Lumian sat at the front of the five massive glowing doors, the pale light reflecting off the polished crimson armor of the academy students around him.
His posture was calm, composed, almost unnervingly still. Across from him, the red-haired girl stood, hands clasped, eyes following his every movement.
"We have handed everyone the required posters of the Joker system, Lumian" she said softly, her voice carrying just enough for him to hear.
Lumian's gaze swept over the room, resting briefly on the students in red armor distributing the first posters.
One by one, each poster was handed out, a single sheet for each student.
The air was heavy with anticipation, the faint hum of the glowing doors behind him pressing against every heartbeat.
Jaless received his poster. His hands were steady, but the slight tremor in his chest betrayed the tension inside.
He unfolded it, scanning the words, and read aloud, his voice echoing in the vast chamber.
"I am the Joker. My power bends perception. My rise follows the Academy of Earth, and failure will claim me, but I will laugh in its face."
The words hung in the air, unnatural, sharp. Every head turned toward Lumian. The room erupted with shouting, voices colliding.
"What do you mean, laugh in its face?" someone yelled, disbelief thick in their tone.
"I'm not built for that," another voice muttered, panic and frustration intertwining.
"I just wanted easy power. Something simple… like Telekinesis. But this system… it's ruthless."
Whispers spread across the room, some students clutching the posters as if they were shields.
Eyes darted from one figure to the next, all searching for someone to explain what they were supposed to do.
Lumian remained seated, expression unreadable, watching them unravel just slightly, the calm in his presence a contrast to the chaos building around him.
Starless stared down at the poster in his hands, the words etched in bold ink burning themselves into his mind.
I am the Joker. My power bends perception. My rise follows the Academy of Earth, and failure will claim me, but I will laugh in its face.
He turned it over, squinting, trying to untangle the meaning behind each phrase. Bends perception… what does that even mean? Rise follows the Academy… so I have to obey? And failure will claim me… how ?
His mind raced, twisting the words this way and that, searching for sense in the chaos.
It was too much. Too many rules, too many warnings, too much weight. Frustration coiled in his chest like a living thing.
With a sharp exhale, he crumpled the poster into a tight ball and shoved it deep into his pocket, the paper resisting but ultimately giving under his fingers.
He didn't understand it, and for now, he didn't need to. He'd figure it out later—or die trying. For now, the weight of the system could wait.
Lumian slammed his hands together sharply, the sound cutting through the murmurs and tension like a blade.
"Everyone—attention!" His voice rang out, commanding, echoing off the glowing walls. "Listen well. I am the leader of Class D. That is why we were sent to Hall D everyone.
"The objective of my mission… is simple. To save every single one of you.
"I have not awakened… until now. But today… today, that changes."
The words were in the air, heavy and sharp.
The glow of the doors behind him casting long shadows over the frozen faces of the students.
Every eye was on him, every heartbeat caught in the weight of his declaration.
Starless stepped forward, eyes sharp.
"Speak up already. You gave us one poster describing one role. Where are the four others lumian?"
Lumian's gaze slid past Starless, sweeping over the majority of the students instead. His eyes were cold, unreadable, measuring.
"Who chooses the Joker system?" His voice was calm, sharp, slicing through the tension.
He let the question hang for a moment, then added, almost casually, "There is a hundred percent certainty… everyone will survive."
Lumian's voice rang out, steady and commanding.
"Everyone who wants the Joker system—line up. Prepare to enter."
The students froze, hesitation flickering across their faces, the glowing doors behind Lumian looming like silent judges.
Jaless stepped forward, holding his crumpled poster, voice trembling but clear.
"The Joker system… it's tied to the Yellow Door," he said, letting the words sink in. "So—line up along with the Yellow Door.
"To enter, you must memorize the words on your poster. Every word. No mistakes."
A tense silence fell over the chamber as the students processed the weight of what he'd just said.
One by one, the students fell into line along the Yellow Door, the polished floor reflecting their tense, crimson-armored forms.
Everyone moved—except for a handful, thirty, maybe forty, who hesitated, frozen by fear or disbelief. They stayed back, eyes wide, murmuring among themselves, unwilling or unable to step forward.
The line stretched taut, a living boundary between courage and hesitation, with Lumian's calm gaze watching every movement.
Jaless walked up to Starless, his steps slow, deliberate, eyes fixed on him.
"Why didn't you follow the majority?" he asked, voice low, almost cautious.
Starless shrugged, gaze sharp. "I'm not interested in the Joker system. I want something… combative."
Jaless stared down at him, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "Me too. But… Star, do you even know what powers the Joker system gives?"
Starless's jaw tightened, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Didn't I say earlier? I don't know shit. I'm from the outskirts."
Jaless's eyes flickered, a shadow of worry passing over his face.
"I heard from my father… that I should choose a different profession," he admitted quietly. "And I had to say it… if you don't include the words 'The Academy of Earth,' you'll be hunted."
Starless let out a sharp, hollow laugh, shaking his head. "Hunted by who, now? How can they even know what I say inside? They won't."
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, the crumpled poster pressing against his side, and smirked, eyes glinting with defiance.
Starless frowned, stepping closer to the line. "So… after this… where do we all appear?" he asked, voice low, curious but cautious.
Around him, the other students continued moving forward, one by one entering the Yellow Door. Each of them spoke the required words from their posters, voices echoing faintly against the glowing frame.
A boy stepped up next, hesitating for only a moment before crossing the threshold. The moment his foot touched the warm, radiant surface, a crushing pressure pressed against his chest. His heart pounded under the weight of expectation and fear, disappointment clawing at him like a living thing.
Then, sharp and agonizing, pain shot through his body, fire crawling under his skin. A deep, commanding voice rang in his mind:
"You who hath chosen the Yellow… thou shalt now write thy power. Bind it to thy ground."
Blood welled up beneath his hands, spilling into a perfect circle on the floor. Symbols, strange and unknowable, etched themselves within it, glowing faintly as if alive.
His hand shook, quill hovering above the center of the circle. Slowly, he began to write, every word burning into his mind and the ground itself:
"I am the Joker. My power bends perception. My rise follows the Academy of Earth, and failure will claim me, but I will laugh in its face."
The circle pulsed, the symbols shimmering as if approving his declaration, binding the words, and the power, to him.
"Thou art permitted to leave," the voice intoned, echoing off the glowing walls.
The boy stepped back, leaving the Yellow Door behind. He felt… nothing. No surge, no power, only the lingering heat of the threshold on his skin. He clenched his fists, trying to activate what should have been his abilities—but nothing happened.
Lumian's voice cut through the silence, calm but carrying weight. "The power will not work… until the Academy approves it. Until then, all you have done is bind your intent. Nothing more."
The boy muttered a low, reluctant "Okay," and shuffled to stand at the edge of the vast chamber, a little apart from the others.
From where he stood, the place unfolded like a colossal, living machine. Hundreds of students, all in crimson armor, stretched into long, precise lines, each waiting their turn.
The five massive doors loomed at the far end, each glowing with an otherworldly light, impossibly large, impossible to ignore.
The sheer scale of the hall pressed down, silent and immense, the weight of expectation heavy in every breath.
The boy's eyes swept over it all, taking in the scope, the organized chaos, and the beginning of a game that would test every limit of body, mind, and will.