They moved through the hallway carefully, eyes constantly flicking upward.
The creatures still clung to the ceiling.
Still.
Silent.
Watching.
Or maybe… waiting.
No one spoke.
Even Rina held back.
Then—
A door.
At the far end of the hallway.
Massive.
Stone.
"Good."
Rina let out a breath.
"Let's move."
They picked up speed.
Footsteps echoing louder now.
Closer.
Closer—
The door began to close.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
"What the fuck?!"
Rina cursed, pushing forward harder.
Then—
A sound.
A sharp, piercing screech tore through the hallway.
Everyone froze for half a second.
Then looked up.
The creatures—
Were awake.
Hundreds of red eyes opened at once.
All of them—
Locked onto the four below.
Nia's expression dropped.
Carl's body tensed.
"Run."
They didn't hesitate.
The creatures screeched again.
Then dropped.
A swarm.
Rushing down from the ceiling.
Fast.
Too fast.
"The door's closing—we won't make it!"
Chrono didn't panic.
He stopped.
Just for a moment.
Closed his eyes.
Everything slowed.
Not the world—
Just his perception.
That same strange feeling—
That pull—
He reached for it.
And held.
The door—
Shuddered.
Then—
Stopped.
Mid-close.
Frozen.
For a few seconds—
It didn't move.
Chrono's eyes snapped open.
A faint strain crossed his face.
"Move."
His voice was sharp.
Direct.
"We don't have time."
They sprinted.
All four of them.
The swarm was right behind them now.
Screeches filling the entire hallway.
The door stood still—
Waiting.
But not for long.
__
They burst through the doorway just as it slammed shut behind them.
A heavy thud echoed through the chamber.
Silence followed.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then they dropped.
Rina fell to one knee, breathing hard.
"Tch… that was close…"
Nia leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself, her usual composure slipping.
Carl stayed crouched, hand tight around his weapon, eyes still sharp despite the exhaustion.
Rina glanced at Chrono, irritation mixing with curiosity.
"Hey—how the hell did you freeze that door?"
Chrono didn't answer.
Didn't even look at her.
"That doesn't matter right now."
His gaze was already fixed ahead.
"…Look."
—
The sight in front of them made everyone freeze.
They stood inside a massive chamber.
Dimly lit by a few flickering pillars embedded into the walls.
But the light only made it worse.
The floor—
Was covered in blood.
Dark red.
Everywhere.
Scattered remains lay across the chamber.
Torn uniforms.
Broken weapons.
Pieces of bodies.
For a second—
No one processed it.
Then it hit.
Rina's expression twisted.
"…What the—"
Nia turned away immediately, hand over her mouth.
"…gh—"
Carl's grip tightened, his body going stiff.
At the center of the chamber—
On top of a tall stone pillar—
Something moved.
A voidborn.
Larger than the ones from before.
Much larger.
Its body twisted and unnatural, wings folded behind its back. Its limbs were longer, heavier, its presence alone enough to make the air feel suffocating.
It wasn't looking at them.
It was eating.
Slowly.
Casually.
The head of a student hung in its grasp.
A wet crunch echoed through the chamber.
That was enough.
Rina looked away, jaw clenched hard.
Nia couldn't hold it—she bent slightly, trying not to throw up.
Even Carl's expression cracked for a moment.
Chrono's eyes lingered for just a second longer—
Then he looked away too.
Even for him—
It was too much.
A brief silence settled.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Chrono exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts back into place.
"…Remember."
His voice was steady.
Grounded.
"This is a VR trial."
A pause.
"They're out of their pods."
Another breath.
"They didn't actually die."
It didn't make the scene any less disturbing.
But it gave them something to hold onto.
Because otherwise—
This place felt far too real.
Chrono's gaze shifted for a moment—
Then paused.
There was something around his neck.
A key.
Cold against his skin.
He reached up, pulling it into view.
"…A key?"
Behind them—
A door.
Sealed.
No handle.
Only a small slot at its center.
"…So that's how we get out."
His eyes moved back toward the creature.
Still feeding.
Unaware.
"Get into position."
His voice was quieter now.
Focused.
"The only way out is through that thing."
Nia narrowed her eyes, studying it carefully.
"This thing is at E+ rank."
Rina frowned.
"That's E+?"
She glanced at it again.
"The pressure feels way higher than that."
Chrono didn't respond to that.
Instead—
"Rina."
She looked at him.
"What?"
"Throw a fireball."
A pause.
"Far from here."
Rina frowned.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
She clicked her tongue.
But didn't argue this time.
A flame formed in her palm—
Then shot across the chamber.
Far.
Away from them.
The moment it landed—
The creature reacted.
Violently.
Its head snapped toward the light.
A sharp, distorted screech echoed through the chamber—
Then it moved.
Fast.
It lunged toward the fireball.
Completely ignoring them.
Chrono watched it carefully.
Confirming.
"…Yeah."
"As I thought."
"It can't see well."
Nia's eyes sharpened.
"…So it tracks heat? Light?"
"Probably both."
Chrono adjusted his grip on his weapon.
"That gives us an opening."