After finishing their tour of the research facility, Arya led Levan down a sloping stone corridor.
The ceiling here grew lower, and the walls became smoother, as if meticulously carved over countless years.
The lighting was dim, coming from small, spaced crystal lamps embedded into the walls, yet it was sufficient to see the path.
They descended narrow stone stairs, surrounded by thick walls. After about two floors down, they stopped before a simple metal door, devoid of any decorations.
Arya extended her hand and opened the door without hesitation, motioning for him to enter.
Levan stepped inside.
What he saw inside was unlike anything he had ever imagined.
The room was large, circular, with a diameter of about thirty meters.
The floor was made of polished gray stone, carved with overlapping circles resembling intricate geometric patterns.
Around the edges of the hall, smooth stone columns stood evenly spaced.
At the center, a black metal dome rose about four meters high, with a tightly sealed arched metal door.
The dome wasn't just a structure... it was a gate.
On its surface, thin blue lines pulsed faintly, moving slowly and forming ever-changing complex patterns.
The air in the room was stable, with no drafts or strange sounds.
Everything was meticulously arranged, as if the place was designed to remain unchanged for centuries.
Arya took two steps forward and said calmly:
"There's no need for much explanation. This is the entrance to the Virtual Abyss."
She looked at the dome and continued:
"A unique invention created by the leader of the Sixth Order fifteen years ago. Thirty virtual floors carved beneath this building. Each floor simulates a real layer of the true Abyss, but within controlled limits."
Arya moved a step closer to the dome but didn't touch it, only pointed:
"The first, second, and third floors are dedicated to initial testing of new trainees. We use them to assess endurance and to understand the unique Inclination traits within their bodies."
She turned towards Levan.
Her features were serious but not tense.
"As for the deeper floors... they are used for final, more dangerous experiments for advanced trainees."
She then stepped back slightly and pointed to a small side door in the wall:
"Follow me."
They climbed back upstairs.
Arya opened another door, leading them into a simple room.
A small bed, a low wooden table, and a metal cabinet embedded in the wall greeted them.
The lighting was dim, but surprisingly more comfortable than Levan had expected.
Arya said at last:
"This will be your temporary room."
"Rest tonight. Tomorrow, you'll begin your test... along with a few other trainees who also possess special cases."
She paused for a moment, then added quietly:
"Sleep well... you'll need every bit of strength you have."
After saying that, she closed the door behind him gently, leaving Levan alone with his heavy thoughts.
With the first light of dawn, a sharp metallic bell rang through the compound, as if the morning itself had been replaced by a military order.
The trainees around twenty young men and women gathered in a dark stone courtyard stretching before the main entrance of the Virtual Abyss.
The courtyard's floor was paved with glossy black slabs, crisscrossed by fine metallic lines forming a giant network, seemingly designed to absorb vibrations.
The trainees stood in semi-organized rows.
They all wore the same simple uniform: dark gray jackets with long sleeves and loose trousers made for training.
There were no badges, no identifying marks.
Their faces appeared tight, some shifting nervously.
Some exchanged fleeting glances filled with tension and caution.
Levan did not arrive late.
Arya had personally escorted him from his small dormitory to the courtyard.
He walked beside her, his steps steady yet normal, carrying neither challenge nor fear.
When he appeared with Arya, some eyes subtly turned toward him, but soon shifted back.
Still, he drew a faint kind of attention as if something about him quietly stood apart from the rest, a deviation only few noticed.
Levan stood silently beside the other trainees, speaking to no one.
In a moment of silence, a massive door at the far end of the courtyard slowly opened.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out.
He wore a simple black training robe, the edges stitched with barely visible dark red thread.
On his chest gleamed the insignia of the Sixth Order
And on his left sleeve, a small square metal plate displayed a double-edged sword, crossed behind a faint flame and a charred leaf, all enclosed within a circle divided into three fine rings the symbol of a Master Knight.
Just the sight of this emblem made some of the trainees widen their eyes in silent astonishment.
Quiet whispers spread swiftly among the rows:
"A Master Knight? Impossible..."
"I heard there are fewer than forty of them in the entire world..."
"It means he led an expedition and descended beyond thirty-five real floors into the Abyss... and survived!"
The man was already known to Levan.
He was the same person Levan had met yesterday the deputy commander at the Sixth Order.
But now, he was revealed fully, standing in his true authority.
He stood firmly atop the raised platform, scanning the trainees with swift, piercing glances as if measuring their worth merely by the way they stood.
His voice rose, clear and unwavering:
"My name is Kyle Thorn."
"Deputy Commander of the Sixth Order."
"Master Knight for seven years."
He did not shout, yet his words cut through the rows without any need for force.
He continued speaking with practiced seriousness:
"You are here… because you possess traits different from ordinary trainees."
"Anomalies. Unstable powers. Limited control."
"But even so… you are not rare exceptions."
He paused slightly.
His gaze, steady and calm, shifted briefly toward Levan not lingering, but enough to be noticed.
Then he said, his tone firm and deliberate:
"… Except for one among you."
He did not explain further.
But those who had witnessed the events during the previous Inclination test understood perfectly.
A few exchanged quick glances, but no one spoke.
Kyle Thorn continued:
"In the Sixth Order… there are no titles here."
"No ranks. No privileges."
"Only survival… or erasure."
"Your tests begin today."
"You will be divided into small groups."
"Each group will undergo a separate trial within the Virtual Abyss."
He stepped back slightly but did not leave the platform.
He remained standing there, as if his mere presence was enough to remind them:
Here, a single mistake could end your path permanently.
Finally, he concluded:
"Let the trials begin."