Warmth flooded through Jelani's body like liquid sunlight, each wave bringing a fresh mix of agony and relief as his bones snapped back into alignment with sickening cracks. From where he lay, he looked down to see a neon yellow magic circle beneath him. It pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, its energy seeping into his flesh.

He watched, both fascinated and horrified, as acid-eaten tissue regenerated layer by layer – first muscle, then fat, finally skin flowing like water over raw meat. His clothes weren't as fortunate, reduced to hole-riddled threads that barely preserved his dignity.

A scroll materialized in his vision:

"Congratulations on reaching the summit first. You've proven yourself capable of wielding an aspect of the power I possess. Soon a spectral knight will arrive to escort you to the chamber of awakening,"

The words faded, leaving Jelani alone with the reality of his achievement. Twelve plus hours of hell – running on pure adrenaline and fear of missing out on real power. He'd made mistakes, sure, but he'd also won victories while completely unawakened. The thought sent electricity through his veins: if he could do this much without power, how far could he go as a radiant?

Pride swelled in his chest, threatening to burst forth in a roar of triumph. But the sound died in his throat as a figure emerged through the barrier, the french man, his face twisted with fury and pain.

Reality crashed back on him like freezing water. He'd taken the top spot by exploiting weakness, by striking from behind when his opponent was vulnerable. The kind of move that street politics demanded but honor condemned. Jelani couldn't quite bring himself to feel guilty. This trial had been a one in a trillion opportunity, a chance at power Jelani would never get again, but despite that his victory felt...complicated.

A yellow magic circle formed beneath the french man as he approached, knitting his wounds back together. His eyes found Jelani's, and the hatred there could have melted stone. Jelani forced himself to stand straighter, even as doubt crept in. What if the man attacked now? Their last encounter had ended with Jelani unconscious – what could he really do if...

"Nahh," he thought, crushing the doubt with mental force. "I'm no bitch! He caught me off guard last time. I know about counter strike now. He won't catch me the same way twice."

Jelani shifted into a subtle stance ready for combat, his right hand dropping slightly behind his thigh where his sword could materialize if need be. He activated his threat radar revealing a floating [Alexandre Gaultier] above the man's head, surrounded by a red aura that Jelani was starting to understand as a measure of lethality.

Alexandre stopped six feet away, close enough for Jelani to see the muscle twitching in his jaw. "Singe pathétique," he spat, "tu m'as jeté du caca à la dernière seconde pour avancer."

The words meant nothing to Jelani, but the contempt needed no translation. "I know your bitch ass is mad," he started with a feigned nonchalance, "but it's already done. I really don't know what you're saying so there's no point in arguing abou-"

"Jelani Von." Alexandre's accent made the name sound like an insult.

The suddenness of it threw Jelani off rhythm. Of course the man would be able to see his name too – why was he acting surprised? Refusing to show weakness, Jelani stepped forward. "Alexandre Gaultier," he responded in turn.

A dark chuckle escaped the Frenchman's lips. "Tu es hilarant!" His expression shifted to something harder, more dangerous. "J'ai atteint le sommet malgré votre tentative d'assassinat."

He paused, eyes raking over Jelani like he was measuring him for a coffin. "J'ai peut-être été un peu agressif lors de notre première rencontre, mais je n'oublierai jamais à quel point vous m'avez fait honte."

Spittle flew with the final words, but Jelani refused to flinch. "Are you done?" he asked flatly.

Alexandre's answering smirk promised future violence, but he turned away, then walked over to a large stone formation several yards to the right. Once he sat down, his glare in Jelani’s direction never wavered, like a sniper maintaining sight on a target.

"You can look at me crazy all you want," Jelani called out, forcing casualness into his voice, "as long as you don't threaten me you can watch for however long it takes you to chill out" He moved to his own stone on the opposite side of the crater, but his muscles remained tense for action. The trial might be over, but they weren't awakened yet. Any real fight now would end in death so it was better not to make the same mistake twice.

Fifteen minutes of electric silence passed before Ahsar appeared, sprinting through the barrier in his acid-shredded uniform. The yellow circle materialized beneath him, healing his wounds as he doubled over, hands on knees. When he straightened, his face was a soldier's mask – but something flickered in his eyes when they met Jelani's, something almost like shame.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"It is what it is," Jelani thought, pushing down the complicated mix of emotions. Every choice in this trial had been about survival. No point dwelling on what couldn't be changed.

Ahsar took up position between them, choosing to stand rather than sit. The trio fell into an uneasy vigil, watching the hill for more survivors. Jelani's gaze kept shifting between the crest and the tower, anticipation warring with concern. He wanted – needed – to know what waited inside those alien walls, but part of him couldn't stop wondering about Reason and Tobi. Their coordination had seemed solid. They had to have made it, right?

