Elsewhere—a supposed safe haven, one meant to keep humans from the perils that is extinction. Unfortunately, this world... realm? Or—for lack of better understanding of its full vastness,—place, came not without its own trepidations.

  Earth, the cradle of dawn, once used to be a place for humans to thrive, being the dominant species with absolute power. But calamity struck when an anomaly was discovered on the sun, an extremely large object—apparently one that naturally produced light. The humans then wielded power of strange capacity and possibilities, but even that wasn't enough to prevent Armageddon. The Sun was dying—fast. Faster than they had ever predicted. And it was neither going down silently nor alone.

  With the sun dying, Earth was quickly feeling the repercussions. Humans wouldn't survive the unnatural decline of the Sun. It was supposedly the end. But before that point could be reached, the great transmigration occurred. About a hundred years after the beginning of the Sun's decline, when all hope was lost, the entirety of humanity was uprooted from the face of the Earth. By the time they came to, they were already on the alien soil of Elsewhere. The world a strange contrast to Earth and all their knowledge and discoveries, the most noticeable being the lack of a massive light source like the Sun.

  The entirety of Elsewhere, as far as human exploration had gone, was completely blanketed in near-perpetual darkness, surprisingly though with cycles of day and night. The only difference was that 'day' was merely dim and oppressive, while 'night' was near-blindingly pitch-black. But despite all these controversy, Elsewhere was surprisingly habitable for humans. But habitability didn't account for survivability. In this world, humans were at the bottom of the food chain, nothing more than mere prey to the native horrors of the world, hellspawns.

  It was a bloody massacre.

  Humanity was systematically and indiscriminately culled. The entire population of over ten billion people was soon reduced to somewhere around two to three billion. And all the while, they had no way of fighting back. That was the case until the ascenders came along, humans who had gone through hell trials, perilous and often deadly ordeals that if survived, bestowed extraordinary abilities upon participants. Most awakened from the dead, others finding other methods, some orthodox, like the hell gates, others more bizarre, treading upon uncharted territories.

  With the help of their miraculous abilities, they pushed back and repelled the near extermination of their race. They managed to carve out a place for themselves in the land of Elsewhere, gaining some power of their own. From there they slowly began building humanity slowly from nothing. A semblance of order slowly formed, and everyone was ready to start their new, perilous but manageable lives in this hell of a world. But where everything went haywire was when the promise spread.

  Surpassing all 18 trials could grant a way to save Earth, restore the sun, and return. This single rumor was enough to stir the entirety of humanity. A ton more ascenders sprang up, all aiming to plow through all the trials and lead humanity out of this hellhole. Unfortunately, these trials weren't so easily surpassed, and even after four hundred years, the trials still remained unconquered. So time being the cause, history became little more than myth.

  ...

  [Damned one! Your presence has been acknowledged. Your first trial will now commence.]

  'Huh, damned one? What the hell does that mean?' Lucian wondered in confusion as he heard the words whispered into his ears. But suddenly, his thoughts shot and glossed over one detail he noticed.

  Your first trial will now commence.

  'Trial? Wait. I actually got into one.' Lucian thought in ludicrous disbelief, processing the message he had just been given. His thoughts didn't last though as in the next second, his consciousness blanked out.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  ...

  "Ah, damn it. What's with this heat?" Those were the first words Lucian heard as his consciousness flickered back. A phantom burning sensation prickled at his skin, a ghostly echo of an inferno, but it was enough to remind him of the perilous situation he was supposed to have died in. His eyes shot open, and he sprung to his feet in an instant, a subtle fear flashing in his eyes. But he quickly shook it off before focusing back on his surroundings with wariness. Living in the slums for so long had left him wary of vulnerability, and the recent events had solidified his distrust.

  Scanning the people around him, Lucian was confused. The last sight he remembered was the burning orange embers of the overwhelming fire consuming him.

  'What's going on?' he wondered. His gaze was also drawn in by the environment.

  Sand.

  Red sand stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky was filled with dark red clouds, and orange hues of light filtered in through cracks in the clouds.

