’People arrive here from every district there is. Different languages, different cultures... but after a while, none of it matters. Paradise becomes home to everyone.’
Jisung allowed himself a small smile. The thought helped more than he expected.
Everyone around him looked as nervous as he felt. Eyes darted from face to face, knees bounced impatiently, and some even kept glancing at the door they’d entered through, as if hoping the whole strange ordeal would suddenly come to an end.
Jisung sighed inwardly. The flutter in his stomach refused to settle, so he did the only thing he could.
He looked around properly.
Unlike the first room, the empty administrative hall that had transformed into something ancient and cold, this place shared the same living-stone architecture and the same runes flickering faintly along the walls.
This room however, felt livelier. The high arched ceiling was painted with soft murals of open sky and distant mountains that seemed to shift slightly when he wasn’t looking directly at them.
Wooden beams crossed overhead, warm and polished. They carried a faint scent of cedar and something sweeter, like dried herbs. The chairs were carved from deep reddish wood that felt smooth and almost warm under his palms.
Tall windows of frosted crystal let in diffused daylight, brightening and dimming in a slow rhythm that matched the pulse of the runes. Potted plants with broad green leaves stood in the corners; their leaves trembled every so often, as if stirred by an unseen breeze.
It was still otherworldly and clearly not of the ordinary world. But Jisung loved it all. It felt like it made him breathe instead of panic.
As he glanced around, a voice called near him.
"Hey."
Jisung flinched hard enough that the person next to him shot him a startled look.
"I’m so sorry," he whispered.
He turned. A young man with light brown hair and a nervous smile stood a few steps away. He looked like he had only just entered.
Jisung had been too busy staring to notice.
"Hi," the stranger said again, his English accent strong and clear. "I’m Zachariah."
Jisung managed a smile and forced himself past the shy instinct that wanted to shrink into his seat.
"I’m Jisung."
He extended a hand, half-expecting the other guy to leave him hanging.
Relief washed over Zachariah’s face as he shook it. "Thank God. I was starting to think everyone here preferred staring at the floor."
Jisung giggled as he glanced around. "I can see why you’d think that."
The man smiled.
"I’m Valerie!"
Both of them jumped. A girl with short black hair and sharp eyes had appeared in front of them without warning. Jisung awkwardly accepted her offered hand. Zachariah followed a second later, nearly dropping it in surprise.
"N-Nice to meet you," Zachariah said, recovering first.
They spent the next several minutes talking in low voices about their arrivals. Jisung mostly listened, offering short answers when asked. Zachariah was from England and had arrived two days earlier. Valerie had only gotten here today. She was from the US.
"Today?!" Jisung almost yelped, then immediately lowered his voice when a few heads turned.
"You’re telling me you woke up, got healed, and were thrown straight into this?"
Valerie gave a small shrug and smiled. But it didn’t quite hide her tension.
Zachariah, who seemed to have picked up more information simply by being there longer, explained that healing times varied from person to person. Normally the staff waited until they had a full group, usually after about seven days, before starting The Procedures.
"That makes sense." Valerie said and Jisung agreed.
"I only had a minor injury though. A small cut on the leg." She showed them and Zachariah seemed to wince.
He had no injuries.
Jisung on the other hand, laughed at the expression of the two when he told them he had two broken ribs. They both exchanged glances, staring at him with their mouths wide open.
"It’s not a biggie." He smiled.
When the conversation turned to what they knew about the Procedures themselves, Jisung hesitated when the questions turned on him.
Everything Sam, Angela, and the others had told him the night before felt suddenly, uncomfortably private. Almost sacred. He wasn’t sure he had any right to repeat it in a room full of strangers. And honestly, he still didn’t fully understand it himself.
So he shook his head. "Nope. Still figuring it out." He lied. "How about you guys?"
Zachariah’s expression shifted. He looked left and right, then leaned in, motioning for them to do the same. Jisung swallowed and leaned closer. Valerie did the same.
"What is it?" She whispered, sounding curious.
"I hear there’s a ranking after the first stage."
Valerie blinked. "Stage? There are stages? I thought it was just one... direct ’boom!’, and we’re done."
"No." Zachariah’s voice dropped even lower. "I hear it has three stages. And after the first one, they rank you. Publicly, I think. Or at least everyone finds out somehow."
The word hit Jisung harder than he expected.
’Ranking?’
His stomach dropped. No one had mentioned that. Not Sam, Angela or even Zhang Wu. Not even in the careful half-explanations from the night before.
’If I remember correctly,’ he thought, ’Sam said the Procedures are divided into three stages, and the first is the most important. He told me to be one hundred percent honest when I answer questions.’
He turned the idea over carefully, a cold sensation settling in his stomach. ’None of these people said anything about honesty. But the ranking... was that what Angela meant last night when she said ’it’s a secret’?’
A ranking? In front of everyone, after the first stage?
He suddenly felt very aware of how many people were sitting in this room.
"Jisung." Zachariah’s voice pulled him back. "You okay? You went quiet."
He turned and forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Yeah. Just... processing everything."
Valerie squinted her eyes, scanning Jisung’s expression. He noticed and started to sweat, forcing an awkward smile. "I’m fine. Really."
She wasn’t satisfied with the answer but she sighed. "Okay."
’Damn...’ Jisung swallowed.
Zachariah nodded, though his eyes still looked uncertain. "I know it’s a lot to take in. It’s new to me too. Heard it from someone who’s been here longer."
Before anyone could say more, the door at the front of the room opened.
All three of them snapped upright like scolded children. A woman with a clipboard stepped in, scanning the room with quiet, calm authority. Every conversation across the hall died almost instantly.
She finally looked up from her clipboard and spoke, her voice soft and smooth.
"Participants, welcome to the beginning of your journey."
Someone started clapping. Then another. Within seconds the whole room joined in, the sound rising into loud cheers and uproar. Jisung clapped along, though his mind was still stuck on the word ’ranking.’
She smiled, waiting for the noise to settle.
"My name is Teresa and I’ll be your tour guide. I know you’re all curious why you’re here," she continued. "So I’ll start by answering the biggest questions first. After that, if you still have more, I’ll be glad to hear them."
Silence fell again.
Jisung sat forward, every sense locked on her. He had been collecting questions since the moment he woke up in this world. For the first time, it felt like some of them might finally get answers.
Even if one of those answers was about to change everything.
’’’
Author’s Note: If you’re enjoying the novel, don’t forget to add it to your library and show some support. It really helps!
’’’