THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
The rhythm of the horse's gallop echoed against the stone road, each strike vibrating through my bones.
"It's a pleasant sound, isn't it?" the man driving the carriage said lightly. "Don't you think so, Layla?"
"…"
"Still upset with me?"
A sigh. "How long are you going to drag this out?"
He chuckled awkwardly. "Alright, alright. We're here anyway."
The carriage slowed, wheels scraping softly against the street as he tied the reins to a post. The faint jingle of harness bells lingered in the air.
I stepped down.
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh, no worries. We were headed this way and figured we'd help you out."
I nodded and watched the couple ride off before turning toward the academy gates.
I don't know if there are other candidates here…
But that woman.
There had been something wrong about her.
A quiet dread settled in my stomach.
I swallowed.
It's nothing.
I'm overthinking.
Still—
I had finally succeeded.
After weeks of practice, I had awakened my channeling.
Maybe… maybe the system had something to do with it.
My body stiffened.
"What—?"
You will be transmigrated shortly to the competition.
"Competition?"
Transmigration will occur in thirty minutes.
A trial between candidates.
The words hit harder than any blade. My chest tightened, each breath rasping against my ribs.
"No…"
My knees buckled. I crouched, fingers digging into my hair.
"No—no, no, no, no, no…"
"There has to be another way, right?"
Silence.
"Right?"
"Hey, kid. Are you good?"
I flinched.
A middle-aged man stood outside a café, concern written across his face. The faint aroma of baking bread drifted from the open door.
"I—" My throat felt dry.
"Could I get some water?"
"Sure thing. The café's right down the street. Drinks are on me."
"…Thank you."
---
Inside the café, the smell of roasted beans filled the air, rich and bitter against my tongue.
I sat at a corner table, palms pressed against my face.
I need to get out of this. But how?
The answer was obvious.
I couldn't.
"I don't want to die again…" I whispered.
Thirty minutes.
Maybe I could buy potions. Defensive charms. Anything.
I stood abruptly—
Potions are strictly prohibited.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Of course.
The system didn't believe in fairness...
I sank back into my seat, the faint hiss of the espresso machine echoing like a reminder.
"…Great."
Prepare for transmigration.
I took a slow breath.
When I blinked—
The world shifted. Stone rose around me in towering arcs. Sand crunched beneath my boots. The wind carried a dry, gritty scent.
Open sky above.
A colosseum.
"…Familiar," I exhaled.
The arena stretched endlessly, ringed by towering walls.
Scattered across the sand were groups of people—some whispering, some laughing, and some standing alone.
The distant clatter of armor and murmurs of the crowd echoed faintly, like a pulse.
"Candidates…?"
I scanned the crowd.
And then I saw her.
The same woman as before.
"Impossible," I whispered.
As if sensing it, she turned—
Our eyes met.
Then she smiled.
Cold.
My stomach tightened.
This is not good.
All candidates are required to remain friendly for at least ten minutes before the commencement of the competition.
"Friendly…?"
A scream cut through the arena.
"AGHH!"
"You little piece of shit—who do you think you are?!" a man roared.
I turned—
He was stomping on a child.
I ran toward the growing crowd—
And stepped into something warm.
Blood soaked into the sand, seeping through the soles of my boots.
"Damn it, Carlos. Spare the lad," a young man sighed.
He crouched beside the child and placed a hand over his chest.
A soft glow.
The broken body mended instantly.
Skin sealed. Bones realigned. Breathing steadied.
As if nothing had happened.
My fists trembled.
"Didn't that boy just—"
"Just forget it," I muttered to myself.
The man—Carlos—rolled his shoulders lazily, cracking his neck as if he'd just finished stretching.
I looked around.
Some watched with amusement.
Ruthless.
All of them.
I could feel it.
The fear beneath the cruelty. The desperation beneath the arrogance.
They're all scared.
They're just hiding it better.
I clenched my jaw.
The Trial Begins.
You may kill, judge, or do as you wish with one another.
No restrictions apply.
"Oh God…"
----
Day One
The trial had begun.
I stayed hidden behind the cracked stone walls of the colosseum.
This would last three days. Three days of slaughter.
And I had a task.
Judge five candidates.
At first, I thought the Trial and my mission were the same.
They weren't.
Every candidate has a different objective.
I overheard one laughing—he had to slit the throats of five others.
I swallowed, the metallic tang of fear sharp on my tongue.
"Wasn't this about sending people to Heaven or Hell…?" Guess not.
I sneaked past three candidates.
They never saw me coming. A hand on the forehead.
Judgment.
Both went to Heaven. But the memories—God, they were burning my brain.
Flashes hit whenever I blinked. They just don't fade...
"Enough…" I pressed my fingers against my temple.
I needed food, or I'd start thinking about things I didn't want to.
Cannibalism? Probably wouldn't surprise me here.
I stepped forward—and froze.
Carlos.
He was ahead, watching. Cold smile.
"What the hell—" I turned. He was behind me. My stomach dropped.
I poured fire magic into my dagger and lunged.
For a second, I thought I was faster.
CRACK
Pain exploded through my arm, white-hot.
"AHHH—!" He broke my left arm like it was nothing.
Before I could react, he grabbed my throat and slammed me into the wall.
My feet left the ground.
He leaned close.
"Do you know how long it takes..." He paused.
"...for someone to stop screaming?"
My vision blurred.
"I stopped counting after the third."
My hands clawed at his wrist. He didn't flinch.
"Do you know how it feels… committing atrocities?
"…thinking they meant something?
"…like someone up there actually cared? "
"They don't."
"I hated myself so much… I stopped feeling anything at all."
His thumb pressed against my pulse.
"Nothing."
"Except when there was blood on my hands."
"That was the only warmth I ever knew."
His eyes drifted to the fragment in my grasp.
"And with that fragment… I'll end your life."
Black crept into the edges of my vision.
"Go on," he whispered.
"Judge me. Tell me where I stand."
For a moment, his eyes weren't furious.
They were empty.
"Here's a secret," he leaned closer.
"The gods don't care about any of us."
So keep that to your grave."
Suddenly, a voice rang.
Fragment Awakening Starting in—
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