[B1] Chapter 2: The End And The Beginning

Cien snapped his eyes open.

His vision blurred, and he groaned as he shook his head to try and clear away the fog in his brain.

The last thing he remembered—his room. Hadn't he just been there?

He sat up slowly and looked around.

Then why…

Was he no longer in his room?

Instead, he found himself lying on cold, damp earth beneath a splintered sky, like millions of shards of broken glass had been crudely put back together. The air smelled of metal, like rusted iron.

Panic began rising in his chest.

Where the hell am I?

His stomach twisted.

The ground beneath him was cracked and uneven, dotted with strange, angular formations. The soil was a sickly grey, and there was an underlying fog everywhere.

Cien's heart pounded so fiercely he could almost hear it inside his chest.

He scrambled to his feet.

Hadn't he just been in his room? Why was he—

His gaze fell to the ground nearby.

Lying a few paces away were three figures, each motionless.

The first figure was sprawled on his right.

It was a boy about his age, with a splash of freckles across his face. His messy, curly auburn hair was spread out across the ground.

Cien noticed that his clothes were the uniform of an old, traditional school, like the ones he had seen once in a British sitcom. 

Turning, he looked at the second figure.

This one was a girl, also his age, with jet-black hair. She was curled in a tight ball, her face partially covered by her long hair. She was also wearing a school uniform, but it was different from the freckled boy's.

Cien thought about a K-Drama he had seen once, remembering that the Korean cast had also worn that kind of uniform in the show.

Is she Korean?

Finally, the third figure. 

It was also a girl his age, with long ash-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a simple white blouse with shorts and was clutching a tiny teddy bear. 

It was as if she had been sent here while she'd been sleeping.

For a long moment, Cien just stood there.

Were they alive?

Then, as if this weird world was answering, there was a subtle shift in the air.

The boy on his right was the first to show signs of life.

A slow breath escaped the young man's lips as his eyes fluttered open, revealing bright and alert green eyes.

Cien stepped forward cautiously.

"Hey… are you okay?" he called.

The boy looked around wildly, settling on Cien with wide eyes.

"W-where am I?" He asked. He had a bit of an accent that sounded a lot like British, but slightly different.

"I—" Cien was about to answer, but more movement caught his eyes.

Across from them, the Korean girl began to stir next.

Cien watched as she groaned, her gaze flicking from the unfamiliar ground beneath her to the shattered sky overhead. 

Then, her eyes landed on him.

A flicker of wariness passed over her face.

She didn't say anything. Instead, she pushed herself up slowly.

Cien hesitated. "Uh… hey," he said.

The girl looked at him in silence for a second before she finally spoke.

"…Who are you?"

Before Cien could answer, a small, startled gasp came from his back.

They all turned.

The ash-blonde girl had woken up.

She sat up so suddenly, it was almost like she'd been awake all along.

Her blue eyes were wide, darting around in confusion. Her hands clutched the tiny teddy bear to her chest.

Her gaze landed on them. 

On him. 

On the freckled boy. 

On the Korean girl.

Then, she shrank back.

"Who—who are you guys?" She asked. "What—where am I?"

Cien raised his hands slightly. "We don't know what's going on either," he said. "We all just… woke up here."

She shook her head, gripping the teddy bear tighter. "How—I was just in my room—"

The freckled boy let out a shaky laugh, interrupting her. 

"Alright," he muttered, dragging a hand through his messy hair. "This is some kind of sick joke, right?"

He looked around, cupping a hand over his mouth. "Hellooo! Anyone around? This is funny and all, but I like to go home now!"

The Korean girl shot him an icy look. "Does this feel like a joke to you?" she asked. "Who goes to this extent just to play a prank on us?"

The boy opened his mouth, then shut it.

Silence fell between them like a thick fog.

The freckled boy broke the silence first. 

"Alright. Fine. Maybe this isn't a joke," he said. "So, what? Did we get teleported by the faeries?"

Cien narrowed his eyes.

"Do you always make a lot of jokes when you're scared?" He asked.

The boy gave a lopsided grin. "Oh, absolutely. Humor's a great way to ignore the fact that we probably got kidnapped."

The Korean girl exhaled sharply, folding her arms. "Being like that isn't helping us right now. We need to remain positive."

