Training Bay 7 was not what Arin expected.
After days of structured classes and controlled environments, he thought this would be another clean training space.
It wasn't.
The chamber was massive, carved directly into the shard itself. The walls rose high above, uneven and rough, mixed with veins of purple crystal that glowed faintly. Some sections were smooth, others jagged.
The floor was polished black stone, reflective enough to mirror movement.
It didn't feel like a classroom.
It felt like a battlefield.
Arin arrived early.
Two minutes before the assigned time.
Old habit.
He wasn't the first.
Ren stood near the center of the bay.
Still.
Silent.
Watching nothing and everything at the same time.
Their eyes met.
A small nod.
Nothing more.
Arin took a position a few meters away.
Not close.
Not distant.
They waited in silence.
The door opened suddenly.
Energy filled the room before the person even stepped inside.
"Good morning!"
Hana walked in like she owned the space.
Bright eyes.
Short black hair.
Constant movement.
She looked at Ren.
Then at Arin.
Then back at Ren.
"You two are definitely the quiet type," she said.
She pointed at Ren.
"Disciplined quiet."
Then at Arin.
"Suspicious quiet."
Arin said nothing.
She grinned.
"See? That confirms it."
Ren didn't react.
The door opened again.
Heavy footsteps.
Dmitri entered.
Tall.
Massive.
His metal arms caught the light as he moved.
He scanned the room once, then leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
Eyes half closed.
Like he was already bored.
Hana opened her mouth.
Dmitri opened one eye.
Hana closed her mouth.
A few seconds later, the door opened again.
"Sorry, I got lost."
Maya walked in quickly, slightly out of breath.
She spotted Arin and smiled immediately.
"Oh, you're the quiet one from the dining hall."
Arin blinked.
"I waved at you," she added.
"You didn't wave back. That's okay."
Before he could respond, she stepped closer.
"We're probably going to be teammates, so let's get along."
Hana nodded in approval.
Dmitri almost smiled.
At exactly 6:05, the final door opened.
Alexei.
Perfect posture.
Controlled steps.
Everything about him was calculated.
His eyes scanned the room.
Ren.
Dmitri.
Hana.
Maya.
Then Arin.
He paused.
Just for a second.
Recognition.
Then it disappeared.
"If this is the full group," Alexei said calmly, "we should begin planning immediately."
Hana tilted her head.
"We don't even know the task yet."
"We prepare regardless."
No one agreed.
No one disagreed.
The air shifted.
At 6:07, Voss entered.
She didn't raise her voice.
Didn't need to.
Everyone straightened slightly.
"Six of you," she said.
"Six different backgrounds."
A pause.
"I don't care."
Silence.
"You will function as a unit."
Her eyes moved across each of them.
Stopping briefly.
Correcting without words.
Then she looked at Arin.
"And you."
A short pause.
"Stop hiding."
His chest tightened.
Did she know?
No.
Not completely.
But enough to make it dangerous.
She turned away.
"Line up."
They did.
Voss held up a small grey crystal.
"Training fragment," she said.
"Worthless alone."
She crushed it in her hand.
The crystal expanded instantly, forming a wide barrier of shimmering light across the bay.
"On the other side," she continued, "is a combat drone."
A low mechanical sound echoed behind the barrier.
"It will attack anything that moves."
She looked at them.
"You will cross together."
Alexei frowned.
"One person could handle it faster."
"Alone?" Voss asked.
A pause.
"Or you could learn something."
Alexei said nothing.
"You have one hour," she continued.
"It gets faster the longer you wait."
She walked out.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Six people.
One barrier.
One problem.
Hana looked around.
"So… plan?"
Ren's hand rested on his blade.
Dmitri pushed himself off the wall.
Maya stepped closer to Arin without thinking.
Alexei studied the barrier.
Already calculating.
Arin stood still.
Then he felt it.
A small pulse in his chest.
Not power.
Instinct.
Something about this felt wrong.
Not the drone.
Not the task.
The way they were being forced together.
"Together," Arin said quietly.
Five heads turned toward him.
Hana blinked.
"That's… literally what she said."
Arin shook his head slightly.
"No. I mean we actually move together."
He pointed at the barrier.
"If we split, it isolates us."
Ren nodded once.
Dmitri spoke for the first time.
"Then we don't split."
Alexei crossed his arms.
"That slows us down."
"And keeps us alive," Arin replied.
Silence.
Hana smiled slightly.
"I vote we don't die."
Maya nodded quickly.
"Same."
Ren stepped forward.
Decision made.
Alexei didn't argue further.
But his eyes stayed on Arin.
Recalculating.
Arin looked at the barrier.
Then at the five people beside him.
Strangers.
For now.
Teammates.
Whether they wanted to be or not.
He exhaled slowly.
The pressure in his chest steadied.
This was the beginning.
Not of training.
Of something else.
And he had no idea how much of himself he would have to reveal to survive it.