"Welcome to Divers Academy. My name is Albrecht Rowan."
The old man's voice spread across the massive underground hall without needing to be loud.
"I am the principal of Divers Academy and the one responsible for making you all Divers."
He stood under the artificial sun built into the ceiling. Its white light reflected off his bald head. His long white beard rested on his chest. He looked old enough to have seen the surface before it became what it is now.
Hundreds of children stood in front of him.
Some looked excited. Some were nervous. Others were confused.
No one spoke.
Among them was Cynder.
Unlike the others, Cynder wasn't from this world.
To him, this world had only existed for nearly a month.
A month since he woke up here.
From what he had learned during that month, around five hundred years ago something called the Radiance had covered the entire world. It brought radiation strong enough to change the land itself. Nearly seventy percent of humanity died during that time.
The rest were forced underground.
The surface became a place where plants and animals mutated into things that could no longer be called normal. Cities were swallowed. Maps stopped making sense. The world expanded, twisted, and became hostile to anything human.
Those who survived built cities beneath the earth.
And those who gained abilities and could still walk the surface were given a name.
Divers.
Cynder looked at the children around him again.
They had grown up with these facts.
For him, they were just things he had memorized.
Facts he hadn't lived through.
Principal Albrecht continued speaking at the front, his expression unchanged.
"This academy exists to teach you how to survive," he said. "Not just the surface, but what comes with it."
Cynder listened quietly.
principal Rowan paused what he was saying, then he raised one hand.
The movement was slow, but the response was immediate.
From the side of the hall, a guard stepped forward. The man wore reinforced armor marked with old scratches and faded insignias. In his hands was a sealed metal container.
He walked to the front and stopped beside the principal.
Principal Rowan took the container and set it down in front of him. With a simple twist, he opened it.
A faint glow spilled out.
Inside were several crystal shards. They were uneven in shape, glowing with a dull, unstable light that made the air around them feel heavy.
"This is a Radiance Crystal." Pricipal Rowan said.
The children's attention sharpened instantly.
"This crystal is the reason you are all here today," he continued. "It is also the reason most of you will never forget this day."
He closed the container for a moment, then looked back at the crowd.
"To become a Diver, you must consume one."
A ripple went through the hall.
Some children stiffened. Others leaned forward without realizing it. A few took small steps back.
"The crystal will either awaken something within you," Principal Rowan said, his voice steady, "or it will kill you."
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't soften it either.
"This academy does not lie to you," he continued. "There are no guarantees. No second chances."
He placed one hand on the container.
"Today, you are here to become Divers."
His eyes swept across the hall, passing over face after face, before stopping briefly—almost imperceptibly—on Cynder.
"I hope," Albrecht Rowan said, "that none of you die."
The hall was silent.
No one moved.
Cynder stared at the container.
At the faint glow leaking through its seams.
This was it.
There would be no test. No training beforehand. No time to prepare.
Just a choice made by swallowing something that should never have existed.
Cynder felt his throat tighten.
Not from fear.
But from the weight of how simple it all was.
Eat the crystal.
Live Or don't.
Principal Rowan closed the container and stepped back.
"We will proceed one by one," he said. "When your name is called, step forward. Consume the crystal. Do not hesitate."
A guard moved to the side and opened a smaller case. Inside were individual crystal shards, each sealed in a thin capsule.
"Elias Trent."
A boy near the front flinched. He swallowed, then stepped out of line. He looked around eighteen. His hands were shaking when the guard handed him the capsule.
Elias stared at it for a few seconds.
Then he put it in his mouth and swallowed.
Nothing happened at first.
Seconds passed.
Then Elias gasped and dropped to one knee, clutching his head.
Several children recoiled.
His breathing turned uneven. Sweat poured down his face. His eyes went wide, unfocused.
Then he froze.
After a long moment, he looked up slowly.
"I—" Elias said, then stopped. "I can see something."
Principal Rowan stepped forward. "Describe it."
"It's… transparent," Elias said. "Like words. Floating."
"That is called a window," Principal Rowan said. "You will learn about it soon."
Elias nodded, still dazed.
"What is the Core Authority you awakened?" Principal Rowan asked.
Elias closed his eyes. His brow furrowed.
"Steel," he said after a moment. "I think… it's Steel."
Principal Rowan nodded. "Step aside."
Elias was guided away, still breathing hard, but alive.
"Marin Holt."
A girl stepped forward. She was seventeen, short, with her jaw set tight. She didn't hesitate. She swallowed the crystal immediately.
She screamed.
It lasted less than five seconds.
Her body convulsed once, then went still.
The light in her eyes faded.
No one spoke.
Two guards moved in and covered her body with a dark sheet before carrying her away.
"Jonah Reed."
A tall boy walked forward, face pale. He hesitated, then swallowed.
His veins darkened visibly beneath his skin. He collapsed, gasping for air, clawing at his throat.
He didn't last a minute.
Another body was taken away.
The line felt thinner now.
"Lena Varis."
An eighteen-year-old girl stepped forward. Her hands were steady. She swallowed.
Her body trembled, but she stayed standing.
"I can hear something," she said through clenched teeth. "Like… echoes."
"A window has opened," Principal Rowan said. "Core Authority?"
"Vibrations." Lena said.
"Good," Principal Rowan said. "Step aside."
She did, barely holding herself together.
"Kai Moren."
A boy with messy hair stepped up, trying to look calm. He swallowed.
At first, nothing happened.
Then his nose started bleeding.
He laughed once, confused.
And then he dropped.
Dead before he hit the floor.
The hall was completely silent now.
No whispers. No movement.
Only breathing.
Principal Rowan looked at the remaining children.
"Remember this," he said. "Survival is not fairness."
He gestured again.
The guard checked the list.
"Cynder."
The name echoed through the hall.
Cynder felt the eyes of the others shift toward him.
He stepped forward.