LitRPG: An Unexpected Beginning

[Darkodia]

My knuckles rap softly against the wood.

"Hey, it's me," I call out, keeping my voice low. "It's Kei. I'm back."

There's a moment of silence, then a flurry of movement from inside. The door swings open, revealing Tim, Sara, and Lily. Their expressions shift from caution to relief in an instant.

Tim narrows his eyes as he takes in my battered appearance. "Kei? You're back. What happened?"

"I did it," I smile tiredly. "I beat that crazy Elite Zombie Boss."

Sara's hand flies to her mouth in surprise. "Really? You actually defeated it?"

I nod, feeling a surge of pride despite my fatigue. "Yeah. I cleared the dungeon. We can finally leave now."

Lily, who had been quiet until now, steps forward. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," I reply, my grin widening. "Pack your bags, guys. We're getting out of here."

Sara rushes over, her arms outstretched. As she wraps me in a sudden, tight hug, I feel a jolt of surprise running through me. Her voice quivers slightly as she speaks into my shoulder, "Kei, that's amazing! We were so worried, but I knew you could do it!"

I feel my cheeks grow warm, and after a pause, I tentatively return her embrace. "Thanks, Sara."

Lily's brow furrows as she regards me. "That's seriously impressive, but how exactly did you pull it off?"

"I knew I couldn't take that thing head-on," I explain, keeping my voice steady despite the memory. "So I lure it in front of the restroom, where it couldn't get past that invisible barrier."

"Once I led it there, I started throwing javelins at it from behind the barrier. But that thing just threw them right back at me! I dodged what I could, but some still got me good."

Sara's hand flies to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Oh Kei..." Her voice is barely audible.

"But I didn't give up," I press on, recalling those desperate moments. "Eventually, it made an attempt to retreat, and I chased after it. But, it turned out it was a trap, and I was almost…"

"It was super close," I admit. "But in the end, I somehow managed to take it down right before it could finish me off."

A heavy silence falls over the group as they process my story. Tim breaks it with a low whistle, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Wow, that's intense. I can't believe you solo'd that thing."

"I can't believe it either… but first things first! The dungeon is cleared, so we can finally leave this place."

A buzz of excitement ripples through the group at the thought of leaving the school. Sara's voice is soft, hesitant. "Do you think...could we be the only ones left from the school?"

I pause, considering her question carefully before answering. "It's possible. We never saw anyone else. Most of the other students and teachers... they were probably killed by those zombies when the dungeon first appeared." The words feel bitter on my tongue.

An uneasy quiet settles over us as the thought of that possibility sinks in.

After a moment of tense silence, I slap my hands against my thighs, the sudden sound jolting us into action. "Anyways! The dungeon's toast, so let's just focus on finding out if we can actually leave now or not!" I try to inject as much enthusiasm into my voice as I can muster.

Tim, Sara, and Lily nod, their expressions a mix of determination and apprehension.

We gather our few belongings and file out of the classroom. The hallway stretches before us, and we start making our way towards the main entrance, our pace quickening with each step.

As we approach the front doors, a mix of anticipation and apprehension fills the air.

We pause for a moment, exchanging glances.

"Everyone ready?" I ask, my hand hovering over the door handle.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already." Tim taps his foot impatiently against the floor.

"I'm ready," Sara says softly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.

Lily nods, her jaw set and eyes focused on the door.

And with that, I finally place my hands on the entrance doors.

This is it. The moment of truth.

 

[Darkodia]

2 Days Ago…

Sophie Mills stands at the forefront of her FBI team, her gaze fixed on the unassuming warehouse before them. Her blonde hair, neatly tucked under her tactical helmet, catches the fading sunlight. Despite the current situation, a small smile plays at the corners of her lips.

"Alright guys, let's show these criminals what the FBI is made of," Sophie's voice carries a hint of excitement. Her teammates exchange knowing glances, familiar as they are with their leader's enthusiasm for catching criminals.

However, as they move to enter the building, unexpectantly a blinding light engulfs them. Sophie instinctively raises her arm to shield her eyes, her other hand reaching for her weapon. "Stay alert!" she calls out, her voice steady despite this unexpected turn of events.

