The Human Orientation Hall did not feel like a hall.
It felt like a contained universe.
The ceiling shimmered with moving constellations that looked almost real — like pieces of space frozen above their heads.
The floor hummed beneath Eghosa's feet, steady and ancient.
The air tasted metallic and cold, like the breath of something far older than humanity.
Thousands of humans filled the chamber.
But they were not equals.
Some radiated power with every step.
Some looked augmented beyond normal biology.
Some seemed carved from wars and brutal worlds.
And others, like her group… looked painfully ordinary.
Eghosa swallowed as the doors sealed shut behind them.
Then the instructor appeared.
He walked with impossible balance — not powerful, not threatening, just… precise.
Every breath, every movement, every blink felt engineered.
His voice carried effortlessly.
"Welcome, humans of the three hundred domains."
Melissa stiffened beside Eghosa.
Cairn's shoulders straightened instinctively.
Trisha, standing a few rows away, clenched her hands.
Amos stood behind them, hands in his pockets, unreadable — a still shadow in a storm of people.
The instructor scanned the hall.
"You stand here with pride from your worlds."
A brief pause.
"And delusion."
Multiple people flinched.
Eghosa felt the words stab deeply.
He gestured. A hologram appeared — a star map showing all human domains.
Three hundred glowing points.
Some blazed bright.
Some shimmered faintly.
Some nearly flickered out.
Earth-236 barely glowed.
A weak spark in a sea of stars.
Eghosa felt something inside her chest sink.
The instructor continued, calm and cold:
"Here… most of you begin at zero."
Eghosa clenched her fist slightly.
So blunt.
So humiliating.
So true.
The instructor raised his hand.
Four ancient runes materialized.
"These four pillars define survival.
Not for humans alone, but for everything that lives."
Eghosa's attention sharpened.
"Physique. Intent. Talent. Mastery."
He pointed to each rune as he spoke.
Physique — the raw capability of the body.
Strength. Endurance. Bone density. Speed.
Eghosa imagining Theran's dancer-like strength.
His ability to leave a four-metre gash in the ground with a blade.
She shivered.
Would someone like him survive here?
Better question — would she?
Intent — the will made into force.
Not bloodlust.
Not anger.
But presence that bends the air.
Eghosa remembered the first time she saw Cairn release intent in their fight with Theran.
The ground had trembled.
Talent — what nature grants.
Affinity, intuition, instinct.
Mastery — what you earn through practice and pain.
The instructor let the runes fade slowly.
"And there is a fifth pillar," he said quietly.
The entire hall leaned in.
"But you are not ready for it."
Eghosa felt her curiosity bite through her fear.
What kind of power could be so important the academy hid it entirely?
Before she could dwell on it—
The floor vibrated.
Then reality crashed down.
A wave of weight slammed into their bodies.
BOOM.
Eghosa almost collapsed instantly.
Her knees hit the floor.
Her lungs almost shut.
Her bones screamed.
Around her, hundreds fell to the ground.
"This," the instructor said, his voice untouched by strain,
"is five times your standard gravity."
She gritted her teeth.
Five times?
Her whole world shrunk to breathing.
"Endure it for three minutes."
Melissa fell fully onto her hands.
Cairn trembled but stood.
Trisha was shaking violently.
Alexandria's body glowed faintly, muscles tightening.
Varis dropped to one knee, his pride flickering.
Eghosa's lungs burned.
Her vision blurred.
Her arms shook so badly she thought she would collapse.
Then she saw him.
Amos.
He wasn't struggling.
He wasn't standing.
He had calmly laid flat on his back, hands folded behind his head, body completely relaxed.
He looked like he was stargazing.
No pride.
No fear.
No shame.
He simply conserved energy.
As if gravity was just another inconvenience to minimize.
The instructor paused briefly.
"…Correct approach."
Eghosa blinked.
What?
He praised Amos?
Even if it was subtle?
She didn't understand him.
Not even a little.
Melissa shot Amos a confused glance.
She understood what he was doing but it was somewhat embarrassing doing it
Cairn muttered "embarrassing" but he wasn't surprised this was the friend he had grown up with, this was Amos and this was his way of doing things, on his own part he stood strained, the only thing that kept him standing was simply will, he simply wanted to stand so he stood.
The weight intensified suddenly.
"Two minutes remain."
Eghosa felt her limbs shaking like leaves in a storm.
Her heart hammered.
Her lungs fought each breath.
She saw other humans remain perfectly still:
There were some at the far left, who simply stood negligent of the pressure.
A few noble-looking individuals.
Alexandria — calm, composed, golden eyes sharp.
Reynard, another elite, didn't even blink.
She thought:
They're all monsters.
How can I ever catch up?
She had done some endurance training alongside Trisha and Theran using the high pressure fluid in the old training facility but this was something else, this was formless power
Her arms trembled violently.
The floor swayed.
She was about to fall when—
"Time."
The pressure vanished instantly.
Eghosa collapsed forward, catching herself with both hands.
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
She survived.
Barely.
The instructor looked over them.
No sympathy.
No disgust.
Just evaluation.
Then he raised his hand.
A new hologram appeared.
A short list.
A terrifying list.
"Before the exam begins, meet the ones you will be measured against."
"The Monsters of Humanity."
Names formed one by one:
Alexandria Alten
Varis Velraine
Reynard Coal
Kae & Rae
Unlisted
No descriptions.
No rankings.
Only names.
A silent challenge.
Whispers spread through the hall.
Eghosa thought:
Alexandria struggled.
Varis struggled.
Everyone struggled.
Then what makes them monsters?
Even Cairn whispered,
"I need to know where I stand among them."
Amos didn't react at all.
Not even a flicker.
Eghosa's breath caught.
He was the only one who didn't look intimidated.
She pondered to herself why hadn't she also lied down, what exactly did she have to prove ?
The instructor raised his hand again.
Light gathered around his palm.
"The Humanity Orientation Exam begins now."
The floor split open.
A tremor rippled across reality.
A bright light swallowed everything.
Eghosa felt her body lift—
—felt weight vanish—
—felt the world collapse and reform—
Then darkness.
Their real training had begun.
And humanity's elite were no finally being prepared for the challenge ahead