The atmosphere laden with sweat, dust and blood still hung in the air, even after the last meters of the deadly race had been left behind. The 8,573 survivors, among them exhausted, injured and psychologically shaken, were escorted by armored vehicles towards the interior of the true test base of the Order of Erebus - an underground facility with brutalist architecture, buried under an isolated mountain, far from any trace of civilization. It was the kind of place that did not exist on maps, where only death or ascension could be found. Choi Eun-kyung, or rather Seraphina, kept her gaze fixed on the monumental entrance that opened like the mouth of a colossal creature. She had barely caught her breath, her muscles still throbbed from the insane race, but her mind remained cold and sharp. Beside her, Kaine walked silently. The tie between the two was not only unexpected, it was unacceptable. And they both knew it. Inside the base, the candidates were subjected to a strict protocol. Disinfection rooms, automated medical checks, forced rehydration, and biometric scanning. An AI system analyzed each participant's condition, ranking them based on performance, endurance, and emotional stability.
Seraphina was directed to the Omega Sector, reserved for the race's top performers. Kaine was too. Their eyes met briefly as they were led to different compartments. He smiled. She looked away.
The temporary dormitories were comfortable cells, with containment beds, information screens, and walls that pulsed with a blue light. Cameras peeked out of corners, and drones hovered in the air, watching their every move.
After a few hours of rest, the survivors were released into common areas: dining halls, meditation rooms, and a large central hall with giant panels displaying statistics, names, and performance projections.
Voices rose in tense murmurs among the corridors:
"Did you see that guy who crossed the canyon jumping on the bodies?"
"Someone from Delta Sector ripped off an opponent's arm just to use as a weapon..."
"That white-haired girl... she didn't even look tired..."
Seraphina moved among the others like a shadow. Disguised as Choi Eun-kyung, she maintained a restrained posture, eyes half-closed and breathing calmly. But she observed everything: the most confident, the desperate, the false allies. Especially those who used smiles to hide their fear.
At 4:00 in the morning, the lights in the entire base went out. Absolute silence reigned for a few seconds, broken only by the reverberation of heavy footsteps echoing on the metal walls.
A hologram lit up in the main hall, revealing an imposing figure: a tall, muscular man in the black uniform of the Order of Erebus, his eyes hidden behind a silver visor. Emblazoned on his armor was the symbol of the Order—an eclipse with a serpent devouring its own tail.
"Attention, candidates. I am Instructor Callan." His voice was cold, emotionless. "Congratulations on surviving the first stage. Now, prepare to face the true purpose of this selection."
All eyes were fixed on him. "The next test will be called the Trial of Blood. It will not be a race. It will not be a contest of time. It will be a fight. A real conflict. And by the end... many of you will be dead."
The hall erupted in murmurs. Some recoiled. Others swallowed hard. But those who remained motionless—Seraphina, Kaine, and a few others—showed that they were ready.
"Those who are not capable of killing to survive... are already dead. The test will begin in 12 hours." The hologram faded.
Back in the dormitory, Seraphina sat cross-legged on the metal bed. Her thoughts revolved around the new test. Combat. This was fertile ground for identifying the true predators hiding under sheep's clothing.
Kaine... She remembered the look in his eyes at the end of the race. There was something about him that irritated her. That uncontrollable energy, that lack of fear... and the fact that, for the first time in a long time, someone was on her level.
Seraphina then stood up, walked to the mirror in the cell and stared at her own reflection. Choi Eun-kyung's appearance had served her well, but inside that mirror she saw the cold eyes of the Herald that she truly was. "Let the weak come... let the fools fall... and let the clever bleed." she murmured.
The twelve hours passed like a sharp blade cutting through the tension in the air.
As the alarm sounded, the 8,573 candidates were guided through metallic corridors and ever-deeper tunnels until they reached the Amphitheater of Conflict, a colossal, circular underground space with black bleachers and walls covered in battle scars. It was a battlefield disguised as an arena.