When the light fades, Sophie blinks rapidly, trying to regain her bearings. Her eyes widen as she takes in the scene before her.

A glowing blue screen hovers in mid-air, its message both cryptic and alarming.

INTEGRATION OF PLANET NUMBER 5,435 DESIGNATED EARTH HAS STARTED.

Sophie's mind races, trying to make sense of the situation. She glances at her team, noting their similar, bewildered expressions. "What in the world..." Sophie's voice trails off as she struggles to find the right words.

One of the agents, a seasoned veteran named Mike, lets out a nervous chuckle. "Looks like we're not in Kansas anymore," he mutters, his attempt at humor falling flat in the face of their current predicament.

Sophie shakes her head, her training kicking in as she fights to regain control of the situation. "What is going on?" she shouts, her voice echoing in the suddenly quiet surroundings.

Her team looks to her for guidance, their faces a mix of confusion and concern. Seeing that, Sophie quickly takes a deep breath, centering herself. She knows she needs to be the anchor for her team, even though her own mind whirls with similar questions.

"Focus on the job for now," Sophie orders, her voice taking on a commanding tone. "We can figure out what's going on afterwards."

Her team nods, visibly relieved to have a clear order. Sophie's ability to maintain a calm composure in the face of the unexpected is one of the reasons why they trust her leadership.

"Roger that, boss," Agent Thompson says, his voice steady as he readies his weapon.

Sophie leads her team forward, and as they approach the warehouse entrance, she raises her hand, signaling for caution. Years of experience have taught her to expect the unexpected, to look underneath the underneath, but nothing could have prepared her for what happens next.

The team suddenly smacks into an invisible barrier, stumbling backward from the unexpected resistance. Sophie's hand shoots out, steadying Agent Chen as she nearly loses her footing.

"What is this?" Sophie exclaims, her brow furrowing as she reaches out to touch the unseen obstacle. However, her fingers meet an unyielding force that is both smooth and impenetrable.

But before she can even process this new development, another message appears in glowing blue text:

"This dungeon is currently active. Please wait until the dungeon boss has been defeated, or until everyone in the dungeon has been defeated."

Sophie's mind races, trying to make sense of the bizarre message. She turns to her team, noting their confused gazes. Hesitantly, agent Ramirez speaks up, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "What do we do now, boss?"

Sophie bites her lip, considering their options. She knows she needs to project confidence, even when doubt gnaws at her. After a moment's hesitation, she makes her decision.

"We need backup," she announces, her tone brooking no argument. "I'll try to reach command and find out if they know something about what's going on."

Sophie reaches for her radio, her fingers moving with practiced ease. As she waits for a response, she finds herself tapping her foot, a habit she's developed during tense situations.

"Sophie, is that you? What's the situation?" The voice of her commanding officer crackles through the radio, an almost imperceptible note of relief in his tone.

Sophie quickly relays the strange events, her words tumbling out in a rush.

To her dismay, command seems just as baffled as they are. "We're seeing the same thing on our end," the commanding officer replies, his voice tense. "We don't know what's happening. It's like nothing we've ever encountered before."

Sophie listens intently as her superior continues. "Sophie, listen. I need you to block off that warehouse. We'll send reinforcements as soon as we can to figure out what is going on."

"Understood, sir," Sophie replies, her voice steady despite what she feels inside. As she ends the call, she turns to face her team, noting their expectant gazes.

"Alright, listen up everyone," Sophie's tone is firm as she addresses her agents. "We're going to block off this warehouse until further reinforcements arrive. Command is currently sending more agents to help us figure out what's going on."

Her team nods, and quickly springs into action, their movements precise and coordinated. Sophie watches them work, a sense of pride welling up inside her. Despite the unprecedented situation, her team is performing admirably.

As she supervises the operation, Sophie finds herself absentmindedly massaging her left shoulder. It's an old habit, one she's developed after a particularly tiring training exercise many years ago.

As she stands there, Sophie's mind races with possibilities, each more outlandish than the last. She knows she should be focused solely on the task at hand, but she can't help wondering what other surprises might be in store for them.

