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The door closed, a heavy lock clanging into place, separating us from Fallon and the others. Dread pooled in my stomach at the prospect of not knowing what she might have to face and my not being able to help and protect her. The stricken faces of Ace and Zane revealed similar feelings.

Kayden, on the other hand, showed how he felt by beating his fist hard against the metal door. The sound reverberated around us, striking something deep within me.

“The faster we finish this fucking trial,” Ace said, drawing my attention from Kayden, “The faster we see her again.”

“Ace is right,” Zane said, raising his chin and puffing out his chest. “Plus, Starfish is strong, smart, and sexy. She’ll be fine without us.”

He gave me a pleading look, wanting me to reassure him, so I nodded whilst Kayden patted him on the back… Or should I say thumped him, causing Zane to stumble forward, only to have Kayden catch him by the back of his shirt and haul him upright.

“Let’s do this.” I stretched my neck to either side and rolled my shoulders. I knew Fallon would be fine. Zane was right about her being able to take care of herself, yet it was still hard to be without her during a trial. The competition was becoming progressively more difficult.

I turned to face the room we’d entered and my feet froze to the spot as my gaze dragged over what looked to be a giant vintage ballroom.

It must have been abandoned here for many years from the signs of nature leaking in and staking its claim.

The place could rival the size of a stadium, with trees sprouting randomly from the hardwood floor.

Their sturdy branches seemed to support the collapsing ceiling.

The sheer size of the place shouldn’t have been possible and yet, here it stood.

I loved it when magic surprised me with its power.

Thorny vines draped themselves over what were once elegantly detailed panelled walls.

Their twisted forms clung to rusted sconces and broken glass.

Ragged curtains had either been torn from broken rails or deteriorated from lost time, exposing the shattered glass windows.

Beyond the empty window frames, a darkened wasteland lay waiting beyond.

“What is this place?” Zane asked, staring like the rest of us.

Potentials moved through dead trees that towered over rocks and sand that seemed out of place, almost like they’d been dumped there.

The branches had reached far and they drew my eyes to the domed ceiling.

I stared at the remnants of a beautiful sky mural depicting a sunset, but it, too, was chipped and flaking from degradation.

“The end of the world.” I frowned as I took in the crumbling room.

It was like an apocalypse had occurred here.

An annihilation of civilisation. I took a step forward only to hiss at the pain that shot through my injured leg.

“It’s okay,” Zane said, draping my arm over his shoulders and holding me up. “Zaney’s got you.”

“I’m sure that’s real comforting,” Kayden replied, grinning at me. “We should probably get mov—”

“A way out!” someone shouted, sprinting towards the nearest window, each step kicking dust and sand into the air. He leapt over a hole, where the floorboards looked like jagged teeth.

I was surprised he could move so fast after his encounter with Fallon.

What a lowlife, spitting on her like that.

If whatever awaited us in this room didn’t punish him, maybe I would.

“This is going to end badly,” I muttered, watching as he darted over clusters of rocks and debris.

Broken tables and chairs were piled together, still holding cracked and tarnished dinnerware. “I can’t look away.”

As if on cue, a flash lit up the room, devastatingly bright, followed by a loud crack that shook the ground and had me leaning further on Zane for support.

My leg pulsed with pain and I grit my teeth against the feeling of my own heartbeat in the wound.

My leg unsettled me more than the lightning did.

But I’d have to suck it up, otherwise, there was no way I’d be getting through the trial.

Mind over matter. The brain was powerful. I could do this.

Just as the Potential launched himself at the window, lightning snapped again, throwing him backwards before he could come close to his escape. He flew into a dead tree and fell to the ground, bringing pieces of the trunk and branches with him.

“Woah, dude,” Zane said, shaking his head at the sight. Smoke wafted from the limp form and a distinct smell of charred meat filled the air. “What was he thinking?”

“Most people are cowards,” Kayden said, looking around at the other 19 Potentials in the room, not including our pod. “Always looking for the easy way out.”

“And fucking stupid,” Ace added, earning a chuckle from Kayden. The sight was bizarre, and I was still trying to wrap my head around it. I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to seeing them as anything but rivals.