  'A desert, huh?' he concluded.

  Seeing him jump up, one of the men around him exclaimed, "Oh look, the dreamer has decided to rejoin the living. And he's a lively one too."

  Everyone heard his words, and it earned some laughs. Lucian was quiet and instead opted to take in the man's appearance. Slightly shorter than average, with a gaunt face, pale skin, and hollow eyes. He was also quite thin and seemed to give a shady vibe.

  'Emaciated bastard,' Lucian remarked inwardly as he memorized his features. He was quite a silent person and didn't make a comeback comment. But someone else did:

  "You seem to forget you are of the dead as well," a crisp female voice came from behind Lucian, in all its melodious glory, taunting the man with a lax intensity.

  The taunt was awarded even more laughs than the man's earlier snarky comment, making the sketchy man feel embarrassed. This quickly turned into anger, and he stormed over to the person who made the comment.

  'Short-tempered as well. He might be a problem,' Lucian reasoned in wary coldness as his eyes followed the man, somewhat curious to see who it was that made a fool of him.

  Standing at almost six feet, she had an athletic build and a darker skin tone, dark hair, which was braided, and the most curious of blue eyes. It was entrancing. She had a laxed and calm demeanor, seemingly chill in the thick grey fur-lined coat that had been tied around her waist. It was actually just then that he realized everyone present, him included, was dressed in the same grey fur-lined coat that stretched all the way down to their knees.

  Despite this though, for some reason he didn't buy into her demeanor. It wasn't like she was pretending to be weak as her sleek build wasn't hidden from view. But there was a certain intensity to her gaze, a focused sharpness that belied her relaxed posture. He felt she was far more capable than she let on.

  Only when the sketchy man was before the girl did he realize how much taller she was than him. He seemed to hesitate for a second but eventually grit his teeth. If he showed weakness right now, before the trial even began, he might lose ground or influence during the trial.

  "What did you say, bitch?" the sketchy man scowled. The braided girl raised an eyebrow as she looked down on him. Lucian noticed the subtle intensity in her eyes increase during the short time she used to stare down at him.

  After a few seconds of contemptuous staring, her head tilted a bit to the side, and she said, "Ah, aside from being dumb, he has a bit of a hearing issue too. I wonder how long you're going to survive like this."

  This warranted even more laughs and caused the man to feel even more shame. Hate burned inside him, and he quickly felt the need to get physical. A few people noticed his intentions, Lucian included. He also noticed the intense gaze in her eyes becoming more vivid as her stance subtly shifted.

  'This isn't going to end well for him,' Lucian analyzed.

  But before anything could happen, a voice resounded in Lucian's head.

  [Welcome, Fool, to the crucible of Lies and Flames!]

  'It's the same voice as the one I heard before finding myself here,' Lucian thought, blatantly ignoring the insult it threw at him. No, seemingly everyone. It was obvious from the ugly looks that appeared on everyone's faces.

  The strange voice of course didn't care and carried on with its task.

  [Here, truth is a mirage, and deception your constant companion. The very ground beneath you will test your spirit, and the air, your will, for this world is against you. Be warned: your mind will betray you when you least expect.]

  Everyone's expression changed at the same time. What did that mean?

  [Beyond this trial lies the black gates. But do not be deceived... It is not an escape, only the end of one torment and the start of another. A momentary reprieve if you will. To reach it, you must survive not just this place, but yourselves.]

  This statement made everyone's hair stand on end, and they eyed each other with even more distrust and caution.

  'Way to pit everyone against each other and cause distress,' Lucian commended sarcastically, though his distrust surged even more.

  [Of course, only one may find the way forward. Lies may set you free, truth may bring survival, flames may guide you... but all carry their own dire cost. Choose wisely, and let the trial begin!]

  Immediately these last words echoed out, a massive silhouette of a pitch-black gate appeared on the distant horizons.

  It seemed like the trial had already kicked off, and the goal was already right before their eyes. There was only one issue... well, one among many actually.

  How were they to proceed?