Once the perimeter is secured, Sophie takes a moment to survey their handiwork. Despite the strange situation, they have managed to establish a decent blockade around the warehouse.

"Good job, everyone," Sophie offers a small smile to her agents. "Now we'll wait for reinforcements. Stay alert and report back anything unusual."

As they settle in for what might be a long wait, for some reason, Sophie feels uneasy.

Unknown to her, this is just the beginning of something that is much, much bigger.

 

[Darkodia]

I slowly push open the school doors, not knowing quite what to expect on the other side. The first thing I notice is the bright sunlight assaulting my eyes. I squint, barely able to make out the scene before me through the glare. As my vision adjusts, my eyes widen. The school grounds are swarming with dozens of FBI agents, police officers, and reporters.

"Oh my god, there are actually survivors!" a woman's voice rings out over the commotion. A tall female FBI agent with piercing blue eyes rushes towards us, her long blonde hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her navy blue FBI jacket flaps behind her as she hurries toward us.

"I'm Agent Sophie Mills," she says breathlessly as she reaches us, flashing her badge. Her eyes widen as she looks us up and down. "I can't believe it. No one has ever made it out of the other dungeons alive. This is incredible!"

We stare back at her in silence, not knowing quite what to say.

Agent Mills composes herself and fixes us with an intense stare. "I know you guys must be overwhelmed and tired, but this is important - were there any other survivors in there with you?" Her voice is tinged with urgency and desperation.

I swallow hard, trying to find my voice. "No, Agent Mills. It looks like it's just the four of us who made it out alive. There were others from our school in there at the start, but they...they didn't make it." Images of bloodied bodies and horrible deaths flash through my mind. I look away, blinking rapidly.

Sara reaches out and squeezes my left hand gently. "We barely survived ourselves," she says quietly, her usually cheery voice subdued. "The creatures in there were like nothing we've ever seen. They were vicious, powerful...and deadly." She wraps her arms around herself, her eyes darting nervously as if expecting danger to appear at any moment.

Agent Mills listens intently, as she starts scribbling notes in a small pad she's pulled from her jacket pocket. "It's frankly a miracle that you four made it out alive at all then. I need you to tell me everything - how you survived, what it was like in there, any details you can remember at all."

I nod, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. Beside me, Tim shifts impatiently, clenching his fists. "Do we really have to do this right now?" he grumbles. "We just got out of that hellhole, for crying out loud."

Lily shoots him a sharp look. "Tim, we have a responsibility to share what we know."

Tim rolls his eyes, but eventually, we begin to recount our harrowing ordeal to the agent. All of us share parts of our story, our voices unsteady as we relive the horror, the desperate fight for our survival against all the odds.

Through it all, Agent Mills listens solemnly, her face a mask of professionalism. I can practically see the gears turning in her head as she processes our account.

Finally, after what feels like hours, we fall silent, our energy reserves depleted. Agent Mills puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I know that was incredibly difficult for you all," she says softly. "What you've endured is unimaginable. But your information will help us immensely in dealing with this crisis. You're heroes, as far as I'm concerned."

Hearing the agent call us heroes makes me shift uncomfortably.

I don't feel heroic - just tired and confused.

Lily voices the question that's been on all our minds. "What happens now?" Her tone waverings slightly.

Agent Mills gives us a bright smile. "Well, first things first - are you guys hungry? I imagine it's been a while since you've had a proper meal. We've got hot food for you back at headquarters if you're interested." She pauses, then adds, "And once we're there, you'll be able to call your parents to let them know you're all okay. I'm sure they've been worried sick about you."

The mention of hot food makes my stomach growl loudly.

I hadn't even realized how famished I am until now.

On the other hand, calling my parents, I'm not as enthusiastic about.

It appears that Tim agrees with me. "Yes, let's go. We're starving," Tim says enthusiastically.

Agent Mills chuckles and gestures for us to follow her. As we walk across the school grounds, I can't help but stare at the organized commotion around us - cops taking witness statements, federal agents barking orders, news vans with satellite dishes pointed to the sky.