Above, hundreds of eyes watched. The elite of the Order of Erebus—nobles hidden in the shadows, insane scientists, masked members of the top brass. All positioned themselves to watch the spectacle of blood that determined who deserved the next step.
Instructor Callan appeared again in the center of the arena, this time in person. His body seemed carved from steel, with scars that looked more like maps of battlefields. Behind him, dozens of droids armed with rifles watched the candidates like predators ready to act.
"Blood Trial is not a symbolic name." he said, his voice booming. "Today, you will fight each other. But this is no simple battle. You will be divided into pairs, trios, or quartets. And in each group... only one will emerge alive." The shock was immediate. Murmurs turned to screams. Some wept. Others fell to their knees. Many tried to run, only to be electrocuted by the magnetic fields at the exits. And then Callan's voice roared louder: "Giving up now is certain death. Life depends on fighting. Welcome to the reality of the Order of Erebus." Drones flew overhead, casting beams of light that marked the candidates in different colors. Each light corresponded to a group. Seraphina was marked with a scarlet hue, while Kaine was given a deep gray hue. She watched closely as three other candidates approached, each marked with the same scarlet beam. Two muscular men with hungry eyes, and a thin woman with dry eyes and a firm posture.
"Great... a foursome," Seraphina murmured. She feigned nervousness. Choi Eun-kyung couldn't seem too confident. Not yet.
The instructors pointed to each sector of the arena. That's where the fights would begin. No weapons. Only their abilities—powers still restricted to basic levels by externally controlled EVP collars.
As soon as the whistle blew, one of the men charged at the woman, tearing the air with punches like an animal. The second man, more strategic, tried to circle around the side to eliminate the last one standing. But their mistake was ignoring Seraphina. She didn't run. She didn't tremble. She walked.
The first man smashed his opponent's face into the ground. The woman screamed, spitting teeth. The second tried to attack from behind, but that was when Seraphina moved. Too fast. Too precise. Too cold.
She picked up a piece of metal from the ground and drove it into the first man's tendon, sending him to his knees, howling. In one fluid motion, she spun around, kicking the second man hard in the chest. He staggered. She lunged forward, knocked him down, climbed on top of him, and pierced his left eye with the same piece of metal.
A scream. Then silence. The first man tried to get up, but Seraphina jumped on him, striking him repeatedly in the throat with the palm of her hand until the bones broke. The sound was wet, grotesque.
The injured woman, still crawling, tried to beg for mercy. Seraphina looked into her eyes. For a second...she hesitated. The woman had the look of someone who had already lost everything. But then Seraphina remembered: she could not show weakness.
With one sharp movement, she twisted the woman's neck, ending the fight. Victorious.
The scarlet light around her flashed three times. The restraining collar glowed for a second, then went out. She was free. For now.
In the opposite arena, Kaine faced three opponents as well. But what happened here was different. It wasn't a battle. It was an execution.
He simply smiled as the confrontation began. And as the enemies advanced, something lit up in him. His eyes glowed red. His body seemed to move before thought could occur. One of the opponents had his spine broken with a kick. The second was smashed into the ground with such force that the concrete cracked. The third tried to run away, but was grabbed by the neck and thrown violently against a wall, his body split at odd angles.
All this… in less than twenty seconds. When the drones announced his victory, Kaine wiped his hands on his uniform, as if he had knocked dust off.
Seraphina watched him from afar. For the first time, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: irritation… and perhaps a flicker of unease.
By the end of the round, the arena floor was a graveyard of bodies. Of the total, only 2,148 candidates had survived.
Callan returned to the center, now covered in blood splatters from those who had died too close to where he stood. "These are the real ones. These are the ones who deserve to continue."
Drones descended again. The survivors were taken to the upper levels, where they would receive their new uniforms, equipment, and access to deeper parts of the base.
Seraphina, now alone in a dark elevator, breathed calmly. "If this is only the second round… what comes next?"