'No class.'
Noctis repeated those words in his mind, over and over, as if they belonged to an alien language he still couldn't fully understand. He stepped away from the awakening crystal and returned to the line with mechanical steps, simply waiting for the Awakening Ceremony to end once and for all.
He felt some eyes fixed on his back. He didn't need to see them to know. They were heavy, uncomfortable... and none of them conveyed anything good.
'This has to be a joke... right?'
For a moment, Noctis thought it would have been better not to wake up at all. To live like a normal person. To have a regular job. To meet someone normal. To grow old normally and, eventually, die just as usual.
His chest tightened slightly at that thought.
But fate had decided to be bitch to him.
...Without a class, it wasn't a powerful rarity or a special condition that allowed you to grow faster or master multiple professions. Noctis knew this all too well. In the Abyss, not having a class wasn't a disadvantage... it was a sentence.
Not having class meant not having skills.
It was like entering a battlefield with a kitchen knife, while everyone else was wielding an AK-47.
Had he not awakened, Noctis wouldn't have had to worry about being dragged into the Trial of the Abyss. But once awake, there was no escape: he would be sent to undergo that cursed trial.
Around him, the ceremony continued. Between successes and failures, with destinies being decided by a damn shining crystal.
…
Walking down the hallway, Noctis heard only murmurs; it seemed as if his mind was elsewhere, until he saw a hand blocking his path.
"Noctis, do we need to talk?"
Noctis looked at the young woman standing before him. Black hair, navy blue eyes, and a chiseled face that caught the attention of hot-blooded young men.
"I heard you woke up... but you have no class. I woke up with a great Ice Mage class, so I'm going to cut ties with you; I don't want to be around someone as pathetic as you, with no class."
Noctis frowned.
What was that woman talking about? Ice Mage? Breaking ties with him? Right now, the last thing he wanted was to deal with this situation; he was about to be thrown into a damn trial without further ado.
...Then it dawned on him.
Did she have any connection to the original Noctis?
Well, in the end, it didn't matter to him. After all, he wasn't that Noctis.
"Fine, let's cut ties. Do whatever you want."
He could see how the young woman tensed up when she heard his words; it was clear she hadn't expected them.
"What? Are you just going to let me go like that? Jack will be in my group, the one I'm going to form. Do you know he's part of an important clan? He's been courting me all this time."
Noctis brought his hand to his forehead, annoyed.
He wasn't in the mood to put up with this crap right now, with so much on his mind.
"Isn't that what you wanted? I broke up with you like you wanted. Now get lost. I have to figure out a damn way not to die in this damn test."
He didn't wait for the young woman to say anything else and continued on his way....
...
Back at his apartment, Noctis stared at the clock hanging on the wall. He was too overwhelmed to feel calm.
How could he not be? He had awakened, yes, but he had no classes. Frustration weighed heavily on his chest. To make matters worse, he would be sent to the Abyss trial.
The Abyss trial.
A filter for the newly awakened. A place where only the capable survived long enough to earn the right to enter the true Abyss: a magical world in ruins.
According to the fragmented memories of the original Noctis, those trials weren't usually so deadly. With a class came an initial skill. Something to survive. Something to fight.
But he had no class.
He had awakened... and yet, the trial had a different purpose for him.
Certain death.
Noctis threw himself onto the bed, waiting for midnight to come and for them to send him to the test.
What was that? Some spell?
He tried to laugh at his own bad joke, but in the end, he fell silent.
Noctis couldn't sit still; he picked up his phone and stared at it. It was 9:47 p.m. The summons would take place at midnight. Two hours and thirteen minutes.
He sat up and looked around at what had become his new reality. The three-screen gaming PC he used to play games and do college work was gone; in its place was a small desk and an old notebook.
But it wasn't all bad news. The room was spacious, though almost empty, save for a small wardrobe and a mirror. There was also a window, through which the pale rays of the moon filtered in.
Noctis approached it and gazed out at the city. The lights stretched to the horizon; thousands of people were living their lives.
He closed the blinds.
He closed his eyes.
…
[You will be summoned to the Abyss Trial. Prepare yourselves.]
Noctis opened his eyes when that vaguely familiar voice echoed—the time had come to be sent to that hell.
But fortunately, he would not be the only one thrown into the trial; everyone else who woke up with him would also be summoned.
"The moment has finally arrived..."
He stared at the ceiling, his mind in turmoil at what he was about to experience.
Then he felt his eyelids grow heavy, as if an invisible force were pushing them down. The light around him began to fade slowly, not suddenly, but like an image blurring until it lost its shape.
It wasn't a painful sensation. Nor was it particularly unpleasant. Just... strange.
Noctis felt his body begin to crumble, though not physically or tangibly. There was no immediate pain or fear, just a gradual disconnection. The colors around him blended, melting into unrecognizable shades, while shapes lost their definition.
Sound was the next thing to disappear. Voices, footsteps, even the beating of his own heart became distant.
His senses stopped responding one after another.
Up and down ceased to have meaning. Time seemed to stretch and break at the same time. Everything around him became chaotic, incomprehensible... and silent.
Then, everything went dark.
And the vaguely familiar voice echoed once more:
[Awakened! Welcome to the Trial of the Abyss. Prepare for your trial...]