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The artificial sunrise lit the edges of Riley's room in soft blue. Another day in the dome. Another chance to see what they were really up against.
Riley's eyes opened to the soft chime of the PA system echoing through the sterile walls. The female voice from the night before returned, calm yet clinical.
"Attention all Vectors. Report to Training Hall Gamma by 07:30. Attendance is mandatory."
Riley sat up slowly, the weight of exhaustion settling over him. His mind lingered on the fragments of conversation he and Jade had overheard. Last selections… They aren't prepared. The words echoed, gnawing at the edges of his thoughts.
Jade's door slid open, the slim recruit stepping out into the corridor. His grey eyes were sharp, flicking toward Riley's room as if already knowing he'd be awake.
"Morning," Jade muttered.
"Morning," Riley nodded back, brushing off the tension tightening his chest. There wasn't time for fear—not yet.
They dressed in silence, slipping into their sleek night-black uniforms. The neon aqua lines tracing the fabric pulsed faintly with energy, like veins beneath synthetic skin. Riley caught his reflection in the mirror—his face hard, focused. He didn't know what today would bring, but the knots in his stomach warned him it wouldn't be easy.
The corridors were quieter than the day before. The initial buzz of curiosity had faded, leaving behind something heavier—uncertainty. Vectors filed toward the hall in small clusters.
Riley caught sight of Kai sitting alone near the far wall, head bowed, arms loosely wrapped around his knees.
"You good, man?" Riley asked, offering a faint smile. "Come walk with us."
He didn't look up. "It's fine. I'll head in later."
He stood and moved toward a stairwell leading to the upper level—silent, eyes low.
Riley took a step after him, instinct tugging at him. But Jade stopped him with a glance and a small shake of the head.
"We'll be late," Jade said. "We can talk to him after."
Riley hesitated, watching him disappear up the stairs.
Something about it didn't sit right.
But for now, he let it go.
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Training Hall Gamma was colder this time. Rows of recruits stood facing the looming projector screen, tension hanging thick in the air. A faint static crackled as the screen flickered to life. A man's face appeared, weathered, severe, with piercing dark eyes set beneath a crown of silver hair.
"Vectors," the man began, his voice low and measured. "I am Professor Nyros. You have been selected for Project Echelon—but until now, you have not been told the full extent of what this project entails."
A murmur rippled through the room. Riley's gaze sharpened. Jade shifted slightly beside him, arms crossed.
Nyros' gaze swept across the crowd, the projection making it feel as though his eyes bore into each of them individually.
"Twenty-two years ago, an anomalous event occurred in a remote reigon known as Ilastra. The event... was never made public. What transpired there remains one of the greatest classified incidents in human history."
A faint schematic flickered onto the screen—an aerial map of a barren region, scarred with unnatural fractures. Red data points clustered around a central point, pulsating like infected wounds.
"We refer to this anomaly only as Crimson Day."
The name hung heavy in the air. Riley's heart thudded in his chest.
"The cause of the event is still... undetermined. What we know is that an inexplicable phenomenon reshaped the very environment—warping both organic and synthetic matter. Those who resided Ilastra were never found."
Eyes darted between the screens and the Tenzashi administrators lining the walls like silent sentinels.
The hall was silent.
Crimson Day.
Riley felt a cold twist in his chest. There was something about the way they said it—like it was sacred. Or forbidden.
Across the room, a silver haired girl with a sharp gaze and arms folded across her chest stood perfectly still, except for one foot, tapping twice, hard. She looked calm. Too calm.
Jade, beside him, let out a soft whistle. "They sure know how to drop a name," he muttered, though his fingers twitched at his sleeves.
Toward the back, a raven-haired girl didn't even blink. Her head tilted slightly. That detail stuck with Riley. She heard something in that name.
And near the far wall, Riley noticed the boy from before— short with dark hair, hands in pockets—watched the administrators, not the screen. Like he was studying them instead of the message.
"Your training," Nyros continued, "is to prepare you for simulations modeled after the conditions of Crimson Day. Every scenario, every exercise, is designed to replicate the unpredictable, hostile environment, found in research, that consumed Ilastra. The data you generate will be used to prevent another outbreak."
Riley's fingers curled into fists at his sides. The explanation felt... off. They have to be up to something. A sharp voice broke the silence.
"If this is real, why haven't we heard about it?"
All heads turned. The girl who spoke stood near the front wall — the same sharp-featured, raven-haired girl , with a calm intensity behind her eyes. Leilani Kim.
Nyros' gaze flicked toward her.
"This information is highly classified," he said smoothly. "To release such knowledge to the public would cause mass hysteria. Control... must be prioritised."
Riley watched her carefully. She didn't flinch, her gaze, constant. Smart.
Jade leaned in close, murmuring just loud enough for Riley to hear. "Guess we're the guinea pigs."
Riley didn't reply.
The briefing continued, outlining the next phase of the screening—team-based exercises designed to test leadership, strategy, and psychological endurance. They would be divided into randomized squads. Survival would depend not only on strength—but trust.
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The next trial was a series of environmental puzzles—barriers that required combined effort to overcome. Riley's squad consisted of Jade, Leilani, and one familiar face: Kai Turner, the short, small boy with brown curls and Luna Reyes, quiet and watchful, her dark eyes missing nothing.
They stood before a sealed chamber, the walls lined with mechanical panels.
"We're supposed to decode the locks," Leilani muttered, crouching low to examine the controls. Her fingers danced across the interface.
Riley hung back, observing. Jade paced, glancing between the others, sizing them up.
"They're not just testing our teamwork," Luna said under her breath. "They're watching who takes charge."
Riley's eyes flicked toward the far wall—sure enough, a small surveillance drone hovered in the shadows, its lens glinting.
They were always being watched.
"I'm not sure which sequence to input," Kai muttered, voice tight.
Leilani didn't snap—just pointed. "Top left. Trust me."
He hesitated. Then obeyed. The lock clicked.
Riley raised a brow. Not just about speed. About trust.
With Leilani's guidance, the squad cracked the locks one by one, the chamber slowly opening. By the time the final barrier fell, sweat clung to everyone's brows.
Kim wiped her forehead, flashing a lopsided grin. "One down."
Luna didn't smile. "They're still watching, don't slow down"
Riley glanced toward the cameras again. She's right.
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By nightfall, the recruits were allowed a brief reprieve. Riley sat on the edge of his cot, mind circling everything he'd seen. The Crimson Day. The hints of something buried deeper beneath the surface.
Jade leaned against the wall across from him, arms folded.
"So... what's your theory?" he asked quietly.
Riley's eyes narrowed. He wasn't ready to trust anyone fully—not yet.
"They aren't showing us the full picture. Just what they want us to see.."
Jade smirked faintly. "And what aren't they showing us?"
"The last selections."
Jade's smirk faded.
A chill settled between them. Neither of them said what they were both thinking.
Riley could still hear the words: Crimson Day. Like a siren buried in his memory, waiting to be triggered.
The silence between them stretched.
Eventually, Jade pushed off the wall with a sigh. "Try to get some sleep. Who knows what they'll throw at us tomorrow."
"You too, man." The door slid shut behind Jade with a muted hiss, leaving him alone.
He lay back on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling's cold glow. The hum of the dome systems droned faintly, but it didn't soothe him.
Somewhere out there—beyond the metal walls, beyond the whispered briefings—something was stirring.
Project Echelon.
What is it?
Sleep came slowly. And when it finally did, it was shallow.