Entry Examinations

The night was dark and silent in the empty clearing where the token had led Nioh. Lying on the cool grass, he gazed at the stars, their distant lights flickering against the vast, unending sky.

The clearing was deep within the expanse, yet strangely devoid of feral biocores. The grass was untouched, the air still, as if the place had been maintained over the years for a specific purpose. Nioh had been here for an entire day now, waiting. But there had been no movement—neither from the clearing nor from the token in his hand.

Then, without warning—

"I can't believe someone actually came to the expanse entry point," a voice spoke.

Nioh shot up, muscles tensing. He hadn't heard the voice. But he had seen it—the sudden spike in harmonic sound waves. His breath caught as his body instinctively took several steps back, eyes snapping toward the source.