After walking for a while, we finally reach a row of black FBI vans and SUVs. Agent Mills opens the door to the lead vehicle and ushers us inside. A wave of cool air washes over me as I climb in and it's a sweet relief from the oppressive heat outside. As I collapse into the cushy leather seat, my body quickly goes limp in exhaustion.

As the van rumbles to life and pulls away from the school, I stare out the dark tinted window, watching the flashing lights and milling figures recede into the distance. My eyelids feel as heavy as lead. It would be so easy to just let them slide closed, and drift away into the blissful oblivion of sleep so that I can forget about this waking nightmare for a little while.

But I blink my eyes open, and force myself to stay awake, to stay alert.

We may have escaped the dungeon, but something tells me our trouble is far from over.

 

[Darkodia]

The van rumbles along the road, as its tires crunch over gravel. I lean my head against the window, watching as trees and buildings blur past. The leather seat cradles my aching body, tempting me to close my eyes and drift off. But I force myself to stay alert, even as exhaustion tugs at my eyelids.

Sara fidgets beside me, her fingers twisting in her lap. "I wonder what headquarters will be like," she whispers, glancing around nervously.

Lily shrugs, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Probably just a bunch of boring offices and stuff. But hey, as long as there's food, I'm good."

"And beds," Tim grumbles from the back seat. "I could sleep for a week."

I nod in agreement, stifling a yawn. The adrenaline that kept us going in the dungeon is fading fast, leaving behind bone-deep weariness.

Agent Mills glances at us in the rearview mirror, her blue eyes crinkling at the corners. "We're almost there, kids. Just hang on a little longer."

True to her word, the van soon pulls up to a nondescript office building. As we pile out, stretching stiff limbs, I take in our surroundings. The place looks utterly ordinary - just another government building among many. Hard to believe it's ground zero for dealing with a global crisis.

Mills ushers us inside, past security checkpoints and through winding hallways. Everything is a bland beige, punctuated by the occasional potted plant. Finally, we reach a small conference room.

"Alright," Mills turns to us, clasping her hands together. "What do you guys want to do first - eat or call your parents?"

Sara's eyes light up. "Oh, can we call our parents? Please?" She bounces on her toes, suddenly full of energy.

Lily nods, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, I should probably let mine know I'm okay."

My stomach growls loudly, reminding me just how long it's been since I've eaten. I open my mouth to vote for food, but Tim beats me to it.

"Screw that, I'm starving," he snaps. "Let's eat first."

I nod in agreement, already imagining sinking my teeth into a juicy burger. Or maybe pizza. Anything beats the meager rations we scrounged up in the dungeon.

Sara's face falls, her shoulders slumping. "But... our parents must be so worried," she says softly.

Lily puts a hand on Sara's arm. "She's right. We should call them first. It'll only take a few minutes, then we can eat."

Tim rolls his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Let's just get it over with."

I bite back a sigh, resigning myself to waiting a bit longer for food. As much as I hate to admit it, Sara and Lily have a point. Our parents deserve to know we're alive, even if I'm not exactly looking forward to talking to mine.

Mills nods, pulling out her phone. "Alright, we'll do the calls first. Who wants to go first?"

Sara's hand shoots up. "Me, please!"

Mills hands her the phone, and Sara eagerly punches in a number. As it rings, she bounces on her toes, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Mom? Dad? It's me!" she squeals as someone picks up. "I'm okay! We made it out!"

Her voice dissolves into happy sobs as she clutches the phone. I look away, feeling like I'm intruding on a private moment. From the corner of my eye, I see Lily smiling softly, while Tim shifts impatiently.

After a few minutes of tearful reassurances, Sara reluctantly hands the phone to Lily. Lily's call is shorter and more subdued, but I catch the hint of a smile on her face as she speaks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No, really, I'm okay. We all made it out." She pauses, listening. "I know, I'll be careful. Love you too."

As she hangs up, Tim snatches the phone from her hand. He paces as he dials, his free hand clenched at his side.

"Hey, it's me," he says gruffly when someone answers. "Yeah, I'm alive." He pauses, his jaw tightening. "What? No, I didn't - look, can't you just be happy I'm okay?" Another pause. "Whatever. I gotta go."

