Today is the day we finally try for E Grade.
I can barely eat. The food on my tray looks fine, smells fine, but my stomach is tight and restless, like it’s already halfway through something important and doesn’t want to be interrupted. My leg keeps bouncing under the table, stopping only when I consciously force it still. My fingers tap against the wood, then curl, then tap again. Waiting has never been my strength.
Across from me, Kai looks infuriatingly composed.
He’s sitting perfectly straight, shoulders relaxed, head tipped slightly back, eyes closed. Not asleep. Just quiet. Centered in a way I’ve never managed to fake. I’m jealous of it, plain and simple. I want to pace. I want to walk the halls until my feet hurt. I don’t, because that would throw him off, and he hates it when I pace.
So I sit. I fidget. I endure.
We decided not to wait in our room today. It didn’t feel right. Too comfortable, too familiar, like it would dull the edge of what this is supposed to be. Instead, we linger in the common areas, watching people pass, pretending this is just another morning.
People stop by now and then to wish us luck. Most mean it. A few don’t know what else to say. One guy just glares before moving on, the closest thing this place has to a bully, always ready with something sharp when he thinks he can get away with it. I barely register him today.
Finn and Banks go in after the eighth bell. We aren’t allowed into the portal chamber, so we wait in the common area outside and wish them well there. Finn grins like he’s heading into something fun. Banks squeezes his hand once, subtle and grounding, before they disappear through the doors.
What gets to me is how little the world seems to care.
People keep walking. Conversations continue. Someone laughs nearby. It’s strange realizing that what feels like the biggest moment of my life barely registers to anyone else. I know it’s selfish to expect otherwise, but the thought circles anyway, stubborn and intrusive.
I try to relax. I really do.
At some point I shift in my seat, and my knee brushes Kai’s. The contact is accidental, but the effect is immediate. The frantic edges in my head soften. The buzzing tension eases, just enough that I can breathe properly again. I let it happen and don’t pull away.
Eventually, it’s our turn.
An instructor comes for us and leads us through corridors I’ve never walked before. The portal chamber opens up suddenly, vast and bright enough that I slow without meaning to. Portals line the room in every color imaginable, some softly glowing, some shimmering, one a full band of shifting rainbow light. The walls are the same white stone as the rest of the Academy, but the floor is different. Red cobblestone paths branch out toward each portal, and between them are small green spaces with trees, benches, and quiet corners where people sit and talk before leaving.
It’s overwhelming. And somehow calming at the same time.
We stop in front of a portal that’s an organic white, flecked with green. A senior instructor waits there. Kai and I bow together out of habit and respect, movements perfectly in sync.
“Welcome, Adepts,” he says. “Are you ready to test yourselves against the Emerald Jungle?”
We nod, probably too quickly.
“You must survive for five nights,” he continues. “Return with three orange lotus flowers and two diamond scarab carapaces. This pocket realm will push your abilities to their limits.” His gaze sharpens slightly. “I have every confidence in your success. Do not disappoint.”
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He gestures toward the portal. “Enter when ready.”
I look at Kai. He reaches out and grips my wrist briefly, firm and grounding, then lets go. We nod to each other, and I feel a small, genuine smile pull at my mouth.
We step into the portal together.
Something is wrong immediately.
You aren’t supposed to feel portals. Everyone knows that. Transition is meant to be instant, empty, like stepping through a doorway that isn’t there. This feels like agony. Like being dragged across broken glass that cuts deeper the longer you move. Like razor blades tearing through my thoughts while my heart is trampled by a thousand hooves.
I try to scream, but there’s no sound. No air. Just white.
Pain everywhere, all at once. I can’t tell where my body is anymore. It feels like I’m being pulled apart, stretched in directions that don’t make sense. The sensation goes on far too long. Minutes. Hours. Time has no meaning here.
I endure because there is nothing else to do.
Then it stops.
I’m thrown forward, crashing hard and skidding across stone before slamming into something solid. A bench, maybe. The impact knocks the breath out of me. The pain is still there, but now it has edges. Now it’s loud.
I’m screaming.
I hear Kai screaming too, somewhere farther away.
The world swims as figures rush in. Hands grab at me, trying to hold me still while I thrash without control. Every nerve feels flayed raw. Someone is shouting for help. Another voice calls my name, distant and distorted.
Then everything starts to collapse inward.
Sound compresses into a high ringing buzz. Light dims. My limbs stop responding. As consciousness slips, one detached thought drifts through what’s left of my awareness.
Did we die? Then there is nothing at all.
Initialize Evaluation Gateway.
Participants queued: – Subject C-0416 – Subject K-0416
Destination: Grade Evaluation Pocket Realm Access Mode: Controlled Spatial Transition Security State: Active
Baseline verification complete.
Proceed to transfer.
PORTAL ENTRY INITIATED.
Subject C-0416 enters transition field. Subject K-0416 enters transition field.
ERROR.
Identifier overlap detected at gateway boundary.
Attempt immediate differentiation.
ERROR: Identifier separation exceeds tolerance.
Anchor verification initiated.
– Cognitive anchors detected. – Physiological anchors detected. – Energetic anchors detected.
ERROR: Anchor signatures non-unique within transition medium.
TRANSITION CONTINUES.
ERROR.
Subjects instantiated as combined entity.
Entity record created.
Entity parameters: – Single logical instance – Two physical bodies – Two cognitive processes
This configuration is invalid for pocket realm admission.
POCKET REALM INTEGRITY CHECK.
Entity does not conform to entry constraints.
Pocket realm requires: – One body per entity – One cognitive process per entity – Stable reference frame
Entity fails all three criteria.
SYSTEM RESPONSE.
Attempt forced re-segmentation during transit.
ERROR: Re-segmentation destabilizes entity record.
Physiological stress spikes detected.
Abort re-segmentation.
POCKET REALM REJECTION TRIGGERED.
Reason: Entity classification invalid.
Rejection protocol engaged.
EXPULSION EVENT.
Entity ejected from transition medium.
Destination reassigned: – Origin point (Second Gate Academy portal)
Entity expelled intact.
Subjects reappear in Academy space.
POST-EXPULSION ASSESSMENT.
Subjects separated physically.
Logical entity record remains singular.
ERROR: Record cannot be reconciled with physical separation.
Subjects exhibit immediate distress upon spatial divergence.
SYSTEM STATUS UPDATE.
Evaluation attempt: Inconclusive. Result: Rejected.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS.
Root cause persists.
Entity instantiated incorrectly during transition.
Pocket realm cannot accept malformed entities.
Correction required prior to reattempt.
SYSTEM OPTIONS REVIEWED.
Option 1: Force immediate correction. Outcome: Elevated distress. High mortality risk.
Option 2: Lock entity out permanently. Outcome: Violates progression mandate.
Option 3: Defer correction. Outcome: Allows system stability to recover.
Proceed with Option 3.
SYSTEM ACTION.
Evaluation access deferred.
Entity flagged: – Temporarily incompatible – Pending reconciliation
Monitoring elevated.
Correction attempts suspended.
SYSTEM NOTE.
This entity does not meet entry criteria at this time.
This state may change if reconciliation becomes possible.
No resolution available under current parameters.
Proceed.
END LOG.
