And Aren's consciousness vanished.
Darkness swallowed everything.
For a while, there was nothing.
No sound.
No light.
No pain.
Just an endless quiet.
Then—
Beep…
Aren's fingers twitched.
Beep…
Air slowly filled his lungs again.
Beep…
His body felt heavy, like gravity itself had doubled.
His senses returned slowly.
Cold air brushed against his skin.
A faint sterile smell lingered in the air.
Something soft supported his back.
His eyelids trembled.
Then slowly opened.
Bright white light flooded his vision.
Aren blinked repeatedly as his eyes struggled to focus.
The ceiling above him was smooth and metallic, lined with thin strips of artificial light.
This… isn't the void.
Memories rushed back.
The Aberrant.
The collapsing Trial.
The glowing circle of erasure.
The fractures spreading through reality.
Aren's breathing quickened slightly.
He moved his hand and noticed thin wires attached to his arm. A small monitor beside the bed continued its steady rhythm.
Beep…
He turned his head.
And froze.
Someone was sitting beside his bed.
A woman.
She sat in a chair calmly, one leg crossed over the other while holding a thin black tablet. Lines of data scrolled across the screen as she read silently.
She wore a dark charcoal military uniform trimmed with silver lining along the shoulders and collar. On her sleeve was an insignia stitched neatly into the fabric—
A fractured circle.
Aren's chest tightened slightly.
He had seen that symbol before.
Inside the Trial.
But his attention quickly shifted back to her.
She looked young—early twenties perhaps.
Her hair was a deep midnight black tied into a high ponytail that fell behind her shoulders. A few loose strands framed her face, giving her otherwise sharp features a softer edge.
Under the white lights her skin looked pale and smooth.
When she finally looked up, Aren noticed her eyes.
Steel-blue.
Sharp.
Observant.
The kind of eyes that didn't simply look—they analyzed.
Her posture was straight, confident.
Tall and lean.
Her build was athletic rather than delicate, the fitted uniform outlining long legs, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders that suggested real physical training.
A faint thin scar traced the edge of her jawline, subtle but noticeable.
She noticed Aren staring.
Without looking away from the tablet she spoke.
"You're awake."
Her voice was calm and steady.
Aren blinked.
His throat felt dry.
"Where… am I?"
Now she finally looked directly at him.
Her steel-blue eyes studied him for a moment.
Then she set the tablet down on her lap.
"Medical wing."
A short pause followed before she added,
"You survived."
The words hung in the air.
Aren frowned slightly.
"…survived what?"
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"Your first Trial."
The memories hit him instantly.
The void.
The Aberrant.
The collapsing arena.
"That… thing…"
His voice faltered.
"It was real?"
She raised one eyebrow slightly.
"Oh, it was very real."
She leaned back slightly in the chair.
"You should consider yourself lucky."
Aren sat there silently for a moment.
Then he asked quietly,
"…how do you know about it?"
The woman picked up the tablet again and tapped the screen once.
"Because when Trials appear…"
She paused briefly.
"…they are watched."
Aren frowned.
"Watched?"
"Yes."
"The military."
"And the Families."
Her tone remained neutral.
"The old houses have been studying Trials longer than anyone."
"They observe them just like we do."
Aren felt a chill run down his spine.
"You're saying people were… watching?"
"Yes."
"They always do."
She glanced at the tablet again before looking back at him.
"We know it was your first."
Aren stared at her.
"How?"
A faint smirk appeared on her lips.
"Because first Trials tend to look a certain way."
She stood up from the chair.
Her boots made a soft sound as she stepped closer to the bed.
Up close, Aren realized she was only slightly shorter than him.
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"Tell me something."
Aren looked up.
"When the trial tried to erase you…"
Her steel-blue eyes locked onto his.
"…what did you do?"
The memory flashed in his mind.
The chains.
The glowing circle.
The moment everything started dissolving.
And the fractures in space.
Aren's fingers tightened slightly.
"I…"
The room suddenly felt colder.
"I fought back."
For a moment the woman didn't respond.
Then the corner of her lips lifted slightly.
Not quite a smile.
More like interest.
She tapped something on her tablet.
"Good."
Aren blinked.
"Good?"
She turned the screen toward him briefly.
On it was a single line of text.
Trial One: Survived
Then she spoke again.
"Because if you hadn't…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…I would've erased you myself."