The four of them left the office and entered a nearby chamber. The air inside was colder, heavier. In the center of the room stood a massive steel tube, so tall it disappeared into the ceiling. Strange runes flickered faintly along its surface, pulsing with an otherworldly energy.
Alex approached, craning his neck to see the top — but it vanished into darkness. "Where does it lead?" he asked.
Derek pressed a finger to his lips. "That is a secret."
He placed his palm against the tube and a hidden panel slid open with a hiss. The air vibrated with power.
"This," Derek explained, "is your test. Once inside, the tube will transport you to another realm. A place crawling with monsters — of every shape, class, and size. Your task is simple: survive until your time runs out."
Alex stiffened. His heart thudded once, heavy. He had thought it would be written work, physical training… anything but this. Just hearing Derek describe the creatures made his skin crawl.
Michael smirked, enjoying the look on Alex's face. "If you're scared, don't bother. Better not force yourself, junior."
Alex ignored him. His gaze drifted toward Klein, who was staring at him silently, emotions flickering in his eyes — disbelief, guilt, anger, and something else Alex couldn't name.
"Can I take another test?" Alex asked at last.
"No," Derek said firmly. "If you want to save him, this is the only way. Otherwise, walk away."
He paused, his voice softening slightly. "Kid… don't waste your energy worrying about others. Save that concern for yourself."
Alex turned back to Klein. Their eyes met. In that moment, Alex remembered their first clash, the bitterness, the rivalry… and the strange pattern that followed. No matter what, their paths kept crossing. And no matter how much he disliked him — Klein had been there, again and again.
What was he supposed to feel? Resentment? Guilt? A debt?
Alex clenched his fists. His decision crystallized.
"Fine," he said. "I'll do it."
Klein's lips parted, as though to stop him, but Alex had already stepped forward. Without hesitation, he entered the tube.
With a metallic hiss, the entrance sealed shut behind him.
Klein's heart pounded. "Why can't I see him?" He turned to Derek desperately.
"You won't," Derek replied. His face betrayed nothing. "But he can see us. That's how it works."
Klein swallowed hard. "Will he be okay?"
"That," Derek said evenly, "depends entirely on his will to survive."
--------
Alex's eyes fluttered open. He found himself standing in the middle of an endless grassland. Blades of grass whispered against his ankles, swaying in a wind that carried no scent. All around him, trees of impossible shapes rose: towering giants with roots as thick as houses, stunted shrubs with leaves like glass, and twisted, skeletal trunks that seemed to groan when the breeze touched them.
Above, the sky was hidden beneath a woven canopy of branches, so dense it devoured the light. Only faint pink glimmers slipped through, like veins in the ceiling of the world.
"This place…" Alex muttered, his voice uneasy. "It feels… wrong."
Regret prickled through him. He had leapt into the tube with confidence, but standing here, with no destination, no guidance, and no sound save the low creak of wood, dread began to claw at his chest. He didn't want to stay still, yet he didn't know where to go. So he walked.
The first step was his mistake.
The earth shifted beneath his boots, rising gently at first, then lurching upward in a slow, dreadful ascent. Alex staggered, grabbing at nothing as the ground carried him higher. His breath caught as the canopy broke away and the sky revealed itself in full — not blue, not black, but a sickly pink horizon stretching infinitely.
He looked down, his stomach plunging. The ground was far below. And the "earth" he stood on was no earth at all.
A shuddering cry escaped his throat. His voice echoed — and that was enough.
The living platform beneath him stirred. A long, ridged neck twisted around, bringing a colossal head into view. It moved with unsettling grace for its size, its stone-colored scales gleaming faintly as if carved. The monster's face stopped inches from Alex's body.
It sniffed him.
For one breathless moment, Alex froze under the scrutiny of two lidless eyes. Then, with a sudden screech that rattled the trees, the creature recoiled. Its movement turned frantic. The ground shook as its body surged forward, carrying Alex with it.
He lost balance, the world spun around him, and he fell.
Branches lashed at him as he tumbled, but instinct made his hand grasp at one. He dangled, gasping, until the wood cracked under his weight. He plunged again, crashing into a bed of thick grass. Pain flared, but he was alive.
He rolled over just in time to see the monster wheeling back toward him.
Now, with a clear view, Alex's stomach twisted. It was no mere beast. Its body stretched like a serpent, endless and scaled, its spine fused with a massive stone obelisk that jutted upward as though it bore the weight of a mountain. Its red eyes burned, locked on him.
It charged.
Alex scrambled to his feet and bolted the other way, his lungs burning. "Arthur!" he cried, his voice ragged. "Help me! Do something!"
Silence.
"Arthur! I'll die here!"
Finally, the demon's voice stirred, cool and distant. "This is your fight. Deal with it."
"The fuck?! I'm your vessel! If I die, you die too!"
"Then so be it. I'd rather die than keep bailing you out every time you make a stupid choice."
"What stupid—" Alex's protest caught in his throat.
Because suddenly, the world warped. His legs stopped moving. His body locked in place. The serpent's presence flooded behind him, impossibly close.
'What—how? It was behind me, far behind me. How did it…?' Alex's eyes widened in horror. The creature, despite its bulk, had closed the distance with unnatural speed, its massive weight moving as though gravity itself bent in its favor.
The neck stretched long, the head lowering until its glowing eyes filled Alex's vision. His chest rattled with each guttural hiss. He wanted to move, to fight, but his body betrayed him.
'If you won't help me, Arthur… then I'll just die here.'
The serpent's jaws opened wide, darkness pooling in its throat.
Alex shut his eyes.
He never felt the bite.
When he opened them again, the monster was gone. Nothing remained but a smoldering heap of ash, its stone spine shattered into glowing fragments across the ground.
"What… what just happened?" His voice trembled. "Did I… do this?"
Arthur's voice answered, sharp with irritation.
"No. I did. This is the second time I've burned my power to save you. There will not be a third."
Alex staggered back. "Wait—second? You mean… the senior I fought the other day…?"
"You thought you beat him yourself?" Arthur scoffed. "That was me. You blacked out because your body couldn't handle my power. You've been living under a delusion."
The words landed heavy. Alex's chest constricted as the truth sank in. His victories weren't his. His strength wasn't earned.
Arthur's tone softened, but only slightly.
"Listen to me, boy. One day, I will die. If that happens before you've grown strong enough to wield my power, everything ends for both of us. I cannot fight your battles forever. You must learn to save yourself — because the world will not wait for you, and pity will not spare you."
A pause. Then, heavier. "Stop throwing your life away for others when you can barely protect your own. You will die from your foolish kindness."
Alex lowered his head, his fists trembling. His pride felt crushed, yet the truth rang inside him.
"I… understand."
"Good."
Arthur's voice carried finality now. "My only vessel should rise to become the most powerful creature to ever exist. Stronger than me, even. That is your task. That is your burden. Do not waste it."
Alex stood still for a long while, the ashes of the serpent cooling at his feet. The words etched themselves into him, carving a scar that was deeper than any wound.
At last, he exhaled and began walking. No path. No map. Just forward, into the strange forest of glass-leaved trees and whispering shadows.
"Then I'll survive," he murmured, more to himself than Arthur. "No matter what waits ahead."