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The morning arrived shrouded in a gray stillness, the artificial sky above Noir Rose cast in a muted amber hue. The Vector Dome's internal clocks flicked to 06:00AM, but the light felt heavier, slower, like the city itself was trying to hold its breath.
Riley woke before the alarm. He'd barely slept. His mind still lingered on the ranking briefing from the night before—the whispered congratulations, the flashes of pride flickering beneath cautious smiles. The air inside the dome felt different now, charged. He could see it in the way the other Vectors glanced at each other. The rankings had settled into them overnight.
Rank 1: Leilani Kim
Rank 2: Jade Holt
Rank 3: Riley Grant
Rank 4: Luna Reyes
Rank 5: Kai Turner
The top five, out of ninety-seven. Elite. Untouchable. That's how it was designed to feel. But to Riley, the list felt less like recognition—and more like a new set of strings for Tenzashi to pull. The PA system spoke out.
"Vectors... Trial 02 begins at 07:30. Proceed to Hall Delta for briefing."
Jade glanced at him from his door, already lacing his boots.
"Another day in paradise."
Riley forced a smirk, but the unease gnawed at him. He caught Leilani's eye across the room as she finished tying her braid—calm, composed, perfect. He wondered if anyone else noticed the way she always seemed to know what was coming.
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Hall Delta loomed ahead, its glass facade glinting beneath the false sunlight. Inside, the walls were lined with dark panels, their edges pulsing faintly with violet light.
Admin Lisette stood at the front, flanked by three other figures—men in stark black suits, faces featureless beneath mirrored visors. They never spoke. Riley had heard whispers from the others that they were called Proxies—Tenzashi's silent enforcers.
Lisette's voice was measured, clinical.
"Trial 02 will assess stability, spatial reasoning, and group cohesion. You will be assigned in pairs. Failure to comply with instructions will result in removal from Project Echelon."
Removal.
The word settled heavily in the room, but nobody asked what it actually meant. No one ever did.
The assignments flickered onto the wall.
Riley Grant // Jade Holt
Leilani Kim // Luna Reyes
Kai Turner // Micah Patel
Riley's heart kicked slightly at the pairing. He shot a glance at Jade, who nodded once. No complaints. Just like always.
"Your objective is simple," Lisette continued. "Navigate your way through the labyrinth and locate an exit. Use all means necessary. Time of completion will be factored into your ranking. There are no dead ends. Only decisions."
Her gaze swept the room.
"Believe your partner. Trust your mind."
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The labyrinth sprawled beneath the Vector Dome, carved into the city's underbelly, a network of winding corridors and shifting walls. The air was colder down here, carrying the faint tang of sterilized metal. Dim lights flickered along the ceilings, casting long shadows.
They started walking in silence.
Every corridor looked the same. Smooth black walls, flickering lights, no visible cameras... but Riley felt them watching. He could feel the weight of Tenzashi's gaze pressing against the back of his skull.
"You think they're timing how long it takes for us give up?" Jade muttered beside him.
"Wouldn't put it past them."
They reached a fork. Two identical paths stretched ahead, each vanishing into darkness. No markings. No signs.
Jade's fingers hovered over the wall, tracing something Riley hadn't noticed—a thin seam barely visible against the black surface.
"The walls... they're shifting."
Riley's chest tightened.
"How do you know?"
Jade didn't answer.
They took the left path.
Ten minutes passed. Or twenty. Time bled out in the stale air. Every turn felt like they'd walked it before. The corridors were folding back on themselves in patterns just subtle enough to make you doubt your own memory.
Riley caught himself glancing over his shoulder more often than he liked.
"They're trying to make us second guess ourselves," he muttered.
Jade snorted.
"You're just figuring that out now?"
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An hour passed. Maybe two.
The labyrinth played tricks, whispers down empty hallways, faint echoes that made it sound like someone else was always a few steps behind them. Riley's skin prickled every time they turned a corner, expecting to see another pair of Vectors trailing them.
But they never did.
It was just... them.
Jade stopped suddenly. His breathing was shallow.
"Do you hear that?"
Riley strained his ears.
Nothing.
And then, so faint it almost wasn't there, he heard it.
A voice.
Soft. Murmuring. Like someone speaking from behind the walls.
It was his own voice.
"They're trying to make us second guess ourselves."
Riley's stomach churned. He glanced at Jade, he saw the subtle flicker of fear cross his face before he quickly buried it.
His expression blank but serious.
"Lets keep moving."
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By the time they stumbled into the exit chamber, the lights overhead had dimmed to a dull red glow. Riley's heart was hammering against his ribs, but he couldn't even realise why. They'd walked the whole time. They hadn't seen anyone. Nothing had happened.
Nothing except the feeling, like something was always just behind them.
Lisette stood waiting at the checkpoint, face unreadable. Riley's mind pulsed with the echoes of the labyrinth—his own voice repeating from behind the walls, the shadows that never quite caught up. He felt the weight of unseen eyes still pressing against him, like he'd left something behind in the corridors without even realizing it. Was it the trial... or him they were testing? Whatever they'd been made to forget, it was still in there. Somewhere beneath the surface.
"Well done, Vectors. Your times have been recorded."
Riley glanced at the scoreboard flickering on the wall.
Leilani Kim — 57:42 Luna Reyes — 58:19 Jade Holt — 62:10 Riley Grant — 62:11 Kai Turner — 64:07
Dropped to fourth. By one place. A number shouldn't matter. But it did. And it burned deeper than he wanted to admit.
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That night, Riley lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He couldn't remember everything from the labyrinth. There were blank spaces in his mind—minutes that had dissolved into static. He wondered if anyone else felt it too.
Riley's eyes drifted toward the cot across the room. Leilani lay curled beneath the thin
blanket, her features calm in sleep. Unshaken. Like the trial hadn't touched her. But he knew better.
She'd come by after the rankings were posted. She hadn't asked questions. Hadn't tried to talk. Just sat nearby, close enough to be there, far enough to give space. He wasn't sure if it was for his sake… or hers.
He hadn't asked her to stay. But he hadn't told her to leave, either.
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Rank 1: Leilani Kim
Rank 2: Luna Reyes
Rank 3: Jade Holt
Rank 4: Riley Grant
Rank 5: Kai Turner
The ranks were shifting.
And Tenzashi never had to lift a finger.