Akira moved through the crowd, stepping closer to the group of armored figures at the center.

  Their confident posture and the way they communicated with one another set them apart from the rest. These weren’t just survivors thrown together by circumstance, these were seasoned warriors, individuals who had clearly seen battle, people who understood what it meant to endure in a world far harsher than the one Akira had just escaped.

  A tall man with dark, navy colored wavy hair, dressed in a simple yet practical set of leather armor, stood addressing the crowd. His voice was commanding, but it held a calm authority. Every word he spoke was deliberate, each sentence carrying weight.

  "Alright, everyone, please calm down." He called, his voice slicing through the murmurs. "I know you have a lot of questions, and we’ll get to them. But for now, let me explain the basics."

  The crowd hushed almost immediately, the tension in the air palpable. The man paused briefly, clearing his throat.

  "My name is Oliver." He continued, his tone steady. "You’re all what we call ‘Hatchlings’. You’ve just completed your Selection Trials and been brought to a rift between Trials, whether you’ve gained a Trait, maybe multiple, and for the lucky few, an Epithet, then transported here. You’ve also awakened something called a Heart Core, which I will explain to you all in as much detail as I can tomorrow."

  The mention of the Heart Core sent a shiver down Akira’s spine. He froze, his mind racing. What? He thought. Epithet? What’s an Epithet? I only received a single Trait.

  Around him, the crowd seemed equally confused, each person processing the information with a mix of skepticism and disbelief. But Oliver stood unshaken, guiding them through the chaos with measured clarity.

  "I know it’s a lot to absorb and it may sound absurd." Oliver said, his tone softening slightly, though his authority remained. "But you’re not alone in this. We’ve all been through it, and we’ll help you adjust."

  A tall woman in steel armor stepped forward, her presence contrasting Oliver’s. While she lacked the same commanding aura, her demeanor exuded a quiet confidence. A longsword hung at her side, and though her posture suggested she was more comfortable with combat than with diplomacy, there was a certain calm confidence about her.

  "For now." She said, her voice firm but reassuring. "We need you to form lines. When your turn comes, state your name, what rewards you received, and the conditions you met to pass through the Mist Gate. Don’t worry, this isn’t a judgment, it’s just so we can get an understanding of who’s with us. We won’t share your information with anyone else. Naturally for those who feel like they can trust us you can also display it in the form of runes just by thinking of showing it to us."

  She moved to stand beside Oliver, and the crowd, eager to comply, began to form into lines. Akira watched as the process unfolded, it was simple yet strangely intimate.

  Each person would step forward, whisper or showed their information to one of Oliver’s companions who would then pass it on to Oliver himself. The man appeared unfazed by the flood of details, his stoic expression suggesting he was memorizing everything, absorbing it all.

  Akira stood quietly, his thoughts swirling. The crowd began to settle, and as the noise dimmed, a strange sense of camaraderie seemed to settle over them.

  When Akira’s turn finally came, his heart pounded in his chest. He stepped forward, trying to maintain composure despite the flood of questions in his mind. A man with short-cropped blonde hair, his expression stern, gestured for Akira to approach.

  "Name?" The man’s voice was clipped and efficient.

  "...Akira." Akira replied, forcing the word past his lips.

  The man nodded. "What rewards did you receive?"

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  Akira hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment. "I received a single Trait." He said, keeping his voice steady. "It’s called [Hawk Eyes], it lets me see much further and clearer."

  The man’s brow furrowed slightly, and he glanced toward Oliver who just nodded before returning his gaze to Akira. "And what condition did you meet to pass through the Mist Gate? If you had any."

  Akira’s pulse quickened. He knew he couldn’t afford to reveal the truth, not in this place, not to anyone else. "I had to hunt down a white deer through a forest made of crystals." He lied, forcing the words out.

  There was a brief silence as the man processed the information. After a moment, he gave a curt nod. "Very well. You may step aside and wait for us to finish. Once we’re done, you’ll all be escorted to the Hatchling’s barracks."

  Akira exhaled in relief in his mind.

  He walked past the man, as he took his first step, he and Oliver locked eyes for a split second before breaking contact.

  He knows. Akira’s mind swerved, he knew that Oliver was aware of his lie, or at least had a hunch about it. Or maybe it was just his paranoia acting out, but better to be careful than sorry.

  Akira sat alone, quietly leaning his bony back against the stone wall of a building that looked like a house as he watched the groups of people already forming.

  Ofcourse, as in any environment, people would try to find others who are like them and unite.

  As Akira sat there, his mind racing, the murmurs of the crowd began to fade into the background. He was still on edge, unable to shake the unease that had settled deep within him.

  He had lied to the stern-faced man, and despite his best efforts to hide it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Oliver had seen right through him.

  Despite his less than welcoming appearance, a few groups glanced at Akira, most writing him off as some gloomy loner or a weakling who wasn’t worth befriending.

  Akira stayed seated, his knees drawn up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around them. For some reason he had adopted this position whenever he did not feel safe.

  The line thinned and more groups formed, finally, the armored group finished with all the ‘interviews’. If you could call them that.

  “Thank you for your patience, everyone. Now we will show you the way to your barracks, they are on the outside of the city so you will not be able to see what life in the Sanctuary is like, but rest assured we will give you a tour later on. Some of you may choose to stay here and get jobs, some may choose to move on to the First Trial, it’s your choice.” The armored group started moving deeper into the city, expecting the ‘Hatchlings’ to follow.

  The others didn’t have much choice, so they followed behind Oliver and his people, and Akira simply blended in with the countless other faces.

  Following the group into the city, he couldn’t help but feel both a sense of awe and trepidation.

  The city was nothing like the lush, oppressive landscape he had left behind. The buildings around him were towering stone structures, some adorned with intricate carvings, while others had a more utilitarian, fortress-like appearance. The streets were paved with cobblestones, well-trodden from years of use, and lanterns hung from every corner.

  He stole glances at the people walking beside him, noticing how they carried themselves. A few were still shell-shocked from their Trials, their eyes wide with uncertainty, while others seemed more accustomed to the surroundings, their movements purposeful and confident.

  The armored figures, Oliver and his companions, moved with quiet authority, scanning the crowd behind them and making sure the Hatchlings stayed in line and none drifted off on their own.

  Finally they reached a more quiet part of town where two giant buildings loomed, their architecture looked simple in design, like fortresses that could house hundreds.

  “Alright, you will now be separated, the men will go into the left barracks while the women will go into the right barracks.” Oliver ordered. “I will be overseeing the men’s barracks while my companion.” The man pointed out the tall, dark-skinned woman. “Nala, will be in charge of the women’s barracks.”

  Akira followed the others as they were ushered toward the left barracks, his feet dragging with each step. The imposing structure loomed before him, a fortress-like building with weathered stone walls and high, narrow windows that gave the place an almost prison-like feel. It was functional, but there was no mistaking the sense of confinement that came with it.

  The group of men and boys began to file in, and Akira moved with them, though the feeling of unease never left his chest.

  He hadn’t seen much of the city yet, but something about it felt off. The people, though bustling with life, didn’t seem to radiate the same warmth that Akira had imagined when he thought of a ‘Sanctuary’. The city had a utilitarian, almost oppressive quality to it, as though everything here was designed for survival, not living.

  As they entered the barracks, Akira was struck by the austere atmosphere inside. The walls were lined with simple wooden bunks, each one separated by small spaces, enough for a person to climb into their bed. The air smelled of fresh straw, sweat, and the faintest hint of metal, a strange mix of practicality and desperation.