NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Recruition (1)
The figure that stepped out from the newly formed door was a woman dressed in a pristine white suit, the kind that commanded authority with every immaculate line and tailored edge. Her posture was rigid yet fluid, and her pale, ageless face bore an expression that invited neither argument nor curiosity. Her piercing gaze locked onto Nyx, as though stripping her bare of secrets.
"You're finally awake," the woman said, her voice even and cold, a practiced tone that implied this was routine for her.
Nyx remained silent, her thoughts a tumultuous storm. The air around her felt sterile, the white walls stretching endlessly, a stark contrast to the suffocating madness she'd left behind. She couldn't tell if she was truly free yet..
Without warning, a translucent screen materialized in the air before Nyx. Letters flickered into existence, crisp and mechanical.
[PROFILE]
Name: Tess Jardert
Sex: Female
Race: Elf
"Are these details correct?" the woman asked, her tone betraying neither impatience nor interest.
Nyx's hand moved hesitantly to her ears. They were pointed, a sharp curve unlike her human form. The reality hit her like a slow-building tide. She had been transmigrated into the body of an elf. Tess Jardert. The name felt foreign yet familiar, as though it carried an echo of a life that wasn't hers but now had to be.
She nodded slowly. "Yes," she replied, careful to keep her voice neutral.
The memories of this new body filtered into her mind like faint whispers. Tess Jardert, a quiet girl from a seaside city, haunted by tragedy. Her parents, her siblings.. all lost in an attack by the hooded figures before her abduction. The pain lingered like a ghost in her chest, though it wasn't hers to claim.
"Welcome to the Apocalypse Academy of Zone 4," the woman continued, her words clipped and practiced. "You'll be assigned as a new recruit. Pass the test, and you'll gain entry into the academy. Fail, and you'll be reassigned elsewhere. Is that acceptable?"
Nyx, now Tess, swallowed hard. "I have no objections, ma'am." Her voice was steady, masking the uncertainty that churned beneath her calm exterior.
The door swung open again, soundlessly, as though the space itself was alive and accommodating. The woman gestured with a sharp tilt of her head. "Follow me."
Tess obeyed, her footsteps echoing in the unnerving silence. They entered a vast hall filled with others. New recruits. Their faces were a mix of will power and barely veiled dread. The air was thick with tension, the kind that tightened around the lungs and refused to let go.
The woman approached a man standing apart from the group, his figure broad and imposing. His presence demanded attention, though his demeanor was far less polished than hers.
"This is Tess Jardert, one of the new recruits," the woman stated, her tone as impassive as before. "She'll join the testing cohort. Ensure she's briefed adequately, Gusto."
The man, Gusto, gave a curt nod. "Understood, ma'am." His eyes flicked to Tess, assessing her with a glance that felt like a weighted scale. "Follow me," he commanded.
Tess followed without hesitation, though her thoughts raced ahead. The memories of her time playing Last Era of the Apocalypse flooded back with startling clarity. She knew what this "test" entailed. It was a brutal initiation, a training ground designed to weed out the unworthy. Only those who could handle the exoskeleton armor.. the lifeblood of survival in this apocalyptic world would be deemed fit to enter the academy.
The test had two parts. The first was academic, a measure of learning capacity. The second was the true challenge: a trial mission designed to push recruits to their limits, testing their ability to adapt and survive.
The corridors they walked through were dimly lit, the walls lined with metallic panels that hummed faintly. The architecture felt alive, as though it observed and judged. Each step brought her closer to the inevitable.
Gusto stopped before a sealed door. It hissed open, revealing a room that buzzed with controlled chaos. Screens displayed flickering maps, diagrams of armor suits, and streams of data. Recruits clustered in groups, their murmurs filling the space like static.
"This is where your first test begins," Gusto said, his voice firm but not unkind.
Tess's heart pounded, a rhythm that echoed in her ears. She clenched her fists, grounding herself in the reality of her situation. This was no longer a game. There was no reset button, no escape to the safety of a screen. This was her reality now, and failure wasn't an option.
She took a deep breath, stepping forward into the unknown. For the first time since waking in this alien world, she felt the weight of her new existence press down on her. Tess Jardert was no longer just a name in a game. It was her name. Her life. And she was about to fight to keep it.