The clock in Shonte's dorm room struck midnight. The air grew perfectly still. A familiar, soothing warmth bloomed in the dead center of his chest.
["It's time,"] Luxor's melodic voice whispered directly into his mind.
Shonte stood up, walking out into the massive marble common hall of the building. The other eleven students were already there, emerging from their respective rooms. They had dropped their school uniforms for comfortable clothes, their expressions filled with anticipation and excitement. Stef was leaning against a velvet couch, checking the local server on his phone, while Farah and Damian discussed the literary logic of what was about to happen.
"Welcome back, my scholars," Luxor announced as he appeared. "You have survived your first day under mortal scrutiny. Now, it is time to prepare for the grander stage."
Luxor waved his dark-gloved hand through the air. In an instant, a massive glass showcase materialized from the marble floor in the dead center of the hall. Inside the glass hung hundreds of weapons.
"Step forward, one by one," Luxor instructed gently, his voice fatherly and proud. "Choose the weapon that calls to your soul. Do not worry about carrying these heavy armaments into the mortal world. The moment you claim your weapon, its form will adapt to your daily life, transforming into an accessory you can wear anywhere."
Elena stepped up first, her eyes filled with determination. She reached her hand out toward a beautiful, elegant golden rapier. But just as her fingers were about the brush the glass, Luxor waved his hand.
Whoosh.
The entire showcase vanished into thin air, leaving Elena grasping at nothing. The twelve students froze, completely bewildered.
"What's the meaning of this?" Elena demanded, spinning around to glare at their teacher.
Luxor looked at her. His head tilted slightly. Then a remarkably calm, innocent smile stretched across his face.
"Isn't this what you humans call... joking around?" Luxor asked, his voice dripping with a dry, grandfatherly amusement.
"Joking?!" Tyler exploded, throwing his hands in the air. "Are you kidding me? Are you playing a prank on us? My father's lawyers-"
"Your father's lawyers have no jurisdiction over the celestial armory, Mr. York," Luxor interrupted gently, his tone shifting back to absolute seriousness. He stepped out from behind the desk, his hands folded neatly behind his back. "The weapons of the council are not participation trophies. You do not simply choose them. You must earn them. You must prove you are worthy, or wait until the weapon chooses you based on your actions."
The room fell quiet. The reality of the looming three-week deadline settled heavily over them.
"The grand tournament is approaching rapidly," Luxor continued, his sweeping gaze locking onto each of them. "You cannot enter the battlefield empty-handed, but you cannot hold power you are not ready to command. Therefore, your first trial begins tonight. I have a task for each of you."
He paused, looking directly at the group. "Go back to your dorm rooms. Select your favorite books from the shelves. Bring it back here. We are going to test your survival instincts."
"Bold of you to assume I even read." Tyler scoffed.
Ten minutes later, the group reassembled in the grand marble hall. Each student held a text tightly in their hands.
Elena held a dense, complex historical biography of ancient military strategists. Tyler held a leather-bound book on political power and law. The Park twins carried a tattered, dark volume on esoteric folklore. Adrian stood confidently near the center, tapping his fingers against the cover of a classic fantasy adventure novel. Malik carelessly held a thick biography of a legendary heavyweight champion, while Stef tapped his fingers against a massive textbook on advanced quantum coding.
Shonte stood near the back, holding a small, weathered book of poetry and old legends—the only thing he had managed to keep hidden from his siblings over the years.
Luxor nodded approvingly. "Excellent choices. Now, let us begin."
The cosmic guide walked directly up to Shonte. He placed his palm over the center of Shonte's chest. Instantly, the golden seal etched under Shonte's skin flared with a blinding brilliance.
Shonte gasped, his knees buckling slightly as he felt something in his soul physically unraveling. The pages inside his ribcage turned rapidly, and a white-hot golden energy tore outward from his chest, expanding into a massive, swirling dimensional vortex right in the middle of the common room.
"Aiden— pardon me, Adrian," Luxor corrected himself seamlessly, looking at the literature captain. "Step into the center and hold your book high."
Adrian stepped right to the edge of the portal, raising his novel into the air. The moment the golden light touched the cover of Adrian's book, the vortex violently shifted, the colors transforming into the exact imagery of the fantasy world described in the pages.
"Listen carefully," Luxor's voice echoed over the roaring wind of the portal. "You will be pulled into the world of this text. Your objective is simple: Survive, find the core narrative objective, and prove your worth. I will not be guiding you through the first encounter."
"Wait, what?!" Farah shouted. "You're leaving us?"
"I have business with the principal regarding your academic schedules," Luxor said with a reassuring smile. "I must leave you alone to fend for yourselves. Do not worry. I will be back soon. Try not to die."
Before anyone could argue, a massive, magnetic pull erupted from the portal. A torrent of golden and white light enveloped all twelve students, dragging them forward. Shonte felt himself being pulled directly into his own vortex, his vision blurring into pure light as the dormitory vanished behind them.
***
THUD
Shonte hit the ground hard, rolling onto a bed of thick, damp moss. He groaned, shaking his head as he pushed himself up. The sterile marble of the Haven was gone. They were standing in the middle of a massive forest. Towering trees stretched hundreds of feet into the sky, their leaves a deep, shimmering iridescent blue rather than green. The air smelled of ozone, pine, and imminent danger.
"Where the hell are we?!" Tyler shrieked, scrambling to his feet and frantically wiping dirt off his expensive designer jeans. "My watch doesn't work! There's no signal!"
"We're inside the book," Adrian said, standing up perfectly calmly and brushing off his cardigan. He looked around the mystical forest, his eyes bright with absolute fascination. "Specifically, Chapter One of The Chrono- Blade Chronicles. I'd recognize these blue-leafed trees anywhere. We're in the Whispering Wilds."
"Wow....then use your knowledge to get us out of here," Mia said, puking behind a tree.
"Oh, great. The nerd is our tour guide," Malik muttered, though he immediately stepped in front of Adrian, his frame shifting into a protective stance as a low, terrifying growl echoed from the dense shadows of the trees.
Elena scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide. "How are we supposed to defend ourselves?"
"We use our brains," Damian said, pulling Farah up beside him. "Adrian, what lives in these woods?"
Before Adrian could answer, the bushes violently burst open. Three massive, wolf-like creatures leaped into the clearing. But these weren't normal wolves— their fur was made of jagged, razor-sharp obsidian shards and their eyes glowed with a predatory red light. When they snarled, their metallic teeth glistening.
"Ah," Adrian said, his smile narrowing into a sharp, tactical look. "Those would be the Obsidian Stalkers, and according to the lore...they hunt in packs."
The wolves surrounded them, cutting off any escape. Left entirely alone by Luxor. The twelve students formed a tight circle, their backs pressed against each other as the first trial of survival officially began.
"Adrian!" Elena shouted, her composure completely shattering as a stalker stepped over a fallen log, its metallic teeth glistening with dark saliva. "You said you know this book! How do we kill them?"