A massive door loomed in front of them. It was pitch black, dark enough to consume any light nearby. The door was made of some kind of metal, and in the middle had a giant 1 written on it. It was glowing red.
The two men opened the door. They walked toward it.
"We will wait and reopen the door when you return," they said it in perfect unison with a grin on their faces.
Sylas didn't like that smile. It wasn't warm—it was the kind of smile that said, "You're all disposable."
After that, they were told what their task was. They were asked to venture through the veil and see if anything was unstable, which made Sylas more suspicious of them.
He turned to Elizabeth. She looked serious, like she was ready to fight. Her fists were clenched, but her face had a cute pout. Her eyes looked focused—like she was mad and adorable at the same time. That made him feel a bit at ease.
They stepped forward. The veil was visible. Everything looked like it was upside down. It was like they were standing above water.
Ray stepped in front before anyone could say anything.
"Let's move." He didn't talk loud. It was low and calm.
They entered, leaving the door behind them. The door slowly closed. Even within the veil, they could see all the people still waving them goodbyes.
Then the door snapped shut.
They realized that place was not like the surface.
The sky was bright red. The ground was cracked. The buildings were massive but broken. Red, root-like veins were all over the roads and buildings. They looked around to see the world they were in. The trees were dead—yet felt alive.
They walked, trying to figure out what to do.
They all followed Ray. He looked confident.
Too confident. Sylas didn't like it.
He stayed guarded, Elizabeth clinging next to him. The air felt hot. Dry. The smell of iron filled the air, like he was standing on a battlefield. His body felt heavy, like he was carrying extra weight. He turned to the others, and it looked like they were experiencing the same thing.
The more they walked, the weirder this world became. Skulls stuck on spears were all over the place. The sun started to set, and something didn't feel right to him.
The leafless trees felt like they were watching as they passed by. Their dead branches were reaching out, trying to wrap around them. He could feel the red, root-like veins pulsing underground.
He realized something wasn't right.
"We have to find shelter," he muttered.
"No, we have to keep moving," Ray replied.
"No. We have to find shelter. It's getting dark, and it's dangerous. We don't know anything about this place." His voice was sharp.
"We are fine. Stop panicking, E-rank," he muttered without looking at him.
The moon was rising, and the environment was slowly getting foggy.
He started to panic. Now the feeling of being watched had gotten more intense.
He stopped.
"We have to find shelter now!" he shouted.
Only Ryan and Liz stopped.
"We are fine," Ray said nonchalantly.
Sylas grabbed Ray by the shoulder.
"No, we are not. We have to find a place to hide."
"Don't touch me, son of a slave." The words came heavy and rough.
Before Sylas could respond, he felt a drop of water fall on his hand—and it instantly started to burn his skin. He grabbed Elizabeth.
"We have to set up camp now!" he said, and ran toward the nearest building.
First, Liz and Ryan followed him. Seeing no other option, Ray and the others followed them into the building.
Once they got into the room, Ray grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" His red eyes locked onto him. Sylas was done letting him lead. He was too careless.
"I'm in lead. You follow my orders," Ray said, still holding onto his collar.
"If we had followed you, we would've been dead now." He paused. "Now let me go before I lose my temper."
"What?"
"Stick your hand outside and touch the rainwater."
He stuck his hand out the window—and his skin started to boil. But Else was able to heal him instantly.
Sylas walked toward them.
"Listen. I'm in charge now. Only listen to me, and I will make sure we all get out of here alive."
Some of the students agreed with the idea, but some started laughing.
"An E-rank will lead us? Don't joke."
Sylas looked at them.
"I don't joke. If you follow me, I will make sure you all live."
"I am with Sylas. I saw what he can do," Ryan said, standing next to him.
"Me too," Liz agreed.
"Me too," Elizabeth muttered.
"Anyone else?" he asked, but no one replied.
Both teams sat on opposite sides of the room, waiting for the rain to stop.
Once it did, Ray and his team walked out.
Sylas told them to wait for the sun to come up, but they didn't listen.
THUD. THUD.
He could feel something coming toward their direction. Something huge.
He stood in front of them, blocking the door.
"Wait! Don't go. Something big is coming our way."
But they didn't listen. They walked out.
He sat next to the window.
Waiting.
Within a few minutes, the entire building started shaking. Dust started to rain down, like the building was about to collapse.
He didn't know what was happening, but he knew one thing for sure—somewhere outside, something enormous was moving.
"Did you feel that?" Elizabeth asked softly.
Sylas didn't answer. He raised a finger to his lips.
"Shhhh."
Then it came.
Boom.
Not loud. Not fast. It was heavy, like a giant human walking.
The building started to shake, like it was about to break down.
Another step.
The entire floor shivered.
He peeked through the window… and saw a monster. Its lizard-like jaw stretched wide.
When it opened its mouth, smoke flowed out, drifting into the air like mist.
He could only see its big, reptile-like eyes and jagged teeth.
It turned its head toward the direction he was peeking from. He instantly backed away from the window.
A faint groan came from deep within the building's structure.
It was not a roar.
It was a sound that could tear the sky in half.
The sound didn't echo. It had nowhere to go—it was everywhere.
Elizabeth covered her ears. Ryan dropped to one knee, gripping his head like something was clawing at his mind.
Sylas could feel the sound pulsing through his body. His chest. His bones.
One last RAWR, before it vanished.
This time it was soft—like it was commanding something.
Sylas looked at the others.
"You guys okay?"
They were still on the floor, trying to recover from what just happened.
Ryan gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing the condition everyone was in, Sylas told them to get some sleep while he kept an eye on the area.
He could barely see anything due to the fog, but he could hear almost everything.
They all slept next to each other.
When the sun came up, they started moving again.
While walking, Sylas could tell they were still worried.
"What if that monster comes back?" Else asked.
Sylas smiled and reassured them that nothing was near, which made them feel better.
After walking past multiple destroyed buildings and streets, he came across a set of stairs that led into an underground tunnel. So they entered. Inside was another massive door, but it had F written on it. It was glowing with purple flame.
The door was open.