He thrusts the phone at me, scowling. I take it reluctantly, my stomach churning as I dial the familiar number.

"Hello?" My mother's voice is tense, clipped.

I swallow hard. "Hi, Mom. It's me."

"Kei?" she gasps. "Oh thank goodness. Are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine," I say, keeping my voice carefully neutral. "We're at some kind of FBI headquarters. We just got out of the dungeon."

"The dungeon? What are you talking about?" Her voice rises sharply. "Kei, what's going on?"

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. Of course they don't know. How could they? "It's... complicated. I'll explain everything later, okay? I just wanted to let you know I'm alive."

"Don't take that tone with me, young man," she snaps. "You disappear for days, and now you're talking nonsense about dungeons? I want answers, now."

My jaw clenches. Even now, even after everything I've been through, she still treats me like a child. "I said I'll explain later," I grit out. "I have to go."

"Kei, don't you dare hang up on me-"

I end the call, my hand shaking slightly as I hand the phone back to Agent Mills. She raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment.

"Alright," she says, pocketing the phone. "Now that that's taken care of, let's get you kids some food. Follow me."

As we trail after her, Sara falls into step beside me. "Are you okay?" she asks softly. "You look... upset."

I shrug, forcing my face into a neutral expression. "I'm fine. Just hungry."

She doesn't look convinced, but thankfully drops the subject as we enter a small cafeteria. The smell of hot food hits me hard, making my mouth water instantly.

"Help yourselves," Mills gestures to the buffet line. "Eat as much as you like."

We don't need to be told twice. We descend on the food like ravenous wolves, piling our plates high with burgers, fries, pizza, and anything else we can get our hands on.

As we settle at a table to eat, Mills pulls up a chair. "So," she says, her tone casual. "While you guys eat, mind if I ask you a few more questions about your experience?"

Tim scowls around a mouthful of burger. "Seriously? Can't we just eat in peace?"

Lily elbows him sharply. "Don't be rude," she hisses. Then, to Mills: "What do you want to know?"

Mills pulls out a small notebook. "Well, for starters, can you tell me more about these 'creatures' you encountered? What did they look like? How did they behave?"

I swallow a mouthful of fries, considering. "They were these... greenish, rotting zombies," I say slowly, my hand tightening around my fork. "Their skin looked all leathery and stretched tight over their bones. And their eyes..." I trail off, blinking rapidly as the image flashes in my mind.

Sara nods, her eyes wide. "They were terrifying," she whispers. "And tough. We barely managed to fight them off."

"There's something else I have to tell you," I add, leaning forward. "There was this... thing called the system we encountered there. It gave us status screens, like in a video game. We could see our health, our stats, even level up by defeating monsters."

Mills' eyebrows shoot up. "Status screens? Can you elaborate?"

I nod, choosing my words carefully. "When we fought those zombies, we gained experience points. As we leveled up, we could put points to different attributes - strength, agility, that sort of thing. It made us stronger, faster. That's how we were able to take on tougher enemies."

"Fascinating," Mills murmurs, scribbling furiously. She hesitates for a moment, then leans in closer. "You know, I experienced something similar myself. I was part of a team investigating a location, when suddenly, we all saw this transparent blue screen with messages on it, and then the place we were at turned into a dungeon."

My eyes widen at this revelation. "So it's not just us?"

Mills shakes her head. "No, but it's not widespread either. From what we've gathered, only people who were near the locations that were transformed into dungeons saw the system's message. At first, we didn't know what to make of it. Then, later, one of our team members, an avid gamer, decided to test something out. He said 'Status,' and sure enough, his status screen appeared. We all tried it after that."

"How many people know about this?" Sara asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Not many," Mills replies. "There aren't that many dungeons that have appeared so far, and we've managed to keep things mostly under wraps. The general public has no idea. We're trying to understand what's happening before word gets out and causes panic."

I sit back, processing this information. It's nice to know that others have experienced parts of what we went through, but the implications are staggering. "So what does this mean for us?" I ask, voicing the question that's been nagging at me.

