Arkanova

A massive holograms screen materialized high above the city projecting the city's name in bold-angular letters:

WELCOME TO ARKANOVA

As many participant burst out to the city from their room, a familiar chime echoed through the city:

[All Qualified Participants Have Entered the Continuum]

The message appeared in the hologram screen.

QUALIFIED: 476

UNQUALIFIED: 72

DISQUALIFIED: 111

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"Unqualified? Disqualified?" someone whispered nearby. "What's the difference?"

Unqualified… maybe those who couldn't endure the compatibility scan. 

Disqualified? Perhaps the ones who didn't return?

The voice returned cutting through the rising panic:

[Reclassification Protocol Initiated: Termination from Earth-6494 link in Progress]

[Phase 1: Earth-6494 link Termination]

[Phase 2: Continuum Integration]

"What does that even mean?"

Nothing happened for a few minutes. Participants started feeling nervous and exchanging glances with one another.

Then a smaller screen suddenly appeared directly in front of me. Its message was personal to me:

[Termination Scenario: Flight[457] 22-11-2024 Earth Standard Time - Crash Victim]

"WHAT??" My voice cracked.

For a moment, everyone was silent and tried to process the implications of the message on their screen.

I racked my brain tried to think of any other possible explanation but no matter how hard I tried there is only one conclusion seemed to make sense.

Did I just had my existance been erased in an instant?

Around me, other participants started to get panicked and their faces twisted in horror.

A man nearby clutched his head muttering, "This has to be a mistake. I was never in a fire…"

Another woman fell to her knees as she whispered, "Car accident? No… no, I don't want to left my kid behind!"

The voices grew louder full with denial and panic as everyone tried to make sense of the scenarios flashing before them.

The voice returned:

[Earth-6494 Termination Complete]

[Continuum Integration Finalized]

[Class Assignment Complete]

The screen in front of me flickered as the text shifted:

[CLASSIFICATION DATA PROCESSING…]

[VERIFICATION SUCCESSFUL]

NAME: KIRA

CLASS: MAGE

ARCHETYPE: SHADOW

STATUS:

STR: 15

AGI: 20

INT: 12

SKILLS:

Tendril Strike (Lv 1) 

Veil of Darkness (Lv 1)

Shadow Resonance (Passive)

The voice continued with its tone now more urgent:

[Directive: Qualified Participants Proceed to Designated Training Area]

Around me, the others were slowly rising to their feet yet their expressions blank with shock. The electric metro hummed softly and its doors sliding open as if waiting for us.

Hesitantly we shuffled toward the metro. The interior walls lined with polished metallic panels. The seats were arranged in neat rows.

The train accelerated smoothly as the city rushing past us. The tension in the air was palpable as we sat in silence and still reeling from the earlier revelations.

The train slowed as it approached the first stop. Through the large windows, I saw an enormous structure coming into view. It was a monolithic building and its exterior made of blackened steel. Massive banners bearing the emblem of two crossed swords flanked the entrance like the appearance of a military fortress.

The train doors slid open and the system voice echoed again:

[Fighter Class Participants: Please Exit. Orientation Begins Now]

A large group of participants stood and made their way out. Fighters were easy to spot among us, they had sharp and well-defined physiques, not sure if this was their original form or if it was a result of their archetype awakening.

As they disembarked and disappeared into the building, the doors sealing shut behind them.

The train continued and picking up speed once more. The next stop was unlike anything I'd ever seen. An enormous building resembling a futuristic factory straight out of a sci-fi movie. Metallic arms and conveyor belts jutted from its sides. Large humanoid robots stood in rows outside the entrance. The entire structure looked like a place where war machines were born.

The train slowed to a halt and the system voice chimed:

[Mechanic Class Participants: Please Exit. Orientation Begins Now]

Only a handful of participants stood. Mechanics were fewer in number compared to the fighters. They stepped off the train vanishing into the massive building.

As the train continued its journey, the atmosphere shifted. The next stop was marked by a towering structure like a monument. The tower rose high into the sky and its spire disappearing into the ambient glow that hung over the city. Intricate runes glowed faintly across its surface giving it a mystical aura. The air around it felt thick as though the building itself pulsed with power.

The train slowed and the system voice resonated once more:

[Mage Class Participants: Please Exit. Orientation Begins Now]

I stood. The remaining participants like around a hundred of us begin to file out.

I stepped onto the platform and glancing up at the magnificent tower as the train doors slid shut.

We were the last to disembark and as we stood before the tower, its entrance opened silently and revealing a grand hall within.

We were led to the heart of the tower by the guides yet their once-silent demeanor replaced by a voice that echoed through the air.

[Follow the path, participants]

The guide sounds more human now.

The corridor widened as we stepped into a massive central atrium. Its high walls etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat. Around the edges of the atrium were tiered platforms and spiraling staircases leading to alcoves for different types of magic training.

At the center of the atrium stood a massive floating platform supported by swirling streams of light and shadow entwined like an eternal dance.

Four distinct manifestations floated at each cardinal point, a burning fire orb that danced with fury, a swirling water sphere that shifted from calm to violent waves, a solid soil mass that exuded a grounding power, and a luminous sprout that shimmered in green.

[Welcome to the Mage Training Center]

The guide announced. It paused and gazing at the gathered mages as though assessing each one of us.

[Elemental power is drawn from the essence of the existence]

The guide continued and gesturing toward the elemental manifestations.

[Fire, water, terra, and flora—is the foundation of creation]

The guide turned slightly as though addressing the entire chamber.

[The catalyst is a force that stir all the existence]

[Light is the source that giving birth to the life. And shadow existed before the life itself began]

A screen flickered above us showing the number of archetype within us.

LIGHT : 11

SHADOW : 4

FIRE : 43

WATER : 33

TERRA : 26

FLORA : 25

The room buzzed with murmurs as participants exchanged glances. Some had already begun to cluster together.

Just four, including me. Not sure if this is good or bad.

The guide continue to speak:

[You are allocated a preparation period of three Earth-standard days to acquire skills and establish alliances prior to mission commencement]

[Independent progression or form alignments is permissible]

[Catalysts enhance elemental capabilities; however, each element is restricted to alignment with a single catalyst]

[Exercise deliberate judgment. The chosen path will determine power trajectory]

The air thickened as a hologram materialized before me. Words etched themselves across its surface.

[MISSION: Enable Skill – Shadow Summoning]

[TIME: 03:00:00]

[Failure to obtain assigned skill within the allocated timeframe will result in immediate disqualification]

The countdown began and the glowing numbers ticking down.

I stared at the hologram and my heart start pounding.

So it wasn't just about controlling the shadows around me, was it? 

Without realizing it, I found myself less afraid of disqualification and more consumed by a sense of enthusiasm to uncover the power that lay waiting within me.