Rain poured that morning.
Not gentle rain — the kind that made grass dance and children laugh — but cold, metallic rain, the kind that left the air stinging and the academy darker than usual.
Kael stood in the training yard, soaking wet, staring at the open gate before him. Beyond it was the simulation arena: a labyrinth built underground where fear had a voice, and every step felt personal.
Commander Virel walked the line of recruits with his hands behind his back, voice like steel.
"Today, Unit B6 will face its first Trial: The Veil Run. Survive ten minutes inside the Echo Labyrinth. No weapons. No teams. Only instinct."
A murmur rippled through the line.
Benny raised his hand."Do nightmares count as instinct?""Because I have plenty."
Virel didn't even look at him.
"Inside the Veil, the environment shifts based on your fears. If you see something… that shouldn't be there… do not stop. Do not speak. And above all—do not trust what calls your name."
🌒 Inside the Labyrinth
The gates slammed behind Kael. The air changed immediately — heavier, colder. The ground beneath him twisted with each step. Moss glowed faintly along the walls.
He heard nothing but his own breath.
Until he did.
"Kael…"
The voice was familiar. Soft. A woman's voice.Like the one from his dreams.
He turned. Nothing.
Then something moved — not in the maze, but in the walls. A pale hand dragging through stone like it was water. The figure didn't come closer. But it watched him.
He ran.
🌫️ Benny's Test
Elsewhere in the maze, Benny tripped on a root and face-planted.
"Ow. Okay. That's fine. My dignity left the building two chapters ago anyway."
He pulled himself up… then screamed.
Before him stood himself, but taller, sharper, colder — a version of Benny with red eyes and no voice, holding a broken scorpion like a crown.
"Okay, yeah. I'm switching to farming after this."
💥 Mikaho's Trial
Her corridor filled with snow.
The walls cracked open into an old memory — her home, her father smiling by a fire. But he wasn't speaking. He was mouthing something.
She stepped closer.
And then the floor vanished, revealing rows of writhing demon limbs trying to drag her into the ice.
She leapt backward, eyes burning with fury.
"I know you're not him."
🔗 Kael Again
Kael reached a chamber where the floor was made of glass.
Below it: the sea. But it wasn't normal water — it pulsed like a heart. In it, he saw a figure.
A man, standing on the ocean floor, chained.His face hidden… but his stance—too familiar.
Kael clenched his fists.
"I'll find the truth. Even if the island drowns me."
The glass cracked beneath him.
Just as it shattered——the bell rang. Trial over.
🧍Return to Surface
The recruits emerged, one by one. Some were crying. Others refused to speak. A few didn't come out at all.
Kael, Mikaho, and Benny sat on the stairs, exhausted.
Benny: "So… anyone else see their own corpse? Or just me?"Kael: "Pretty sure I saw mine talking to someone."Mikaho: "Mine tried to stab me."
They were silent for a moment...then laughed. Not out of joy. But out of relief.
They were still themselves. For now.
🎬 Next Episode Preview: Chapter 5 – The Boy with the Burning Map
Training intensifies. A secret unfolds. And someone from the shadows watches every move.
— "The Forbidden Wake" continues.