The last figure stepped through the Yellow door.
A faint hum clung to the air. Gold light curled around their form. Their eyes opened, sharp, alive. A soft pulse of energy resonated from their chest. The awakening was complete.
One by one, the others from the Yellow door gathered. Shadows clung to the corners, but their faces were bright with anticipation. They formed a rough circle, hesitant yet hungry.
"I felt it," someone whispered. "Like fire in my veins, but calm. Like the world is listening to me."
Another nodded, eyes distant. "I saw possibilities. Strength. Control. Maybe… everything the system promised."
A laugh broke the tension. Quiet, low, but edged with awe. "You think the Academy will approve us? After this? After we reach this far?"
The first voice returned, firmer now. "Approval is just a word. Power doesn't ask permission. It takes. It bends. It changes us."
Their gazes met. Not a question remained. Only the weight of what they had chosen. And the hunger for what was to come.
The light of the Yellow door spilled over them. Shadows danced across faces, and each heartbeat seemed louder than the last.
"Do you feel it?" one asked. "The pull? It's already moving us. Shaping us."
"Yes," another replied. "And when the Academy sees it… they won't know what hit them."
A pause settled. Words were unnecessary. Each felt it—the raw, unspoken truth of power awakened. The air between them crackled.
Then, silence. Heavy. Perfect.
They were ready.
Lumian's boots echoed softly on the polished floor as he approached.
Starless and Jaless barely lifted their heads, still caught in some quiet, meaningless conversation about life, about choices that no longer mattered.
"You two," Lumian said, his voice sharp, slicing through the calm. "It's time. Choose a door. Say what you want."
His gaze flicked between them, unyielding, unbroken.
"Since you don't want to follow the Academy's recommendation," he added, cold, almost amused. "Make your own path."
Starless shifted, leaning back, lips curling slightly. "The world says follow rules," he murmured. "But maybe it's more fun to break them."
Jaless stayed silent, eyes on the ceiling, as if reading the cracks in the stone for answers.
Lumian's expression didn't change. "Words don't matter. Action does. Decide, or be left behind."
The hum of the doors thrummed beneath them. Time waited for no one.
Lumian left without a word, his presence fading like a shadow. Moments later, he returned, flanked by a girl whose hair was the color of midnight dipped in sapphire.
Her head armor came off with a soft metallic click, revealing sharp, delicate features. Eyes like liquid cobalt swept over the room.
Jaless froze. Every word he had planned to say vanished. Every thought scattered. He had fallen before she even smiled.
She leaned slightly closer, voice smooth, teasing, curling around him like smoke. "Hi, handsome," she purred. "I'm kinda getting hot… just looking at you."
Jaless's breath caught. The words burned in his chest. Lumian's gaze didn't flinch; he simply pressed him with a quiet authority.
"I… uh…" Jaless stammered, heart hammering.
The girl tilted her head, letting her hair brush his shoulder. "Do the ritual," she whispered, lips barely moving. "Then… I'll give you something sweet."
The words left him trembling, but the pull was too strong. With a shuddering nod, he finally agreed.
Her smile widened, a dangerous, intoxicating curve of perfect teeth. "Good boy," she said softly, letting the promise hang in the air.
Jaless returned later.
His steps were unsteady, his eyes unfocused, like he had woken from a dream he could not escape. The mark of completion lingered on him, faint but undeniable.
The blue haired girl took his hand without asking. Her fingers were cold. Her smile was warm. She led him away, past the murmurs, past the doors, into somewhere unseen.
Their lips met briefly in passing. Soft. Claiming. Final.
The world moved on.
Lumian sat beside Starless, both of them silent, watching students walk, whisper, speculate. Power was spoken of like a prize. Like a blessing.
"What do you want, Lumian?" Starless asked quietly. "I won't choose the Yellow door. You know that."
"I know," Lumian replied calmly.
Starless's gaze stayed forward. "I hate people who take freedom from others. Freedom of choice. Freedom of life."
"I get you," Lumian said.
He leaned back slightly. "Being the leader of Class D in the Academy isn't the best thing either."
His eyes drifted. The blue haired girl was still with Jaless, lips pressed to his, her hand gripping his collar like a leash.
Lumian looked away.
On the other side, academy warriors in crimson armor sat motionless. Faces hidden. Eyes fixed on the massive doors as if waiting for judgment.
Lumian exhaled slowly. "They'll all die soon."
His voice was empty. Certain.
"This world, the Academy, everything," he continued. "It's too cruel to us awakeners."
Starless hummed quietly. A low sound, almost gentle. "That's why you're angry."
He turned his head slightly. "Pain is part of life."
A pause. Then, firm and real.
"I'd rather die fighting than die with regret, Lumian."
Starless broke the silence.
"Do I look strong, Lumian?"
Lumian didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
Starless let out a quiet breath, almost a laugh. "I'm not strong."
He stared ahead, eyes dull, voice low.
"I'm scared," he admitted. "I'm just good at hiding my feelings."
Lumian rose slowly.
"Be cautious," he said, voice low. "About the Academy."
Then he turned and walked away.
Starless clenched his jaw. Anger flared, sharp and sudden. "Thanks," he muttered, the word heavy with resentment.
He stood, walked toward a door, each step deliberate.
An hour later, he returned.
Something had changed.
Starless approached Lumian's crew, eyes hollow, a crooked smile carved into his face.
"I guess I'm a Joker now."
He glanced around, unease creeping in. "Let's get out of this place. How do we get out?"
Lumian didn't answer immediately. He simply pointed.
At the blue haired girl.
"We kill her."
Starless snapped. "Why?"
Lumian's voice was calm, almost tired. "The Voice always allows the majority. Whoever chooses one door gets to leave."
His eyes narrowed. "That's why I pushed them. Made sure most chose Yellow."
Starless stared at him.
Then he laughed.
Loud. Broken. Maniacal. Like laughter could drown the truth clawing at his mind.
"No," he said through the laughter. "I won't accept that."
Lumian looked at him. Cold. Sharp. Unmoved.
"Rules like these don't care who bleeds...."
Lumian continued."...An eye for an eye, Star," he said. "We don't escape until she dies."
"I won't allow that," Starless shot back.
Their voices rose. Words collided. Rage met resolve.
Then Lumian moved.
He grabbed Starless by the head, dragging him close. Steel flashed. The blade hovered, trembling inches from his throat.
Lumian stopped.
"Too weak," he said quietly. "At least try to be a challenge."
He released him.
Starless collapsed to the floor, breath shattered, the fear of death sinking its claws deep into his soul.
Starless grabbed Lumian's legs, fingers shaking, grip desperate.
"Please," he said, voice breaking. "Don't do it, Lumian."
His forehead pressed to the floor. Pride shattered. Fear laid bare.
"If it has to be done," he whispered, choking on the words, "let me do it myself."
Lumian stood there in silence.
He sighed.
"Sure."
The sword slid into Starless's hands, cold and heavy.
Lumian stepped back and waited.
Starless approached the girl.
The noise around them faded. The murmurs, the footsteps, the breath of the Academy armored students itself fell silent.
He stood over her, the sword hanging loosely at his side.
She looked up. Blue hair catching the light. Calm. Unafraid.
Starless met her eyes and asked quietly,
"Do you hate me?"
The moment froze.