"So this is a ruin?" I glance at the decrepit old buildings situated in the glass dome. It's nothing special. A small town made of two two-story brick houses and a small stone church.

"Not really. This is just a destroyed town. Your job is to inspect the ruins and uncover what happened here. Once that has been accomplished, I will show you the true ruin." Am hands me a flashlight, a bag with water, and some food, "I expect this to take you some time. You will not leave until the mystery has been solved." She turns around and walks away into the forest. Guess I'm on my own.

I walk up to the abandoned buildings, gripping my sword. A shell could come out of nowhere. I'll need to keep my guard up. The first building is an old wooden two-story house; the windows shattered, and the roof caved in. Recently eaten cans of food are scattered about, and a sleeping bag lies in one corner. This was probably set up this way, but I need to think of this as a real situation. This is no longer a simulation.

I poke around both floors, but nothing sticks out. Whoever was here left in a hurry and in a panic. I leave and head to the second house. I could tell before I even checked the first house this one was going to be different. In the front door, drag marks can be seen. Someone was dragged away forcefully. I can see where their fingers dug into the ground. They lead to the church.

Ignoring that for now, I open the door. The stench of blood washes over me. The room has been completely torn apart. Deep claw marks gouge the walls, and all the wood furniture has been smashed. I walk through the room. Blood splatters the walls occasionally. There was a struggle. Clearly, the defenders lost.

This reminds me of the hunting classes I took as a merc. Looking for the smallest clues to find the target and tracking them through the city. Compared to that, this is a cakewalk. It's easy to cover your tracks in the city. All it takes is basic knowledge and some slight planning. I walk up the stairs. A person was dragged down them. The blood deepens in color the closer to the second floor I go. They must have struggled.

The second floor isn't much different from the first. Gouge marks and blood. I walk around the floor, the lack of walls making it clear this place was never completed. I run my hand over the claw marks. These can't be done by a shell. It's too erratically placed, and the groves are perfect. Almost like someone was trying too hard to blame something else. And this blood, it's clearly fake. It's too flaky and faded to be authentic. This happened a while ago. Probably be a week or two.

I inspect the room some more, but some things don't add up. With the amount of blood here, there should be fleshy bits or bone here or there. And the lack of human objects makes me think whoever lived here had a very short stay. I bring my notebook out and start writing down the facts when I notice a discoloration in the stone wall. Hmm. I smash the wall with the butt of my sword, and it gives way. Inside is a notebook.

"What do we have here," I mutter as I flip through the pages. It's a diary. Seems this village was bigger originally, and this was the pastor's house. I narrow my eyes as I read. Monsters came and destroyed the buildings house by house until only these two remained.

"My faith in the Holy weapons is waining. Monsters have destroyed everything. I believe I am next. I can hear them in the walls. Tempting me. Seducing me. If someone reads this, please help us. I left the key to my church in this cubby. Help me." I scoff. Whoever wrote this is trying too hard. This is just a hoax to distract or confuse me. This is way too easy. They tried to make it look like the pastor used his own blood to write this, but the lack of urgency in the writing completely ruins the ruse. Are they trying to train archeologists and fighters or up-and-coming horror and mystery writers?

I shake my head and toss the book aside, grabbing the key from inside the small hole. Any intrigue I had is gone. Let's just get this over with. Maybe I can get home before night hits. I walk out of the house and unlock the doors to the church. Flame-powered torches light up as I walk in, illuminating the perfect marble interior. Wooden pews decorate the floor, and a red carpet spans the entire length og the chapel, stopping just before a podioum at the front. They sure are trying hard.

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

I look around the chapel, making my way slowly to the pastor's pedestal. In the stained glass above, six weapons can be seen. The six weapons of Zacarious. How you view a shield as a weapon, I'll never know. It looks like there might be a seventh, but the glass has been shattered. Wonder what the story there is?

Well, if this is going how I think it is, there should be a trapped door right under the pedestal. I shove it aside and find the carpet. I grab it and rip it up with a disappointed sigh. Sure enough, there's a trapdoor here. I tap my earpiece, and it crackles to life, "Am, I figured it out."

She laughs, "Surrre. It hasn't even been two hours yet."

I huff, "There were no monsters. The monsters the pastor was talking about were in his head. He was insane. This village was a small start-up town, and for some reason or another, they all went insane. The pastor killed his family and shoved them down this celler, and fabricated the claw marks and blood all over the house, though I don't doubt some of it was real. He then killed himself. I bet if I go down there, I'll find a mannequin or hologram of his dead family and him. The ruin you talked about is probably under this town and caused him to go insane."

Am says nothing for a while. "How did you know?"

I stand and walk out of the church, "I saw real crime scenes in Calypso and dealt with a few psychos. One of those cases was very similar to this. On top of that, this couldn't be more clique. Whoever did the props and made the story just ripped off some horror author. I bet the lesson you were trying to teach was that humans can be more of a monster than shells can or some bullshit like that." Am coughs and goes silent. Thought so. Clearly, divers don't read fiction that often.

"Well, good job. But can you tell me where the entrance to the ruin is?"

I shrug, "No, but it'd probably be in the pastor's house. Whatever caused him to go insane clearly didn't cause the house directly beside him to."

Am steps out from behind a tree, her hand against her head, "I guess it wasn't the best idea to pit a human crime against someone who's hunted humans for years."

I shrug. Not my fault. She beckons me, and I follow her as we enter the pastor's house. We move under the stairs, and she takes the key to the church, slotting it into a cleverly hidden hole. Something clicks, and the stone fades, revealing a staircase.

"How did that..." I trail off as Am heads down it. I follow, and we arrive at a large hallway. I can't see where it ends as there are only torches the first few feet.

"This is the labyrinth. It's based on a real-life event that took place in the forest. The village did actually exist, though the pastor bit wasn't real." I turn on my flashlight, but the beam of light gets swallowed by the darkness.

"Only natural light can penetrate the dark. Some ruins have adverse effects like this." She hands me a flaming torch, motioning me to throw it. I do, and the tunnel lights up where the flashlight beam stops, "There are no shells here, but plenty of traps and illusions. We lost eleven divers to the labyrinth this is based on."

"So, you want me to navigate it?"

She chuckles and shakes her head, "Unfortunately, we don't have time for that. Even if you were able to solve the mystery above in only a couple of hours, without guidance, this would take you days, if not weeks. No, I just wanted to show you what a real ruin looked like." She pats me on the shoulder and walks back up the steps.

We step outside, and the sun has just hit the midway point in the sky. Am smiles and hands me a metal card, "As of this moment, you have officially graduated. That card will allow you to access divers concourse. You'll be able to get some new gear and receive the medical check-ups you need to take the diver certification test." I look at the card. Besides my name engraved into it, there is nothing special about it.

"So that's it? No ceremony or party?"

Am chuckles, "Sorry, kid. That's the life of a secondary. Honestly, most secondaries don't even get this much, but your team refused to allow you into the field without a little training." She holds out her hand, "This is goodbye. Hopefully, my lessons have given you a starting point."

I return her handshake, "It has. Hopefully, I won't die in the next few weeks." I turn away and walk out of the dome. My glass rings, and I open it. "Tomorrow morning, a staff member will come pick you up for medical screening." Huh. This is from Abby. Guess she already learned that

I passed. Though I guess I was guaranteed to from the beginning. With a sigh, I trudge back home.