Granting Exercise (1)

My legs slipped in, accompanied by a chaotic cacophony of aggressive footsteps. Some pushed each other around, trying to get a good vision of the space while others fought their way outside. Unfortunately, it was too late.

The doors jammed with incredible speed and force, causing a loud gasp from the students. The entire space in the dome was nothing near comforting: a mix of darkness, eerie winds, and somewhat horrific sounds.

I heard a calm voice deep in the darkness although I couldn't see what it was because of the darkness. It was so smooth, as though the voice slipped through the thick air and gently entered our ears.

It was calm and at the same time, scary.

The entirety quivered in their shoes, hiding behind others. It was an endless loop of people trying to find coverage behind others while I stood, gripped with fear and overwhelmed by the scary sound.

'I shouldn't be scared of what I can't see, right? Besides I have others here who'll protect me.' The thought suddenly crossed my mind even though I completely doubted it.

'That can't be right! I'm scared as hell!' The words in my mind slightly slipped through my lips, creating a trembling effect.

Suddenly, a light appeared in the room; its source was a side of the dome. A window slid open and light rushed in, immediately blinding everyone. A pale figure was at the other side, separated from us by a thin layer of glass.

'I'm guessing you've all heard of the talks concerning realms. Well, this is one of them,' the man spoke, his deep voice, muffled.

'Wait, are you sure this is a realm? And if it is, how did it get here? Is it the work of science and magic working together?' A slim boy at the back of the group asked.

'Yes and no,' the man replied with a heavy sigh, 'It is definitely a realm and it's natural. Realms could spawn wherever and one of them just conveniently happened to spawn in the school. We did all we could and confined it in this dome with translucent windows and that explains why there isn't any light entering from outside,' he continued.

The thought of translucent glasses never crossed my mind as I was fully gripped by fear, reducing any thinking process. I looked around as the window slowly closed and darkness gradually settled.

'You're all here for one reason and that's to be granted a system. Realms are just like worlds and so, have different characteristics. Some are inhabitable, and the rest have differences in light, gravity, heat, and much more. This realm lacks light and is also a breathing ground for Mana.

Just take your time and find the rest out. You have a time limit of 3 hours and once it elapses, you'll be set free whether or not all of you were granted a system.'

The window quickly closed and my vision was lost. I felt drops of sweat slowly flow down my cheeks, and my fingertips soon got cold.

'Wait, what's Mana and what are these eerie noises I'm hearing?' I asked, although a little too late. The window was closed and didn't seem to be opening anytime soon.

'Based on what I've seen from movies and books, it probably refers to something like magical stamina. Once it's finished, you can't use magic, but that's just what I've heard,' a deep, shaky voice answered.

I fixed my gaze on the darkness and took a deep gulp as I muttered,

'Noah, you can do this. This has been your dream!' I hyped myself up, slowly approaching the darkness although my legs didn't seem to have agreed with my brain.

It felt like they were stuck to the floor but I slowly lifted them, approaching the darkness. A few others saw my courage and accompanied me into the deep depths of the darkness.

They all sounded confident but their voices were still more unsteady than ever. We pushed each other forward with me taking the lead as the terrifying voice jumpscared me once again.

'Aarghh!' It sounded like a scream—a scream of an animal—but this time, more heavy and louder than the first sound.

This new sound suggested that there was more than a single creature present in the darkness. It was a frightening truth but I had already advanced too far to turn back.

As I was entangled in my thoughts, a strange energy surged through the air. Everyone, including me, suddenly stopped moving. Was it that my feet were planted in the ground by a strange energy? Or maybe the gravity in this realm is higher and differs at different points? No, it was something simpler, much more obvious. We were all scared out of our minds.

As we stood stationary in the range of the strange beast, a similar sound echoed with much more depth and heaviness. It was closer, advancing every second. I could feel the sudden energy grow stronger with each groan, and soon, a bright white light lit up the area.

'What's that?' Everyone asked, shrouded in uncertainty. 'Okay, that's scary,' I said, forcing my disappointing legs to take a step.

The beast immediately advanced, pouncing on us with its sharp reflective claws. We all ran away from the beast, returning the few who still waited at the entrance to the dome.

'Run! It's coming!' Someone screamed, signaling the rest to run with them. 'What did you do?' A girl, around 16 years shouted at the top of her voice.

Regardless of our speed and number, we were no match for it. The beast gradually caught up to us and we all halted, this time not by fear, but by the strange energy.

I took a bold look at it, concealing my fear of the unusual beast. It emitted a strange white light, perhaps an aura—something I had seen through my course of reading novels and watching magical movies. The bright light that outlined the beast's shape, made it possible to discern the creature.

It was a wolf-like animal, standing on its two feet and its extended claws looked as sharp as a knife. Its eyes were white circles, further making the beast more terrifying.