Mills sighs. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Your experience inside the dungeon is invaluable to our understanding of this phenomenon. Which brings me to another question. You said there was a 'boss' creature?"

Lily nods. "Yeah, at the end. It was huge, like something out of a nightmare. We thought we were done for."

"But Kei figured out how to beat it," Tim adds grudgingly. "Used some kind of crazy strategy or something."

Mills' eyebrows shoot up. "Strategy? What do you mean?"

I exchange glances with the others.

"I... baited it," I say slowly, choosing my words carefully. "Led it to a safe zone in the restroom. There was this invisible barrier..."

"Yeah," Sara chimes in, her eyes wide. "Kei told us that he threw javelins at it from the inside, but that thing was smart. It caught them and even threw them right back!"

Tim snorts. "Nearly got yourself skewered, didn't you?"

I nod, remembering the heart-stopping moment when those javelins came flying back at me. "We both took some hits. Then it pretended to run away."

"And you fell for it," Lily adds, shaking her head.

"Yeah," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. "Chased after it, right into its trap. It almost had me, but then I remembered I had some unallocated stat points from my last level up. In that split second, I dumped all 5 points into strength. It was just a gamble, but it paid off. With that small boost, I managed to drive a javelin right through its eye."

Mills' pen flies across the page. "Incredible. So you can allocate these stat points in real-time, even in the middle of combat?"

"Yeah," I confirm. "It's instant. As soon as I made the decision, I felt the change. It was like... like my muscles suddenly expanded, became denser. It caught the boss off guard too, I think. It wasn't expecting me to suddenly hit that hard."

"Wow," Mills murmurs. "And this 'safe zone' you mentioned earlier - what was that exactly?"

I lean forward, realizing I hadn't fully explained this yet. "The safe zones are these special areas within the dungeon. They're like... protected spaces. Monsters can't enter them at all."

Mills' eyebrows rise. "That sounds incredibly useful. Could anyone use them?"

I shake my head. "Not exactly. You need to be at least level 10 to access them. And each safe zone can only fit up to 10 people at a time."

"Interesting," Mills muses, jotting down notes. "So they're limited in use. What about the dungeon's layout? What can you tell me about that?"

As the others launch into a more detailed explanation of the dungeon's layout, I slowly tune out, focusing on my food. Part of me wonders if we should be more careful about what we reveal. But then again, if anyone can help us make sense of what happened, it's probably the FBI.

Still, as I watch Mills scribbling away, hanging on our every word, I can't shake a nagging feeling of unease. What will they do with this information? And what does it mean for us, now that we're out of the dungeon?

 

[Darkodia]

The door swings shut behind Agent Mills as she leaves, and for a moment, the room is quiet. I glance at Sara, who's hugging her knees on the edge of the couch. Lily's standing with her back to the wall, arms crossed, her lips pressed tight, like she's deep in thought. Tim's pacing again, his footsteps making that annoying rhythm I've heard too much of lately. It's only been a couple of minutes since we finished the debrief, but it feels longer.

The room feels stuffy, and I wonder when the last time anyone bothered to open a window in this place was. Probably never.

Then, the door opens again, and a man walks in. Crisp suit, clean-cut, all business. He carries himself like he owns the place.

"Good afternoon," he says, voice firm, steady. "I'm Director Hawkins. I'd like to speak with you all privately, if you're willing."

Tim stops mid-step and narrows his eyes. "What's this about?"

Hawkins's gaze sweeps across the room, pausing on each of us for just a second longer than comfortable. "I understand you've been through a lot recently," he says. "But you're the only ones we know of with firsthand experience navigating these dungeons. We need to learn more about how the 'system' is affecting you. I'm proposing some non-invasive assessments."

Tim snorts. "Assessments? Yeah, right."

Hawkins doesn't react to Tim's sarcasm. Instead, he turns his attention back to me, like I'm the one he needs to convince. "These tests could help us understand what you've been through—and help us prepare for what's coming."

I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. There's a part of me that wants to tell him no, just to see what happens. But there's another part of me—the part that's been itching for answers since the first time we got trapped—that can't ignore what he's offering.

