Trials

Leaving the car parked at the entrance, the trio entered the towering building. Athan and Aurora confidently led the way while Luan strolled casually behind them, taking in his new surroundings.

Being from a small countryside, the previous occupant of his body had never set foot inside any architectural marvel. So, the experience of entering such a grand conglomerate was also entirely new to him.

At this late hour, the only light came from street lamps posted outside the building, sneaking in through the expansive glass walls.

Even if it had been pitch dark, navigating through the building wouldn't have been a challenge for this group. Their razor-sharp eyes and heightened senses would have guided them effortlessly. After all, they were the creatures of night.

The entrance opened into a spacious reception area with sleek white floors, modern seating arrangements, and cafes—all empty and ominous at this hour. But the most prominent aspect was a statue of three hooded bronze figures standing on a pedestal at the centre of the room. Each figure faced a different direction, with their backs pressed against each other.

Luan found it somewhat arrogant for these figures to have their larger-than-life replicas in a place where hundreds of people must pass by each day.

A comprehensive list of offices operating on the building's 73 floors was adorning one side of the wall. While every floor number had an office name written beside it, Luan noticed only one floor where the name was hidden under a redacted bold black line.

13th floor.

This minor detail piqued his curiosity, but only for a second. After that, Luan decided not to give it any more thought. At present, all he wanted was to get over this brethren meeting and understand his current situation better.

'Once this meeting is over, I will be able to grasp who my allies are in this life,' Luan thought, his gaze shifting to the backs of the duo accompanying him.

Strutting in front of him, the pair looked oddly contrasting: one's figure heaving all over the floor, the other delicately hovering over it like a dark fairy. Their demeanour towards each other was odd too, like that of a lion taming a playful cat.

As soon as this peculiar thought crossed his mind, a mischievous smile danced in Luan's emerald green and ocean blue eyes.

'Well, I should make full use of this new interesting life and the curious company I've stumbled upon.'

Athan retrieved a white card from his black blazer and swiped it at the glass gate, granting them access. All three passed through it and made their way to the elevator.

On the surface, it seemed a relatively trivial exercise, considering their supernatural strength and abilities. They could have easily torn down the gate with their bare hands.

However, Luan decided to play along until he understood all the game rules. It had become his modus operandi ever since Samael, his 'mentor', slapped him shortly after his transmigration. The slap was too personal to forget easily.

In his train of thought, Luan didn't realize that Athan and Aurora had stopped walking. Only when he stepped into the lift without them getting inside did doubt flicker in his mind.

"Is it another challenge or a brethren mischief, pals?" Luan asked casually, folding his arms, which tightened impressively around his biceps.

It seemed Aurora wanted to accompany him, but Athan's stoic expression was resolute.

"From here, you go alone, newbie," Athan announced, his face darkening further in the gloominess of his surroundings. "Reach the 13th floor and wait for us there."

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The lift doors closed, leaving Aurora's worry-creased eyebrows reflected dimly on the polished surface. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the spot where Luan had stood moments ago.

Her concern was ever so slightly detectable as she asked, "Are you sure we should leave Luan alone to face the trials?"

Athan, wearing an amused expression, glanced at Aurora and scoffed, "It's quite the mystery to me. How did a once proud and impetuous woman like you become so attached?"

When no snappy reply came back, Athan's tone softened a bit. Dismissing her worries, he kindly added, "Regardless, he doesn't seem like the shy human we once knew. If anything, this new state seems to suit him better."

Unwillingly, Aurora acknowledged this fact. Little did they both know that the real Luan had died during the transition, and the being they had brought back was a transmigrated soul, unaware of its true origins.

______________________

"Well, this suits me as well," reflected Luan.

It was the first time he was left alone since his transmigration. So far, he had been forced into the company of one or another tiresome creature.

However, Athan asking him to go alone to the 13th floor was slightly unexpected.

'If the coven of bloodsuckers were willing to keep this floor off-limits for everyone in the building, it has to be something suspicious,' he reasoned. 'Then why are they sending me here unaccompanied?'

Luan obliged Athan's pompous command because he sensed no betrayal or danger from Samael, Athan, or Aurora.

They seemed genuinely invested in making him a part of their brethren. Everything seemed fine with them, except for the dangerous obsession of the red-haired woman, whose eyes never left his face.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened to the 13th floor.

Here, too, dim lights illuminated empty office cubicles, showing nothing out of the ordinary. Luan cautiously stepped forward into the office space.

And everything disappeared.

It felt as though the entire world around him had been sucked into a stark black hole. He stood on empty air, surrounded by unfathomable darkness.

_____________________

Luan blinked his eyes twice, trying to make sense of the void. It was either an illusion, or he had been transported to another eerie dimension.

Nevertheless, he kept his wits about him and tried to discern why this space felt so familiar. It was nothing like the falling sensation that this unexpected new life had rescued him from.

Yet, there was a naturalness about this void he couldn't quite explain. In the back of his mind, he also felt a tinge of annoyance toward Athan and Aurora's childishness.

"So this is why they sent me here alone," Luan fathomed, slightly irritated.

With his hands outstretched, he started walking in one direction, hoping to find a loophole or a way out of this void. His newly acquired heightened senses were utterly silent and powerless here.

After twenty minutes of abruptly changing directions, Luan was about to give up and wait this void out. When suddenly, he sensed three distinct shadows forming a few steps ahead.

As Luan tilted his head slightly with a smug smile on his face, three pairs of yellow eyes started gleaming at the heads of each shadow. And the silence was suddenly broken by the deep rumbling growls of three ferocious wolves, approaching him with the steadiness of predators.