The world twisted.
Dark gold light swallowed their bodies, and the arena vanished, replaced by ripping currents of spatial force that distorted their senses. Some felt cold. Others felt heat burning their skin. A few felt their lungs tightening as if the world itself was refusing to accept them.
Then the light scattered.
A boy with storm-grey eyes crashed into a barren rocky plain. Jagged cliffs pierced the sky like the ribs of an ancient monster. Aerith gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up, dust sliding down his clothes. His pupils shimmered with cold sharpness, and his hands instinctively curled into fists.
He clicked his tongue and scanned his surroundings. No trees. No water. Not even a blade of grass. Just stones and cracked earth stretching endlessly. The silence here was suffocating, broken only by the faint whistle of hot winds scraping across the rocks.
"So this is what they call a trial. Hmph! Bring whatever you want. I will crush it."
A low screech echoed from above. A massive shadow drifted across the sky. Something large and predatory circled once, sensing fresh prey. Aerith smirked, muscles tensing beneath his skin. His trial had begun.
Meanwhile, a silver-haired elf fell into a completely different world. Sel landed softly on a bed of thick grass dyed in radiant golden light. The air was cool and refreshing, filled with floating pollen-like motes that shimmered as they drifted. Tall trees with crystalline leaves glittered like gemstones, casting dancing specks of color across the ground.
His expression remained composed, but his heart sighed in relief. A favorable location. A calm forest. A place rich with vitality. He knelt and touched the grass, feeling faint traces of energy gently supporting his tired muscles. Good for resting. Good for observation.
Sel stood and brushed loose leaves from his clothes.
'Bahamut… I hope you are alive and well.'
He took a cautious step forward. That peace was deceiving. A faint growl echoed from deeper within the glowing trees. His body tensed immediately. This trial would not be merciful.
Across the survival grounds, a beastkin girl with russet fur plunged into a murky lakeside marsh. Lily emerged coughing and spitting out muddy water, soaked from head to toe. Her tail thrashed irritably while buzzing insects instantly swarmed around her. Slimy vines wrapped around her legs like clinging serpents.
Disgust carved her expression.
"Why does my trial have to be wet and filthy? This is just mean!"
But her ears twitched. Predatory instincts awakened. The waters rippled in the distance, a long wake cutting over the surface.
Lily dropped low, claws extending, fangs bared in excitement.
'Come then. I can tear anything apart if it leads me closer to my future husband...' It seems our young fox beastkin girl had fallen in love. But who was this future husband?
Elsewhere, the wolfkin twins tumbled into a tundra blanketed by blinding white snow. The freezing wind sliced at their faces like sharpened blades. Yoka stood first, breaths spilling out like steam as he scanned the vast emptiness ahead. Yuka hugged himself and trembled violently.
Why is it so cold? I hate this place. Bahamut fought a golden sun eagle. Why do we get tossed into his leftover nightmare?
Yoka rolled his eyes and flicked his brother on the forehead.
"Focus. We survive, or we die. Nothing else matters."
Yuka pouted, rubbing his forehead, but nodded firmly. Their unity had always been their weapon. On this wasteland, cooperation meant life.
Far from ice, scorching heat struck down like a hammer. Rex stood in a desert, suffocating under the burning sun. Sweat poured down his face instantly. Dunes stretched endlessly in all directions, shifting under the blistering wind.
Hot. Uncomfortable. Annoying.
The ground trembled suddenly. Sand burst upward as a large beast lunged out, mandibles clacking aggressively.
Rex exhaled once and cracked his knuckles, stone-faced.
"Perfect! Something to break!"
In a rainforest thick with towering fungi and roots thicker than houses, Aria landed face-first in a spongy moss bed. She lay sprawled there, unmoving.
"Why. Why can't teleportation magic be gentle? Just once."
She peeled herself up lazily, dirt smearing her cheeks. A colorful bird perched nearby chirped curiously at her. She blinked slowly.
"Unless you have fruit, please disappear. I am exhausted and hungry."
The bird chirped again. The earth shook violently beneath her. Aria's eyes widened as something colossal approached, its movements thundering through the trees.
"No. Absolutely not. Goodbye!"
She spun on her heel and sprinted for her life.
Gabi arrived within a dim fog-filled forest where visibility barely reached beyond his fingertips. Heavy moisture clung to the air. The sound of dripping water echoed from somewhere unseen. He clutched his wounded shoulder nervously. The quiet pressed in from all sides.
"H-hello…?"
Silence. Wrong. The silence was too perfect, too heavy.
He thought of Bahamut's blind determination. His fearless composure in battle.
If he can push forward without sight… I can push forward despite fear. I must.
A low hiss slipped through the fog.
"Right? I can… right?"
Gabi swallowed loudly and forced himself not to run blindly.
In ancient stone ruins cracked with age, the girl with heavy makeup landed with a shrill gasp. The dusty ground stained her perfect shoes. Her face twisted in horror.
"Dust. Why dust. My outfit is priceless!"
Her voice echoed loudly between the worn walls. Something responded with shifting stone. A massive claw slid down from the shadows above, scraping across broken pillars.
She looked up. Her scream shook the birds from their nests.
Far away in a flowery canyon filled with fluttering butterflies, the boy with a headband who idolized Bahamut landed gently. His eyes sparkled with hope. Colorful blossoms surrounded him in a tranquil paradise.
This place is… beautiful. Maybe I can survive this.
The flowers snapped open. Rows of hidden teeth gleamed from their petals as they lunged.
He shrieked as he bolted away.
...
And Aerith, once more, stood beneath circling wings. The predatory creature swooped down with terrifying speed, talons aimed for his throat. Aerith braced himself, leaning forward into a ready stance. His blood boiled in anticipation. This was real combat. Real danger. Real proof.
His lip curled into a dangerous grin.
Try me.
The Trial of Survival had begun.
Every participant now stood at the edge of life and death.
And Bahamut? He still slept soundly, unaware that the world outside was waiting for the moment those blind eyes finally opened.
Because when they did… everything would change.