Tim's still pacing, shaking his head. "And what happens if we say no?"

Hawkins straightens. "That's your choice. But understand that you're not the only ones affected by these dungeons. The more we know, the better prepared we'll be to deal with them." He glances at Lily and Sara. "We won't force you to do anything. But I think you'll want to see what we're offering before you make a decision."

The room falls into silence again. Tim stops pacing, but his jaw's tight, fists clenched like he's ready for a fight. He looks at me with a frown, waiting.

"Fine. We can take a look first," I say.

Hawkins nods, taking it as enough. "Follow me. I'll take you to the medical wing. It's just down the hall."

The walk feels longer than it is. The sterile white walls of the building shift from bland and office-like to clinical as we get closer. I catch glimpses of people in lab coats, a few machines beeping in the background. It feels cold, and impersonal, like stepping into a different world.

When we reach the medical wing, a team of professionals is already there, waiting. Hawkins introduces them as doctors, specialists. They seem professional enough, but I can tell Sara's nervous by the way she keeps twisting her fingers together.

"You'll be in good hands," Hawkins says, gesturing to the equipment. "This is just the initial assessment."

Surprisingly, Tim steps forward before anyone else can. "I'll go first."

None of us expected that. He's usually the one who hangs back, lets someone else take the hit first. But now, he's walking right up to the exam table, pulling off his jacket like it's no big deal. Maybe he's trying to prove something.

The doctors murmur to each other as they prep him, adjusting wires and machines around him. Tim doesn't say much, just watches them, his mouth set in a thin line. I catch Lily's eye, and she shrugs, looking just as confused as I am by this sudden shift.

The machines beep to life, and there's a brief moment of stillness, like everyone's holding their breath. Then, it happens.

Tim stiffens. A strange glow starts to pulse around him—faint at first, but it grows brighter, more intense. His eyes go wide, but he doesn't say anything.

One of the doctors leans in, frowning at the monitor. "What's—"

Before he can finish, Tim jerks, and there's a burst of energy, an invisible shockwave that knocks over equipment and sends people stumbling back. The lights flicker. One of the machines sparks and fizzles out.

"Stop!" someone shouts, but it's too late. The room's in chaos. A few doctors scramble to contain the situation, while the rest of us watch, too stunned to move.

Sara's hand flies to her mouth, her eyes wide with panic. Lily's already moving, pulling Sara back as a piece of equipment clatters to the floor.

Tim's still sitting on the exam table, breathing hard. The glow around him fades, and he looks down at his hands, confusion written all over his face.

Hawkins appears in the doorway, taking in the scene with a calm that seems almost unnatural. He doesn't look surprised. "We need to talk," he says, directing his words at Tim but glancing at the rest of us.

We're ushered out of the medical wing and into a conference room nearby. Hawkins paces in front of us, hands behind his back, like he's thinking over his words carefully before speaking.

"Your abilities are more volatile than we anticipated," he says, his tone measured. "It's clear we need to approach this differently."

Tim's still sitting with his arms crossed, not looking at anyone. His foot taps against the floor in an uneven rhythm.

"Differently how?" Lily asks, her voice steady but with an edge that wasn't there before.

Hawkins stops pacing. "We need to train you. Controlled testing, learning to harness these abilities. It's the only way to ensure your safety—and the safety of others."

"You mean you want to turn us into weapons," Tim mutters, barely loud enough to hear.

Hawkins shake his head. "No. That's not true. But we do need to understand the threat these dungeons pose and finding a way to combat them. You're a part of that, whether you like it or not."

The room is silent. Sara shifts in her seat, her eyes fixed on the table. Lily looks between me and Tim, waiting for someone to speak up.

I don't know what to say. Hawkins is right—we can't ignore what's happening. But I don't like the idea of being a pawn in someone else's game.

"We need time to think," I finally say, my voice sounding steadier than I feel. "We'll decide by tomorrow."

Hawkins nods once. "Take the night. But understand—this isn't something that can wait forever."

With that, he leaves the room, and we're left sitting there, knowing that whatever choice we make, nothing will ever be the same again.