But they were right. It was foolish to assume an exit would present itself too openly and easily.

Fear likely drove him to take the risk without waiting to learn more about where we were.

A softer flash of lightning crackled across the painted ceiling, dancing over the flaking artwork and causing bits to fall like snow around us.

“What now?” Zane asked as I slipped from his hold. “I don’t want to end up like a barbequed barnacle.”

“We get to the other side,” I told him, determination clear in my tone. “The logical explanation is that they want us to cross this hellscape. Though I’m 98 per cent sure it’s not going to be as easy as it sounds.”

“No shit.” Kayden huffed a laugh. “Ol’ sleepy demonstrated that.”

Zane made to step forward, but Ace held out his arm, stopping the guy from moving. “Patience, Merman. It’s not a race.”

I scrunched my brow at Ace as he faced me.

He angled his head towards a small group of Potentials attempting to make their way across.

Ace may have been an asshole most of the time, but he was smart.

A different kind of smart to mine, but a valuable one all the same.

And whilst I may not have been comfortable using others in experiments, he made a good point.

The four of us weren’t the only ones waiting as three other Potentials took the most obvious paths that posed the least risk.

It didn’t take long before the floor began to rumble as if with an earthquake, sending rocks and Potentials bouncing and fumbling around from the turbulence.

A large fissure appeared straight down the middle of the room with a loud crack.

“If the foundation of the floor gives way, we’ll be crushed,” I said, eyeing a path away from the Potentials who were doing anything possible to avoid the crevice. “This is the Trial of Mind, meaning this is a puzzle we must solve. I suggest we get a better view of the room from higher up.”

“No brute strengthening our way through this and relying on chance,” Kayden agreed, following my lead towards a cluster of dead trees.

“Correct,” I replied. Blocking out the pain in my leg, I navigated the obstacles in the ballroom, climbing over rocks as I went.

“This is bogus. There has to be a way to get out,” Zane grumbled from behind me. “Those trees look like they’re blocking us from going forward. If only we had a river or lake. Better yet, an ocean.”

“Firstly, any body of water is one hundred per cent not what we want right now. Secondly, we need to assess our best path forward,” I replied, going around a cluster of tarnished forks and knives.

Their handles had been buried with their points facing the sky mural.

“There’s already been lightning and an earthquake. ”

“So?”

“So, we appear to be experiencing weather extremes,” I replied, remembering images and videos from history classes.

“I’d hazard a guess this is how Old Earth looked when humanity left, at least to some degree.

And if that’s the case, we can expect weather events much like what was experienced there.

If we get somewhere high, we will be able to find the safest way forward if there is another such event. ”

We clambered over the broken furniture. My injured leg refused to be ignored, yet I pushed on. Getting through the trial was the quickest way for me to get to a healer, so forward was my only option. We moved around deep holes in the floorboards, following the trees that towered over the ballroom.

Another thunderous rumble echoed through the ballroom. It was so loud it felt like my bones rattled with it. The air became thick from a sudden humidity, and I glanced back at the others to see Zane’s eyes go wide.

Shit.

“Run!” he shouted.

I didn’t hesitate, bolting towards the thickest cluster of trees. My panic overrode the pain, pushing me on and giving me the drive I needed to save myself.

Once I reached the trees, I wasted no time and started climbing.

The others followed as rain began to fall.

No, not fall, plummet to the ground. The water flowed in a deluge, soaking us with hard pelts, as if trying to force us back to the ground where it was already starting to flood.

My hands were slick and my body trembled as I clenched my jaw and forced myself up against the storm’s fury.

I made it to one of the larger branches, lying flat and wrapping my arms around it.

The sound of rushing water filled my ears as I peered through the thick rainfall to see how the other Potentials were faring.

It was no use. The curtain of rain blocked out the entire world.

I braced myself, holding on tight to keep myself from falling.

Fuck this trial. Fuck the Overseer and Masters. And fuck House Jupiter, the hooded guy, the Drakes and anyone else involved in all the terrible shit in the world. If it weren’t for all of them, I’d be safe and sound back home in the Verdant Plateau, not drenched in a tree.