Alden pushed himself onto his hands and knees, blinking against the disorientation. His body shook slightly from the aching, though it lasted only a few seconds. His vision briefly doubled before snapping into clarity. Immediately after, cold air embraced his skin and seeped into his nose. The simple shirt and pants he wore offered little resistance.
Everything around him felt wrong.
It was nighttime, but he could see a lot clearer than usual. The surroundings were just that bright. This brightness didn't come from any moon or stars as the sky lacked both. Instead, a gradient of bright blue and venomous green swirled slowly across the expanse like oil on water.
The ambient, sourceless light made everything look slightly off.
'Wait. No. It can't be.'
He forced himself to stand.
The landscape stretched out before him as an endless field of tall grass swaying in a wind he could barely feel. The grass itself looked wrong. Green? Blue? He couldn't properly make out the color. It moved in waves and patterns. Though strange and unsettling, the sight was beautiful in its wrongness.
Also, he wasn't alone.
Scattered across the undulating sea of grass were people just like him. Some were dressed in pajamas, casual wear, and even work clothes. A few others wore nothing but underwear. What they all had in common was evident shock and confusion.
This lasted only a few seconds. Then, their reactions began to vary. Some panicked, wide-eyed with horror.
"What's happening?! Where are we?"
"No! No! No! NOOO!"
"I didn't receive an invitation. I shouldn't be here?"
"Don't tell me we're in that place! So the rumors were true?! I'm going to die?!"
The rest appeared calmer, observant, and alert.
A middle-aged man with a bald head, still wearing a bathrobe, grabbed Alden by the shoulders.
"Where are we?" His breath reeked of panic. "What the hell is this? Where—"
"Get off me." Alden shoved him back, creating distance. He had no time for such bullshit. He repeatedly muttered to himself. "Calm down. Calm down..."
This couldn't possibly be a dream. There was only one answer to this.
The Beyond.
These two words sat on his chest like a heavy stone.
This was the place he was abandoned for, that he'd spent years of his early teenage life praying and struggling to reach. The place that had finally stopped mattering to him.
And now, he was here anyway.
"So it was true?" He smiled mirthlessly. You never get somethings you want until you no longer want it. He'd never thought he'd experience it this way. Three years of not caring, of building a life that didn't revolve around them, only to end up like this.
'Of course. Of fucking course.'
His fingers curled into a ball. He then uncurled them.
"Why now?"
Before he could get swallowed by his thoughts, a young man near the center of the group drew a deep breath, rolled his shoulders back, and focused on the others.
"Everyone." His voice cut through the rising panic. "My name is Julius Arethiem. I know you're scared. I am as well. But panicking won't help us."
Everyone turned toward the young man in his mid-twenties. He had a tall frame and shoulder-length hair. His other features weren't clearly visible, but the calm, unbothered demeanor he carried was unmistakable.
"Just in case you haven't figured it out, we've all been forcefully chosen to be part of a new world—the Beyond."
Everyone understood this by now, but some refused to accept their fate.
Julius continued without paying particular attention to their troubles. "We have been chosen whether we like it or not. I believe that we should be honored to be here. Someone else might feel differently. But I'm sure we all want to stay alive. So we can either fall apart or quickly work together and survive..."
"Feel honored? Are you crazy? We're going to die here! I want to return this instant." A man's loud voice interrupted. From the expressions around him, he was speaking for many.
Julius remained unfazed.
"It's best if we all remain positive. Who decided we'd die? I trust we'll all make it. You should feel that way as well. Every battle won begins in the mind. All twenty-seven of us will survive."
Twenty-seven? Alden glanced around, this time focusing more on the people than the world itself. At best, he could only make an estimate.
Julius's calm attitude was beginning to affect everyone. He seemed very knowledgeable. Even those disrupted by fear were settling down and listening.
'Is he a graduate or student from the Trial academy?' Alden wondered. It looked likely.
Natural charisma. Only a few possessed it. Without effort, Julius had already taken a leadership position despite being on the younger side here.
"So what do we do now?" A woman in pink pajamas stepped closer to the center with a trembling voice and fingers fidgeting anxiously. "I just put my kids to bed. No one will be there when they wake up. W—What do I do?"
Julius simply shook his head.
"There's no way back until after we complete our first trial. You should all know that by now. According to available information, when arriving here, participants are typically brought to a place where they meet other humans before preparing for their first trial." He looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression. "Then why...?"
People glanced at each other. Someone spoke up.
"Wait—" A woman in office clothes went pale. "You're talking about the Sanctuary, right? Are you saying we skipped it?"
"What does that mean?" someone asked.
"It means we're already in a trial."
This time, the answer came from a woman who had remained just as calm as Julius. A troubled expression lingered in her eyes.
Her words dropped like a stone. Several people stepped closer together instinctively.
"Why? What?"
"What did you say? We're already in a trial?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't trials the main source of all those deaths?"
The woman nodded slightly. "Sadly, yes. I'm assuming that when brought here forcefully, we immediately start a trial." She looked at the woman in pink pajamas.
"You shouldn't worry about your children. The government will take care of them in the meantime. Worry more about your survival."
Alden quietly listened. 'We're in a trial already? Just how bad is this?'
He knew more about the Beyond than he'd admitted to himself in years. Though Alden had little interest in learning about this world in recent years, it didn't mean he knew nothing. After he was left alone by his family, his interest in the Beyond had grown to an addictive state. He'd learned most of the available information back then, until he finally accepted his fate.
He knew starting with a trial was bad, but he wasn't sure how bad things could get or what their chances of survival were.
He'd noticed how limited and vague people's descriptions of their trials were. It almost felt intentional—like they were deliberately hiding details. He had no idea why, or if it had changed in the years since he'd stopped researching.
Julius shifted his attention back to the two dozen people staring at him for answers. He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they were filled with resolve and determination.
"We can't keep complaining. Nothing will change. We should all work together to overcome this ordeal. If we complete this trial, we can go back to our families and loved ones. So I need you all to maintain a calm and focused mind."
They began nodding one by one. Soon, they were all in agreement.
"So... when do we get started?" a teenage boy asked. He was faring better than most adults here. There was even a hint of excitement in his voice.
Julius sighed slightly.
"We've already begun."
This threw them into confusion, so he decided to clear the air.
"The grass below you. They're alive."