As the door to the pyramid creaked open, it revealed a passage that swallowed all light, a pure, silent emptiness. Kaito paused at the entrance, the stale air enveloping him. Auri lay asleep on his shoulder, her glow dimmed, her body warm and still.
Moving forward in complete darkness was not an option. His analytical mind raced for a solution as he sifted through his pockets. Though his school uniform provided little assistance, he discovered his smartphone in his pants.
When he turned it on, the screen cast a small, resilient light into the oppressive blackness. The battery indicated 17%—not much, but a start. He activated the flashlight; its feeble LED beam offered a thin line of illumination through the shadows.
He stepped into the abyss. The air felt dense and ancient, his footsteps echoing in the vast emptiness. The light revealed a grand corridor, its walls made of the same dark metal as the door, etched with faded symbols and conduits resembling veins running into the stone.
His LuminaDrive flickered to life in his mind, attempting to create a map, but it was struggling. [LOW VISUAL DATA. MAPPING INCOMPLETE.]
He needed to find the central control room. There should be a main conduit for power and control in such a massive structure. Following the largest conduits, his phone's light reflected off the ancient metal. The corridor widened into a large circular chamber, featuring a raised platform surrounded by inactive consoles and dark screens.
This was the pyramid's heart.
Approaching the main console, Kaito knew it was inactive. However, he wasn't merely an engineer pushing buttons; he was after core principles. Tracing the thick power cables with his light, he found them leading to a heavily shielded box at the base of the platform—an emergency power cell.
[OBJECT: EMERGENCY LUMEN-CELL]
[STATUS: CRITICAL CHARGE (1.7%)]
It had minimal power, but still some. He spotted a dusty manual release lever—a last-resort option. He pulled it.
A deep hum reverberated through the air, like a giant awakening. Emergency lights flickered on above him. The dim, red-tinted lights were spaced far apart in the corridors, but they were bright enough to pierce the suffocating gloom. It was sufficient.
He had power. He had light. Now, he needed a defensible position. The main control room was too exposed. Using the fading light from his phone, he explored adjacent chambers off the main area and stumbled upon what looked like a security office. The door was locked, but a strong shove from his shoulder shattered the rusted lock.
Inside was a small room with a one-way window overlooking the main chamber. It contained a metal desk, a broken chair, and thick layers of dust. It was a perfect spot for him and Auri to rest undetected, with a clear view of the only entry.
He barricaded the door with the desk and chair. Auri stirred on his shoulder, chirping softly. He offered her a small piece of a ration bar found in his pocket—useless for him but potentially helpful for her.
[AURIWREN STA: 16/30]
[LUMEN RECHARGE: PASSIVE (SLOW)]
The dim emergency lights would help, but it would take hours for her strength to be fully restored.
[TIME UNTIL NIGHTFALL: 00:47:12]
Less than an hour remained. A knot of anxiety formed in Kaito's stomach. He was intrigued; the game had never revealed the true nature of night. It was merely a countdown—a "game over" screen if caught outside. Now, it felt real. He stepped to the one-way window and looked up.
The sky was a stunning deep blue, the sun—a brilliant white orb—sinking toward the horizon. There were no moons in daylight; the sky was a surreal, flawless blue.
He observed as his analytical mind grappled with the physics of it all. The sun didn't gradually dip below the horizon; it disappeared instantaneously, as if switched off.
The blue sky didn't transition to orange or purple; it was devoured. A wave of utter darkness swept across the horizon with incredible speed. It wasn't a cloud; it was nothingness—light itself being extinguished.
In an instant, the outside world vanished. The bright red emergency lights in the corridor now appeared as flickering embers in an ocean of black.
His phone, finally drained of battery, went dark.
The silence that followed was the most terrifying experience he had ever faced. It wasn't just quiet; it was a heavy, oppressive void of sound. The wind stopped, and the echoes of the ruins faded. It was as if the world was holding its breath.
He found himself alone in the dark with a sleeping Lumenkin and a dying emergency light. The tutorial had ended. The game had started.