Clock Plaza – Edge of the Third Order
At the far side of the Third Order, there's a wide-open plaza shaped like a giant stone clock. That's why they call it Clock Plaza.
After the Inclination tests ended, the schedule shifted. No more lectures. No more simple drills. From now on, every trainee had to prove their strength in real practice.
In one corner of the plaza, Romo sat on a low step, wiping sweat from his face after sparring with a trainee from a northern village. Sitting next to him was a girl with tied-up red hair, holding a small metal bottle Ena. For two days now, she had trained beside him in every combat round.
Romo let out a breath.
"Do you remember that boy… the one whose sphere didn't light up?"
Ena nodded quietly.
Romo lowered his voice. "They said anyone who gets sent to the Sixth Order after the test might return. If they pass. If not, they're just sent home. No rank. No place."
Ena looked to the side, avoiding his eyes.
"Do you think he'll come back?" Romo asked. She stayed silent for a moment. Then said: "…Maybe he didn't belong here at all." In the distance, wooden swords clashed.
Kaeron Valma and Sevir Nail stepped down from the training ring, having just finished a sparring match under the eyes of a young field instructor — a man ranked as Fighter. He barely spoke, but nothing escaped his focus.
Kaeron tightened his vest and said:
"We're done with physical testing. They said we're ready for formal training. Almost there."
Romo smiled a little, looking at Ena.
"Looks like everyone knows their path... except him."
They didn't name him, but they both knew.
A long pause followed. Then a whistle blew.
As Romo stood, he whispered:
"…I still think he'll come back."
Meanwhile – The Sixth Order, training sector
At the same time, far away in the Sixth Order, the morning had already begun. Deep underground, twenty trainees stood in silence inside a large circular room. In the center stood a dark combat dome - a simulation chamber built to mimic the conditions of the real Abyss.
There would be no speeches today. No groups. No second chances. Each trainee would face something alone. No weapon. No help. Just them and what waited inside. Around the chamber, fifty iron doors lined the wall. Each one numbered. Behind them, fifty isolated testing rooms, all connected to the first floor of the virtual Abyss.
Only a special group was selected for this: those with unclear Inclination results or unusual behavior during the first test.
Near the front, the Deputy Commander, Kyle Torn, stood watching. He wore a plain black uniform with a rank badge on his arm. Beside him stood Doctor Elvan and three white-coated assistants.
At Kyle's signal, one assistant stepped forward and spoke clearly:
"You are now front of the first floor of the virtual Abyss. Each room is monitored. Every movement, pulse, and trace of Inclination will be recorded."
He pointed to the glass wall above. Behind it, the observation room glowed with cold white light.
Screens showed each trainee's vitals in real time - breath rate, energy levels, Inclination output -even if invisible to the eye.
The assistant continued: "The creature inside each room is F-class. Not deadly, but still dangerous. You don't need to defeat it. Just respond. Show resistance. That's all."
"No response means failure."
He turned to the others. The names began.
"Candidate 4 — Room 1."
"Candidate 6 — Room 10."
"Candidate 9 — Room 4."
With each name, a door opened and soft blue lines lit up on the floor, guiding each trainee forward.
No one spoke. No one looked around.
Then:
"Candidate 13 — Room 7."
Levan walked forward alone. The door opened as he approached. A faint blue glow welcomed him. He stepped in. The door closed behind him.
The hallway leading into the dome was narrow and cold.
Its walls were made of smooth gray stone, and the lights on the sides gave off a soft, steady glow.
No carvings. No signs. Nothing about it felt like a training facility.
It felt like it led somewhere deeper… maybe to a real place beneath the surface — the first floor of the virtual Abyss.
At the end of the hallway, a small door slid open.
Behind it was a square room with a low ceiling and very little light.
The floor was flat, gray, and unusually clean.
The walls were smooth. No windows. No vents. No sound.
It was sealed tight.
In the center of the room was a black circle, about four meters wide.
It wasn't carved — just painted faintly on the surface, only visible when the light hit it right.
Levan knew this was where he had to stand.
He stepped inside quietly.
The moment he reached the center, a voice spoke from the wall ahead.
It was robotic. Cold. No emotion.
"Simulation Test: Level One.
Target: Class F - Fire Lizard.
Environment: Stable.
Time limit: five minutes.
Objective: show a defensive response under threat."
Then the lights began to shift.
Not darker… not brighter… just tighter.
It felt like the room was shrinking, even though it wasn't.
The light focused on the middle, and the edges fell into shadow.
Levan didn't move.
His breathing was steady. His shoulders relaxed.
But something in his chest felt tight — not fear exactly, but that strange pressure when you know something's close.
Then… a sound.
A soft scraping on the floor.
Like something dragging itself slowly, with soft limbs.
Silence.
Then again - the same sound - but from another direction.
Levan lifted his head just slightly.
He didn't want to look startled, but his eyes were scanning the corners, searching.
And then he saw it.
From one of the dark edges, something crawled forward.
It was low to the ground, moving on four limbs.
Not fully animal.
Its body flickered - half solid, half burning black flame.
Its shape wasn't clear, but it had the head of a lizard.
It didn't charge.
Instead, it began to circle the black ring slowly.
Its steps didn't make sound - they flowed across the ground like ripples.
The way it moved… it didn't feel fully real.
In the monitoring room above, the team was watching the screen.
Doctor Elvan stood behind them, arms crossed, eyes focused.
One assistant spoke:
"No Inclination response yet."
Another replied:
"But no crash signs. Vitals are stable."
No one said more.
They just watched.
Everything was waiting on what would happen next.
Inside the room, Levan wasn't thinking about Inclination.
He wasn't hoping for it to appear.
He was just watching.
And deep down… he was still searching.
¿Was something inside him going to answer this threat?
¿Or would there be… nothing؟؟؟؟؟؟