Seven Seconds
[Scene: Gate 13 – Second Trial Begins]
The hidden gate at the northern wall slid open with a deep, resonant hum.
A corridor revealed itself — long, narrow, barely wide enough for three to walk side by side.
Roughly 100 meters from one end to the other.
The speaker from the earlier trial stepped forward.
Speaker (calmly):
"The second trial is simple."
He paused, letting their ears adjust to the silence.
Speaker:
"You just have to clear this corridor.
Run through it.
Make it to the other end."
A few candidates exchanged confused glances. Too easy?
Speaker:
"You will go one at a time.
Order is based on how late you clicked 'NO' during the last trial.
The one who delayed the longest goes first."
Heads turned.
Panda's shoulders tensed.
But the speaker raised a hand again.
Speaker:
"...except for the one who never clicked at all."
He looked directly at a quiet girl standing confidently.
"You."
Katrina blinked.
Of course. No response = bottom rank. First up.
Speaker (lightly):
"Technically, you were the slowest."
She stepped forward wordlessly.
The speaker turned back to the group, his voice cooling like steel in water.
Speaker:
"Before she begins, though — a clarification.
There is a catch."
He gestured to the corridor.
"Look."
The candidates leaned forward, peering through the now fully open gate.
The corridor shimmered strangely — as though the air inside it were warping.
Then came the steam.
Then the heat.
And then—
A sudden, terrifying surge of lava flooded the corridor in a blink.
From floor to ceiling, end to end.
The heat blasted outward like a furnace roar.
The candidates stumbled back instinctively.
Speaker (calmly):
"Every seven seconds, the corridor is flooded entirely with lava."
He turned to the group.
Speaker (soft, but cold):
"Run faster than it.
Or burn.
And be eliminated."
Silence.
No metaphor.
No illusion.
Just death.
Katrina stared at the path, then calmly began tying her hair into a tighter knot.
No one moved.
Speaker:
"Katrina of Whisper's Light... when ready."
Katrina:
"Ready, sir."
Her voice was calm. Crisp. Zero hesitation.
The speaker gave a nod, then gestured toward the gate's edge.
Speaker:
"Take whatever position you want before the countdown.
But you must stand at least one meter behind the threshold when the timer begins."
Katrina walked forward.
No rush.
No theatrics.
Just steady movement — like a blade sliding back into its sheath.
She stopped.
Exactly one meter behind the gate.
Closed her eyes.
Then… began warming up.
A light bounce. Two hops. A short inhale through the nose.
Muscles tightening like coiled wire.
The speaker raised his hand.
Speaker (firm):
"On my count of three… two…"
Katrina (internal, sharp):
"Hundred meters. Seven seconds."
"Too much space. Too much time."
Speaker:
"One. GO!"
She didn't run.
She launched.
A single, explosive leap — air cracking beneath her boots —
and she was already halfway through the corridor.
Steam hissed around her silhouette.
The glow of molten death began to gather behind her.
Katrina (internal, flat):
"Cakewalk."
Second jump.
She landed on the wall —
light as breath.
One final bound — from the wall —
and she arrived inside the next chamber.
No burns.
No scrapes.
Just Katrina, exhaling once as she straightened her back.
---
[Scene: Back in Chamber One – Results Monitor]
The screen above the stunned candidates blinked, then updated with a quiet chime.
---
KATRINA — 4.02 seconds
---
A long pause.
No one clapped.
No one spoke.
And the corridor filled with lava at the 7 second mark.