"I don't see you being helpful or positive," the boy shot back. "But hey, if you've got some grand master plan to get out of here, I'd love to hear it."

Cien stepped between them. "Look, fighting isn't going to help us get out of here."

The boy let out an exaggerated sigh. "Right. Because obviously, the power of friendship will get us home."

A slight whimper made them all turn.

"Can we not do this?" The girl with the ash-blonde hair mumbled. 

The tension withered back into silence.

The Korean girl exhaled sharply, standing up fully. She dusted off her uniform.

"She's right," she said. "We shouldn't fight. We need to work together. Starting with names."

Cien hesitated before answering. "…Cien Imanov."

The Korean girl raised an eyebrow. "A Russian name? That's rare. Thought they all died out during the Arctic War?"

Cien shrugged. He was used to people being surprised at his name. "My family made it out somehow." 

He turned to the freckled boy. "What's your name? And where are you from?"

The freckled boy shoved his hands into his pockets. "Fionn Merrick. From Ireland."

The girl gave them each a nod. "I'm Kang Soojin. South Korea."

Three pairs of eyes turned toward the last girl. 

She flinched. After a second, she licked her lips and whispered, "Lena. My name is Lena Fischer. I'm from Germany."

Fionn exhaled, rocking back on his heels. "Alright. We've got names. That's good, I guess. Now, what? Let's go and fight some monsters—"

Soojin interrupted before Fionn could say more. "C'mon, we need to focus on surviving and getting out of here."

Fionn let out a dry laugh. "Survive. Wow. Love the optimism."

Soojin's expression darkened. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"Do you ever stop bossing people around?"

Cien sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Enough."

It was at this time, the fog suddenly began to become heavier.

A strange stillness blanketed the ground. The mist swirled unnaturally, parting like a veil.

A voice smooth as silk, and cold as glass cut through the fog like a knife.

"My, my… fighting already?"

The air itself seemed to shudder at the sound.

Cien whipped around.

And there, standing right behind them, was the source of the voice.

The figure was tall. Unnaturally so. 

Its frame was wrapped in a cloak that rippled like liquid. Its face was human-like, but too perfect—too smooth, too symmetrical.

And its violet eyes burned like fire. 

The sigil around its neck caught the dim light of the sky. It was shaped like a tilted eye, encircled by outstretched hands.

No one spoke. No one moved.

Then the figure tilted its head.

"I must admit, I expected at least a few minutes before tensions erupted." Its voice lacked the natural cadence of human speech. "Perhaps I overestimated you all."

Lena shrank back. Fionn's fingers twitched. Soojin's expression remained impassive.

Swallowing, Cien spoke up. "Who are you?"

The figure regarded him for a long moment.

Then, in that same toneless voice, it answered.

"You may call me…"

"The Arbiter."

The name settled over them like a death sentence.

Fionn stepped forward, scowling. "What do you bloody want from us?"

The Arbiter's gaze lingered on him.

"I see you are confused. You should be."

It gestured around itself. "This is the Shattered Expanse. A place where time is finite, but distance is infinite. A place that stands at the rim, always at the brink. You were brought here."

"The Shattered Expanse?" Soojin echoed. "But why bring us here?"

The Arbiter did not immediately respond. It simply looked at her, its expression unreadable.

"You were brought here to face the Trials," it continued.

Fionn stepped forward. "And what exactly are these bloody Trials?"

The Arbiter's lips twitched, as if amused. "You will see."

The air seemed to grow colder.

Fionn stepped back, shaking his head. "We didn't apply for this shit. Tell us how to get home!"

The Arbiter shook his head. "I'm afraid that you do not have a choice."

It lifted its hand.

Slowly, as if savoring the moment.

"Whether you wish it or not, the Trials have already begun."

It curled its perfectly shaped fingers.

"You can consider what I am about to do as a small… 

It cocked its head.

"A small test to test your current skills."

Its perfect, emotionless face cracked, revealing the beginning of a maniacal grin.

"Just a test…"

And with a sharp snap of its fingers…

The world once again collapsed around them.

A crack split the air, not just a sound, but a sensation that sent Cien's bones rattling.

The ground lurched.

And everything fell apart.