Sync or Sink

Kai didn't expect the morning to start with a pairing announcement.

The message hit his HUD before he even got out of bed.

Trial Directive Update

Team Assignments: Issued for Early Coordination Phase

Mandatory attendance: 8:00 AM – Arena Hall A

Late penalty: Emotional Sync -2 | Save Point Lock (Temporary)

He rubbed his eyes. "You people really love punishments."

The dorm lights activated on cue, pale and sterile. Lira was already dressed — uniform jacket half-zipped, eyes on her own HUD, face unreadable as usual.

"You got your team?" she asked, voice calm.

"Apparently," Kai said. "No idea who it is."

She didn't ask more. Neither did he. But something about the silence between them had shifted since yesterday. Not friendship. Not comfort. Just… acknowledgment. They'd both survived. That was something.

Arena Hall A was massive — easily the size of a sports stadium. Rows of observation seats circled a wide platform in the center, made of sleek, metallic tiles marked with faint symbols. It reminded Kai of a PvP map, but cleaner. Sharper. Like it had been designed for surgical combat.

Students filed in slowly. Some looked more confident now. Others still moved like they'd barely made it through the last simulation. A few carried bandages — digital, semi-transparent wraps that flickered when they moved.

Dante stood near the center, arms crossed, a permanent smirk on his face. He noticed Kai and offered a little wave — two fingers, slow and sarcastic.

Kai looked away.

A different Instructor stood at the center of the arena this time. Shorter. Sleeker. The figure resembled a mannequin with no face, just a smooth chrome surface and shifting internal lights. Its voice was more natural, though still synthetic.

"Attention. You are now entering the Coordination Phase of your stabilization process. For the next seven days, all objectives will be completed in teams of two."

"Assignments have been generated based on compatibility metrics, SoulCode data, and emotional rhythm."

Kai's HUD pinged.

Teammate Assigned: Ren – SoulCode: Passive Override

"Ren?" Kai whispered.

He looked around.

Students began pairing off. Some greeted each other with cautious nods. Others looked visibly distressed — shaking heads, muttered curses, even a few angry stares.

Lira was already walking toward her partner: a tall, quiet girl with gloves made of energy and two floating orbs spinning around her like moons. They didn't speak. Just nodded.

Then Kai spotted his teammate.

Ren was short. Maybe fifteen. Jet-black hair shaved on one side, with a long fringe that hung over bright violet eyes. He wore his uniform jacket off one shoulder, sleeves cut short. A pair of old-school headphones rested around his neck. The word "BUG" was stitched into his collar in red thread.

Ren looked up and smiled — too wide.

"Oh," he said, as Kai approached. "You're the glitch boy."

"Hi," Kai replied. "You're… the guy I'm now relying on not to get me killed."

Ren offered a hand. "This is gonna be fun."

Kai didn't shake it.

They were herded into teams, fifteen pairs total, and led down a hallway that split into private combat pods — tall ceilinged chambers with holo-panels on every wall.

Objective: Run basic sync drills.

Goal: Test SoulCode synergy and communication.

Bonus Reward: +1 Trust Rank

"Trust Rank?" Kai muttered.

Ren tapped his HUD. "It tracks team compatibility. You get buffs if you work well together."

"Let me guess," Kai said. "If we don't, we die."

Ren beamed. "Probably! But not right away."

The lights dimmed. The pod lit up. Terrain generated — tall columns, low cover, platforms at varying heights. Then three enemies spawned in: semi-humanoid constructs made of red crystal and feedback energy, their faces marked with ERROR signs.

Trial Start.

Kai ducked instinctively.

Ren did not.

The enemies surged forward — fast, but predictable. First one to reach them raised its arm like a cleaver.

Kai yelled, "MOVE!"

Ren smiled and… didn't.

Instead, he raised one hand.

The crystal enemy stopped mid-strike. Completely frozen.

Kai blinked.

SoulCode Detected: Passive Override – Ability: Interrupt enemy passives once every 20 seconds

"Oh," Kai said. "That's… actually cool."

"You're welcome."

Kai moved in — no weapon, just instincts. He swept the enemy's leg and shoved it sideways. It shattered against the nearest wall, fracturing into shards of code.

The others advanced.

"Can you do that again?" Kai asked.

"Nope. Cooldown."

"Of course."

He ducked another blow and backed toward cover. "Can you distract the next one? Make it follow you?"

Ren held up both hands. "I'm not really a 'run-around' guy."

"What are you?"

Ren grinned again. "I'm an enabler."

"Perfect," Kai muttered. "I'm a guy with no power and a broken respawn counter."

"Sounds balanced."

The second enemy charged. This time Kai didn't wait — he grabbed a floating panel from the environment and slammed it down just in time to block the incoming strike.

He saw his HUD blink.

Tactical Instinct +1

Agility +1

Trust Rank: ↑

"Huh," he said. "That's new."

By the time the trial ended, both enemies were broken, Kai's arms were sore, and Ren hadn't lifted a finger more than twice.

The Instructor's voice echoed from the ceiling.

Trial Complete.

Trust Rank: C+

Stabilization Progress: Acceptable.

Kai sat down on the platform's edge, wiping his forehead.

"I don't get it," he said. "Why pair people like this?"

Ren tilted his head. "Because dying alone's too easy."

"What?"

Ren plopped down next to him, legs dangling. "This place is testing more than stats. It's watching how you adapt. How you think. Who you trust."

Kai glanced at him. "That supposed to sound deep?"

"Nope. Just dangerous."

Back in the hallway, students were gathered around the stat display again. New Trust Ranks had been added — most in the C to B range.

One name was missing.

Kai didn't even realize until someone muttered: "Didn't they just team with—?"

Another student replied, "Didn't make it through the sync trial."

The stat board flickered.

PLAYER FILE REMOVED – Slot 34

Kai stared.

Another gone.

No drama. No warning. Just… removed.

"How many people are we going to lose before this even starts?" he whispered.

Ren didn't respond.

Kai turned to look at him.

He was already walking away.

That night, Kai sat at his desk, scrolling through his HUD's log.

Trust Rank: C+

Emotional Sync: 5

Level: 2

SoulCode: [NULL]

Respawns Remaining: 1

He looked at the Save Point panel again. Still blue. Still pulsing.

A quiet knock came at the door.

He opened it — and no one was there.

Just a flickering line of glitched pixels across the floor… and a single message blinking in his HUD.

Instability Detected – Room 404