The isolation pressed in on him. Having allies to share this victory with would make it feel more real, less like a fever dream born of exhaustion and pain.

Thirty minutes crawled by before two more figures emerged – Raveena and the red-haired asian girl, supporting each other as they stumbled through the barrier. Raveena's face bore tracks of dried tears, her dress in tatters. Her companion's left leg was a mess of acid burns until the healing circle took effect. Jelani re-opened his threat radar and focused on the red-haired girl, [Yuki Akane].

They claimed a spot near the tower but well away from the men, their body language screaming distrust.

More survivors trickled in. The firefighter from the beginning of the trial arrived alone in a tattered white tee with his reflective firefighter pants catching the moonlight, his name appeared as [Brandon Bennet]. He had a look of exhausted joyfulness after being healed. He moved down into the crater and nodded as he passed everyone. Jelani nodded back, he was glad to receive a small transfusion of positive energy from somebody.

“ I'm feeling so off... I should be happy as fuck right now."

But the edge wouldn't leave him. Alexandre's predatory gaze, the weight of what comes next, the growing fear that Reason and Tobi hadn’t made it were all thoughts that pressed down on him like a physical weight.

A South American woman in a red flannel and black combat vest arrived next [Sartaña Ollanta], followed by a Southeast Asian man in shredded streetwear 35 minutes later [Joko Sinaga]. Hours passed with no sign of another person. Jelani's foot developed a nervous tick that grew stronger with each passing minute. Where was this knight? What were they still waiting for?

Finally another survivor crested the hill – For a moment, Jelani's heart leapt at the silhouette until he realized it wasnt Tobi. A dark-skinned man with a high-top fade came into view, [Amadou Diallo]. It was the first man he’d spoken to at the start of the trial, now practically shirtless in khaki pants that were melted up to knees.

As if triggered by this final arrival, the tower's light began to pulse. Three waves of emerald energy radiated out into the void above and then the spectral knight from the first phase materialized a hundred feet from the entrance. Its dark armor seemed to drink in the light that reached them, the curved horns of its helm casting twisted shadows.

"Good work making it here. You are the only survivors of the trial left."

The words hit Jelani like a physical blow, opening a hollow space somewhere beneath his ribs. His attempt to help Reason and Tobi – that moment of compromise between self-preservation and conscience – had meant nothing in the end. Their deaths felt both distant and intimate, like a wound he hadn't realized he was carrying until now.

"Dammit man... did I not do enough?" The question burned in his mind. He barely knew them – just two faces, two voices, a single conversation at the trial's start. But they'd been like him, driven to make a meaningful change in their lives. Young men trying to survive in a world gone mad. He'd tried to thread the needle, to help without sacrificing his own chances. Now he'd never know if a little more help, a little more risk, might have made the difference.

The knight's voice continued in their minds: "Your climb has been long, your bodies pushed to their limits, and your minds have face attacks from every angle. Yet you remain. As promised, my master will awaken you all."

It turned slightly toward the tower. "Follow me into the main hall. Your path ahead is only beginning. This trial was built around your mortal limitations, but be wary – the path you've chosen will only increase in difficulty once you've returned to your world."

They followed the knight to what appeared to be a solid silver wall covered in sharp, curved symbols. As they approached, the wall separated into countless square pieces that slid away with unnatural precision.

The hall beyond stole Jelani's breath. Gothic pillars carved from some alien silver metal ran down the center, leading to a massive archway that shimmered with green mist. Ten-foot-tall glass panels lined the outer walls, each bearing the symbol of an eye drawn in black. The space felt wrong somehow, like reality itself had been stretched and twisted to accommodate this impossible architecture.

When the entrance sealed behind them, the darkness grew heavier in the space. The mist in the archway began to move in patterns that hurt to look at directly.

"You will each meet my master and be presented with the terms of this arrangement," the knight's voice echoed in their minds. "My master's true form would be too much for your mortal minds, so an avatar will be used as a medium for this interaction. Be prepared for a glimpse at the truth and a potential future that may unsettle you."

The group stood in tense silence, waiting.

"Jelani Von,” the spectral knight telepathically spoke.

Jelani moved forward without hesitation, though his heart hammered against his ribs.

“As the first to reach the tower, you will meet my master first and receive your special boon and contract. You may enter the archway."

He took one last look at the survivors – eight faces that would be forever burned into his memory. Some watched with anticipation, one with naked hatred, others with carefully neutral expressions. He didn’t know when he’d see them again but it was a small world.

The misty barrier rippled before him like living mercury. He'd made mistakes getting here, but this was his chance to become something greater. Without letting himself hesitate, Jelani stepped through the threshold between who he was and who he might become.